This is fine.
After the recent release of Dance Called Memory, anticipation for a solid night out (supported by B. Gray’s earlier attendance in SLC) from Nation of Language seemed a guarantee. I got the added bonus of getting to see one of my personal favorites, Deeper, open the night up too!
Check in for some brief words and rad photos!
A few weeks back we tossed up a new tune from Brutalligators, hinting that the UK outfit were on their way with new music. Today, they drop another banger, with the news that they’ll be releasing Still Here with legendary label Fika Recordings. Their sound has a lot of similarities to the current pop punk scene in the States, using these gritty guitars to build up and deliver a punchy hook in the chorus, not unlike recent hits from Joyce Manor and the like. Just in case you were seeking something with a little more volume in your listening today, now you’ve got my permission. Still Here is out on November 21st.
When I think upon new music, it’s easy to see where a lot of artists are coming from, pulling from this genre and that, but in a modern fashion. That said, you can usually place those tracks in certain eras or time frames, but listening to The Melody Chamber (sans the Echo), you get a timelessness, a sound that blends pop form the ages up until now. You’ll definitely notice some of the softened jangles, encircling your ears with this bright melody, then visiting you with this blanketed vocal warmth that has given the group some Psychedelic Furs comparisons. It’s the sort of music you can turn on any time, and any day, always relishing the charm. Their self-titled debut album will be out on November 7th via HHBTM and Too Good to Be True.
I hate that I’m not on a dancefloor this morning, as nothing would be better than cranking this Optic Sink tune up and just punching the air in pure unadulterated joy. While I’m enjoying the dense club grooves, particularly that thumping bass buried deep, I also adore the way they walk the line of their punk roots too. It’s not a sort of played-out post-punk, but rather a refreshing club hit with a bit of a disaffected punk vocals thrown atop it. The propulsion is a tad slowed too, which gives off that solo dance vibe, allowing you to just lose your body in the best way possible. Their new album Lucky Number is out on October 31st via Feel It Records.
Through their first few handfuls of singles, the folks in Sweet Nobody have been turning out really charming pop rock, but today they make their boldest statement with “Forget Me.” I was first caught by the confidence and power of the vocals, hitting some notes that fall between Sharon Van Etten and Jenny Lewis. But, cementing the power of the vocal hook is the way they build up the tune, using stuttering riffs to kind of add tension to the track, then rolling out the red carpet for the melody to walk right up and blow you away. If pop rock is your bag, there’s not better you’ll here today. They release Driving Off to Nowhere on November 7th via Repeating Cloud.
Somewhere in the realm of dreamy psychedelia lives the sounds of Magic Fig; they’ve incorporated little sprinkles of electronic dreamy pop, not too far off from a Stereolab, then filled the noise behind with these little nods to prog rock and psychedelia. It creates this sense of wonderment that continuously has you rewinding to see if you can revisit the nuanced notes beneath the surface. Around the 4 minute mark you get this guitar excursion, which seemed really fitting, kind of letting the song cascade out to a blissful close. The group should certainly be on your radar as they prepare to release Valerian Tea on November 21st via Exploding in Sound.
It’s never easy to keep a label going, so when you hit 20 years, that should be celebrated, especially if you’re a label dear to our hearts, like Tough Love. While based in London, they’ve had some far reaching goals, particularly in the San Francisco scene, bringing us delicious tunes from acts like The Reds, Pinks and Purples and Cindy. Speaking of those two, they’ve both offered new tracks to for the compilation, Tough Love 20, which we’ve got streaming right below. As a person who owns a ton of LPs with the label stamped on it, I felt like we should celebrate along with the label! You can also grab the Tough Love 20 Compilation right HERE.
Our good friend Santiago and his Daphne Tunes have mostly been quiet the last few years, but a few weeks ago, he popped back up; I meant to run it that week, but, well, I got caught up in life, and was reminded by our good buddy John at 101X Homegrown. So, here’s the newly penned tune, featuring one of our favorite voices, period; Santi was one of the main reasons we fell in love with Growl, but his solo work encompasses this new sincerity that instantly feels like I’m being comforted by everything right in the world. Always glad to throw support behind old friends!
We know there are a lot of really incredible shows on the docket for this random Tuesday in Austin, but B. Gray and I hope to see you out at the Nation of Language show. They blow into town on the wings of Dance Called Memory, which just dropped a few weeks ago, and currently gets pretty heavy rotation around all of our houses. It’s like synthpop for refined tastes, with the pop accessibility lurking in the shadows of each song, careful not to overdo any one hook or be too overt. That said, Brian still vouches that its one of his favorite shows of the last few years! Oh, and Deeper is opening up! They’re phenomenal, so you better be there before 8 so you can get your feet wet with some stellar post punk. Doors are at 7, show starts at 8 PM. Tickets available HERE.
Chicago’s always got a lot of solid acts that should be on your radar, and No Lonesome are just another in a long line of artists to adore; they released their Am I What I’m Not EP this past week, and here we are to revisit. I chose the tune to spotlight below as it has this broad approach, which is one you’ll find lurking in the release; it opens lightly, almost in a baroque pop fashion as horn arrangements swell in the background. You’ll find a marching pace that keeps the beat, though they don’t move in with the tension as one would expect, holding back just a bit so that the build feels absolutely huge. If that big swell doesn’t hit, then reach out to a neighbor as you might be in need of some help!
