It’s been a busy month elsewhere, hence the lack of posts when compared to March! Today saw a romp through stuff I had bookmarked, and I listened to some enjoyable tracks. Here are ten for your listening pleasure!

Here is the Playlist:

or listen on YouTube

And here are the individual tracks/info:

Glixen – Splendor

Strong, dynamic and sparkling shoegaze from the Phoenix based Glixen. Sounds a bit like Miki Berenyi fronting a vintage Ride, and that can never, ever be a bad thing!

Bathe Alone – Awfully Quiet

I cannot beat the press blurb on this one which is that Awfully Quiet is “a dreamy ballad featuring dramatic drums, ambient guitar drenched in delay, and droning vocals that are as soft as they are powerful.” Spot on and Bailey Crone’s best effort for a while.

The Linda Lindas – Too Many Things

Too Many Things is a powerful pop punk effort that is as tuneful as the words are somewhat bleak. Catchy and addictive. The double named sisters can do no wrong at the moment.

Hause Plants – I Think I Might

Upbeat indiepop from Lisboa’s Hause Plants with a great video to match. The song deals with self-esteem and relationships, but all turns out okay!

Strangers In My House – Undefined

Polish Shoegazers Strangers In My House release their new album Leave It Undefined next month. Undefined is the first taster from said EP and is gothic tinged, mainly due to the vocals, dreampop/shoegaze with an ethereal feel engulfing the track. Translated, the press release says that the song “is the story of a man created on the basis of lies and gossips, caught between his own image of himself and how others perceive him. As a result, the image blurs and the attempt to find oneself again is not simple” Just as I erm, thought!

Swiss Portrait – Before

Before is a dreamy but melancholic song, the type of track that Michael Kay Terence is slowly perfecting on this and his previous DIY/bedroom pop releases. I could listen to this one all day long. An EP titled The Crippling Pain of Happiness follows soon.

Antílodepevega – 42

42 is an interesting song that fuses synthpop and DIY elements alongside the vocals of David Haro, which sound sombre and dead-panish in a number of places. It comes bundled with two additional versions, with the livelier Cuarenta y dos standing out. An album, titled Un Monstruo De La Naturaleza, follows on May 05 2023.

Glazyhaze – Saltless

Saltless is the second single from the Venetian’s Glazyhaze. The words are repetitive but strong on emphasis as the guitars provide varying contrast and textures on this shimmering dreampop/shoegaze effort.

The Halamays – Classic Move

Do you remember the Dutch band Persil? I still dig out their tunes now again and on Classic Move, which is the first single from The Hamalays for a couple of years, I am instantly reminded of them. Driven by programming, the track is a vibrant indiepop song that bounces along, taking the listener with it for the ride.

KRAFTman – Atomkraft (Vapourized 12 Inch Mix)

As usual I like finishing these samplers with some electronica, and given that Kraftwerk and all round post-punk synth pop fan KRAFTman has a collection of mixes out it’s more than appropriate to post a track from it. The collection, as the Electrique Fabrique (12 Inch Mixes) name implies, features 12″ versions and mixes of tracks found on 2021’s Electrique Fabrique album. Like the music found on this version of Atomkraft, it is sometimes just as simple as what “it says on the tin“.