Los Angeles-based pop duo YVR recently released their new stunner of a track “Messy”, with a soundscape that couldn’t be less so. Pounding bass sets the tone, Courtney Jenae’s ethereal vocals make the track almost seem otherworldly. While the lyrics warn of a messy romantic situation on the horizon, we’re pulled toward the feeling of something brand new coming our way. Check this track – and add it to your holiday party soundtrack – below!
Keep up with YVR here.
Just released on Sony Music Norway is “Better With You,” the latest slice of electronic goodness from Maybon. With a whole host of wonderful sounds under his belt, the producer is back for more with this track that features Temmpo.
It is somewhat darker than some of his previous works and will pull you in under its enticing spell. Riddled with slow-transitioning synths and powerful vocals from Temmpo, this is well worth a listen. Maybon says: “‘Better With You’ is about how you feel better when you’re with that one special person. We all have someone who can lift us when we’re having a bad day – and the song is about that feeling.”
You can stream it here.
With his swoon-worthy vocals and gorgeous guitar work, East coast-based singer/songwriter Adam Melchor is someone we are expecting to be top-of-mind this time next year, as his mellifluous approach to his work has quite a stunning effect. His new track “Real Estate” is the perfect break from our cold weather feels, bringing us to a place and time that is slower, warmer, and more wonderful than we probably even deserve. Check it out below, and make sure to add it to your soundtrack today!
Keep up with Adam Melchor here.
Los Angeles-based rock group Swerve – comprised of Gregory Mahdesian (Vocals, Guitar), Brandon Duncan (Bass, Vocals), Ryan Berti (Guitar, Vocals), and Mark Gardner (Drums) – is reveling in the bliss that comes with releasing a new track unto the world. With a steady beat, there’s a little edge to the song that makes it enduring as all get out. Explains vocalist Greg Madgesian: “‘She Cut Her Hand’ came out of a recurring dream I had that was really discomforting and haunted me for a while. It’s about losing faith in something you’ve believed in for a long time, which would make sense with everything happening in the country right now.”
Check it out, and let us know what you think, below!
Keep up with Swerve here.
Pop-punk collective The Travoltas – comprised of Perry Leenhouts, Erik van Vugt, Jochem “Skokie” Weemaes, Wouter “Woody” Verhulst, Michel “Mikk” Meeuwissen, Daan van Hooff, Tim van Doorn – is coming at us hard this holiday season with their self-titled, 14-track full-length. With their quintessential pop/punk sound, the quintet has taken on a 60’s pop flare – much like that of The Oneders – that will get your toes tapping from the very first lines of “I Can’t Say No”, through to the very end of fourteenth track “Thing”. And though “Snowball” clearly nods at the cold weather of the days upon us, the soundscape feels very island-vibey, and we’re all for it. While “Work of Art” continues at a similar clip, “Ghost of Your Love” is slightly darker instrumentally, mirroring its name. They up the jazz factor with “Mail Ya To Australia”, and then get back to a pop/punk, Weezer-y vibe with “If You Could Be the Star”.
Seventh track “Making Out” once again occurs at a pretty quick pace, a notable love song, while “Blame My Baby” slows it down, and has a very Fountains of Wayne feel to it (in only the best ways). “Crying Shame” has a misleadingly upbeat instrumental piece, though the vocals tear through you and evoke the emotion fitting of its title. From the low lows to the very highest of highs, “Tower of Strength” comes next to bring the party levels back up. “I Was Dancing in a Lesbian Bar” and “Did I Lose You at I Love You?” have, perhaps, the most insightful titles, boasting catchy hooks that will easily get trapped in your head. “Hurry up!” has way less energy than you’d expect from its title, but that fact doesn’t detract from its endearing nature in the slightest. The Travoltas round out the album quite well with their quirky, hit single-worthy track “Thing”.
If you aren’t a fan of the band after reading our positive thoughts on their self-titled work, you might try giving it a spin. Actually, do that anyway. It’s quite the experience, and we’re big fans.
Tracklisting
01. I Can’t Say No
02. Snowball
03. Work of Art
04. Ghost of Your Love
05. Mail Ya To Australia
06. If You Could Be The Star
07. Making Out
08. Blame My Baby
09. Crying Shame
10. Tower of Strength
11. I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar
12. Did I Lose You At I Love You
13. Hurry Up!
14. Thing
Keep up with The Travoltas here.
Giving us some much-needed summery sounds this week is PALASTIC, a production duo based out of Vienna. They are growing a solid fan base thanks to their richly musical tunes, and they have piano, drumming and guitar skills between them. This week’s track is “Goldmine,” and we’re hitting repeat on it.
Warm electronic notes support its pop-tinged vocals beautifully, and crisp notes of percussion in all the right places add some bite to proceedings. The pair says: “We love this track! Written in the first sunny days of spring surrounded by good vibes, the mood easily translated into this upbeat, contagious song that we are very excited to release!”
Hear it below.
London-based rock collective Amber Run – comprised of Tomas Sperring, Joshua Keogh, and Henry Wyeth – just released their latest track “Carousel”, and we have to admit that we’re quite smitten. Opening with slow, careful vocals. In comes the instrumentals, notable percussion, and then that insane bass. The song has absolute staying potential, and Top 10 single” written all over it. (Just a note: I’ve literally never claimed that about a song.)
No words.
Keep up with Amber Run here.
We’re still singing the catchy “Single-Minded” from Anna Mae. She has now treated us to a brand new single via the Swedish platform Snafu Records, “You Might Be Better.” There is something effortless about the Nashville singer/songwriter’s style, and it is pulling in an audience from across the globe.
This tune is deliciously melodic and has just enough natural groove to keep it moving forward. In the meantime, Anna Mae’s empowering vocals sit over the top and provide another engaging narrative to support its musical content.
Check out this one here.
Kansas City, Missouri-based garage rock psych pop band Eggs on Mars – comprised of Brad Smith (vocals, guitars, keys), Justin Longmeyer (bass), and Mason Potter (drums, percussion) – recently released a 10 track album titled Mama Pancake. As absurd and wonderful as the title is – and the name of the band – the album itself is so much more. First track “Sod is Good” is all types of amazing, from the realness of the track’s name to the calming mood that passes over us as we dwell in its slow, mellifluous glory. While “Placeholders” speeds up a bit and gives us a very 60s psych punk vibe, “Many Minds” brings more of a 90s feel to it. “Red Haired Darling” slows it all down a bit, a love song for all of the red headed beauties in our lives.
“Doing Fine” gives off a bit of a melancholic feeling sonically for the first half, and the title isn’t quite convincing if you ask us. It gains momentum, though, and leads pretty nicely into simplified instrumentals with “Not to Regain”. The sentiment given off in the lyrics of “A Song” makes it feel a little more than “just a song”, while “Don’t Listen” speeds it up, giving us something fun to move our hips to. “Prayer for a Troubled Son” continues in that vein, a fun guitar riff to keep us on our toes throughout.
Eggs on Mars rounds out the album with “Meet Me in Hannibal” – Hannibal is a small town in Missouri where Mark Twain grew up, for those of you wondering – and anyone who has been carried away by a long(er) distance relationship can relate. It’s a beautifully bittersweet love song, slowly and carefully concocted to give us starry eyes as the music fades.
Mama Pancake is available now. Keep up with Eggs on Mars here.