Browsing Tag

60s Pop

Christopher Kremer has released his elegantly poetic allusion to languor ‘Electron’

If you still hold a candle for the melancholia of Elliott Smith, consider the new EP from folk singer-songwriter Christopher Kremer as an unmissable release. Major/Minor carries just enough reminiscences to tease nostalgia as the Chicago-based artist leaves you enamoured by his down-but-not-out authenticity.

The soul-fizzingly sweet lead single, Electron, is equally as instrumentally melodious as the most cathartic singles from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The vocals and lyrics lace the soundscape with an all too relatable languor, but even with the poetic allusions to entropy, the hazy choral textures ensure that Electron resonates as a transcendently uplifting release.

Major/Minor is now available to stream in full via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slip back to the 60s with Free Whenever’s ambient psych-pop single, Echo, featuring filo sofia.

Brooklyn-based duo Free Whenever’s latest single, Echo, is a tranquil feat of psych-tinged ambience that pulls you through the blossoming improvised progressions while the featuring artist, filo sofia, brings plenty of dream-pop-noir style to the hypnotically sublime soundscape.

If you fed an Angel Olsen single a few Ambien, the sonic palette wouldn’t be far from the amalgamation of soul, pop, jazz and 60s psych on offer here. You’d be seriously hard-pressed to find mellower vibes than those soulfully extended in Echo. It’s a nostalgia hit like no other. For my sanity’s sake, Echo will be left on repeat.

Echo officially released on October 1st; you can delve into the hazy accordance for yourselves by heading over to Soundcloud. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rope Store take us to the pinnacle of 60s pop-rock with Get Me Out

Rope Store

Norfolk, UK indie duo Rope Store is set to make their comeback and hit us with swathes of 60s pop-rock nostalgia once more after a 2-year absence from the studio. Before their radio silence, their music featured on an Ivy Park Kids X Adidas advert, and they found themselves a fixture on Amazing Radio’s A-list alongside Goat and Frank Carter.

For any fans of the Velvet Revolver, the Beatles, Syd Barrett or the Stones will find plenty to love about the clean vintage tones, grooves that were made to disco dance to and harmonised male and female vocals in their seminal release, Get Me Out, that adds a touch of antagonism to the otherwise kaleidoscopically colourful track that is all too efficacious at pulling you from the confines of the 21st century and placing you into the soul of the 60s.

Stream Get Me Out on Spotify, support the band on Bandcamp or connect with them via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rob Quo leads the conversation with his vintage psych-pop single, ‘Talkin’ Bout the Truth’.

London-based Singer-songwriter and emissary of soul, Rob Quo, has released his EP, Let It Spin, which captures his vintage-inclined style at its most accordant and psychedelic.

If you can imagine what it would sound like if the Zombies covered ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’, you’ll get an idea of the hazily sticky-sweet vibe Rob Quo orchestrated with the lead single; Talkin’ Bout the Truth.

The EP marks the singer-songwriter’s transition away from folk and blues and into the realm of experimental aural eclecticism. With an LP in the works, due for release in 2022, the old school crooner is well worth a spot on your radar.

Talkin’ Bout the Truth is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Follow Rob Quo via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Violette – Eos: Ukulele-led Retro Americana Pop

The very talented Violette Remington – daughter of a musical family from Orange County, California – is a 19-year-old singer-songwriter with a penchant for vintage dresses, rockabilly stylings, ukulele, and guitar. With ‘Eos’, her third single, she delivers a cute little slice of retro Americana set to ukulele, but the star of the show here truly is Violette’s voice; lilting, soaring, and sing-song, with maturity and timbre far belying her tender years, Violette’s delivery is clearly honed by her years performing in musical theatre and performing for friends and family.

Listing influences as diverse as Linda Ronstadt, Debbie Harry, and Aretha Franklin, and taking inspiration from the 1950’s rock ‘n’ roll scene and the 1960’s musical revolution, ‘Eos’ is an absolute delight, a touch of the unique and genuine in a world of carbon-copy dance-pop and manufactured X-Factor bands.

Check out ‘Eos’ on Spotify, and follow Violette on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Lance Houck swings back to the 60s with their single ‘With All My Heart’

https://lancehouck.bandcamp.com/track/with-all-my-heart

Upbeat, poppy, light and airy, with a distinct sixties/seventies vibe, carried in on a wave of woo-hoo-hoos and jingly clean guitar, comes ‘With All My Heart’, the new single from Californian singer-songwriter Lance Houck. Sunny, uplifting, and full of those happy West Coast vibes, ‘With All My Heart’, from Houck’s seven-track album ‘Unborn’, is a gem of a single, catchy, vibey, with as-you-might-expect elements of the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, and The Lovin’ Spoonful.

There’s some nice guitar work too, Houck playing all instruments as well as taking on vocal duties, pushy drums, and a cute little rolling bassline, Houck’s vocal is well-delivered and tuneful, the track overall a proper little summery ear-worm which might be a nice little antidote to current UK Tier 4 Lockdown restrictions.

You can hear ‘With All My Heart’ on Bandcamp, and follow Lance Houck on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

New York Night Market deliver strong indie-pop debut with ”Made for Two”

New York Night Market is an indie-pop music duo first formed in 2018 by Mateo Vargas and Anya Irvin who are now based in sunny Northern California. The talented pair first met while attending music school in Los Angeles and very soon afterwards, their energies were forever synced together. Anya & Mateo spent the whole of 2019 writing songs and digging deep to find a fresh, unique sound as a newly formed band. Tired of the same old dull textbook songwriting, the two decided to leave music school and venture into the music world on their own. With a huge amount of original music they have joined up with Gonzalo Aloras to record their debut EP in 2020.

The start of 2020 marked the beginning of this project, as the three got together in studios in Argentina for the recording of their self-titled EP- New York Night Market. This is an exciting step for the new duo as they look to release lots of music and make their mark on the global music scene.

New York Night Market take us through a romantic pop journey of love that makes me feel warm inside. New love is on it’s way and 2020 will soon be forgotten. Taken as a lesson to help us learn more about ourselves, love is meant for two. Being alone is not what us humans crave at all.

Made for Two” is a lovely song that is a quality debut and I have a feeling we will hear much more from this incredible duo.

Stream this song right now and Soundcloud.

For more info on the new band head to their Facebook page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

8udDha bl0od – HAppY 5AD: Pr!nce DjAng0 PURple fA!n of 3<35

8udDha bl0od is one of the most versatile artists we’ve encountered in 2020, with each new release they blow our minds a little more, and their recently released romantically nostalgic single “HAppY 5AD: Pr!nce DjAng0 PURple fA!n of 3<35” was no exception.

HAppY 5AD: Pr!nce DjAng0 PURple fA!n of 3<35 felt like an aural cuddle. Just why the blend of Progressive Synth Pop and 60s Psych was consoling I’m not all too sure, but the consciousness-devouring soundscape is extremely efficacious all the same. I have a feeling that any fans of ELO will definitely want to make HAppY 5AD: Pr!nce DjAng0 PURple fA!n of 3<35 a staple track on their playlists.

HAppY 5AD: Pr!nce DjAng0 PURple fA!n of 3<35 will be available for release along with the rest of the album from May 17th via SoundCloud. In the meantime, you can check out the artists myriad of dynamic releases.

Review by Amelia Vandergast