As the year is coming to an end, it is time for Bolywool's final installment in the 'From Void To Matter' trilogy. Volume 3 follows the Swedish band's September release and introduces new elements to the palette, such as a combination of pop-y parts with more artsy and abstract ones. 'The Age Of Entitlement' stands out with its vigour and 'You Are Not Alone In The Universe, I Am Here' is a true anthem, which sums up the stunning EP and trilogy. The EP is available on Bandcamp and Spotify via VÅRØ records. Check it out below!
'Molten Young Lovers' is Airiel's second full-length album following their 2012's 'Kid Games' EP. The band, which hails from Chicago, IL., does not need many introductions among shoegaze fans. Jeremy Wrenn often describes their music as:"It's loud. It's pretty. You can dance to it."; it's a description that fits perfectly this album. 'Molten Young Lovers' instantly engages its listeners into an alternating array of uptempo (This Is Permanent, Sharron Apple) and downtempo songs (Your Lips,My Mouth, Molten Young Lovers, Song Of You). This album sounds like an ode to love and is full of captivating melodies permeated with Airiel's magical ability to turn the audio into visual with their lyrics. It's safe to say that it's among our favourite albums of 2017 (and not only). 'Molten Young Lovers' came out on October 13th on double LP and digital formats on Shelflife Records. Do not miss it!
There's a term in literary theory called 'intertextuality', which has to do with the interrelationship between texts that have influenced a writer to create a work or the reader to understand a particular piece of writing. The case of Fimbria's album 'Eternal Return' is one in which the artist uses his influences to create something unique. Fimbria is the solo electronic project of American-born composer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Brian Castriota (earlier composing as 'Earth First') who released a 5-track EP 'Northern Winds' in 2014 on FMT Recordings. His music bears influences from the more wistful moments of The Radio Dept. as well as new age and electronic music pioneers, such as Suzanne Ciani, Harold Budd, John Kerr, and Enya. In 'Eternal Return' Brian worked meticulously to assemble and combine a particular palette of synthesizers: the lush pads and leads of the Juno-106, the breathiness of the M1, and the Gregorian chants of the VP-330. The album has been described as the soundtrack to "the last few shots of a movie that had a pretty unhappy ending, one of those achy coda endings that's mildly hopeful but it just seems that way relative to how grim the conclusion was in the penultimate scene." It is officially released today on Cadent Records, a label co-operated by Brian Castriota and Ethan Wells (Ebn Ezra), who both have a sense that their music belongs to and comes from another time and place, hence their fondness for Romantic painting, early MIDI- and voltage-controlled synthesizers, and megalithic earthworks. The painting by 19th-century German painter Caspar David Friedrich on the cover adds to the overall feel of the album. It is entitled 'Evening Landscape With Two Men' and Brian explains its purpose: "I like the ambiguity of it - the relationship portrayed, whose perspective it's from, and whether they're looking at a sunrise, sunset, or nuclear explosion." 'Eternal Return' is a multifaceted album and invites the listener to effortlessly dive into its various layers of depth again and again. It is available digitally and on limited edition cassette and CD. Check it out below!
Bolywool are a shoegaze/post-rock band formed in 1998 by cousins Calle Thoor and Oskar Karlström on the Swedish island of Öland. With numerous releases under their belt already, they have just shared the second volume of their 'From Void To Matter' trilogy. Following the first part, that was mostly improvised in the studio, this volume is an extraordinary continuation of their work with manifold, shimmering layers. The first song takes up from where they left the single 'The Dial' (released in 2010) with brilliant vocals by Julia Bjernelind from Westkust. The three songs create a vivid image of multiple sonic explosions that materialize into an ethereal, highly evocative, autumnal landscape. Volume 3 will be released later this year. A collective vinyl-box of all volumes has also been planned for 2018 to celebrate Bolywool's anniversary of 20 years as a band. The EP is out digitally via Swedish indie label VÅRØ.
Listen and get transported below.
Loners is the brainchild of Coventry based musician Alex Benetatos with the recent addition of Carlos Dias on vocals. What started out as a solo instrumental project has evolved into a duet and today their full-length debut album is coming to light. 'Intimacy' has nine tracks that blend in the reminiscent and haunting atmosphere you can expect from a dreamy and bedroom pop record. The album is out digitally and on limited edition CD via Beko disques. You are invited to stream it and get intimate with it below.
Citrus Clouds released an impressive album in 2016 called 'Imagination', a musical trait they have no shortage of. The dream pop trio from Phoenix, Arizona (comprised of Erick Pineda, Stacie Huttleston and Angelica Pedrego) are ready for their new EP, 'Ultra Sound', which will drop on September 22nd on Custom Made Music. They've just shared the first single 'Life Happens', a song about loss and our ability to move on; when something ends, you have to accept it and grow. Musically, the song is wrapped up in the band's melodic guitar and bass lines, a sample of a more mature work we are looking forward to. You can listen to 'Life Happens' and pre-order the EP below.
TV Sets formed in Toronto in 2014 when Angela and Joshua heard each other playing music through the walls of their apartment building. They eventually met and started working together. Their third member, also called Josh, joined after being the only person to respond to Angela and Josh's vague Craigslist ad in search of fans of experimental electronic music. After revealing the first single Fools Day a few months ago, on August 11th the Canadian bedroom-pop trio released their new EP 'Elsewhere', which features 6 tracks that harmoniously blend jangly guitars and atmospheric bass. The title track is about the contradicting will to change overnight while being attached to the past. The video was shot on Super 8 film and it follows the band through different local hang outs around their home town. Check out the video and stream/buy 'Elsewhere' below.
Coming from a very sunlit country, I have always been fascinated by the amount of "cheerful" indie pop music northern - typically thought as gloomy and cold - countries produce. It seems to me that good indie pop coming from Scandinavian bands has become the norm. And here's (another) proof. Verandan are the latest addition to Finnish label, Soliti's list of great bands. They were formed in late 2015 around songs written by Ville Hopponen (known from Cats on Fire and latterly The New Tigers). Aiding and abetting Ville on his new adventure are the magnificent players Aleksi Peltonen (Puunhalaaja) Aki Pohjankyrö (Black Twig, LOVE SPORT), Kaarlo Stauffer (Black Twig) and Sampo Seppänen (Sofa Pets, Kynnet). Their first single 'Gold In The Hills' was released earlier in June and they've just shared their second one, 'Short Dream', from their forthcoming EP. As the title suggests, the song takes us into a short dream. The harmonic jangle of the guitars is mixed with the softness of the synths, making us step into the vividness of a dream. It’s short lived, as the song takes off with a direct guitar lead right after the vocals: “I’m awake now, I’ll walk on but I know it’s different, from now on”. Ville expands: “The song is built around an old musical idea that was lying around gathering dust but knew deep down it would eventually be of use. It’s mostly about the contrast between a vivid dream (or some other profound experience) and the mundane and how the former sometimes can make the latter feel underwhelming. Like the fate of a tourist.” 'Short Dream' will be released digitally on August 14th. As the summer is slowly coming to an end, I urge you to dive into this dreamy tune, which - like all things happy - doesn't seem to last long enough!
For those of you thirsty for some refreshing tunes, Beko Disques is now serving one of the most brilliant indie pop releases of the year!
Carriere Solois the brainchild of Rennes (France) musician Régis Rollant (guitars, vocals, keyboard). With the participation of Ghislain Fracapane (bass, backing vocals) and Florian Pardigon (drums), the project's debut EP '#1' is out today on the French label.
FP2T is happy to be premiering the two-track EP, which abounds with jangly pop guitars and lively vocals. It is available to stream/download on Bandcamp and Soundcloud. Check out the gorgeous summer tunes below!
Hailing from Denmark's capital city, post-punk trio The Foreign Resort are two days away from officially releasing their new single 'She Is Lost', the first song from their next full length album. The band seem to be returning to the analogue sound of their 'New Frontiers' album, but in a more minimalistic way and with plenty of electronics and spacious drums to create a dreamy yet upbeat soundscape full of contrast. For lead singer Mikkel B. Jakobsen 'She Is Lost' is a very personal song about what he sarcastically refers to as “the summer of love”: “It was one of the worst summers in my life. I came out strong on the other side, but this song was written partly when things were looking very bad and I was not doing the right things to get to a better place and partly when I had realized it was not just me who was the problem. Hence the title 'She Is Lost'.” Steffan Petersen’s motorik bass and Morten Hansen’s dynamic drumming exquisitely embrace Mikkel's sophisticated reverb-enveloped guitar lines and captivating vocals producing a melancholic and yet buoyant effect. The band have also recently contributed the track 'Skyline/Decay' to the Alternative F̷acts: A Shoegaze Resistance Compilation, curated by DKFM Shoegaze Radio and are embarking on a ten-day Canada tour on April 20th.
While eagerly waiting for their new material, you can enjoy 'She Is Lost' below.
RHEYA is the solo project of a Swedish dream pop artist, who first made his appearance in 2014. As his moniker suggests, his music is influenced by earlier Wild Nothing records, but RHEYA succeeds in creating a dreamy world of his own. Drenched in laid-back synths and unique vocals, his songs have not left my mp3 playlist all this time. On March 3rd his EP 'Union' was re-released through VÅRØ, an independent Swedish label, and it is enriched with 'Gold' and 'When No One Else Is Around', two more recent tracks. The Union EP is available to stream/buy on Bandcamp and Spotify. Check it out below.
One of the privileges of being a blogger is when a new band contacts you and asks you to listen to their forthcoming release. Which can also become a sort of torture when you discover amazing music that you cannot share with the rest of the world just yet. Such is the case of Venn. The Washington D.C. shoegaze/dream pop quartet (comprising of Holden Cihelka, Gabe Earle, Jon Fetahaj and Julian Earle) first made their appearance in August 2016 with a brilliant cover version of Slowdive's 'Alison'. Earlier this month they gave us a taste of their debut self-titled EP, which they recorded independently and is being released today. 'Surreal' is a strikingly refreshing track that immediately catches the listener's attention. And as you move on to the other three tracks you will find that the EP really works as a 'Venn diagram': ethereal vocals, jangly guitars, breezy reverb sounds overlap to create a multi-layered dreamy experience. 'Venn' is a stunning debut by a band that - judging by the young of its members' age - has a very promising future! The EP is out now and you can stream/buy it below.
Sister Electra is the brainchild of Swedish musician/producer Stefan Eriksson. Despite his own musical roots originally within punk and heavy metal genres, in the late eighties he was drawn towards the electronic music scene. Throughout his career, Eriksson has been involved in an impressive amount of different bands/projects, released records and toured around the world. He recently started collaborating with the newly-founded label Modernshortcuts, who are releasing his new single. FP2T is happy to be premiering 'Down By The Park', a melodic synth-drenched track that sounds fresh and at the same time reminiscent of past decades' music. The single will be officially released on 31/01/2017 and will also include an alternate version, 'Unconscious By The Park'. Check out 'Down By The Park' below!
This is one of the days shoegaze fans have been dreaming of for years and seemed so far away. The wait is finally over! Slowdive have just released a new song after 22 years. Singer Neil Halstead says: “When the band decided to get back together in 2014 we really wanted to make new music. It's taken us a whole load of shows and a few false starts to get to that point, but it's with pride and a certain trepidation we unleash 'Star Roving'. We really hope folks enjoy it, it's part of a bunch of new tracks we've been working on and it feels as fun, and as relevant playing together now as it did when we first started”. Their new material will be released via Dead Oceans worldwide and 'Star Roving' is the first excerpt of a promising return. You can watch the video with visuals by Nathan David Smith or stream/download the track on Bandcamp below. Enjoy!
