Category: indiepop

Alt Rock, Dream Pop, Dreampop, indiepop, Jangle Pop1 Comment

Letters To Annika – Letters To Annika EP

Tom

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

indiepop, PowerpopLeave a comment

Be Afraid – Remember Fun

Tom

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

C86, Dream Pop, Dreampop, indiepop, Shoegaze1 Comment

Apple Orchard – A Slow Dissolve

Tom

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

C86, indiepop, Lo-Fi, TweeLeave a comment

Various Artists – Shelter 2 (Sunday Records)

Tom

Sunday Records have released a second volume of songs as “a (another!) special treat for our fans during the coronavirus isolation”. Once again the compilation features tracks collated from acts on the labels roster. The Proctors open with Only Stupid, a track that started life in the early 1990’s before Japanese Heart Software give us For Another Day which originally appeared on last years Lonely Hearts EP. That release did not grab me then but after hearing this again I may need a revisit. Compilations eh? Kosmonaut deliver an acoustic version of Silver Star before LIPS treat us once more … Continue reading Various Artists – Shelter 2 (Sunday Records)

Alt Rock, C86, Dream Pop, Dreampop, indiepop, Jangle Pop, Pop, Shoegaze, TweeLeave a comment

Records I Like Mix May 2020

Tom

The latest mix featuring tracks released in the past month or so. Enjoy! Tracklisting: Die Zärtlichkeit – Chaos That track, titled Chaos, opens the EP and it’s a vintage sounding indie/jangle pop song which gets things off to a fine start. No Suits in Miami – What We Have Strong female vocals soar above the guitars which, depending on your viewpoint, are either influenced by 1981 Glasgow or 1988 Bristol. Dreams of Empire – Broken Keys I am not sure if I have ever heard a song that references both the Sparks and Plastic Bertrand before but Broken Dreams does … Continue reading Records I Like Mix May 2020

C86, Dream Pop, Dreampop, Electronica, indiepop, Jangle Pop1 Comment

The Saturday Session

Tom

Vamping – Holyoke To say that the new song from Amarillo’s Vamping is a shimmering delight is a vast understatement. Holyoke literally glows thanks to the harmonious synths and guitars coupled with a very catchy chorus and vocals. Lock-down positivity in a nutshell. Facebook Phosphene – Incandescent Plumes Incandescent Plumes is the third single to be taken forthcoming album Lotus Eaters. Rachel Frankel’s vocals are as lovely as ever despite the gloomy and dark words which seem to be a feature of their songs. Musically it’s less dream pop and more alt/indie rock than their previous efforts but I am … Continue reading The Saturday Session

Dream Pop, Dreampop, indiepop, Jangle Pop1 Comment

Something For The Weekend? Three From Japan

Tom

This weeks pack of three features three artists from the “Land of the Rising Sun”. Letters To Annika – Tidal Tidal is the second track from the project of Azusa Suga (For Tracy Hyde/AprilBlue). It’s a pulsating, fast moving track and may well feature on the debut self titled EP that is due for release next month. Facebook Happypills – Monsoon I am not sure what is happening musically in Japan at the moment but this may give some clues. Letters To Annkia above proclaim that “surf rock isn’t dead” and Happypills describe Monsoon as an “indie surf rock”. The … Continue reading Something For The Weekend? Three From Japan