This is fine.
The weeks after the holidays are always a bit slow so maybe you are in need of some background music/playlists as we all return to work? If so, might I suggest you check out our massive Best of 2020 Spotify playlist which you can find below or embedded in our sidebar. We post a lot of tunes throughout the year so we didn’t see a need to edit this down to some sort of randomly numbered Top List. Enjoy!
Lockdowns and quarantines have really pushed Austin’s Brother Sports into high gear; they continue to release jam after jam, with their iii EP, just dropping in this past week. One of my favorite tunes is “Dry Eyes,” which kind of has this sort of low-energy Strokes feel to it, if that makes sense. In my ear, it kind of takes that deep throated vocal charm, working it over some sharp notes that have this dreamier swagger in a slow-burn sort of way. Just seems like the band have a handful of infectious tunes up their sleeve at every turn, so I’m game to listen, and hope you are too!
Back before our break, Rob Pursey and Amelia Fletcher took over the site for a day, and in that, they shared a new project, Swansea Sound; the band includes the duo, as well as Hue Williams from Pooh Sticks and Ian Button on the kit. Thematically, the song tackles the dire circumstances facing musicians, fighting to get the scraps from the Spotify and YouTube tables…so they pose, why not sell your soul on EBay? And in fact, the band will sell one copy of this song on a 7″ via EBay, for which we can only assume it will shatter records! Musically, its a pure pop delight, charged with energy and the playful back and forth between Amelia and Hue. Want to bounce around your house, your office, flat, what have you? Turn this up to 12 (it’s higher than 11).
Over the last month or so, I’ve been getting several McDead tunes sent my way, which is great, as I feel like the project is really onto something special. I chose one of the song’s from the just released McDead LP to sort of illustrate the craft in the songwriting. This sort of begins as this sort of swaggering slow burn of psychedelia, but soon turns into this hazy swirl of noisy experimentation, layering texture upon texture to fill your speakers with this sonic haze. For all the casual pop we cover from Australia, nice to hear someone working with a fresh perspective down under. If you dig, be sure to check out the full self-titled LP!
Before we left for our little holiday break, we shared several tunes from the forthcoming LP from The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness. But, over that little break, the band shared another great pop tune, so as we’re easing back into full-on work mode, I figured I’d share this bouncing gem with you. This tune is the perfect blast of power pop goodness, toying with an acoustic intro before dropping in a joyous blast of fuzz that echoes throughout the last bits of the song. I think for me, my only complaint here is that the song’s too short! I could listen to this all day! Luckily, Songs from Another Life is only a month away; grab it from Bobo Integral!
Remember when we helped our friends in Pelvis Wrestley release their latest album, Vortexas Vorever, on cassette? Well, they just shared a brand new tune that should make your day; it’s part of Austin Music Foundations ATX Gen Next comp, which also features other artists like Deezie Brown, DRINT and more. This new Pelvis track has this great galloping shuffle to it, but there’s some little nuanced details that I love. Put your ear close, and you can here this brooding fuzz right behind Ben’s voice in there; I can’t explain why, but it accents his great vocal performance in just the right way. Plus, there’s this tamed exuberance that comes in the chorus, reminiscent of Arcade Fire when they were charming…but clearly they’ve handed the reins to this Austin bunch. I’ve also included a stream of their LP, because why havent’ you listened to it enough?
Dreams on Tape is a new bedroom project coming out of Florida, and the mood of the latest single kind of fits in with my Friday vibe. It has that turning jangle in the guitar, but has that sort of breezy wistfulness, like you’re looking off into the horizon daydreaming about what’s next in your life. It’s all served up to you with these thickly coated vocals and a nice little subtle beat that steadies the song nicely. There’s just this natural feeling of hope here, which might be a great way to sort of close out 2020. Look for the Nostalgia EP real soon!
I’ve got about 8 more hours of work, and then I get to take a nice few weeks off, so I’m looking for a fun number to get me right in the mood…this Andronoids tune helped. Honestly, it reminded me of French Kids (formerly Young Girls) who we’ve worked with on our label end of things. It’s part indiepop and part classic surfy sounds and also fuzzy gaze oriented rock and infectious as all get out. The Swedish outfit just released a new self-titled LP courtesy of Ontario’s We Are Busy Bodies, so if you feel like tapping your toes today, start here!
Paige Berry and Half Dream released one of my favorite EPs this year, Monster of Needing…and today they’ve got a holiday tune Paige penned to share. While the song was written pre-pandemic, the thematic relevance to this year’s holiday season is blatantly obvious in the title alone. The core of the song really focuses on Berry’s voice, which is a marvel, draped over a heavy strum and some accents in the song’s background. Always down to celebrate a great voice, and perhaps we’ll all find solace knowing that we’re all alone together.
As we look forward to 2021 (thank goodness), its time to start looking for some new musical voices to keep us captivated, which is where we meet up with French outfit Gloria. They’ve just released this great brand new single, a bewitching number taken from their forthcoming Sabbat Matters LP. It’s an interesting jam, somewhere between modern psychedelia stomps, Fleetwood Mac nods and dream pop; I love the textural mixture that comes with that, which is what’s been drawing me to this tune…that and it seems to transport you back in time, and I’m digging that feel! You can grab the new LP in March via Howlin Banana Records.
