New Stuff from Postal Blue

Adriano do Cuoto has been hinting at a new Postal Blue release for a few weeks, and I’m glad we finally get to hear a brand new single. I love the way I was suckered into this one, as the track felt really light for the first 10 seconds before it sort of took on that next level, building this toe-tapping pace that’s perfect for this brand of jangling pop. Guitars churn over and over one another, hitting those crystal notes, almost dancing about your inner ear. All the while, do Couto plays the coy crooner, letting his softened tones creep into the track from the shadows of the track; it ends up giving off this sort of beachfront power-pop groove, and I’m totally here for it. Are you?

Chapter Music Share Another Single from the Particles Reissue

Slow days mean you can dive to the bottom of your emails and pick out the true gems, like this track from the Particles. You can immediately hear why everyone in our circle is so excited to get their hands on this 1980s Bubblegum reissue. A nice little shuffling guitar line runs underfoot, with the bob and weave from the bass lines while the drums play it extra snappy. It all reaches its apex when you toss it in with the candied vocals, just in case you needed something to sweeten the deal here. In addition to this single, Chapter Music have also made two other tracks available, giving you a total of 5 tunes to hear for those who are just being introduced to the charms. The reissue will be available on July 7th, with US folks able to grab it from Seasick.

Humdrum Shares Superbloom Single

With Star Tropics calling it a day, Loren Vanderbilt III had a batch of songs he wanted the world to hear; we’ve slowly been gifted a listen to his work as Humdrum. Today there’s a brand new track, working with that jangling guitar that should sound familiar to fans of Loren’s work. Underneath that you can hear a heavier distorted riff, sort of like the basic soil from which the rest of the track can grow and sprout melody; it works perfectly when combined with the frantic drum work playing out behind it. Feel like this project is just about to take off, so stay tuned to hear more great pop from Humdrum.

Colatura Share Kids Like Us Video

File Colatura under “band I’d wished I’d seen” during SXSW, but for some reason, it just never lined up. Still, this latest single is all the more reason I feel a bit remiss, as it’s certainly filed under the category of solid gold indie pop. Somewhere you’ll find it right in line behind Alvvays and the likes, with Meredith Lampe hitting a lot of the exact same notes, vocally. I think you’ll also pull back the covers to see a little bit of longing for that great expanse, leaving the light jangling dreaminess longinly roll across the Western frontier in search of your ears. Their LP And Then I’ll be Happy is out on April 22nd.

Another Tune from Les Bicyclettes de Belsize

It looks as if Les Bicyclettes de Belsize are preparing another release in the near future, as we’ve gotten two new tunes bubbling up from their soundcloud page, though I haven’t seen much else. Still, listening to this new single, it’s the sort of folky chamber pop that first brought me to the fragile side of indie pop. It’s got striking arrangements, with added string work and the careful placement of vocal accompaniment in all the right places; the song’s completeness creates the perfect sense of yearning that I always associate with this genre. Another striking piece from Charlie Darling and company. Hopefully we hear news of a release real soon!

Love, Burns Announces It Should Have Been Tomorrow

It seems only fitting that we begin covering music in the new year by covering our first release of 2022; It Should Have Been Tomorrow by Love, Burns. The band is the solo project of Phil Sutton, who plays in Pale Lights (among other acts like Cinema Red and Blue and Comet Gain!), but the album features help from Kyle Forester, Hampus Ohland-Frolund, and Gary Olson…so it’s kind of a big deal! We’re releasing it in conjunction with Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten, Calico Cat Records and Jigsaw…all great labels run by admirable persons, so we’re fortunate to be part of this release (we’ll be handling the cassette version)! But, we can’t really convince you to pick it up without a little taste now can we? Here’s a few tunes from the album, which will be out on February 4th; buy it from us HERE.

Plus, Phil recently recorded a wonderful cover of the Wake’s “Crush the Flowers” with Suzanne Nienaber for Soleado, a Tribute to Siesta Records, organized by Fadeawayradiate. You can hear that below:

Phil photo courtesy of Dominick Mastrangelo Photography.

Things I Missed: Jetstream Pony’s Misplaced Words

I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing it, and honestly, I’m not complaining about the job, but teaching this year (my real job!), has been absolute whirlwind, holding on for dear life all the way. So, I’ve missed some things I new I’d love, and am just not getting to dive deep into them, like this Jetstream Pony mini-album, Misplaced Words. I saw it, I knew it would rule, but now I want to make sure you’ve got space in your world to spend some time here. The band has been winning me over since their first 7″ popped up, but the opening track here is just “stop you in your tracks” good; the band doesn’t live up, following it up with what I’ve found is my favorite tune, “Courses for Obstacles.” Every track hits here, don’t be a dummy and waste your time not indulging in this joy, stream it below, NOW!

 

Crabber Share Katherine/Waves

This November, all those folks that pine for Sarah Records 7″ on Discogs (like myself) will certainly find themselves being absolutely charmed by the sophomore album from Germany’s Crabber. Honestly, listening through this new single, one thing sticks out in my mind; the song sounds a lot like Comet Gain, except its just a pure pop version there, getting rid of some of the lo-fi effects in order to bring out more from the melody in these lines. I’m not sure how someone doesn’t listen to the soft crystalline guitars and just fall to pieces at how glorious they sound dancing down your ear canal. Their album drops via Jigsaw in November!

Cloudberry Records Announces Stars on Fire 7″

We haven’t had the pleasure of catching anything from Cloudberry Records in a bit, so I’m really stoked that the label is returning, and doing so with Stars on Fire, no less. The band is the project of Christoph Mark, and I just love the heavy guitar on this track, battling against the drum beat from the get-go, only allowing the vocals to serve as the balance between the two sounds as they teeter back and forth in this tune. Personally, the texturing is where Mark succeeds, building these little layers that flesh out the sound; it gives a full pop stomach, which definitely doesn’t always happen in this brand. You’ll hear this track as the A-Side to the new 7″, dropping on September 24th.

The Legends Share Oh Well I Never Learn

Johan Angergard’s project, The Legends, will pop up its head from time to time, and due to his work with Club 8 (among other things), I’m always listening here. The latest release just dropped, dripping with this seductively warped electronic line that works subtly in unison with this minimal drum loop. Johan’s voice definitely helps add the melody, ensuring that we’re sufficiently up to par on our sugar tasting for the day. Love starting off with this tune, as it just has this effortless cool, but also as it seemingly slinks you into the working week.

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