dream pop
Premiere: We get a sneaky early listen to Nik Brinkman’s ‘Unplugged’ EP – three magnificently raw gems from last year’s epic ‘Secret Stairs’ album.
Last year’s ‘Secret Stairs’ album from New Zealand’s Nik Brinkman was a highlight of the year – in our 9.1/10 review we said it was a stunning debut: a collection of sparkling jewels that glitter with a melancholic sheen, while featuring glorious pop vignettes delivering melody and an ethereal grace. We are very honoured to …
News: LA outfit Launder announces debut album and releases two sparkling dreamy shoegaze singles, ‘Unwound’ and ‘Chipper’, co-written with DIIV members.
Dripping with incandescent reverb, walls of scything guitars and layers of glorious harmonies, Launder has just released dynamic double singles ‘Unwound’ and ‘Chipper’ ahead of the release of debut album ‘Happening’ out on 15 July 2022 through Ghostly International (Hana Vu, Gold Panda, Tycho). Launder is essentially the work of John Cudlip, with collaborations on …
Track: Melbourne’s dream pop trio Dorsal Fins part the waves with new funky single ‘Criminal’.
Following their announcement of album ‘Star of the Show’, due out through Dot Dash Recordings/Remote Control Records on Friday, 13 May 2022 and two earlier singles (see review of ‘Sister’ here), Melbourne trio Dorsal Fins have just released the effervescent new single ‘Criminal’. The track is a soul-inflected slice of funk – a minor steer away …
News: Legends Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins) and Damon Reece (Massive Attack) announce new collaboration Sun’s Signature and unveil the shimmering single ‘Golden Air’
Today, vocalist Elizabeth Fraser and percussionist Damon Reece have announced their newest project – Sun’s Signature which will release a 5-song EP out physically on 18 June 2022 via Partisan Records for Record Store Day, with a digital release following a few weeks later in July. To coincide with the announcement, the life and musical …
Track: Perth’s Lo unveils the stately, anthemic slice of jangle pop of single ‘Giver, Lover, Pet’.
‘Giver, Lover, Pet’, the new single from Perth’s Lo, is a pulse-quickening slice of jangling dream pop that enthralls and captivates. Recalling her fellow Australian, Hatchie, the single has mountainous choruses and guitars that shimmer and sparkle like sunlight dancing off the glittering Western Australian waters. Pure driven pop and a hint of deep melancholy …
Track: Zali Monroe makes a stunning, shimmering debut with the haunting and dreamy ‘Moonbeam’
With a sense of whimsy and reverie, the debut single from Albury’s Zali Monroe is a dreamy delight. Monroe’s wry observational style recalls elements of Bjork or Phoebe Bridgers and the atmosphere generated is that of a mesmerising billowing cloudy nest, filled with wonder. A rousing indelible chorus edged with the hint of horns is …
Video: Warpaint back after six years – announce two new tracks, album and tour
Warpaint return after 6 years – announce two new singles and album and tour to follow.
Track: Christchurch band There’s A Tuesday unveil the delightfully dreamy and fey anthemic track ‘Baby Blue’.
There’s A Tuesday add to the burgeoning dream pop scene emanating from New Zealand with the absolutely delightful new single ‘Baby Blue’. A track filled with a sense of whimsy and sparkle, ‘Baby Blue’ is a catchy anthemic tune imbued with a sense of yearning, depicting the exquisite pain of love and missed opportunities: Baby …
Track: Christchurch’s T.G. Shand is back to transfix us with her mesmerising lush sounds in new track ‘Little Sieve’.
Ōtautahi/Christchurch resident Annemarie Duff, formerly of the legendary Melbourne shoegaze band Miniatures (on the iconic Saint Marie Records label) sends out the most delightful sonic missives in the name of T.G. Shand. We here at Backseat Mafia have been transfixed by her stream of jangling, sparkling singles over the past year (‘The Ease‘, ‘Lemony‘ and ‘Seats‘). Her new single …
EP: Auckland’s Silk Cut shape out another elegant dream pop delight in new EP ‘panda’.
Last year’s ‘astronaut’, the debut EP from New Zealand’s enigmatic Silk Cut (reviewed by me here) was a hazy dreamy introduction to a band that has, amongst its constituent members, a breadth of experience. Singer/guitarist Andrew Thorne has played with Modern Chair – a collaboration between him and another veteran of the NZ music scene, Wayne Bell. …