Brillboard: 4-Jun 2017
Pulled a Natalie Tran, and did that thing where I said “see you next week” and then didn’t post a new Brillboard for a month…
But now I’m back in the game and, to paraphrase Fall Out Boy, I’m dedicating this Brillboard to anybody who people said couldn’t make it. To all the fans who held me down ‘til I came around. Welcome, it’s here.
Ghosts [The Northcoast]
Ghosts is a beautiful melange of electronic and pop, with a memorable chorus and some twinkling background sounds. The Northcoast — a band of New Yorkers and Seattleites that produce songs from (North) coast to (North) coast —create a soundscape in their latest track that gives off some strong Chrvches vibes.
Endless Summer [Absofacto]
Twenty One Pilots and Jon Bellion recently toured together. If you fused the best parts of each, you’d get Absofacto. With Endless Summer, Absofacto continues their long and hopefully endless streak of well-received, genre-bending singles.
Good News [Blond Ambition]
I first covered Blond Ambition when they dropped their debut track, Stupid Boy / Girl. I described that track as “groovy”, so to change it up I’m going to describe Good News as “v groovy”. Every time I listen to it, I find my body dancing along to its 70’s slow-jam aesthetic. Brian Harding has a real knack for making synth and speech mesh seamlessly.
Only Us [Paperwhite]
A burst of beats propels Paperwhite’s five-word chorus to new heights.
Sugar [Beach Fossils]
While its name might suggest otherwise, Sugar is more of a sweet lull than a sugar rush. From its anesthetic intro, the track floats along, through a subdued atmosphere of delicious obscurity and existential lyrics.
Shutdown [Joywave]
joywave.
j o y w a v e.
J O Y W A V E!!
That’s all I have to say about that.
Dull [Chastity Belt]
Technically not “new”, Chastity Belt’s unreleased Dull just dropped as a celebration of Hardly Art’s 10-year anniversary. Speaking of unreleased songs and anniversaries, check out I Promise from Radiohead’s OKNOTOK (in case you live under a rock and have somehow not yet heard it).
You [BLOXX]
This female-fronted British band can rock with the best of them. Not sure if I’m more blown away by Mozwin’s drumming skills, or by how cool the name Mozwin is.
Go [Yowler]
Maryn Jones has her foot in a lot of places, from punk bands to folk bands. But Go, a single from solo project Yowler, is an animal all its own. Armed with nothing more than a drum machine and Maryn Jones’ soothing vocals, Go is simplistic, elegant and introspective song with an abrupt ending that answers the question “just how far down it goes”.
The Needle [The Lightning Year]
Lightning struck twice because The Lightning Year is two for two on singles this year. Definitely a group to watch.
