Australian psych-pop darlings Violet Swells have a new single out soon, which you can hear first here!
“Here Comes Yesterday” ramps up the baroque-pop splendour of their early singles, and expands into newer areas, with twin guitars, squelchy synths and a push into more progressive territory. Chief Swell guy Ben Simms says “I’ve been listening to a lot more prog, and I think that has been permeating into my song writing, mixing with the three minute sunshine pop songs I usually record. Buying a synth helped to open up different ideas that I otherwise probably wouldn’t have had too..”
“Here Comes Yesterday” will be released on Mirador Records in Australia and Strong Island Recordings in the U.K.
For some bands, psychedelia is just a flavour of the month. For Stockholm’s Anti Pony, though, it’s an ever-whirring kaleidoscope of sonic potential. Alexander Pierre and Sanna Colling are the duo responsible for creating debut single ‘Cry On The Floor’, which sounds like the primal garage of 13th Floor Elevators stomping all over Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood’s creations.
The band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard coming over from Melbourne in Australia with a new Track named The River the band are Stu Mackenzie, Joe Walker, Eric Moore, Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Lucas Skinner, Cook Craig and Michael Cavanagh. Although their sound is remarkably similar to that of fellow Aussies Pond (seriously, what is it with psych bands and flutes?!), King Gizzard are a force to be reckoned with live – two drummers, numerous singers and a blizzard of guitars. Their gigs are an assault on the eyes, ears and senses.
The band have just announced they will release new album Quarters on 25th May, which features four, epic songs, each ten minutes ten seconds long. Here’s the premiere of the full video for The River, which features plenty of Crocodile action. Meanwhile the group return to the Uk this summer, kicking off dates at Nottingham’sRescue Rooms on 6th July. Hear more:Kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com
Chilean psychedelic crew The Holydrug Couple push into exciting realms with “Baby, I’m Going Away,” the latest single from the band’s forthcoming “Moonlust” LP. Propelled by sunny vocal harmonies awash in massive amounts of reverb, the new track sounds more at ease in late 60s Southern California than South America. The trend continues on the rest of Moonlust too, starting with the synth-driven instrumental “Atlantic Postcard,” and on to slyly funky tracks like “French Movie Theme,” “U Don’t Wake Up,” and “Generique Noir” all of which are driven by a highly compressed drum kit that sounds right out of Dilla’s SP-1200.
Fans of sunny 60s pop, psychedelia, soaring electronic music, and anything from early Pink Floyd to Air to the recent Jacco Gardner, make sure to check this out. Then roll one up, and blast this fireside at the closest beach. You’ll get it, and keep hitting repeat too. Get yours at Sacred BonesRecords ahead of its May 12 release.
Speedboat is the second single off Los Tones debut album “Psychotropic” released last October 2014 though
PsychotropicLos Tones debut album, released on Vinyl through Portuguese garage label Groovie Records& CD through Off The Hip Records,Melbourne. Mixed and produced by Owen Penglis of Straight Arrows in only a few days out of Owen’s Kings Cross studio & mastered by Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring. The record sees the boys continue their garage rock calamity with some subtle hints of early psychedelia & surf rock. Psychotropic features Los Tones debut single “Buchanan Hammer” and also its follow up “Ordinary Man”. We are now psyched to release the title track off the record “Psychotropic”.
Los Tones formed in early 2013 from the ashes of Sydney bands, Mother & Son, La Mancha Negra & Glitter Canyon. All 4 members have similar influences spanning from early 50’s RNB, 60’s guitar rock, to modern outfits such as The Black Lips & Night Beats.
Psychotropic takes the listener on a short flashback in time, a fast-paced slathering of guitar driven garage gems. Their previous song releases have had plenty of air play in Australia on Triple J & Fbi Radio, as well as overseas, which has resulted in the band opening for acts such as Guitar Wolf (Japan), Los Coronas (Spain), Night Beats (USA), Mark BBQ Sultan(CAN). They will be launching the record with a month-long European tour throughout October, ending with a hometown Sydney Launch on Halloween Eve.
The Holydrug Couple have done a lot of growing since their first release with Sacred Bones Records in 2011. The “couple,” consisting of Ives Sepúlveda and Manuel Parra recorded their second album “Noctuary” in Santiago, Chile. They put together a home studio and recorded the entire album themselves, from start to finish. Feeling that no one else had been able to capture their sound, Ives decided to take a risk and produce and engineer the album on his own. After four months of obsessively working and barely leaving the house, Ives emerged with a final product of which the band is truly proud. All of this hard work has manifested in a more elaborated, astral sounding album than its predecessor,Awe. While “Awe” and their “Ancient Land EP” had a bluesier, woodsy sound, “Noctuary” plays out like a slow motion 60’s beach party dream that you never want to wake from.
Psychedelic noise-monger Luis Vasquez has an ability to write songs that are hard to listen to, yet somehow beguiling. For his third album as The Soft Moon,Vasquez once again challenges listeners to feel his art, rather than simply consuming easy and pleasant compositions. There’s plenty to cower from or admire within Deeper—including, first and foremost, the ferocity of the LP’s electronic stamping. “Far” puts the sad in sadistic, as a melancholy guitar riff bobbles above a tumultuous tide of noise. There’s a desire for horror ballads as well, but nothing here has the satisfying impact of other “darkwave” bands, even with the slight cerebral moments of “Wasting,” like some walking meditation through a junkyard. It feels as though Vasquez is still honing his craft, and his latest full-length reflects that labored progress. If he can accentuate his emotional light and dark sides whilst remaining focused on the songs, he might produce magic.
I find Australian shoegaze quartet Flyying Colours’ name a bit maddening the spelling makes it hard to find the band on the net , but their music would be more than enough to soothe any irritation, a heady balm of smeared guitar textures and sharp pop sensibilities. After the minor classic “Not Today,” “Running Late” is the second single from their upcoming ROYGBIV EP. Brodie Brümmer and Gemma O’Connor’s dreamily deadpan male/female vocals melt together perfectly like some sort of musical Voltron before separating in the chorus, where O’Connor’s breathy coos swirl into an angelic echo overhead. At three and a half minutes, “Running Late” is fairly trim for a song about being fundamentally incompatible with the inexorable forward march of time, but those three and a half minutes proceed at their own leisurely pace. Flyying Colours are taking the time to stop and smell the flowers — or the effects pedals? — and you should probably take the time to stop and listen the band are about to tour the UK.
Shana Falana may be gearing up to release her solo debut, but the Kingston-based psych goddess is hardly new to the game. Before she packed up and moved upstate, Shana Falana was cutting her teeth in Brooklyn and on tour, constantly working on volumes of material that clutched at the hem of various genres and wavelengths. Everything from chanting with an Eastern European lilt (she sang in a Bulgarian women’s choir for a bit) to increasingly undeniable wails to heady drum fills to distortion so fuzzy it puts Jim Henson’s whole output to shame make an appearance on Set Your Lightning Fire Free, out April 7th on Team Love Records, and it’s a strong new start for the incendiary indie talent.
Take “Go,” for example: While the latest track to be released from Set Your Lightning Fire Free hits the ear as a kaleidoscopic, trippy gem that shines as brilliantly in 2015 as it would’ve in a Berkeley drug den during the Summer of Love, there’s so much going on from start to finish that you can’t help but lose yourself in Falana’s crowing or Mike Amari’s pugilistic way with the drum kit.
Ola’s Kool Kitchen podcast episode 263 has sprung into being! Featuring White Noise Sound, The Yours, and Charles Howl. If you dig it please share it and help spread the word it’s out there!
Tracklist 263 1. J Church-I Can’t Be Nice To You-Prophylaxis-Damaged Goods 2. Chocolate USA-All Jets Are Gonna Fall Today- All Jets Gonna Fall Today-Bar/None 3. White Noise-Heavy Echo-single-Rocket Girl 4. The Yours-Honey Treats-REVOLUTION – The Shoegaze Revival-Ear To Ear Records 5. Charles Howl-Going Down With a Hi-single-Ample Play Records 6. Poison Girls-Persons Unknown-Total Exposure-Xntrix 7. Doll-Don’t Tango On My Heart-Single-Beggars Banquet 8. Ibeyi-River-single-XL 9. Bjork-Come To Me-Debut-One Little Indian 10. Los Dug Dug’s-No Te Astutes-single-RCA 11. Clarence Frogman Henry-Ain’t Got No Home- Ain’t Got No Home: All Time Greatest Hits-Goldenlane Records 12. The Liverbirds-For Your Love-The Liverbirds: From Merseyside to Hamburg-Beat Records 13. Songs Ohia-Farewell Transmission-The Magnolia Electric Company-Secretly Canadian
The Fat Angel Sings 