by Meredith Schneider | Nov 13, 2017 | wolf tracks
Earlier this month, trance pop artist PARKER released hypnotizing new track “Doubles”. With vocals that are incredibly smooth – peppered with a particularly alluring raspiness – PARKER gives off a Lorde-like vibe while progressing through a particularly dark and vibe-inducing track. Lines like “nothing really scares me at all” and “if we’re happy for a second, that’s fine” really stick out, as PARKER seems to be willing to settle a bit to make something – or someone – happen.
Check out the stunning new track below.
Keep up with Parker here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 10, 2017 | wolf tracks
Alluring Cardiff-based pop musician Martin Carr released his latest record, an elaborate 8 track journey for the tympanic membrane titled New Shapes of Life, at the end of October. Thrown into the album with its title track, we begin at a casual mid-tempo clip, vocals delivered with ethereal grace, not unlike we would experience from Sting or Thom Yorke. While not exactly preparing for the second track like it should, it sets a good sound quality standard for the album at large. “Damocles” has more of a vocal-induced gloss of mystery over it, while “The Main Man” slows everything down exponentially into more of a trance atmosphere. By “Future Reflections”, our heart rates have slowed down to better appreciate the crawling clip that this song proceeds at. With small hints of The Beatles and futuristic influences, this song flows “like water” through the speakers.
Fifth track “A Mess of Everything” has more of a melancholic feel to the vocals, but does progressively bring the tempo – and, simultaneously, mood – up a big to properly prep us for “Three Studies of the Male Back”. This track was made for a stadium tour or the headlining slot at a music festival. (Wink wink, nudge nudge.) It’s an atmospheric marvel, one which we don’t necessarily exit completely when the song ends. Seventh song “The Van” has an otherworldly, floating feeling to it, as it exists at a much slower tempo, in almost “crooning lounge singer” territory. And the big band feel to it just magnifies the ambiance. “The Last Song” is – hilariously – the last one on New Shapes of Life, and perhaps the most rewarding. The natural sound effects, lush instrumentals, and introspective lyrics almost leave a cliff hanger at the end of it all, positioned just like your favorite soap opera to cause anxiety until we hear the next batch of music from Carr.
But we will, instead, press “play” again and keep tabs on Carr here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 10, 2017 | wolf tracks
Indie alternative pop collective Fond of Rudy recently released their latest single “To Be Mine”, a head-boppin’ pop love song that will get you feeling upbeat and positive in no time. With instrumentals that maintain their modern flare while nodding electronic influence to the 80s, the chorus has that sound that just makes you feel free. Almost as though the instrumentals are pounding out of your chest. And the sweet as sugar lyrics don’t hurt the effect, if we’re being completely honest.
Keep up with Fond Of Rudy here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 9, 2017 | wolf tracks
Everyone’s future favorite goth pop queen So Below is back with another stunner that we think the rest of the world deserves to peek. From the very first glittering stanza we’re hooked, but immensely drawn in by first line “speak in greys.” It sets the tone for a track that feels light and airy, but is actually a bittersweet track about (warranted) impatience and loss in love. That first line, however, already provides a moment for the listener to get introspective about how nothing in this life is ever black and white. Grey is a constant color in which we live, and reveling in its uncertainty is a beautiful thing. So Below has done what she can to capture that enigmatic and wondrous feeling for us.
Keep up with So Below here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 9, 2017 | wolf tracks
New York by way of Dallas soul/folk songstress Sterling Rhyne recently dropped her new track “Remedy”, which serves as a source of uplifting wisdom for women (and people, really), but also for the ears. The alluring blend of rasp and sweet effortlessness in her vocals really does encourage her listener to find the “joy” around them.
In true cheesy fashion, we are going to go ahead and tell you this song is a “Remedy” for a bad day. And the right way to get through the rest of your week.
Keep up with Sterling Rhyne here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 8, 2017 | wolf tracks
In the lead up to the release of their album bad Radio, San Francisco based rock outfit Down and Outlaws – comprised of Peter Danzig, Kyle Luck, Chris Danzig, and Jon Carr – have unleashed a new psychedelic single titled “Imposter” on us. As the first cords hit, the listener becomes enveloped in a thin, silky layer of softly swirling nostalgia. The guitars wane like sepia toned photos are the closest we’ve got to color, back during yet another time when facial hair, middle parted hair, and bell bottoms were popular. (They’re still a thing now, right? No?) Its mellow tone and vocal reverb will make you want to play it on repeat for hours.
So go ahead.
Keep up with the band here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 8, 2017 | wolf tracks
Los Angeles based pop musician Luna Shadows just released new reverb-filled, trance-like track “Youth”, and we’re planning to add it to every holiday playlist and beyond. Singing with her signature featherweight – almost celestial – vocals, the track has been produced in a very layered way, that almost feels inspired by an Owl City track. One thing is certain: This lady has taken the reigns with her art and really begun to carve a name for herself in pop music. We can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Keep up with Luna Shadows here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 8, 2017 | wolf tracks
Self-proclaimed “dancy dream pop” New York-based quartet Fovea – comprised of Steve Shaw (bass, guitar, vocals), Max Weigel (guitar, vocals, keys, electronics), Jake Denicola (drums, vids, foley), and Halley Furlong-Mitchell (vocals, keys, violin) – just dropped one of the most tantalizing tracks we have ever set ears on. It begins in an ethereal sound space, and you feel like you’re in line for Space Mountain at Disneyland as the glittering robotic sounds slow down and make way for even more robotic vocals. What is perhaps so interesting about this track is that the vocals are lush, vibrant, and warm in their delivery, directly contrasting with the idea of detachment that often comes with the sound effects that have been poured into the track. As they repeat “How we gonna function?” we ask ourselves the same thing, allowing our minds to let loose under the cacophony of sound that splinters the track apart at the end.
Keep up with Fovea here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 8, 2017 | wolf tracks
While the Barcelona-based psychedelic beach pop quartet The Zephyr Bones – comprised of Brian (guitar, vocals), Jossip (guitar, vocals, synth), Carlitos (bass), and Marc (drums) – was busy releasing singles from their debut album Secret Place, we clearly had our heads up our asses. But thankfully, we got a little taste of what’s to come just days ahead of its November 10th release. Packed to the brim with sparkling, nostalgic charm, we’re sure any number of the ten tracks on Secret Place will be on your permanent “good mood” playlist.
First track “Hurricanes” establishes that lazy, waning guitar sound we’ve come to admire in beach wave music. The vocals are layered, but almost fragile in the way they are delivered. That upbeat momentum continues into “Penny’s Week”, with its mesmerizing guitar riffs and and slightly-punk feel. “Juglar Child on the Carousel” might have one of the most odd titles we have heard in a while, but the track has a not-so-off-the-beaten-path 80’s synth wave aspect to it, which absolutely makes it the best song to premiere as the first single from the collection. It maintains a head-bobbing beat that revels in line with Bleachers and Grimes, almost catapulting you into fourth track “Las Olas”, which takes a contrasting acoustic path.
It’s with “I’ve Lost My Dinosaur” that an almost melancholic feeling overtakes the album. The song has this smooth, almost sensual, feel to the instrumentals, but the vocals are almost sad. That is, until mid-track when the tempo picks up and feels more frantic than anything for a stretch of time before heading back into its regularly maintained tempo-range. The title track begins with quirky, staccato notes that pull you into another sound space completely, as you experience the instruments almost fight for attention atop a bed of soft echoes. “Black Lips” exudes a little more edge in the beginning – Or is that the title talking? – but its overall feel is very “50s sock hop slow song” and we’re totally on board with that.
“September” slows the entire album down exponentially, and is one of those songs that really makes you appreciate the guitar as an instrument. We can imagine almost anyone sitting back in their chair, just reveling in the sounds that come from the speakers. (We suggest vinyl for this track to be totally nestled in the warmth of the moment.) “Telephone” is – without a doubt – a toe-tapper that eventually encapsulates you in fizzy, otherworldly bits of synth. For reasons unbeknownst to us, this is the one we have been playing on repeat. (Try to figure that one out for us, ok?) The Zephyr Bones have chosen to round everything out with tenth track “The Arrow of Our Youth”, which hilariously feels a little less throwback – despite its clear nods to the 80s and 90s – than its predecessors. Once again, the instrumentals take center stage and give you a feeling of being carried away.
Before the album abruptly stops and you cry a bit because you just didn’t want it to end. (Just hit “repeat all.” We get it.)
Secret Place is out November 10th and is available for preorder now. Keep up with the band here.
