Tag: shelflife

Always You Announce Bloom Off The Rose

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We couldn’t be more excited for the debut album from Always You, the new band featuring the Hochheim brothers (Ablebody, PoBPaH, etc). We’ve heard a few of the hits coming from the debut album, but today that all comes together with an official announcement and release date! I love the twinkling synths and guitar working over that bubbling rhythm section from the get-go; it sets up the mood to play just on the edge of dance-worthy. That pulse works great to set up the creative croon of the vocals, with added bonus points going to the light backing vocals that work their way into this tune during the chorus. Interestingly, the song, while maintaining this great feathery pop quality seems to hang out on the edge of the dance floor; it sort of toys with you, unsure if you’re tapping your toes or grabbing your bestie and flailing about. Bloom Off the Rose drops on July 16th via Shelflife and Discos de Kirlian.

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.

Nah Share Finger on the Map

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Nah… have been on our minds since we first heard their Summer’s Falling EP in 2018, and while we’ve been waiting for a full LP, they’ve dropped in a single here and then to keep our eyes (and ears) on the prize. Their debut self-titled LP is a week or so away, so we’re happily sharing another single to encourage your purchase. For an indiepop band, they sure offered a nice twist on the opening here, giving us more of an almost classic rock chug bouncing back in forth in our speakers. When Sebastian enters with his curled croon, the song softens up a little bit, though there’s still some heavy-handed riffs hanging back there; I just loved the energy this song pushed forward from the start. All that said, the group does start to see-saw back towards the purely indiepop side of things around the 2 minute mark with Estella Rose poking her voice into the fray. Once there, the song bursts into this euphoric dream state of swirling melodies and squawking horns, riding the song to an emphatic close that’s both catchy and boisterous. Nah drops on September 23rd via Shelflife.

Lost Tapes Share Six by Six Video

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Last year’s The Bill EP was a really great listen from Lost Tapes; it was four incredible pop tunes that had the duo working at the peak of indie pop. One of the highlights was “Six by Six,” using these softened melodies from Pau and RJ to entrance the listener; it was dreamy in feel, but buoyed by the percussive bounce throughout the song’s duration. The video is using found footage pieced together to kind of draft the song’s narrative; I’m particularly interested in this punk rock kid dancing about in his bedroom…feels like someone had a camera in my childhood home. It’s a great reminder of the longevity of great songs, showing us that years later the song still has the charm. This EP is available courtesy of Shelflife.

Even as We Speak Shares Someone Video

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After reuniting in 2016 for the much-missed NYC Popfest, Even as We Speak have share a good bit of new music; first an EP and now we’re anxiously anticipating Adelphi, their first full length after their return. Today we have another reason to celebrate “Someone,” as the band just shared the video of the dreamy track. The video mostly works with shots of Mary singing in various settings on different TV sets, throwing in some full bands shots along the way. One of the reason’s I love this song is how it seems like Mary’s the star, but there’s so much to shine a light on in the other bits behind the front of the mix…particularly in the way the guitar closes out the tune. Adelphi is out on July 24th via Shelflife.

Jetstream Pony Share Trapped in Amber

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Amidst the Friday bandcamp fanaticism, music world still went on, so I wanted to be sure you didn’t skip over the latest single from Jetstream Pony and their forthcoming self-titled LP. To me, this is one of those classic guitar pop tracks; the guitars ring, with just the faintest jangling dangling out in the air; the drums are sharp and steady, keeping things on track with just the right punchiness. Of course, it only succeeds if the vocals wash over us, blowing cooly through the speakers like that feather in Forest Gump. The band will release their self-titled LP on May 22nd via Shelflife and KUS, but you better hurry, as there aren’t many copies left!

Even as We Speak Announce Adelphi

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Indiepop fans owe a debt of gratitude to Shelflife this year; they’ve already given us new music from Close Lobsters and now they’ve announced the long-awaited brand new LP from Even as We Speak. The group were one of the torchbearers for the heralded Sarah Records…but they went quiet in the early 90s until a reemergence in 2016 with a couple of shows and a new EP. Now we get a new record on the horizon, so we’ll start with this delightful single they’ve offered up. It opens with this swirling strummed guitar and a light-hearted stomp, allowing vocalist Mary to bring the song’s melody into focus with her voice; they work their charms for a good bit, but quickly take that churning indiepop and move it into a synth-driven sugary pop treat. They bounce back and forth between the two structures, accomplished so seamlessly that you hardly notice the studied variance until you press repeat because you simply can’t get the song out of your head. Adelphi drops on June 26th via Shelflife and Discos de Kirlian.

Brand New Close Lobsters

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Every time I go to cull some classic guitar pop from my record collection for DJing purposes, I always make sure I’ve got Foxheads Stalk This Land is in the bin. So to me, its great that some 30 years on, Close Lobsters are still making great pop music. The rhythm section does a fine job opening this track up to your ears, giving a nice bobbing pulse before the guitars come in and work their own charms. In the vocals, you can still find that sense of promise in the warmth of the melodies; it feels like there’s promise for us all just around the corner. Towards the end, you get some pseudo-spoken word moments working beneath the guitars before a sort of pop mantra rides the song to a close. The band will release their new album, Post Neo Anti via Shelflife/Last Night from Glasgow on February 28th.

The Year in Indiepop…According to Nathan

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As we’re all looking back on the year 2019, I tend to gravitate towards lists with little agenda, other than to shine a light back on the year in the areas I adore. For one, the indiepop scene. Now, there’s always a great big debate about what indie pop is, so for all intents and purposes, I admit that I just don’t care, so the genre’s purists can yell at me later. Now, this may read as a best of, but merely this is the stuff that stuck out in my brain, so if I missed something, I love you and I’m sorry. Honestly, it just gave me a chance to make a fun playlist (2+ hours!) full of hits for all you pop fans.

 

 

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The Proctors Return

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We’ve seen some tunes over the last year or so popping up from the Proctors, so I had the feeling something new was on the horizon…and apparently that was a new 7″ from the band. The first of the two tracks on the 7″ has this spritely quality, an innate bounce that works its way into your brain as the sharp churning guitars ring around your ears. This is offset by the softness of the vocals, giving the track over to a dreamier tone. The second tune jumps right into the dreamy side of things, stretching the pop appeal over 5 minutes; it’s a nice ballad with this swelling pop sensibility that erupts into joy around the 1.30 mark. These two tracks appear on the new 7″, available now from Shelflife.

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