In The Pines • Bird Song • 2022

WEBSITE

In The Pines is a traveling collective based out of Cincinnati, OH. Formed in 2016 by childhood friends Michael Shular (lead vocals/guitar) and Charlie Horn (lead guitar), they spent five years cultivating a writing style focused on a “variety of tones and colours of blues and psychedelic music throughout the ages” (Citybeat Magazine). Adding Pat Zopff (lead vocals/bass) and Alex Dungan (drums/vocals) in the middle of 2017 shed new light on the band’s creative horizons.

United by a shared love for the psychedelic music of the 1960s, the band released their debut LP, San Lorenzo in the winter of 2018. The band spent the next two years writing and recording new material whilst booking their own shows across the midwest and east coast, contributing to the completion of their sophomore LP, Slow Blink, which was released in January of 2020 on their new label home, Soul Step Records. “Evoking images of sun-blasted desert plains and everlasting blue skies” (Atwood Magazine), the band gathered a following for their signature psych-prog wonder.

Night Shop • "Let Me Let It Go" • 2022

"'For a While' is a gem of sanguine songwriting, showing even while surrounded by some of the best singer/songwriters in indie rock, Sullivan is a standout talent of his own.

- Under the Radar

"'For A While' takes reflective turns around letting go and restarting, delicately moving around [its] lyrics."

- American Songwriter

"With its infectious, self-perpetuating rhythm, the song acts as a kind of thesis for the album. A statement held aloft to ward off the darker corners encountered along the way."

- Various Small Flames

"'Forever Night' is a retro rock that takes inspiration from the past but gives it an energetic modern boost that feels like a mix of early Kevin Morby with a bit of a raw Strokes element."

- We All Want Someone to Shout For

Today, Night Shop (the solo project of Justin Sullivan, who is best known for playing drums for Kevin Morby, in addition to playing with Flat Worms and The Babies) shares a brand new single and music video, "Let Me Let It Go." The track is the third single off their forthcoming LP, Forever Night, which features Meg Duffy on guitar (Hand Habits), Jess Williamson, Anna St. Louis + Jarvis Taveniere (Woods/Purple Mountains), and is engineered by Jarvis Taveniere, and co-produced by Justin and Jarvis. 

Work Wife • Creases • 2022

Today, Brooklyn-by-way of Seattle indie pop artist Work Wife shares her third single, "Creases," a vulnerable track about the tension between prioritizing your partner and yourself. Stripped down and radically honest, "Creases" is a tender bedroom pop track that sees songwriter Meredith Lampe coming to terms with the challenges and distance that come with dating an artist and accepting that their art will always be their priority.

Website

"A hushed and vulnerable vocal performance that feels like she’s sharing long-held secrets and deeply held truths"
- Under The Radar

"A tender bedroom pop song"
- Indie88

"Authentically written and artistically intricate, Work Wife’s music captures vulnerability beautifully"
- The Luna Collective

"Catchy and upbeat"
- LOUD WOMEN

"A catchy lo-fi indie pop tune"
- She Makes Music

Elephant • Medicine • 2022

www.elephantmusic.nl

Sunny melancholy in a major key. That is the sound of 'Elephant'. Their subtle grooves, beautiful melodies and sobering but hopeful lyrics seem to catch on. Calling was on repeat on Dutch national NPO radio 2 and peaked at the 3th position of the ‘verrukkelijke 15’ chart of Dutch national radio.

The Baboon Show • Have A Party With Me • 2022

JD Pinkus • Fungus Shui Trinity • 2022

Website

"Pinkus takes the banjo off the porch and in through the back door of that bar you’ve always been a little afraid of but are dying to get into, and proves that despite its innocuous reputation and popularity among many of the more benign and banal up and coming bands, the banjo can be killer when placed in the right sort of hands."
- Glide

"For fans of the cacophony that the Surfers and the Melvins have wrought through their respective careers, JD’s “spacegrass” stylings are a drastic shift towards the minimalistic and quiet."
- Hollywood Life

 "rich in the blues."
- Indie Music

"the video gives a thump of colorful attitude to Pinkus’ picking that would make the late Ralph Stanley nod in approval."
- Glide

ROTTEN MIND • DRIFTER • 2022

Punchy punk clashes with cinematic dark wave on Rotten Mind's new single "Drifter". The track is the second single from the group’s upcoming, fifth studio album "Unflavored", to be released in March 2022. Energetic, yet drenched in gloomy melodies, "Drifter" sets itself apart as one of the most straight forward tracks on Rotten Mind's new album.

https://rottenmind-official.bandcamp.com/

Curtis Godino Presents The Midnight Wishers • He Loves Me Not • 2022

The album was mastered by Kramer, who just last year resurrected Shimmy-Disc, a label that championed Daniel Johnston, GWAR, Jad Fair, King Missile, the Boredoms and Kramer’s own bands Bongwater and Shockabilly. He refers to Godino as "a genius," and Godino appreciates the support.

"The sound and the colorful imagery invite the listener to a strange, yet fantastic little journey through nature, color and sound. It’s definitely a trip we like to take."
- MXDWN

"The 60s girl group formula, and knowing pastiche thereof, is integral to the band’s established sound, but ‘He Loves Me Not’ is a step away from such territory into something more ambitious."
- Backseat Mafia

"A new band with a sound somewhat akin to the ghosts of a sixties girl group being channeled through a fuzzy transistor radio."
- Joyzine

"'No Place Like Home' lays forth the uncanny, dreamlike sonic aesthetic, complete with glockenspiel and organ. The accompanying hazy music video doubles down on the hypnotic Lynchian vibes."
- Cool Hunting

Andrew Pitrone • "Life is But a Dream" • 2022

"You can hear strains of Donovan and The Incredible String Band in Andrew Pitrone's lithe folk sound."
- Brooklyn Vegan

"Wondrous pastoral folk where Pitrone showcases his songcraft in a delicate manner reminiscent of masters Bert Jansch and Tim Buckley."
- Glide

Today, Andrew Pitrone shares a brand new single entitled "Life is But a Dream," alongside an accompanying music video: "Shot in the wild hills of Southern California and at Savannah Studios in Boyle Heights on 16mm film by Fred Joseph and Kourosh Erfanian of Expo Aktuell Films. Directed by Ignacio Gonzalez."

Camp Cope • Running with the Hurricane • 2022

Chaotic Butterfly I've only been able to listen to this track on the preorder but it's already become one of my favourite tracks of 2022. Amazing composition, rhythm, lyricality(?), and that visceral Camp Cope emotionality that makes them the awesome band they are.

Good Looks • "Almost Automatic" • 2022

piglet • oan • 2022

Early praise for piglet:

 "piglet's... scrappy and melodic songs try to make sense of the world" - Fader

"Swelling from plaintive beginnings to a full explosion of strings, layered vocals and background twinkles" - DIY

 "Piglet’s music is a melodic translation of laying one’s cards on the table" - So Young

--

 

piglet is the solo project of Irish songwriter and producer Charlie Loane, born and raised in Belfast and based in South London.

 

His third single of 2021, ‘oan’ eschews a pop structure and instead embarks on a glorious multi-melodic journey through time, memory and experience, channelled through Loane's idiosyncratic DIY production.

Altameda • "NightmareTown" • 2022

Website

Toronto-based band Altameda announced their third album entitled Born Losers via Missing Piece/Pheromone Records. The album, which was recorded in Toronto by Thomas D’Arcy (Neko Case, The Sheepdogs) and mixed in Portland, OR by Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, Whitney, R.E.M.), is set for release on April 15. To mark the announcement, Altameda has shared a new single, “Nightmare Town.” The track mixes the exuberance of The Hold Steady and nihilism of Springsteen’s Nebraska as it captures the desperation of a narrator hoping to escape from the mundanity of their suffocating small town. 

Kevin Morby • Sundowner (Official Livestream) • 2021

Kevin Morby performs his album 'Sundowner', filmed as part of a limited concert series originally airing with the album release in October 2020.

STREAM/BUY: https://kevinmorby.ffm.to/sundowner

0:00 Valley

4:42 Brother, Sister

9:00 Sundowner

13:31 Campfire

19:12 Wander

21:27 Don’t Underestimate Midwest American Sun

26:50 A Night At The Little Los Angeles

33:56 Jamie

37:51 Velvet Highway

40:27 Provisions

http://www.kevinmorby.com/

Colatura • Team Sport • 2022

“The upbeat surf guitar, blissful washes of synths, and brilliant bursts of melody make for a decadent dream pop reverie, recalling classic influences like Cocteau Twins as well as contemporaries like Alvvays or Yumi Zouma.” - Under The Radar

www.colaturaband.com

NORÐIR • How To Sail Your Ship 2077 • 2022

www.nordir.com

In „How To Sail Your Ship (2077)“ NORÐIR travel to the the year 2077 and Viktor meets his older self in his 80s, the last chapter of his life. The lyrics in this song are what his older self is telling him.

This song was written during the 1. pandemic lockdown in Germany when Viktor was confronted with the thoughts of impermanence, aging, and also the value of gratitude and being present.

The Howl & The Hum • Thumbs Up • 2022

https://www.thehowlandthehum.com/tour-dates

Closing-out a benchmark year for the band, the alt/folk three-piece have teamed-up with celebrated Australian director Matthew Thorne on a gripping visual narrative to accompany their latest single “Thumbs Up”.

Filmed in an ex-coal mining commuter settlement in the heart of the Rhondda Valley of South Wales, the video follows the story of a young man and his struggles with, and love affairs with, small town life. 

Hovvdy • True Love (Live Session) • 2022

Keeley Forsyth • I Stand Alone • 2022

“We shot the video over two bitterly cold countryside days. We took influence from the cinematic traditions of folkloric horror and British rural gothic, as well as respectfully referencing Carl Dreyer’s classic The Passion Of Joan Of Arc, where the concentration and focus is on the main protagonist’s face and expressions, shot in intimate close-ups. We were keen to capture the absurdist aspect of the character ignoring her predicament, and staying committed to her own ‘truth’, in spite of what society may throw at her.”

Hippo Campus • Ride or Die • 2022

What Hippo Campus wanted with LP3 was something all five of them could agree on, the way they’d made music in the early days of the band when they were in high school. As their profile grew, amassing nearly ¾ of a billion streams and hundreds of thousands of tickets sold, they found themselves compromising on their visions, thinking about how fans would interact with their music, and plagued by an unsustainable industry ecosystem.

 

LP3 is their strongest and most complete work yet -- a freshly-inked portrait excavating young adulthood and identity and, more importantly, how that personal identity fits into a larger camaraderie. It looks at how growing up can just feel like something that’s always moving past you when you’re trying to grab a hold of it; it’s a push-and-pull of letting go or holding tighter -- and figuring out what matters the most. Through cinematic, sonic clarity, is a sweeping account of courage and tenacity; tender-hearted stumbling that leads you on the right path after all.

“Blissful indie rock” Rolling Stone

“Bouncy indie melodies and gigantic pop hooks” DIY

“Indie superstars” Gigwise

“Hippo Campus embrace sonic chaos” Dork

Michael Feuerstack • Translations • 2022

I think the biggest lesson I learned from making this record is that interpretation is creation. 

These are 14 songs I love by some of my favourite artists. I wanted to see what they could teach me, and also what I could bring to them. 

This whole thing feels quite personal. Even though I believe that songs are for sharing, I don’t sing a lot of covers. Often I feel strange trying to embody the sentiments of others (a voice is such a personal thing). I have lots of favourites, but the ones comprised here are some that I found myself able to sing. That is to say, they felt convincing coming from me. 

Normally I write and perform my own songs, or collaborate with others on their material. The original reason I got into music was to make songs, and I never really went through a period of learning by playing the music of others. This approach has given me my own impressionistic style. There is something special about stepping back now, and applying my way of creating to the unique works of others. I wanted to know some of my favourite songs in a new way. 

michaelfeuerstack.com

heavenly creature records • Los Compesinos! • 2022

los compesinos! is a compilation of los camp covers by 28 artists across the globe. all proceeds go to Gendered Intelligence. the record is available on a pay what you can/want basis but i have a few free download codes for those who want to own the comp but can't for whatever reason. dm me anywhere and i'll send one over - no questions asked. 

Gendered Intelligence is a registered charity that works to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people. their vision is of a world where diverse gender expressions are visible and valued and where trans, non-binary, gender diverse and gender questioning people live healthy, safe and fulfilled lives. 

genderedintelligence.co.uk 

Talons' • 2 Weeks • 2021

pigeon pit • feather river canyon blues • 2022

pigeon pit is a collection of stories wrapped in sunburned skin and a brave heart from a small beach town.

Yard Act • Rich • 2022

https://yardact.lnk.to/TheOverloadPR

"Yard Act will be 2022's breakthrough English post-punk artist."
NPR

“There's acuity, pathos and wit, deadpan storytelling over catchy, snaking riffs and relentless grooves”
The Guardian
 
"[Yard Act] channel No Wave pioneers like ESG and Liquid Liquid as well as Madchester acts like the Happy Mondays, and they top off that danceable racket with screeds that resemble the Fall’s Mark E. Smith..."
Stereogum

“Yard Act have cemented themselves as one of the most exciting bands on this Green earth” 
So Young

"Yard Act is not a typical post-punk band, instead serving as the disruptors of the conventions of genre and sound."
Paste
 
“A whip smart take on current affairs and a bulging back pocket of infectious yet unpredictable bangers that satisfy both brain and feet”  
Loud and Quiet

Spector • Catch You On The Way Back In • 2022

https://spector-store.myshopify.com

alt-J • Hard Drive Gold • 2022

Website

Joe Newman, the band’s singer/guitarist/songwriter says “'Hard Drive Gold" is a slightly tongue-in-cheek song written at what we thought was the height of the cryptocurrency gold rush. It’s the story of the ultimate childhood fantasy, the schoolboy who becomes a millionaire overnight, and the different interactions he has with people in his life from teachers to neighbors. How ironically you interpret its message is entirely up to you…”

 

The song is accompanied by a video that is Newman’s directorial debut. Throughout the band’s career, Newman has been involved in developing the ideas of a number of alt-J videos, and now with “Hard Drive Gold”, he takes the full step up to directing. His partner, Darcy Wallace, who choreographed for both film and music videos co-directed the video. Newman says of the video, “Growing up enjoying cinema greatly I saw our music videos as opportune moments for directors to create stories purely and so we the band did not appear in our videos. By avoiding cuts to a band playing in an 'airplane hanger' the audience could focus on the cinema over the indie band music video tropes.”

Ocean Child • "Who Has Seen The Wind?" (David Byrne & Yo La Tengo) • 2022

“…Byrne’s vocals swim over soothing instrumentation…” 

 - Rolling Stone

 

“…a slew of legendary artists covering the seminal works of Yoko Ono…” 

- SPIN

 

“As for Byrne and Yo La Tengo, their take on ‘Who Has Seen the Wind?’ trades Ono’s whimsical tone for an eerie, psychedelic vibe. With Byrne on main vocal duties, Yo La Tengo lend a chorus of backing vocals and droning instrumentation, turning the song from an enchanting, almost childlike number to a zen, calming chant.”

- Consequence of Sound

Imagined and curated by Benjamin Gibbard (lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of Death Cab for Cutie), Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono is comprised of 14 all-new versions of Ono’s tracks performed by a diverse range of rising artists and legendary stars including David Byrne and Yo La Tengo, whose collaborative cover of “Who Has Seen The Wind?” is available now at all DSPs and streaming services (listen here) alongside an official lyric video streaming now HERE.

Mi Mye • Methadone Church • 2017

https://www.mimye.com

Widowspeak • Everything Is Simple • 2021

https://www.instagram.com/widowspeaking/

The Haunted Youth • Gone • 2021

https://www.thehauntedyouth.be

The Haunted Youth is

Joachim Liebens (vocals guitars) Tom Stokx (guitars) Hanne Smets (keys) Nick Caers (drums) Stef Castro (bass)

psych pop dream pop shoegaze

for fans of

Beach Fossils Tame Impala The Cure Slowdive DIIV

Catcher • Comparing Saviors and Friends • 2021

Website

"The band tap into the darker side of the Big Apple, leaning on the city's post-punk heritage while carving out their own lane."
- Clash

"High-drama [...] dirgey"
- Brooklyn Vegan

"It’s easy to see (and more importantly hear) why Catcher are making their way up the musical ladder with 'Comparing Saviors and Friends.' Scuffed up guitars veer towards shoegaze here and there, but the riffs are spidery and crawl all over the track. The vocals cut through, dark and demanding as the whole thing propels through with anxious but melodic melodies the order of the day."
- Backseat Mafia

"[The band is] able to weave together visceral melodies and dissonance, creating a unique and distinctive blend all their own. The music is desparate while alluring all at once."
- Ghettoblaster

Catcher is a Brooklyn-based post-punk band with a reputation for visceral and powerful live performances. Drawing comparisons to Iceage and Protomartyr, Catcher deliver music with a driving and inundating low-end, provided by childhood friends Cameron McRae and Wilson Chestney, on bass and drums respectively. Guitarists Jack Young and Christian Reech — each having been recruited earlier this year via a Craigslist ad and connection via the band's shared Tinder — interweave melodies and noise to create an environment that manages to be at once both bleak and moving, desolate but hopeful, violent but tender. Vocalist Austin Eichler commands listeners with a domineering and chaotic presence. From drawling croons to powerful screams, Austin’s narrative lyrics invoke a wide spectrum of emotion while creating a world of their own. Through endless hours of practice and work, the band has crafted a gripping and tight live performance and a growing international fanbase.