FRANKIIE • Visions • 2023

https://www.frankiietheband.com/

“Garden” is a culmination of 60’s surf rock and modern psychedelia that melts perfectly with the four-piece’s powerful yet melodramatic vocals.”
-Glide

“There’s a classic air to FRANKIIE’s new single…'Garden' is a majestic offering from the band, letting vocalist Nashlyn Lloyd shine in the chorus as she revels in the beauty of the natural world. The hazy production suits them well; as the band edges toward each enveloping chorus, the air becomes thicker and the wonder more apparent. Natural beauty is certainly divine, but so are FRANKIIE’s satisfying jams.”
-Consequence Of Sound

"From surf guitars like something from 60's Aki Aleong & the Nobles to Spaghetti western aesthetics, the sounds are dense with cool melodramatic psyche rock flavors but the cream that rises to the top are the vocals themselves, beautiful, powerful and self assured."
-American Pancake

"This Vancouver all-female quartet follows on the promise of it’s 2015 Girl of Infinity EP with an 11 track album that is packed with loud jangly guitars, warped keyboards and loads of echoing, haunting harmonies."
-Vancouver Sun

"Thank goodness for FRANKIIE, the Vancouver-based four-piece whose blend of 60s-soaked surf rock and super-tight harmonies are the perfect elixir [...] 'Forget Your Head' strikes the perfect balance between the band’s predilection for rock’s bygone sounds and swirling psychedelics and their decidedly darker, sombre lyrical tone."
-Dominionated

Panchiko • Until I Know • 2023

www.panchiko.bandcamp.com

Lavinia Blackwall • The Damage We Have Done • 2023

“Startlingly beautiful” The Line Of Best Fit

“Kaleidoscopic” Uncut

“Artful psychedelic folk” Shindig! 

Lavinia Blackwall’s work with prolific Glaswegian psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells has earnt her a reputation as one of the best voices in the scene, many critics have likened her singing prowess to that of Fairport Convention singer Sandy Denny. Along with Trembling Bells she has released seven full-length albums and performed as the backing band to folk legends Bonnie Prince Billy and The Incredible String Band’s Mike Herron. In 2020 she releases Muggington Lane End, her debut solo album released under her own name. In 2021, she and Laura J Martin released Wyndow, the debut self-titled album from their new psychedelic-pop project. 

Cable Ties • Time for You • 2023

https://www.instagram.com/cable.ties/?hl=en

“At once pliable and willful, [McKechnie’s] voice might morph

from a biting howl to a striking vibrato in the span of a verse.” - Pitchfork

“Cable Ties’ songs wrap a clear purpose—its raucous anthems tackle gender inequality, environmental devastation and the flickers of hope that somehow shine through anyway—

in speedball ragers that only gather velocity as they barrel along.” - NPR

“Far Enough takes the most exhilarating form of resistance, much more than riot grrrl's

DIY aesthetic, akin to a harder-rocking Sleater Kinney with a similarly wailing

centrifugal force in singer/guitarist Jenny McKechnie.” - MOJO

“At its loudest and most brash, the album is fun and cathartic on par with any good high-energy rock band. In the moments when punk vitriol meets reflective, thoughtful expression, Far Enough grows more intriguing and compelling.” - AllMusic

David Garza • "Rock & Roll Heart" 3Sirens Sessions • 2023

https://www.davidgarza.com/

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and producer David Garza has released his 3Sirens Session EP via 3Sirens Music Group. The three-song collection continues the East Nashville-based music group’s sessions series and features intimate, stripped-down versions of previously unreleased songs from Garza’s extensive catalog. The EP’s release arrives with the official session video for “Rock & Roll Heart,” an insightful, meditative ballad that celebrates the duality of being human.

BabyJake • We Got To Get Together To Be Free • 2023

"BabyJake is embracing his grittier rock side"
- Variance

"Creating his own lane dabbling in rhythmic pop with a love and focus on alternative, the Fort Myers, Florida native has been making major strides within the music industry”."
- Flaunt Magazine

"Few artists are able to bounce so seamlessly from genre to genre than BabyJake."
- Wonderland Magazine

CHARITY EMPRESSA • A Riot Of Snowflakes • 2023

 

“With Charity Empressa we just have the drones on a cassette tape. We listen, try to figure out a key, and we go. Since there is no real inherent structure to the drones, we aren’t tied to anything traditional, just our own limitations. Hence, the process is a bit more esoteric, and happenstance.” For instance, on ‘Riot of Snowflakes,’ I asked Frank to play harmonica over the drone. It was fun to watch him almost pass out. Then it was, let’s try some banjo, then some bluegrass on the acoustic. 

get it here

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Indie Darling • Formula • 2023

Indie Darling is the musical project of Michigan-based pianist, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Luke LaBenne. Luke began releasing music as Indie Darling 2019, but he has been writing his own songs for nearly 20 years. The EP contains three instrumental piano tracks and one track with vocals and piano, showcasing Luke's abilities as both a pianist and a singer-songwriter.

The Snowfall Suite EP was written in the thick of a Michigan winter in 2021. Luke composed these songs while his cats sat in the window watching the wild weather outside. The deluge of snow provided a thematic parallel to the mounting pressure of his day job that would go on to consume him, leading to a disconnection from his music and a period of deep depression.

Team Love Records • Indie Sampler • 2023

team-love.com

Podcast #7 • The Petals

Aaron Sheedy of The Petals joins me from his home studio in Pittsburg PA for episode number 7 of if it be your will podcast. Aaron not only is the guitars, singer and writer for his band but he is also a mixer and producer, so we had lots to talk about. He is a very talented individual with lots to offer. Be sure to check out The Petals new album dropping on May 5th. And if you need a recorded mixed DM him https://www.instagram.com/thepetals/

At the end of our chat I am including, not one but two of The Petals latest singles, Regeneration / Chorus Of Birds

https://www.thepetalsband.com/

Enjoy!

 

BEN COPPERHEAD • "Copperhead Vagabond" • 2023

https://www.babycopperhead.org/

"Ben Copperhead delves into the elements around us and projects them with a deeply reflective aural spirituality, resulting in what we can only describe as an intimately widescreen experience. Conceived from inside that weird sound dome of eerie urban pandemic silence, the overall sense is one of both immersion and omniscience, exultation and quietude."
- StereoEmbers

"A heady mix of folk and psych as Ben Copperhead delivers a mesmerizing tall tale in 'Copperhead Vagabond'"
- Musicology

Helen Ganya • delicate graffiti (the clouds sessions) • 2023

Helen Ganya today announces a follow up EP to her 2022 album polish the machine. This new EP titled repolish the machine will be released next week on March 24. repolish the machine includes a handful of different versions of songs from the recent LP polish the machine. Beginning with two live stripped down sessions (the cloud sessions) of delicate graffiti and afterparty and a Thai sung version of the title track polish the machine.

Instagram

Lontalius • I Want I Want I Want • 2023

https://lontalius.com/

New Zealand-based indie pop singer/songwriter Lontalius (a.k.a Eddie Johnston) shares the understated and scenic music video for single “I Want, I Want, I Want” via Kartel Music Group. The clip was filmed at Tarakena Bay in Wellington, NZ and finds Lontalius attempting to outrun his emotions on a coastside jog. Additionally, he made his SXSW debut this week at his first official showcase on Tuesday at Victorian Room at The Driskill and at the New Zealand @ SXSW Official Party on Wednesday. 

Perlee • Reckoning • 2023

Speaking from Other Rooms, the debut album from Berlin-based Irish band Perlee, is an album about unconditional love, the banality of a capitalist society, destiny and self-realisation. Mostly though it is about love; long-distance love, love that strives to exist across a physical distance, across generations, between lovers and across time.

"A gorgeous, sighing composition that feels both dreamlike and lived-in"
Stereogum

"Berlin group Perlee take the classic slowcore template and make disarmingly beautiful music" 
Bandcamp

"We’re more than happy to call it: Perlee are one of the most exciting Irish acts we’ve heard in some time." 
The Thin Air

The Institutes • Inside Out • 2023

 www.lnk.to/THEINSTITUTES

Marking the new album reissue, the band have created a lush new version of “INSIDE OUT”, as a new digital single. Enhanced by a new string arrangement and layered with ethereal ambient soundscapes that build on a solid groove to an explosion of guitars. Speaking about the themes within the track and how this new version came together, Hally, co-songwriter and lead guitarist, says: 

“[“Inside Out”] is an insight into the struggles of the modern-day adult - a search for the coping mechanisms of day-to-day commitments, that can feel empty and unrewarding, but inside the struggle there is hope, we just need to find it.

Bingo Club • Ma Chèvre • 2023

Amoureux des climats soft rock et du grain Super 8, Martin Rousselot est un sacré tricheur au bingo. Sa ruse : cocher toutes les cases en même temps. Et enclencher dans nos souvenirs pop, récents ou ancestraux, le mode shuffle comme on mélange les chiffres à tirer. Les In

LUMBEROB • "Honey I Sure Miss You" • 2023

https://shimmy-disc.net/shimmy-2014.html

Shimmy-Disc shared the first-time vinyl release of I Killed The Monster, an 11-track compilation of songs written by the celebrated American music legend, Daniel Johnston, whose classic LPs 1990 and Artistic Vice were produced by Kramer — the former at his legendary Noise New York recording studio and the latter at Daniel's home in West Virginia — and released on Shimmy-Disc in 1990 and 1991, respectively.

The compilation, originally shared as a CD-only release in 2006, features standout performances of Johnston classic by some of indie music's greatest talents, including: Danielson & Sufjan Stevens, Kimya Dawson, Dot Allison, Mike Watt, Jad Fair & Kramer, Jeffrey Lewis, LUMBEROB, R. Stevie Moore, and more. Kramer produced and mixed most of the songs on the LP, and he himself delivers one of the most startling tracks on this release, Daniel's great masterpiece, "Bloody Rainbow."

All of the songs included on the compilation were re-mastered by Kramer in 2022, and will be available on vinyl for the very first time, and on a limited edition cassette, which will also feature an additional 10 tracks (for a total of 21), from the original 2006 CD-only release.

To celebrate the recent release, today, Shimmy-Disc has shared a lyric video for LUMBEROB's rendition of "Honey I Sure Miss You," created by LUMBEROB himself.

Said LUMBEROB of his take on the track:

"'Honey I Sure Miss You'  is the second song off ARTISTIC VICE, a record I always preferred to 1990, somehow. The 'honey honey' motif in my version has always made me laugh and I am generally hoping that future covers of Daniel embrace the danceability of his grooves as I tried to do here."

Oracle Sisters • RBH • 2023

Instagram

“Adventurous and unique..there’s no hiding the ambition and ability in their songwriting”  - 

★★★★ - NME

“The undisputed riders of the heart” - So Young

“With one listen, you’ll probably fall in love with the melodic mastery apparent in each finely crafted track” - V Magazine

“Wondrous trio Oracle Sisters offer haunting European perspectives through their distinct brand of astral indie rock” - Clash

“This trio of young Paris-based (but not born) friends swap instruments and harmonies with nauseating ease” - The New Cue

“beautiful little melodies that worm their way inside your head and then stay there” - Matt Wilkinson

Freddie & The Scenarios • Begin Again • 2023

https://www.instagram.com/freddieandthescenarios

Freddie Cowan created Freddie & The Scenarios with the help of some of the best in Mexico City’s incredible music scene, whilst also reuniting with Vaccines’ original drummer Pete Robertson, recently more known for his production work with Beabadoobee, Nasty Cherry, Crawlers; The Vaccines’ keyboardist Tim Lanham, Laura Marling’s bassist Nick Pini, iconic Japanese guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei (Kill Bill), and producer Ethan Johns (Paul McCartney, Kings Of Leon, Ryan Adams) on percussion.

The Petals • Regeneration / Chorus Of Birds • 2023

thepetalsband.com

The Petals- a project of Pittsburgh-based musicianAaron Sheedy- announce their new album,Indigo Armor, expected to release sometime in theSpring of 2023. Punctuating theannouncement is the release of two singles - "Regeneration"and "Chorus Of Birds." Followingtheir 2019 release ofSeven Stops, these new songsexplore obsession, loss, and emotions thatspan both spiritual and physical worlds.

Beauty Pill • Abandonware • 2023

This album is a Bandcamp-exclusive PAY WHAT YOU WANT curio shop of fragments, briefs, abstractions, remixes, dub insights into Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are. 

Podcast #6 • Slow Fiction

Slow Fiction is an up and coming indie rock outfit with sparkling shoegaze laces. I caught up with them from their cozy apartment/practice space in Brooklyn NY, where we talked about their latest self-title EP Slow Fiction and their coming of age in the challenging music industry. On the cusp of a tour, a new EP and finding their bands identity, Slow Fiction shared some stories of their past and where they wanna go as a band. As the world slowly starts up again after the pandemic Slow Fiction are a band to watch ❤️ 

Vocals - Julia Vassallo 

Guitar - Joseph Skimmons 

Guitar - Paul Knepple 

Bass - Ryan Duffin 

Drums - Akiva Henig https://akivahenig.com/#/

Be sure to listen at the end of the podcast for their latest single from their new EP entitled, In the distance, where it doesn​’​t matter

Featured Track

https://slowfictionband.com/

 Podcast #6

HOUSEWIFE • Fuck Around Phase • 2023

https://housewifeband.com/

Housewife's music regularly touches on the experience of being a young, queer, AFAB person existing in a male-dominated industry.In addition to exploring these themes in their music, Fry is also an advocate for 2SLGBTQ+ rights, reproductive freedom, and environmentalism, proudly fighting for immediate government response to protect ecological catastrophes as a founding member of the Canadian chapter of Music Declares Emergency.

Toronto-based indie rock outfit Housewife reveals their new single, “Fuck Around Phase,” out today on Hazel Street Records. The new song reunites Fry with frequent co-writer and producer Gabe Simon (Lana Del Rey, Noah Kahan) in Nashville, TN and includes a co-write from fellow singer-songwriter Savana Santos.

SWIMM • Talk To Me • 2023

http://www.swimmmusic.com/

"As the beautiful track progresses, two theatrical characters explore their own identity and their feelings for one another. It’s a pitch perfect pairing of audio and visual artistry." - COOL HUNTING "A delight, the smile one gets after taking the first sip of beer out of a cold can on a hot June afternoon. It should be on the soundtrack of your next pool party, and if it’s not, leave." - Hollywood Life "Achingly romantic melodies and a pulsating, sexy beat that make it a perfect ode to new love." - mxdwn "SWIMM once again constructs a pillowy world of psychedelic melodies and vibrant production." - Under The Radar

the aquadolls • sneaky • 2023

The Aquadolls release the single and video for “Sneaky,” the freshest cut off of their upcoming record, Charmed. Produced by Chris Szczech (The Goo Goo Dolls) in Los Angeles, the new song puts the angst surrounding the uncertainty of a relationship directly under a microscope; this close study fueled by a gritty sound that juxtaposes the heaviness of bands like The Breeders and Veruca Salt, and the hopeful dreaminess of shoegaze bands like Cocteau Twins and The Jesus and Mary Chain – Stream.

https://the-aquadolls.com/

Washer • King Insignificant • 2023

https://www.explodinginsoundrecords.com

“We chose 'King Insignificant' as the opener because it features a few of the vibes found elsewhere on the record, and serves as a sort of overview thematically," Quigley explains. "It's this balancing act between acknowledging the many kindnesses that have been extended to me by people in my life, and this nagging, unshakable self-contempt partly in reaction to that good fortune. It's a sort of bristling at interdependence. Greased by vice and rolling forward."

Sunnsetter • Surely Everything's Alright • 2023

"The jangly ambient track recalls the static riffs and heavenly synths of classic shoegaze acts like My Bloody Valentine, while McLeod’s soft-spoken vocals evoke the acceptance and peace the track speaks of."
- Glide Magazine

"This is one of those songs you can get lost in, or pull around you for some extra warmth and feel fine for three-and-a-half minutes [...] if warm, shoegazey textures are your kind of thing then you’re gonna love their new record.”
- Backseat Mafia

"Led by a soft and layered guitar soundscape woven together by quiet yet impactful vocals, the track which captures McLeod’s own struggles with accepting who you are and being proud of it, carries a relatable message wrapped up in a comforting instrumentation."
- EARMILK

Slow Fiction • 2023

 slowfictionband.com

David Kitt • Balances • 2023

http://www.davidkitt.com/

A long history of supporting and then playing with acclaimed rock group Tindersticks lead to Kitt officially joining the group in 2010, and in 2017 he released ‘From Night to Night’, his debut album under the alias New Jackson. Throughout his expansive career, Kitt has attracted praise from the likes of NME, Louder Than War, The Irish Times, The Guardian, Golden Plec, Pitchfork and more. He’s DJed at some of the world’s most celebrated clubs and festivals, including Berlin’s Berghain and the forward-thinking Belfast festival AVA. As a remixer, he’s also provided memorable edits for major pop and dance artists including The XX, Mano Le Tough and S**t Robot.

Of the AA-side release, Kitt says: “I decided to release ‘till the end/balances’ as a double a-side digital single because they come together on the album and they feel thematically and musically connected. They’re both abstract songs that explore commitment, memory, the miracle of endless love and the transformative powers of awe and wonder. They both feature Katie Kim on vocals, her vocals on till the end really transformed the song and made it one of my favourite pieces of music that I’ve ever been involved in. Thanks Katie!”

PACKS • Brown Eyes • 2023

https://packstheband.com/

"Take the Cake is the sound of classic indie rock, as delivered by a promising new voice."

Bandcamp

"Madeline Link sings with her jaw half-clenched half the time, as calculatedly laconic as Steven Malkmus...a witty and intriguing lyricist and Take The Cake has plenty of risky moments."

FADER

"A force to be reckoned with; PACKS are reinventing the slacker soundtrack." 

So Young

"Scruffy and bright lo-fi indie rock...joyously off-the-cuff."

NYLON

Podcast #5 • Ryan Hamilton

I had the great pleasure of chatting with indie rocker Ryan Hamilton (Smile Smile, People on Vacation) from his home studio in Stephenville Texas. Our heartfelt conversation kept coming back to how independent musicians are having a brutal post-Covid time surviving financially through their craft. Ryan has a new record coming out in April entitled Haunted by the Holy Ghost, and I recommend you buy it! Go to his show and buy a T or a vinyl. If we don't support these artists they disappear and we are left with Taylor Swift as our only option (and I LOVE TS).  Thanks for listening. ❤️ 

Featured Track

Podcast #5 

Fixtures • Jimmy Needs the Money • 2023

https://bobointegral.bandcamp.com/?mc_cid=2039b2cde6&mc_eid=18fd3d5c6d

To record the album, Lachlan enlisted help from friends Anila Hasnain (Partner Look) and Dom Kearton (Skydeck), on Bass and Guitar respectively. The producing of the album was split up between sessions with Liam Halliwell (The Ocean Party, Snowy Band), Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair (Good Morning), Dainis Lacey (Cool Sounds) and Tori Holleman (Douglas Fur, Retiree). For each session the engineers became quasi members of the band, playing singing and arranging collaboratively.

Furnishings is Lachlan's most diverse album to date. From the lo-fi keyboard musings of 'Bookshelf' to the 80s infused pop of 'You' and back to the jangling guitars of 'Lose' it is an album that twists and turns but still has all the songwriting hallmarks of a Lachlan Denton album. The album also accompanies Lachlan's first Furniture collection, which will be on display in Melbourne to accompany the launch of the record."

Soukou • bloodline • 2023

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/

Oozing with a soul-tinged splendour, SOUKOU’s powerfully emotive vocals are at the forefront throughout. Subtle synth-infused soundscapes slide in effortlessly underneath R&B-infused sensibilities, creating something truly mesmerising as a result. Talking about the single, SOUKOU explains, “this song is about generative trauma. It's about my grandparent, my parents and me. Its about healing and letting go of the stuff that doesn’t belong to you; about freeing yourself”.

Luna • Full Performance (Live on KEXP) • 2023

Songs:

Thank You For Sending Me An Angel

Chinatown

Pup Tent

23 Minutes In Brussels

VARSITY • Cowboy Killer • 2023

You're the real thing

Big boots and diamond rings

Hypnotical legs

You said what up babe

You pulled up right

The only cowboy for miles

800 degrees

In your mirror ball gaze

You used to say

On the open road today

There are no shortcuts or heartaches

Me, Charles • White Pearl • 2023

Body image is a recurring theme across the record. The EP’s title refers to the way we generally accept the word ‘fine’ as a replacement for good, when often that is far from the case. It’s also a reference to the overly high expectations Stooke puts on himself, in part due to the body dysmorphia and resultant disordered eating he has struggled with for many years. The EP’s artwork is a truly defiant image,  where Stooke’s naked form is displayed unflinchingly on the cover. “I’m really lucky and grateful to be able to reappropriate these usually painful areas of my life in such a constructive way”, he says of the experience. 

Murray A. Lightburn • "Once Upon A Time In Montréal" • 2023

www.murraylightburn.com

Once Upon A Time In Montreal was produced by Howard Bilerman (Leonard Cohen, The Weather Station, Godspeed You! Black Emperor), who Lightburn worked with on Hear Me Out. The album features Dears drummer Jeff Luciani along with a number of talented, local jazz players, including Frank Lozano, who delivers a soaring sax solo on the title track, which for Murray conjured the ghost of his father, who—after abandoning music when he became a born-again Christian—had picked up his sax again in the 2000s to play on two Dears songs. As soon as Lozano finished, “I knew it was a 400-foot home run,” says Lightburn. "I knew it was something that would hold. I knew also at that moment how much my dad would love this record. Even if he never told me, I know that it would be on repeat in his car if he was still with us and driving around. That was my motivation—to make something I know he would love. It’s not indie rock, you know?”

Podcast #4 • Anna McClellan

I caught up with indie superstar Anna McClellan from her pad in Omaha Nebraska, unfortunately she was just getting over Covid, but was in  enough shape to chat anyway! What a trooper. Anna has been making piano driven records for close to a decade and we are all better off because of it; honest, pure songwriting from a genuine soul. We chatted about her songwriting process, her many collaborators and her up and coming record. She's a 💎 Her latest release, "I Saw First Light" is top notch songwriting.

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Episode #4