The Churchhill Garden – Dreams Turn Gray

The new single from The Churchhill sees Andy Jossi team up with Jack Richard Sobel from Black Swan Lane who, like previous collaborators before him, supplies the words and voice. The sound is vast and expansive as Jossi pushes the boundaries of epic dreampop ever further whilst Sobel’s lyrics and sometimes stoic vocals could signal the last few thoughts of someone in despair. Staring at the gloomy artwork adds to the mood but the end result isn’t dark as you might expect. There is beauty to be found here if you look and listen hard enough. Homepage Continue reading The Churchhill Garden – Dreams Turn Gray

Various Artists – C19

Peruvian label Impermeable Records have just released a compilation celebrating the 33rd anniversary of the legendary C86 tape. It’s called C19 and it’s not named after the virus but the fact all the tracks were recorded last year. The successor to CD16 features 22 tracks featuring a number of acts mentioned on these very pages including Nah…, EggS, Terry vs. Tori, The Umbrella Puzzles, Stars on Fire, The Reds, Pinks & Purples and many more. Suffice to say I guess we have the same music taste when it comes to indiepop! It’s a great compilation by the way :o) C19 … Continue reading Various Artists – C19

Coming Up Roses – All Our Time (Demo)

Singapore based band Coming Up Roses have released a demo (they call it “homemade”) of a track they were working on before the Covid-19 pandemic broke which is titled All Our Time. It starts off mellow with the dreamy vocals of Emily Sera sounding quite lovely – as they always have been to be fair! The guitars then kick in and we are treated to a full on shoegaze explosion. The song then repeats the same pattern whilst Sera spins a tale of relationship woe. “Don’t say you’re sorry just to leave me in the cold” she sings but somehow … Continue reading Coming Up Roses – All Our Time (Demo)

The Wolfhounds – Can’t See The Light (Radio Edit)

The timeless sounding C86 veterans The Wolfhounds have announced details of a new album and their first since 2016’s excellent Untied Kingdom or (How to Come to Terms With Your Culture). Titled Electric Music it will be released via A Turntable Friend Records on July 3rd 2020. The band have also released a precursor to the album in the shape of Can’t See The Light. It’s a radio edit of the lead track and it’s The Wolfhounds sounding like they are at the top of their game once more. Currently Electric Music can only be pre-ordered in digital formats. Physical … Continue reading The Wolfhounds – Can’t See The Light (Radio Edit)

Eterna Joventut – Vuelve Junto a Mí

Vuelve Junto a Mí (Come Back to Me) is an indiepop track by Barcelona based Eterna Joventut. It’s inspired by the 1960’s, reverb & surf pop and is ultimately a tale of woe as the songs protagonist cannot work out why their lover has left them despite the kisses they gave. The band, who comprise of Júlia & Asier, write that Vuelve Junto a Mí is the first of several they have recorded during “these rare days”. Based on this one I cannot wait to hear the others. Continue reading Eterna Joventut – Vuelve Junto a Mí

Letters To Annika – Letters To Annika EP

Japanese band Letters To Annika is Azusa Suga (For Tracy Hyde/April Blue) who has created a favourable impression with his two singles to date, being Namesake and Tidal respectively. Both appear here on the project’s debut EP but it’s the tracks previously unheard that leave their mark. Opener Brighton is dreamy bedroom pop at it’s dreamiest whilst Love Song pulsates in a similar vein to the aforementioned Tidal. The almost spoken words over the music halfway onward is pretty effective. Wavelength provides some noise and roving guitar alongside subdued vocals whilst Absinthe is the jangliest, most indiepop track on the … Continue reading Letters To Annika – Letters To Annika EP

Be Afraid – Remember Fun

Remember Fun is the new release and their first for a couple of years from Vancouver’s Be Afraid. The band’s music is a blend of indie and power pop with more than a few 1960s influences running through. Tracks like You Lose Continue and Crawling Now are short and sweet whilst longer tracks such as Birdbrain contain enough hooks to keep you interested. It’s not all plain sailing as they lose their way on the My Boy which unfortunately I found impossible to enjoy. That said that’s a personal view and another view is that everything else on the EP … Continue reading Be Afraid – Remember Fun

Apple Orchard – A Slow Dissolve

Is waking up to a new single from Apple Orchard on a nice sunny morning one of life’s pleasures? A Slow Dissolve suggests so! It contains enough fuzz and noise to keep me happy as the band draw from their indiepop and shoegaze influences. It’s like the Mary Chain being mixed with The Primitives with some Ride thrown in but rather than sounding totally retro it actually sounds pretty fresh to these ears. Happy daze. The band recently recorded a live social distance session for Our Secret World which was organised by Indonesian label Shiny Happy Records. That session has … Continue reading Apple Orchard – A Slow Dissolve