Michael Simon Armstrong – “Semantics”
Not too much was given to us about Los Angles based artist Michael Simon Armstrong, but based on a couple listens of his latest track "Semantics," he's obviously quite talented and worthy of a listen. The title track of his September EP, it's filled with HUGE sounds...
French Cassettes – “Medium Horny”
"Medium Horny" is the newest single from Bay Area quartet French Cassettes; it's quite the banger. With a only a couple singles since 2020's LP Rolodex, this is a fine return to form for FC with a full gamut of wistful lyrics and (as I like to call it) "focused yet...
James Wyatt Crosby – “Ashamed”
Toronto based musician James Wyatt Crosby sings about how shame should all feel the same in his new single, "Ashamed." Released as a single at the end of September, it's a fine guitar-forward track focusing on the vocals. With the unfortunate times we live in, shame...
BYLAND – “Monstera”
If you're looking to feel emotionally crushed, we've got the perfect new jam for you. BYLAND (aka Alie Renee Byland) makes her triumphant return with the heartbreaking "Monstera," ostensibly about losing a once treasured musician-to-musician relationship. With all the...
Kai Undrell – “Can It Get Any Better…?”
England based musician (and filmmaker, evidently) Kai Undrell of Sheffield dropped his lead single "Can It Get Any Better...?" September 22 in anticipation of his debut EP Full Fat Fear due out October 13. Citing influences from Arcade Fire and Scissor Sisters, "Any...
Fur Trade – “Monaco”
A surprising and altogether exciting track, "Monaco" is a blast from a past for some readers around my age. Fur Trade is a project of Hot Hot Heat front man Steve Bays and Parker Bossley of Gay Nineties and formerly of Hot Hot Heat. "Monaco" is their newest single off...
The Seshen – “Waiting For Dawn”
Bay Area based six piece The Seshen bring us their newest single, "Waiting For Dawn," an absolutely scrumptious amalgamation of sounds impeccably crafted and mixed together. Singer Lalin St. Juste is on an altogether different level than most vocalists as she weaves...
Dawn Park – “New Material”
NYC based duo Dawn Park bring us their latest single "New Material," the most recent follow up to their June EP Petulma. We originally covered a single from that very same EP here and had good things to say about them then, and that hasn't changed in the ensuing...
Brimheim – “Literally Everything”
Danish act Brimheim (aka Copenhagen-based musician Helena Heinesen Rebensdorff) gives into her "most pathetic impulses" on latest single, "Literally Everything." We appreciate her candidness, because it has resulted in one hell of a song. The blasts of vintage synth...
Tamra – “Flood”
There's something so familiar about the midwestern emo-tinged indie rock coming out of Tamra... Familiar in a good way, of course. "Flood" is their latest single, a two-minute meandering set off by a repeating rhythmic motif that will have you air drumming in no time....
Sonic Blume – “Falling Behind”
"I'm sleepyhead, I'm cheesy bread." Within the first five words of "Falling Behind" by New Jersey-based act Sonic Blume, it feels like they've summed up the collective millennial/gen z experience. Sounding somewhere like the child of "Where Is My Mind?" by Pixies and...
Illiterate Light – “Always Always”
There's just something fun about the latest single from Virginia-based duo Illiterate Light. Playful, ebullient, and generally upbeat, "Always Always" is built around an inescapable vocal hook that digs into your brain, latches on, and refuses to let go. With a sound...
Idledaze – Sandbox
Sandbox is a seven song EP from Whitewater, Wisconsin-based one man band Idledaze, released in anticipation of a full length album due out spring of 2024. Idledaze performs as a solo act but also does cover projects as a the Idledaze Trio with a setlist that spans...
Mali Velasquez – “Shove”
Tennessee based Mali Velasquez (check our last feature on her here) has turned many heads with her single releases leading up to her debut album I'm Green due out October 13 via Acrophase Records. "Shove" is a gorgeous continuation of that trend - the track is...
PARCS – “Wait!”
PARCS' sound has been peculating and taking shape in the South Wales scene over the past few years. Recently the group, originally just the married duo of Joe and Elly, added members Kristy and Liam resulting in new spaces to play off one another. The group's new...
atmos bloom – “Sea Legs”
atmos bloom rode the momentum of their successful debut album Flora and moved from Manchester to South London to build their full live band. The full monty of that ensemble is on display for their latest single, the dream-gaze jam "Sea Legs." The new cut drips with...
Floyd Thursby – “Teenage Ladybug (feat. Mademoiselle)”
I am neither teenaged, nor a ladybug, but "Teenage Ladybug" by Floyd Thursby and collaborator Mademoiselle made me feel things. A simple song with a bluesy guitar backbone, "Ladybug" pairs Thursby's wry songwriting with Mademoiselle's matter-of-fact, hush-hush vocals....
Ostrology – “Only A Dream”
Is aural LSD a thing? If it isn't, we think Ostrology has invented it with new single "Only A Dream." If you could take Mac Demarco and turn the "Demarco" knob all the way to 11, you might have a good idea of what to expect. Warped and warbly to the max with wild...
Vast Robot Armies – “Like A Bug”
Vast Robot Armies (VRA) has been kicking around for the good part of a decade and that storied experience shines through on latest single, "Like A Bug." With heavy nods to the band's pedigree, friends, and collaborators (Sometimes Why, The Life And Times, Shiner, and...
Pale Puma – “Cast a Shadow”
Bringing you a rare double shot, we have ANOTHER Pale Puma track hot off the presses; their other song was "Down by the River," (which I wrote about here). This one is "Cast a Shadow" also off of their September 8th album Haunted By Dreams That Were Never My Own and...
Bazemore – “in your arbor”
According to an unverified post on the genius.com page listed on his Instagram; Bazemore is based out of Baltimore and is a triple threat of producer/musician/sound engineer. His latest single is "in your arbor," and it's a simmering, noisy romp with ALL of the guitar...
tiger del flor x MKSTN – “like we’re an indie movie (url remix)”
"like we're an indie movie" is a track by Hollywood based tiger del flor and Toronto based MKSTN - quite the long distance affair! As if the track wasn't good enough, it's been given the remix treatment by url - an impressive artist in his own right with a deep...
Dirty Nice – “SHARK!”
Dirty Nice is the UK duo Charlie Pelling and Mark Thompson that spawned from their love for cartoons, comedy, and indie music. Pelling works closely with stars of the UK comedy scene and uses his gift for inhabiting their eccentric worlds to craft the universe of...
Belot – “The Good Life”
London native Belot continues her brand of "awkward pop" with her latest single, the title track to her upcoming EP The Good Life, due out October 20th from Submarine Cat Records. Belot's imaginative song crafting is on display as she wields a glossy spacey pop...
Pale Puma – “Down By The River”
Amsterdam-based four piece dreampop band Pale Puma brings us their newest single "Down By The River" off of their recently released album Haunted By Dreams That Were Never My Own (September 8, Excelsior Recordings). Shimmering guitars backdropped by slick bass create...
Helenor – “Bad2”
Brooklyn born musician David DiAngelis, the brains behind Helenor, brings us a nice diddly of a bedroom indie pop gem with his newest track "Bad2." Beginning with a hooky lo-fi synth (that reappears throughout the song) DiAngelis wastes no time establishing a steady...
Martha Rose x GRIP TIGHT – “Come On Over”
Berlin based musician Martha Rose teams up with collaborator Benjamin Luke Gregory, aka GRIP TIGHT, another artist who makes his home in Berlin by way of London. They've worked together previously on another single, "Never B Mine" and keep the magic going with the...
GRRL GANG – “Better Than Life”
Grrrl Gang, a power punky trio from Indonesia, brings us their latest track "Better Than Life" off of their new album sharing the same name. We previously covered them here, and had nothing but good things to say then... But to be fair that was mid August and we...
The Lovelines – “May Be Love”
Mysterious sister/brother duo, by way of Germany and Florida, The Lovelines bring us their latest single "May Be Love." I found in it a fun, meandering piece that was honestly *so* relaxing to listen to that I felt like I was on vacation. The wavy guitars interspersed...
TELLL – “Garlic”
Mysterious collective TELLL, coming by way of Austria, brings us a slow burn, folk-tinged indie gem with their single "Garlic." Morose to a fault (in the best ways), it's the perfect end of summer slow jam and an easy shoe-in for an end of summer playlist. Big Thief...
Goalie Fight – “Kids’ Table”
Like many Midwest-emo inspired acts (think Modern Baseball; American Football; Football, etc.), Goalie Fight started with a sports-inspired name and gradually started pumping out some tasty riffage. We're recommending their latest single, "Kids' Table," for your...
Daniel Ryn – “Boketto”
Daniel Ryn brings his genre-bending alt-pop to the masses with latest single, "Boketto." The song started like many others - a COVID era experiment that came about as an "indie computer" prototype; soon, Daniel transformed the project into what it is today, including...
Soft Punch – “My Head”
Washington DC’s Rye Thomas is a journeyman who has toured with multiple successful bands and wrote for big publications like Rolling Stone and The Washington Post, that is, before a mysterious illness left him home bound in 2013. His unwavering need to make music...
ELLiS•D – “I AM HERE”
The solo artist ELLiS·D is a multi-instrumentalist from the UK who has an upcoming EP whose first single is the twisting and atmospheric art-rock jam “I AM HERE.” The track blends some of music’s most creatively rich genre’s into a singular and indelible experience....
Nick Cosic – “Submerged”
"Submerged" is the latest single from Serbian based musician and modular/vintage synth fanatic Nick Cosic. An electronic music producer and DJ by trade, leaning into techno and progressive house, he is a leader in the Serbian music scene and helps develop artists and...
SHIA – “Something’s Behind Me”
Shia Shania, the Shia behind SHIA, is self-professed history buff, sword collector... Not to mention running a talent agency. She somehow finds time to make some boppin' beats. She brings us a drum machine and synth drenched pop track with "Something's Behind Me" off...
Coma Girls – “Candles”
LA transplant Chris Spino, better known under his project name Coma Girls, brings us his newest single "Candles." Wearing many hats - from lo-fi to psych-folk to now more folk rock flavor, this is a fun way to make music and a great way to bring in fans of differing...
Honeycrush – “Stars”
"Stars" is another recently dropped single, this one from New York based Alexandra Antonpoulos - better known by her stage moniker of Honeycrush. This is released in support of her upcoming EP, Milk Teeth, due out October 17. The gently strummed guitar stays just...
Clover Pilot – “Denial”
A mysterious indie-rock solo project from New Mexico, Clover Pilot bring us their latest single, "Denial." Having released music at a pretty steady clip since 2021, including a full length this year, Clover Pilot seems to have a strong affinity for industrial-esque...
MONOWHALES – “Hear Me Out”
Toronto band MONOWHALES' latest single "Hear Me Out" dropped just a few days ago but has already wracked up a decent play count - and we can see why. Having won a JUNO (Canadian Music association award) for Breakthrough Group of the Year in 2022, previously been...
Super City – “Getouttahere”
Baltimore based band Super City bring us their brand of infectious garage rock with their newest single "Getouttahere," a track that will surely get your hips swaying and head boppin'. The band really turns their guitars up to 11 and just don't look back at all -...
Otis Shanty – “Daylight Savings”
Massachusetts based quartet Otis Shanty brings a late summer B-side track (with A-side energy), "Daylight Savings," off their Early Birds single. The band has been making music together for almost five years, and it shows in the strong composition of "Daylight...
Child Seat – “The Punchline”
Seriously, clowns and sepia tones make everything better
Made of Mana – Made of Mana
Made of Mana (MoM) is a jazz-infused quartet from San Francisco, and their self-titled EP was recently released July 28 - in anticipation an LP coming later this year. MoM is made up of four lifelong friends (Phil, Sean, Dane, Alec) who have worked together previously...
PAWS – “Disenchanted”
Hot off the press, Scottish alt duo PAWS brings us their newest track "Disenchanted," released in anticipation of their self-titled album. In "Disenchanted," bandmates Phillip and Josh have crafted a fresh indie track that manages to pay honest homage to alt 90's rock...
Heatmiser – “Lowlife (’92 Cassette)”
You've probably heard of Nirvana, 90's grunge, and Elliot Smith, but you may or may not be familiar with a band that shared a the same area geographically with Kurdt Kobain et al... Counting Elliot Smith among its members, Heatmiser was a force to be reckoned with in...
SOMOH – “Favourite”
Sophia Mohan aka SOMOH (a clever shortening combination SOphia MOHan,) brings us a dandy of an alt indie track in "Favourite;" Produced by Far Caspian (you may have heard of him, we certainly have.) Leaning into more the alt-indie vein, the song is gentle with an...
Eversame – “Warm Flower Sided Road”
Eversame is a quartet based out of Žilina, Slovakia. Their music spoke to us all the way across the Atlantic for it's longing mix of shoegaze, emo, and jangle pop - one listen through "Warm Flower Sided Road" will give you an idea of what we mean. Delicate-but-hurt...
Phasez – “Insecure”
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...
Bollo Bollo – “Melt This”
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...