Although the shoegaze and dreampop genres will be forever associated with the early 90s, there have been a wealth of great bands and artists keeping the flame alight in the twenty first century. 2024 saw some great releases from Keeley, Set Feux, Sunder, Newmoon, and many others. Even scene stalwarts like A Place To Bury Strangers were hugely prominent with a run of digital singles which gained some very positive online press.
Tag Archives: stream
THE SMASHING TIMES – Mrs. Ladyships and The Cleanerhouse Boys
In the promotional materials for ‘Mrs. Ladyships and The Cleanerhouse Boys’, The Smashing Times ask the pressing question: “How many times can you really watch ‘Blow Up’ alone in your room?”, before suggesting that their fifth album presents the work of “your new favourite Mod band”. Although, for the unaware, this might conjure thoughts of discovering an underground phenomenon in the mould of Secret Affair, or perhaps The Len Price 3, the Baltimore band is potentially setting the unsuspecting listener up for a fall. Beyond its grand title and fanciful claims, ‘Mrs. Ladyships…’ offers a world of similar sounds to prior Smashing Times long players, in that any 60s influences are offset by some fairly lo-fi production values.
CIAO MALZ – Safe Then Sorry EP
On her 2022 EP ‘To Go’, Ciao Malz presented some interesting alt-pop sounds. It’s finest three minutes,‘Your Winner’, introduced listeners to someone who appeared to meld the Fleetwood Mac obsessions of Lissie with the pop of Chvrches. By centring everything around a superb bassline, the light pop sound also shared a great groove, creating a sound upon which singer-songwriter Malia DelaCruz could certainly build. The late period Rilo Kiley influence at the heart of ‘Around’, in particular, proved this was no fluke.
SUGAR BONES – Sugar Bones EP
On their debut EP, US funk/rock band Sugar Bones prove the old theory that quality will always trump quantity. In a little under twenty minutes, these guys whip up an impressive musical party: with three slabs of tight funk, a strong soul inspired jam, and a massive rocker with some serious 70s boots, there’s something here for most listeners who love things with a retro sound.
BURIAL – Rejoice In Sin
When most people think of black metal, they think of Scandinavian bands with unreadable logos. They’re also likely to think of harsh sounding albums with particularly trebly production values and material topped with hissed and retching vocals, often with absolutely brutal lyrical content. Manchester’s Burial certainly tick some of those boxes, but their third release ‘Rejoice In Sin’ is, thankfully, blessed with a bigger, more professional sound than many of their Scandinavian forefathers and key influences. This, at least, makes for an album that’s far more listenable on a technical level.