Latest Posts

Phasez – “Insecure”

August 16, 2023

Ottawa-based Phasez is an alt/new wave project by a secretive musician named Miguel (I know this because his IG is set to private.) Very much wearing his heart on his sleeve, Phasez is very much progressive and a supporter of BLM as well de-stigmatizing mental health issues. We latched on to “Insecure” for its thoughtful message about how not being sure of yourself can easily make you question who you are… Not to mention the super tasty hooks set in a tasteful 80s sonic palate. Check out “Insecure” below, on Spotify, or on Apple Music.

Bobsled Team – “Analita”

August 14, 2023

Hailing from Belfast, pop duo Bobsled Team brings us some new music in the form of a single, “Analita”, their first new track since 2021’s LP The Colours Blur. The track itself is a jangly dream-popgasm, with wistful-sounding distortion, a la The Sundays or Sixpence None The Richer, backing up singer Kimberly’s singsong voice. Special mention to my NYS peeps: I also got similar vibes to another band that’s a personal favorite of mine – Diet Cig (seriously, check them out too!) Be sure to check out “Analita” on Bandcamp or Spotify (if you’re still sticking around after they jacked up their premium price). As always, be sure to support your favorite local groups (especially if your friends are in a band, c’mon!) Listens help artists, but showing up and buying merch are the best way to put money in musician’s pocket, short of shoving money in their pocket (which I’m[...]

Bollo Bollo – “Melt This”

August 14, 2023

UK-based indie quartet Bollo Bollo bring us their newest single “Melt This,” freshly released 8/11, and it’s a quite the humdinger. Starting out wispy and subdued, there’s a solid percussion-forward lead-in to vocals from singer Bradley Ayres’ sublime voice that leads into the crux of the song. Vibrant synth come into the fray along with a stellar bass line, propelling the track forward. Speaking to the song, the band had this to say: “It’s a song about having troubles in a relationship. Rather than taking the seemingly easier route and ‘burying-your-head-in-the-sand’, it’s about tackling the issues head on.” Fans of post punk era bands like Joy Division or their more contemporary counterparts Interpol or Tame Impala would find a lot to enjoy here. You can hear “Melt This” over on Spotify or Bandcamp, as well as their previous tracks such as the superb “Forever Stay.” Bollo Bollo · Melt This

Bathe Alone – Fall With The Lights Down

August 13, 2023

Atlanta musician Bailey Crone, better known as Bathe Alone, recently released the latter half of her double EP Fall With The Lights Down (Velma). That, along with, Side A: (Louise), August 4th, completes the homage to her great-grandmothers; whose pictures adorn the cover of the album and their respective EPs. Speaking to this (and the iconic ’70s era photos that adorn the covers), Crone had this to say: “I was browsing my dad’s Facebook and he had uploaded all of these family photos… She just looks super unhappy and out of context being on a boat… Then there’s another photo of the other great-grandma in a yellow vest with a picnic basket next to her. I thought these photos were so weird and powerful.” We’ve covered Bathe Alone before at the blog, which you can find here; Nick called 2020’s single “Calm Down” a “beautiful slice of dream pop.” Fall With the[...]

Elle Belle – “Saturday”

August 9, 2023

Elle Belle is one of many projects on front man Christopher Pappas’ plate, including but not limited to: making music for Nasa, a musical, and a couple TV pilots in pre-production. “Saturday” is the second single released in anticipation of his newest album How Do I Feel, out September 1 from Little Record Company – a name fans of Rilo Kiley would recognize as being owned by Pierre de Reeder. Pappas shows off a bit with deliciously dulcet voice and understated piano throughout, evoking comparisons of Jacks Mannequin (Andrew McMahon’s erstwhile side project), Stars, or the aforementioned Rilo Kiley. (Kelly, you know who you are and I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy this). The production value is through the roof and well worthy of a listen. There’s a cool little effect that I don’t have a name for (but surely exists) that happens with the piano you should listen for too![...]

The Pretty Flowers – “Wildflowers”

August 9, 2023

LA based quartet and floral aficionados The Pretty Flowers bring us their third single, “Wildflowers,” from their newest album A Company Sleeve (July 14, Double Helix Records). The lyrics deal in part with the challenges of a soul suck corporate job, while the instrumentals lean into a brand of guitar rock popularized by the Superchunks, Teenage Fanclubs, and Wilcos of old. “Wildflowers” is both ode to and a way forward for bands looking to recapture and refine some of the old magic, while bringing their own spin on it (they even have cassettes for sale). Give “Wildflowers” a listen over on Spotify or Apple Music and be sure to check out the rest of A Company Sleeve if you’re feeling the vibes. A Company Sleeve by The Pretty Flowers

The Strayngers – “I Try”

August 9, 2023

Lead by Shane Tanksley, The Strayngers are in the business of lucid dream pop; described by Tanksley as “…ethereal guitar and synth sounds accompany[ing] classic melodic vocals…[with] tight grooviness from the rhythm section.” Let me tell ya, business is a-boomin’ with their new single “I Try,” off of their forthcoming album Existential Sadness. Nestled amongst the aforementioned ethereal guitar and synth sounds, Tanksley’s voice stuck out the most for me – seemingly drifting amongst the various tracks like a cloud (shaped like a dog, don’t ask me why). tldr; Fans of a more morose Phoenix or Alvvays would find a lot to enjoy here, Tanksley definitely elevates a crowded field with his impeccable composition and effortlessly delivered vocals. Be sure to check out “I Try” on Spotify or Apple Music, and if you like what you hear be sure to check out their other tracks as well!

¡Ponce! – “The Anatomy of Emotion”

August 7, 2023

¡Ponce! is a mysterious indie/emo mathcore band from…somewhere. As per their Spotify bio: “¡Ponce! is a band formed at the dawn of time and eternity. They are well established among the canthrian plains of nerfisec as the greatest arithmetic based group of heroic musically inclined magic users to ever exist.” I won’t even bother explaining emo mathcore because I forgot my protractor in my locker from the early aughts, but if you’ve ever listened to anything remotely emo and imagined it sped up you’d have an idea of ¡Ponce!. That’s an incredibly oversimplified explanation, but the best contemporary comparison would probably be something like Tiny Moving Parts, Cap’n Jazz, or Algernon Cadwallader. Give ¡Ponce! a listen over on Spotify and let us know if you’d like more emo mathcore in your life!

Sarah Crean – “Wasted Youth”

August 7, 2023

Dublin-based musician Sarah Crean‘s latest single “Wasted Youth” off of her August 2 EP Death By Laundry. Drawing inspiration from acts such as Japanese Breakfast and Men I Trust, Crean has crafted a smooth, guitar forward track that feels a bit 90’s to me (in the best ways). Spearheaded by a steady acoustic guitar with hints of piano and punctuated by a fun meandering electric riff, Crean croons throughout “Wasted Youth” about the duality of youth/older selves. Speaking to that, she had this to say: “The song itself goes back and forth between acceptance and rejection of the fact while processing as the song progresses – almost like I’m trying to reach out to my younger self from my current state as an adult. I myself have (and always have had) a hard time forgiving people and letting things go…” Be sure to check out “Wasted Youth” and the rest of the[...]

Candy Moore – “Laugh at Nothing”

August 7, 2023

“Laugh at Nothing” is the newest single by Candy Moore – the stage name of Australia-based musician Calum Newton. The song is a pop-forward track about dating someone dealing with depression and recognizing that their happiness is outside of your control. Even with the heavy subject matter, his background in mixing and producing shines throughout with a very well-put-together lo-fi gamut of guitar and understated bass. Fans of Day Wave would find a lot to enjoy here, production value being chief among that. Be sure to check out “Laugh at Nothing” on Spotify or Bandcamp, you’ll certainly enjoy it and some of his other tracks – especially “Afterglow” (another catchy banger).

TANDM – “Sirens”

August 4, 2023

“Sirens” is the newest single off of Toronto duo TANDM‘s EP of the same name. Made up of Maxine Beck-Sinderby and drummer Thomas Franklin, their flavour of indie-pop scratches a lot of itches with Maxine’s heartfelt vocals leading the charge. While their indie rock speaks for itself, woodblock plips and organ-soaked explosions help to separate this one from the pack. Speaking to their music, she had this to say: “…the music is much more about the transition, post teenage angst. The upcoming songs are about the progress and the ‘moving on’ of past troubles, and how we overcame them.” Fans of Alvvays, Men I Trust, and Foyer Red would find a lot enjoy here, between the impeccable song composition and pop-forward guitar (not to re-mention the heartfelt vocals). You can find their EP and past works on Spotify or Apple Music.

The Slashes – “Dead Majesty”

August 3, 2023

Hailing from So-Cal, self-described “borderland post punk” group The Slashes brings us a goth-tinged delight with “Dead Majesty.” The bass does much of the heavy lifting with some sick riffs, but singer Esteban Rene keeps things spooky with his haunting voice and ethereal sounding guitar. Fans of Interpol, She Wants Revenge, or The Cure will find lots to dig into on this one… Evoking the usual Cure and Interpol comparisons is easy to do, and even accurate to a point, but The Slashes put forth a good case with enough to differentiate them from contemporaries in the genre. You can hear “Dead Majesty” and more of the band’s tracks over on Spotify or Bandcamp. Be sure to let us know if you’d like to hear more from this band or post punk in general! Dead Majesty by The Slashes

Bogan Via – “Everything’s Ok”

July 30, 2023

Bogan Via is an Arizona-based duo comprised of Bret Bender and Madeleine Miller and “Everything’s Ok” is their latest single (and synth pop is their game). Delightfully twee upon the first listen, “Everything’s Ok” has a bit more bite as you pull it apart and reveals a bittersweet song dealing with grief, goodbyes, and eventually healing. Bender and Miller harmonize together seamlessly and drift apart as they trade verses and play off of gossamer synth repeating throughout, reminiscent of Beach House or Still Corners. This contrasts nicely with past works which include some tracks with less emotional oomph and more musical oomph, along with light hip hop influences. Bogan Via honestly looks like a riot to hang out with, a quick perusal of their Insta has everything from brooding album cover looking filtered pics, to Eric Andre, to fun live shots. Be sure to check out “Everything’s Ok” over on[...]

MÒZÂMBÎQÚE x Destiny Molina x The Philharmonik – “Embrace”

July 30, 2023

Laden with effects, gratuitous synth, and collaborating with Destiny Molina and The Philharmonik, “Embrace” is the glitzy, impeccably produced single off of artist MÒZÂMBÎQÚE’s EP Peril 1998. There is a lot to unpack here and multiple listens are rewarding, so I would definitely recommend using that repeat button for a few takes. Born Andrew Smith, MÒZÂMBÎQÚE came about after a post-college backpacking trip to Africa. Drawing from that experience and his love of the outdoors, MÒZÂMBÎQÚE likes to translate that for his listeners; “It’s like passing on a nostalgic experience or good memories.” If you’re reading this and thinking “Well Chris, I only like the freshest indie music with guitars and stuff, why this?”  I’d probably say something like “Give it a listen, it has great beats and a fantastic jumping off point, even if you’re not much of an electronic music listener. You should go to Spotify or Apple Music and[...]

Mali Velasquez – “Tore”

July 30, 2023

“Tore” is lead single off of Mali Velasquez‘s forthcoming debut album Green, which drops October 13. Introspective but not to the point of excess, “Tore” is Velasquez’s ode to her own self-sabotage and, as she put it: “… I have no idea how to combat being embarrassed all the time still, but explaining it some has helped…I put a lot of my ideas of not knowing how to feel or what to do or eat or wear into this song.” The understated instrumentals enhance Valasquez’s strong vocals throughout the track and invite comparisons to sad-girl indie darlings Phoebe Bridgers or Lomelda without being a carbon copy. We’ll hopefully see another single before October 13, but for now feel free to check out “Tore” over on Spotify or the 90’s vibe music video available on Youtube.