Tag: Broken Circles Records

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of 2016’s full-length debut Get Home Safe, the Brooklyn-based indie rock act Teen Body, comprised of Shannon Lee (guitar, vocals), Xela French (bass, vocals), Alex Bush (guitar) and Marcus McDonald (drums) quickly developed a reputation for a sound that brought the likes of Yo La Tengo, Slowdive, Galaxie 500 and others to mind.

Slated for an April 12, 2019 release through Broken Circles Records, the Brooklyn-based quartet’s long-awaited sophomore album Dreamo derives its name from a term coined by the band’s close friend Casey Halter, who after a show, wryly said to the band “Your music is like dream pop and emo . . . dreamo music.” Interestingly, the album which was written and recorded in Brooklyn reportedly features some of the most vulnerable, sentimental sincere and hopeful music of their growing catalog. And while the album’s latest single “Validation” manages to retain the gorgeous, shimmering 4AD Records and classic shoegaze inspired sound that first won them attention, the single is both wistful yet comforting, seemingly evoking a lover gently squeezing your hand when you’re at your most desperate and uncertain.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of 2016’s debut effort Language, the Brooklyn-based indie rock quartet Hypoluxo, comprised of Samuel Jacob Cogen (vocals, guitar), Cameron Riordan (guitar), Eric Jaso (bass) and Marco Hector Ocampo (drums), have  received attention for a sound and songwriting approach that possesses elements of shoegaze, indie rock and dream pop — but with rapidly changing time signatures. Their sophomore album Running on a Fence is slated for a September 21, 2018 release through Broken Circles Records, and the album reportedly reveals a band that has expanded upon their sound while retaining the infectious hooks and shimmering yet anachronistic quality that has won them attention — and as you may recall, the album’s first single was The Smiths and The Psychedelic Furs like “Kentucky Smooth,” which possessed a wistful sense of regret at its core.

The album’s second and latest single “Huckleberry” continues in a similar vein as its predecessor as its centered around shimmering guitar chords and propulsive drumming; however, the band’s latest single manages to draw from classic 80s New Wave, complete with pop-leaning hooks — but while avoiding soulless mimicry; in fact, emotionally speaking, the song expresses frustration, uncertainty and regret simultaneously.