Posts

Crystal Eyes - Niloo - Tamar Berk - Ali Sperry - Wildlife Freeway - Hannah Schneider

Image
Photo - Rebecca Reid Crystal Eyes - Don't Turn Around. The Calgary, Alberta-based psych-rock/dream-pop band, Crystal Eyes have just shared their new single, "Don't Turn Around" which comes off the back of support for last month's release, "Wishes" which went on to find support at FLOOD, Brooklyn Vegan, Exclaim and more. The new single is the latest to be lifted from the forthcoming second record, The Sweetness Restored which is set for release via the beloved Madrid label, Bobo Integral (Motorists, Ducks Ltd, Quivers) on April 22. Crystal Eyes, who are made up of Erin Jenkins (singer/guitarist) and a revolving cast of musicians, currently Jordan Tettensor (guitar), Joleen Toner (synth), Will Johnson (bass) and Paul de Andrade (drums) describe the new record as a "feel-good self-help record for the age of existential dread." The Sweetness Restored displays a kind of wistful self-awareness right from the start, it's a collection of ten track...

Lena Minder - Christine Tarquinio - Sound&Shape - Chris Tavener - Kindsight - Christine Sweeney - Twain

Image
Photo - Victoria Byt Lena Minder - One More Time. Together Alone is the name of the debut album by Lena Minder, which is about loneliness in relationships. In March 2020, her plans to move back to Switzerland were thwarted by the pandemic. Instead of finding her way back to her roots, she embarked on an inner search and confrontation with herself in isolation.  In her memories, Lena revived past relationships and critically questioned them. She began to put these thoughts into songs and tells with melancholy, nostalgia, but also a pinch of irony about the complexity of interpersonal existence. The album contains eight songs, some of which are stylistically very different from each other. The beginning is made by the reduced, folky waltz song «Stay Around», which stands out for its sophisticated vocal arrangement. «Stolen Love» or «One More Time» can hardly be assigned to the indie folk genre. They contain elements of soul and gospel and backing vocals reminiscent of the 30s. With ...

Still Corners - Elf Power - Clea Anaïs’ - Diandian

Image
Photo - Bernard Bur Still Corners - Far Rider. Ahead of a massive tour throughout Europe and the US this Spring, Still Corners have released their seven-minute desert-noir odyssey, ‘Far Rider’. With the sun at its peak a weary desert traveller picks their way across the soft sandy floor trying to forget a lost love or maybe a past best forgotten. Crystal clear guitar lines drift in and out as the bass weaves and snakes over a tight drum beat. Tessa Murray croons steady as a pulse, as the song winds like a caravan toward the orange horizon. Tessa explains, “This song is about leaving, lost love and finding yourself somewhere on the journey, really it’s about redemption. I recently drove 6000 miles across the southwest to feel the sun on my face and think.  We used the dreamlike nature of the song to capture the landscape and a hypnotic feel to conjure up the long and lonely travel days.” ‘Far Rider’ follows on from the release of their recent single ‘Heavy Days’, and highly-praised...

Buffalo Rose - Lost Tuesday Society - Primer

Image
Photo - Zian Meng Buffalo Rose - I Give You The Morning. "I Give You The Morning," is a gorgeous selection from Pittsburgh Americana sextet Buffalo Rose, who partnered with GRAMMY-winning folk legend Tom Paxton for a gorgeous EP called Rabbit released today via Misra Records. "I Give You The Morning" is a classic love song written by Tom Paxton, who also lends his vocals to the track. With goosebump-inducing harmonies and delicate instrumentation, "I Give You The Morning" radiates sunshine and warmth from every note. If you think you know what acoustic music is all about - just wait. Buffalo Rose takes the folk styles of the past and gleefully blends them with modern, contemporary flair. If a smile was a band, it would be Buffalo Rose. Rabbit is a perfect release for the last gasp of winter; as we pin our hopes on spring, eagerly awaiting the days of more and more sunshine, this new EP will warm up any who listen. Combining Paxton’s honed writing skills w...

Basement Revolver - Hate Moss - Hailey Whitters - Carleton Stone

Image
Basement Revolver - Dissolve. Basement Revolver has always centered around the friendship of bassist/keyboardist Nim Agalawatte and guitarist/vocalist Chrisy Hurn. Lead guitarist Jonathan Malström and drummer Levi Kertesz round out the band’s larger-than-life sound. The band’s catalogue spans back to their breakout single, 2016’s “Johnny.” That single, and their self-titled EP from the same year, led to their signing with Fear of Missing Out in the UK, and later, Canada’s Sonic Unyon Records. Heavy Eyes, their debut LP, built on their aesthetic which merges hardcore-inspired indie and ambient dream pop. In support of that they toured throughout the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany. With tour plans on hold through 2020, Basement Revolver found time to wrestle with questions about identity, faith, mental illness, and sexuality. Their sophomore LP, Embody, is explicit about these new ideas and new thoughts, addressing them with a deeper sound and crisper production to adroitly express the...

Colatura - Abigail Lapell - Ruby Tingle - Little Wretches - Stella Diana

Image
Photo Credit: Justin Buschardt Colatura - Scars. New York City trio Colatura released their latest single, “Scars,” this week, sharing a video homage to the earliest days of television musical performances. Colatura’s debut album, And Then I’ll Be Happy, will arrive April 22, with a hometown performance set for that night in Brooklyn, at The Sultan Room [tickets here]. Prior, they will head to Austin, Texas for this year’s SXSW Music Conference. Discussing the single, the band noted, "‘Scars' explores the dark fantasies of revenge you might indulge in, about someone who has caused you pain. It’s wanting to hurt someone who has hurt you and thinking that doing so will heal your own pain, but also knowing deep down that it won’t actually make the pain go away. But you indulge the fantasy regardless. The chorus is rooted in doo wop, but in a dark way (doo wop noir, if you will), so in the video we wanted to reference that by doing a recreation of a '50s girl group soundstage...

All Things Blue - VanWyck - Jesse D'Kora - Nice Vice - Oceanator

Image
All Things Blue - Grog Log. LA dream-punk duo All Things Blue return with new single "Grog Log". The new single teases the release of a new EP from the band, and follows the pair's widely acclaimed debut album Get Bit, released in 2020. Led by singer and guitarist India Coombs and accompanied by longtime songwriting partner Jon Joseph, All Things Blue together create "dream-punk" soundscapes in their most tender form; celebrating life's experiences and wrapping them in the soft tones of 60s analog. New single "Grog Log" is an escapist, psych-imbued slice of indie-rock, combining the classic teachings of the golden age of pop including The Ronettes and The Beach Boys, with the lucid psych-pop of Melody's Echo Chamber and La Luz. Speaking on the release of the new single, India Coombs said: "Musically, Grog Log is inspired by Tiki Drinks. Lyrically, it’s inspired by real life, while a beautiful thing, is also filled with let downs and situa...