Last year we posted Mantell‘s single ‘Lulu’ and now they’ve gone and upped the ante with this excellent new single ‘Can I Set It Right’. The tempo is brisk and breezy with cascading guitar melodies over a lazy and choppy Strokes-ish rhythm. The chorus is totally theirs even if it sounds like one of those eternally familiar, catchy indie rock refrains. Since their last single … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Mantell – Can I Set It Right
Woozy, aqueous, dreamy, tripped-out vibes are dripping out of the speakers with this great track from NYC’s Deep Sea Peach Tree. It looks like they’ve been around for a few years with some EP and single releases and an album, Vaguely Navy (2017), already under their belt. Some of their stuff reminds of the much-missed Girls. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Deep Sea Peach Tree – Zanzibar
The tumbling drums were the first thing that caught my ear on this track. A rhythmic collapse into the song as it takes flight on guitars that chime and cascade in shoegaze waves. The vocals are detached, afterthoughts almost. Certainly not central but casually integral to the song as the bassline sways with a dead-eyed swagger and another crashing chorus careens around the corner. Great … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Superego – Loose
Here’s some psychedelic rock courtesy of Walking Bicycles out of Chicago IL. ‘ESP’ comes from their forthcoming LP Chooch (April 26th), their fifth album from a 15 year career. There’s a cool production approach to the track with an echo chamber kind of vibe giving it a noisey, hard-surfaced clatter that adds a post-punk tension which complements Jocelyn Summer’s anguished recitation. Great rhythm section too! Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Walking Bicycles – ESP
Lucille Furs are set to release their new LP Another Land, this Friday, March 15th. Here’s the song from it that caught our ears, the 60s psych pop rave up that is ‘All Flowers Before Her’. Sure it’s a retro sound but these guys do it authentically and without a sniff of dress-up pastiche. Listen to the way the track puts a softer psychedelic sheen … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Lucille Furs – All Flowers Before Her
Brother Sports (Austin, TX) have digitally released their new single ‘Put Out The Fires’ and it’s a delight of sparkling guitars and nonchalant vocals that recall both The Strokes and and lower-fi version of Real Estate. There’s the requisite jangle and wobble in the guitar sound but they also cast a gauzy layer over the song that gives the music a gritty shimmer. Good stuff. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Brother Sports – Put Out The Fires
OVER are two guys (Brett Paulin, Dan Workman) from Toronto, Canada who peg their sound as psychedelic digital shoegaze and it’s a pretty spot on description when you listen to this track ‘Mostly Plants’. It swirls, billows and decays across the sonic spectrum. There are vocals but they’re nestled just below the surface, partially submerged and it’s often hard to make out the lyrics. It matters … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: OVER – Mostly Plants
This track from Las Vegas quintet Black Camaro kicks off with a mean streak of post-punk, tumbling and angular rhythms courtesy of a great bass-line. Things straighten up after that – more melodies, ringing guitars and atmosphere enters the fray. It’s knotty, dynamic and burns a hole in your synapses with its blend of dark vibes and the lighter elements courtesy of the guitar and … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Black Camaro – Out In The Rain
New music today from the debut album by Finnish quintet Pastis. They’ve got a big sound, not afraid to paint outside the lines with big ringing indie guitars, tumbling drums and a slackerish yet rousing swing in their vocal melodies. Their songs are catchy, bustling and possess a full-hearted delivery. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Pastis – Circles / Ballad Of Franz Reichelt
Tallboy hails from the Philadelphia-area and is the one-man recording project of musician Nick Rossi. ‘Invisible Hand’ comes from his seven track EP Life is Terrible and Everyone is Insane which casually and energetically throws quick-fire guitar songs into the aether, overflowing melodies tumbling over the edges of the songs that recall Husker Du, R.E.M. and Buffalo Tom. Invigorating and concise songs that cut to the … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Tallboy – Invisible Hand
Taken from the brand new album This Creator, here’s a really nice track from Kip LaVie, a Portland-based producer. ‘Function Is Form’ has an aqueous feel, burbling and constantly in motion as organic and synthetic sounds intertwine and rise and fall in the mix. The arrangement and production is a standout on this track and stylistically he clearly draws on jazz, avant garde electronic composition … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Kip LaVie – Function Is Form
Defiantly independent and creatively driven, Darren Cross is always seeking new ways to translate his ideas and influences into music. Whether it was in the heady days of indie/electro guitar punks Gerling, as a DJ and electronic music producer, as one half of folk noir duo Jep and Dep (with Jessica Cassar) or as a solo artist. Under his own name he’s released two solo … Continue reading SONIC KICKS: Darren Cross
Doubtful Sounds 