It's all about the music…
More new shoegaze sounds today! This time it’s courtesy of Frenchman Yann Le Razavet who, as Marble Arch, records music that draws heavily on the likes of New Order and Ride. He makes it sound effortless with cascading melodies, obscured vocals and synths and guitars that blur into one billowing vapour of 80s indie pop.
Marble Arch have a full album on the way in 2019.
We get sent a ton of music submissions and there’s so much uninspiring music that when something of the quality and resonance of Sail Into Night hits your headphones it really stands out.
This is the first music we’ve featured from Dubai, U.A.E. and the group is essentially the project of Pakistani duo Nabil Qizilbash and Zara Mahmood who have been writing together for three years. ‘Glass’ is a wonderful slow-burn of a track, built on Velvets meets JAMC slow-core drums, guitars that draw from shoegaze and American indie jangle and tone, droning harmonium and the intertwining voices of Nabil and Zara that wind gently around each other like hazy wisps of incense.
This song caught my attention early with a vocal sound and feel that reminded me of Wild Beasts. Stick with it and it’ll take you on a journey. It builds into a turbulent cacophony like Josh T Pearson’s Lift To Experience before the clouds part momentarily and a more darkly euphoric swell spirals upward for the last two minutes. It’s epic and immersive, emotive post-rock built on great dynamics and Walker’s fine voice.
“This is probably my most autobiographical song on the album,” Walker explains, “No–I haven’t murdered anyone, but I could’ve foreseen myself on a similar path if I gave into my sexual desires in a violent way like the character of the song. Even though the character ends up a murderer, he’s hardly to blame and easy to empathize with, maybe like Aileen Wuornos.”
Drens are a band out of Dortmund/Cologne Germany and this song, ‘Yellow Teeth’, is one of five singles they’ve released in 2018. They’ve got a slacker surf/psych punk sound. They have bits Of Jay Reatard and Girls in their music and like those acts they’ve got a knack for balancing noise and harmony.
The idea of loneliness is explored beautifully on this track from Aaron Taos. He places the vocals right in the middle of the mix while drum machine, atmospheric guitars and other effects swirl and drift around the central vortex of the song.
Taos says of the song… ‘Loneliness’ is a song I wrote when I was going through a really rough patch. I was in the midst of a bout of depression brought out by a stagnation of my career and wasn’t really leaving the house. It was winter, which made things worse. What really helped me feel better was remembering that career/music isn’t everything and appreciating the relationships around me, specifically that of my girlfriend at the time. She was a shining light through my dark time, reminding me that as important as your goals are, connection and love is the foundation of feeling good and whole.
Norwegian trio Spielbergs have a pretty great balance of power pop melodies and noisey guitars and drums on this track, 4AM, from their debut album This Is Not The End, set for release at the start of February 2019. It’s anthemic indie rock but it sounds effortlessly uplifting and energetic.
Hinkley are a band hailing from Rochester NY and they’ve got a nice mix of Sparklehorse and Flaming Lips with a dash of the backwoods vibe of The Band thrown into the mix. Definitely on a melodic, cosmic 21st century indie tip. These two tracks are good examples of what you can expect to hear on their album Purblind which is out now via streaming services and to download from Bandcamp.
We’re digging the sound of this track from Women Of The Night, a band based in New York but featuring members from Adelaide (Australia), Seoul and Alabama. This track swings and swaggers along with raw vocals and a liquid, late-night vibe of jangly, bluesy guitars and a indie noir tinge.
There’s an EP out on Spotify and if you hit up the Bandcamp page you can order a limited edition 7″ single.
