DATE ARCHIVES : August 2018

Darryl Rahn – ‘The Grey’

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Darryl Rahn is a Brooklyn-based indie, folk, and pop artist who seems to have a natural knack for blending a modern indie sensibility with classic 60s/70s folk and popcraft with an effortless ease.

Rahn’s latest single – lifted from his forthcoming new album – ‘The Grey’ is the personification of his delectable talents. From the first gentle strum, Rahn will have transfixed under ‘The Grey’s’ irresistible spell. A melodic and charming delight, it basks in a warm glow as a gentle guitar shimmers and keys twinkle to the tune of Rahn’s emotive, wistful voice. An utterly divine creation of rather splendid allure that will whisk you far, far away,

Listen to ‘The Grey’ below now:

Changelings – ‘Baby We’re Falling Upwards’

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Changelings is the solo project of 25-year-old Melbourne musician Jay Penaflor.

On the back of his 2016 debut Poppyfields, Penaflor established a reputation for crafting deeply infectious dream-pop tunes. Following on from that, Changelings has returned with a brand new album called From My Raygun With Love. Taking his cue from artists such as Mac Demarco, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Beach house, his second record explores a more mellow and hazy pop universe – something plain for all to see on ‘Baby We’re Falling Upwards’, the latest single from the record.

It is a meandering and shape-shifting musical journey through a world of dreamy synth-pop goodness. Reverb laden guitars, cosmic melodies and twinkling synths are shrouded in an atmospheric haze of spectral fuzz as an overwhelming sense of melancholic longing comes flooding to the fore. It’s a sweet, sentimental song that gently waltzes along with an endearing warm glow and punctured with some exquisite bouts of melancholy. Penaflor vocals (the melodies are particularly addictive) are impeccable hushed, soothing, and compelling.

Listen to ‘Baby We’re Falling Upwards’ below and while you are at it, why not try From My Raygun With Love for size? Listen here.

Many Voices Speak – ‘Chances’

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Sweden’s Many Voices Speak – aka Matilda Mård – has a very real gift in the way of slumbery whispers of lush dream pop; something plainly obvious when she opened her 2018 account with single ‘Necessaries’.

Mård has repeated the trick with new single, ‘Chances’ the latest lifted from Many Voices Speak’s forthcoming debut album, Tank Town due on August 31. ‘Chances’ is indicative of Mård’s tender skill for dreamy, wistful heart-strung indie-pop songs with a real knack for wry, emphatic storytelling, ‘Chances’ moves slowly, smoldering as it goes amid a shifting mist of atmospheric delight, all capped off by rich harmonies and Mård’s soft, breathy voice that drifts with a weightlessness. Delicate, dreamy and truly captivating, ‘Chances’ will have you in a land of relaxation among the clouds.

Tune in below and remember Many Voices Speak’s debut album, Tank Town is due out on August 31.

YONAKA – ‘Waves’

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Indie-rock colossus YONAKA have released new single ‘Waves’, which is lifted from new EP Teach Me To Fight, out on August 17.

The Brighton foursome – Theresa Jarvis (vocals), George Edwards (guitar), Alex Crosby (bass/keys) and Robert Mason (drums) – have impressed no end over the course of the past year or so, with a steady supply of massive indie-rock anthems. Yonaka have returned all guns blazing, bringing a raucous mix of pounding beats, thundering basslines, wailing guitars, searing riffs and burning synth to create a scintillating backdrop for frontwoman Jarvis’ powerful vocals to burn brightest. Another massive tune from YONAKA – massive!

Listen to ‘Waves’ below and watch out for that EP Teach Me To Fight, is out now.

Animal Waves – ‘WTF’

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Animal Waves are LA-based, three-man riff factory of Robert Davis (Vocals/Guitar), Charles Salvaggio (Bass) and Matt Zavorski (Drums).

The brainchild of Davis, Animal Waves’ muscular debut ‘WTF’ is the first track from debut EP1, penned for release on September 28. Direct and austere, there is little wasted here, the fat is most certainly trimmed. ‘WTF’ announces its thunderous presence with a ferocious guitar riff, followed by and propelled onward by a blustering drum beat with powerful, hard-hitting vocals deliver the self-aware lyrics. This thundering three-minutes of gritty rock ‘n roll as one indestructible riff follows after another with an irresistible chorus that just seeps into your brain – ‘WTF’ just drips with confidence.

Listen to ‘WTF’ below & keep an eye out for the EP coming in September.

Spirit Award – ‘Supreme Truth’

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Seattle-based psych-rock trio Spirit Award are preparing to release new album Muted Crowd in the autumn, the follow up to 2017’s Neverending.

Ahead of he forthcoming record, the trio have dished out a tasty preview in the shape of melodic and breezy whirlwind of noise that is ‘Supreme Truth’. A hazy offering of exhilarating, overpowering and ever expanding warped psychedelia, ‘Supreme Truth’ unleashes a spiraling, focused energy that whizzes through darkness and light, juxtaposing one another amid an entrancing kaleidoscopic lens of sprawling guitars, hazy distortion and warm fuzz punctured mildly by stabs of guitar jangle. It is a magical off-kilter patchwork for the ethereal vocals to leave their mark.

A sizzling, spectacular taster of what may be in store on new album Muted Crowd – until then, time to get acquainted with ‘Supreme Truth’.

Henry Chadwick – ‘Change’

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California musician and songwriter Henry Chadwick has spent the summer drip feeding us charming and lovable singles ahead of his debut record, Marlin Fisher.

Ahead of his debut album’s release on August 31, 2018, Chadwick has shared a third single from the forthcoming record called ‘Change’. Broadly speaking Chadwick’s sound is ‘indie’ but it flits between genres and eras, with influences old and new (The Kinks, T. Rex, The Strokes, Courtney Barnett, etc.) while maintaining a sound all of his own – and as with previous single ‘Bag of Chips’, ‘Change’ certainly fits that mold.

Chadwick is once again exhibiting an expert talent for quality and thoroughly catchy songs. Underscored by a steadfast electronic drum beat, ‘Change’ is a warm feast of upbeat fuzz-filled fun. Crunchy guitars, catchy hooks are splashed together and coupled with an ear for melody, provide a perfect drop for Chadwick to let fly with the vocals. A superlative blend of mildly punchy, sweetly sung and irresistible fuzzy-pop; Chadwick’s modus operandi.

Listen to ‘Change’ below (previous single, ‘Bag of Chips’ is here too) and keep an eye out for the debut at the end of the month.

Party Hardly – ‘Terry Shure’

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Following a string of singles, Leeds quartet Party Hardly are planning to release their forthcoming debut EP Cycle Of Life this autumn.

Ahead of the EP, Party Hardly have afforded us a sample of what we might expect courtesy of single ‘Terry Shure’.

It is a magnificently jaunty, melodic and off-kilter cut of woozy flavoured indie. Centred around the dual forces of drawling vocals and hazy guitars, and following a wonky trajectory ‘Terry Shure’ evolves and swells into something colourful, imaginative and extraordinary. Shifting along a bed of jaunty guitar and steady beats, after the four and a half minutes of shape-shifting, hazy indie ambiance we’ve something as infectious as any of the finest Super Furry’s sing-a-long moments and akin to an oddball, absurdist version of Modern Life is Rubbish era Blur.

Jaunty, wonky, dreamy and melodic yet jarring – ‘Terry Shure’ is a charm and idea-filled delight.

Tune in below:

Cosmic Strip – ‘Heavenly’

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Cosmic Strip is a London-based outfit revolving around frontwoman Camella Agabalyan, who, with her her ‘cosmic friends’ – Alice (guitar), Jack (bass), Omar (drums), and Jay (synth) – carefully weave a sound self-described as “music to move the stars”.

Following an eight-month gap from darkly alluring previous single ‘Echo Chamber’, Cosmic Strip have returned with ‘Heavenly’; a heady brew of beautifully hewn shoegaze with flourish of psych. ‘Heavenly’ is a beautiful return, all about mood and atmosphere, it thrives within the layers upon layers of shimmering guitars and spacey atmospherics. From this cloud of melodic mist, humming bass and reverb ascend to new levels of sound as dreamy guitars wrap around each note and Agabalyan’s sweeping honeyed tones float atop as ‘Heavenly’ rushes past in an intoxicating haze, as it pushes higher and higher.

A lush, addictive and colourful single, you can check it out below.

Klangplanet – ‘Eternity’

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German producer KLANGPLANET – aka Frieder Mollat – is probably the most frequently featured artist on the blog over the past 12 – 18 months – and why not?

To date, Mollat has been a reliable source of nocturnal, brooding house-inspired wizardry, while more recent single ‘Stars’ offered a slightly different flavour of bubbling positivity set to a glistening backdrop. ‘Eternity’ represents a crossover point, a melding of the two if you will; taking his preference for late-night electronic ambiance and treating it with layers of playful shimmering synths and bouncy beats with some elegant, crystalline vocals adding some more nocturnal chill.

You can check out KLANGPLANET’s latest below & the debut album is available here.