Nightshift are Eothen Stern, Chris White, Rob Alexander and Andrew Doig. Ray Aggs contributes violin on "Phone" and "Sure Look". Homosapien is out now via Trouble In Mind Records.
Friday, July 26, 2024
Nightshift - Homosapien
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
"Nine Clean Nails" by Dummy
Talented and adventuresome, Dummy is a band that truly deserves your ears. If you missed their debut album Mandatory Enjoyment, that's OK because number 2 Free Energy will be out September 6 via Trouble In Mind Records. Check out the single "Nine Clean Nails" in which the band lays down a commanding groove before adding vocal and then blowing out the windows with the guitars. Rhythmic, taut and poppy, it is a certain winner.
The members of this Los Angeles band are Alex Ewell, Emma Maatman, Nathan O'Dell and Joe Trainor.
Monday, July 22, 2024
"Forgive and Forget" by Wings of Desire
Our first Monday morning listen was the thrilling "Forgive and Forget", a shoegazy post punk tune by Stroud, UK's Wings of Desire. The song is taken from their three-track EP Shut Up And Listen. The EP will be out August 30 in digital and cassette formats.
The proceeds from the sale of the EP will support The Long Table, a community service organization in Stroud.
Sunday, July 21, 2024
"The Depths Of An Answer" by Dumbo Gets Mad
It isn't our fault, but Dumbo Gets Mad. We have not way of knowing what mayhem a mad Dumbo will create, but his new psychedelic pop/soft rock tune "The Depths Of An Answer" suggests that the results actually may be quite pleasing. However, we nevertheless would recommend that you not turn your back on on mad Dumbo.
Dumbo Gets Mad is the project of Luca Bergomi.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Halfheads - History of Weird EP
We live by few rules at WYMA, but one rule is never ignore the weird. So today we feature and EP that was released in late June titled History of Weird by Australian band Halfheads. Punchy, urgent and a bit chaotic in places, it also displays a good sense of melody. The band pulls back a bit for the touching third track but ramps up for the closer "Max Ray", which probably is a co-favorite of ours on this EP.
You can find History of Weird at the Bandcamp link below as a digital download.
"Ancient Slice" and "The Darkest Corner" by Tony Jay
Some of our most rewarding listening in the past five years or so has originated in the San Francisco Bay Area's lo-fi/DIY scene. The participants are talented, adventuresome, supportive of each other, and prolific. Among our favorites is Mike Ramos, whose projects include Tony Jay and Flowertown (he also contributed to Sad Eyed Beatnik's Ten Brocades LP that we featured a couple of days ago). Last week Tony Jay announced an new album title Knife Is But A Dream. which will be released in advance of Mike's upcoming Japan tour. Two of the album tracks, "Ancient Slice" and "The Darkest Corner" can be streamed now. The former is a noisy, ambient one-and-a-half minute transmission from inner space. The latter is a lovely slice of dream pop more closely related to Mike's recent work.
Knife Is But A Dream will be released by Paisley Shirt Records, Slumberland Records, and in Japan by Galaxy Train.
Monday, July 15, 2024
"Lost Touch" by Tears Run Rings
Portland, Oregon's Tears Run Rings are not especially prolific, but good things can take time. Besides, they have other things to do such as founding and running the excellent label Shelflife Records. Our ears are happy, however, because they have found time to record their fourth album Everything In The End. The just released first single -- "Lost Touch" -- demonstrates that the band's mastery of euphoric, layered and dreamy shoegaze remains intact. We think it is a perfect way to elevate your evening mood. Your family will thank you.
Tears Run Rings are Matthew Bice (vocals/guitar), Laura Watling (vocals/bass), Ed Mazzucco (guitar), and Dwayne Palasek (drums). Everything In The End will be released September 6 via Shelflife Records.
Sunday, July 14, 2024
Sad Eyed Beatniks - Ten Brocades
Songwriter, vocalist and playing most of the instruments is the sad eyed beatnik himself, Kevin Linn. In addition to his day job and making music, he also runs the tasteful indie label Paisley Shirt Records. For this album Kevin secured the assistance of Karina Gill (Cindy/Flowertown) and Mike Ramos (Tony Jay/Flowertown). Ten Brocades is out now in digital and vinyl formats via Meritorio Records
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
"Wandering Song" by Chime School
So, just were does the "Wandering Song" wander, you ask. To our ears it wanders on the psychedelic side of jangle street, which happens to be one of our favorite musical neighborhoods. It is a bouncy, power pop tune to bridge between last weekend and the coming one. Your tour guide for this little adventure is Andy Pastalaniec -- also known as Chime School. Taken from his upcoming LP The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel will be out August 23 via Slumberland Records.
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
"Vaqueiro" by Claude Fountaine
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La Mer will be released via Innovative Leisure Records.
Monday, July 8, 2024
"Monster" by Best Bets
"Monster" comes out of the blocks like the premier bull at the rodeo. The guitar and rhythm section feel like they are in your chest cavity while the catchy melody hangs on for dear life. We aren't prone to gamble (because one mistake could wipe out the week's beer budget), but we are happy to wager that Best Bets are going to thrill us with upcoming LP The Hollow Husk of Feeling. The New Zealand band, now a four-piece with the addition of Joe Sampson (who has been on these pages several times in the past), crafts power pop with plenty of garage fuzz. Just the way we like it! The Hollow Husk of Feeling will be released on September 27 via Meritorio Records (Eur/USA/Can) and Melted Ice Cream (NZ/rest of the universe).
Best Bets are Olly Crawford Ellis, James Harding, Matt Phimmavanh, and Joe Sampson. James and Olly are members of Transistors and Joe has been in Salad Boys, T54 and other projects (including the label Melted Ice Cream).
Sunday, July 7, 2024
The Proctors - Snowdrops and Hot Air Balloons
Snowdrops and Hot Air Balloons is out now in digital, vinyl and CD formats via Sunday Records.
\Saturday, July 6, 2024
"It's Who Makes The Scene" by Sad-Eyed Beatniks
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We told you that Ten Brocades by Sad Eyed Beatniks is going to be a very good album. Did you believe us? Admittedly the album won't be out until next week so you are entitled to reserve judgement regarding our opinion, but the just released third single "It's Who Makes The Scene" should tip the balance in our favor. Following the sweet folk pop of "You Belong With Us" and the languid, summery shuffle of "Monumental Ensemble", this new single is rumbling, mid-tempo burner that spins a story reminiscent of Dylan's early electric period. We loved the other two, but this one may be our favorite so far.
Sad Eyed Beatniks is Kevin Linn, who runs Paisley Shirt Records when not being the sad eyed beatnik. On Ten Brocades Kevin is assisted by Cindy/Flowertown mates Karina Gill and Mike Ramos. Ten Brocades LP is due July 12 in digital and vinyl formats via Meritorio Records.
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
"Sure Look" by Nightshift
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Nightshift are Eothen Stearn, Chris White, Andrew Doig, and Rob Alexander. Ray Aggs plays fiddle on several tracks. Homosapien will be out July 26 via Trouble In Mind Records.
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Blueboy - One 7"
Fans of Reading, UK indie pop band Blueboy, or anyone that celebrates the Sarah Record band roster, will thrill to know that the band is back with a two-track single titled One. Consisting of the title track and and acoustic version of "Air France", one of he many excellent songs on their 1992 debut album If Wishes Were Horses. This new 7" shows two sides to Blueboy. "One" is sweet but up-tempo jangle pop while "Air France" reveals their ability with pastoral pop. To our ears, this recording is no nostalgia exercise. This is quality pop music for today and would hit our playlists regardless of whether it was recorded buy Sarah Records legends or (all lower case) new kids on the block.
The single is out now in digital and vinyl formats. For this recording Blueboy are founding member Paul Stewart joined by Gemma Townley, Mark Cousens and Martin Rose, all of whom were members in the '90s.
"R&D" by Dom Sensitive
We have known and appreciated Dom Trimboli with his projects Dom and the Wizards, Wireheads and others, but now we apparently have the privilege of being exposed to his sensitive side. Yes, a new Trimboli project is labeled Dom Sensitive and debut album Leather Trim will be available September 27 via Dinosaur City Records. We will let the listeners decide whether the new project reflects Dom's sensitive nature. And they can start the evaluation with first single, "R&D". The track is an audacious change in musical style with breathtaking results. For this outing, Dom's free-flowing poetic lyrics are delivered in a rap riding a bottom-heavy arrangement. It is a trip -- a good trip and it should bring a satisfied smile from the opening to the close.
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
"Three Times The Drama" by Azure Blue
The single is out now as a digital release via Matinee Recordings.
"About The Girl" and "Everything Is Big" by Emma Russack
Monday, June 24, 2024
"In A Shell" by Mystery Waitress
Mystery Waitress is back on our pages with the haunting closing track from their upcoming LP Bright Black Night. "In A Shell" sets a mood that has us reflecting on loneliness and the difficulty in finding connection in our lives. Weighty stuff for a Monday, perhaps, but a smashing good song.
Bright Black Night is the Wellington, NZ band's second album. It will be released August 2 via Flying Nun Records.
Thursday, June 20, 2024
"Give Your Heart Away" by Chime School
As schools in the northern hemisphere approach the end of school year, the schools and their students often celebrate the fruits of the teachers' and students' efforts over the course of the year. A case in point is San Francisco's Chime School where head boy Andy Pastalaniec has been working on his project The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel. The first single is "Give Your Heart Away", a jangling gem of a song that is the perfect soundtrack for, well, giving your heart away. We unhesitatingly observe that if the rest of the album matches "Give Your Heart Away", Andy's place at the head of the class is secure. However, no grades will be final until Chime School releases the entire LP on August 23 via Slumberland Records.
Sunday, June 16, 2024
"Life Downstream" by Pop Filter
The beat pounds the listener's chest from the opening note and the song chugs along with a swaggering groove up to the guitar solo finish. That's "Life Downstream" by Melbourne's Pop Filter, a bracing new single that laments the life of the common folk downstream from the capitalism's winners. The song is out on digital platforms via Osborne Again (Aus/NZ) and Bobo Integral (rest of the cosmos).
Friday, June 14, 2024
"Oyster Cuts" by Quivers
Five weeks ago we shared the news that Melbourne's Quivers have signed to Merge Records and will release a new LP titled Oyster Cuts on August 9. The post also included the crunchy pop rock gem "Apparition", the first single from the album. Recently the band released the album's title track as the second single. "Oyster Cuts" starts out with a thumping beat which is then joined by popalicious female vocals and synths. It is a hit today, and it would have been a hit in the '80s.
"Phone" and "Crystal Ball" by Nightshift
From time to time we scroll through the WYMA music library and recall a band that thrilled us in the past but hasn't released a recording recently. That happened earlier this week when we were listening to the fine 2021 Zoe by Glasgow's Nightshift. We agreed that it would be quite wonderful if the band were to issue another album. Their brand of pop/rock always surprises and delights with unexpected angles and a touch of the experimental. Not quite a day later we learned that Homosapien will be released July 26 via Chicago's Trouble In Mind Records. Based on the two singles to day, the recently released "Phone" and its predecessor, "Crystal Ball", we are expecting the album to be one of our more often played releases of 2026.
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
"Be Kind" by The Male Gays
Here at WYMA we are fans of accepting people the way they are rather than setting up barriers. A simple rule could just be, well, be kind. Heck, we don't even do negative reviews here. If we don't like a release, why ruin someone's day and make their mother cry?
So, we were happy to receive "Be Kind", the first single by The Male Gays. It is a slow-burning and sincere plea for tenderness. The song is the title track of the project's three song single/EP which will be released August 2. Expect insight, humor, and entertaining music.
And who are The Male Gays? Two gay, self-described music nerds named Guy Blackman and Bart McDonagh. But however correct, that phrase may be, it undersells the gentlemen. Guy and Bart have played in several bands, but they have made a considerable mark in the indie music world in their roles at fine labels Chapter Music (Melbourne) and Domino Records (London), respectively. They have both earned our respect and thanks for releasing some of our favorite music over the years.
Monday, June 10, 2024
Rural France - Exactamondo!
Did you know that there are masters of powerpop resident in Wilshire, UK? Well, you do now so that's all for now ...
Admittedly, a few more words wouldn't be inappropriate. Said masters are Rural France (to be honest, we try not to try to follow the geography here). They wowed us in 2021 with a fine album of jangle and powerpop and enough rough edges to show a potential for growth -- and perhaps a nod to the 'rural' portion of their name. The gang is back with Exactamondo!, a ten-track LP that suggests that, quite astoundingly, they might have just been playing with us the first time around. Exactamondo! hits the bullseye so often that the bullseye is obliterated. Fuzz, jangle and powerpop abound, delivered with swagger and confidence. The themes can have an edge, but the melodies are vibrant and exciting. Spend for this album and you just might find that it is one of your most played 2024 acquisitions.
Rural France are Tom Brown and Rob Fawkes. Exactamondo! is out now via Meritorio Records
"Monumental Ensemble" by Sad Eyed Beatniks
We've checked in on our favorite San Francisco beatniks, and they still seem to have sad eyes. But the mopey vibes don't extend to their songcraft, as evidenced by the just released "Monumental Ensemble". The song is the second single from the upcoming Ten Brocades LP, due July 12 in digital and vinyl formats via Meritorio Records. A gentle strum and jangle and a relaxed arrangement transports us to a special place. As we've said before, this new album from Sad Eyed Beatniks is going to be special. Don't miss it.
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Oh Boland - Western Leisure
The main man here is Irish musician and songwriter Niall Murphy. Western Leisure is Oh Boland's third album, and is out now via Meritorio Records an Safe Suburban Home. Niall deserves your ears, and you deserve this album.
Sunday, June 2, 2024
Neutrals - New Town Dream
New Town Dream is out now in vinyl, CD and digital formats via Slumberland Records.
Saturday, June 1, 2024
Kindsight - No Shame No Fame
Kindsight are Nina Hyldgaard Rasmussen (vocals/guitar), Soren Svensson (guitar), Anders Prip (bass), and Johannes Jacobsen (drums). No Fame No Shame is out now in vinyl, digital and CD formats via Rama Lama Records.
Friday, May 31, 2024
"Pro Volunteer" by Lame Drivers
Lame Drivers are Jason Sigal (guitar), Joe Posner (bass), and Jeff Wood (drums). Become An Island will be out in vinyl, CD and digital formats on June 28 via Jigsaw Records and Bleeding Gold Records.
And as an extra treat, here is the previously released title track for the album --
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Lightheaded - Combustible Gems
Lightheaded are Sarah Abdlebarry (guitar), Stephen Stec (guitar), Cynthia Rickenbach (bass) (apologies to the drummer as we don't have his name).
Lightheaded are, simply, a great pop group. Their songs are full of melody and harmony, are bittersweet and memorable, familiar yet original. Their sound is a perfect mix of jangling guitars -- featuring Sarah Abdlebarry's exquisite, tasteful, but punchy Gretsch lead played over Stephen Stec's Rickenbacker chime -- anchored to singer Cynthia Rickenbach's Hofner Violin bass, which sounds like the bass on Michel Polnareff's first LP.
"Hugging Horizons" is the Sound of Young New Jersey. It's soul music, but by experimenting and playing around, they have accidentally invented some sort of New New Pop. "Because of You" ends the album on a real high, featuring Johnny Marr style guitar and some gorgeous strings. It's poignant and sophisticated, but still eager, slightly gauche even. And as always refreshingly, wonderfully, naively sincere.
Combustible Gems is a jump into the sparkling blue water, excited experimentation, exploration, finding themselves, with the effervescence of youth that makes for great debut LPs. It has the youthful urgency of Comet Gain, the wide-eyed nostalgia of early Orange Juice, the suss and anti-macho swagger of those early Pastels singles. It yearns for something, it is an exciting, stumbling, falling, laughing , charming, great pop debut.
New Jersey band Lightheaded make indie pop that casts a wide net. Their 2023 EP, Good Good Great!, was five songs that moved quickly from dour jangle pop to '60s-informed instrumentation that called to mind the chamber pop sweetness of the Beach Boys or the folksy sensibility of the Byrds. There were even hints of the reverb-saturated wave of dark pop that reigned supreme on the earliest Captured Tracks releases. All of these touchstones are revisited and expanded upon with Lightheaded's proper debut album, Combustible Gems. Every song takes a slightly different approach while maintaining a consistent songwriting aesthetic, which makes for an album of colorfully diverse highlights that doesn't feel too piecemeal. The production is deep and defined, also, giving the synths of opening track "Always Sideways" a little extra sparkle and the naive 12-string leads of "Dawn Hush Lullaby" an added push that wasn't there on the EP. Vocalist Cynthia Rittenbach's performances have a balance of drive and restraint that calls to mind twee standard-bearers like Camera Obscura or Belle & Sebastian, as the instrumentals shift between twinkly, acoustic, Smiths-y melodrama on "Still Sitting Sunday," mod-tinged peppiness-meets-Sarah Records shakiness on "Bright Happy Girls," cavernous synth arpeggios and gothy harmonies on "Hugging Horizons," and other interpretations of melodic and sensitive indie sounds. Erin Turner's violin arrangements add the final touch that makes Combustible Gems an exceptional entry in the indie rock pantheon. Closing track "Because of You (3 Sundays)" puts Turner's strings in the foreground, with graceful waves of violin harmonies sharing space with surfy guitar lines and aching vocal arrangements. While Combustible Gems is only a few tunes longer than Lightheaded's previous EP (with eight songs total), the band packs every song with ideas and sounds that are tastefully crafted and always changing. Even for as intricate as the album's construction is, it's assembled with a touch so light that it creates an easy, repeatable listening experience. Combustible Gems is a striking debut, on par with some of the work that informed it in a continuum of gorgeously imperfect indie pop.
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