We’re kicking it off with some buried treasure. Swedish songwriter Björn Tengman found some rare nostalgia on his 2020 new single Strange Night. The ghost of Warren Zevon and the young spirit of a Van Morrison haunt his bodily vessel as he’s imagined penning this composition beneath a dim lit room. The lyrical narrative resonates with the implication.
Tengman is cursed to love a bygone era, digging through metaphorical crates in search of buried sonic inspiration. In that way he connects with the early works of Kurt Vile, The War On Drugs, and Ryan Adams. Hopefully he can shake the dread of never pleasing the major label machine. This one is new to us, but with under 1k monthly listeners, it’s fair to say he’s flying too low under the radar.
Strange Night is featured on our Best New Indie Playlist.
Cult Caves ironically titled their new single No Pleasure. Perhaps it was inspired by a joyless period in their lives, but for us the single is great fun.
The lyrical narrative cites a string of back luck and bad habits that put them in the ditch, but No Pleasure is the kind of creative payoff that sounds like they dug themself out. Or maybe they’re still there. It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll. Stylistically we hear a bit of Spoon and early MGMT but with some refreshing added fury. It’s anthemic.
Hear No Pleasure not on our Best New Indie Playlist.
The music video for Caroline might make you dizzy, but the new single from School Of X is an intriguing easy listen. Its calling card is the candid nature of the vocal delivery. His voice is a mix of untamed and smooth. It’s natural but sounds like it never had a voice lesson. It’s somewhere between Thom Yorke and Rhye.
The music is at an upbeat crossroads between indie pop and art pop. It’s full of sonic treats and dreamy musical rhetoric. For us it’s somewhere between Clairo and Lo Moon. Soak into it.
Hear Caroline now on our Best New Indie Playlist.
You’ve got to love some arty French pop, and when it’s priority delivered with an inspired art video accompaniment, you’re booking your flight to see WORLD BRAIN in concert. Their new single Minute Papillon is a catchy cut time masterpiece. It breaks language barriers while drawing you deeper into a dense cinematic narrative of your minds inspired design.
The spirit of Astrid Gilberto inspires the vocal performance as the Bossa nova influence stands out via the songs rhythmic design. They combine that with sonic realms known to psychedelic pop acts like Khruangbhin or Knower. It’s undeniable.
WORLD BRAIN is featured on our Best New Indie Playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 