Shock waves of guitar open up Swedish indie band Subway Club’s electrifying new song “Atom Bomb.” A sonorous synthesizer follows in, as do lyrics about disillusionment and a longing for the past told through a sense of urgency. The song was written in 2013 and put on the shelf during a four-year-long band hiatus without being recorded. Now it worthily sees the light of day as a part of the group’s latest EP called 2013. Listen below:
Hindu’s “Brighton” is full of brazen passion and energy. It’s a vibrant tune engulfed in a chugging rhythm escorted by a cheery keyboard line. Ukranian musician Tania Yankovska acts as the chief creative force behind this wondrous dream-pop tune, having written, produced and sung it in her home studio. Her second LP, which houses “Brighton” as one of its singles, is set to be released early this year. Check out the stand-alone track as well as its music video below:
Inning’s new track, the interestingly titled “D.C. Party Machine,” is a gradually building three-minute ode to young adulthood, a bustling city and the sensation of feeling on top of the world. The song boasts a nonchalant attitude, conveyed in similar vocal fashion to Jonathan Richman, as well as charming confidence exhibited in such lines as “I look cool with my shades on.”
Los Angeles-based group MADUS has released a new, rocking single entitled “Find Another Girl.” With aim toward a happier outlook, the song was written in a midst of negativity imparted by the 24-hour news cycle. This self-produced gem tacks itself successfully onto the lineage of garage rock, but more so the revival spurred by groups like The Strokes and The White Stripes in the early part of the millennium than the mid-60s movement spearheaded by rawer-sounding groups like The Seeds and The 13th Floor Elevators. The track starts with the sound of birds chirping and soon thereafter erupts with a drum fill lead-in to fuzzed-out guitar. The song should impress with how well it remains polished and accessible while being charged-up and assertive–never to the point, however, that it goes off the rails. It’s a perfect balance.
Foresteater’s “Avalanche,” a new track for the new year from the Phoenix-based project fronted by singer-songwriter Mikey Pro, rests on a spick-and-span pop-rock sheen and a strong lyrical pull. Its jangling guitar and fantastic harmonies help shape the tune with pure catchiness. The tune alludes to the feeling of “barely hanging on” internally but “keeping it together” enough to avert any visible disturbance and carrying on as an apparently normal human being. This self-controlled emotional turmoil is addressed through metaphor as the “avalanche” of the song’s title. Check it out below:
Madison, Wisconsin’s dynamic foursome Slow Pulp delivers indie-pop in unique and enthralling form on new song “Preoccupied.” A drum cue ushers in a free-flowing sound, which parallels a dreamscape with its celestial vocals, smooth flourishes of saxophone and a resonant bassline. This touch is sharpened by cutting guitar that gives portions of the song a light but noticeable post-punk edge similar to Gang of Four’s early releases. “Preoccupied” appeared as the closing song on Slow Pulp’s newest project EP2, released this past spring.
Oregon-based indie rock band Typhoon has released “Darker,” the second single off their fast-approaching new concept album Offerings, planned to be out via Roll Call Records on January 12. The track slowly pulsates along before a startling crash floods in a psychedelic instrumental melody. Vulnerable vocals and traces of orchestration outline this rocking and catchy song of anguish, exhibiting the memory crisis hindering the central character of the album’s proposed story arc. Listen below:
“Laced” is a vibrant new single by Californian indie rock project Coyote Mustache, the umbrella name for a group of musicians fronted by Phillip Yancey and assembled from various corners of the United States. It can’t be stressed enough just how much this track uses bursts of unbridled energy to its advantage. It makes for something exceedingly infectious, conceivably a mix of Arcade Fire’s stadium-ready dynamic and Cage the Elephant’s raw spirit. This tune, assigned to Coyote Mustache’s EP coming out in the new year, tackles the experience of mundanity by facing it with its inverse–the feeling of merriment.
Having grown up partially in Bangalore, India, the Boston-bred hip hop artist going by the name Kid Mango imparts raga influence in the sound of his new song entitled “Function.” The track encases an understated but driving vocal delivery. Kid Mango’s rapped lyrics release grievances against such things as the United States government, greed and dangerous tendencies like alcoholism. Such lines as “buried alive in the Petri dish of sorrow” and “cop cars move like sharks in the night,” among others, are uniquely poetic to an appreciable degree. Recorded entirely in a Brooklyn bedroom, Kid Mango’s mixtape containing “Function” has been planned for a drop sometime in the early months of 2018.
Rainsford’s “Intentions” is dipped in graceful synthesizer, light-as-air vocals and sensuous, 1980s-seasoned beauty. The lyrics chronicle a spell of hesitance clouding a relationship, illustrated by commitment issues from the other side. The chorus bursts with emotion through its inquiry challenging this partner’s intentions and self-reflection about why it remains difficult to let go and move on. The song is met with a magically choreographed visual containing a range of captivating imagery, which can be seen below.
“Japan Style” is different from anything you may have heard before, aside from perhaps the samurai-influenced aura of the Wu-Tang Clan. The track shows a prime culture clash between Thirstin Howl the 3rd’s Brooklyn-raised background and a Japan-centered touch brought to the table by Dak Lo. The track also infuses Asian vocal samples into its menacing, horn-carried beat and references to the culture within its lyrics, which sustain a sharp-shooting quality. The conclusion of the music video, viewable below, touts Thirstin Howl the 3rd’s place in pioneering Lo Life, a Brooklyn-birthed movement hinged on Polo Ralph Lauren clothing. The track can be found on Thirstin Howl the 3rd’s most recent album Skillmatic, which also features such names as the late Prodigy from Mobb Deep and Sticky Fingaz from Onyx.
With a radiant indie rock sound at the helm, Ithaca-based duo Dear Apollo are–aptly so–on their way to the stars. The duo’s members crafted their debut EP hundreds of miles apart from one another with the aid of Dropbox, a surprising factoid given their songs’ remarkable intimacy and rich texture. One standout track is “Parachute,” which begins delicately with spacey analog synth and gentle vocals, which grow to a touching harmony once the first chorus hits. The tune collapses to a piano-based melody approximately two minutes in, which meets a steady, final build-up of instruments before one last utterance of “I need a parachute, and I need a push” tugs ever so lightly at the heartstrings. Dear Apollo’s self-titled EP is available for purchase through the duo’s bandcamp page. Dear Apollo by Dear Apollo
Oooh yeah, calmness and simplicity are two words that come to mind when listening to Catalina’s newest jam, “Alvarado.” The duo of Jakob Shaw and Eric Poretsky have filled the song with subtlety; the plunking bass and the gentle swelling of keyboards throughout the track is ultra-pleasant to the ears… Put this one on during a mid-afternoon chill sesh, we think you’ll be better off for it. Add it to your “chill” playlist on Spotify.
Stockholm-based Gentle Ivanhoe Death Skulls serves up a fresh take on indie rock-meets-dream pop with their single “Green Hang Ten.” The song combines lo-fi vocals, a formidable bass line, ambient synths, and fuzzy percussion to fill out a shoegaze-inspired sound fronted by prominent guitar tracks. It’s the kind of track that’s totally unique in execution, but has a crowd pleasing element that’s got a little something for everyone. Since their 2016 outset, the band has released two singles including B sides, with a debut album set for release next spring on Shiny Happy Records. In the meantime, dig in to “Green Hang Ten” below and check out Gentle Ivanhoe Death Skull’s other tracks on bandcamp.
Seattle’s Ruler fits into the city’s historic music scene with years of pent-up ambition that pours through in their single “Easy Life.” The brainchild of frontman Matt Batey, Ruler supplies clarion vocal melodies, garage-rock inspired guitar lines, and drum tracks built for precision. There’s a definite light-hearted breeziness to the track, sending out a ‘let the good times roll’ spirit that immediately makes your day a little brighter. Despite the project’s recent inception, Batey is no stranger to Seattle’s musical bounds, spending the last 12 years fronting bands and cranking out releases. Those years spent cultivating a sound and building up a catalog seem to pay off here, where clever song structure and instrumentation plays tongue-and -cheek in a way that’s not overly obvious, but subtly addicting. This is Ruler’s third single release, with a debut album coming soon via Barsuk Records.