POST CATEGORY : Pop

Sakura & Aloa Input – ‘Another Rainbow’

Hong Kong via London to Vienna, musician and songwriter Sakura has joined forces with Neo-Krautrock outfit Aloa Input for new single ‘Another Rainbow’; and together this collaboration delights and enthralls with a sweetly hypnotic and spaced-out dreamer.

Driven by a gently undulating and hypnotic rhythmic groove, Sakura’s captivating, cool and hushed vocals snake above while guitars shimmer, flicker and twang amid the hazy world of lush and dreamy atmospheric splendor. It is sweet, cosmic and lavish psych-infused dream-pop perfection that dazzles and hypnotizes, grows and seeps into your senses with each and every listen, and leaving you better for it.

Nothing short of stunning, listen to ‘Another Rainbow’ below:


Bobsled Team – ‘Hey Kid’

Bobsled Team are a Belfast pairing – Oliver and Kimberley – with a preference for dreamy, lo-fi guitar-pop – and proudly DIY.

The emerged last year with jaunty debut single ‘This Pink Moon’ and put last year’s rolling Covid-19 lockdowns to productive use, having brought their debut album The Colours Blur into the world this summer. The latest single lifted from the record is ‘Hey Kid’ – a slightly rough around the edges, lo-fi ditty with a charming heart of gold – it perfectly captures the aesthetic of both band and album. ‘Hey Kid’ takes us on a melodic meander as a soft snare patters beneath layers of woozy tones, swirling fuzz and atmospherics as guitars jangle and scratchy riffs waltz with heart melting melodies all while hazy lilting vocals cruise calmly above. 

A warm, charming and heartwarming slice of indie-pop brilliance – give it a spin below – the album (which is definitely worth a moment of your time) is here.

Zoee – ‘Fountain’

London-based musician Harriet Zoe Pittard aka Zoee has recently released her debut LP Flaw Flower.

Two years in the making, the album ushers us on an offbeat exploration of playfully imaginative, off-kilter sounds with nods to the avant pop of the 80s. ‘Fountain’ is the latest wonder to be lifted from the record and it exudes all the aforementioned playful, experimental pop prowess and leftfield vibes. It glides over soft pattering electronic beat as flickers of guitars and shimmering synths flutter amid an ethereal swirl of atmospherics with dramatic sax solo adding a glowing intensity as soft spoken vocals deliver a focused stream of consciousness, seeping into every corner and cranny of the ethereal otherworldly backdrop.

Listen to ‘Fountain’ below – the debut album is here too, and well worth your time.

I, Doris – ‘It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’

London’s I, Doris have re-written REM’s classic ‘It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’ to reflect the dystopian feel of the past few years.

Self-proclaimed ‘kitchenpop/mummycore’ outfit sprinkle some of their playful and infectious indie magic to craft a witty and poignant take on REM’s classic, bringing things up to date, with lyrics reflecting our present day issues; Covid-19 Brexit, Trump, Black Lives Matter, among others.

The track is part of a compilation entitled ‘A Carnival of Sorts: A compilation of R.E.M. covers by various artists’. It has been put out by God Is In the TV to raise funds for Help Musicians UK and I, Doris’ is but one of 40 (yes, 40!) covers from the likes of Desperate Journalist, Bandicoot, Bugeye, MIRI, Hadda Be, The Darling Buds and Piney Gir

There’s 40 tracks in all – all for a cool £6 – and you’re supporting a great cause. Grab the album from Bandcamp, and while you wait for that to download, enjoy the lyric video below….

Late Runner – ‘Nothing’s Real Anymore’

Late Runner is the solo project of Danish musician / singer-songwriter Asger Tarpgaard who, also known for his work with Superheroes, introduced his solo wares with debut single ‘Spring’ back in April.

Having just released debut album Nothing’s Real Anymore – available from August 20 via Crunchy Flog – Tarpgaard has lifted the record’s title track as new single. ‘Nothing’s Real Anymore’ is a rich, warm and beautifully bittersweet song. A sentimental song that gently waltzes along bringing to mind the finest 60s pop and early ’70s singer-songwriting as warm guitars strum atop a jaunty beat, sinuous melodies and sumptuous tones while Tarpgaard’s soothing, warmth and inviting vocals glide above, forging an unforgettable union. This is ever so endearing and you will be all the better for basking in the beautiful warm glow of ‘Nothing’s Real Anymore’.

Listen to ‘Nothing’s Real Anymore’ below – the album of the same name is out now, listen to it here.



Mt Fog – ‘One Piece Puzzle’

Seattle-based artist Mt Fog (Carolyn B.) has a flair for merging layers of minimal electronic sounds and haunting vocals to evoke magical spaces, real and imagined, with mesmerizing results.

Mt Fog’s latest album Guide to the Unusual, elaborates on this approach, whisking you on a dark-hued adventure through a world inhabited by imaginary creatures and shadows of a former life and latest single ‘One Piece Puzzle’ offers the perfect intro to this sound. This is utterly stunning; a mid-tempo lullaby leaning synth splashed waltz. Beautifully rich and intoxicating vocals soar through the scales as we are spellbound by wonky psych ripple, hypnotic twinkle, soft beat and sunken waltzing groove while synths flicker and shimmer like sunlight through stained glass. Mt Fog created this album while singing to herself on rainy walks during quarantine. Dreamy, meditative and yet groovy and somewhat danceable, albeit slowly, ‘One Piece Puzzle’ is but one of many that make for a good friend on walks and travels. Magnificent!

Listen to ‘One Piece Puzzle’ below and check out Guide to the Unusual here

koleżanka – ‘In A Meeting’

Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter, guitarist, and producer koleżanka (aka Kristina Moore) is readying the release of her debut LP under this moniker.

koleżanka’s sound is difficult to box-off; there is a flair for offbeat folk, indie and flourishes of pop while co-existing in a space with an equal propensity for psych – but it is captivating and magical, and somewhat hypnotic and playful.

Ahead of the release of Place Is, on July 30 via Bar/None, koleżanka has lifted another single from the record called ‘In A Meeting’, which demonstrates all those aforementioned attributes in abundance. Opening with gentle keys (Casio-esque), soft pattering beats and bubbling bassline. providing a beautiful backdrop for Moore’s cooing melody and lush and beautiful vocals to thrive before swathes of psych enter the fray with frazzled synth and colourful instrumental breakdowns. it is both playful and vulnerable, strange yet comforting, and like the composite sounds, in lesser hands would sound jarring but in Moore’s it is a revelation. ‘In A Meeting’ is weaved together with a boundless versatility, and the moments of musical whimsy probably wouldn’t resonate so much were it not for the moments of melodic sweetness.

Listen to ‘In A Meeting’ below and keep an eye out for the album coming on June 30.

Introducing: The Bug Club

The Bug Club are the creative trio of Sam Willmett (guitar/vocals), Tilly Harris (bass/vocals) and Dan Matthew (drums), from the little-known rock n’ roll hotbed of Caldicot, Monmouthshire.

Together they craft tight-knit, catchy and memorable tunes; sometimes blistering, fiery and fierce and other times, melodic and playfully addictive, and always fizzing with humour and riffs-a-plenty – attributes on display in abundance on their wonderfully titled debut EP Launching Moondream One.

Propelled by a relentless, driving energy, it ones with ‘Check Mate’ as it stomps along with a swagger and fiery attitude as raucous riffs buzz through lashing of scuzzy fuzz, all adorned with sweet harmonies and hooks you could hang your hat on. On the other hand, ‘All Of The Scariest Monsters Live In London’ offers the first taste from the other side of their personality; that prediction for melodic and playfully addictive pop. A mellow and melodic ditty, it skips along a playful beat while a bright strum illuminates the woozy and breezy vocals the cruise above – it is a hazy and dreamy beauty. Meanwhile, ‘We Don’t Need Room For Lovin’ falls between the two, something of a bridging point between the boisterous and playful bounciness, as does closer and title track. A brilliant and utterly addictive EP that will have you going straight for repeated plays time and time again.

Launching Moondream One is out now on Bingo Records.


Good Morning TV – ‘Entertainment’

Good Morning TV began life in 2016 as a solo adventure of Bérénice Deloire but with time the project grew as Barth Bouveret (producer for both the EP and the album), Thibault Picot (Brace! Brace!) and Hugo Dupuis came on board.

The French outfit make lush and dreamy psych-pop that resides somewhere between Broadcast, Deerhoof or Melody’s Echo Chamber and Good Morning TV are now preparing to release their debut LP « Small Talk » which is preceded by new single ‘Entertainment’. It is a super seductive slice of hypnotic and hazy psych-pop drenched in layers and layers of lavish warm fuzz while guitars shimmer and twang above a languid waltzing groove that bursts into life with flourishes of fuzzy riffs while hushed honeyed vocals drift smoothly above; steadfast and mesmerising.  ‘Entertainment’ is nothing short of perfection, utterly resplendent and irresistible.

Listen to ‘Entertainment’ below:

CIEL – ‘Never Alone Again’

Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH

Brighton-based, Dutch dream-pop trio CIEL return with new single ‘Never Alone Again’, continuing their streak for irresistible bouts of dream-pop perfection.

With CIEL we have become accustomed to them striking a perfect balance between indie-rock and dreamy pop, and  ‘Never Alone Again’ continues this trend with aplomb. While hazy, dreamy and richly melodic, there is also a harder edge to proceedings as a propulsive riff buzzes, ushers us forward through a wall of warm fuzz and distortion, lush shimmering synth and swirling hazy atmospherics – an alluring elixir for the hushed, dreamy and nonchalant vocals to thrive. A mesmerizing slice of melodic yet muscular jam that is all things evocative, dreamy and rocking – and brilliant

Listen to ‘Never Alone Again’ below: