Weekly Shoegaze / Dreampop / Psychedelic / Indie Tips – FEBRUARY #05-23
PICKS OF THE WEEK:
- Austin, TX-based shoegaze /jangle /indie pop /noise /dream pop band led by Mike Lee, Letting Up Despite Great Faults “Halfway Crooks” from the upcoming CD/cassette EP “Crumble”
Longtime purveyors of synth-infused Shoegazey Dream Pop straddle the line between jangly mesmeric and bittersweet introspective atmospheres and distorted, noisy guitar parts, speckled with moody Post-punk undercurrents. The first song of the year once again combines Black Tambourine-esque loud distortions and ecstatic vocals with driving low-end New Order’s “Ceremony” suggestions, instilling hazy distorted nostalgic moods through off-tempo mechanical rhythms, crunchy guitar riffs, obsessive swaying sparkly strains, and pensive yet rumbling basslines, to build swarming hectic moods around angsty vocal airs, lost in an uncertain destiny of disenchanted love.
- Glasgow UK post-punk /indie pop band (members of Current Affairs, Nightshift, Order of the Toad and Robert Sotelo), DANCER “Arch Nemesis” from upcoming debut S/T EP on GoldMold Records
First track unveiled from the new Glasgow band Dancer, inspired by the off-kilter yet highly intriguing blend of Indie-Rock and Post-punk, amidst instinctivity, vehemence, and introspection, of fellow early 00s Glasgowian outfit Life Without Buildings, that we may also pull over to Dry Cleaning. A busy and turbulent drumming, a warm, dense and obsessively repetitive but highly sticky pulsing bassline, equally compulsive, slightly strident, and skewed guitar riffs to wobble, stretch out and echo around arrogant sassy female spoken words, declaring a switch in power structures at the hands of karmic fate.
- Tokyo, Japanese noise-pop /dream pop /shoegaze ‘flowergaze orchestra’, PLANT CELL “Princess of Wales Roses” first single from the upcoming third album.
Back after a long hiatus, our old acquaintance from Tokyo, the ‘flowergaze orchestra’ Plant Cell, coincidentally right with a delicious new single dedicated to a renowned pink blend of garden roses with ivory petals, as to start a new chapter for the band with a new member and to spread bracing scents of anticipated Spring. Ravishing immersive vivid textures compel racy drums and driving vibrant guitar strumming, colored by a melancholic, bright string-swept orchestration, to carry feather-light, celestial vocal angst above relentless sways of soul-stirring giddy dreams.
- Maine-based country /indie pop /indie folk singer, songwriter and composer, Simon Linsteadt “Bloodhounds” from the album “Mud Season”
- Brisbane, Australia singer-songwriter and former The Go-Betweens founder, Robert Forster – “It’s Only Poison” from the new LP “The Candle and the Flame” on Tapete
- West Yorkshire UK ambient /pastoral /post-rock /folk group led by Richard Adams (Hood co-founder), The Declining Winter ‘Really Early Really Late’ from the forthcoming album ‘Really Early, Really Late’ on Home Assembly Music.
- Zurich, Swiss veteran post-punk/ dark indie rock band led by Michael Sele, The Beauty of Gemina “When The Night Is Back In Me” single
- London-born, Athens-based experimental pop artist Westerman – “CSI: Petralona” from the sophomore album “An Inbuilt Fault” co-produced with producer and percussionist James Krivchenia (Big Thief) on Partisan Records and Play It Again Sam.
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania ambient /electronic /art rock /experimental artist Manipulant “Hunger Stones” from the album “Somewhereness” on Submarine Broadcasting Company
- Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany lo-fi /indie rock singer-songwriter BenjiAntePortas “Blind und Hässlich”
- Portland, OR based lo-fi /experimental pop project of Aaron Lou, AKA Ghost Pop “Spring of Spite” from the cassette double album “Dream Life i & ii” on Bud Tapes
- UK noir-pop /trip-hop /dream pop duo of Dean Garcia (formerly of Curve) & Rose Berlin, aka SPC ECO “Get Useless” from “Wish” EP
- London UK synthpop /dark pop solo project of Fear of Men singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jess Weiss, AKA New German Cinema “Being Dead” second single
- Post-punk / Indie /New Wave solo project from Latvia, ANAIT – “Сны” single
- London based, Canadian experimental indie-folk singer-songwriter DANA GAVANSKI “When It Comes” from “My Thoughts / When It Comes” (Single) on Full Time Hobby
- Milan, Italy bedroom pop /indie folk singer-songwriter Simona Catalani AKA simmcat “Without You” single from the upcoming album, “I thought I was dreaming” on We Were Never Being Boring Collective
- Johnsburg, Illinois shoegaze /indie rock /dream pop /indie pop singer-songwriter Tommy Oeffling “If and when” from “Cardigan hate train (early release)” album
- Portland, OR indie rock singer-songwriter Kristine Capua AKA Tiny Microphone “The Lake” from the new “Other Cities” LP
- San Francisco-based dream pop /indie rock project led by veteran musicians Inna Showalter and George Tarlson (Grandma’s Boyfriend, Blades of Joy, Modern Charms), Whitney’s Playland “Sunset Sea Breeze” from the album “Sunset Sea Breeze” on Meritorio Records (vinyl) and Paisley Shirt Records (cassette)
- Chicago-based shoegaze /slowcore /indie-folk band Hydrodate “Early Reflections” single on Open Tab/Fire Talk
- Los Angeles based dream-pop /psych /indie pop band THE BLACK WATCH “nothing left to say” from the 21st album “future strangers” on ATOM Records
- Melbourne based jangle /power indie pop band led by former Lucksmiths bassists and Lost and Lonesome label head Mark Monnone, MONNONE ALONE “Ways to Wear My Hair” etched 7″ single [Lost and Lonesome]
- Toronto indie /C86 /jangle pop duo (formerly Ducks Limited), Ducks Ltd. “Invitation (feat. Ratboys and Mo Troper)” [The Feelies cover] single off ‘The Sincerest Form of Flattery’ cover series
- Chattanooga, Tennessee lo-fi jangle power-pop band Mythical Motors “Replacement City” single
- Bloomington, Indiana indie rock /post-punk /shoegaze /dream pop band Daguerreotype “Holy Margin” (Single)
- North Carolina post-punk /new wave /indie rock project led by Broken Sound Tapes label head Michael Wood, Gothic Hangover “That’s My Name” single
- Stockholm, Sweden C86 /twee /power /indie jangle pop band of Gustav Tranback (Paper Hearts, Dismal Plight) and Mikael Carlsson (The Honeydrips, Dorotea), Salt Lake Alley “Guess I’ll Never Know” single
- San Francisco shoegaze /jangle /indie pop project by Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards, Art Museums, etc) and friends, The Reds, Pinks & Purples “Life in the Void” from the upcoming album “The Town That Cursed Your Name” LP+7″ via Tough Love and Slumberland Records
- London-based new pop band from former Felt and Denim frontman Lawrence, AKA Mozart Estate “I’m Gonna Wiggle” off the debut album “Pop-Up! Ker-Ching! And The Possibilities Of Modern Shopping” on Cherry Red
- New York based shoegaze /indie pop /electronic /synth pop collaboration, Avalon Emerson & The Charm “Sandrail Silhouette” debut single from upcoming LP on Another Dove
- Graz, Austria indie /dream pop band CRUSH “Where Flowers Grow” (Single Version) off upcoming LP “Past Perfect” on Numavi Records
- Providence, Rhode Island cosmic /psych /dream pop artist Roz Raskin, aka NOVA ONE “Dangerous” from the debut LP “Create myself” on community records
- Hamburg, Germany Dream Pop /Indie Rock trio Roller Derby “Always on My Mind” new single
- England, UK indie rock /jangle pop /’bockety pop’ trio The Happy Somethings “Guilty As…” single
- Indonesian indie pop solo project of The Wellington member, Humsikk “Amor” off the EP “By the Sea” on Guerilla Records
- South Wales dream pop /shoegaze /electronic pop husband-wife duo BRRDS “MAYBE I WILL” from the sophomore LP “SOON COMES FOREVER”
- Norway-based indie rock /power pop and Elephant 6 collective affiliated band, The High Water Marks – “Trouble From the East” from upcoming third LP “Your Next Wolf” on Minty Fresh Records
- Seoul, South Korea-based lo-fi noise rock /shoegaze project Precocious Neophyte “산 San” from the work-in-progress EP “Stony”
- Tampa, Florida Dream /Indie Pop duo, Planet Loser “Glow” new single
- Los Angeles based dream pop husband and wife duo, The Know “Me” single
- Toronto-based bedroom indie pop artist Freddy Kwon, AKA freddyboy “This Time” from “Hobby” EP on Spirit Goth Records
- Leon, Mexico dream pop /shoegaze band Beyond Sadness “Cruz de navajas” from the new single “Traicion / Cruz de navajas”
- Boston based dream pop /shoegaze band Emerald Comets “Smoke from the Ships” new single.
- Boston, Massachusetts shoegaze /dream pop 5-piece The Shallows “Channels” first single off upcoming album “Wave States”
- Louisville, Kentucky husband (David) and wife (Courtney) dream pop /shoegaze band COLOR CRUSH “Video Games” off upcoming LP “Moments”
- San Francisco/Brooklyn jangle /dream pop /indie pop trio NO VACATION “I Will Always” single on Topshelf
- Birmingham, UK indie /shoegaze /dream pop singer-songwriter Oliver Beardmore ‘Nothing’s Like It Was Before’ single
- Edinburgh, Scotland ambient /post-rock /shoegaze duo Sun Shines Cold “There came a rain” first single from the debut album “Echoes of a former life”
- Austrian dream pop /shoegaze duo from Innsbruck, MOLLY “So To Speak (Edit)” single on Sonic Cathedral
- South Australia Indie Rock /Dream Pop /Shoegaze Guitarist, Songwriter and Producer Dave Thomas, AKA Hey Calamity “Soft Illusion (radio edit)”
- South Korean emo /dream pop /shoegaze project, Syupeo Jenjang “Always Us” from the EP “More”
- Richmond, VA indie rock /shoegaze band KEEP “Can’t You” from the new cassette LP “Happy In Here”
- Ottawa-based post-punk /dream pop /shoegaze solo project Three Portraits And A Prayer “Transcendence” (Single)
- Johnsburg, Illinois lo-fi /indie rock /shoegaze solo project DAYFIRE AVENUE “I’m still with you” from “2003” EP
- Jacksonville, FL lo-fi /noise rock /shoegaze 4-piece ROSEWILDER “Bees in the mouth” from the album “Memories from some other time”
- Eugene, OR emo /shoegaze /indie rock 4-piece Growing Pains – “Memory from Last Year” off upcoming “Thought I Heard Your Car” EP
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania grungegaze /shoegaze band SLIDE “Shelter” single
- Minneapolis‘ slowcore /shoegaze /grunge /noise rock trio Double Grave “Heavy” off the upcoming cassette LP “Till the Ground” on Disposable America
- Japanese noise rock /shoegaze band, Citrus Nowhere “Salvation” from “Holding Fakes Dear” EP
- Indonesian dream pop /shoegaze solo project EÄZZ. “Blue Wine” from the single “Soft, Frail and Blue”
- Chinese shoegaze band based in Chengdu, Eardrum耳鼓 – 灼烧 – from the debut “Eardrum”
- Oakland, CA post-hardcore /grunge-gaze /shoegaze 4-piece, Nothing Natural “Ride” from “NN” EP tape on Dandy Boy Records
- Italian indie rock /psych /shoegaze 4-piece from Milan, The Backlash “What I Say” from the upcoming debut LP “RISE” on Dirty Beach and Shore Dive Records
- Auckland, New Zealand shoegaze /psych pop band SILK CUT “I Remember the Winter” from the album “Our Place in the Stars”
- Boston, Massachusetts post-90s noise rock /shoegaze band, Speakerhug “Glassheart” debut single
- Örebro, Sweden dream pop /shoegaze solo project Pilgrimage Years “Forever and a Day” from “Forever and a Day” (Demo EP)
- Jackson, Mississippi lo-fi /indie /grunge /shoegaze solo project HOLY VISION “Sinking” (demo)
- Leipzig, Germany dark ambience /doom /post-rock /shoegaze band FVNERALS “For Horror Eats the Light” from the LP “Let the Earth Be Silent” on Prophecy Productions
- Lyon/Toulouse, French indie /post-punk /noise rock trio Tombouctou “Watermelon Snow” from the sophomore vinyl LP “Tricky Floors” a co-release by Hidden Bay Records, Araki, Cheap Satanism, Day Off, Last Disorder, Permafrost, Pied de biche, Poutrage Records & Atypeek
- Seattle/L.A. new wave /post-punk pop 4-piece (members of Maniac, Tourist, The Girls, Wasted USA, Black Whales), Weird Numbers “Soda” from upcoming cassette S/T album on Dandy Boy Records
- Edinburgh, UK indie rock trio Swim School “Delirious” single on LAB Records
- Swedish Post-Punk /Indie Rock Punk trio from Umeå, Statues “Agony” the first single from Statues’ third studio album “Black Arcs Rising” on Lövely
- Tucson, AZ power-pop /garage /proto punk 4-piece CLASS “Inspect the Receipt” from the cassette album “But Who’s Reading Me?” on Feel It Records
- Dundee, Scotland early ’90s, lo-fi /indie rock 6-piece Spare Snare “Ring To Me” from the upcoming 12th LP “The Brutal” produced by Steve Albini for the band’s 30th birthday on Chute Records
- Cardiff, UK alt /indie rock trio Feverjaw “When You Know” from the upcoming “Intention of Malice” EP
- Leeds, UK based post-punk /indie rock /psychedelic /shoegaze band, LAST TOURIST “Black Raven” from the S/T debut album on 1991Recordings
- Kingston-upon-Hull, UK garage blues /heavy psychedelic rock band The Black Delta Movement “Fourth Pass Over The Graveyard” from the upcoming sophomore album “Recovery Effects” on Fuzz Club Records
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne drone /psychedelic folk brainchild of Daniel Foggin AKA Smote “Hlaf” from the upcoming album “Genog” on Rocket Recordings
- Detroit veteran stoner /fuzz /kraut /psychedelic rock band Giant Brain “Munich” from the album “Grade A Gray Day” a tribute to the departed bandmate and guitarist Phil Dürr in 2019 and the band’s final chapter, on Small Stone Records
- Brattleboro, Vermont lo-fi /slowcore /alt-country /indie rock singer-songwriter DARI BAY “Same Old Bumpy Road” from the LP “Longest Day Of The Year”
- Vancouver, BC alt indie-pop 4-piece BLUE J “Falling” single on Nettwerk Music
- London, UK nu-disco /funk /indie pop power girl trio Girl Ray “Everybody’s Saying That” new single on Moshi Moshi Records
- Fayetteville, Arkansas lo-fi pop project of Harry Glaeser, AKA banzai florist – “Dayshift” single via Spirit Goth Records
- Geneva, Switzerland kraut /Afro /prog /groove /psych /funk collective L’ECLAIR “L’Internationale Prog” from the Les Disques Bongo Joe‘s vinyl repress of the debut LP “Cruise Control”, originally released on Rock This Town Records in 2017.
- Sidney‘s early ’60s formed, instrumental surf rock band The Atlantics “Down To The Sea” from the new LP “Still Making Waves”
- New York-based ambient synth music project of film composer and part of synth trio Au Revoir Simone, Annie Hart “Among Small Cups and Cutlery” from “Two Piano Songs” single