Guv Shares Blue Jade Single

Ben Cook just has hits for days and days, and while the project name has changed, the hits keep coming. I’m really enjoying the Guv stuff this go round, with his newest single almost reminding me of late-era Pains of Being Pure at Heart. The propulsive nature of the rhythm section creates this insane hook that keeps the song running along, setting the entirety of the tune up with this fuel that drives us forward. Cook’s vocals have this softened nature here, taking some of his pop skills and bridging them into fashionable dream pop territory. Warmer Than Gold drops on Friday via Run for Cover!

Mt Fog’s Eyes in Buildings

I owe a huge apology to the kind folks in Mt. Fog, as I was completely meant to cover their latest single last week, but alas, time and life caught up with me. The Seattle trio specialize in a brand of pop music that seems far removed from modern signposts and whatnots; it’s filled with whimsy and artistic expression, as if we’re journeying into some mystical world. This go round, that’s all owed to Carolyn B’s performance, as her operatic tones are all over the place, but controlled, mind you. At times, her range and pitch are reminiscent of Bjork, playful and yet skirting around the edges of pop magnificence. Put that together with the jazzy musical flex and you have yet another reason to grab Every Stone is Green; it drops on March 13th.

Living Set Release The Party’s Over Video

One of our favorite local bands to emerge last year was Living Set, a band of seasoned Austin vets who delivered their debut LP, Last Wave. But, their creative juices are flowing, as they’ve quickly returned with what might be their best tune yet! The track opens up with a bounding piano line accented by some twisting guitar notes; the feathered vocal entrance almost feels like you’re finding the band on the edge of Stereolab territory. That vibe persists, but they stretch it into their own territory as they arrive at the chorus; the heavy riffs ringing behind Annecy’s voice are perfect, walking the band between pop and rock. Each time they hit that chorus, more magic is revealed, and Lidell’s performance is cemented as nothing short of spectacular. Plus, the band’s Quin Galavis filmed the video footage, which features many of our friends (including ATH Records artist David Israel!). Hoping these creative juices keep flowing as this tune finds the band in peak form!

Bloodworm Share Bloodlust Video

Looking for a disaffected bit of post-punk? I definitely am, which is why I’m loving this track by Nottingham outfit Bloodworm. You’re greeted by a driving bass line and a swirl of stretching guitar noise; it’s a brief burst of explosiveness, setting up the band to recoil into their own cavernous sound. They hang there, lurking in the shadows, offering disinterested howls that get emphatically highlighted by the sharp smash of snare hits. The dark and brooding notes are balanced by the band’s penchant for pop music, which makes sense considering they’ve got a slew of dates lined up to support Suede.

Winston Hightower Announces 100 Acre Wood

K Records/Perennial has consistently put out great records for decades, but they’ve really found their way into my constant rotation with releases from acts like Sharp Pins and Feeling Figures; today the powerhouse label announces a fresh LP from Winston Hightower. Much like the title, “Lay Low,” the song feels like a strong vocal experiment; the poetry is weaved through various musical textures, subtle in its presence, allowing Winston’s voice to bob and bounce between the lines. I love the video, particularly when you can see Hightower soaking in the joy of his own work in the studio. 100 Acre Wood is out on April 13th.

Season 2 Announce Debut LP

I love when you wake up and get to hear about something entirely new and refreshing, like Season 2. The Melbourne outfit are delivering a bit of modern post-punk, though even with the revisionist approach, they still feel like they’re sharing heritage with acts like Delta 5 or the Raincoats; the guitars waver between jangling and punk, with a snappy snare keeping the rhythmic pulse of the tune. Thematically, the group are touching upon issues of boredom and the future with the refrain of “life’s passing me by/I’ve been wasting all my time.” It’s a pretty rad sound, and one that has me looking forward to Power of Now, out via Spoilsport/Upset the Rhythm.

Circling Back to Natalie Jane Hill

I remember way back when we first came upon Natalie Jane Hill and her Azalea LP; she was living in the ATX area and you could hear the magic in her voice early on. Now, years down the line, the only thing that seems to have changed is that the voice seems even more powerful and moving; the added instrumentation on the recording allows her voice to offer varying performance moments, all of which carry you away on the wings of the birds featured in the video. Such a sensational video, and one of the many reasons we pray you don’t skip over Hopeful Woman, out March 6th via Dear Life Records.

Special Friend Announce Clipping

If you consider yourself a fan of great indiepop then today’s news of a new LP from Parisian popsters, Special Friend, should be a nice little treat! The duo waste no time building in infectious moments, dropping this snappy rhythm and jangling riffs instantly make your body wriggle with joy. Erica’s vocals have a punctuated delivery, while Guillaume weaves his own lines into the mix, each voice complimenting the other. They toss in a nice little fuzzy riff every now and then, as they don’t want to give your ears a cavity from too much sweetness. Clipping is now on my list of hotly anticipated records coming out this year; it drops via Skep Wax, Howlin Banana and Hidden Bay on March 20th.

Hannah Lew Announces Self-Titled LP

We’ve spent a fair amount of time writing about Grass Widow associated musical projects, so it feels only natural that we get a few words concerning Hannah Lew‘s debut LP. When you click play below, you’re going to be greeted by complete nostalgia, in so many ways; the video full of neon notes and tracers feels very much like an early MTV moment, and while that also works in terms of the music, I tend to push on 20 years into the early 00s. The music, of which I’m sure Hannah was aware, was thick with club beats and heavy grooves, sort of immersing us all in this dark brand of pop disco…Soviet comes to mind for me here. There’s this beautiful pullback around the 2.24 mark, letting angelic drifts filter out while a steady synthetic sound slides sneakily towards the stomping stop. The self-titled debut will be out on April 10th via Night School Records.

Heavy Jam from Trauma Ray

I definitely spent a lot of time jamming to the debut LP from Trauma Ray; it was heavy in all the right spots, with the faintest hint of melody lurking to keep pop fans like myself enthused. Well, yesterday they dropped an EP announcement with this new single and it’s totally bringing me back to mid 90s shows at Liberty Lunch here in Austin. The heaviness of the riff work recalls a number of acts from that era, though the earlier Deftones LPs certainly come to mind. I think the way they flirt with soaring vocal melodies is reminiscent of Water and Solutions by Far, mastering heavy riffage with a huge set of pipes! Think the group’s new Carnival EP will be pretty solid, out February 20th via Dais Records.

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