Start Monday with Tears Run Rings

It’s that time of year when the music biz slows it down so they can remind you of all their awesome releases for your year-end lists. Luckily, there’s still great music trickling out, like this new EP from Tears Run Rings, which dropped on Friday via Shelflife. We’ve already shared the opening tune, so let’s quickly recap the rest of the EP. Simply put, it’s shimmering pop of the dreamier gaze side of things, though there’s an emphatic punch of a tune in “Be Still;” it’s aggressive yet wholly influenced by the pop side of things. It’s just four songs, but they’re four amazing songs, so why not kick off Monday this way? If you’re into it, grab the Somewhere EP HERE.

Tears Run Rings Return

Well, perhaps return isn’t the proper word choice, as Tears Run Rings have been with us most recently in 2016 with their LP In Surges. Now, they’ve popped back up with a brand new EP for one of our favorites, Shelflife and Deep Space Recordings. You’ll find below the staples that brought the group into the shoegaze realm; it features melodic guitars with just the faintest hint of distortion, waiting to erupt into a classic shimmering atmospheric. Vocals live beneath the mix, almost like faint musical whispers working behind the scenes. Feels like its too good to miss out on this one. The Somehwere EP will drop October 19th.

New Tune from Pinkshinyultrablast

The musical year is wrapping up right about now, but it’s always good to have a few delightful songs to keep you focused on the good stuff coming our way next year…like this new one from Pinkshinyultrablast. Now working as a bi-country act, with singer Lyubov hanging in LA, the band’s sound was bound to stretch. You’ll hear a more defined wash of electronics and synths to accompany her voice, but I really love the way the drums work in this song, emphatic when needed. It leads to a song that unfolds into a dense dream with lofty vocals dancing in the foreground. Look for the band’s new album Miserable Miracles in May of next year via Club AC30 and Shelflife.

Indiepop from The Keep Left Signs

Out of nowhere comes the announcement of the debut LP from The Keep Left Signs, a band comprised of members of The Mare and The Electric Pop Group…both who’ve made it onto our pages previously. It’s a sign that, yet again, Shelflife has its finger on the pulse of great indiepop vibes; the sound crafted here is pretty much the staple of every great indiepop hit this year. It features lightly jangling guitars, steady percussive bounce and vocals that always seem to wear a touch of longing. It’s remarkable in that it’s not overly remarkable; it’s crafted with melodies that endure, and if you get your hands on this super-limited release, then I’m sure you’ll agree with that sentiment. It’s titled Tomorrow, and it sees a release on December 8th.

One Last Pia Fraus Tune Before Friday

Field Ceremony will be floating around your record stores starting this Friday, but Pia Fraus wanted to give you one more chance to lose yourself in their sound before you’re required to pick it up. This number’s a slow charmer, really working the pace angle here, allowing you to maximize what you pull from the song’s natural melody. Vocals float and circle one another, wrapped in a blanket of female/male overlapping warmth. Of course a gem of an album could only come out on a label like Shelflife, so support the small guy with great tastes and grab the LP.

Jangling Pop from The Treasures of Mexico

We all swooned when Bob Collins and Mark Matthews of The Dentists fame dropped Holding Pattern as The Treasures of Mexico for Shelflife back in 2015, so I’m happily welcoming their energetic new single. It’s got just enough jangle, just enough ringing of guitars to grab my ears, but the push from the rhythm section really makes the song kick. Amidst it all, the vocals are direct and warm, and while the “crawling back to me” line could easily be for a loved one, I’m holding out reservations for some sly animal adoration hit. Regardless, hearing this song just makes you feel like the world is headed in the right direction. I’ll keep you posted on more new as we near the release of the group’s second LP.

Another Track from the New Pia Fraus LP

Just a week or so ago, we brought you the delightful tune from a brand new Pia Fraus LP, building anticipation for the band’s forthcoming release. Already there’s a new single floating about, and this is precisely the moment when you fall in love with the group. This single doesn’t push the envelope too far, choosing to pull in their shoegaze tendencies, slightly, in favor of a carefully plodding melodic track. Don’t get me wrong, the guitars at times reach their full distortion, almost as if they’re getting dragged through a space antenna, yet the repeated phrase of “its over now” lingers long after the song fades. Field Ceremony will be released by Shelflife on October 13th in the US.

 

Another Fresh Airiel Tune

Just a week ago we dropped a remarkable return from Airiel, and today there’s another tune that popped up over at FTR. True to form, the song’s filled with cascading guitars lines that create an enormous wall of beautiful atmospherics. Vocals are hidden in the back, and on this tune, they almost serve as a textural element for the rest of the band to work around…ebbs and flows and what nots. Fans are really going to clamor for this, so if you’re new to the band, you might want to rush over to Shelflife and get your hands on Molten Young Lovers before the October 13th release date.

Brand New Track from Airiel

Airiel. This is how I like my shoegaze. In fact, it’s not quite shoegaze, though it definitely has one foot in the genre. Instead, they bring in these soft harmonic vocals, touched up by cascading guitar notes ringing in the distance. They fill the song’s typical chorus area with that barrage of squalling noise that’s identified the genre for ages. Honestly, tons of acts have tried to go this route, splitting time between pop sensibility and noise, but I’ve not quite heard someone do quite as beautifully convincing as Airiel. Look for the group’s brand new LP, Molten Young Lovers, dropping via Shelflife on October 13th.

Another Tune from The Luxembourg Signal

Having already released one of the best songs of the year in “Laura Palmer,” The Luxembourg Signal are back with the announcement of Blue Field, their brand new LP. I love the sounds of the guitars working against one another; one sounds like an acoustic strum while the other cuts through with discordant rings. You take those two bits fighting joyously, then top it off with incredible vocals that seem to hang in there, even after the syllables have been released. This is some of the best indiepopmusic being written, period. I couldn’t be more excited to get my hands on what’s sure to be gem of an LP, when Shelflife drop it on October 13th (KUS will handle Europe).

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