Congratulations

Yesterday, Paige and i took the day off from work and went to a free SXSW day party at local queer friendly bar and venue Cheer Up Charlies (they have great parties every year).  We didn't know anyone on the bill, and one of the acts we caught was Brighton electro-pop band Congratulations, who were a total blast.  Check out the bouncy, arm-pumping, butt-shaking "Fought 4 Love" below and get the band's "Join Hands" LP here from Bella Union.

Deary

After the last couple of years filled with wonderful singles and EP's, London dreampop/shoegaze band Deary are set to drop their debut full-length album "Birding" in April for our collective listening pleasure.  Check out airy new single "Seabird" below and pre-order the LP here from Bella Union.

Divide and Dissolve

Heavy Australian band Divide and Dissolve have a new album coming out in April called "Insatiable."  Here's a message from the band:

Divide and Dissolve's music is an acknowledgement of the dispossession that occurs due to colonial violence, it honours ancestors, opposes white supremacy and calls for indigenous sovereignty. Strapped with thunderstorms of crashing cymbals, crunchy feedback, stomach-churning riffs and neo-classical inflections, the new collection delves into the idea of freedom through impermanence and destruction vs compassion, an urgent call to imagine a better world before it’s too late. Listen to it, digest it, and become insatiable.

Fuck yeah.

Listen to "Provenance" below and pre-order the "Insatiable" LP here from Bella Union.

Miki Berenyi Trio

A lot of shoegaze news in the ether this morning evidently, as we've also just gotten the announcement of the debut full-length release from Lush's Miki Berenyi and her new project Miki Berenyi Trio.  "Tripla" is due in April.  Pre-order it here from Bella Union and listen to the dreamy and charged "8th Deadly Sin" below.

Mercury Rev

The long running New York band Mercury Rev have a new album coming our way in September with "Born Horses."  Our first taste is the new age and dreampop-tinged spoken word piece "Patterns."  Check it out below and pre-order the record here from Bella Union.

Harp

It's been a spell since i last thought about Denton, Texas band Midlake and their catchy, mellow mix of'70s folk and soft rock.  Former member Tim Smith has a new album coming out next month with his latest project Harp, the duo of himself and wife Kathi Zung.  The pair's upcoming "Albion" LP is a wistful and moody mix of folk and '80s synth pop that reminds me a little of the kind of stuff that Indiana band Odawas was making 15 years ago.  Beautiful stuff.  Check out "I Am the Seed" below and pre-order the LP here from Bella Union.

Midlake

Denton, Texas band Midlake first made waves back in the mid-'00s during the indie rock boom of the time, but they haven't released a record since 2013.  That changes in March next year with the release of the John Congleton produced "For the Sake of Bethel Woods," the band's fifth album.  Check out first single "Meanwhile..." below and pre-order the album here from Bella Union.

I Break Horses

I've got to be honest and say that while i've heard the name I Break Horses before, i never really paid any attention.  But holy cow am i digging on "Turn," the sprawling and floating opener for the Swedish artist's new album "Warnings."  Dreamy, yearning wonder.  Give it a listen below and get the new record here from Bella Union.

Drab City

The duo known as Drab City used to be known individually and collectively as witch house artists oOoOO and Islamiq Grrrls.  They teamed together a couple of years ago with a weird and experimental synth pop album, and now they're back with a name change and a sound very much steeped in trip-hop.  It works like gangbusters.  Listen to the eerie "Devil Doll" and pre-order the upcoming "Good Songs for Bad People" LP here (if you're in the UK) or here (if you're in the US) via Bella Union.

Penelope Isles

We're deep into the summer, and the debut release from Brighton's Penelope Isles feels like the perfect soundtrack to ride us out the rest of the way.  Alt-rock with blasts of surf, hazy, and cool melodies play like a warm sunset at the beach.  Check out "Chlorine" below and get the "Until the Tide Creeps In" album here from Bella Union.

The Soft Cavalry

Slowdive are one of my all time favorite bands, and i'm pretty much going to follow any of the members anytime they venture off to do another project, be they solo albums, other bands like Mojave 3 or Monster Movie, and so on.  Anyway, Rachel Goswell has a new project, the dreamy, shoegazey pop band The Soft Cavalry, and their self-titled debut is coming our way next month on Bella Union.  Watch the video for "Bullet Proof" below and get the record here.

Modern Nature

Former Mazes and Ultimate Painting member Jack Cooper has a new project in the works called Modern Nature.  The debut album, "How to Live," is due in August.  Watch and listen to light groove of the psych, folk, jazz, and krautrock fusing "Peradam" below and pre-order the record here from Bella Union.

Piroshka

Featuring members of Lush, Moose, Modern English, and Elastica, new supergroup Piroshka crafts dreamy, shoegazey pop to warm the eardrums and soothe the soul.  Listen to "Everlastingly Yours" below and get the new "Brickbat" LP from Bella Union.

Mercury Rev and Margo Price

It's been a little bit since we last got new music from the oft uncategorizable Mercury Rev, but it appears we have a new record on the horizon heading our way in February.  And it's a tribute/cover album of singer/songwriter country artist Bobbie Gentry's 1968 record "The Delta Sweete."  The band's take on the record, "Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited" features a whole slew of guest vocalists as well, including Hope Sandoval, Rachel Goswell, Marissa Nadler, Vashti Bunyan, and more.  You can pre-order it here via Bella Union, but in the meantime, listen to "Sermon" below, featuring Margo Price on vocals.  The band's cosmic psych-leaning, hypnotizing music paired with Price's old school country vocals makes for a dusty, spacey, and fascinating listen.

Ultimate Painting

Ultimate Painting have been kicking it around for a few years now, releasing 3 great albums of Velvet Underground-indebted pop rock.  New album "Up!" looks to keep the trend around.  Watch the video for "Not Gonna Burn Myself Anymore" below and get the new record in April from Bella Union.