Last Week’s Jams (1.5 – 1.9)

My goal this year is to cover as much new music as I can, while clearly staying in my lane and straying from the folks rinsing and repeating PR blasts. Walked a fine line last week, bringing in tons of new stuff. The big news for me was that a new record from Heavenly is finally announced, not to mention a long-awaited new LP from the Twilight Sad. There were some good Austin connections via Pullman, Winged Wheel, BS and Daily Worker too, with bands and labels from our town. Big hitters like Cate Le Bon, The Orielles and Dry Cleaning also had new singles comes out, so you’ll find those lurking in here too! Dig in and kick back.

Side note: Spotify sucks. Looking for hints on other playlist generators that support labels and bands.

Endearments Announce Debut LP

The year is already off to a great start for pop music, and today’s announcement from Endearments is welcome news to my ears. The Brooklyn act are playing on the softer side of indiepop, taking the dreamier moves of the genre and fleshing them out with a thumping rhythm section. Upon my first few listens to the record’s lead single, there are some sonic and structural similarities to acts like Pains of Being Pure at Heart, though they soften the edges of the distortion, offering up a more melodic center to the track. An Always Open Door will be available for you on March 6th.

Heavenly Announce New LP

Legendary indiepop act Heavenly have been fairly active the last few years, offering up reissues of their catalogue, as well as a little compilation of their hits (they’re all hits, dammit!). Alas, today comes the news we’ve been holding out for, a brand new LP! They come out of the gates swinging, using the interplay between Cathy and Amelia to recall a teenage romance with the nerdiest person in school; you can tell that their ability to harmonize and drive melody into our ears hasn’t escaped. When the chorus opens up and drives that punk energy into the hook you instantly get taken back to the glory days of the Sarah Records scene. You’re day can only get better from here. Grab Highway to Heavenly from Skep Wax before its February 27th release date. And, there will be a slew of dates to follow the release, though sadly no Austin show!

Jeanines Drop Winter Single

I typically don’t fall for Holiday singles, but you know, maybe I’m seeing the world all wrong…and leave it to Jeanines to let me know the errors of my way. They dropped a brand new 7″ apparently over Thanksgiving, but Bandcamp is just now getting around to giving me the heads-up…which is their ONE job! Anyways, there’s always joy in my heart when I get a new hit from Jeanines, and their How Long Will it Last LP will be on my year-end list that will come before the year ends! Anyways, if you’re in search for delicious pop, you know that you can just hop over here and spend 3 plus minutes with two new Jeanines tunes!

Pleased to Meet You: Norwegian Blue

There’s nothing like opening up an email, knowing you’re going to love the contents, and such was my day when I found out that Erik from Electric Pop Group had a solo endeavor titled Norwegian Blue. You’re instantly greeted with the bright ringing of guitars, opening up to a softer jangle and a forceful thump beneath the surface. That rhythmic openness is perfect for Erik’s voice, embracing this brilliant warmth, not to mention the added emphasis from the supporting “ba ba ba” that creates this magical charm. No word on we’ll be getting a full-length, but fingers crossed it comes our way real soon. This single arrives courtesy of Matinee Recordings.

New EP from Bubblegum Lemonade

There’s been a pretty steady release of new Bubblegum Lemonade pop ditties this year, and I’m pretty embarrassed to say I haven’t given Laz and company enough proper love. And look, the title track of the French Letters in the Sand EP is pretty special, offering a really catchy bit of indiepop, as prescribed by your doctor. But, the second tune on here, “The Hottest Day of the Year” is an absolute gem, and might be one of my favorite tunes that the band has penned. After opening with a fiery riff, it settles into a snappy bounce, swinging your hips from side to side with the melody. There’s a warmth that perhaps comes with the title, but the mid tune diversion of “where does she go” cemented the ditty in my brain! If you love good pop, stop what you’re doing and slide into these tunes, courtesy of Matinee Recordings.

Did You Listen to Blossomer?

There were a lot of really great records that dropped on Friday, and while heavy-hitters likely took the fame, I hope you will spend some time with Stray Fossa‘s latest opus, Blossomer. Those of you who are seeking out extra crisp guitar sounds will surely have this album spinning for several weeks, and opening track “Change the Film” creates the attraction instantly; it’s using these twisting little guitar lines and feathered vocals to seduce you. As you dig into the record, it’s the softness of the vocals building an intimacy between band and listener, and the production has the perfect amount of balance, letting the guitars dance and swing like on “Quiet Quitting,” though the voice still opens you up to the album’s dreamier nature. Ten tracks of magnificent guitar pop to make you swoon, so get to it and stream Blossomer below!

A Couple of New Ditties from Tullycraft

Seattle outfit Tullycraft are about to release their delightful new LP, brimming with joy and clever wordplay you might find on a Dan Treacy penned track. They’ve just dropped a couple of new tracks to support Shoot the Point, and “Love on the Left Bank” displays the band’s ability to switch back and forth between vocalists, though never shying away from nuanced hooks in the background…just think of a purely pop version of the Comet gain. “Tarrytown” turns these great guitar lines into masterful pop seduction, and those vocal tones pull from the coolest corners of indiepop, particularly with their little rise within syllable switches. Shoot the Point is shaping up quite nicely; it’ll be out this Friday via HHBTM.

Circling Back to Love Burns Latest 7″

Sometimes life can run full-circle, as is the case for Phil Sutton and his project Love Burns. He was part of the original Comet Gain lineup, then moved on to work in various projects like Pale Lights, but now serendipity strikes as his latest 7″ features Rachel Evans, who plays part in the current Comet Gain lineup. All that history aside, these are some of the best songs Sutton has written (even considering the ATH Records supported It Should Have Been Tomorrow). “Dear Carol” is a wonderful duet with Rachel, but that soaring chorus just crushes you under its power; I would live and breathe for that moment alone. Flip it over and you get another swooning pop tune, with Phil embracing dulcet tones atop an encircling jangle, before Evans adds a nice little backing vocal to layer an extra blanket of melody into the track. Both glorious tunes are available from Spinout Nuggets.

Your Monthly Club 8 Dose

Every month, for the last two years, Swedish pop outfit Club 8 have dropped a singular tune; the tune’s pull from a style drenched in the country’s rich history of dreamy pop. That being said, they always continue to manipulate their own formula, like here where they hit you in the face before the first second has even passed by your ears. I honestly thought that this was going to be one of their bangers, hitting hard in the rhythm section while the vocals kept pace, but after that opening punch, it recedes to bring about a more melodic dreaminess that wants to curl aside you like your favorite cat. I’ll gladly write about this band every month if they keep dropping me these gems!

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