New Music

Rupe – “My Friends”

June 4, 2024

LA based (that is, Louisiana) Rupert Lange, better known under his stage name of Rupe brings us his newest track “My Friends,” a lovingly crafted bedroom pop song. Rupe brings the Day Wave vibe with his DIY work ethic – having written, recorded, AND engineered all of his music. While the full accompaniment of bass and drums adds plenty, make no mistake: this is a guitar track through and through (and we’re not mad about that). You’ll find a lot to enjoy with Rupe, especially for fans of Real Estate or the aforementioned Day Wave. At only 25 and still making music, there’s hopefully a lot more to come from Lange as he continues to share his craft with the world. You can hear “My Friends” below from SoundCloud, as well as Spotify and Apple Music. Be sure to check out his slew of other singles as well; including “goodbye,[...]

otsyuda – “drift”

May 28, 2024

otsyuda, a five piece hailing from somewhere, North America (TM), brings us their latest and seemingly first track “drift.” Clocking in just shy of four minutes, “drift” has plenty of time to percolate and build up lyrically and instrumentally. Ebbing and flowing along with singer Annie Mo’s vocals, you get an explosive crescendo every thirty to sixty seconds – keeping things dynamic and interesting. Mo’s voice dances with the wailing guitars during these explosions and is a perfect example of how the shoegazy sound pioneered by My Bloody Valentine has grown and continues to dominate today. I hope we can hear more from this band soon! If you’re in otsyuda and wanna drop us a line we’d love to know more about you (and when to expect more music). In the meantime, you can hear “drift” over on Apple Music, Spotify, or embedded below from the band’s YouTube channel.

Bleary Eyed – “Shimmer Away”

May 28, 2024

Bleary Eyed, a band based out of the fine city of Philadelphia, brings us their latest with “Shimmer Away.” Hitting us with a nifty, bitcrushed synth intro right off the bat AND sustaining glitchy energies throughout the track is a difficult feat, but it’s a challenge Bleary Eyed rises to. Between the synth, crunchy 8-bit tones, and duetting vocals of Nate Salfi and an unknown female singer (we think?), you’ll easily find yourself loss in the ins and outs of the track. Releasing in anticipation of a self titled EP, lead singer Nate Salfi says that he wanted to “…create a poppy, sample heavy EP that takes people out of their regular headspace they find themselves in.” If “Shimmer Away” is any indication for the rest of the EP, I think I can say mission accomplished. Fans of the “loud” indie sound from bands like feeble little horse or Full[...]

papa mybe – “CPU”

May 28, 2024

“CPU” is the latest from rapper papa mybe, shortened from Papaneneh Mybe and a transplant from the African country of The Gambia. “CPU” has a solid, glitched-out beat throughout that mostly stays toward the background to give Mybe’s voice to breathe, though it punches through at appropriate moments with some cool effects and organic flavors thrown in that give the track an impressive depth. The song itself reflects on the importance of disconnecting from our devices so that we can appreciate the world around us and reconnect with our true selves. Citing influences like drum and bass, 80’s alt rock, 2000’s pop, and underground rap, you can hear all of these seemingly disparate genres mesh together in his music. For someone who is looking to get their feet wet with rap from a crossover artist or who already enjoy the genre, you’ll find a lot to enjoy here. You can[...]

Holding Hour – “Come Undone”

May 28, 2024

“Come Undone” is the newest track from Iowa-based duo Holding Hour – made up of Marissa Kephart and Scott Yoshimura. We previously covered the other side of this single, “Parallel Lines” back in April here, and liked what we heard then (just as we do now). Kephart’s vocals really shine through in this guitar-heavy track, doubling down on the guitar and drums while leaving the synth in the backseat. It’s complete with a set of yearning lyrics that set off the dreamy flavors here perfectly – see below: “Say something sweet to me, I wanna hear my name inside your mouth, before you chew and spit it out” I really enjoyed how this track managed to feel straightforward yet intricate, with the guitars building over each stanza in a steady simmer but never boiling over. Fans of Slowdive or Snail Mail would find a lot to enjoy here, with the[...]

Niamh Regan – “Music”

May 22, 2024

Niamh Regan has been cementing her place as one of the most captivating Irish songwriters around, clearly evident on latest single, “Music.” Bolstered by a shuffling drumbeat, plunking piano ambiance, and Niamh’s soulful vocals, “Music” is reminiscing of the mid-90s Lilith Fair crowd while still feeling distinctly 2024-flavored. The emotion here is palpable, enveloping you in a warm aether that refuses to let go. About the song, she says: “Music is one of my favourite songs on the record. I was listening to a lot of Wilco while making this record and this song is like a nod to that with regards to production. It’s the first song that I wrote where I thought this might be an ear worm, and just had lots of fun with the lyrics and melody and I hope that comes across in the recording now.” Check out the video for “Music” via the YouTube[...]

B. Miles – “Emergency Contact”

May 22, 2024

New York based Brenna Miles, better known as B. Miles, brings us her latest pop gem with “Emergency Contact,” and even after being done listening it’s still stuck in my head. You’ll hear a lot of drum machine and whispers of bass guitar but the focus is undoubtedly on Miles’ vocals; her range isn’t tested too much but every note is flawless. We’ve written about B. Miles before here, and love what she’s doing now just as much as a year ago! Fans of St. Vincent or Sharon Von Etten would find a lot to enjoy here, as well as someone looking to expand their horizons from the usual male lead act. Speaking to the track, Miles had this to say: “I moved across the country from my family many years ago and depended on my significant other during my 20s to be my emergency contact. When we split up[...]

Elson – “Moments”

May 22, 2024

Elson is a three piece from England with their first proper release, “Moments,” and it’s a catchy track alt-indie track in the vein of Ride or Blur. The guitar will most certainly hook you right from the get go and keep that hook in throughout. Elson could have done very well for themselves in the 90’s – I also got some early Smashing Pumpkins vibes toward the end of the track. Their layering and composition is polished, but not to the point where they couldn’t translate to a great live band and it all just comes together incredibly well. You can hear the studio version of “Moments” over on Spotify or a neat acoustic session down below from YouTube. Be sure to give the band a follow on their socials and Spotify to keep up to date on what’s next -with this much talent it’s impossible that they stop with[...]

Swiss Portrait – “Worries”

May 22, 2024

From the Lowlands of Scotland, Swiss Portrait brings us their latest with “Worries.” Songwriting, recording, and producing is all done by Michael – the brains behind the operation and, obviously, indie as fuck. The track itself is a subdued, guitar-forward song that has that delectable warm tone/vibe (you’ll know it when you hear it) that you can’t help but like. The composition is impeccable, as you can tell every single bit of the sound has been painstakingly laid down to near perfection – but the musical kind (not robotic). Fans of Real Estate or Alvvays’ sound would find a lot to enjoy here; similar vibes but 100% more Scottish than either band. You can hear “Worries” over on Spotify or down below from YouTube. If you like what you’ve heard you can check out the album when it releases later this year. I give artists a follow on their socials[...]

Parallel – “Blister”

May 22, 2024

“Blister” is the latest from California based band Parallel, and it’s a moody post punk jam (which we particularly enjoy here at the BLOG). Released in anticipation of a six track EP due out this July 4, “Blister” employs a guitar-forward approach that somehow sounds warm and downtrodden at the same time. The veil occasionally lifts and goes in a dream pop direction before diving back to the dirge-y downbeat – providing an interesting juxtaposition while showing the line that separates the two genres isn’t that wide. If you’re into current acts like Beach House and also own a Joy Division t-shirt, this is the band for you. You can hear “Blister” below from YouTube (accompanied with a creepy stop motion music video) or you can hear it on the various streamers Apple Music or Spotify. Flooded is out in July and you can hear this plus five more tracks[...]

Kathy Katouzi – “AFTERPARTY!”

May 21, 2024

The spicy electropop from Kathy Katouzi will leave you itching for the dancefloor. “AFTERPARTY!” has a delicate and purposeful intro that still has a notable beefiness to it. A lyrical journey takes you back to that magical party moment where someone says something poignant that shakes you to your core. While you’re processing the rush of befuddling emotions, the chorus hits exactly how it should. Fans of MUNA and Benee will find lots to love here. Check out “AFTERPARTY!” via YouTube below.  

SZEGO MUSIC – “More Lst Thn This”

May 18, 2024

Swedish multimedia guru Andreas Szego is the brains behind SZEGO MUSIC and their latest single is “More Lst Thn This.” It’s an astoundingly bold production that has a lot of threads going on. I couldn’t find out much about the lyrics; seemingly Swedish chanting. It does have a nice vibe and I felt like it could either be in a video game (like the lead up to a final zone) or a tourism commercial for Mars. This is an incredibly synth forward track in that it’s….almost entirely synth. Is it even “synth forward” or is it just *synth*? Either way you slice it, it’s a fun vibey track that you’ll find enjoyment in if you like electronica/synth music. You can hear “More Lst Thn This” over on Spotify.

rincs – “Dingbat”

May 18, 2024

“Dingbat” is the latest from LA duo (or quartet now? unclear) rincs, and it’s quite the banger. While it’s been a minute since we’ve written about rincs, doesn’t mean there’s any love lost! We last heard from them in 2022 and 2020, and it looks like they’re still on their (most excellent) shit. The track starts off with a really fun diddy of a guitar riff along with Rebeca R’s dulcet tones. The time signature changes that happen sporadically throughout really keep you on your toes – really keeping with the (eccentric) “Dingbat” theme. You’ll be charmed by the twee guitars and bedroom indie pop feel, along the lines of Speedy Ortiz or Deerhoof. You can hear “Dingbat” over on Spotify or conveniently down below from Soundcloud. One of the notes my editor left me was that there was a potential WNY theme. @rincs if you see this, can you confirm[...]

april june – “starstruck”

May 17, 2024

“starstruck” is the latest from Madrid artist april june – ironically from their EP released in May. Piano and acoustic guitar mesh together well with the lyrics that take on a darker tone (both melodically and lyrically) as it pays homage to the 1993 film “True Romance.” Specifically: “Amidst the chaos of that day, when all I could hear was the thunder of gunshots, and all I could smell was the violence in the air, I look back and am amazed that my thoughts were so clear and true, that three words went through my mind endlessly, repeating themselves like a broken record: you’re so cool, you’re so cool, you’re so cool.” If you’ve been following along and have noticed a few bands we’ve written about previously, Makeout City or Bathe Alone, you would find a lot to enjoy with april june. You can hear the track on Spotify or[...]

Club 8 – “Free Falling”

May 15, 2024

Club 8, a band we’ve covered extensively (“Sunny,” “Just Like Heaven,” and “Daylight“) brings us their latest with “Free Falling.” Based out of Sweden and apparently some of the coolest people in existence, Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård continue to release music at a steady clip. Angergård has been in multiple bands and have released everything from bossa nova to trip hop albums over the years (having been active since 1995). “Free Falling” falls (pun intended) into the a nice little indie chill wave/dream pop niche a la Beach House; simmering throughout and lead very strongly with Komstedt’s vocals. Jangly guitars and wispy lyrics somehow feel haunting yet inviting -pulling you in with each passing stanza and wholly enveloping you in the mystique of Club 8 by the end. You can hear “Free Falling” over on Spotify or down below courtesy of YouTube. If you haven’t heard them before, definitely give[...]