Nathan Bowles has found his way across the site countless times — with Bill Mackay, Black Twig Pickers, Setting, Pelt, and countless other iterations of progressive folk, bluegrass, roots, and drone. For his latest he sets up as a trio with double-bassist Casey Toll (Jake Xerxes Fussell, Mt. Moriah) and drummer Rex McMurry (CAVE). The ..read more

Real excited to see RSTB faves HITS back with news of a new album today. The Bay Area band thickens up their indie-pop on the fuzzed and fizzed new cut “1-5-8.” Often just adjacent to some of the softer strains coming out of their city, it’s great to hear the band get a bit brash ..read more

One of my favorite releases from last year was the debut from Japanese trio Maya Ongaku. The band crafted natural environments rooted in folk, hovering between the ambient psych of the West, ‘90s touchstones like Ghost, and ’70s precursors like Fluid. The band returns, still anchored in calm waters, but carving away at the pristine ..read more

Glasgow’s Nightshift slip into the silken glow of their third LP, sanding down some of brittle corners of their sound. The band’s pushed past the boundaries of the post-punk that formed the basis of their last two albums, still reveling in a bit of caustic wit and art-rock wrangle, but wriggling closer to New Wave ..read more

The producer-packed power trio Terry Gross returns with the winkingly titled second album, Huge Improvement. First single “Sheepskin City” finds the band back in the fray, powering through growled guitars and hammered drum runs that chew on pure adrenaline. The contrasting vocals float ethereally in the tempest, riding the crests and crevices of the storm with a lyrical nod to impermanence. Phil Becker, Donny Newenhouse, and Phil Manley (Trans Am) continue to balance their studio instincts with a telepathic interplay, crafting cuts that corral cosmic forces and tattoo songs deep into the liste ..read more

When he raised the solo signals a the better part of a decade ago, Cory Hanson seemed to siphon off the slower impulses for his own works, leaving the fire and fusion to Wand. Yet, with Western Cum arriving as one of his most tumultuous albums yet, it seems the switches have flipped between the barriers. Now, Vertigo isn’t devoid of drama and drive, nor cinder and smoke, but it’s certainly a more patient vision of what Wand has embraced over the past few years. The album has a cohesive slink to it, rising and falling like tides painted by moonlight. Strings slip through many of the tracks — a ..read more

A gorgeous live release slips out from RSTB faves Future Museums via the always excellent crew at Hippie Scum. The tape is a live recording of an expanded version of the band, dubbed Future Museums Healers’ Ensemble. In 2022, the group organized a sound bath at the Pease Park Treehouse in Austin. The performance was presented on an 8-speaker quadraphonic stereo installed into the 40-foot steel globe. After the recording was made, the songs were rearranged to optimize their effect in the recorded space, but no additional overdubs or insertions were made. The tape is a serene tapestry of sparkin ..read more

Another burbling gem rises out of Peel Dream Magazine’s upcoming LP. Aloft on organs and sweating through an aqueous beat, “Wish You Well,” is a gauzy vision of pop that conjures a playground of sound around Olivia Babuka Black’s vocals. The band’s last album found them swerving away from the percolator pop and towards a baroque, chamber pop sound, but with the first two singles from Rose Main Reading Room, the band re-dedicates to the whirlpool wonders of their early days. They even pay a bit of ‘90s homage in the accompanying video, littering the visuals with fish eye lenses and grainy textu ..read more

A nice cool down from YAI today, lead by the crystalline flutes of David Lackner. The duo straddles the line between ambient and jazz, dousing the first cut form their upcoming album Sky Time in a vernal beauty that’s thick enough to lie down in. John Thayer’s percussive bedding ranges from thick, mossy, cavernous crashes to the subtle slink of hand percussion. The duo’s new album, Sky Time, is on its way September 6th from AKP Recordings. With the way the heat’s been, you’re gonna need the iced atmospheres of YAI to get through the end of summer. Sky Time by YAI Support the artist. Buy it HER ..read more

Missed this a couple of days back, but it’s certainly worth revisiting — a weary wonder from UK favorites Mt. Misery. The song’s packed with the melancholy moorings of workplace tensions, but the band makes the irritation go down smoothly. Couched in the band’s easy swoon and soft-sweatered croons, jangles swaddle the listener while Mt. Misery extol the myriad interruptions laid upon them by co-workers. The listener is swept up in the band’s sighs. The song fits in nicely with their catalog of indie pop gems. Out now, direct from the band. Support the artist. Buy it HERE ..read more