The Australian songwriter Lachlan Buckle who performs under the name Seasoning got our attention with their new single Friends. Sonically, Friends is first rate chilled out bedroom pop full of rich guitar layers, topped off with a crisp clean finish. The laid back vocal over picked guitars is reminiscent of indie favs Mac Demarco and Kurt Vile. Sporting a vintage 12 string sunburst Fender, Seasoning has the taste and flare of that world. Friends has some of that too-cool-to-care attitude first penned by classic art punks like Velvet Underground, and later progressed by the aforementioned Vile and Demarco. He also has the pop sensibility of bands like The Shins. Friends is a catchy feel good indie jam.
The artist celebrated the release with a retro mixed format video that includes scenic shots of the artist in the wilderness. In the closing credits the project acknowledges that the video was shot on aboriginal land, and the explanation includes a heartfelt tribute to the natives of that land.
What really makes the video pop is the color palette. A bit of Brady Bunch brown in the studio scenes as a reel to reel spins behind the artist donning classic can headphones. The video ends in a montage of lo fi portraits of the artists friends. The lo fi cutaways mixed with modern cinematography is a nice twist on the lo fi video vibe.
Hear Friends now on our Best New Indie playlist
Austin based songwriter 1st Base Runner recently released their sophomore EP, Ellis. The 5 song EP is highlighted by interesting guitar and synth leads, dark wave grooves, and the singers deep emotive voice. The singer tows the line between a haunting Nick Cave and an expressive Billy Idol. He matches poetry with attitude and conviction. The music has dark pop sensibility with an affinity for post punk and the aura of new wave classics like Depeche Mode and New Order. The duo provides a dark alternative to the sugar pop synthwave scene, continuing the legacy of icons like Joy Division in a more modern indie light. The modern indie influence is most prevalent in Runner’s penchant for dreamy atmospheric layers. It’s the kind of dreamy production that creates it’s own ethos in the cosmos, meant for your deepest contemplative states, or serving to take you there.
The single Flux has crossover appeal. The rolling bass intro conjures memories of Pink Floyd’s “One Of These Things Days,” before giving way to Spoon style hard hitting drums. Once the groove settles all of the personality of Runners style takes over, as they gloss the rhythmic backbone with all of the deep shades of their trademark sound. Runner’s sonic choices have intellect and principle, each sound individually designed with their own nuances and character. It’s all a testament for the duos careful attention to their craft. This kind of production takes patience, you have to be devoted to the practice and respect the gears possibility. You don’t just turn it on and have this music happen. You can give anyone a synthesizer but it doesn’t mean their going to turn into Pink Floyd, and 1st Base Runner embraces that mantra.
Enjoy Flux now on our Best New Indie playlist.
Swedish artist Le Days struck us with the video for their new song Red Little Hands (Only you Know). The song itself is sad ethereal chamber pop. A slow piano is accompanied by an atmospheric vocal with cathedral style reverb. The singer is rich with emotion, as his voice quivers and cracks beautifully, totally lost in the moment. It pairs perfectly with the noir art style video.
The music video features a tortured character in fully body suit, intersecting shots of uncontrollable seizure like full body spasms with sharp cinematography. The camera swirls and rotates around the frail character as he suffers and fights to stand. The water shots are particularly exhilarating, with creative half in shots that accentuates the artists facial features. It’s an epic performance complete with experimental choreography and improvised tantrums. The beauty of the song paired with the unsettling images from the video create wonderful contrast, and mirrors the emotional vocal in the song.
Enjoy Red Little Hands (Only You Know) by Le Days, now on our Best New Indie playlist.
Songwriter Jaime Hall releases music as Young & Spaced. His new album Back For Dessert is full of cool grooves and feel good vibes. Hall really caught our attention with his single Back Pt 1. The track has a deep cut 70s vibes with a touch of indie spirit. Stylistically it can be described as if Lou Reed sang for Steely Dan and the record was produced by Wilco. It also embraces some of those smooth indie jazz vibes previously flaunted by bands like The Whitest Boy Alive, and recalls classic R&B jams that fell out of jazz and into the mainstream. It’s a proper groove for your late morning stroll, and Hall’s voice provides the relaxed affect to keep you in the zone.
It’s all about the production and the sonic choices. You’re bound to catch a vibe from the precisely dialed Rhodes style Nord. Hall adapts the instrument throughout the record, and his vintage leanings connect like souvenirs that recall those sacred moments, those familiar sounds recalled from innate musical upbringings, largely lost on modern popular music. And so it is that Hall is like a purveyor of the craft, gifting Young And Spaced, continuing the legacy with new indie appeal.
Enjoy Back Part 1 now on our Best New Indie playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 