Gustaf

30 BEST TRACKS OF 2024

Posted on by JL

ALL TOGETHER

TRACK BY TRACK

– 1 –

Band: HINDS
Who: Sizzling Spanish
ecstatic pop fury.

Track: Superstar

Piece from their 4th LP,
titled Viva Hinds

TUTV: Perfect 24 Carat power pop tune with a rhapsodic impact
on your ears. Sonic euphoria that causes a prompt outburst of
dazzling delight.

Fantástico!

Instagram – Linktree
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– 2 –

Band: KINGS OF LEON
Track: Mustang

The Nashville family launched their 9th album
named Cand We Please Have Fun’ last May.

TUTV: A roasting steamroller that turns up the heat even
more when the cooking chorus kicks in and blows the roof off.
Red-hot-blooded belter.

Bad-ass.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 3 –

Band: FONTAINES D.C.
Track: Starbuster

Unquestionable standout from the Irish indie
stars’ much applauded 4th LP Romance.

TUTV: Intense jam, rollin’ on with a bone-chilling flow and
frontman Grian Chatten raps all over it with his characteristic
uptight parlando and grasping for his breath every time the
refrain comes on.

Breath-taking.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 4 –

Band: GUSTAF
Who: Swirling 5-piece from Brooklyn led by charismatic frontwoman
Lydia Gammil released their 2nd album Package Pt. 2 last April.

Track: Starting And Staring

TUTV: Funkier than the B-52’s in their heyday, and  Gustaf spin around
with more dash and class than Bodega and Parquet Courts. Fact!

Knockout.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 5 –

Band: STRAND
Who: Power pop quartet
from Dublin, Ireland.

Track: Progress

Part of their upcoming 5-track EP
that’ll land early next year.

“Progress is a song about changing places, people and times.”

TUTV: Epic. Grandiose. Staggering. Amplified guitar-pop at its mind-blowing best.
One of those not-everyday puissant killer tracks overwhelms your emotions
from the first spin.

Superb.


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Linktree – Spotify
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– 6 –

Artist: GAVIN FRIDAY
Who: The former flamboyant spearhead of Irish
new art wave act Virgin Prunes (1977-1986).

Track: The Church Of Love

From his new album
Ecce Homo.

TUTV: Glistening electro-pop splendor. Uplifting, jaunty and
brisk. Trust me, you’ll want to join Friday‘s church afterward.

Believe.
Here.
Now.


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Instagram – Spotify
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– 7 –


Press photo by Zac Bayly

Band: AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS

Track: You Should Not Be Doing that

Stand-alone single released after they dropped their
3rd full-length Cartoon Darkness last October.

TUTV: A searing left/right uppercut. Amyl is sniffin’ again
as we are used to by now, but I never get tired of her
kickass briskness.

Wowzers.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 8 –


Press photo

Band: DITZ
Who: Earthquake-causing
hit team from Brighton, UK.

Track: Taximan

Piece from their forthcoming second longplayer, baptized
Never Exhale. It’ll hit the streets on 25 January 2025.

TUTV: Taximan does your head in the way we, brainbangers, like it.
Bam Bang Boom. No mercy for the wicked. Manic mayhem as usual.
You’d better check out if Robert ‘Travis’ De Niro is behind the wheel
before taking a cab.

Helter-skelter.


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Linktree – Bandcamp
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– 9 –

Band: THE RATS
Who: 5 ambitious rascals
from Ghent, Belgium.

Track: OLD FLAMES

Cut from their excellent
debut EP Disco To Disco.

The song is about rediscovering old lovers after a night out from disco(theque) to disco(theque), with references to The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan and his excessive
drinking, and a legendary Belgian crooner.

TUTV: Full steam ahead from the get-go. All engines on. Decibels up, amps up.
The breakneck speed and the relentless synth/percussion riff make your head
spin 360°. I dare you to catch up with this missile all the way.

Hit! Hit! Hit!


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Instagram – Bandcamp
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strong>- 10 –

Band: LAMBRINI GIRLS
Who: A two-motor punk bulldozer from Brighton, UK who have built
a notorious reputation over the past 2 years, on record and on stage.

Track: Love

Cut from the duo’s upcoming debut LP
Who Let The Dogs Out. Out next year, on
January 10.

TUTV: Without a shadow of a loud doubt, one of the grrrlz’s best stormers so far.
An amazeballs wall-of-nasty-guitar/bass hullabaloo, a ruthless octopus drummer
and Phoebe‘s best vocals. Hell-tastic.

‘True love is nothing more than the wrong hill to die on”.

Dynamite.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 11 –

Band: THE MYSTERINES
Who: Impassioned powerhouse pop indies from
Liverpool fronted by ravishing voice Lia Metcalfe.

Track: SINK YA TEETH

Single from their 2nd LP
Afraid Of Tomorrows.

TUTV: A maddening master blaster.
Haunting electricity and Metcalfe
mystique.

Cool as fuck!

Linktree – Spotify
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< – 12 –

Band: SPRINTS
Who: Irish post-punk sensation.

Track: TICKING
Opener of their kick-ass
debut LP Letter To Self.

TUTV: The jaw-dropping vitality these volcanic Irish beatniks develop here is off the charts. They build a near-unbearable tension and explode insanely, time after time, along the rough ride. Vocalist/songwriter Karla Chubb knows terrifically well how to double your adrenalin production.

Timebomb.


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Instagram – Spotify
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– 13 –

Band: GETDOWN SERVICES
Who: Two flamboyant
weirdos from Bristol, UK.

Track: DOG DRIBBLE

From the duo’s brand new 6-track EP
Your Medal’s In The Post.

TUTV: Dog Dribble operates somewhere between Yard Act and Sleaford Mods.
Its limbs-activating groove is simply irresistible. Get up, stand up, and fight
for your right to bounce up and down like mad.

Buzzing.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 14 –

Band: FAT DOG
Who: South London-based gang that made thousands
and ‘true love is nothing more than the wrong hill to die on”.
thousands of ears go bonkers with their first-rate debut
longplayer Woof.

Track: All The Same

TUTV: A ballistic disco-punk whopper to end and start all (il)legal
raves with. When the huge orchestral injections blast out of your
vibrating speakers you know that these misfits are your new
favorite dogs. Hallelujah!

Barking party mayhem.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 15 –


Press photo by Cal McIntyre

Band: RIDE
Legendary British shoegazers.

Track: Last Frontier

Toptier one from their toptier
7th LP, named Interplay.

TUTV: A sickly sticky earworm with
an orgasmic chorus. Less shoegaze,
more pop bliss. Moonstruck stroke.

Bingo.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 16 –

MAYFLOWER MADAME
Who: Norwegian pysch-pop outfit.

This Norwegian band specializes in a dark and distinctive blend
of post-punk, shoegaze and psych-noir. So far they released two
albums.

Track: A Foretold Ecstasy

One of the stellar singles from their
new, third, album Insight.

TUTV: Drums and bass team up for an incessantly beat that carries
this instantaneously infectiuos trip, along with a magnetizing Cure-esque
guitar riff that gets you in a trance.

Truly hypnotizing from start to finish with velvety vocals
and darkwavish synths in the back adding a twilight tone.

Sparkling.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 17 –

Band: BLACK DOLDRUMS
Who: British synth-pop-Goth trio with key
members Kevin Gibbard and Sophie Landers

Track: Summer Breeze

From their second LP,
named In Limerence.

TUTV: No, this is not a New Order song but it could easily be one, actually a stellar one. Summer Breeze sparkles from the very start to finish with scintillating guitar riffs, zealous percussion, shiny synths and Gibbard‘s eager vocals. It’s a pure pop pearl for all seasons.

Paramount.

Instagram Spotify
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– 18 –

Artist: ST. VINCENT
Who: Glamorous songstress
Annie Carke from NYC.

Track: Big Time Nothing
Cut from her 7th LP
All Born Screaming.

TUTV: Sexy crowded nightclub stomper.
Dancefloor filler. Orgastic titillation.

Sigh!

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– 19 –

Artists: ARROWS OF ATHENA (Boston, MA)
Who: A pandemic project that found its two main players – multi-instrumentalist and producer Scott Lerner and vocalist and lyricist Jac-Lyn Gibson – reuniting after the latter spent some time away from music, Arrows of Athena are crafting a distinct sound on
their own terms, bridging usually disparate ends of the pop and rock spectrum for an illuminated sound of big dance beats, heavy riffs, and melodic intensity.

New single: Reckless Heart

Piece from their debut
album The Ghost

On this song the duo explores the mental and emotional work required
for a successful marriage, and how we’re often careless with love.

TUTV: I’m quite sure that Arrows Of Athena are huge fans of former Swedish glam and glitter pop duo Roxette. The bliss and blitz at play on Reckless Heart is sonically similar. Sizzling guitars, battering drums/bass grooves, sensuous vocals and a peppy chorus combine here for a power pop pearl that flames lustrously. Orchestral melodiousness, fiery 90s spirit, and musical. An invigorating joyride.

And eye-catching animated video clip.

WATCH/LISTEN

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– 20 –


📸 @ebony_alexander_media

Band: VIRGINS
Who: Young up-and-coming
Belfast-based shoegazers .

Track: s o f t e r
Single from their fascinating debut LP
nothing hurt and anything
was beautiful

TUTV: This is a psychedelic shoegaze stunner, a multi-layered symphony
propelled by about a thousand guitars, a mindboggling bass riff, and combative
drums, while Rebecca Dow‘s ghostly vocals come from another galaxy.

Heavenly.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 21 –

Band: LEG PUPPY 2.0
Who: Madcap techno act from London.

Track: Welcome To Your New Future
Piece from their best album, so far, baptized Humanity 2.0.

TUTV: What’s in store for humankind. Nuclear war or peace and free love?
Or will we be just another brick in the wall? Whatever happens, never stop
pirouetting yourself dizzy to Leg Puppy.

We don’t need your education
We don’t need no your thought control

Move those legs.

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– 22 –


Art by Jeffrey Boyle

Band: THE DARTS
Who: Unwearying garage
rock turbo from Phoenix, Arizona.

Track: Ppur Another
From this year’s fabulous
new LP Boomerang.

TUTV: The most energetic, exciting, pizzazy band around. Cooking on record and on stage. Sultry garage rock for party animals. This is my absolute favorite of this years Boomerang LP. Chipper tune.

Have a drink, folks.

Linktree – Spotify
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– 23 –

Band: RAPTUROUS
Who: British hip-rock-hop squad.

Track: Repeat After Me

TUTV: Think Cypress Hill fronted by Zack de la Rocha, rattling like
a rapid-fire riot-gun. An avid anthem that celebrates freedom and
invites you to shout along while pumping your fists in the air.

Repeat after them.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 24 –

Band: BAD MOVES
Who: Fervent guitar-pop
quartet from Washington.

Track: Hallelujah
Piece from their 3rd LP,
titled Wearing Out The Refrain.

TUTV: Hallelujah rages against the anti-LGBTQ
haters with knives between their teeth and an
unstoppable drive.

“To express oneself, now expressly forbidden/ That’s a spiritual hell, that’s
a new prohibition/ And they’ll boil you down to reproductive function/ When
they see you as a vessel and not as a person!”

Bang-on.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 25 –

Band: CANYONS AND LOCUSTS
Who: Boston‘s hefty garage blues-rock duo.

Track: Anna Save A Life
.
TUTV: A manic motherrocker from a duo who sound as a 4-motor hit-and-run team. Riff-o-rama all the way while bashing drums do your head in. Garage punk ‘n’ roll at its filthy best. Call your own Anna and challenge the anti-decibels police.

Pretty sick.


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– 26 –

Band: DUMB POSH HIPPIES (hilarious name!)
Who: Psych-influenced, three-piece punk band from
Dublin/Derry with a love for big riffs and pace.

Track: Scrunched Up Fist

TUTV: Wham bloody wham bam. Expect a sharp-splitting punk rock juggernaut. Amps up and full steam ahead. No rest for the wicked with this razor-blade cutting, head over heels bombshell spiced with sneering vocals. Wham bloody wah-wah guitars bam. Scrunched Up Fist hits your face really hard. Hurry-scurry stroke.

Hells bells.


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Instagram – Spotify
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– 27 –

Band: SOFT SKIES INC
Who: Philadelphia-based identical-twin duo and longtime musical confidants
Ryan and Martin Rex, their shared sonic compass draws a straight line from the
classic alternative of their youth to the modern alternative and dream-pop of
today.

Track: Sooner Or Later

A song of hope, riding those tender waves of nostalgia, understanding that a loss of innocence comes with age but that we emerge from the other side with newfound perspective and awareness.

Melodic guitar pop at its Sebadoh best. Uptempo shoe-slacker-gaze
spiced with scintalling synths and ethereal vocals. Start dreaming in
overdrive.

Enrapturing.


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Linktree
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– 28 –


Photo credit: Thandiwe Zivengwa

Artist: SPIELMANN
Who:Eager singer-songwriter from Leeds, UK.

Track: Just Like Everybode Else
From this year’s EP, titled Fifteen Minutes With Spielmann.

TUTV: Just Like Everybody Else is a glorious, full-orchestrated pop gem, that transfers you in an eye/ear blink to a sonic dreamland with its affecting melodiousness, riveting chorus and warm-hearted vocals. Three highly-entertaining minutes and twenty seconds with Spielmann

Instagram – Linktree
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– 29 –

Artist: KIM DEAL

Track: Crystal Breath
Single from Deal’s solo debut full lenght
Nobody Loves You More.

TUTV: Quite special and different from anything
Deal has been done before. EBM bass dynamics,
trip-hop quivering and a spiky guitar riff.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 30 –

Artist: LAUREN MAYBERRY
Who: Synth-pop band CHVRCHES‘
Scottish voice/face.

Track: Something In The Air
Superb song from her solo debut LP
Vicious Creature.

TUTV: A sky-scraping tune, a stunning slice of elevating music
with a multi-storey chorus and Mayberry‘s crystal voice going
airborne.

Spectacular vocals.

Instagram – Spotify
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20 BEST TRACKS Of The Month – JANUARY 2024

Posted on by JL

ALL TOGETHER


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TRACK-BY-TRACK

1. ‘Starting And Sharing’ by GUSTAF (NYC)

The swirling 5-piece from Brooklyn led by charismatic frontwoman Lydia
Gammil released their top-tier album Audio Drag For Ego Slobs in 2021.

They canned the follow-up, more details to follow.
But first the lead single Starting And Staring.

Funkier than the B-52’s in their heyday, and they spin around with more
dash and class than Bodega and Parquet Courts.

Knockout.

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2. ‘Aeroplane’ by THE LIVING PINS (Austin, Texas)

These rockin’ amazons – Carrie Clark and Pam Peltz – have known each other since
the mid-90s, they played in different bands together and decided to give it a go again with some friends.

Enter Aeroplane, a piece from their rawk-ing EP Let It Be So.

Imagine 60s British glam rock legends T. REX and American sassy duo Royal Trux
jamming together. Aeroplane grooves and moves with pithy panache and steaming swagger. Add the saucy and sensual duet vocals, and we have ourselves a winner.

Let’s roll.

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3. ‘Mild Misogynist’ by THE BABY SEALS (UK)

The Baby Seals are three DIY indie grrrls from Cambridgeshire (UK)
who released their debut EP back in 2017.

Mild Misogynist is a ripper from their upcoming debut album Chaos.

The trio have that roaring rawness, unbridled roughness, genuine gusto and spontaneous bravado, Sleater-Kinney had back in the 90s. These three punk Amazons resonate more like Courtney Love when she went mental with Hole ages ago. Garage frenzy rock at its sharp-teethed indie best.

The accompanying self-made video is sheer fun.

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4. ‘Danzing With Myself’ by THE DANDY WARHOLS (Portland, Oregon)


(Photo by TUTV)

On March 15 the Dandys launch their 12th longplayer, named Rockmaker. Last summer the Dandys dropped stand-alone single The Summer Of Hate. An infectious steamroller that will be on the album.

But the first official single is Danzing With Myself.

Courtney Taylor-Taylor (frontman): “It started with a riff that either sounded like
Misfits or Danzig and then got slowed down. Overall, Rockmaker is the manifestation
of our desire to hear a record of heavy raw punk and metal guitar riffs, but it has its
own alley.”

It features Pixies‘ general Frank Black and is a rather gloomy and doomy (yes, Danzig-like) sounding stomper, but vintage Warhols. Its poignant pace creeps faster under your skin than you can say ‘fuck Trump’.

Danze.


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5. ‘To Be Enjoyed’ by Band: PURRS (France)

Purrs are 4 French gunslingers who bring together a singular artistic emergency drawn from Great Britain in the 80s and the current observation of a dark future, and orchestrate a bitter present but which does not refuse hope.

‘To Be Enjoyed’ explores the delicate theme of mental health, highlighting the simple desire to feel better and make progress with one’s condition. Through this composition, we aim to convey the idea that there are different ways of taking care of one’s mental health, and that it’s crucial to find the solution that’s right for everyone. Having all lived experiences more or less close to depression, this song is our way of communicating not only with those facing this illness, but also with their loved ones who accompany them on the road to recovery.

Energetic punk ebullience à la British mavericks Idles. Aggressive, furious and from a
fast beating heart. Trust me, Purrs are going places. 2024 will be their breakthrough year.

Ace.

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6. ‘Gift Horse’ by IDLES (Bristol, UK)

Bristol punks IDLES became a top act after 4 splendid albums since 2018. And they’re
not done yet. Longplayer #5 Tangk is waiting in the pipeline for release on 16 February.

Ahead of it, you can go apeshit to new, third single and fierce haymaker Gift Horse.

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7. ‘Soo All The Way’ by CANYONS AND LOCUSTS (Boston, MA)

Who? Two-piece act, Justin Keane (vocals, guitar) and Amy Young (drums, backing vocals), from Boston, MA. Fueled by the current chaos of the world and an urgent need to be part of the conversation, the two took the indie rock foundation they built in previous bands and upped the ante by adding new levels of noise via pervasive, edgy guitar sounds, low and thundery drumbeats, and emotional vocals.

Soo All The Way is a mean motherrocker that easily could have been on an early Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr album. Distorted guitars, raw and rough. Sturdy drum hits. Expressive and punchy vocals. DIY rock ‘n’ roll at its razor blade sharpest.

Hells bells.

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8. ‘Don’t Judge Me Judy’ by FLESH TETRIS (London, UK)

The song is an ode to TV personality Judge Judy

This eccentric ensemble is more eccentric than American eccentric legends Sparks and British eccentrics Sigue Sigue Sputnik were in their early eccentric days. Wacky voices, goofy harmonies, and a ridiculously infectious chorus all work together to cause big fun entertainment.

Get up, stand up, and fight
for your right to go bananas.

Right here, right now.

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9. ‘Bliss’ by ARAB STRAP (Scotland)

The Scots’ new album title I’m Totally Fine With It 👍 Don’t Give A Fuck Anymore 👍
is unquestionably a bona fide contender for weirdest title of the year. Yep, the thumb-up emojis are part of it.

The LP lands on April 1 and follows their tremendous 2021 one As Days Get Darker.

Aidan Moffat (vocalist) about lead single ‘Bliss’: “It’s about women being terrorized online;
it’s about cowardice and bigotry. It’s about how we expose ourselves on social platforms while hiding alone at home. But you can dance to it too!”

Moffat sings/tells his troll story over a trippy dance beat.

Sickly sticky.


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10. ‘Dream Girl’ by KAT KOAN (Germany)

Berlin-based artist KAT KOAN shines again. After releasing her magnific
debut album Lustprinzip in 2022 and three ear-catching singles last year
she has a new track out, titled Dreamirl.

Kat Koan always knows how to entrance the listener with stylishly, graciously
and also sensually designed music that stirs heart and soul. The sentiments
expressed here may be familiar to many of us and can be a comforting companion
on your headphones with the lights dimmed, while relaxing on your couch, dreaming
of your own dream-self.

Endearing.


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11. ‘Peace Sign’ by RIDE (UK)

Last September, British shoegaze heroes Slowdive returned to the scene with praised LP Everything Is Alive, their first full length in five years. Their Boston peers Drop Nineteens followed two months later with Hard Light, their first album LP in thirty years.

And now the equally veteran shoegazers Ride join the revival.

Their 7th LP, named Interplay, their first since
2019, is planned to be released on March 29.

First single Peace Sign is an ecstatic tune.

Potent drums/bass determine the upbeat pace and whirling vibe of the track all the way. Peace Sign is a pure pop earworm with an orgasmic chorus. Picobello. Welcome back.

Enjoy.

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12. ‘Entwined’ by PRETTY AVERAGE (Germany)

Who? Musical act born from the lifelong musical collaboration of Candy Bassas (vocals and guitar) and Sergi Cabanes (lead guitar). After relocating to Berlin from Barcelona, the duo formed a four-piece band in late 2021, which takes inspiration for its noisy-yet-ethereal sound from artists such as Galaxie 500, Spiritualized, New Order, the Cure, and Lou Reed.

New single Entwined is a cut from their upcoming
debut EP, titled All I Wanted, out on 2 February.

A tenacious tandem of bass and drum take care of this striking song’s backbone beat
all the way through. From the kick-off, Entwined has the impact of a sonic magnet.

Its ongoing flow creeps under your skin without asking. Scorching, shoegazy guitars
add some more electricity and quirky vocals (made me immediately think of the singer
of former Irish indie band JJ72) create a spooky atmosphere. Give it a couple of spins
and you’re hooked.

Press play.

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13. ‘Blush’ by VAZUM (Detroit, Michigan)

Who? Zach Pliska and Emily Sturm. Their musical project started in 2017.
They describe their sound as deathgaze, combining the raw energy of
deathrock with the depth of shoegaze. So far the duo released five
albums and a handful of singles and EPs.

New single/clip: BLUSH

Think Siouxsie and the Banshees going fast-forward. Glistening guitar electricity and a pumping bass dictate the ongoing revolving rhythm, while Sturm‘s ghostly vocals roll all over it. No brakes, no breaks. Probably the most upbeat tune Vazum has ever delivered. Blush is a sonic whirlwind, a flamboyant flurry, a turbulent twister.

Watch/listen.

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14. ‘Nowhere To Run’ by ATOMIC (Germany)

Who? German pop-rock team So far they have
3 albums on their résumé and #4 is canned.

Nowhere To Run is the 4th shared piece from their upcoming
4th album, named ‘If This Wall Could Sing’, out on 1st March.

Expect an irresistible drive. Fast-forward. Heartening vocals. Atomic is an unadulterated pop gem. A sprightly summer song for freezing winters like this. It could have easily been
a bonus track on Miles Kane‘s newest, perky album One Man Band.

Atomic has an atomic single out with a sky-high starry-eyed bliss.

Run to them.

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15. ‘Hey Atlas’ by MONOSCOPES (Italy)

Who? Italian act started by Paolo Mioni, former member of Jennifer Gentle,
spearhead of the Italian psych scene. They released their debut album
Painkillers And Wine last year.

With new single Hey Atlas Monoscopes draw you into their psychedelic world where surrender and hope are the only options to handle life. Hey Atlas sends shivers down your spine. It’s both a melancholic and harrowing jam bringing the mellow moments of Interpol to mind. It touches and moves heart and soul. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. That comforting given should inspire all of us who are confused and fidgety these days.

Mesmerizing.

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16. ‘Bye Bye’ by KIM GORDON (US)

Today, Gordon announced the upcoming birth of her
2nd solo LP. It’s titled The Collective and it’ll land on
March 8.

First shared track Bye Bye, is a dazzling piece of music. Its hypnotic trap beat sonority and fuzzy chainsaw rotating synths are the motor of this dazzling jam. It creeps forward like an industrial rock serpent in slow motion. All over it come Gordon‘s chilling spoken-word vocals citing a series of consumer products. Eerie and enigmatic.

The accompanying video features her daughter Coco Gordon Moore and is directed by photographer Clara Balzary, who is the daughter of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.

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17. ‘Empty’ by NERVES (Ireland)

These Irish punk hound dogs release their new EP Glorach on March 15.

First shared track Empty is a brutalist slab of heavily effected droning guitar and bass, corrosive blasts of feedback and gut-wrenching vocals centered around the persistence
of grief over time.

Deafening sledgehammer.
Screamo disorder.
NIN on acid.

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18. ‘Opinion’ by pMAD

Who? The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon who draws inspiration
from bands like The The, The Cure, Killing Joke, Echo and the Bunnymen,
Rammstein, and Depeche Mode, and developed a unique sound that
traverses genres from Darkwave Post-Punk to Trash Metal Indie Rock.

With Opinion he delivers a Curesque meditation. Pulsating bass, darkwavish melodiousness and wondering vocals and enquiring thoughts. No matter
what you think, say it, sing it, express it, write it down.

Stream/buy.


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19. ‘Same Old You’ by THE GLASS HOURS (US)

Who? American songwriters Brad Armstrong and Megan Barbera.
Their music blurs between Sunday afternoon country-folk and
the golden age of the 1970s.

Same Old You is a crystalline lullaby with a melancholic country aroma. Tender,
moony, and enticing. The endearing duet vocals and melancholic guitar sparks
augment the soul-stirring effect of this bittersweet humdinger.

It’s a candlelight pearl, a heart-warming companion on these freezing winter nights. Romanticism in motion. Think of the quietest moments of Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten and Willie Nelson.

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

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20. ‘Shiver’ by THE LIBERTINES (UK)

London‘s beloved bohemians have their 4th LP, called All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanada out on 8 March 2024.

It’s a pronto ear-catching pop tune with a melancholic feel and emotionally
moving and melodramatic vocals by Doherty. The Libs shine again.


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GUSTAF – Brooklyn’s Funky No-Wavers Nail It With New Irresistible Disco-Punk Belter ‘STARTING AND STARING’

Posted on by JL

Daily electricity to load your batteries

11 January 2024

Band: GUSTAF
Who: Swirling 5-piece from Brooklyn led by charismatic frontwoman
Lydia Gammil. They released their Audio Drag For Ego Slobs in 2021.

New single: STARTING AND STARING
First piece from their sophomore LP, named
Package Pt. 2, out on 5 April. Pre-order info here.


Album artwork

TUTV: If you never have heard of Brooklyn‘s self-proclaimed no-wavers Gustaf you will soon when their album #2 will hit the streets. They will be all over the Internet. Why? Their 2021 debut LP is dance-crazy ace, their live presence feels like firework (Brussels, November 2021). Also they’re funkier than the B-52’s in their heyday, and they groove and move with more dash and class than Bodega and Parquet Courts put together and album #2 is canned and ready to meet the world.

With their new glamtastic single they prove again that they walk it like they talk it.

Starting And Staring is a dancefloor knockout, an irresistible cranked-up belter with a stunning guitar/bass riff tandem that sets the amazeballs tone throughout. Lydia Gammil
is the high-energetic engine in the middle. When I saw her performing live 2 years ago, she made me think of Johnny Rotten‘s stare, barded wire spirit and spit and sneer brio (well, that was long before he became the idiotic Trump fan he’s now). She has an instant impact on your body’s movements with her sassy swagger as if she was born to do what she does now with loads of zest and zeal. Yes, I’m enthusiastic, so will you.

2024 will be Gustaf‘s year.

WATCH/LISTEN

STREAM


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BUY


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GUSTAF: Instagram – Linktree

Brooklyn Funks Up Brussels – GUSTAF Show Glittering Gripping Guts In Belgium

Posted on by JL

15 November 2021

Band: GUSTAF
Who: Swirling 5-piece from Brooklyn
led by Riot Grrrl Lydia Gammil

Brooklyn Vegan: “There are a lot of bands making arty post-punk, but
very few who have a front person as magnetic, funny, and occasionally,
scary as GUSTAF’S Lydia Gammil.”

I was looking forward to this gig for a long time, well actually since I heard this hot hit
team for the first time with their sassy single Book and when their stunning debut album
Audio Drag For Ego Slobs – released early October – tested my stereo’s resilience I was totally sold. Imagine head-spinning Strokes riffs, dance-adrenalized B-52‘s razzmatazz and early Parquet Courts jingle-jangle jaggedness. Sounds pretty awesome, right? You betcha.

Yesterday night the 4 pumped-up Amazons and one glitter jacket boy showed their gripping guts and their funktastic swagger with a non-stop edged post-punk-disco exhibition in Brussels.

And yes, glamorous front punkette Gammil is something else. She jumped on stage
with that early John Rotten stare and started sneering about her former boyfriend’s
dog, her best behavior, and spitting gibberish like “I don’t wanna ruh ruh, I don’t come
to repeat, get ready cause I won’t ruh, ruh blearghhhh”.

Meanwhile, the bassist pumps up the jam, the glitter boy produces motorik Tom Verlaine riffs, the drummer beats relentlessly and in front of me, Tarra Thiessen moves in sensual ways while hitting a series of small rattling stuff, from a cowbell to metal shakers and lots of other pit-a-pat items in between.

Here’s an idea of the Gustaf vibe…

No excuses whatsoever to not purchase their debut LP via Bandcamp…


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GUSTAF: Facebook


All you need for a rattling party

(Live pics by Turn Up The Volume)

Love Shack Excitement – Go Ahead With GUSTAF And Their New Single ‘BOOK’

Posted on by JL

Daily electricity to load your batteries

30 July 2021


(photo by Felipe Torres)

Band: GUSTAF
Who: Formed in 2018, Brooklyn’s Gustaf have built a kind of buzz
that feels like it comes from a different era. The art punk 5 piece
rapidly established a reputation as one of New York’s “hardest
working… and most reliably fun bands”
FFO: Talking Heads, Television, LCD Soundsystem, Bodega

Pick: BOOK

About: “About the fallacy and fight of getting ahead vs being a head. It is
seeking validation in the wrong places and from the wrong people,” The hook,
“I got ahead, I got a head” is a fun little taunt that we find either being thrown
in our face or coming out our mouth. Everyone gets their moment up on the
pedestal and everyone gets their turn falling off of it. Whether it’s up or down,
‘Book’ is about accepting whatever level you’re on,” says singer Lydia Gammil.

Turn Up The Volume: This is awesome. This is it. 4 flaming Amazons and
one boy with a head-spinning Strokes riff, vocal B-52‘s razzmatazz and sassy
riot grrl swagger upfront. Served with some early Parquet Courts jingle-jangle
jaggedness and what you get is 120 seconds of love shack excitement.

This is awesome. This is it.

Dance this mess around here…

Also on Spotify…

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GUSTAF: Facebook