Darwin Deez, a.k.a. Darwin Smith, seethes pop music. Ever since Deez began back in 2009, he’s stuck to what he knows best: melding a killer melody and some impressive instrumentation to go along with it. Deez’s new album Double Down is a lot like his other music, catchy with incredibly sweet melodies and a knack for witty lyrics. For […]
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The best acts hidden in the tiny fonts.
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Heartless Bastards first came together as a three-piece outfit in Cincinnati, Ohio, including singer Erika Wennerstrom and her then-boyfriend Mike Lamping. After a couple releases (Stairs and Elevators, All This Time) the duo parted ways, so Wennerstrom headed to Austin, Texas. What came of the breakup and move was The Mountain, which turned out to be quite a […]
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No Joy decided to experiment a little with its new album, More Faithful. The band split recording into two sessions: half the album at Brooklyn studio Gary’s Electric, and, surprisingly, the other half at an old farmhouse in Costa Rica. No Joy worked with producer Jorge Elbrecht to create More Faithful and make it the band’s most distinguishable and […]
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The members of Heyrocco have all just entered their 20s, but their music doesn’t show their age. The band is so tight that it sounds like it’s been around for years. Its debut LP Teenage Movie Soundtrack brims with feelings of adolescence, transporting listeners back to high school days when life was carefree and a full-time job wasn’t […]
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Unknown Mortal Orchestra has a very off-putting band name. Is this band a group of metal dudes who love orchestral music and old video games? One could surmise this or whatever else comes to the imagination. The truth is, though, that Unknown Mortal Orchestra isn’t any of the things listed above. The band’s newest effort, Multi-Love, […]
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Expert Alterations’ self-titled EP became so popular when it was released in the summer of 2014 that it’s now been pressed as a cassette three batches over—an interesting and very old school choice. Though Expert Alterations is from Baltimore, Maryland, its music seems to be heavily influenced by UK pop music, similar to bands like […]
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Surfer Blood’s 1000 Palms is the resulting bitterness and frustration that consumed the band after signing to Warner Bros. Records. After parting ways with the label, Surfer Blood wrote and recorded this album on its own. Home recording freed the band from major label finger pointers and directors, and freedom is a nice thing to have. Sometimes, though, a little […]
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Turnover’s new album Peripheral Vision identifies and inspects relatable and worrisome problems facing anyone who’s ever had feelings. Dealing with a bad breakup or feeling lost and confused about life and its ever-morphing meaning are commonly feared. Turnover’s singer and guitarist Austin Getz touches on these aspects of everyday life in Peripheral Vision as he explores his dilemmas and how to fix […]
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Though Looper’s Stuart David may have been a founding member of the remarkably successful Belle and Sebastian, it doesn’t mean his other musical endeavors don’t venture to unknown territories. Looper is the collaboration between David and his wife. Though the duo retains the best characteristics of pop music, like major chords and undeniably catchy melodies, it manages to swap […]
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Drenge’s Undertow is only its second release, having released a self-titled album in the summer of 2013, and yet the album is exceptionally executed. Carefully formulated with heavy, echo-y guitars and powerful, non-stop drumming, Undertow is on its way to be a huge success for Drenge because of its dynamic and emotionally honest songs. Undertow is, quite simply, straightforward rock ‘n’ roll. There […]
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