Tag: dream pop

The Luxembourg Signal Share The Morning After

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Perhaps I’m too easy to please, but there are definitely some easy indiepop tricks that sucker me into a good tune, not that The Luxembourg Signal need employ such tactics to win me over. Nonetheless, one such little nuance pulled me deep into this tune, and it happens right at the 58 second mark. Up until then, we’ve got a casually meandering guitar line over some structured rhythm with softened vocals. But, and its slight, another guitar crashes the party, allowing the drums to join in with a heavier hand, pushing the song into the dream pop perfection. It’s like indiepop slight of hand, and that’s not the only ace up the sleeve in this track…you’ll have to listen with a close early to catch some other nuanced moments, so go on and peel this pop banana back. The Long Now will be out on October 23 via Shelflife and Spinout Nuggets.

Family Mart Share Starlite

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Mike Lee is just churning out the dreamy pop hits; month after month we get a dreamy pop tune from his new project Family Mart. This reminds me a lot of some of the later work from Pains of Being Pure at Heart; its sort of peeled away that distortion-heavy guitar sound in favor of a lighter swirling sound. Personally, I love the 1 minute mark when the jangling guitar chord pops in to work in contrast with the tracks main sound, leaving you with the slightest hook to reel in the listener. Plus, some Audrey Scott backing vocals add in a nice thick melody to work with Lee’s voice. Tuesday can’t start until you’ve had your pop!

Dayflower Release Stuck to You Single

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You ever hear that shimmering guitar in all those shoegaze songs and just think…yep, this is for me? That’s really what I got when I threw on this new single from Leicester’s Dayflower; I loved how the guitar work, though beautifully shimmering, hung out really far off in the distance, allowing for the whole of the song to get swept up together. The vocals too, sort of hang back, mixing their melodies with the careful craft that surrounds them; it’s like the perfect dream pop soup, all the notes hitting just the right way to balance out every single listen…which if you love this style…you’ll get plenty of listens today!

Dream Pop from 1996

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I guess I’m on a big Mike Lee kick as of late, which is probably never a bad thing, if you’re asking. Last week we shared his new band Family Mart, and this week, I’m here to spotlight another great project he’s working on, 1996. He’s composing these songs with the help from fellow musicians, with each track recorded by an artist in a different city; seems like the perfect quarantine goals. This round, we’ve got Lauren from Velveteen Echo on vocals. Don’t let the angelic wash of her voice tease you, as the song quickly drops into place, adding dance floor rhythms and that ensnaring guitar style carrying you off in a pop tornado. I love the way her voice is used at different levels too, giving this sort of ghostly beauty to the song’s horizon. Going to be excited to see where this is all going.

Lavender Blush Announce Debut LP

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It feels like Lavender Blush has been working towards this LP since their self-titled EP dropped in 2016; and now we’re prepared to hear the band’s full-length, The Garden of Inescapable Pleasure. The band toy with us for about 15 seconds, mostly getting their feet under themselves; they hit that 16 second mark and the jittering of distorted guitars immediately start rioting through your speakers. The rhythm section does a great job of building that kick-up your shoes dance floor bounce while Ryan Lescure croons atop the mix; the chorus allows him to give off a little more of a disaffected melody that kind of makes you feel like you’re spinning in circles staring at the cloudy sky. The debut LP is available this November via Shelflife, with this new single streaming everywhere on Friday!

Single Lash Drop New Single

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Some bands just magically come across like they’re too big for the stage; they seem cinematic…and that’s the case with the work of Austin’s Single Lash. Sure, you could file them under shoegaze/dream pop, but there always seems like their sound is beyond mere classifications. Nicolas’ voice, for starters, has this sweeping dramatics, though the slight quivers also make him seem vulnerable; both gentle and brave. This tune also is filled with these ever so slight shifts, brimming on the verge of becoming a wall of noise, but with enough restraint to bring it back and focus on the work at hand. Just dropping this here because I love love love this band.

Album Stream: Phantom Handshakes Be Estranged EP

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A few weeks back we introduced you, or so we hoped, to the new project of Matt Sklar and Federica Tassano named Phantom Handshakes. Tomorrow, they’ll drop their brand new Be Estranged EP, but you can sample it here first!

The opening tracks set the stage for a dream pop meets jangle world; the guitars twist and turn in that angular post-punk dance I dig, while Federica lets her heavenly voice weave in and out of those chords. Still, you get a touch of respite in “At Rest” coming in with more oa subdued pop performance by Tassano; it’s all about her voice, despite the twinkling behind her. Jump ahead to “You Are an Idea” and you’ll find my favorite number of the 7; there’s a purity to the presentation, its clear of all pretense, giving listeners this purely elegant pop song. “Drift Away” is the perfect closing send-off for this EP; both the title and the effect of the song have you sailing away on this pillowy cloud of escapism. Be Estranged will be available on all platforms tomorrow! All proceeds go to Color of Change.

The Arctic Flow Share New Single

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The Arctic Flow have graced these fair pages on several occasions, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t toss them a mention now that they’ve got a fresh single out on the esteemed Sunday Records. In a sense, it reminds me a lot of the stuff that came out on the Tres Oui record last year, though this one definitely feels like Brian’s playing up the dream factor in song; there’s not atmospheric haze really, but the vocals feel list gasps of air floating through your speakers. Not quite sure if this means there’s a new record on the way, but you can’t really turn away from a great song on a Friday, can you?

Cotillon Releases Cruiser

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Today you can finally get your hands or your ears on Cotillon‘s new album, Cruiser, and what better way to honor that release than to turn our attention towards the title track. It opens with little audio bites and this guitar line that seems suspended in thin air; it’s a sensation of weightlessness crafted by the textured sounds Jordan Corso has managed to craft. That guitar line hangs in throughout the tune, though other little layers sit atop, like the vocals or that guitar line sliding in and out of focus, all of it blossoming near the two minute mark for a euphoric bop that carries us to the end. Sample this tune and if you’re so inclined, go invest a little time in the full LP available today!

Slow Dream Pop from Beverly Moon

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Mondays, even now, have to be eased into; you’re reminded of everything on your plate, and everything still left to be done from last week. I think Beverly Moon will help ease you into this week, offering up this dreamy pop ballad, sparkling when needed. Guitars shimmer and turn in the forefront of the song, awaiting the vocals to wash ashore; they seem to enter the fray casually, almost half-heartedly, adding this sort of forlorn emotion to the tune. There’s this faint turn in the chorus that’s like this rare pop hiccup that I’m really drawn to; it’s such a subtle tiny move that I can hardly explain it, but you’ll know one you listen. This tune appears on the band’s forthcoming debut EP!

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