dream pop
Track: Julia Why? Releases the achingly beautiful and powerful track ‘My Grrrl’ and announces launch gig.
Following the release of the gorgeous track ‘Waiting For Time‘ earlier this year, Julia Wylie, under the moniker Julia Why? has just released another achingly beautiful track ‘My Grrrl’ which exudes a dreamy shoegaze fugue – a heady emission of celestial melodies and a wall of guitars and synths. The total package is like a …
Album Review: GB3 – featuring Steve Kilbey (The Church) and Glenn Bennie (Underground Lovers) – unveil ‘Sakura Flower’ and release featured track ‘When I Come Calling’. Full review and pre-order.
There have been rumours circulating all year, but it’s official now: a collaboration between two giants of the Australian indie scene – Steve Kilbey from The Church and Glenn Bennie from the Underground Lovers has resulted in a new album, ‘Sakura Flower’ under the name of Bennie’s side project GB3. ‘Sakura Flower’ has added input …
Track: New Zealand Dream Pop/Shoegaze maestros Mild Orange releases the shimmering ‘Time Of Our Lives’ and announce northern hemisphere tour.
The warm sunshine glow emanating from New Zealand band Mild Orange‘s new single ‘Time Of Our Lives’ is blinding and reassuring. The glitchy syncopated percussion trickles under a hazy array of guitars and the melancholic vocals that float over the surface reflect the nostalgic themes. The track was inspired by singer Josh Mehrtens memories of …
Premiere: Sydney’s Mako Bron reveals the heavenly indie pop sound of ‘Straight Down’: a sparkling star in the firmament
We are honoured to premiere the buoyant hyperkinetic new single from Sydney’s Mako Bron. Cantering along at a chemically engineered trot, this is perfect slice of indie pop: filled with indelible melodies and a celestial anthemic chorus. I can’t help but think of the pop perfection of The Lightning Seeds with that delicious mix of …
Album Review: Scott von Ryper (The Black Ryder, The Morning After Girls, JAMC) unveils shimmering debut album ‘Dream State Treasure’
Soaked in reverb and regret, ‘Dream State Treasure’, the solo album from Scott von Ryper is a shimmering debut from an Australian artist that has quietly established a remarkable reputation for songwriting, delivered with a degree of insouciance and cool. ‘Dream State Treasure’ is a reflective collection of sparkling melodic gems, underpinned by a shimmering …
Album Review: Melbourne artist Skybelly releases the stunning debut space opera ‘A Space Tramp Odyssey’: a cornucopia of sonic colours.
Skybelly (the nom de plume of Sara Nelson) has just released her stunning debut album, ‘A Space Tramp Odyssey’: a widely evocative and creative magnus opus which is a deep and rich concept album. Operatic and dramatic in nature, it is a stunningly brave debut which adeptly creates an alternate reality that is steeped in …
See: Melbourne dream popsters Grazer unveil bucolic and pastoral video for the sparkling track ‘Reunion’.
Floating like a butterfly over verdant fields, ‘Reunion’, the new single from Melbourne dream pop duo Grazer, is a gloriously ethereal track that sparkles and shimmers like diamonds in the bright sunshine. Grazer first caught my attention back in July with the release of their double ‘A’ side single ‘Without You’ and ‘Visions’ following their …
Track: Clarke and the Himselfs release the fuzzy low-fi buzz of ‘Weighted Down’
Like some glorious love child of Velvet Underground and The Jesus and Mary Chain, and best buddies with Courtney Barnett, Clarke and the Himself‘s debut single ‘Weighted Down’ has a fuzzy deceptively simple sweet drone attack: sibilant cymbals, grunge guitars and the sweetest repeated melody backed by a plonking piano. All the remarkable for the …
Track: The dreamy and ethereal Barrie returns with more sublime synth pop in track ‘Frankie’ and announces US and European tour
I really shouldn’t dwell on the past so much but Barrie‘s single ‘Tal Uno’, reviewed by me here back in 2018 remains one of the most outstanding and perfect slices of pure pop heaven I’ve heard over my years of writing for Backseat Mafia. Subsequent releases displayed the same acute ear for melody, laden with …
News: Legendary artist Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) announced new solo EP ‘Mockingbird Love’ and unveils deliciously shimmering instrumental single ‘My Courtesan’
For aficionados of shoegaze and dream pop and indeed any serious lover of music, Robin Guthrie needs no introduction. Driving force behind the iconic Cocteau Twins of course, Guthrie has continued to make a significant contribution to the industry, having formed Violet Indiana with Siobhan de Maré (formerly of Mono) and has since focused on …