NME: “Pop meets politics on their most adventurous record yet. It refracts the dystopian state of modern America through the prism of their lightest, poppiest record to date. The band lean into hooks and melody more than ever before.”
TUTV: The whispery vocal tonality founder/main songwriter/guitarist Zachary Cole Smith, aligns completely with the soft tone of Jason Lylte, the frontman of electro dream-pop collective Grandaddy. They easily could switch bands without confusing your ears.
I want to add that I’m a Grandaddy fan but not a DIVV one. The Brooklyn beatniks’
multi-guitar-layered shoegaze vigor differs from Grandaddy’s magnetic, melancholic attractiveness that captivates me.
Due to DIVV’s overall monotone euphoniousness, I’m not charmed by Zirp! Except for The Crash, Trillions, and Us Against You, notable for their more-than-average vivid verve,
Unlike their numerous admirers. I will not return to this album, unlike their many admirers.
Taster from her upcoming 13th LP, baptized The Orchard. Out in October.
A song about the intoxicating feeling of longing that comes
when you feel chemistry with someone, but aren’t sure if
it’s all in your head.
TUTV: The song’s footstomping, iterative, groovy drum/bass beat gets you in
a trance from the first listen. On top of the stream comes Nova‘s gentle and
crystalline voice. Transfixing pop ardour.
Band: VEDA RAYS Who: Indie duo from Philly, making ethereal indie rock rooted in dream pop, post-punk, and traditional shoegaze, with lyrics that explore liminality and abstraction, channeling subconscious impulses into the present moment.
TUTV: Veda Rays deliver some glorious guitar pop gusto infused with
a capriously catchy drive here, pepped up with expressive vocals and
a kinetic chorus. Striking stroke.
All the days go careening by
strangers replaced when we tried to hide
All the days went careening right by
capricious fates upending the ride/
capricious fates upending the ride
Artist: E.T. Who: Captivating singer-songwriter Eric Turner from Chattanooga, TN
whose music is built on honest storytelling that comes straight from the heart.
While he has spent time in several notable bands over the years, most of E.T.’s
career has been on the road as a solo acoustic performer.
TUTV: Get ready for some old rock ‘n’ roll time vibrations. A mix of boogie woogie swagger, pelvis-twisting Americana rock, galvanic guitar hooks and spot-on fitting vocals will get you in the mood to jump into a convertible Chevy oldtimer and hit the road, hair in the wind and playing this sepia-colored earworm. I won’t take you long to enjoy the ride.
Band: DIIV Who: Noisy shoegazers
from Brooklyn, NY.
Track: KID
Taster from their new, 5th full-length, entitledZIRP!.
Out October 30th. Tracklist and more info here.
New album artwork
TUTV: I could have sworn this is a Grandaddy song. Its soft, dreamy tonality, melancholic vocality and romantic timbre assured me of it. But, hey, it’s DIIV at their most relaxed.
It topped the Charts this day 45 years ago, on 10 February 1980.
It peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum, over
the ocean, 2 years later.
Sounds (UK music weekly) said at the time: “Its success, which should
be fairly apparent through the next few months, will be valued not through
hype and wildly enthusiastic pen-happy journalists but through a number
of strong album tracks.”
CHIN UP, KID is a powerhouse rock band
from Indianapolis who started to make noisy
havoc in 2013.
Now 2 albums and 10 years later they’re gearing up for
a third longplayer. It’s titled ‘Blackheart Social‘ and will see
the day of light on 22 March 2024 via We Are Triumphant
Records.
Ahead of it they dropped this new projectile, named INCUBUS
featuring Danny Rose Murillo from Hollywood Undead.
Jon Benjamin (guitarist): ““Incubus is the part of our record that deals with the temptations brought on by the Hollywood life. The main character absolutely indulges in this. It was so great working with Danny on this song! He absolutely brought our vision to life with his additions!”
Incubus is a monster of a hammer blow with a titanic wall of sound. You can split
concrete with this cast-iron haymaker. Sky-scraping vocals, Herculean drumming,
burning guitars and a bombastic chorus combine for a volcanic eruption. Today Indianapolis, tomorrow Hollywood. Helmet should take Chin Up, Kid them on tour.
