Latest Posts

Georgia Mulligan – “Omissions”

July 5, 2023

Georgia Mulligan is an Australia-based songsmith, by way of Sydney, out with a new single entitled “Omissions.” You may recognize Georgia from her regular appearances in the UK and Ireland touring/festival circuits both independently and as a backing member of fellow Aussie Julia Jacklin’s band. The song is spearheaded by a somber guitar riff throughout, providing the perfect accompaniment to Mulligan’s haunting vocals. Speaking on the song, Mulligan says: “…It is about the lies that we tell to ourselves and to those around us. What one person considers a lie is to another, simply an omission. We curate. We don’t always mean to deceive, but often, we do.” Fans of Mitski, Angel Olsen, or her bandmate Julia Jacklin will feel right at home with “Omissions,” not to mention the rest of Georgia Mulligan’s catalogue Give “Omissions” a listen on Spotify and/or Apple Music and be sure to let us know[...]

Mainland Break – “Calling After”

July 5, 2023

Denver-based Mainland Break brings us a fun, folksy tinged flavor of indie pop with their single “Calling After.” Appropriately dubbing themselves “Jangle Pop/Car Trip Rock,” the guitars are, to wit, quite jangly. While I wasn’t able to review this song while on a road trip per se, I did drive to the supermarket and I can confirm that it does indeed “rock” whilst on the road. Fans of Real Estate or Courtney Barnett would find apt similarities to be interested, with plenty to differentiate so as not to fall into the trap of being a rehash. You can hear “Calling After” and the rest of Mainland Break’s catalogue over on Spotify and Youtube. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on Mainland Break and if you’d like to hear more like this on our social meedz.

Pagla Kid – “Stuck On The Avenue”

June 28, 2023

“Stuck On The Avenue” is an EDM song released by amorphous musical collective Pagla Kid. The production value is quite impressive; proving to be a very danceable number with tight beats and synth interspersed with lyrics you could get lost in on the dance floor or in a festival setting. Chillwave fans would enjoy this tune – I’d point you in direction of more from Pagla Kid but this is all we’ve heard so far. They promise “a musical collective with a strong intention to make music happen trough inspiring collaborations” and invite you to “Get ready to dive into the colorful world of Pagla Kid!”. All you’ll find of Pagla Kid’s presence is a WordPress page with a link to this single on Spotify. If you know anything about them or represent Pagla Kid we’d love to hear more from you. Slide into our DMs or comments!

Tamar Berk – “Drop in the Bucket”

June 28, 2023

“Drop in the Bucket” is the lead single off of Cleveland native Tamar Berk‘s upcoming album tiny injuries, out August 18th. A heartfelt, guitar-driven track about the small grievances that build up in a relationship, Tamar brings a nice mix of poppy grunge in a similar vein of Bully, Liz Phair, or Soccer Mommy. With two albums released within the past couple years that leaned more into the pop aesthetic, the rougher edge of “Drop in the Bucket” should prove that Tamar Berk isn’t a one trick pony. For me personally, artists who are open to expressing themselves in different ways while still maintaining their voice is such an awesome thing to behold and something that current fans can appreciate and maybe bring some new listeners into the fold. Be sure to check out “Drop in the Bucket” on Spotify or Bandcamp and give tiny injuries a listen on August 18th!

Derde Verde – “After The Storm”

June 28, 2023

“After the Storm” is the most recent (and final) single off of Los Angeles-based Derde Verde‘s June 16 sophomore album, Tug of War. Initially in a hiatus during the height of the pandemic, the band gave themselves a few months to put together a record and ended up in a studio and recorded their efforts on two-inch tape in mostly live takes (no small feat). Featuring meandering guitars and a folk-tinged vibe, you can certainly feel the heart and soul behind every note and word as a true labor of love. Listeners of Big Thief or Grizzly Bear would find find a lot to enjoy here, as would anyone who likes to jam out to some good ole rock ‘n roll! Be sure to check out “After the Storm” as well as the rest of Tug of War on Spotify or Band Camp and let us know what you think in the comments![...]

Paper Lady x Nebulous – “Violet”

June 26, 2023

Boston based quintet Paper Lady is one of those bands that is easy to assign a label to, but no single descriptor does them justice. Some accurate terms including but (not limited to) are “Indie,” “dream pop,” and “shoegaze.” We’ve covered them previously here and said of their single, “Starcross” that it was equal parts alt-rock and shoegaze. “Violet,” alongside collaborator Nebulous, definitely strays from the alt-rock and more so embraces a pleasant shoegaze/dream pop medley; you’ll be drawn in and haunted by singer Alli Raina’s vocals and the deliciously layered guitars and effects (be sure to stay to the end for some Björk-esque wailing). As told by the band: “[‘Violet’ was] written by our singer Alli Raina about a dream she had where a giant space woman kissed her and she subsequently knew all of the secrets of the universe. She woke up to find that it was only[...]

Amelie Lucille – “Because of You”

June 16, 2023

Hot off the presses from her new self-titled EP, Amelie Lucille‘s lead single “Because of You” is a dazzling folk-tinged alt pop gem. With inspirations ranging anywhere from The Cure to Fleetwood Mac and Björk, Amelie certainly has some eclectic tastes that display beautifully in her music. Not to bury the lede, but at a mere 14 years of age, she cannot legally purchase an alcoholic beverage at any venue I’m familiar with (and I’ve been to a lot!) Speaking on the inspiration behind her debut EP: ““I want to live in any time besides now. I am almost 15 and I envy anyone that was able to experience the world when it wasn’t so impersonal. The movies, the style, the people, but most of all, the music. I dream of seeing my favorite bands live…” You absolutelymust lend your ears to Amelie’s music. Having had to endure such musical majesties[...]

Graham Grease – “On Replay”

June 5, 2023

Washington, DC based band Graham Grease brings us a post-punk tinged single with “On Replay.” This is a bit of a change-up from when we last covered them back in ’21, but still in fine form (as Nick aptly pointed out: “…the ear-catching discordance of Pile, the eternal-slacker vibes of Pavement, and grittiness of early Nirvana…”). Whereas 2021’s “Teething” was more of a nod to the 90’s grunge bands of yesteryear, “On Replay” goes with crooning vocals a la Talking Heads and the layered guitars more in line with “Machina” era Smashing Pumpkins with a bit of the freak-out vibes of Q and not U. Bonus clout: studio drums were laid down by Spike Smith who has previously played with Morrissey and the mixing was done Jonathan Schenke who has worked with Parquet Courts, Liars, and Snail Mail. You’ll be more than impressed with the depth of sound throughout this track.[...]

Jason Nolan – “Cantonese Dream”

May 30, 2023

“Cantonese Dream” is the lead single off of Jason Nolan‘s upcoming LP, Pink Sky in the Real World. His unique blend of bedroom-pop compositions bring a dulcet, incredibly calming voice with a healthy dose of chill wave thrown in. The bass track throughout really unites “Cantonese Dream” and keeps it pulsating with a shimmering energy that never bogs down into mood-setting ambiance. The album itself was written over a four year period of time around the various locales of New Zealand, including a small suburb of Wellington. The ethereal nature of the track is very much on purpose, as Nolan says regarding the song: “Cantonese Dream is about being the wrong side of the mirror and feeling like a passenger in your own dream. Depending on the day, it’s about being weak to a lot of the easy temptations and distractions or being open and curious about the peculiarities…the name comes[...]

The Jürgen Clubs – “Rare Candy”

May 26, 2023

“Rare Candy” is the follow-up single to an earlier track, “Soft” from The Jürgen Clubs that we actually covered back in March – check it out here in case you missed it. While not singing about the Pokémon leveling item, rare candy, this song still doesn’t disappoint. Much like “Soft,” TJC brings a fun, raucous energy with the heavy synth you’ve grown to know and love from them, but bring more of a guitar focus along this time. Similar in tone to Passion Pit or Phoenix, you certainly won’t be put to sleep by this banger. In keeping with my edict from our past post, this is very much a song you could add to your summer playlist. If you have friends over and play this they’ll be like “Whoa, who is this?” You can then confidently say, with an air of superiority, “Oh just this band called The Jürgen[...]

Buck St. Thomas- “Quiet Thrills”

May 26, 2023

Hailing from Rhode Island, Buck St. Thomas brings us a crispy indie ditty of a track in “Quiet Thrills.” With just the right mix between melancholy and hopeful; his voice croons betwixt a nice sliding acoustic guitar and simple piano chords. As the track goes on, you hear some light drums and bass guitar join the fray that builds into a much more complex movement. Fans of Band of Horses, Elliot Smith, or their folksy ilk would find a lot to enjoy here, especially since this isn’t a one trick pony track – Buck more or less has an established sound that he sticks to and plays with, but isn’t afraid to take some risks. Be sure to check out the “Quiet Thrills” as well as Buck St. Thomas’ other tracks over on his Bandcamp or Spotify. Let us know what you think over in the comments on your social[...]

Dawn Park – “What It Was”

May 21, 2023

New York based duo Dawn Park started off, as told on the band’s Instagram “origin story”, something like this: *video of rough version of melody* “basically just making real estate loops” “I love it” “Yeah yeah. Loop deez” “colin i’d be down to record this tn if you are” “for sure” That night, Colin Reilly and Zach Aumueller pounded out what would become “What It Was.” A healthy combination of bass, electric drums and that the aforementioned underlying melody, you can hear the influences going from Real Estate or Alex G with some Strokes thrown in. The vocals are uplifting and poppy, which provides a nice juxtaposition to the neurotic instrumental, and avoids the pitfall of being just another post-post-punk wannabe with access to recording equipment. This jives well overarching narrative behind Dawn Park, “to embody the feeling that you can always find something beautiful or funny worth experiencing in[...]

Sarah Coolidge – “Ice Pack”

May 21, 2023

“Ice Pack” is the lead single from Bay Area Sarah Coolidge’s upcoming debut album, Call Me When You Get There. Currently residing in the Bay Area, this is Sarah’s second song written about an injury, the first being her 2020 single “Nosebleed.” The ostensibly injury prone Coolidge’s “Ice Pack” is a well crafted indie-shoegaze gem that, while at first unassuming, packs quite a punch between the impeccably-layered guitars and Sarah’s frank and creative songwriting and delivery (pepper flake in the eye, people cry when they fall down/everyone needs something to laugh about). Fans of Courtney Barnett or Kurt Vile (rocking a My Bloody Valentine pedal board) would certainly find a lot to enjoy here, though Sarah Coolidge and company manage to bring enough of their own flair to stand on their own. You can hear “Ice Pack” as well as the back catalogue of singles over on Bandcamp as well[...]

The Landing – “This Way”

May 21, 2023

Looking for an out of this world trippy soundscape? Look no further than The Landing‘s “This Way” off of their upcoming debut album Beautiful Human, Beautifully Human. Bringing a pop-forward track with some hip hop beats snuck in for extra flavor, The Landing shows up their composition chops quite spectacularly. Synth heavy with with lots of fun little flitty effects interspersed through, you’ll hear something new on each subsequent listen. Telling you TL is an amateur astronomer shouldn’t surprise you at all after listening, but if you didn’t pick up on that, look at http://www.whatisthelanding.com/ and you’ll see a quote attributed to Neil Degrasse Tyson – “Cosmic discovery doesn’t become mainstream until the artists embrace the fruits of those discoveries.” You can hear “This Way” over on Soundcloud or Spotify, be sure to check those out along with their future LP, unless you’ve discovered faster than light speed… In which case[...]

Born Twins – “Tiger”

May 20, 2023

“Tiger” is the lead track and second single from Texas based duo Born Twins‘ album Novelas Cortas (May 5). In it, bandmates Singer Mayberry and David Lujan have crafted a beautifully put together track that somehow ignores space and time. I think five minute songs are usually bloated, but this somehow ignores that gripe and I enjoyed it enough to add it to my regular rotation (not all bands get that distinguished honor). The play between Mayberry’s subdued vocals and the resonating guitar effect are this track’s biggest strength. Listen for the subtle Wurlitzer bass synth interspersed through too. If Bob Ross were a musician, he would have made a clever little comment to the effect of “we’re just gonna add in this tiny synth line here… if you use it in the intro make sure you come back to it again, but only if you want to.” Fans of[...]