We were inspired by the new holiday release from YELKA, В нашого дядька (Our uncle has…). The Ukranian based project provides that its an Ancient Ukranian Christmas Song, and though we don’t know the lyrics, we are drawn to the passionate performance and indie altered design.
Exotic in their delivery, the singer pulls from every influenced emotion, citing “We heard it from refugees from Chornobyl region. it is the grateful song to all people who confront russia at battlefield in the rear, in the cultural front.” The band adds to the sentiment, delivering an emphatic performance that recalls the epic appeal of Explosion in the Sky. You don’t need to know the lyrics to get the message, it’s that convincing.
Hear it now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
Some clever vintage punk inspired jest is what we need to help us start the day. You can trace this urban poetry back to the beatniks, through the cool kid urban art rock of the Velvet Underground up to recent evolutions by Parquet Court and LCD Soundsystem. Houston’s recent export the Swimwear Department is equally entrancing on their recent Clothing Optional. They add some of the candid almost spoken word lyrical catch known to Cake, self affirmably embracing the legacies of The Presidents of the United States of America, Squid, and Devo.
Frankly the groove straight slaps and its truly fun to listen to. That should be enough to draw you in. Don’t wait, you need to absorb whitty lyrical moments like “Clothing, optional. Disrobing, optional. You don’t have to be a shopping mall anymore. You can be a righteous faith healing mega church. You don’t have to be a church forever love, someday you can be a concrete ruin! You wanna fit in? Come to the fitting room! You wanna change? Come to the changing room!”
Get it now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
Kweku Collins is innovative on their recent Tangerine. An amalgamation of modern influence from the polars of electronic and contemporary blend with intoxicating affect. An elite adaption of the controversial vocoder is presented to stretch the artists acquired range.
Hip Hop style drums collide with washes of atmosphere and tribal Congos as a illuminous choir moans beneath. This should connect with fans of Joji and James Blake, artists embracing the reach of modern production within modern art pop. We can dig it.
Hear Tangerine now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
The world of bedroom pop deserves elite prolific offerings and Hevvy Serve delivers. Who would’ve bet that an advent in home recording would have devolved into bands strategically trickling bi-monthly singles instead of complete immersion!? Create, Damn You!!!
We were already smitten by the post punk influence and indie pop swagger of their recent full length Suicide Diner, released earlier in 2022. Hevvy Serve quickly follows up with the equally impressive Rubbernecker. Dare we say its even slightly better? They’re embracing their new found “sound” and exercising its potential. Insanely catchy with lofi appeal, they’re just damn good at writing songs and dressing them colorfully. They dig into different style aesthetics, like each songs vibe is pulled from a bag of stylistic parameters. It’s evidenced on breakouts like the Lou Reed esque What’s It Like to Believe, the Replacements mixed with alt county appeal of Small Town, and the dark wave cinematic Twin Peaks flex of Mulholland Drive. Every song graced with their own unique blend of melodic intention and lo-fi sonic brilliance. We can dig it.
Hevvy Serve is currently featured on our Best New Indie Playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 