Category: psych pop

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Ghost Funk Orchestra Shares Cinematic and Trippy “To The Moon!”

Ghost Funk Orchestra founder, creative mastermind, composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist Seth Applebaum has always had a latent fascination with space and space travel, Midway through writing the arrangements, which would comprise the material of the band’s fifth album, On a Trip To The Moon, Applebaum became aware that Internet Archive had made the recordings of the Apollo to Mission Control transmissions accessible in the public domain. Once he started listening to those recordings, it gave the Ghost Funk Orchestra mastermind the idea of using the recordings as a narrative binder for the music, which he was working on at the time.

The process was painstaking. The recordings were frequently filled with long silences, punctuated by surprisingly casual commentary on the cosmos. Applebaum’s commitment to the voyage managed to draw him into a sort of historical tourism, in which he studied film, photos, and music from the era. And as he did so, he was struck by the gusto with which new technology was embraced in pop culture of the day, and he honors that tradition by skillfully blending digital recording techniques to cobble together arrangements incorporating 60s and 70s analog keys and guitar sounds that bring early surf bands from the 50s and 60s. The album’s material also nods to 90s surf punk band Man or Astro-man?, who used vintage sound bites in their music, tying together cosmologically themed concept albums together with clips from vintage sci-fi and B movies. This is also informed by Applebaum’s religious listening to Little Steven’s Underground Garage radio show, which also used soundbites from films and TV shows as a container for a body of music.

As the 15 compositions, which comprise the band’s forthcoming fifth album took shape, Applebaum brought the rest of the band, string arrangements from Will Marshal and a talented crew of collaborators including Megan Mancini (vocals), Romi Hanoch (vocals), Stephen Chen (saxophone), Billy Aukstik (trumpet), Mike Sarason (flute), James Kelly (trombone), Stuart Bogie (reeds) into the studio with a newfound confidence acquired by heavy touring to support 2022’s A New Kind of Love. Sonically, A Trip To The Moon is a departure from the clean production of their predecessors, as the the sessions players were allowed to let it rip, breathing life and their personal voices into the material.

A Trip To The Moon‘s first single, the cinematic instrumental track “To The Moon!” begins with the transmissions of the Apollo crew to Mission Control, remarking on the things they’re seeing as they’re orbiting the Earth, 21 minutes into their journey. A voice from Apollo informs Mission Control that they’re flying over The Canary Islands before dramatic drumming and a slithering bass line and quivering keys set a dreamy introduction. At the 45 second mark, a swaggering horn line and funk jazz guitar lines burst into the scene, creating the sense that the listener might be listening to the soundtrack to one of the greatest stories ever told, the creation and the eventual exploration of the cosmos by humankind or an episode of Star Trek. The composition ends with a mind-bending Dark Side of The Moon/Wish You Were Here guitar solo that gently fades out into the ether.

The composition seems to accurately capture a period specific sense of hope that science and technology could solve humanity’s most pressing problems, while doing some incredibly cool stuff. If only it were that easy, right?

A Trip To The Moon is slated for a February 23, 2024 release through Karma Chief Records. Click here to pre-order.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Mike Dunne Shares Cinematic “Not Today”

Mike Dunne is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer, with a deep and abiding love of music across a wide array of styles. Late last year, Dunne released the breezy and anthemic Beatles-esque power pop track “These Eyes,” a song that to my ears sounded as though it could have been released between roughly 1968-1972.

He begins 2024 with “Not Today,” a slow-burning and cinematic song featuring some expressive and gorgeous, vaguely Romani-like violin playing paired with strummed acoustic guitar and Dunne’s effortless croon. The result is a song that sounds a bit like a synthesis of the baroque, chamber pop of Scott Walker, The Beatles and Joe Wong.

Dunne explains that the song is a zen story. “A boy in a small village decides he wants to become a monk. He goes to the monastery and knocks on the door,” the singer/songwriter explains. “The monk opens the peephole looks at the boy who asks if he can enter. The monk is livid…’how dare you bother me…go home and never return.’ The boy goes home. Next day he wakes up and still wants to be a monk. He returns to the monastery. Same response…but louder. The boy goes home. He wakes the next morning and decides he still wants to be a monk. He returns to the monastery, the door swings wide open and the monk says, ‘We have waited a long time for you…where have you been?’ This song is about perseverance, dedication, that sense of purpose that guides us. No drama, just focus. If you believe in something don’t give up, don’t give up, not today . . .”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Youth Lagoon Shares Meditative and Compassionate Ode to Failure “Football”

Boise-based singer/songwriter Trevor Powers is the creative mastermind behind the critically applauded psych/dream pop recording project Youth Lagoon. After a lengthy hiatus, which saw him recording under his own name, Powers returned with the critically applauded Heaven Is a Junkyard, the first Youth Lagoon album in eight years.

Powers begins 2024 with “Football,” the follow-up to Heaven Is a Junkyard, which sees him continuing his collaboration with co-producer Rodaidh McDonald. “Football” is a dreamily minimalistic track built around twinkling keys, a supple bass line, jazz-inflected four-on-the-floor-like rhythms and bursts of bluesy guitar paired with Powers’ gentle croon waxing metaphysically while telling tales of damaged people and failure with a compassionate, knowing sense of empathy.

“‘Football’ is really a celebration of failure,” Powers says. “Society has a terrible habit of only recognizing achievement while glossing over the greatness in the shadows. We’re so distracted trying to earn love, worth and value that we forget it’s something we inherently already have. I wanted to play with this idea through the lens of sports ‘cuz, in a lot of ways, sports are the truest religion. When I was young, it was the only way I knew how to connect with my dad. We didn’t have a lot in common, but we could both throw the ball. There were rules and rituals we could see eye-to-eye on. We didn’t have to argue over who was right or wrong. The difference in my family was, it didn’t matter how good I was. The act of just throwing a ball was communion. It didn’t matter if I caught it. I love my Dad for that.”

“Football” is accompanied by a video by Caleb Halter that’s nostalgia-inducing and charmingly old-timey as we see footage from old parades set in the screen, much like an old photo book.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Denver’s South of France Teams Up With Big Samir on Trippy and Summery “Universal Order”

Since the release of the project’s first single back in 2015, South of France, the indie pop project led by Denver-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer Jeff Cormack along with a collection of collaborators have specialized in a groovy, beat-driven take on escapist, vacation pop.

Cormack and his collaborators have had material featured in smash-hit TV shows like Bojack Horseman and Shameless — and they’ve received praise from American Songwriter, NPR, Rolling Stone and others. Adding to a growing profile, South of France has opened for a number of acclaimed acts including Portugal The Man, Young The Giant, Flaming Lips, Michigander and a lengthy list of others.

South of France’s latest single “Universal Order” is a hazy and trippy, Tame Impala-like bop featuring blown-out beats, fuzzy guitars, and an elastic bass line, twinkling keys paired with Cormack’s dreamy, easy-going delivery and some remarkably catchy hooks. Bilingual (Francophone/Anglophone) emcee Big Samir, who is one-half of The Reminders has shared stages with Snoop Dogg, Yasiin Bey, Lauryn Hill and a length list of others, delivers a swaggering verse for the song’s hallucinogenic bridge and break. The result is a heady yet accessible synthesis of psych pop, world music and hip-hop that’s crowd-pleasing and summery.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Mike Dunne Shares Beatles-Esque “These Eyes”

Mike Dunne is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer, with a deep and abiding love of music across a wide array of styles. His latest single, the anthemic “These Eyes” is a breezy bit of Beatles-esque power pop that sounds as though it were released sometime between 1968-1972, complete with a woozy horn line.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstays Elephant Stone Share Breezy and Nostalgia-Inducing “Another Year Gone”

2023 has been a busy year for Montréal-based JOVM mainstays Elephant Stone: Earlier this year they released Dawn, Day, Dusk, which featured “Godstar,” and “The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody In The World.” Those two tracks saw the band continuing their narrative journey through crating material that deftly balanced human complexity with introspective themes paired with an evolving sound.

They followed that up with “Lost In A Dream,” a song built around a Tame Impala-like groove, while continuing their long-held reputation for dexterous guitar work, catchy hooks and introspective lyrics. “Creating ‘Lost In A Dream’ has been a thrilling journey for us, one where the fascination with dreams and their mysterious ties to reality took center stage,” the band’s Rishi Dhir says. “While there are subtle hints of inspirations like The Nazz’s ‘Open My Eyes‘ and Echo and the Bunnymen‘s ‘Killing Moon,’ this song is really about charting our own musical course. We’ve woven an auditory landscape that we hope allows listeners to dive into their thoughts and dreams. It’s all about losing yourself in the music, in the narrative it spins, and finding a resonance within your own life.”
 

Elephant Stone’s highly-anticipated seven album, Back Into the Dream is slated for a February 23, 2024 release. The album will reportedly feature a harmonious blend of introspective lyrics and entrancing melodies that represent the latest culmination of their musical evolution. Thematically, the album explores the mysteries of dreams, capturing the cycle of sleep and wakefulness. As the band’s Dhir puts it, “Our music aims to bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.” Previously released tracks “Godstar” and “The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody in the World,” draw from the themes of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, delving into the intricacies of human existence, creation, life and death while “Lost In A Dream,” is an exploration of dream-like states and blurred realities. 

In the past couple of months, I’ve written about two more singles:

“The Spark,” a breezy power pop-meets-jangle-pop take on psych pop built around soaring electric guitar, strummed acoustic guitar and Dihr’s earnest, plaintive falsetto paired with the band’s unerring knack for crafting enormous, remarkably catchy hooks and choruses. 

“Crafting a song is like tapping into a kind of magic that exists beyond the realm of the ordinary. I’m in perpetual pursuit of that elusive sensation—the spark that turns fleeting thoughts into something immortal,” the band’s Rishi Dhir admits. “’The Spark’ is my love letter to the art of songwriting, a tribute to the creative process itself. It’s about that serendipitous moment when time and space align, allowing you to capture lightning in a bottle.”

“History Repeating,” a song that sees the band blending their dreamy, 60s psych sound with slick, modern and hi-fi flourishes: The track is built around an arrangement of swirling and washed out tambourines, jangling, reverb-soaked guitar, twinkling keys, glistening synths paired with Dihr’s plaintive delivery. But despite the song’s ethereal nature, the song lyrically is centered around Canadian indigenous history, serving as a plea for reparations owed to the country’s First Nations people. 

“History has a haunting tendency to repeat itself, from the scars of colonialism to the rise of authoritarian regimes,” says frontman and songwriter Rishi Dhir. “It’s as if we’re trapped in a loop, forever replaying the same tragedies. ‘History Repeating’ is my way of confronting these harsh realities, particularly as they relate to my home country of Canada, which was built on the deeply troubling foundations of genocide and ethnic cleansing targeted at Indigenous peoples. In recent years, thanks to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the appalling truths about our past have been laid bare…This song serves as an urgent plea: let’s break the cycle. Let’s learn from the darkest chapters of our history to create a more just and compassionate future.”

Clocking in at a little over 90 seconds, Back Into the Dream‘s latest single “Another Year Gone” is a breezy and lovingly nostalgia-inducing tribute to 60s and 70s psych pop with a mellotron-driven intro, a jaunty “Penny Lane”-esque piano-driven melody, sunny harmonies and a flanger-driven guitar solo. But underneath the breezy nostalgia, the band’s Rishi Dhir reflects on the woozy and disorientating temporality of the COVID lockdowns with a knowing acknowledgement that in uncertain times you should hold on and cherish your loved ones — they’re all you really have.

“In this repetitive existence, it was easy to become untethered, adrift in thoughts while feeling emotionally and physically suspended,” Dhir says.“’Another Year Gone’ is an anthem for these disorienting times. It’s a narrative of contrasts—between those grappling with stress, fear, and economic hardship, and those who profited from the chaos. Above all, this song is a musical embrace, a reassurance to hold close the ones you love and to tell them that, despite the world’s turmoil, everything will be okay.”
 

Directed by Laurine Jousserand, the accompanying video for “Another Year Gone” lovingly leans into the song’s vintage feel and features a playful nod to Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and those classic Beatles clips for “Penny Lane” and others.

The JOVM mainstays will be embarking on a North American tour to support the album. The tour begins with a hometown show in Montréal on March 22, 2024 and features a March 26, 2024 stop at TV Eye. More into including tickets can be found here. And as always, tour dates are below. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Pastel Room Shares a Nostalgic and Hook Driven Bop

Led by frontman and creative mastermind James Gass, Kelowna, BC-based outfit Pastel Room was formed earlier this year, and quickly established an indie pop sound that nods at psych pop that’s influenced by Supertramp, The Beatles, Tame Impala and The Weeknd among others.

The Kelowna-based debut single “Lights Go Down” strikes me as a mischievously anachronistic and nostalgic take on pop with the song featuring nods at 70s rock, funk and psych pop rooted in deliberate attention to craftsmanship and catchy hooks paired with glistening synths, disco-inspired bass and Gass’ yearning delivery.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay Joe Wong Shares Bombastic “Into Nothing”

Over the past couple of years, I’ve spilled quite a bit of virtual ink covering Milwaukee-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and JOVM mainstay Joe Wong. As a musician, Wong has had a lengthy career as a drummer with stints in NYC-based noise rock act Parts & Labor — and he’s toured with Mary Timony and Marnie Stern. 

In the past handful of years, Wong has made a name for himself as prolific composer for TV and film, writing and recording scores for Master of None, Russian Doll, Ugly Delicious, Awkafina is Nora from Queens, The Midnight Gospel, To All The Boys and a lengthy list of others. Wong is also the host of the popular  The Trap Set podcast.

Written in in the years between his father suffering a stroke in 2010 and his death in 2019, Wong’s critically applauded, Mary Timony-produced, full-length debut, 2020’s Nite Creatures featured 10 ruminative, baroque psych pop songs that thematically explored the intersection of melancholy and joyful surrender.

The JOVM mainstay’s highly-anticipated sophomore album Mere Survival is slated for a February 2, 2024 release. Written, performed and produced by Wong, Mere Survival expands upon the sonic palette of its predecessor by incorporating ethereal synthesizer and fuzzy electric guitars into the Scott Walker-like orchestral psychedelia that won him acclaim. Thematically, the new album is another journey into the netherworld of loss, grief and technological oblivion. Wong dives into the muck and finds awe and wonder, crafting ten bombastic songs that are a much-needed glimpse of hope in a desperate, uneasy and mad existence that often doesn’t make much sense.

Recoded at studios across the country including iconic, Hollywood-based Capitol Studios and Foo Fighters’ Studio 606, the album features an all-star cast of guests including Pearl Jam’s and Soundgarden‘s Matt Cameron, Foo Fighters‘ and Sunny Day Real Estate’s Nate Mendel, Beastie Boys‘ Money Mark, that dog.‘s Anna Waronker, Shudder to Think‘s Craig Wedren, Beck and R.E.M.‘s Joey Waronker, John Lennon‘s, George Harrison‘s, and Bob Dylan’s Jim Keltner and a 30-member orchestra.

Mere Survival’s first single, the Mary Timony-co-produced “Into Nothing” continues a remarkable run of cinematic and bombastic psych pop — but while featuring several different and distinct textures, beginning with a funky and propulsive bass line introduction before quickly morphing into Sgt. Pepper-like psychedelia, complete with soaring strings and big horns. There’s a big drum break from the legendary Matt Cameron before the song ends with a trippy horn and string-driven coda. But while the song is swooning, it manages to captures an overwhelming sensation of pessimism and despair.

“‘Into Nothing’ is about the futility of legacy building given the suicidal nature of our species,” Wong explains. “It resonates with a larger theme of the album–the same instincts that kept humanity alive for the majority of its existence are now leading us towards self annihilation.” 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Psymon Spine Shares Trippy Video for Funky Yet Uneasy “Boys”

Over the past couple of years I’ve managed to spill quite a bit of virtual ink covering Brooklyn-based psych pop/dance pop outfit and JOVM mainstays Psymon Spine. Now. if you’ve been frequenting the site over the course of the past few years, you may recall that the Brooklyn-based JOVM mainstays  — founding duo Noah Prebish and Peter Spears, along with Sabine Holler, Brother Michael Rudinski — can trace its origins back to when its founding duo met while attending college.

Bonding over mutual influences and common artistic aims, Prebish and Spears toured across the European Union as members of Karate. While Paris, Spears and Prebish wrote their first song together. By the time, they arrived in London, they were offered a record deal. 

When Prebish and Spears returned to the States, the pair recruited Micheal “Brother Micheal” Rudinski and their Karate bandmates Devon Kilbern, Nathaniel Coffey to join their new project. And with that lineup, they fleshed out a series of demos, whcih would eventually become their full-length debut, 2017’s You Are Coming to My Birthday. The band then supported the effort with immersive art and dance parties, like their Secret Friend party series across Brooklyn and alter through relentless touring.

At this time, Prebish was also splitting his time with rising Brooklyn-based dream pop act Barrie. Barrie started to receive attention across the blogosphere and elsewhere as a result of a handful of buzz-worthy singles and 2019’s full-length Happy to Be Here. And while with Barrie, Prebish met his then-future bandmate, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Sabine Holler.

Back in 2021, Psymon Spine released their critically applauded sophomore album, Charismatic Megafauna. Thematically, their sophomore album explored the complicated and confusing feelings and the oft-resulting catharsis involved in the dissolution of human relationship through hook-driven, left-of-center electronic dance music meets psych pop.

The album received critical praise from Paste Magazine, FLOOD, Brooklyn Vegan, Under the Radar and NME. The album and several singles were added to a number of playlists including NPR Music, Spotify‘s New Music Friday, All New Indie, Undercurrents and Fresh Finds, Apple Music‘s Midnight City and Today’s Indie Rock and TIDAL‘s Rising. And the album received airplay internationally from BBC, KEXP and KCRW among others. 

Last year saw the release of Charismatic Mutations, an album featuring remixes of Charismatic Megafauna material. The members of the band grew up with a deep appreciation and love for the unique art of the remix. As the story goes, after Charismatic Megafauna‘s release, the band found themselves craving longer, even more dance-floor friendly versions of album songs. The band then recruited a handful of producers and electronic music acts including Hot Chip‘s Joe Goddard, Love Injection, Dar Disku, Each Other, Safer, Bucky Boudreau and Psymon Spine’s Brother Michael to remix material from the album. 

“Boys,” the Brooklyn-based outfit’s latest single is the first bit of original material since 2021’s digital 7 inch release “Mr. Metronome”/”Drums Valentino,” which capped off a momentous year for the band. Starting with a glistening New Wave-meets-post punk introduction before quickly morphing into funky synth-driven bop with slashing guitars. And the two disparate sections are held together with Holler’s dreamy delivery. But just under the infectious, danceable nature, is an introspective song that’s subtly uneasy.

The track was written after the band’s Sabine Holler relocated to Berlin, but she still lends her voice to the song.

“By nature every Psymon Spine song must be a little cheeky to bypass our own self-criticism, but in reality ‘Boys’ is just a very earnest song about friendship,” the band notes. “Early on in the pandemic Sabine moved back to Germany and we weren’t sure what was going to happen, either to us as a unit or to the entire world. We went to Peter’s childhood home in Boston for a few days and fleshed out a demo that Michael had started a couple weeks earlier. We sent it to Sabine who almost immediately replied with the same vocal take you hear on the song today.” 

Directed by Bucky Boudreau, the accompanying video for “Boys” is a stylish and surrealist romp that features Holler in another location singing the song and running around Berlin, while the remaining members eat and cook eggs. Funnily enough, I fixed myself scrambled eggs this morning, so eggs all the time, huh?

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Elephant Stone Share Radiant “The Spark”

Brossard, Québec-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rishi Dhir is a grizzled indie rock and psych rock veteran , who has played in a number of bands, including The Datsons and The High Dials. He is also an in-demand sitarist and bassist, who has collaborated with Beck, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, The Dream Syndicate, psych rock supergroup MIEN and countless others. 

Dhir founded the acclaimed psych rock outfit and JOVM mainstays Elephant Stone back in 2009. Along with collaborators and bandmates Miles Duper (drums), Gab Lambert (guitar), Robbie MacArthur (guitar) and Jason Kent (keys, guitar), the Montréal-based band has released six albums, including 2013’s self-titled album and 2020’s acclaimed Hollow. They’ve also released a handful of EPs including last year’s Francophone Le Voyage de M. Lonely dans la Lune. Each of those efforts has seen them develop, refine and then firmly cement a sound that frequently incorporates elements of traditional Indian classical music with Western psych rock paired with introspective lyrics rooted in Dihr’s personal experiences.

Dihr’s own journey in music frequently found him tryin to find a place that fit him, until he decided that what he made was worth sharing in the space that he had created for himself. “I only write about what I know and think I understand. As long as there’s Rishi, there’s going to be Elephant Stone,” Dhir says in press notes. 

2023 has been a busy year for the Canadian psych rock outfit: Earlier this year they released Dawn, Day, Dusk, which featured “Godstar,” and “The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody In The World.” Those two tracks saw the band continuing their narrative journey through crating material that deftly balanced human complexity with introspective themes paired with an evolving sound.

They followed that up with “Lost In A Dream,” a song built around a Tame Impala-like groove, while continuing their long-held reputation for dexterous guitar work, catchy hooks and introspective lyrics. “Creating ‘Lost In A Dream’ has been a thrilling journey for us, one where the fascination with dreams and their mysterious ties to reality took center stage,” the band’s Rishi Dhir says. “While there are subtle hints of inspirations like The Nazz’s ‘Open My Eyes‘ and Echo and the Bunnymen‘s ‘Killing Moon,’ this song is really about charting our own musical course. We’ve woven an auditory landscape that we hope allows listeners to dive into their thoughts and dreams. It’s all about losing yourself in the music, in the narrative it spins, and finding a resonance within your own life.”
 

Elephant Stone’s highly-anticipated seven album, Back Into the Dream is slated for a February 23, 2024 release. The album will reportedly feature a harmonious blend of introspective lyrics and entrancing melodies that represent the latest culmination of their musical evolution. Thematically, the album explores the mysteries of dreams, capturing the cycle of sleep and wakefulness. As the band’s Dhir puts it, “Our music aims to bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.” Previously released tracks “Godstar” and “The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody in the World,” draw from the themes of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, delving into the intricacies of human existence, creation, life and death while “Lost In A Dream,” is an exploration of dream-like states and blurred realities.

Back Into the Dream‘s latest single “The Spark” is a breezy, power pop-meets-jangle pop-like take on psych pop built around soaring electric guitar, strummed acoustic guitar, Dihr’s earnest, plaintive falsetto and the band’s unerring knack for crafting enormous, remarkably catchy hooks and choruses.

“Crafting a song is like tapping into a kind of magic that exists beyond the realm of the ordinary. I’m in perpetual pursuit of that elusive sensation—the spark that turns fleeting thoughts into something immortal,” the band’s Rishi Dhir admits. “’The Spark’ is my love letter to the art of songwriting, a tribute to the creative process itself. It’s about that serendipitous moment when time and space align, allowing you to capture lightning in a bottle.”

Directed by Laurine Jousserand, the accompanying video for “The Spark” is indebted to 1960s futurism while mischievously referencing the album’s overall themes: At one point we see opened eyes slowly drifting off to sleep as the band performs the song.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Suzie & The Rocket Share Breezily Melancholy “Scared Of The Wind”

French duo Suzie & The Rocket — vocalist Manon Zouiche and Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia‘s multi-instrumentalist Franck Garcia — specialize in cinematic sound that draws from the 70s AM Radio California pop sound with nods to several Italian film score composers.

The duo’s full-length debut, The Karel Show is slated for a December release. While reportedly revealing their undying eagerness for musical innovation, the album’s material sees the duo pairing Zouiche’s dreamy melodies and thematic concerns with Garcia’s prowess for catchy hooks and science and tech background. The result according to the duo is music that will lead the listener to dancing through a breezy pop that’s dreamy, trippy and a bit melancholic.

The duo’s first single together, and The Karel Show‘s first single “Scared Of The Wind” is a carefully crafted, breezy bit of psych pop featuring twinkling keys, a supple bass line and a steady rhythm paired with Zouiche’s dreamy and yearning delivery and some remarkably catchy hooks. Rooted in bittersweet nostalgia, “Scared Of The Wind” was written while the duo was in Southern France during a hot summer with a strong wind called a sirocco.

As the duo say “That Sirocco is a vivid wound, the one that appears after a series of failures.” The song questions “our ability to overcome anxiety and melancholy.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Church Shares Haunting and Dream-like Visual for “Realm of Minor Angels”

Founded back in 1980, the Sydney-based ARIA Hall of Fame inductees The Church — currently founding member Steve Kilbey (vocals, bass, guitar); longtime collaborator and producer Tim Powles (drums), who joined the band in 1994 and has contributed to 17 albums; Ian Haug (guitar), a former member of Aussie rock outfit Powderfinger, who joined the band in 2013; multi-instrumentalist Jeffery Cain, a former member of Remy Zero and touring member of the band, who joined the band full-time after Peter Koppes left the band in early 2020; and their newest member, Ashley Naylor (guitar), a long-time member of Paul Kelly’s touring band and one of Australia’s most respected guitarists — was initially associated with their hometown’s New Wave, neo-psychedelic and indie rock scenes. 

Over the course of the next couple of decades, they became increasingly associated with dream pop and post-rock: Featuring shimmering soundscapes, their material took on slower tempos while built around their now, long-held reputation for an uncompromising approach to both their songwriting and sound. 

Their 25th album, 2017’s Man Woman Life Death Infinity was released to critical praise from the likes of PopMatters, who called the album “a 21st-century masterpiece, a bright beam of light amid a generic musical landscape, and truly one of the Church’s greatest releases.” 

The highly-anticipated follow-up to 2017’s Man Woman Life Death Infinity — and their 26th album! —  The Hypnogogue was released earlier this year release through Communicating Vessels/Unorthodox. 

The Hypnogogue is the band’s first full-length concept album: Set in 2054, the album follows its protagonist Eros Zeta, the biggest rock star of his era, who travels from his home in Antarctica to use the titular Hypnogogue to help him revive his flagging and moribund fortunes. “The Hypnogogue is set in 2054… a dystopian and broken down future,” The Church’s Steve Kilbey explains. “Invented by Sun Kim Jong, a North Korean scientist and occult dabbler, it is a machine and a process that pulls music straight of dreams.”

“The Hypnogogue is the most prog rock thing we have ever done,” Kilbey says. “We’ve also never had a concept album before. It is the most ‘teamwork record’ we have ever had. Everyone in the band is so justifiably proud of this record and everyone helped to make sure it was as good as it could be. Personally, I think it’s in our top three records.”

In the lead to the album’s release, I wrote about three of its singles:

  • The album’s expansive and brooding title track and first single, “The Hypnogogue.” Featuring the band’s swirling and textured guitar-driven sound paired with Kilbey’s imitable delivery, the song introduces listeners to the album’s characters — Eros Zeta and Sum Kim. The song follows Zeta, as they’re traveling to meet Kim, to go through the titular hypnogogue. But during the toxic and weird process, Zeta winds up falling in love with Kim. As Kilbey says, “. . . it all ends tragically (of course . .. as these things often do). 

  • The jangling and deceptively upbeat “C’est La Vie,” which continues the album’s narrative. Zeta’s agent warms him not to mess with the hypnogogue. “His manager has heard some bad rumors about it, and he doesn’t want his boy all strung out on this unknown thing,” The Church’s Steve Kilbey explains. The song ends with a gorgeous, shimmering fade out. “Musically, the song is a fast-paced rocker very much initiated by our guitarist Ian Haug. But it has plenty of twists and turns and ends up fading away in a delicate and winsome way.” 

  • “No Other You,” a glittering glam rock-like ballad with some Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie guitar work and a cinematic quality paired with Kilbey expressing an aching, almost desperate longing. “No Other You” may arguably be the most straightforward and earnest song of the band’s extensive catalog. The song continues the album’s narrative — but on a more personal level: The Church’s Steve Kilbey explains that the song is an “ultra-romantic song that Zeta writes for Sun Kim Jong, who is the inventor of The Hypnogogue. It’s a heartfelt song about an irreplaceable woman. And the Church gets to explore a slightly glam rock feel to boot.”

The band will be embarking on a second leg of their North American tour to support their 26th album during the fall. The tour will see them playing dates across the West Coast, Southwest, Southeast and Illinois. The band will be offering a limited number of VIP packs on the tour’s second leg, which will include the show ticket, early venue access, an invitation to the band’s soundcheck, a special meet and greet with the band, exclusive merch and the ability to watch a portion of the show from the side of the stage, where available. Tour dates are below. 

Coinciding with the fall tour, the acclaimed Aussie outfit recently released a digital deluxe edition of The Hypnogogue that will include material originally cut from the 13-song album.  

The deluxe edition will include “Realm of Minor Angels,” a slow-burning and gorgeous, torch song-inspired ballad featuring shimmering mandolin from Ian Haug and slide guitar from Ashley Naylor paired with Kilbey’s crooned delivery. Sonically, “Realm of Minor Angels” wouldn’t sound out of place on Starfish or Gold Afternoon Fix. 

“‘Realm of Minor Angels’ is without doubt one of my favorite singles The Church has ever released,” The Church’s Steve Bilberry says. “From the moment [guitarist] Jeffrey Cain started playing the opening riff, I was hooked. The singing and lyrics are my own subtle homage to the torch songs of the ‘60s and check out Ian Haug’s mandolin lines and Ashley Naylor’s slide work!”

Directed by Clint Lewis and featuring additional footage shot by Danial Willis and Randall Turner, the accompanying video for “Realm of Minor Angels” stars Carol Larsen as Sun Kim Jong and Selma Soul as Eros Zeta. We see Laren’s Sun Kim Jong discovering Soul’s Eros Zeta strung out and nearly comatose. Through what seems to be flashbacks or perhaps a vivid hallucination, we see Kim Jong and Zeta slow dancing together and other tender moments. Televisions flash all around them in the room, and we see the members of The Church performing the song from the studio. Much like the preceding videos, this one has a haunting, dream-like quality.

Going beyond the initial storyline told in The Hypnogogue, The Church will be releasing Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars, a companion CD that will serve as a continuation of the storyline. The limited-edition CD will only be available at merch tables on the tour.

The original dream-pulling storyline,” as Kilbey explains, “follows Eros Zeta, the biggest rock star of 2054, who has traveled from his home in Antarctica (against his manager’s advice) to use the Hypnogogue to help him revive his flagging fortunes. In the midst of the toxic process, he also falls in love with Sun Kim and it all ends tragically (of course, as these things often do).”

Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars expands and builds upon the mythology of The Hypnogogue. As the band’s Kilbey explains: “Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars were formed in 2048 in Antarctic City in Antarctica. They had many hits including ‘Realm of Minor Angels’ and ‘Sublimated in Song’ and in all released six collections of music. They toured the postwar world incessantly during the early 2050s and were capable on a good night of selling out concerts in most countries that still had gigs. The band were troubled with personnel and substance problems culminating in Eros Zeta’s addiction to Sky and his subsequent inability to write new songs.

“In 2054, he journeyed to Korea where he used the Hypnogogue to create new music. After the disastrous effects these songs created, he died in a traffic accident whilst on his way to the airport to return home. The songs were thereafter prohibited in most places. In recognition of his services to Antarctican music, a statue was built to honor him in the Australian Quarter of Antarctic city. The band continued on without him but to little success which led to them disbanding in 2057.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Crowleys Shares Gauzy “Seasons”

Hamilton, ON-based indie outfit The Crowleys — founding members Cohen Wylie (guitar, vocals, production), Stuart Downie (drums, vocals),and siblings Justyn (synth, guitar) and Collin Horlick (bass, bass synth), along with Giuliana Frontini (vocals) — can trace their origins back over a decade: The band’s founding quartet met and bonded over their shared love of music back in high school. As a quartet, the band built a reputation for crafting kaleidoscopic psych rock and for stage rattling live shows across the Greater Toronto Area.

With the addition of Frontini back in 2019, the band evolved to focus on more melodically forward psych pop material that draws from 60s rock, 80s pop and modern psychedelia rooted in driving and crunchy rhythms, distinctive synth warble, diverse vocals and pedal-driven guitar lines. Their songwriting process is highly collaborative with each member of the band brining their own musical interests and expertise to the table. The finished product, polished by Wylie’s distinctive production style can be described as high energy psych pop steeped in nostalgia.

The band’s full-length debut Strange Seasons has humble origins: The material was born from a group of friendly getting together to show each other the new song idea that they had come up with. Thematically, the album’s material touches upon environmental angsts but with a romantic current throughout: The album’s lyrics often reference a relationship with another person as a means of surviving catastrophe. According to the band, “the album attempts to put the strangeness of the world into words and melody.”

Written by the band’s Justyn Horlick, album single “Seasons” is a slow-burning and gauzy track featuring glistening synth warble, reverb-drenched guitar, a supple bass line and a steady rhythm paired with Frontini’s breathy coos. The song’s coda was inspired by Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings‘ “100 Days, 100 Nights” with a trippy time signature change from 4/4 to 6/4. But despite the dreamy, shoegazer-like gauzy quality, “Seasons” is informed by environmental anxiety: The song’s lyrics were written by the band’s Frontini on a hot November day, when she noticed that she was unsettled by the unseasonable temperature.

Shot on grainy Super 8 Film, the accompanying video for “Seasons” is an abstract look at the allure of consumerism and its resulting environmental impact.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: The Church Share Shimmering and Slow-Burning “Realm of Minor Angels”

Founded back in 1980, the Sydney-based ARIA Hall of Fame inductees The Church — currently founding member Steve Kilbey (vocals, bass, guitar); longtime collaborator and producer Tim Powles (drums), who joined the band in 1994 and has contributed to 17 albums; Ian Haug (guitar), a former member of Aussie rock outfit Powderfinger, who joined the band in 2013; multi-instrumentalist Jeffery Cain, a former member of Remy Zero and touring member of the band, who joined the band full-time after Peter Koppes left the band in early 2020; and their newest member, Ashley Naylor (guitar), a long-time member of Paul Kelly’s touring band and one of Australia’s most respected guitarists — was initially associated with their hometown’s New Wave, neo-psychedelic and indie rock scenes.

Over the course of the next couple of decades, they became increasingly associated with dream pop and post-rock: Featuring shimmering soundscapes, their material took on slower tempos while built around their now, long-held reputation for an uncompromising approach to both their songwriting and sound.

Their 25th album, 2017’s Man Woman Life Death Infinity was released to critical praise from the likes of PopMatters, who called the album “a 21st-century masterpiece, a bright beam of light amid a generic musical landscape, and truly one of the Church’s greatest releases.” 

The highly-anticipated follow-up to 2017’s Man Woman Life Death Infinity — and their 26th album! —  The Hypnogogue was released earlier this year release through Communicating Vessels/Unorthodox.

The Hypnogogue is the band’s first full-length concept album: Set in 2054, the album follows its protagonist Eros Zeta, the biggest rock star of his era, who travels from his home in Antarctica to use the titular Hypnogogue to help him revive his flagging and moribund fortunes. “The Hypnogogue is set in 2054… a dystopian and broken down future,” The Church’s Steve Kilbey explains. “Invented by Sun Kim Jong, a North Korean scientist and occult dabbler, it is a machine and a process that pulls music straight of dreams.”

“The Hypnogogue is the most prog rock thing we have ever done,” Kilbey says. “We’ve also never had a concept album before. It is the most ‘teamwork record’ we have ever had. Everyone in the band is so justifiably proud of this record and everyone helped to make sure it was as good as it could be. Personally, I think it’s in our top three records.”

In the lead to the album’s release, I wrote about three of its singles:

  • The album’s expansive and brooding title track and first single, “The Hypnogogue.” Featuring the band’s swirling and textured guitar-driven sound paired with Kilbey’s imitable delivery, the song introduces listeners to the album’s characters — Eros Zeta and Sum Kim. The song follows Zeta, as they’re traveling to meet Kim, to go through the titular hypnogogue. But during the toxic and weird process, Zeta winds up falling in love with Kim. As Kilbey says, “. . . it all ends tragically (of course . .. as these things often do). 

  • The jangling and deceptively upbeat “C’est La Vie,” which continues the album’s narrative. Zeta’s agent warms him not to mess with the hypnogogue. “His manager has heard some bad rumors about it, and he doesn’t want his boy all strung out on this unknown thing,” The Church’s Steve Kilbey explains. The song ends with a gorgeous, shimmering fade out. “Musically, the song is a fast-paced rocker very much initiated by our guitarist Ian Haug. But it has plenty of twists and turns and ends up fading away in a delicate and winsome way.” 

  • “No Other You,” a glittering glam rock-like ballad with some Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie guitar work and a cinematic quality paired with Kilbey expressing an aching, almost desperate longing. “No Other You” may arguably be the most straightforward and earnest song of the band’s extensive catalog. The song continues the album’s narrative — but on a more personal level: The Church’s Steve Kilbey explains that the song is an “ultra-romantic song that Zeta writes for Sun Kim Jong, who is the inventor of The Hypnogogue. It’s a heartfelt song about an irreplaceable woman. And the Church gets to explore a slightly glam rock feel to boot.”

The band will be embarking on a second leg of their North American tour to support their 26th album during the fall. The tour will see them playing dates across the West Coast, Southwest, Southeast and Illinois. The band will be offering a limited number of VIP packs on the tour’s second leg, which will include the show ticket, early venue access, an invitation to the band’s soundcheck, a special meet and greet with the band, exclusive merch and the ability to watch a portion of the show from the side of the stage, where available. Tour dates are below.

Coinciding with the fall tour, the acclaimed Aussie outfit will be releasing a digital deluxe edition of The Hypnogogue that will include material originally cut from the 13-song album.

The deluxe edition will include “Realm of Minor Angels,” a slow-burning and gorgeous, torch song-inspired ballad featuring shimmering mandolin from Ian Haug and slide guitar from Ashley Naylor paired with Kilbey’s crooned delivery. Sonically, “Realm of Minor Angels” wouldn’t sound out of place on Starfish or Gold Afternoon Fix.

“‘Realm of Minor Angels’ is without doubt one of my favorite singles The Church has ever released,” The Church’s Steve Bilberry says. “From the moment [guitarist] Jeffrey Cain started playing the opening riff, I was hooked. The singing and lyrics are my own subtle homage to the torch songs of the ‘60s and check out Ian Haug’s mandolin lines and Ashley Naylor’s slide work!”