Brooklyn producer 2Beeps (Matt Verzola) blends elements of house, breaks, and electro on “Burn It Up.” With melodic vocal sampling and burly 808’s, the maximalist, club-ready track places a bright 90’s rave-inspired organ melody alongside hyper-chopped vocals and layered breaks. “Burn It Up” is off 2Beeps’ newest EP, Shake That Ass, which came out last month. Check out this burner below.
The Branch Davidians have released their EP Sex, Death, and Things Less Boring. Based in Rochester, the band began as an indie folk duo, before lead man Ben Stephanus expanded both the size of the group and the scope of its sound. Their five-song release is full of fuzz and shoegazey vibes. The lead guitar’s grimy buzz is a consistent force throughout the EP. They fuse throwback ‘90s tendencies with noise-rock elements to achieve a dissonant pop sound. Stephanus’ vocals are trippy with a dash of reverb, and reminiscent of melodies from underground ‘60s rock. The groovy “Bridges of Madison County” sounds like it could be a pop tune from The Zombies fed through the lens of a Tame Impala rocker. The lead guitar riff on “Your Sex Wants You Dead” is textbook pop punk, but with much more distortion. It’s not until the final track, “Blessed Water,” that the[...]
London quartet Hot Dreams hit us up with “Plungepool,” a soaring number that would impress even the most nuanced of indie rockers. The song is about the band moving to London and becoming totally disillusioned after ultimately realizing the city is geared against the not-so-wealthy masses. We feel you on that fellas. Fans of U2, Bombay Bicycle Club, or Foals would love Hot Dreams. Check it out via Soundcloud below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/269588720″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
UK producer Fono’s articulate and forward thinking approach to house music has already landed him in the good graces of dance music elite. He’s hot off the heels of a global smash, “Real Joy.” Our recommendation, “Feet On The Ground” finds Fono playing with swelling synths, dancing arpeggiators, and a late 80s/early 90s inspired beat. Fans of Major Lazer (who Fono has remixed) or Daft Punk would dig Fono. Buy “Feet On The Ground” via iTunes. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/273346883″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Looking for simple, beachy, and swimmy? Acid Ghost’s latest effort is an 18-song LP full of “cheesy breakup songs written on vacation.” Cheesy might not be the right word – “All Alone” is a chill, heartfelt song about missing making out under the pier while drunk and/or stoned. Fans of DIIV or Beach Fossils would enjoy Acid Ghost’s tunes. Acid Ghost’s latest release, Vacations, is out now via Human Sounds Records. Visit their Bandcamp page for purchase options. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/273168299″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Melding straight-up pop aesthetics with an indie rock flavors, Arkivist got our attention with their debut single, “Seeing Stars.” Formed in the rainy winter woods of the northwest, the trio decided to utilize the vocal talents of all three members while exploring new ways of writing music. “Seeing Stars” takes a pulsing bassline and adds unique percussion into the mix – the result is American-flavored Britpop. Fans of Foals or Bloc Party – Arkivist is for you. Arkivist’s website can be accessed here. Check it out for some more info on the fledgling act. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/274047283″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Passed Out is the aggressive hat that lead singer Andy Pothier wears when penning frustrated call-out anthems. The Buffalo-based songwriter has been an integral part of the area’s growing scene, regularly playing the circuit with his folk-y introspective solo jams as a singer/songwriter, as well as the percussionist for swamp buskers, Pine Fever and psych-rock act Deadwolf. Late last week, Passed Out dropped their new single “Winnipeg” off of their forthcoming EP, Infinite Regression. Immediately, “Winnipeg’s” intro is reminiscent of The Anniversary’s “Till We Earned a Holiday.” The track is all about a $20 hockey bet backed by an aggressive Japandroids-esque hyper abrasive backing. Fans of Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos will enjoy the vocal style and arrangement on this one. The band describe themselves as “very sad, then happy, then very sad again” and they definitely follow that formula with “Winnipeg.” Keep Passed Out on your radar for their release show on Thursday, August 18th[...]
The Lamaas are a three piece skate punk band from the West Side of Toronto. They recently recorded and released a six-song EP, affectionately titled Bum Lyfe. We think you should start with the title track – we dug it for its balls-to-the-wall approach and overwhelmingly aggressive vibes. Fans of The Orwells, Wavves, or Diarrhea Planet could surely get into this. You can snag Bum Lyfe EP via Bandcamp for a very affordable price. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/265511993″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
“A Special Plan” was written and recorded 12 years ago, but Mateo Katsu thankfully brought it out of obscurity and into our inbox. “A Special Plan” is a part of Mateo’s new(ish) EP, White Men Don’t Name Their Babies Jesus, full of deliciously lighthearted, lo-fi jams a la Built to Spill. Fans of The Breeders or Jeffrey Lewis & The Jrams would also enjoy Mateo’s work. Mateo is offering “A Special Plan” for free via Soundcloud. You know what to do. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/272208990″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
We’ve been really digging electropop songstress SUMif‘s sparkly new song, “Lay Down.” When the song begins, it sounds both minimalist and layered, pairing SUMif’s pleasant vocal delivery with a skittering drum rhythm. “Lay Down” eventually evolves into quite the banger, adding a layer of deep electo-bass for emphasis. SUMif is offering “Lay Down” for free. Visit her Soundcloud page for the download link. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/273117707″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Smooth-fi act Work Drugs recently debuted the title track from their upcoming release, Method Acting. “Method Acting” is swimmy, beachy, and vintage-sounding, bringing to mind the synthy guitar-pop of the 1980s. Fans of Holy Ghost, Miami Horror, or Tears for Fears would be into Work Drugs’ jams. Swing by Work Drugs’ Soundcloud for a free download of “Method Acting.” [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/272600196″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
After a much-deserved hiatus, Swedish indie pop band The Paper Faces is back with some new tunes. They shot us the video for “Mistaken,” and we were very pleased. Their brand of pop is simple, crisp, and easily digestible. The video features a bunch of beachy girls having a good ol’ time on a summer road trip. Stop by The Paper Faces’ website where you can pick up their newest EP, Disco Boy.
CHALK are a London based indie/electronica band formed last year. Having played as separate singer-songwriters for some time, the duo decided to join forces, drop the acoustic guitars, and pick up some synths. CHALK takes an upbeat approach to electronica, using loops, synth tricks, and vocal processing that pairs nicely with their highly singable hooks and choruses. Fans of James Blake, Alt-J and MGMT would dig CHALK’s brand of British-flavored electronica. Give Chalk some love and pick up their stuff via iTunes. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/272142939″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Muddy fuzz rockers Ghost King hail from The Bronx and are led by Spires’ drummer Carter McNeil. Their fuzzy brand of 90s rock is brightened up by unexpected chord changes, psychedelic overtones, and lo-fi production that Fans of Pavement, The Pixies, or Violent Femmes would be into. Their video for “Till You Belong To Me” is a neurotic good time and finds the band rocking out in a tiny bedroom. Stop by Bandcamp for a copy of their new album, Bones, out now on Fleeting Youth Records.
Buffalo cosmic rockers Head North are back with a new video for their quasi-folk song, “God (Bring It Back).” The song seems like a true departure from their previous efforts, with frontman Brent J. Martone’s classic emo slur serving as a lone reminder of what the band once was. This time around, “God (Bring It Back)” is heavy on acoustic guitar, vocal hooks, and drummer Ben Lieber’s impressive rhythmic backbone. The band is due to release their next album, The Last Living Man Alive Ever In The History Of The World, later this summer. Check out the impressive choreography in the video below – master Buffalo videographer Andy Deluca had his hand in this one.