This is fine.
With vocals like Lissie and a sound sort of like Beach House, Swedish band Wy won me over with this new song “Tired II” today. It’s a beautiful song full of plenty of rises and falls, and of course powered by the insane lead vocals of Ebba. I’ve played it many time in a row and I’m sure you will be doing the same.
Wy will release new album Softie on April 30th. Pre-orders are up on the band’s bandcamp page.
We continue our regular column supporting all things Corey Cunningham by bringing you the latest single from his Business of Dreams project. I’m not sure how he’s been able to do it, but he’s topped his previous release, and is running nearly neck and neck with some of his other projects that I adore. I love the keyboard work in this track; it sort of gives this shining brightness from behind the mix, allowing for the wispy vocals to coolly wash over the listener. I don’t want to gush, except that I do. This song is just one example of everything that is great about the new album; there’s ten other examples on Ripe for Anarchy, out Feb 1st via Slumberland.
The end of the year is list time, so new tunes are pushed back, and I’m just out here creeping on the Internet trying to find some gems. That’s how I stumbled upon Unicorns at Heart…a bedroom pop outfit hailing from California. They just dropped a self-titled cassette via Hidden Bay last week, and I can’t stop playing “Stay.” It has this natural softness, almost like an Elliott Smith vibe, wrapped in a more modern guitar sound that fits the dreamier landscape. The whole collection is an intimate affair, allowing you to indulge your pop fancy as you see fit; it’s just you and your speakers and these Unicorns at Heart.
Back in 2017 Nana Grizol released the incredible Ursa Minor; it was one of my favorite releases that year, and one with staying power in my rotation. But, just this last week, the band put up some early recorded tracks from the group, some that made it onto later releases, and some not. I’ve been listening to these tracks pretty non-stop all evening with my daughter; it has this oddball charm that reminds me of my college years when I was looking for anything that could make me dance or laugh out loud. Seriously, this is how you should spend your morning, visiting Theo and his guitar in the early days of the band; you can grab Theo Zumm right HERE.
California native Henry Nowhere has spent the last several years as a member of Day Wave, and while a paycheck is all well and good, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to craft his own tunes. His first single has him working over this casual bedroom beat; it’s surprising how the mere mention of his locale evokes waves in the movement/propulsion of the beats. He throws in this light guitar line, more dreamy than jangle, though perhaps meeting in the middle ground of the two. Be on the lookout for his debut EP real soon…I’d happily take five more songs like this any day.
Late last year I talked a lot about how much I enjoyed Broken Spectre, the last full length from Lost Film. Just the other day Jim Hewitt upped some new tracks, in demo form, of course, to hold you over until we have news on a more finite release. Even in an unfinished ditty, you can tell Hewitt and co know their way around endearing numbers. Both singles have this charming lack of urgency, with the drums primarily utilized for pacing. Seems like the baseball themed track is currently the most popular of the two; it’s got synth work atop the aforementioned drumming with Hewitt crooning over it all; the special bit comes when that guitar line jumps into the fray. Just in an interesting step in the process, and hopefully we get to hear more real soon.
It looks like our good friend Tom over at GFP is jumping full on into his new record label, Human Noise Recording; his newest release from Wished Bone is another great effort you’ll want to add to your collection. There’s something incredibly intoxicating in the new LP, Cellar Belly. It almost feels like the group are being playful, as if they want you to have fun with their brand of pop. But, in saying that, there’s also a natural foreboding that emanates from the subject matter and emotional pull. I’ve been stuck spinning “Yellowstoned” quite a bit today…but then again, I’m a sucker for anything Yellowstone. Go on and stream the release below, with a physical copy coming out at the end of the month.
As of late I’ve been digging really deep into the Internet to try and find tunes that aren’t just a run of the mill, which is where I stumbled upon Allegra Weingarten. She’s a songwriter from Louisiana crafting these delicate pop songs that inevitably find their way into your soul. Just last week she released her Psycho Size EP, a collection of six pop gems that are as good, if not better, than any of the other bedroom pop stylings people are raving about at the moment. Plus, if you love this, you can rest assured that the abundance of songs on her bandcamp will bring you joy. Something new and something great…so stream it.
It’s been a good amount of time since Tea Leigh and Luke Reed have worked together, but both have kept fairly busy on their own. That being said, their reunion leaves listeners salivating for more. Tea Leigh works her voice carefully into the picture, softly stepping her toes into the pop pool crafted by Reed. There’s this light guitar bit that prominently pokes its head out, before slinking back to let Leigh take her place at the front of the mix, keeping you drifting along. Perhaps the line “it’s never too late, you will return to me” leaves us with a hint that the two will continue their songwriting partnership…we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
What began as bedroom project for Maura Lynch has now evolved into Blush…a band fleshed out by members of Pill and Pop. 1280. The impressing bit in this new single is that the group still manages to capture the intimacy of a bedroom recording; Maura’s vocals are almost like quiet whispers, so as not to wake the others in the house. Still, there’s plenty of little artful flourishes, like the sharp guitar plucks that permeate through the track’s natural melody or the buzz in the quiet distance. Look for the band’s self-titled LP to drop on December 8th via Arrowhawk Records.
