Sugarplum Fairies come forth with a sound which feels like one of the finest and warmest renditions a fusion of airy dreampop and contemporary Americana gets to bring. Although the comparison to the likes of Mazzy Star and The Velvet Underground are unavoidable, the LA-based Viennese project leaves the impression of an act with a lot of ingenuity which grasps the style's complexion and essence comfortably.
On the very VU-like, Sandy Says 2021, Sylvia Ryder, the frontwoman and creative force behind Sugarplum Fairies, collaborates with Sid Simons of Girl Skin, and the result is a delicate, and at the same time haunting piece of traditional songwriting and overall unfeigned musicality.
Sandy Says 2021 is part of Sugarplum Fairies' upcoming compilation, Altar Songs 1998-2021, which showcases the band's evolution through a few adjacent genres, and features a weighty lineup of guests such as Uncle Tupelo/Wilco drummer and producer Ken Coomer, late Mazzy Star drummer Keith Mitchell, Jebin Bruni (Public Image Ltd, Fiona Apple), Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.), Danny T. Levin (Iggy Pop, Rilo Kiley) and many more.
New York-based punks Nihiloceros released their new album, Self Destroy, recently through Totally Real Records, presenting a revived take on traditional US punk, often grunge and lo-fi rock bent, and other times with a power pop proclivity, in the vein of Jawbreaker and Dinosaur Jr.
The notably accessible and memorable Halfway Human is part of the concept album which comes with a gripping narrative.
In the band's own words: "The previous track ended with the rogue survivors of the species shooting themselves into outer space on homemade rocket to escape the dying planet. Halfway Human picks up on the surface of the new corners of space in an undisclosed period of the future where the species is having trouble holding onto and remembering the bits that remain from what it was like to be human."
While latching on to a profound, esoteric concept, Nihiloceros manage to appear rather reachable and easy to grasp, and their new record is an appealing example of their aptitude as a band.
A few months after the release of their mesmeric single, The Great Nothing, Sydney's Suiix pair the song to a well made music video in which the band's consummate blend of dreampop and psychedelia finds its visual match.
The video's footage was filmed in the bushland of Little Jilliby, NSW by director Luke Fuller by use of minimal equipment and crew, and it was the edited by Brenton Cassidy, and diverged into a beautiful, creative film which sums up the song's psychedelic nature.
"I wanted to create a contorted dream that feels as if it was stumbled upon, like a relic that calls to you," says director Luke Fuller. "A dark loop that lures you in, leaving you lost and doomed to the abyss."
The Great Nothing will be included in the upcoming debut album by Suiix.
Fiercer and sorer than recent episodes, episode #50 goes through post hardcore and nearby sounds, focusing on heaviness and strong lyricism.
"For many, the American dream has become a nightmare." - Bernie Sanders
American Nightmare - Gloom Forever
The Hope Conspiracy - Nervous Breakdown
Defeater - Where Eagles Dare
Coliseum - Sunlight In A Snowstorm
THE ARMED - AVERAGE DEATH
Big Black - Colombian Necktie
Pissed Jeans - Health Plan
Daughters - Less Sex
Fucked Up - California Cold
Blacklisted - When People Grow, People Go
Cursed - Fatalist
Harm's Way - Infestation
Uniform - The Killing Of America
KEN Mode - Feathers & Lips
Ringworm - Hammer Of The Witch
Birds In Row - 15-38
Botch - John Woo
Converge - Aimless Arrow
Emergent dreampop artist, WILDLI, creates pure indie bedroom pop of the atmospheric kind, with a penchant for alluring melody, well rounded instrumentals and soft vocals. WILDLI released the first single, Whole, last year, quickly followed by the EP, This Moon Is Never Full, and now continues in the same dreamlike path with the new single, Lobster.
The mesmeric new track is essentially a love song themed on the idea of taking the next big step in connection to falling either in or out of love.
WILDLI unfolds: "The name was originally 'After the Lobster Dinner', meaning it describes the thoughts of 'What happens after we're done with this fancy dinner date?'. It's of the wondering of what happens next, waiting for it eagerly and absolutely terrified at the same time. The entire song was produced independently in my bedroom studio, influenced by dreampop artists such as The Marias and Beach House."
Also bringing to mind genre staples like Julee Cruise and Cocteau Twins, WILDLI gives the impression of an artist with a solid grasp of dreampop's aesthetics and sounds, with the ability to stabilize classicality and experimentation in an apt manner.
Continuing to draw inspiration from the dreampop, surf pop and lo-fi rock vanguard, Girl As Wave unveils the driving, Other Side, a fine number off the project's sophomore EP, All The Noises And The Echoes.
Once again in collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Deer, New York based artist Marci Elizabeth realizes a type of indie rock which fits into a few varying subgenres, and also displays a knack for classicalness and dense song structure. With the moodiness and the dark inclinations in prominent roles, the consistently enigmatic Girl As Wave once more delivers honesty and sophistication through a very familiar type of musicianship.
Schedule 1 is a new, Vancouver-based punk act composed of members from Bishops Green, Dead Cells, Systematik, and Girlfriends and Boyfriends. Making a strong impression with their first ever single, Paint It Red, the band present a rather dark and dynamic take on post punk and post hardcore, having earmarks of a mixture between The Wipers and American Nightmare.
"Paint It Red is a personal song about familial identity, purpose, and pain," the band comment. "It was formed in the collective subconscious of the band and could not have been realized without each member's energy."
A splendid introduction, Paint It Red is part of Schedule 1's self-titled debut twelve-inch which will include six tracks, and comes out on December 15th, 2021 through Dirt Cult Records.
French producer Matthieu Roche unveils a new chapter of his synthpop project Fragrance. Covered In Gold is part of the artist's upcoming sophomore album, Salt Water, which he co-produced with Sophia Hamadi (aka S.Diamah, half of French duo Opale) who also provides vocals on the new single.
Covered In Gold is a dreamlike endeavor along the lines of Fragrance.'s airy sound, driven by soft vocals, pulsating rhythms and meticulous production. The song comes with a distinguished video featuring the arresting choreography, direction and performance by Russian dancer, Emphis, which becomes a compatible counterpart to the music's mood.
Salt Water will be released on November 5th, 2021, on French label Synth Religion.
With an avantgardistic sound and creative approach, multi-instrumentalist Jay Thurley's Teethrgrynder project returns with the fourth, guest-heavy album, Hostages, coming out on October 29th, 2021 via Isolation Records. Not Lonely is an enchanting cut which derives from a place of wistfulness and beautiful lyricism, and it includes Jaye Jayle's Evan Patterson.
Patterson comments: "I have battles with depression and loneliness. Yet, I do like to be alone. I also have a bad valve in my heart. I worry sometimes. I don’t worry most times. I wrote these words while on tour a few years ago with aspirations to eventually discover a feeling of content. At some point last year, I made a conscious choice to decide to not be controlled by my heart nor my depression. And so far, so good. I feel alright about all of the things that I can control, as well as, all of the things that are out of my control."
The cinematic video which comes with Not Lonely was directed by Supply + Demand and Ross Fraser McLean.
Seattle-based darkwave trio, Fotoform, will be releasing their anticipated album, Horizons, on October 15th, 2021, and the first specimens off it thus far suggest a well crafted record, coming from a band adeptly perceptive of how cogent a fusion of post punk, synthpop and shoegaze sounds can be. You Set Fire to the Sun is the third single unveiled, a piece which appears as approachable as much as it is an elaborate blend of distinct sounds and intense emotionalism.
Fotoform's Kim House (bass, vocals, synths, guitars) comments on the song: "You Set Fire to the Sun is a call to redirect the negative energy that comes from the existential crises of our everyday lives and harness it as a motivation to live our fullest lives. Essentially, it’s about finding motivation in death – or at least in the realization that death is inevitable and often unexpected."
The artist continues, unveiling more about the song's poignancy: "My life has in some ways been ruled by death and loss: I lost my father last year to a stroke. We were very close. I lost my mother just three months after she was diagnosed with cancer. I lost my brother (my best friend) in a helicopter crash when I was 17. We all suffer losses on varying scales every day. We don’t know how long we have, but we still can affect others and ourselves in positive ways. In Set Fire, this existential dilemma is (nearly literally) universalized into celestial terms: 'We were broken from the start / stars exploding and pulled apart'. However, there is still hope, even if fleeting: 'Don’t fade, be brave / How long until we notice / How long until the door closes.' With this looming inevitability, we need to redirect our fear(s) toward the goal of realizing our greatest, most resonant selves – while we still can."
Fotoform are Kim House and Geoffrey Cox (guitar) together with former Death Cab for Cutie / Long Winters drummer Michael Schorr.
