Turn on The Faded North

Austrian outfit The Faded North reached out to us with a new video from their EP (out today!), and I was really drawn in by the song’s craft. I love how the guitar notes ring, then just sort of hang in the air, billowing into the background. From there, the indifferent vocals work into the track, built on the backbone of solid rhythm section. They all cruise along harmoniously, anxiously awaiting the song’s crescendo where all is combined into beautifully discordant post rock, crashing down upon the listener’s ears. The What Did I Miss EP is available today, so take a gander won’t ya?

New Jam from Soccer Cousins

Soccer Cousins have now released three singles, and they’re all pretty special. They dwell near the boundary line between indie rock and emo, but this new single has them sitting pretty firmly in the indie rock side, almost right next to the Thermals. The guitar notes bend around the lyrics, almost playfully teasing you. Then the “ba da ba ba bahs” enter with a more emphatic guitar ring in the chorus, and you’re absolutely hooked on it. This just goes to show you that in this end-of-year madness, there’s still some gems lurking, so don’t overlook this one.

New Indiepop from The Proctors

Okay, so it’s a Christmas themed indiepop tuned, or at least related to the holidays. Still, The Proctors made my Best of Indiepop, and here they are not a day later sharing this joyous tune. It’s a slow moving affair, more about the storytelling and the warmth of the melody than anything else. The tambourine feels like jingle bells, and there’s this fuzz on the mix that feels like snow falling from the skies. We’re not far away from holiday season, as my wife’s living room decorations can attest, so why not get in the mood with a nice slice of drifting indiepop from one of the genre’s finest.

Another Juan Wauters Tune

I was tempted to write this entire post in Spanish, but the red lines from my spell check were driving me crazy. This is the second single from Juan Wauter‘s new album, La Onda de Juan Pablo, with this song revolving around a stop in Mexico City. If you’ve spent any time in the city, or the country, you might recognize some of the signature sounds filtering through Wauter’s tune, like the stellar accordion; it also just feels like being in that city, lively and calm all at once. While the whole album is in Spanish, you’ve got to give to Juan for going out on a limb and tracing his Latin roots and spinning it into accessible tunes. The new album will drop at the end of January via Captured Tracks.

Listen to New Deerhunter

It’s interesting listening to this new track from Deerhunter, especially if you’re aware of Bradford hanging out with Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley last year in Marfa. That’s only important if you listen to either of those artists, as it feels like their spirit has seeped into Bradford’s songwriting. Regardless, the song’s wonderful, stretching the harmonies with these grand string arrangements behind the band. The more I listen, the more I become immersed in little moments like the group vocals behind Cox during the chorus; it’s intoxicating in the best way. Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared will be available on January 18th via 4AD.

Drifting Pop from Margot

We’ve filled these pages with Margot songs in the past, and I think the band are embarking on their finest hour. First, this is one of 3 forthcoming singles taking on the subject of mental health…a heavy subject no doubt. But, the way the guitar chords work in combination with the gentle vocals, it feels like the band is focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel…or the dream of that light. There are moments when it feels like they’re playing with jazzier vibes in the vein of Real Estate, whilst other times it seems smooth and polished like indiepop…all good things in my book. We’ll keep you posted as more the next 2 singles drop.

Driving Pop from Get a Life

There’s something about Chase DeMaster’s writing for Get a Life that seems built for the every-man. It’s accessible and hook-laden, crafted with just enough flare of indifference to make the cool kids swoon. It probably doesn’t hurt that Yuuki Matthews (Shins) handled the production for the recording; it’s clear that there’s a sense of layered pop sensibility, particularly in the way vocals are trapped on top of one another. Of course, no great pop song is complete with out its ability to relate to the listener, so just spend time listening to all the people telling Chase to get a job in this song. You’ll know exactly how he feels, which likely means we’ll all find ourselves relating to the hooks and lyrics from the band’s new album, Our Band Could Be Your Life, out next February.

Pleased to Meet You: Grrl Gang

Yesterday I compiled a huge list of traditional indiepop, my own Best of 2018 for the genre. In there, I exclaimed how I was really digging into Indonesian indiepop scene, but apparently I hadn’t dug deep enough because a friend pointed me towards Grrl Gang. In circling back, it seems that there’s a huge gap in my coverage that needs to be filled; this band is so so good. The opening tune, “Love Song” on the band’s Not Sad, Not Fulfilled EP is jumping, fueled by a steady beat and delicious vocal harmonies. For me, the winner of the five tracks is the forlorn feel of “Night Terrors;” lightly twinkling guitars, subdued vocals made me an immediate convert. The band are currently giving these songs away, so do them a favor and throw them a dollar or two so they can write more; do that HERE.

Murray Lightburn Shares New Solo Single

I feel like Murray Lightburn and the Dears never got the praise they deserved. For me, I’ve always loved him, even more so when he climbed into the crowd at the Parish many years ago to belt out notes midsong. Here, on Murray’s latest single from his forthcoming solo work, we get the gentle side of Lightburn; he has this angelic way of hanging notes out there in the air, letting them sort of quiver at the tip of his tongue. And, of course, it’s a Murray production, so he’s surrounded himself with these gentle and lush arrangements that only accentuate the magic of his voice. His new album, Hear Me Out, will be released by Dangerbird Records on February 22nd.

More New Pedro the Lion

Looking towards 2019, this Pedro the Lion album is high on my list of anticipated releases. We get a new single today, and while I love the noisier elements in the background, I’m really struck by the vocal tones. It’s every bit David B., but he’s really pushing his limits to the highest part of his register. I can’t help but to recall American Football or something off Jade Tree when I listen to this track, and that’s not a knock by any means. Just another step in the glorious evolution that is Bazaan; look for Phoenix to drop on January 18th via Polyvinyl. There’s never a bad day when you get a fresh Pedro tune, especially full-band Pedro.

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