Tag: premiere

Rays Drop New Single

Leave a comment

Oakland outfit Rays don’t want you to get too comfortable with their “sound,” and they don’t want you to get too comfy with your pop music. They enter the fray here with discordant guitars ringing and a rolling drum beat that sets the mood for a matter-of-fact vocal delivery. But, put your ear next to the speaker, real close like. You’ll hear a slight buzz throughout, an additional layer perhaps added by the bands newest member, keyboardist Britta; it also sounds like horns are brought in as well, so you’re getting far more than you bargained for with your average pop song. It’s frantic, almost spastic, yet wound tightly by superior musicianship so that your ears won’t know what hit ’em. Look for the band’s new LP You Can Get There From Here via Trouble in Mind Records on November 9th.

Dance-able Pop from Spooky Cigarette

Leave a comment

Admittedly, sometimes pop music can get stale or blend in with like-minded artists. Spooky Cigarette is not that band! Their newest song hints at the current underbelly of indiepop, using twinkling guitars amidst a marching rhythm section. But, the vocals of Frank Mindingall have this dreamy yearning, that seems to work separate from the rest of the act. It ends up creating this frantic tornado of pop music that sweeps you out of your chair and into your go-to dance move. There’s just this undying carefree attitude being tossed about that definitely draws everyone into their musical galaxy. Keep an eye out for this San Diego bunch, as it looks like they’re having a hell of a time.

Will Courtney Shares Take You Away

Leave a comment

Tomorrow you’ll be able to get your hands on Crazy Love, the latest batch of song’s from Austin’s Will Courtney. On his final single before the release, he had me with the opening piano prelude…it doesn’t take too much. Then the track settles in with Will’s voice carrying a light bit of scratchiness, like a cooler Tom Petty…that is until he reaches the chorus. He stretches himself, reaching for higher vocal notes, which in my mind recalls the best of the Americana genre, especially when its accompanied by the layered musicianship behind it. You can tell with every note he hits, and every layered bit of instrumentation that Courtney’s fine-tuned all those bits of promise he’s shared with us over the years. Crazy Love will drop Friday via Super Secret Records.

The Treasures of Mexico Are Back

Leave a comment

After wandering for separately for a few years, Mark and Bob of The Dentists fame joined together once more to form The Treasures of Mexico, releasing their debut Holding Pattern in 2015. Since then, we’ve been teased with the insatiable “Super Cute,” but now we have a new single…and an album announcement! Everything Sparks Joy will be released on October 5th via Shelflife, and you can have another track to whet your appetite below. Almost immediately, the song has a natural bounce; the drums seem to hop through the speakers, grabbing you in your arms and hopping up and down. Once the vocals enter calmly, things seemingly settle, though the cascading chorus guitar definitely drives home a heavier punch. As the song bounds, you’d be quite pleased to just appreciate the offering, but the band have other ideas, as they add a nice female accompanying vocal just before the 3 minute mark to build in an added sense of charm. You want timeless pop? Doesn’t get better than this! Pre-order the album HERE.

ATX Spotlight: Ben Millburn Preps Sunglass Moustache

One comment

The best thing about Ben Millburn is that very few acts, if any, sound anything like him here in Austin; that should bode well here, and hopefully beyond city limits. It would be easy to pigeon-hole this brand new single as something akin to psychedelia, and while I see that, there’s also this jazzier funk that underlies. Wrap that up in a blanket of pop influences and you get this amalgam of sonic touchstones that takes you on a journey into the future of music. You’ll find this number on the band’s new album, Sunglass Moustache, which the band are self-releasing on September 14th. Enjoy your own spaced out musical adventure below!

Static Diary Release Video for Phrase from Business

Leave a comment

We’ve previously written about Scott Danbom‘s new project, Static Diary, and today we’re happy to share the animated video for album track “Phrase from Business.” It’s a delicate number from the get-go, with a bare piano accompanying Scott’s voice; that piano eventually leans into a heavier electronic pulse. Danborn’s voice has this certain fragility to it that’s intoxicating; it hits it’s peak as the song swell’s around the chorus. About two minutes in, the song surges into a heavy handed jam of sorts, fuzzy and ominous ’til the fadeout. It’s a gorgeous number, and you’ll find it on the Static Diary LP, which drops Friday.

And, if you happen to be in the Denton area, Scott and band have their release show at Dan’s Silver Leaf on Saturday night!

Brand New Track from Ladada

Leave a comment

Ladada recently announced their long awaited debut album, Heaven on the Rocks, and today we’re happy to share the album’s second single with you. Immediately you’ll hear the band’s raucous throwback sound, made fresh with subtle hooks and bubbling movement from the rhythm section. What I like a great deal, and what gets the band lumped in with new-psych is there tempo switch, changing the direction of the song, albeit for a brief moment; it is light and sunny and sets up the band’s noisy shuffle to the song’s boisterous ending. You can preorder the new LP from Gold Robot Records; it drops in October!

Outerhope Prep Vacation for Shelflife

Leave a comment

What better way to head into the weekend than to receive new music from Shelflife Records; this time they’ll be working with Filipino group Outerhope for their first ever US release. The project is comprised of siblings Michael and Micaela Benedicto, who’ve turned to dreamy electronica to capture hearts. The opening moments have this twinkling keyboard line working over atmospheric washes, then the percussive element picks joins in to up the speed just a bit. Already, you’re captivated by the energetic number before Micaela entered the picture to layer warmth atop the track with her voice; she’s got a soft approach to deliver, allowing notes to sort of drift off her tongue and into the ether. Shelflife never has a miss when they release albums, and it looks like they’ve got a spot-on winner with Vacation; it drops on August 10th (with several limited color editions!).

New Me Prep 7″ for Bleeding Gold

Leave a comment

If you haven’t heard of New Me yet, that’s perfectly okay as the band’s fairly fresh to the scene. The band are currently in promotion road, as they have a 7″ coming your way fair soon, so we figured we’d give you a sneak peak. Upon pressing play, you’re met with a few quick sections of electronic pulses just before the guitars begin to dance around your eardrums. And then singer Jakob makes his presence known, presenting his deepened tones that at times share similarities with Spencer Krug. His performance aids to the dreamy element, almost haunting the track in a sense as it tries to keep pace with the frantic pace of the rhythm section. Energetic and dark, you’ll want to grab this 7″ before its gone; grab it HERE from Bleeding Gold before the August 31st release date.

Santiparro Releases New Single, Readies LP

Leave a comment
  1. Way back in 2015, Santiparro released the spiritual folk masterpiece, True Prayer; I raved about it over and over. But, in about a month he’ll be releasing his brand new LP, The Talon, and we’ll gladly support the artist again. The below single is indicative of his markedly new approach this go round, branching out into new sonic territory through his close work with produce J Ashley Miller. The opening minute uses a guitar in the distance with some sort of electronic gurgling lurking as Santiparro lets his voice search for that spiritual high ground. Strings momentarily envelope the sound, and you can feel the song beginning to build into an extravagant pop opus. Not surprisingly, he still seems to be seeking a better world, for himself and for us…one of the many reasons I’m still drawn to his work. The Talon might be his bravest work to date, so be sure to keep a look out for it on August 3rd; pre-order HERE.

1 … 8 9 10 11 12 … 23