They call themselves Tin Pot Clay Man, and their new single Sometimes I Go Outside is an infectious indie stomper. This surefire groove pumps with steadfast conviction. If it were presented lighter the whole track would hit different. Executed in this manner it injects energy into the vibe, pumping beneath the vibrant layers.
Initially dreamy the track builds to an emphatic jam. The guitarist digs into every note with calculated vigor. The synth is equally jagged and wavering, as they attend to the modulation and accentuates it’s living potential. Altogether producer Rob Wolfe succeeds at nurturing the personality of the group while retaining their radio potential.
The vocal contribution is it’s finest facet. Ripe with swagger and blended into the collective atmosphere, it adds to the collective aura and nostalgic underlayer. This is how we image The Districts would sound if produced by Modest Mouse and Tubeway Army.
Sometime I Go Outside adds to a young growing catalog from these buzz worthy Melbourne favs.
Hear it now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
David Baron has lived an exceptional life. His credits include works with The Lumineers, Phoebe Bridgers, and Conor Oberst, among others. He’s also collaborated extensively with 90s dance pop icon Donna Lewis and young buzz worthy vocalist Fiona Glen, both who contribute to his new release. An amalgamation of experience drives Some Infinites are Larger than Others, the new revelatory 5 song record. A concept within a musical conversation, Lewis asks on Stones In the River Bed, “what’s it all about?” The two opening vocal tracks are as much a mirage as a homage to the collaborators. It admires their natural musical beauty without over indulging their presence in the scope of everything. The Bowie-esque Stardust harkens to the heavens and a cherished relationship that infiltrates the collective project, and possibly Baron’s every action. “Everybody will sing cause’ they’ll know I’ll be by your side…” Glenn’s smoky delivery bears depth beyond her years, mature in its affect, all knowing.
Through the looking glass of success and in the shadows of superstardom, Baron embraces an acquired understanding of life’s ambient mysteries. Illuminated soundscapes with progressive appeal color Boy In The Lighthouse. This is how we imagine a Miles Davis and Pink Floyd collaboration would have sounded. Elegant and image provoking while honoring a tempered groove, Baron haunts the studio mischievously. His impressive utlilization of winds and his elite mastery of crisp bass tone is heard on Two Places at Once.
The EP culminates in the immersive Father and Son. A musical conversation of the infinite, it resonates with his professional history while admonishing boundaries. Certainly it will be pursued by some Mallick or Thomas Anderson to accent life’s trivial perplexities. Baron’s piano breaks through the eery siren soundscapes, connecting the future with the past and everything in between. The complex musical electricities of the progress with the first impressive stalwart of musical wonder, that vintage piano in Grandmother’s corner. So wondrous this life, so beautiful if you give yourself to it. And so it is that in Woodstock you would find such inspired wonder, wedged between the precipice of wild Adirondack and the fraudulent city. Perfect to nestle anonymously between two worlds, ready to offer a hand to the corporate music machine, or forget thyself in the throes of nature. What a place to be, as in being, to be, is.
David Baron is currently featured on our Best New Indie Playlist.
Brown Bear Collective caught our attention with their new single Fever. A collaboration between singer/songwriters Dillon Thomas and Lisa-Marie Kämpf, the project has unique foundings. The pair began writing music over WhatsApp. Fever is their first breakout release, and an intriguing hit suggesting a promising scope of potential. Their voices complement each other. Lisa-Marie is serene while Dillon is slightly raw or beautifully broken. They both bring heavy doses of melancholy.
The composition is dreamy and dynamic, growing to a frantic frustrated panic induced freak out in tandem with the lyrics dire intention. “Still awake at 3am, everything turned up to 10. I never want that fever again. Just working to pay the rent, losing my head again.”
From opposite borders comes a shared universal experience, the trap of our modern existence and how it confides us to its formalities. We all hate it equally and the jokes on the assimilators, never brave enough to break out of its assumed safety.
Subtle hints of electronic production give it modern presence, connecting it to the works of Bon Iver or Sufjan Stevens, with the undeniable charm of Phoebe Bridgers. Brown Bear Collective own that indie darling potential, already showing some mighty ability on this convincing release.
Hear Fever now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
Dave Burn pens a slacker anthem with his new single Wasted. The legacies of Neil Young and Petty with the indie appeal of Dawes are good starting points to place this sound. Instantly catchy with modern textured tones to tweak that classic rock nostalgia. Graceful and natural in its delivery and overall presentation, Dave lets it Burn.
Americana layers of mandolin and folk instrumentation deliver stacked leads, layering vintage dust to rust this modern polish. An effective reminder that good rock songs can still get written, and the walls of this four chord rock have yet to cave in.
What shines brightest is his conviction, as he joyfully admits he just wants to get wasted and high. There’s a way to say it that makes it seem charming. You were told your whole life that it was a bad idea, but those messengers were miserable, and Dave and his friends make it seem so fun. I’d rather join the party. Let it rip.
Get Wasted now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 