Introducing: Primitive World

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Primitive World is the latest moniker of UK producer Sam Willis, one half of critically acclaimed London-based electronic outfit Walls, whom under his own name also released a solo album – 2012′s hypnotic Winterval – without a doubt, one of that year’s finest records.

Since then however, he’s been furtively working away as Primitive World. Under his new alias, Willis has already chalked up a couple of EP’s and his latest, Ascension is a four-tracks of subtle, nuanced and transfixing, dancefloor minded, techno influenced music. Heavy on mood, texture and atmosphere with relentless oscillations and skittering percussion bending you to its mighty will, leaving you utterly powerless to resist it’s tempting allure. Although everything is delivered with a pin point accuracy, it has a grainy and dusty feel. As with Willis’ previous work, Ascension is an entirely magnificent triumph. It is very, very nice to Willis back.

You listen to some choice cuts from the EP below and you can stream/purchase Ascension here.

Introducing: New Pope

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New Pope is a new project fronted by Galway-based musician Dave Boland, formerly of longstanding BarryGruff favourites, The Depravations.

Boland’s latest venture, a gentle, rich and precise acoustic folk sound, is no less impressive. An understated acoustic strum and accordion drone joins Boland’s distinctive vocal in creating a warm and lush atmosphere; the perfect companion to showcase Boland’s profoundly brilliant songwriting and storytelling abilities. The songs and stories are emotive to say the least; it instills a woozy longing for times long since passed and stirs an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. It is this which fills New Pope’s wonderful debut EP, YOUTH. A truly beautiful collection of timeless and carefully crafted songs which pass with a whisper rather than a roar, delivered with warmth and tenderness. A perfect companion for cold and blustery nights ahead, safely nested away in a comfortable armchair beside a roaring fire, contemplating the world and beyond.

Rumours are that we’ll see a debut album this side of Christmas (uh-oh, the ‘C’ word in October), until then feast your ears on New Pope’s debut EP, YOUTH (stream / purchase here).

Introducing: Mesa Luna

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Vancouver based duo Mesa Luna, comprised of Justice McLellan and Alex Cooper, have a knack for rich, melodic and rather exquisite electronica.

Recorded in various places around the city such as cafe basements, bedrooms and an old empty bank vault, the pair will release their debut EP, Crux, toward the end of this month, October 24th in fact. Ahead of their forthcoming EP, there are already afforded us with plenty of reasons to get excited. Rich in textures and melodic subtleties, a hint of melancholia pulses through the veins of their absorbing sound, which has certain similarities to Boxed In, Hot Chip’s more down-tempo moments and some DFA stalwarts. From the sombre, downtempo psychedelia inflected electronica of ‘Ruins’ to the peaceful, introspective, spaced-out and thought provoking kind of mood inducing ‘Don’t Let Go’; it’s hypnotic, absorbing and all irresistible grooves. ‘Church Garden’ meanwhile, flits between subtly euphoric and vaguely ambient as chiming notes, fluttering keyboards and yowling synths combine with snappy beats, which are delivered with pin point accuracy. The result is a blend of warm sounds with a crisp frosty elegance, creating a absorbing hypnotic, comforting sound collage. Quite simply; Mesa Luna are one of the finest electronic pairings to emerge this year.

There are a few choice cuts below to further convince you and Mesa Luna’s Crux EP is out on October 24th via nbd Label.

Introducing: Nancy Leticia

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Nancy Leticia is a Vancouver producer who has recently released her debut EP, Love Dream EP, through Hot Sugar’s new Associative Music collective, Noise Collector.

Leticia certainly has a preference for PC/computer sounds, creating a retro-futuristic vibe over the course of the wonderful and entirely instrumental EP. Employing a series of subtly integrated samples and sounds, familiar sounding hip-hop beats and Casio-borne pop melodies, she evokes moods, feelings and memories. It’s a magical trip through ethereal, mesmerizing and beautiful sounds; from the dreamy liquid flow of ‘Bitches’ or the synth strutting swagger of ‘Ur Pocket Mirror is Too Big’, or the slightly unnerving haunting twinkle of ‘I Like Your Fake Rose Tattoo’. Wondrous and entirely instrumental electronic jams with a softer and dreamier touch; this is music to get lost in.

There are some choice cut below. You can download Nancy Leticia Love Dream EP for free via bandcamp.

Introducing: Avid Walker

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Vancouver duo Jared Langerud and Brendan Bleker, are Avid Walker, a couple pals making sun-soaked, melodic lo-fi pop in a bedroom studio.

The pair’s gentle, laid-back and calming sounds marry summery guitar grooves, effortless melodiousness and gently undulating, atmospheric effects. Latest single, ‘Sun In Eyes’, captures this Avid Walker aesthetic perfectly. It’s bright and breezy, yet there is an air of melancholy woven in, adding an emotional depth as it washes over you with a pleasant ease. ‘Conversations’ is a similarly bright and sunkissed tune, imbued with the same easy-going vibe and is just as alluring. They explore their way through an elegant sound, with a woozy, summery vibe, owing much to the majestic combination of gentle, soft instrumentation and hushed, whispering vocals. Playful but sincere, vulnerable yet confident and simplistic yet stylish; both tracks are catchy as, and will have you reaching for repeated plays.

Having released two sublime singles with nbd label this summer, a debut EP is expected through the Vancouver based soon, but there’s no confirmed release date as yet. Until then? Well, there’s ‘Conversations’ & ‘Sun In Eyes’. Check them out below.

Introducing: Sh-Shakes

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Sh-Shakes are a psychedelic garage quintet – Luke (rhythm guitar / vocals), Alex (lead guitar), Max (bass guitar), Kieran (keys) & Salem (drums) – from Vancouver.

Embracing the spirit of the ’60s, Sh-Shakes channel in parts, Dylan, the Stones, The Velvet Underground and The Doors, to whisk together an altogether irresistible fusion of west coast surf, garage psych and rock ‘n’ roll. ‘My Own Time’ offers an empathetic, upbeat and infectious introduction to Sh-Shakes. A spirited and raucous thrasher, it passes with a blur of rambling organ work, galloping guitars and hand-claps combine with swashbuckling effect. ‘Little To Life’ meanwhile, applies a gentler, sun-soaked and hazily beautiful approach to the Sh-Shakes mo. Flourishing with a soulfulness and undulating psychedelic grooves that gently ruminate in such a way that Little To Life’ be a lost mid-60s Doors track. They do however, inject some of their own charm into it that makes it feel relevant. Two fine cuts of irresistible psychedelic jangle, soulful groovers that reign supreme in their re-imagining of the ’60s.

You can listen to ‘Little To Life’ & ‘My Own Time’ below & both are available to download for FREE, over here.

Introducing: The Foetals

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Manchester lo-fi pop outfit The Foetals is the new project from The Pink Teens‘ (formerly known as Temple Songs) frontman, Jolan Lewis.

Lewis’ preference for fuzz-drenched, nostalgic garage pop is well noted and The Foetals follow suit. Combining fuzzed-up, bleary garage and ’60s pop, together, this band certainly know how to work a good pop tune, as is evident by the finesse of their first two singles, ‘Malted’ and ‘Fine’. The latter hits us with a retro fest of jangly guitars, earworm melodies and muffled drums, but amidst the spritely chimes of nostalgia there is a resounding melancholic and bittersweet sentiment, avouched by Lewis’ heart-tugging croon. Emblazoned with a similar retro vibe, ‘Malted’ is somewhat more subdued. Ambling guitars, meandering rhythms and Lewis’ echoing vocals are coated in layers of fuzz and undulate through a haze of effects with an equally melancholic vehement. Scuzzy but irresistible is the name of the game here, and it’s a glorious alliance crafted in a way to allure your ears.

‘Malted’ and ‘Fine’ are taken from The Foetals’ wonderfully titled forthcoming debut LP Meet The Foetals, which has a quite a ring to it doesn’t it? The album is released via PNKSLM in October. Listen to both tracks below.

Introducing: DRINKS (Cate Le Bon & White Fence’s Tim Presley)

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Welsh songstress Cate Le Bon is joining forces with White Fence‘s Tim Presley for DRINKS, a new collaborative project. Despite their synergistic efforts, they describe themselves “as solo project, not a collaboration. It has one mouth, one set of lungs, one mind and four legs.”

Moving swiftly away from the pedantry, the duo’s debut album Hermits on Holiday, will be released on August 21st via Heavenly Records. Ahead of the LP’s release, which is not too far away at all, we’ve got a a veritable pair of aces in ‘Hermits On Holiday’ & ‘Laying Down Rock’. Title track, ‘Hermits On Holiday’ is a peculiar (and incredibly catchy), jaunty affair with a jittery, tick-tock rhythm and led by Le Bon’s distinctly soft, supple vocals, before a mash of ragged riffs rise up, and rip it up, to see out the song with chaotic majesty. Meanwhile, Presley handles vocals on ‘Laying Down Rock’, a purposefully graceless, jerky piece of ’60s-leaning-psychedelia, driven by some tremendous riff repetition.

Who looks the majority of vocal responsibility on the album? Guess we’ll have to wait and see, but both are equally affable, no doubt about it. It is a promising start to an interesting partnership and you can hear both tracks below.

 

Introducing: JOAN

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Fun filled, beautiful, bold and fetching – JOAN is a genre hopping pop ensemble from Brooklyn.

Formed in late 2014 by Nick Farago and Hank Mittnacht, the pair quickly added numbers to their “family”, even a cursory glance at the will tell you the adding to their numbers quicker than rabbits. Aside from multiplying at a ferocious pace, this troupe have a canny knack for a genre blending tune. To say that their self-titled debut is an eclectic affair, would be putting it mildly. It’s a genre hopping delight channelling parts pop, funk, Motown, post-punk, folk, psych and some rather French sounding electro-pop. It is seamlessly weaved together with an intoxicating blend of fun, fearlessness and boundless love of music. ‘Greenwich Dives’ is a smooth, slick, pop song that splashed subtle funk undertones with synths, while ‘Magic Bus’ sounds a lot like Ian Dury and the Blockheads meets The Velvet Underground and ‘Miami Night’ rolls the neon lit club and French electro vibes into a dreamy, summery and irresistible pop song. That’s all but a flavour of the tasty treats strewn throughout their debut, all in all, it’s a fine collection of jams.

There are some choice cuts from their self-titled debut to savour below, or you can stream/download it from here.

Introducing: Bedbugs

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Bedbugs are indie/garage trio – Alex Johnson, Kevin Puckett, and Kenzo Cardenas – from Thousand Oaks, CA.

Quite unlike their namesake, which will illicit fear from renters and home-owners everywhere, this trio are charming, chipper and most welcome company. Back in May, Bedbugs released their self-produced debut EP, Alone; packed with upbeat indie-pop sunshine anthems, it’s a perfect companion for the summer months. Exuding vigour, vibrancy and vitality, their mildly distorted garage rock tinged jangle, of riffs and sweet licks are coated in fuzz but it is the pop sensibilities really makes everything shinier and happier. The likes of ‘Orlando’ and ‘How Things Go’ are racey, lively and energetic blasts of full blooded jangle-pop while ‘Bedbugs’ and ‘James Brown’ offer a less frenetic but equally melodic, ridiculously tuneful and utterly contagious, side to the band. Fantastically joy-filled jams from this young trio, that will whisk you away to a happy place, where the sun always shines and the beers are ALWAYS cold, free and plentiful. Cheers!

Bedbugs are currently putting the finishing touches to the follow up to their sublime debut EP, of which you can download here. For now, you can check out some choice cuts below.