This is fine.
Unless you are living under some sort of large rock, you should be fully aware that Levitation Festival started last night in the ATX. We saw many of you out and about and look forward to more moments of tunes and fun as the weekend progresses. If you’re still looking for some recommendation this weekend, we’ve got one last getting to know you interview from Brooklyn based Hello Mary. Be sure to hit the jump for interview, tunes, and set times.
Brooklyn based artist Tim Lapping has really been striking a chord with my lately with his new tunes under his recording moniker Casual Male. Dare I say, it might just be some of my favorite music from the entirety of summer 2024. Acting as a sort of close out for summer to me is this new tune about that familiar vehicle many of us used to learn our driving craft on “Hondo Civic.” This really plays into that late summer driving, very Americana feel of freedom, open roads, and a sense of total opportunity. Check it out below.
Casual Male will be releasing a self-titled, debut album on October 4th.
Visiting this site over the last few year means you’ve likely caught wind of Phantom Handshakes, a New York outfit we’ve been praising since their earliest days. With that, we’ve watched them move from a quieted dream pop act to something that adheres to the genre’s style while still blossoming into something that feels bolder and much brighter. Their latest record, Sirens at Golden Hour, is a huge leap sonically, as all the little corners and bits that typically get swept under the rug are allowed to exist here, creating an entire record of pop tunes that feel heavier, though holding onto the pop sensibility. The darkness of “Apart” is still one of my favorite tunes, but you’ll notice that the entirety of the album just feels larger than life, displaying just how far the band have come in their brief existence. Stream the whole new LP below!
There’s always something to be said for simplicity and execution in songwriting, and the latest track from New York’s Weak Signal perfectly exemplifies that mentality. It opens with a driving bit of guitar, chugging along with the snapping hit of the drums; there’s not too much flare…no overlapping ambiance or walls of noise, just distortion driving you forward. Now, for all that heavy guitar sound, the band’s bread and butter is the distinctive interplay of Mike and Sasha on the vocal mix; they’ve got these contrasting tones that fit perfectly together, but also fill in the space so that while the song feels like a rocker, you’re not quite sure with all those delectable melodic morsels of pop hanging about. Just another banger from their forthcoming Fine LP, out on September 6th via 12XU.
Tim Lappin is a Brooklyn based artist who has been recording tunes for the last few years under the moniker Casual Male. His tunes have a very New York, driving garage rock vibe to them with some hints of Americana and Bruce in there. This new track “Half Cut” sort of embodies all of those sounds as one has the sudden urge to get moving and maybe venture outdoors while enjoying the song. Check it out below.
Casual Male will be releasing a self-titled debut LP on October 4th.
Woke up this morning to this fresh tune from New York’s 
Ceylon Sailor; it immediately reminded me of Nada Surf in the way it bridged pop radio and indie vibes. You’ll hear dangling bits of fuzz on the guitars, rounding out the sound to soften the distortion for listeners, while the vocals drive home a melodic center that you’ll devour, at times even stretching into an emo-adjacent feel. After I keep going back here to find myself in the land of repeat listens, I can’t help but see it as the middle ground between Nada Surf and Jimmy Eat World (when they were great), and I think that’s the best place to start your day!
Sometimes the nostalgia bug can hit us all from time to time, and that’s the feeling I get when I listen to “Little Splinters” from Brooklyn based outfit OK Cowgirl. The track gives off a strong, late 90s alt-rock vibe with the distorted, power chord driven guitar and steady drum beat. Of course the vocals from Leah Lavigne provide an additional emotional force to be reckoned with throughout. Check it out and you’re welcome.
A debut LP from OK Cowgirl entitled Couldn’t Save Us From My Gut is due out August 16th via Easy Does it Records.
NYC based indie group Been Stellar is coming in hot this year with what might just be one my most anticipated and top releases of the year. Already we heard the jam “Sweet” back in April, now the band return this month with yet another hit called “Pumpkin.” Is it just me, or does this band give off a strong aura of Nada Surf circa the Let Go era? You certainly can hear hints of the inspiration with a delicate take on the vocals mixed in with the slightest hint of folk and a dash of shoegaze. I am here for every ounce of it.
Been Stellar will release new album Scream From New York, NY on June 21st via Dirty Hit.
Though that little festival thing we just had in Austin is now over, some of the bands who stopped into town are using their performance momentum to get some new songs out and into the world. New York based BODEGA are one such group as they just tore through Austin and released this new track “Cultural Consumer III” shortly after departing. Simply put, I love the energy behind this track and am using it as a wake up call both to myself and as a reminder that this band is a force to be reckoned with. Check it out below.
This track is part of a new album from BODEGA entitled Our Brand Could be YR Life which is due out April 12th via Chrysalis Records. Pre-orders are live now.
Seeing as this is a compilation of old Love Child stuff, this post is mostly to convince you and our friend Norman Wanklord to pony up some cash and grab Never Meant to Be. There’s two fresh tracks from the collection, and I’ve got both below. “Asking For It” is this frantic bit of rock n’ roll with Rebecca Odes spitting out venomous vocals faster than the drummer can ride the cymbals; I love how there’s a melodic slow jam to the song’s middle, reminding us that they could’ve done anything, and it would have kicked ass. “Escalator” is this sharp burst of crashing art rhythms, rising and falling, stuttering and jabbing…kind of like if Built to Spill were an 80s punk band from NYC. You can get your hands on this collection this Friday via 12XU!
