Buddie are a poppy indie rock band and the main songwriting outlet of Dan Forrest. Agitator is the band’s second LP. It was recorded in the midst of Forrest moving from Philadelphia to Vancouver to start a graduate degree in sustainability. Call it a bittersweet record, a record of turbulence, but Buddie sound inspired and focused on Agitator. They combine ’90s altpop influences with mid ’00s indie rock and modern power pop, kinda like The Shins, Nada Surf and 2nd Grade joining forces. Meanwhile, the political, societal and personal themes touched upon Agitator are reflected in the mix of uplifting and darker tones on the record.
Agitator is out now on Tape through Crafted Sounds.
American indie rock trio Diet Lite – Evan Marsalli (drums), Kelson Kuzdas (guitar) and Max Niemann (guitar) – are back with a new full-length, their fourth and most ambitious to date. Into The Pudding consists of 18 original songs, partly heard before on last year’s Jon Told Bob Told Rob and Dumb Bird EPs, supplemented with new material including 5 instrumental interludes that together form the title track. To be filed under indie rock, but building on glam-wrapped 70s rock ‘n’ roll – energetic and powerful, dynamic and uplifting, sweeter and heavier than the band name suggests. You’ll hear driving rhythms with confident swagger – as they sing in Flying Cars & New Fonts: “Playing it straight // Playing the game.”
Into The Pudding is out now digitally via Lifehouse.
How Naarm/Melbourne art rock outfit Floodlights continues after a sold-out EP (Backyard, 2019) and a critically acclaimed debut LP (From A View, number 1 on my year-end list for 2020)? With the experience of countless live shows in their back pocket, and the strong 7″ The More I Am b/w Overflowing Cup (2021) as further proof of competence, they confidently capture their further development in sophomore full-length Painting of My Time. Louis Parsons (vocals, guitar), Ashlee Kehoe (vocals, guitar), Joe Draffen (bass) and Archie Shannon (drums) unite the grandeur of stadium bands in the 80s and the dynamics of the current post-punk revival (both the minimal cover art* on a blue background and the sound are somewhat reminiscent of The Wild Swans’ 1982 single Revolutionary Spirit), but clearly have their own original and recognizable sound. The distinctive and charismatic vocals and melodic harmonica can glorify on a solid guitar rock bed, which is more richly orchestrated than before – trumpet, grand piano, violin and synths make their appearance. Sonically it’s still somewhat melancholic, but the album title and lyrics in multiple songs leave no room for misunderstanding (from On the Television, one of the standout tracks with infectious woo-hoo’s to sing along): “The time is now!”
Painting of My Time, recorded by Nao Anzai, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP via Virgin Music. *The cover image is taken from an original Martin George painting.
Consistency is one of the many strengths of Holiday Ghosts. Every uneven year, we are treated to a new full length by the band from the Southern coast of the UK. Without exception, all of these albums have been stellar and covered in colorful abstract art. And throughout the years, Holiday Ghosts haved stayed true to their own energetic and pure brand of indie pop, which derives its distinctiveness in part due to the dual vocals of drummer Katja Rackin and guitarist Sam Stacpoole.
You can apply all of the above to the Absolute Reality LP, which is out today through Fat Cat Records.
With their latest batch of tunes, Holiday Ghosts again prove how irrestible their music is. Their songs have that rare quality of sounding laid back and frantic at the same time, and that channeled hyperactivity is a thing of chaotic beauty. The instruments bounce in all directions, the vocalists are constantly on the breakout of joining forces, and the recordings have that first-take spontaneity of a band that already carved their new songs to perfection during their busy touring adventures. Relative to their previous outings, Absolute Reality appears to have a bit more slowed down tracks, but the energy and playfulness of Holiday Ghosts is always simmering underneath. Like I said, concistency as a strength.
So here you have it, one of our favorite current bands add another great record to their already tremendous discography. Fat Cat Records, we’ll have two please!
Write a check mark behind #35 in the Doomed Babe Series by Friends Of Cesar Romero. The latest single in the series arrived at our doorstep yesterday, a mere 5 weeks after we wrote about #34. It’s titled Gameboy America and features 3 brand new hits by the songwriting machine J. Waylon Porcupine. Feelings of longing and heartbreak are never far away with FOCR, and that certainly applies to the new songs. “You took my money and my time too. I turned your gray skies into blue. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be true. I’m just your Gameboy America,” J. Waylong sings on the title track. And before you know it, you’ll be singing along to the bittersweet lines of Somebody’s Somebody: “Baby. Are you avoiding me. Cause I think you’re somebody’s someone, Somebody’s someone, Somebody’s somebody now.”
As always, in spite of all the heartbreak, the songs of FOCR remain infectious and upbeat. And as always, the songs are to the point, none more so than the 54 second Punching Ian Sharp that ends with a well aimed F- You. Good times!
And now for something complete pop…listen tot Popalina, the new LP by Carolina Otero & The Someone Elses from Spain. The band cites influences ranging from classic to modern indie rock, including Veruca Salt, François Breut, Pavement, Weezer, PJ Harvey, Waxahatchee, Alvvays, Big Thief, Wolf Alice and Angel Olsen. And while those influences definitely shine through, Popalina is very much an indie pop record to my ears. A good one as well. The songs on Popalina are super sweet, infused with rays of sunshine, but also have plenty of punch to offset dental plaque. The guitar work is particularly tasty, and Carolina Otero’s vocals are a thing of beauty, or envy, depending on your level of ambition. The experience and skill of band (Popalina is the outfit’s fourth record already, but just the first in their native language) shines particularly bright on standout tracks like Íbex En Flor, Una Foto De Man Ray, Polaroid and El Nuevo Titanic.
Open your curtains, open the windows, let the sweet melodies of Carolina Otero & The Someone Elses in. Popalina is out now on LP through No Aloha Records.
Great band name, great album title, great looks, and – most importantly – great music full of hooks. Please meet The Thing, a new indie rock trio from Brooklyn, New York, who are quickly winning over local hearts with their energetic live shows. With their full-length debut album – indeed: Here’s The Thing – they will also conquer the rest of the world. The nine songs here are confident and exciting, dynamic and magnetic, tight but quite rough around the edges. Their sound is refreshing but also familiar and versatile, incorporating garage and psych influences. The tracks designated as singles (Beige Bouqet, Dirt and Dixie Queen) are all hits (the others are not much less – Country Song II being one of my favorites), with memorable lyrics (“Some days I think I’m Elvis, some days I think I’m king”). Suddenly a Long Live The Thing t-shirt feels like an indispensable item.
Here’s The Thing is out now digitally through Onion Records.
Athens (Georgia) is a Cool Town that, some argue, launched alternative music and changed American culture. It also is home to Deep State, a musical project by Taylor Chmura, Christian Deroeck, Michael Gonzalez and Brandon Page – a quartet of musicians with tentacles reaching to bands like Little Gold and Blunt Bangs.
Deep State does not record and release music often, but when they do it’s always right on the money. The band’s last release dates back to 2019 and was called Path To Fast Oblivion.I highly recommended it if this post is your first introduction to Deep State. Strangely, the title of said record would have been a better fit to the band’s most recent release Diary Of A Nobody: The band explicitly states that this 8-song EP (or mini-album) is the final document of the band. Insert mic drop here.
What helps to offset the sadness this message evokes is the simple fact that Deep State goes out with a bang. Diary Of A Nobody is not a sad record, it showcases a band rockin’ out and showing how it’s done one more time. On their final showing, Deep State expertly blend garage pop, alt pop, protopunk and indie rock, with their Polar North pointing toward ’70s classic rock and powerpop.
So don’t expect any complaints here that Deep State is calling it quits, just gratefulness that they existed. Thanx for the tunes Deep State!
Autumn Rhythm are an indie rock four piece from New York who just dropped their sophomore full length Joy For Tomorrow. The record stays just shy of 30 minutes, and offers the kind of underground indie rock that harkens back to the days when punk bands started to display rock and emo tendencies. There is a touch of ’90s alt pop to the sound of Autumn Rhythm as well. Highly melodic, but also unpolished and with an edge, Joy For Tomorrow offers much to enjoy. RIYL: Liquid Mike, Samiam, The Promise Ring, The Appleseed Cast.
If you were to listen to the 13 songs on their new full-length Smile without knowing any better, you might think that Robocop Kraus are a bunch of young dogs, sounding so eager and energetic. However, the German indie rock/post-punk outfit started back in 1998, and this is their first fresh LP in 15 years. Perhaps that hiatus explains the sense of urgency, but also the wealth of ideas, styles, themes, influences and instruments. The music is dynamic but also somewhat dark, the lyrics are introspective and lighter, even humorous at times. Highlights galore – for example watch the entertaining videos, or listen to Cradle of Filth (about an event with the UK metal band on the night train to Saint Petersburg). This is a powerful and haunting rock record, much more than Innocent Fun. A welcome and strong comeback.
Smile, produced by Jan Philipp Janzen, is out now on CD and vinyl LP through Tapete Records.
