Slowly but surely,So Below is establishing herself as a new favorite of ours. About six months ago, the Kiwi debuted with a gritty electro-pop effort titled “Drift“, and shortly after, she followed up with another darkly tinted effort titled “Sleep“.
Today, she’s just released “Luna”, a brand-new song that, though still tagged as “goth pop” on SoundCloud, is much brighter than her others released before. We’re really loving the upbeat twist she presents here, and we’re really, really excited to hear how she progresses her sound next as a result.
Surf City – NYC – taken from the album “We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This” Out Now on Arch Hill Recordings and Fire Records,
From Auckland, in New Zealand’s Surf City draws from the more languid and loose traditions of indie rock and Flying Nun’s melodic sensibilities, merging the two in songs that are both dense and immediate. Founded by Josh Kennedy and Davin Stoddard in 2004, the band was originally titled Kill Surf City, named in honor of a Jesus and Mary Chain b-side. Recruiting the rhythm section of Logan Collins and Jamie Kennedy, the band toured New Zealand and Australia, eventually scoring a spot opening for the then-recently reunited Dinosaur Jr. and signing with Arch Hill to release their first EP. Their debut LP, 2010’s “Kudos”, found critical acclaim from critics on both sides of the Atlantic, as did its followup, 2013’s “We Knew It Was Going To Be Like This”. Their newest album, this year’s Jekyll Island, finds Stoddard performing with a new lineup of the group, consisting of guitarist Jamie Kennedy and the rhythm section of Mike Ellis and Andy Frost. Despite the band’s new lineup, their long-running melodic and clean tones are still dominant on “Spec City”. Stoddard’s nasally vocals float alongside a “Sometimes Always”-esque jangle melody as the song rolls along, ebbing and flowing up and down a spaced-out, reverb-drenched wave of guitars. Not unlike its title’s similarity to its author’s, “Spec City” condenses the myriad indie rock-based strengths of Surf City and packages them as directly as the band ever has.
Surf City will support Jekyll Island with the band’s first-ever European tour next month, so be sure to keep up with the band’s adventures over at their Facebook. Below, watch the band’s video for their 2013 tack “NYC”.
POP STRANGERS now based in London via Auckland NZ, the new album FORTUNA will be released on the 26th May , Adam Dave and Joel are a Alternative offer a rougher sound with clipped Chords and disenchanted vocals. http:// http://www.popstrangers.com
The Fat Angel Sings 