May 16, 2022

Lucas Laufen • In Cologne • 2022



Lucas Laufen’s music can be linked to a form of therapy. His delicate brand of folk effortlessly relieves the listener of any stress, grief or sorrow. Sombre falsetto melodies married to shimmering guitars within elemental orchestrations that yearn and plunge, endow us to stop, breathe and escape the daily noise.
Growing up in the small ex-fishing town of Port Lincoln, Australia, Lucas was a passionate pianist at the age of eight and an ardent trumpet player at ten. It was not until his teens that he discovered the acoustic guitar and began fostering a deep and unique passion for songwriting

May 15, 2022

Ken Yates • Honest Light (feat. Caroline Marie Brooks) • 2022



Yates' forthcoming album Cerulean meets Yates at his darkest and most vulnerable, as he transforms the pain of grief, fear and loss into an 11-track quest towards hope, light and peace. A crucial vehicle out of the depths of darkness and bitterness for Yates, Cerulean serves as a powerful reemergence filled with his signature remarkable vocal intimacy as well as a profound yet candid peek into the universal human experience.


["Consolation Prize"] [features] downcast energy and confessional lyrics while adding layers to its lush soundscape"
“Yates has now asserted himself as one of Canada’s most unique folk artists with a true knack for effective songwriting.”
"An enchanting song of acceptance and resolve, Ken Yates’ “The Big One” is a soothing and stirring apocalyptic lullaby that finds refuge in the face of life’s fragility."
"Ken has earned a strong reputation as a bona-fide composer who combines his emotionally charged storytelling with some incredible and unforgettable melodies.”

May 13, 2022

Say Sue Me 세이수미 • The Last Thing Left • 2022


After a flurry of international activity culminating with a debut North American tour at the end of 2019, like everyone else in the world, Say Sue Me were forced to take a touring hiatus in 2020, and quietly began work on a new album. ‘The Last Thing Left’ was self-recorded and self-produced during lockdown at the band's own Busan studio. 


phoneswithchords • cut the kid • 2022


All songs recorded in my living room on a really old Mac computer with a cheap microphone and an even cheaper parlor guitar named Blanche. 



May 10, 2022

Heavy Gus • Weird Sad Symbol • 2022




Heavy Gus emerged last year with the psychedelic-tinged “Do We Have to Talk?”, a track about the intimacy in words unspoken and reaching out for the comfort of a physical connection. Earlier this year, they shared the long-distance-love-song “Dinner For Breakfast,” a droning, bittersweet, reverb-drenched reflection on longing and separation that ultimately finds a reason to hold on in even the darkest of moments.

May 9, 2022

WE ARE JOINERS • EP 4 • 2022



The Wedding Present • Locked Down and Stripped Back Vol Two • 2022




tommy oeffling • hand​-​in​-​hand • 2022


tommy oeffling makes music in his basement in the middle of nowhere in illinois


May 7, 2022

Rowan • Does It Make You Happy? • 2022


"Rowan detail the need to rediscover authenticity and candor in “Honesty,” a song that evokes solace through lush familiarity and its own sonic sincerity."

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"The record is full of indie-rock jams that move confidently from intimate to soaring, and provide a harmonious landscape for Rowan to confront deep-seated emotions with a sense of honesty."

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"Filled with sunkissed melodies and shredding guitar moments, ‘Honesty’ is a glorious new single from Rowan. The band weave garage rock elements over dreamy shoegaze tones..."

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Lost Cat • "L.O.S.T." • 2022




"Revving things up with frenetic riffery and wailing vocals, the track grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you as soon as the drums kick in."
- Glide

"With gritty guitars, raucous percussion, and wailing, rowdy harmonies, you can hear that gritty riot grrrl sound on 'L.O.S.T.'"
- Indie88

"Channeling classic 60s television a la The Dick Clark Show, the track’s visual is a perfect representation of Lost Cat’s perfect marriage of old and new, a sonic blend of classic riot grrrl and spunky pop girl group flair."
- SPILL Magazine

May 6, 2022

ORNAMENTAL.SINGLESPACK 87 • LATE APR 2022


Creative Playlist • newstarshipsmell • 2022

Leonard Cohen • Democracy • 1992



It's coming to America first
The cradle of the best and of the worst
It's here they got the range
And the machinery for change
And it's here they got the spiritual thirst
It's here the family's broken
And it's here the lonely say
That the heart has got to open
In a fundamental way
Democracy is coming to the USA

It's coming from the women and the men
Oh baby, we'll be making love again
We'll be going down so deep
The river's going to weep
And the mountain's going to shout, "Amen"
It's coming like the tidal flood
Beneath the lunar sway
Imperial, mysterious
In amorous array
Democracy is coming to the USA

Sheryl Crow • A Change Would Do You Good • 2009






May 5, 2022

Spring 2022 by Z Tapes


Baby! It's time for Spring 2022! This spectacular compilation featuring 27 amazing artists is the perfect soundtrack for the season. It may even be our best seasonal compilation yet.. 

All proceeds will be donated to Chrysalide, Lyon's Trans Rights center. 

chrysalide-asso.fr 

Happy listening and don't forget your allergy pills. The pollen is crazy. 

xoxo, 
Angie

ztapesrecords.com

May 4, 2022

ME REX • Toilet of Venus • 2022



“The band have crafted their debut with an uncommon degree of love and care and, in turn, deliver a record that rewards the same devotion from listeners.”
The Line of Best Fit
 
“...nothing short of an artistic triumph”
Brooklyn Vegan
 
“England’s ME REX aren’t just shaking those expectations with their debut full-length, Megabear, they’re completely upheaving the entire concept of how music is created and released.”
Consequence

Le Couleur • Comme une fin du monde • 2022




“‘Comme une fin du monde’ is one of the more spacious and spectral offerings from the record, tinged by swirling piano chords, dreamy synth arpeggios, and dark instrumentation.”
Under The Radar Magazine

“Packed with playful notes on a bed of classic 70s synths, their latest effort Concorde Deluxe Edition is the ultimate portrayal of the bands world of psychedelic disco.”
Wonderland Magazine

“Le Couleur whisks you away into a dimension overtaken by sun-drenched happiness”
FLAUNT Magazine

“Despite a hazy disco air that pops like an expertly timed laser show, the song's good-time vibes are tempered by a slight gloom. It's all the more enticing for them.”
The Fader

“The production is as luxurious as the Concorde itself, with layers of analog synthesizers, funky guitars, and a truly killer rhythm section (the basslines are amazing).”
Brooklyn Vegan

May 3, 2022

THE BLSSM • I HATE SUNDAY • 2022




“…splitting and fun, while also unabashedly honest and kinetic” –HYPEBEAST

“‘NOT TODAY’ is a fearless, sassy banger. The bombastic, anthemic instrumentation highlights THE BLSSM’s signature genre-bending style” –CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND

“…fantastic pop music… the project has just enough energy (pure energy, at that) to bloom into what Lizotte has always dreamed of.” –ALTERNATIVE PRESS

“…brilliantly nostalgic…channels a true 90s pop-rock sound” ­–EARLY RISING


May 2, 2022

May Day Music: A Benefit Compilation For Strike Funds & Artists • 2022


A benefit compilation for strike funds and artists! Proceeds will go towards ongoing strikes and unionization efforts as well as the contributing artists.

May 1, 2022

Mall Girl • Close My Eyes (Live at Studio Paradiso) • 2022


Today, Norwegian math pop four-piece Mall Girl have released their debut album Superstar via Jansen Records. To mark the release, the band has shared a brand new live video for album track 'Close My Eyes', recorded at Studio Paradiso in Oslo where they recorded the album. 


“Whatever direction they choose to follow, there is a real feeling that Mall Girl are a band at the beginning of something.” The Quietus

“There's a raw and spontaneous energy that belies the intricacy and disparate influences that went into creating it, with fizzy, playful touches skittering throughout.” The Line Of Best Fit

"For fans of Deerhoof or Life Without Buildings, the Norwegian art-pop band offer a dreamy, crunchy assessment of the delights of laying on the beach and looking at the stars." The Guardian

“An unrelenting math-pop earworm” Under The Radar