Indie Rock

New album: Mary Anne’s Polar Rig || Makes You Happy

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Are you ready for some fuzzy alternative slacker rock from Sweden? Make sure to check out the debut by Mary Anne’s Polar Rig. It’s called Makes Me Happy and it is kind of a mess, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s a chaotic record, with a lot going on. The band immediately draws you in with album opener Something About Your Way. It is short, fast and catchy. It is followed by Your House, which starts tenderly before erupting in an infectious chorus. It is not the only track where the band effectively uses soft loud dynamics. Liar Liar for example, another standout track, starts with an thunderous bass riff and ends explosively, but also has a quiet yet intense interlude where singer Malin Hofvander wails “i want to feel sexy || i want to feel sure || i don’t want to be rejected || i want to be adored”. Hofvander’s voice gives Makes You Happy an edge, but ultimately Mary Anne’s Polar Rig sounds like a well oiled collective. This is quite the debut. Out now on Please Like it & Feverish. RIYL: Evans The Death and Joanna Gruesome.


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New single: Eades || Former Warnings Cluster

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The song I played the most this week is Former Warnings Cluster by UK 5-piece Eades. The first 15 seconds I wasn’t immediately convinced (is that an 80s synthesizer?), but then the singer grabs you and a little later a cowbell is added with enthusiasm (more cowbell!) – at that moment resisting is no longer possible, certainly if the tempo is increased a little further. On repeat! Out now through Heist or Hit.

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New album: Band of Young Saints || Misadventure

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Misadventure, the new album by Band of Young Saints (B.O.Y.S.) from Brooklyn (NY), is a welcome surprise. The cover art caught my eye, the music wouldn’t let me go. The four band members look cool, and that’s how they sound. A lot happens in the seven uptempo songs, the instruments challenge each other but are in balance, the vocals are exciting. Very nice.

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New album: S:Bahn || Queen Of Diamonds

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Can you still call it a sophomore album when there is a 25 year gap between a band’s debut and second full-length? I am not sure, but I am glad that Melbourne based indie rock band S:Bahn came out of a long hibernation. The band’s second record sounds varied and inspired and is called Queen of Diamonds. Songs like Sync or Swim and We Move will appeal to fans of the postpunk of Fontaines D.C and Ought, whereas songs like Exhaustion, The Tide That Pulls Me Away From You (my personal favorite ) and Pulse are more melodic and straightforward indie rock. Vinyl orders available through Polaks Records.


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New single: Genevieve & Hemmy || Last One For The Road

By / / Blues & Roots, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / 1 Comment

The photos stand out on the website of Genevieve & Hemmy.  Two travelin’ street musicians, two guitars, one kickdrum, one open guitar case with a cardboard note (“anything helps”), two dogs. The three songs that make up The last One For The Road EP sound nothing like those from their previous act, the loud grunge/blues outfit Beneath Trees. These days, Genevieve & Hemmy opt for a garage take on folkrock. Usually, I am not that into folkrock, but the band incorporates a variety of influences that make this a compelling EP. The opener is the most rocking song on the EP, with an organ giving the song a seventies rock vibe. Stillness, the second track, is a well executed jangle pop song; it’s my favorite track. And finally, Sisters is a tad slower, more dreamy. G & H’s music is inspired by travel, love, nature & spirit. I look forward to find out where Genevieve & Hemmy are off to next.


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New EP: The Reytons || May Seriously Harm You and Others Around You

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The Reytons will have heard the comparison with that other band from South Yorkshire (UK) too often, but the music that that other band made 15 years ago they don’t make anymore and there is still a need for it. So good news that the “right ones” are here, even better news that they have released a new EP – good album title, good cover photo, good songs. Let’s hope we can see them live soon, so that we can roar along: ‘Tie up your laces, this city is ours!’

Add to wantlist: Discogs

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New album: The Spires || Era Was

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The Spires are from California. They play timeless guitar pop that is pleasant to the ears, soul and mind. Era was, I believe, is the band’s fifth full-length, which “started off as a full band live record then ended up a bedroom headphone jammer.” Recommended if you like your indie rock understated, subtle, and well executed.

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Throwback Thursday: Soccer Cousins || Lazy Bones

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In the recent past I have added many songs to my “Favorites” playlist that in my opinion should have become big hits, but unfortunately have not reached an audience as large as they deserved. It’s quite possible that my taste isn’t hit-sensitive, but now that we have this website as a platform, I’m free to share one of these overlooked nuggets with you every now and then. Watch and listen below to Lazy Bones (Gentle Reminder Records, 2018) by New York trio Soccer Cousins. I particularly appreciate how the song slowly increases the tempo, so that the music amplifies the lyrics. If I understand correctly, Jon, Brendan, and Josh did their final show not long after, which is a shame as I would have loved to hear more from them.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: FRITZ || Pastel

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There has been no shortage of fuzzy dream pop projects in the streaming age. This makes it hard for artists to truly stand out from the pack. An additional challenge with this genre is that although a lot of artists sound instantly likeable, that appeal often is short-lived or limited to individual songs rather than full-length albums. Two positive exceptions this past decade, at least to me, were Alvvays and Say Sue Me. I am going to add FRITZ to that list, who kind of sound like a combination of the two but with an emphasis on their faster work. FRITZ is Tilly Murphy from Newcastle (Australia), backed up by Cody Brougham (guitar) and Darren James (drums). Murphy cites Alvvays, Pains Of Being True At Heart and Best Coast as her main influences, and you can tell. Pastel is the sophomore album by FRITZ. It’s a major step up from their debut, and I’m all in.

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New album: Billy Cobb || Zerwee, Pt. 2

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It is not uncommon for artists to sound eerily similar to other artists. However, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who is so explicit on this matter than Billy Cobb. On Zerwee, Pt. 2, the resemblance to Weezer is fully intentional. Hence the album title Zerwee, hence the Pinkerton like album art, though I am not sure whether this, like the Pinkerton cover, is a Hiroshige painting as well.  Soundwise, Billy Cobb relies on the first half of Weezer’s career, with Pinkerton as the strongest reference. The record was released in 2020, but Needlejuice Records recently pressed it on three varieties of aesthetically pleasing colored vinyl.  Make sure to visit their site if you are a vinyl aficionado: they have so many good looking records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

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