Weekly Shoegaze / Dreampop / Psychedelic / Indie Tips – JUNE/JULY #26-23
PICKS OF THE WEEK:
- London, UK-based indie rock /indie folk band led by singer-songwriter Blake Watt, aka Family Stereo “I Don’t Need Light” single
Slightly late with the enticing single from Blake Watt’s Family Stereo, somehow not that far from the Grand Drifter track below, not so indie pop, more folksy with that subtle bittersweet melody lingering long in your subconscious. Warm, frightened, introspective vocals release aching pain and alienation into a gentle rousing stream of insistent light acoustic strums laced with sparkling electricity, amid low-key shuffling percussions, soft pulsing bass lines, and sparse wistful string veils, whilst struggling to make sense of a difficult situation.
- Italian guitar rock /jangle /indie-pop solo project of singer-songwriter Andrea Calvo, aka Grand Drifter “Beautiful Praise” from the upcoming album “Paradise Window” out September 8th 2023 via Subjangle
First preview from the upcoming LP by Italian singer-songwriter teeters between somber reflective electro-acoustic lyricism reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian or Badly Drawn Boy and ever-present Beatles-scented harmonies, colored with 60s string swells a la Left Banke, Love or even Bacharach, to add a glimmer of sophisti-pop sheen. The brisk pace of nostalgic dreamy moods compels sad tinkling piano keys, relentless angsty guitar strums, and sinuous bass pulses, topped by blowing orchestrations to sway with high, fretting vocals, through bittersweet memories of joy and melancholy.
- Johor Bahru, Malaysia collective dreamy shoegaze noise pop/rock band Forgotten Wish “Vivid” first single
Electrifying debut single from the Malaysian collective bursting with a sparkling, punchy, high-energy guitar work, underpinned by loose-limbed drums and humming basslines, that blaze and swirl with piercing vivid tumultuous vibrancy against the lost drifting haze of celestial vocals, riding high on a romantic surge of hope and bliss.
- Staffordshire, England experimental /psych /dream pop /ambient pop duo Ben Holton & Rob Glover, aka EPIC45 “Here’s To Uncertain Futures” from the album “Spring” [Wayside & Woodland Recordings]
- Frankfurt am Main, Germany-based ambient /shoegaze /indie folk /experimental pop artist and musician Kristin Reiman, aka Man Rei “Endless-no” from the cassette second album “Health” [Somewhere Between Tapes]
- London, UK ambient /kraut /post-rock /psych-folk project of Jack Cooper (Ultimate Painting and Mazes), Modern Nature “Murmuration” from the upcoming third album “ No Fixed Point In Space” on Bella Union
- Italian soul-psych-jazz-funk project of double bass player and former winemaker Fabio Bordignon (aka Allez Kiki), and his backing band Fermentation, aka Allez Kiki Fermentation “Saint-Émilion” from the upcoming debut album “Gusto di Luce”12” [BMM Records]
- Californian ambient /bedroom experimental pop sand band led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Johnny Rafter, aka The Fruit Trees “A Rainbow” from the debut cassette album “Weather” on Flower Sounds
- UK rural ambient /psychedelic /folk /dream pop solo project of self-taught multi-instrumentalist and producer Ben Holton (epic45, Birds In The Brickwork), My Autumn Empire “The Quiet Hours” from “The Sound Of Where It All Ended” EP on Wayside & Woodland Recordings
- Japanese garage /surf /psych rock /indie guitar pop trio Usurabi “再び出会う、世界の外で (Meet again, outside of the world)” from the second album “Outside of the world” vinyl LP 12″ [An’archives]
- Boston, MA psychedelic /folk rock solo project of Palestinian–North American artist Mariam Saleh (former bassist of Fat Creeps), aka Bong Wish “Breeding Evil” from the debut LP “Hazy Road” on Feeding Tube Records
- Somerville, Massachusetts jangle pop /indie rock /folk songwriter Doug Tuttle “Everybody’s Missing The Sun” (Grin cover, written by Nils Lofgren, 1971) from V/A “Prairie Biscuits” cassette compilation (14 covers from the golden age of country rock and folk) via new label Torn & Frayed
- Lockhart, Texas baroque /folk /psych pop duo Tele Novella “Hard-Hearted Way” from upcoming second LP “Poet’s Tooth” on Kill Rock Stars
- London-based lo-fi /drone /indie /freakbeat /fuzzy garage /psych project of Comet Gain co-founder, singer-songwriter and guitarist David Feck (aka Charlie Damage), aka David Christian “Stumbling Into Summers Arms” from “THE IMMEDIATE SUMMER E.P”
- Berlin-based electronic /indie-pop songwriter Martin Tetzlaff “Achterbahn” CD single from the forthcoming LP “Hideaway” on Bureau Platiruma!!!
- UK jangle /twee /indie pop trio The Happy Somethings “Daisy Bracelet – yellow heart version” from “Daisy Bracelet” single
- London, UK based mid-80s él Records-affiliated indie pop band led by singer-songwriter Jessica Griffin, Would-Be-Goods “The Love Parade” from the CD album “The Night Life” (off Jessica Griffin‘s ‘song a day’ project, previously released as four digital EPs)
- Ljubljana based, Slovenian garage /psych /indie pop band led by singer-songwriter Wiktor Szotowski, Buddhist Bubblegum “Memory and Desire” from the debut LP “What We Know and What We Believe”
- Glasgow-based folksy /scuzz-indie rock band led by singer-songwriter Lukas Clasen, aka SULKA “Weekend” from the upcoming album “Distractions” on Goldmold Records
- Melbourne indie /dream /jangle pop three-piece band (members of Chook Race, Peach Happening and Sprouts), aka The Small Intestines ‘Horse Riding’, the first single from upcoming debut album ‘Lost in Time’ via Lost And Lonesome and Meritorio Records.
- Oslo, Norway indie rock band PODCASTS “Summerland” from upcoming debut s/t album on Prefect Records
- UK C86 /jangle /indie rock band (feat. members of Powerplant, Big Cheese and Chain Of Flowers), The Hazmats “Skewed View” from upcoming 2-track 7″ vinyl single “Skewed View” via Static Shock Records
- Portsmouth, UK indie/jangle-pop 4-piece (formerly early 90’s band The Kites), LOST SHIPS “We’re A Song That Never Sleeps” from the album “Atoms Collide Forever” on Subjangle
- Glasgow DIY-Bubblegum-Pop-Punk trio Joyce Delaney “Trust You” from the first and final album “Gently but Firmly” on Common Records and Goldmold Records (tape)
- Cardiff-based electronic /psych /indie rock solo project Klüver “Copper and Gold” single
- Italian rock /funk /jazz /exotic /psychedelic /orchestral soundtrack composer Piero Umiliani “Chaser” from “Il Corpo” 7″ single (1974 film that ends the exotic/erotic trilogy directed by Luigi Scattini and starring Zeudy Araya) [Four Flies Records]
- Seattle, WA chamber pop /cinematic /sophisti-pop /dream orchestral pop duo, Mr. and Mrs. Muffins “Do You Wanna Dance? (Reimagined)” from the 2x LP album “Dream Dancing”
- New York based disbanded folk soul trio Holy Hive “Love It Is Not Love” from the upcoming vinyl compilation “Big Crown Vaults Vol. 3” on Big Crown Records
- Los Angeles lo-fi /hip-hop /soul /dream pop /indie rock combo, TV Girl “One Of These Mornings” from the album “Grapes Upon The Vine”
- Oslo, Norway indie rock /world /psych pop trio Orions Belte “Jai Alai” from the upcoming album “Women” via Jansen Records
- Manhattan East Sider‘s indie folk /psych pop artist, Cory Pavlinac aka ZOO “Catch My Wave” new single on Nice Guys
- New Zealand-based shoegaze /dream pop project of Bay Area expat Trevor Montgomery, aka Young Moon “Take On Thee” from the third LP “Triggered by Sunsets”
- Italian glam /psych pop project of Weuc Black founder, Luca Di Cataldo, aka Weird Bloom “Summer Be My Hammer” from the forthcoming album “Stargate” on We Were Never Being Boring Collective
- Munich, Germany indie /dream pop solo project Phantom Youth “Life Waits For Nothing” single on Spirit Goth Records
- Italian New Wave /Dream Pop band Ultrasaturated “Dust” from the debut cassette EP “UNIVERSAL HOLOGRAM” [MODEL WORKERS RECORDS]
- Melbourne-based indie rock /dream-pop /shoegaze bedroom recording project of Josh Prendergast, aka Dayzed “Sometimes” single
- Berlin-based, French indie /dream-pop solo project of multi-instrumentalist and composer Antonin Côme aka WIND MILE ” Photos Partagées” single
- Remsen, New York vintage indie /dream pop solo project River Westin “Blush” single
- Reverb-laced indie pop solo project from North West England, Bright Islands “Kick The Past” from debut EP
- Toronto, Ontario shoegaze /post-rock /indie rock /dream pop quartet Group Therapy “It happens” single
- Moscow, Russia ambient /dream pop /shoegaze band Peach Gardens “Sunset Drive” from the new EP “In Time and Eternity”
- Minneapolis dream pop /noise rock /shoegaze band She’s Green “Syndulla” off the debut EP “Wisteria”
- Minneapolis based ambient /shoegaze /dream pop band fadedinmemories “Heavens Child” single
- Brighton, UK jangly noise-pop duo Dreamcoaster “Say Nothing” title track of upcoming “Say Nothing” EP
- Glasgow-based “creamy mash” heavy-gaze band Sherbet Starshine “Echoflex” from “Some Songs” EP
- Roanoke, Virginia Post-Shoegaze /Noise band Violent Waves “Losing Whatever You Have Left (Demo)”
- Toronto-based shoegazers Bliss Fields “When It Meant Something” single
- Toronto-based ambient /dream pop /shoegaze multidisciplinary artist and sound sculptor Jonathan Relph AKA Indoor Voices “On and On Forever” from the album “IVIVIV”
- Modesto, CA dream pop /kraut /shoegaze band Sloome “Buzzball” off of the EP “Wonderful Nice” on Cherub Dream Records
- Austin TX based lo-fi /indie /dream-pop /shoegaze artist Raul Gonzalez Jr, aka Creature In The Spiral “Blister” single
- London UK-based alternative rock /shoegaze band Cheerless “003” new 2nd single
- Washington, D.C. shoegaze /indie rock DIY solo project Binding Spell “Euphoria” single
- Noise-pop /grungegaze 4-piece from New York, Glimmer “Self Destroyed” debut single
- Sydney‘s 5-piece psych rock/ dream pop/ shoegaze band Memory Motel “The Search” from the EP “Multiplicity”
- Indonesian fuzz /alt-rock /shoegaze foursome MEEVE “Edges” single
- North Carolina indie rock /shoegaze duo of Beth (from Little Universe) and K.M (from American Goner), Carrows “Ineffable” from the mini-album “7 Words”
- Indonesian emo /shoegaze /indie rock band Hallway – “Violent Daze” from the EP “A Void Reality” on Haum Entertainment
- Los Angeles based indie rock /shoegaze band XO “Falling” single
- East Auckland NZ alternative rock /shoegaze punx Chlorine – “Listen My Love” from the EP “Lust
- Polish noise rock /shoegaze band from Głogów, Heathermint “Earl Grey” single
- Forth Worth, TX noise /fuzz rock /shoegaze band FLOWERBED “Need” from the EP “Come and Adore”
- Baltimore, MD alternative /noise rock /shoegaze rock band Talking to Shadows “Exit Wound” off the EP “Lost”
- Athens, Greece post-punk /shoegaze /indie rock band YOUTH VALLEY “Godheads” from the debut LP “Lullabies For Adults” on Make Me Happy Records (Greece) and Shelflife (US)
- San Francisco indie rock /power pop /shoegaze /psych-rock project of the Well Wishers frontman Jeff Shelton, aka Deadlights “Open Door Open Mind” from the EP “Bright Sides”
- Austin, TX shoegaze /psych /noise-pop band DAIISTAR “Star Starter” from DAIISTAR’s debut album ‘Good Time’, out September 8th 2023 via Fuzz Club
- Los Angeles power pop /garage rock combo of Mike Krol and Mac McCaughan, aka Mike Krol “For Some Other Reason” from upcoming 7″ single “For Some Other Reason” b/w “Fair Warning” and “What Would You Say?” on Merge Records
- Sidney, Australia post-hardcore noise /alt-rock quartet Sun Run “Leeches” single
- Melbourne-based noise rock /shoegaze /post-punk band (former members of Love of Diagrams, Sea Scouts, and Sewers), Misanthropes “Stone Parade” from the s/t album on Solar/Sonar
- Auckland, NZ indie /freakbeat /psych metal rockers led by George D Henderson (The Puddle, The And Band, Mink, The Spies), The New Existentialists (feat Brother Love) “Invocation” single
- Adelaide, South Australia experimental /grunge /noise /psychedelic rock duo Blood Plastic “Desire Lines” off V/A “Dark Transmissions” compilation of Australian bands curated by Vapour Trail DJ (Greg Peters) via Shore Dive Records
- L.A. alternative /noise /indie rock band led by Jordan Radnoti, aka Jordi “odd day” from “Sorry I’m Late” on Dangerbird Records
- Chicago, IL noise pop /grunge /indie rock solo project of singer and multi-instrumentalist Austin Smith, aka Honeysick – “Never” 2nd single
- Birmingham, Alabama rock’n’roll /power pop band formed in 1998 by Tim Boykin, Lolas “Underneath The Waves” single
- San Antonio, TX-based Chicano garage rockers The Krayolas “She So Baby” single on Saustex Records
- Los Angeles indie rock /power pop veteran guitar-pop maestro (of Sorrows and Poppees) ARTHUR ALEXANDER “Fly Away” from the album “…Steppin’ Out!” on Big Stir Records
- Unreleased 1998 recording sessions from the vocalist of Washington, DC-based indie rock band, Velocity Girl, Sarah Shannon “Wheel In A Wheel” from upcoming “Demo 98″ EP 12” on Snappy Little Numbers Quality Audio Recordings
- Madison, WI slowcore /shoegaze /indie rock band Slow Pulp “Slugs” from the upcoming second LP “Yard” on Anti Records
- Dreampop solo project of multi-instrumentalist Bailey Crone based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Bathe Alone “Missionary Ridge” single [Nettwerk Music Group]
- Lille, French indie /dream /electro pop three-piece band, Tapeworms “Puzzle” single [Music Website]
- New York wave /electronic /dream pop /synthpop project R. Missing “Take Your Pleasure Sadly” single
- British ambient /drone /post-rock /cinematic collaboration of guitarists Yellow6 and Wodwo, aka JARR “Into the Mist” from the CD album “42º” [Sound In Silence]
- Zürich based lo-fi /ambient /experimental /leftfield /american guitar primitivism musician Sebastian Bischoff, aka Son of Buzzi – “In schwarze Stücke zerbrochen (2)” off 7” EP “In schwarze Stücke zerbrochen” via Stoned To Death