Indie Pop

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of June 2022

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

In June we heard some covers on the soundtrack of Baz Lurhmann’s biopic film ELVIS, The Routes’ did a surf rock Kraftwerk tribute, Elvis Costello celebrated Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday, a project of Disclotch Records contained 27 home recordings to pay homage to Daniel Johnston, and previously we wrote about releases from Thee Escapees, Mikey Erg, Reverendo Band, Runaway Lovers and Townies with some successful cover versions. Below we list the 10 best that we haven’t mentioned yet.

Hound Dog || Cover: The Record Company || Original: Big Mama Thornton
The iconic rock ‘n’ roll track Hound Dog was written by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, first released by blues singer Big Mama Thornton (1953), and made famous by Elvis Presley (1956). The ELVIS soundtrack features an honorable cover by Shonka Dukureh, but as a fan of American roots rock band The Record Company, it’s their version that you see here (not related to the movie). It’s not a Thornton or Presley imitation: as always The Record Company gives it its own twist. In case you don’t know: they previously worked on Beastie Boys’ So What’Cha Want, still one of my favorite covers ever.

New EP: The Sylvia Platters || Youth Without Virtue

Lovers of jangly guitars and dreamy power pop, take note. Vancouver four piece The Sylvia Platters are in exceptional good form on their new EP Youth Without Virtue.

Fully comfortable with a permanent stay in the underground music scene (as the band’s singer guitarist Nick Ubels explains here), The Sylvia Platters’ prime concern seem to be to write the best songs they can under their own rules. That approach fits the band perfectly. Churning out pop gem after gem, the Youth Without Virtue EP is pure ear candy – my two current favorite songs embedded below. So thank you for being you, The Sylvia Platters!

Between this EP and Slack Times’ Carried Away, a pretty pretty good week for guitar pop.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: The Umbrellas || Write It In The Sky

Could this be the best single of 2022? For those into indie pop and twee, this may be very well be the case. Write It In The Sky offers an instant rush while forfeiting the inevitable sugar dip. Rather, the positive vibes the song will linger throughout your day. The song is fuzzy, melodic, equal parts Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Comet Gain and The Pastels; in short, a massive hit. On flipside I’ll Never Understand, The Umbrellas show a more introspected and less upbeat side that does not disappoint at all.

I loved The Umbrellas’ 2021 debut LP, but with this single, they hint that the best is yet to come. Write It In The Sky is out now through Slumberland, Meritorio, Tear Jerk and Fastcut Records. Buy without caution.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Various Artists || Welcome To Oakland

Should we pack our bags and just move to Oakland? If that decision would solely depend on the quality of bands germinating from the fertile grounds of that area, it would be a no-brainer. Just take a listen to the Welcome To Oakland comp.

Curated by Dandy Boy Records, quickly becoming a go-to source for underground pop excellence, Welcome To Oakland compiles the cream of the crop of the Oakland scene. That includes ATW favorites like Sob Stories, Yae-Ming and The Rumours, The 1981, Blue Ocean, R.E. Seraphin, but also bands currently not on our radar but we can’t wait to hear more from like Throwback Party, Fast Execution, and Shutups.

Welcome To Oakland is the kind of comp you play front-to-back without skipping any of the songs, striking the right balance between familiar hits and new discoveries. It is out now on Cassette at Dandy Boy Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Abel Natürlich || Smug

Geertruida, a record label from the Northern coastal province in the Netherlands, provides the perfect metaphor for Abel Natürlich’s debut record Smug: “A restless theme park ride.” It’s probably the weirdest thing I actually enjoyed lately.

THERE IS JUST SO MUCH GOING ON! That was my first impression. Smug is a kind of record that intentionally overstimulates. And musically it’s all over the place. There is a chiptune element to most of the songs, there are egg punk parts, there definitely is some baroque pop to the record – the vocal melodies strangely remind me of The Zombies’ Odessey And Oracle.

About that theme park metaphor. Smug sounds more like a really dense theme park than a specific ride. Let’s say each of the songs has a lot of rides that are all hectic and unpredictable. The waiting time in between? Minimal.

Bring your own food and drinks. Smug is out now through Geertruida Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Healees || Healees

Born out of a shared love for guitar pedals and new wave bands, Healees (from Paris) started out in 2015. It took them some time to release their official debut, but it’s finally here: an 8-song cassette filled with easy-on-the-ears tunes in a bandwidth ranging from janglepop to shoegaze and everything in between. Healees not only have more nationalities than most indie pop bands (four!), they also sound more punchy, unafraid to turn up the volume knob of their amps. Their melodies are nuanced and subtle though, and Healees leave it up to you how to experience the record. Whether you desire to be entertained, mesmerized or just a unobtrusive soundscape to your work or commute, Healees will deliver on all fronts.

The Healees cassette is out now through Hidden Bay Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Matt Moody || Still A Kid In A Painted Sky

Los Angeles based singer-songwriter/guitarist Matt Moody has the name and the voice as well as the songs to become as much of a hero as his role models Tom Petty and Jonathan Wilson. His full-length debut album Still A Kid In A Painted Sky has just been released and already feels like a classic. This is richly orchestrated and diverse indie folk rock, full of dreams about better times after a dark period, about convincing yourself that you’re worth living – doing what feels right – and that everything will be fine in the end. Moody has a pleasantly gritty voice with a wide range, with which he manages to convey his poetic but vulnerable stories in a captivating way. His skilled band – Lee Kolarik (drums, percussion), Todd Marshall (bass), Mike Abbadini (keys, whistles), Jacob Wynne (trumpet), David Kasper (sax, flute) and Megan Sullivan (violin) – knows how to create the right, warm atmosphere for every story with its varied set of instruments. “It feels like I’ve been yappin’ my best // But I don’t have much left, that ain’t been said // Except we’ll all be dead // Like rocks and such // And I don’ t mind, it too much”, you hear in standout song I Don’t Mind, but this LP is something to remember anyway.

Still A Kid In A Painted Sky is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Supercrush || Melody Maker

The five songs on Supercrush’s EP Melody Maker were lying on a shelf since 2019, but they may just as well have their origins in the ’90s. This is the kind of punchy altpop that will be gobbled up by fans of It’s A Shame About Ray, Bandwagonesque and Girlfriend.

The songs were recorded in the same sessions as their 2020 debut LP, which makes me wonder why these songs were excluded from that one. They are far from throwaways, and I like to make the case that songs like Perfect Smile, Trophy and Melody Maker actually would have improved Supercrush’s already very likeable Soda Pop LP.

Melody Maker is out now on 12″ through a bunch of labels: Debt Offensive – who are on a roll lately with releases by Motorists and Night Court, Don Giovanni & KR Records (US), Erste Theke Tonträger (Europe), and Flake Records (Japan).


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: World Image || World Image

While browsing Bandcamp, I came across the song World Image, which turned out to be the opening track of World Image, the debut album by Canadian three-piece World Image. I liked what I heard, and luckily there were seven other jangly tunes that are just as captivating. World Image features Malcolm Jackson Biddle (vocals, guitars, harmonica, songwriting, production), Calen Degnan (bass) and Allan Miller lll (drums), and they play dreamy psych pop with a summery feel. The music, inspired by Meat Puppets, was recorded and mixed on a Tascam 388 at “Taco Tuesdays” last spring. In the words of the frontman: “We wanted to do something lowkey but glassy, some kinda 90’s northwest hippie grunge.” Anyhow, World Image is another great discovery for fans of great jangle pop – we’ll definitely be listening to it in the fall as well.

World Image is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Gimme 5! T.E. Yates Shares 5 Albums He Listened To During His Most Prolific Phase As A Songwriter

With ‘Gimme 5!’ we take a peek into the collections of artists we admire. The premise is simple: artists WE like share five records THEY love.

Thomas Edward Yates aka T.E. Yates is a gifted multi-disciplinary artist – singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, illustrator, animator – based in Bristol (UK). After a single in 2012 and an EP in 2013, he released his debut full-length Silver Coins and White Feathers (Debt Records) in 2017, followed by the EP Strange Weather (self-released, self-designed) late last year, with six songs from the same recording sessions. It’s richly orchestrated indie folk, with a well-thought-out structure and beautiful, sincere vocals. The video for Condition showcases Yates’ qualities as musician and creator, but Palace of Your Master is his personal favorite (for me Jack of All Trades is the track that stands out – just saying).

Given his versatility, we wondered what Tom’s influences are. He was kind enough to provide his response in some interesting stories.

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