Hatchie "Sugar & Spice EP (Double Double Whammy)"
Sometimes a bit of music is released EXACTLY when it should be. Case in point? Hatchie’s debut EP for Double Double Whammy Sugar & Spice. Here it comes, right when its getting nice outside (assuming it actually is gonna be nice outside). Harriette Pilbeam’s music is a tonic for these hard times (also, if I did my googling right, it’s the middle of winter in Harriette’s Australia, so she did this for YOU!). Dreamy, positive, jangly, you couldn’t ask for a better antidote for the turdstorm that 2018 is turning out to be. At times the sounds are a little like if Best Coast was covering Kylie Minogue covering The Cure. I know, that’s a little confusing. But these sweet sounds are anything but confusing. In fact, in a perfect world, “Sure” will be THE summer hit. But as I alluded to earlier (see: turdstorm) its not a perfect world. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be your summer hit. Check it out!
Ruler "Winning Star Champion (Barsuk)"
You want hooks? You want riffs? You want sing-a-long melodies and lyrics? You want the kind of rock that makes you triumphantly nod your head? You want fries with that? Well, minus the fries (sorry, BRM doesn’t have a fryer. Check out our Yelp page, we don’t serve wings either- much to the chagrin of our customers) if you’re looking for all of those things then you are looking for Ruler! Winning Star Champion (Barsuk) is Seattle’s Matt Batey’s latest offering, and it’s just about as catchy as you can get without needing a shot to combat the ill-effects. But fear not! There are no ill-effects here (except in the Beastie Boys meaning of the word). A little like those early few Death Cab records mixed with the current resurgence of pop-punk. It’s a ‘90s + ‘10s sort of thing. You know the deal, good influences in=good music out. So check out the first tune from the record “Petrified” and measure Ruler for yourself! (Sorry)
Tracyanne & Danny "Tracyanne & Danny (Merge)"
There you are, just a regular ol’ fan of the Camera Obscura as well as the album Danny Coughlan released as Crybaby. “Great” you think to yourself “I like these two bands” and then you go about your day like nothing is happening. WRONG! Get ready to have those two great tastes taste great together! Tracyanne & Danny is both the name of the group and the title of their debut. Tracyanne Campbell, of Camera Obscura fame, and Danny (of aforementioned in this blurb fame) have teamed up to create music that invokes their shared influences such as Lou Reed, Dion, Serge Gainsbourg, The Style Council, and more. A vintage, simple sound that reminds the listener of times long gone. Check out “Home & Dry.”
Wooden Shjips "V (Thrill Jockey)"
Are you ready for a wild journey? Are you ready to float through your own headspace Alice In Wonderland style? Then you MIGHT be ready for the newest release from Wooden Shjips. V (Thrill Jockey) was written to combat the anxiety that, well, everyone is experiencing these days. So here floats V, a slow-building psychedelic playground filled with sonic shimmers and chill summer vibes–the mood vibes, not the vibraphone vibes. At least, I don’t THINK I heard any vibes on here… What I did hear was a thrilling mix of groovy bass lines, distorted guitars thick with reverb and delay, Ok Computer-era Radiohead drums, and other fun things that are sure to make your summer a little more trippy. Check out the chilled out buoyancy of “Staring At The Sin.”