Mint Field are a duo out of Mexico City, Mexico. Their new album Aprender a Ser (Learning To Be) is a shimmery ride through bits of dream pop, shoegaze and trip hop (that’s a bit of a stretch, but I’m going with it). The slightly blurry, yet shiny image used for the album cover describes their sound better that I ever could. If I were to rate this it would be 5 wooden nickles!
Aprender a Ser is out on Friday 10/27/2023. You need this album in your life. You can check out the singles “El Suspiro Cambia Todo”, “Nuevo Sol” and “Orquídea” below. They represent the album well. Enjoy.
Melenas are back with a magnificent new album titled Ahora. This quartet out of Pamplona, Spain have it all dialed in – I’m talking jangly guitars, pulsing synths, fuzz, gaze, gauze, noise, you name it, it’s probably in there.
Ahora is (as I said in a previous post) 10 tracks of kraut-meets-Stereolab, electro-pop goodness. Check out “Bang” below; it’s so rad, I find myself humming or whistling it all day.
Let’s just get my biases out of the way. I am a huge fan of Feel It Records. I listen to everything they put out and buy about 95% of their releases. When I got the promo email for the new LP from The Cowboys and saw the album cover for Sultan of Squat, I knew immediately that I was going to love this album. I wasn’t wrong.
From go, on first single and album opener, “The Sultan of Squat” (below), I was hooked. It’s a bouncy garage-pop track with a kind of “doo-wop-like” chorus that’s just candy to the ears. Their second single, “She’s Not Your Baby Anymore” (also below), sounds like it was recorded during The Byrds’ sessions for Sweetheart Of The Rodeo.
Sultan of Squat is just killer from start to finish. It sounds like they were listening to lots of and being influenced by the likes of Buddy Holly, Elvis Costello, The Kinks, and The Byrds going into the recording of it. I am completely twitter-pated by it. Please listen to the tracks below; they will put a smile on your face, and we all need more reasons for smiles to be on our faces.
Houston band Astragal’s debut LP Pure Cashmere came out back in April of ’22 and I am mad at myself for taking 10 months to finally listen to it. Pure Cashmere is solid from start to finish; if you enjoy Brit-pop, jangle-pop, shoegaze and post-punk, you are going to love this album as Astragal blends those genres masterfully together for its nearly 39 minute run time.
Pure Cashmere is out now via Astragal’s Bandcamp page. Go and buy it right now. Think of it as hopefully investing in a potential vinyl release of this album. Enjoy
Montreal duo Bodywash just released their new single “Kind of Light” into the world. It’s a lush, throbbing, dream-pop track mingled with enough gaze to make any fans of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins take notice. “Kind of Light” is out now on all the streamers via Light Organ Records. Enjoy.
SLC’s Nicole Canaan has just released her new single (and strongest to date) “Party Person” from her forthcoming album, My Own Two Hands.
Nicole’s voice is powerful on “Party Person” and shines alongside her shimmery guitar work. I know that I have already written this, but this is her best work yet and I am excited to hear the new album!
My Own Two Hands was produced and mastered by the über-talented Isaac Elmont and Bly Wallentine, respectively. It comes out on December 3 via UPHERE! Records. You do not want to miss it.
Provo UT’s UPHERE! Records are releasing their new label comp filled with previously unreleased nuggets from bands like Backhand, Nicole Canaan, The Plastic Cherries and Homephone to name a few. All the profits go to help refugees in Ukraine, 50% to Save The Children and 50% to The Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. This is a KILLER compilation and it’s for a VERY good cause.
Preorders are going on now at UPHERE!’s Bandcamp page, the cassettes ship to you on April 20, 2022.
To wet your whistle and encourage you to buy, check out The Plastic Cherries’ “Aquafina (Tape Mix)” below. Now get out your wallets and buy this cassette and support this very important cause.
Nathan Womack is one half of the fabulous Paces Lift & Ben Bounce project, as well as the guy behind the Wax Thématique label. He also just released his debut single Past But The Dream. Taken from samples found while crate digging in Bangkok, Thailand and Guangzhou, China, Nathan has constructed two killer tracks full of funk, soul and groove. You can check out both tracks below, I highly suggest that you do.
Past But The Dream is available now on vinyl via Wax Thématique’s website and digitally via their Bandcamp page. Enjoy.
Phoenix quartet The Rebel Set have returned with 12 fried crispy, psych/garage rock tunes on their brand new album Modern Living. Modern Living was recorded by the garage rock master Matt Rendon at Midtown Island in Tucson and a top secret “pandemic hideaway”. This album is a blast from start to finish, pogoing all the way through its 34 minute run time. The band claims “The soundtrack to your summer has arrived” and I agree.
Check out “Going Out In Style” for a taste below. Modern Living is out on Friday (May 28) via Outro Records and is available on vinyl (if your fast) and digitally via The Rebel Set’s Bandcamp page. Enjoy.
The other night Trouble In Mind Records announced the signing of L.A. band, Dummy. I hadn’t heard of them, but the news made me immediately jump to their Bandcamp page to check them out. Thirty seconds into “Pool Dizzy” was all it took – I was ordering their latest release, EP2.
EP2 is 6 tracks of engaging, ambient-leaning, kraut-pop. Check out “Pool Dizzy”, “Nuages” and “Prime Mover Unmoved” (below) they are all very hypnotic and worth your time.
You can cop EP2 from Dummy’s Bandcamp page and I highly recommend that you do. I can’t wait for what they do next with TiM. Enjoy.
