Liverpool's The Bordellos, one of our favorite creators of indie pop fractured by damaged romance, has a new two-song single. Consisting of "Dancing To The Hits" and "Slow Motion Fade Out", it is an ace reminder that affecting pop music doesn't require banks of synths, professional beat makers and hook specialists and big label studio budgets. Inspiration, talent and a can-do attitude can work magic.
The single is out now via Metal Postcard Records.
A plentitude of indie hooks riding a jazz-funk soundtrack and fronted by a dynamic and soulful vocalist? Yes please, we would like some more of that. The band is Edinburgh's Atom Eyes, and the song is their new single "Roll The Dice". The band aims to make feelgood tunes, and if the single is representative, they deliver on the promise.
Atom Eyes are Lissa, Fraser, Scott, Alan, and Tom. "Roll The Dice" is taken from their forthcoming album
Bandcamp for February 2021 3-song release
The single, which is out now as a digital release, and the album are provided via Hybris with distribution handled by ALOADED.
"Gone West" is the sound of youth, fun, and 'I don't give a fuck'. Most importantly, it makes me feel like I shed a couple of decades and that, dear readers, is priceless! The song is by Glasgow post punk band Kaputt and is taken from their upcoming second album. As of this post the album has neither a name nor a set release date other than sometime in the first half of 2022. However, your ears will convince you that Kaputt should be on your 2022 list. And in the meantime, you can grab this digital single from your favorite digital purveyor.
Both the single and the upcoming album are released via Upset The Rhythm. And those of you in Great Britain and Ireland should take note of the live show dates and venues listed at the bottom of the post.
31st - Dublin @ Button Factory w/ SQUID
Kindsight are Nina Hyldgaard Rasmussen (vocals/guitar), Soren Svensson (guitar), Anders Prip (bass), and Johannes Jacobsen (drums). Don't You Grow Up" is out now via Stockhom's Rama Lama Records, which also will release the album.
The Exbats are Kenny McLain, Inez McLain and Bobby Carlson Jr. Now Where Were We is out now via Goner Records.
May we assume that in light of our laudatory feature of Feels So Good // Feels So Bad by Portland's The Shivas (link) everyone has a copy? We certainly hope so. But if you haven't done so, you can slink off and get yourself the album. And to give you some additional incentive (as if our previous praise isn't sufficient), here is their new video for album track "You Wanna Be My Man".
I Have Nothing To Say To The Mayor Of L.A. is not only one of the better guitar pop albums of the year, it also is an album we expect to be playing years down the road. It is out now via Double Feature Records.
We music fans might be envious of one aspect of Ebba Salomonsson's earlier years as her stepfather owned a record store. Apparently young Ebba took advantage of the opportunity to expose herself to a variety of music. The result of that experience and her ambition is her solo venture, Benz. And we think that her just-released EP This Could Be The End displays both talent and confidence. Ebba is unafraid to offer a large-scale pop song such as EP opener "Hometown" and the following "I Never Thought This Would Be The End". But she is equally impressive with the dialed-down psyche of "Cave In" and the playful, all-too-short singalong "Murder Serenade". The thematic arc of the record is the dissolution of a long-term friendship, but the topic never threatens to weigh down the appealing music. Mark Benz as a talent to follow.
This Could Be The End is out now as a digital release via Stockholm's Rama Lama Records.
French For Rabbits are Brooke Singer (vocals), John Fitzgerald (guitar), Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (drums), Ben Lemi (multiple instruments), and Penelope Esplin (multiple instruments. The Overflow is out now via Reckless Yes, AAA records, and A Modest Proposal.
Yumi Zouma is Christie Simpson, Josh Burgess, Charlie Ryder, and Olivia Campion. All are New Zealanders although some now reside in New York and London. The new album will be their fourth and will be released via Polyvinyl.
The new album is infused with all of the charm of their first album, but also benefits from their immersion in the Nordic pop world. The production is detailed but not cluttered, the vocals nuanced and well up in the mix, and the arrangements are far more adventurous than standard indie pop. Expectations is a delightful and rewarding listen, and we think it will make the end of your weekend a littler warmer and brighter. We can only hope that Mario and Rose don't wait several decades before the next album.
Expectations is out now in digital, CD and vinyl formats via Shelflife Records (North America), Discos de Kirlian (Europe), and Fastcut Records (Japan).
Psssst, whether he intends to do so or not, it appears that Glenn Donaldson, the brain and voice of The Reds, Pinks & Purples, is in the running for the WYMA triple crown. Two legs are done and dusted with his 2020 and 2021 albums easily making our top ten for those years (the 2021 release may end up #1 with us). In January he will release new LP Summer At Land's End via Slumberland Records (North America) and Tough Love Records (UK). Even in years in which we don't publish a favorite albums list (and we have been lax in recent years) we keep track. And I don't think an artist have ever had a top ten album in three consecutive years. But Glenn has the talent and is riding an impressive creative wave.
We haven't heard the album yet, but our eager ears devoured "Don't Come Home Too Soon", the first single. Based on that cut, this album will again feature Glenn's sad hearted and expressive lyricism leavened with shards of hope, all lushly illustrated with impeccable arrangements. If you think that we a predisposed to like the album, you are correct. But we fully expect our faith to be rewarded.
Vinyl collectors should note that there are two vinyl versions. One is a single disc of Summer At Land's End. The other version contains the album plus another disc of instrumental songs (not instrumental versions of the album's songs). I would not be surprised if both versions sell out in the pre-order stage.
Link for album pre-order (Slumberland)
