# Best New DIY Music of 2015, Vol. V – Astronaut Project, The Stereophones, Mittenfields, Young Scum, Staffords, Sea Ghost - Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2015/06/best-new-diy-music-releases-of-2015-volume-five/ - Published: 2015-06-02T21:21:57-04:00 - Author: indierocker Today drops the fifth installment of the wildly popular DIY series, [Best New DIY Music of 2015](https://indierockcafe.com/category/2015-diy-releases/). Obviously, many of our readers/listeners want to hear more talented and promising unsigned bands that are currently under the radar (but shouldn’t be). We’ll keep delivering them because there are so many that simply do not get coverage, and for that, music lovers are the ones who really lose out. There is truth to the complaint by an increasing number of true indie music lovers that ‘indie music’ is becoming too mainstream. In some respects, that is absolutely true. At the same time, people are smart enough to know that real indie music is more DIY than it is commercial. This is part of the reason why we almost exclusively focus on DIY and small label bands; we’re trying to keep it _real_; after all, many of the popular and well-known so-called ‘indie’ blogs these days have the same 30 or so artists and bands on constant rotation, while many others are just copy cat, cookie-cutter blogs that do little more than regurgitate coverage of the same buzz bands, songs and albums over and over again to the point of nausea. This compels indie lovers to desperately seek out music that is fresh, authentic, raw, original and ‘best kept secrets,’ if you will. We do our best to fill the gap. This installment includes bands from Peru to England, Washington DC to Los Angeles, and Australia to Costa Rica representing a wide spectrum of genres from post rock to ambient, pop to post punk, grunge to garage rock, and electro to R & B. ##### In This Installment **Astronaut Project** – _Lima, Peru_ **The Stereophones** – _Los Angeles, California_** Mittenfields** – _Washington, DC_ **Fire Fences** – _Bridgend, England_ **Sea Ghost**– _Los Angeles, California_ **Lorna** – _Nottingham, England_ **Young Scum **– _Richmond, Virginia_ **Staffords** – _Melbourne, Australia_ **Science of Sensations** – _San Jose, Costa Rica_ ![astronaut-project-mixing](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ astronaut-project-mixing.jpg "astronaut-project-mixing") #### Astronaut Project – _Astronaut Project_ EP From the elevated capital city of **Lima**, Peru, the DIY entity, **Astronaut Project**, was created by singer/songwriter and musician **Alberto Zegarra** in 2014. Zegarra crafts beautiful, catchy electro, dream pop recordings like the unforgettable track,“ Night,” and songs like “Lejos De Aqui” and the demo “Setiembre.” His music has been played on radio and television throughout Latin America. Now it’s time for America to hear his remarkable music. Zegarra describes his style as “independent music for free minds without any obstacles to creating the music and sounds you want.” Astronaut Project’s self-titled, debut EP officially drops on June 12th, but he has shared a couple of advance tracks with IRC. Zegarra’s musical influences include Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age, Alice in Chains, Prodigy, and Nine Inch Nails. [“Night“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Night.mp3) – **Astronaut Project** from _Astronaut Project_ [“Lejos de Aquí“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Lejos%20de%20aqui.mp3)–** Astronaut Project** from _Astronaut Project_ [“Setiembre“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Setiembre%20(Demo%20Version)-AstronautProject.mp3)( Demo) – **Astronaut Project** from _Astronaut Project_ [YouTube video for “Night”](https://youtube.com/watch?v=vZ51Trcxmy4) [Astronaut Project on Facebook](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/astronautperu) ![GirlsEP](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/GirlsEP.jpg "GirlsEP") #### The Stereophones – _Girls_ EP A few years ago, two brothers living in the **Los Angeles** sprawl, **Kayhan Ahmadi**( vocals, guitar and drums) and **Kevin Ahmadi** (guitar, bass), began to write and record catchy, melodic, guitar-driven pop rock. Calling themselves **The Stereophones**, the Ahmadi brothers honed their skills and perfected their songs, which include subjects about heartbreak, fighting, irony, love, drugs, “the economic meltdown, and slimy Hollywood agents.” Get ready to dance when you fire up the anthemic song, “Where Have You Been,” a celebratory, upbeat number with a grooving rhythm and sing-a-long chorus about how awesome it is to live in California (albeit the severe drought). Next, the track,“ Shot Down,” is also uptempo and uncontainable. Both tracks are from the band’s debut EP, _Girls_. There’s no question these guys pump out memorable dance pop rock songs. Their favorite bands include Weezer, Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie, Nada Surf, and Smashing Pumpkins. “Where Have You Been“ – **The Stereophones** from _Girls_ EP “Shot Down“ – **The Stereophones** from _Girls_ EP [The Stereophones on Facebook](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/thestereophones) ![the Mittenfields](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Mittenfields- Band-Photo-1-624x487.jpg "the Mittenfields") #### Mittenfields – _Optimists_ In 2008, teenage bassist and vocalist **Dave Mann** and his friend, guitarist ** Sam Sherwood**, began kicking out songs together in an industrial park on the outskirts of **Washington, D.C.**. That began the journey of the indie rock band **Mittenfields**. Initially, the duo experimented with instrumental tracks that included various combinations of strings, keys, and horns, among other instruments. But when they met up with an aggressive drummer named **Brian Moran**, Mann and Sherwood ditched “the fancy stuff in favor of a three-guitar lineup,” recruiting two additional guitarists, ** Donald Seale** and **Michael Ball**. Mittenfields was then where it needed to be, they felt, and with endless rehearsals over a two year period, they finally released their debut EP, _The Fresh Sum_, in 2011. The EP received critical praise from the D.C. press and music blogs. Related Post:  Best DIY Music 2015, Vol. VI - The Khost, Flight of Ryan, Romeo Moon, Lovelast, SHOE., Horsha On The Moon Mittenfields’ songs like “Goliath FTW” and “My Mind is an Avalanche” made the rounds on local and college radio nationwide; local press and blogs picked up on the buzz with positive reviews. In the ensuing months, Mittenfields found themselves sharing the stage with bands like The Amazing, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Paperhaus, Left & Right, and Deleted Scenes. The EP demonstrates the band’s love of bands like Pavement, Broken Social Scene, Dinosaur Jr, Krill, Built to Spill, and the Pixies. And then, as Sherwood says, “life happened.” The maturing band members took job offers, moved to new residences, got married and started families. Fast forward to 2012. The band reunited and earnestly entered the studio to record their debut LP, _Optimists_, which just dropped in April. It includes the transformative title track included below (followed by a track from the debut EP). “The writing and recording process,” Sherwood said, “was certainly informed by our on-going frustration and bemusement with the fundamentally ridiculous proposition of being full-time functional adults while keeping a rock band going. We hope that this record can connect with listeners by drawing from across the indie guitar rock canon to synthesize something new, while also speaking to the panics, joys, and pains of settling into modern adulthood.” Growing pains expressed in rock music? No way. [“Optimists“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/01%20Optimists.mp3) –** Mittenfields** from _Optimists_ [“Goliath FTW”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Goliath%20FTW.mp3) –** Mittenfields** from _The Fresh Sum_ [Mittenfields on Facebook](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/mittenfields) ![seaghost-la-band](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/seaghost. jpg "seaghost-la-band") #### Sea Ghost – _Nothing Is Cool_ Combining elements of punk, post punk, surf, garage rock and grunge, the **Los Angeles** rock duo, **Sea Ghost**, featuring **Nick Coffey** on vocals and guitar, and **Hannah Pfeiffer** on drums, opt for fast-driving, maniac guitar rock, as evidenced on songs like the surf punk/grunge inspired “Stupid Surf Song” from their new EP, _Nothing Is Cool_. “We mix genres in our music,” Coffey said, adding: “We both grew up watching _MTV_ and skating our way through the 90’s; I think you can hear that in our sound – a self-loathing; but some fun too.” Coffey was first acquainted with Pfeiffer after seeing her posting on a band directory website and contacting her. You can hear the influence of Nirvana in the duo’s music; they certainly blast out a terrific wall of noise for a simple duo. At times, Coffey’s vocals are strained and a bit out of key. There’s definitely room for improvement there, and in the overall production value of their recordings. But for a lo-fi musical start-up, Sea Ghost kick ass. What this guy/girl duo need is just the right producer and engineer who knows how to shape their sound to realize what Sea Ghost is truly capable of. We found Coffey’s perspective about indie rock compelling: “It’s the song you write in your bedroom while playing to your closet. It’s the DIY ethic and the passion you obtain knowing you will probably never make money off those songs, but you put everything into it anyway. There’s something beautiful about that.” Not surprisingly, Coffey and Pfeiffer are fans of Nirvana, as well as John Lennon, Warpaint, Pixies, Hole and Frank Sinatra. That’s an interesting mix of musical prodigies. [“Stupid Surf Song“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/02%20Stupid%20Surf%20Song.mp3)–** Sea Ghost** from _Nothing Is Cool_ [“Nothing is Cool“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/03%20Nothing%20Is%20Cool.mp3)–** Sea Ghost** from _Nothing Is Cool_ Sea Ghost on Facebook Related Post:  Best New DIY Music of 2015, Vol. VIII - The Modern Savage, ness, Gibberish, Storie Grubb, Duals [“Melted” music video](https://youtube.com/watch?v=brMt_gOqUyM) – **Sea Ghost** ![lorna](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/lorna.jpg "lorna") #### Lorna – _London’s Calling Me_ ** Lorna** is a six-piece dream pop band from the U.K. music centre of **Nottingham** who dropped their new album on April 18th. Modeling their style after bands like Yo La Tengo, American Analog Set, Teenage Fanclub and The Psychedelic Furs, Lorna have built up a following in the U.K. and Europe, as well as in the States, over the 15 years that the band has been together. We were enthralled the first time we heard their new album, _London’s Calling Me_, especially the synth pop goldies,“ Wayne Mills” and “As She Goes By.” The band members include **Mark Rolfe** (guitar, vocals); **Sharon Cohen Rolfe**( drums, vocals); **Andy Bullock** (bass, vocals); **Madeline Leverton** (violin);** Matt Harrison** (guitar, flute), and **Rein Ove Sikveland** (viola). Over the years, the band has opened for indie giants like The Psychedelic Furs, and bands like Midlake, Mark Gardener, and The Pernice Brothers. [“Wayne Mills“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Wayne%20Mills.mp3) –** Lorna** from _London’s Calling Me_ [Watch [YouTube video](https://youtube.com/watch?v=JqvPJbwbjOo) for “Wayne Mills”] [“As She Goes By“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/As%20She%20Goes%20By%20(Radio%20Edit).mp3)–** Lorna** from _London’s Calling Me_ [Lorna on Facebook](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/11233842989?ref=bookmarks) ![fire fences](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/fire-fences. jpg "fire fences") #### Fire Fences – _Pocket Full of Stones_ In the south Wales town of **Bridgend**, there’s an up and coming new indie rock quartet of teenagers named **Fire Fences**. Inspired by a range of U.K. bands from** Bastille** to **Deaf Havana**, Fire Fences bust out of the gates in 2015 on the energetic guitar rock single, “Pulling Teeth.” The first few seconds of the song’s intro guitar riffs sounds very much like U2’s opening riff in [“I Will Follow,”](https://youtube.com/watch?v=g2BqLlVHlWA) but after that, Fire Fences’ song goes on its own path. The band told us they’ve heard this comparison before, and that it is just a coincidence. (What would be the odds of that?) With instruments ranging from acoustic guitars to a fully equipped rock drum kit, the band strikes a compelling balance between full-throttle rock and acoustic pop. The band members, who range in age from 17 to 19, have already achieved limited success in the U.K. over the past 18 months, with performances at celebrated venues like The O2 Academy Islington (London), The 229 Great Portland Street (London) and The Fleece (Bristol). In September 2014, Fire Fences released their debut EP, _Roses From Dust_, which did fairly well in radio play and sales for a brand new band hitting the competitive U.K. rock scene. In less than eight months since their debut EP, the band dropped their sophomore EP, _Pocket Full of Stones_, on May 1st, from which the songs featured below are taken. The band members are **Aaron Wyn Nicholas**(guitar, lead vocals); **Dylan Wictome** (bass, vocals); **James Lee** (drums) and **Will Davies** (guitar, vocals). There’s no question that their song writing and performance skills sound well beyond their years. However, as some reviewers have aptly pointed out, their sound is, at times, crossing the line from what we would normally consider ‘indie rock’ towards the more packaged and perfected ‘top 40 acoustic rock sound.’ This dilemma, we surmise, is more likely the result of a management team the band signed on with rather than their own vision of how they want their sound to be. Or maybe not. “We just write and play the music we love and if people love it too, then that’s just a bonus,” Nicholas said. [“Pulling Teeth“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Pulling%20Teeth-Fire%20Fences.mp3)–** Fire Fences** from _Pocket Full of Stones_ [“Call of the Wild“](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Call%20Of%20The%20Wild-Fire%20Fences.mp3)–** Fire Fences** from _Pocket Full of Stones_ [Fire Fences on Facebook](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/firefences) ![young-scum-autumn-august](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ young-scum-autumn-august-624x522.jpg "young-scum-autumn-august") #### Young Scum – _Autumn August_ **Richmond**, Virginia DIY band, **Young Scum**, combines the lilting jangle of The Byrds with the heavier pop sensibilities of Teenage Fanclub. The band has a bit of a task ahead of them because Richmond is historically a city known for its punk and metal scenes. The band members, as frontman **Chris Smith** contends, are well aware of the challenges they face “in a land devoid of traditional ‘indiepop’ bands.” But anyone who is a fan of the post-punk, noise-pop/jangle pop era of music, which greatly influenced the founding and direction of indie pop and rock during the 80’ s right up to today, will find solace in songs from the bands debut EP, _Autumn August_, including tracks like “Met You At A Party” and “Blue Slurpee,” to name a couple. “Chiming guitars, bouncy bass, and thrown-down-the-stairs drum fills, create the sound that make up Young Scum’s jangly pop. The best kind of indiepop: that kind that makes you cry and dance at the same time.” Related Post:  Best New DIY Music of 2015, Vol. III - Pet Politics, BCT, Lascaux, Babbling April, Forensics, VMPG, Fringes, Dan Zdilla, No Body Their indie pop/rock heroes include hallmark bands like Guided By Voices, Weezer, Pavement, and Camera Obscura. Young Scum have opened for Gold-Bears, Left & Right, Wish List, and Pile. In addition to Smith, the band members include **Ben Medcalf** on guitar, **Jason Pirault** on bass, and **Taylor Haag** on drums. “Met You At A Party“ – **Young Scum** from _Autumn August_ “Blue Slurpee“ – **Young Scum** from _Autumn August_ [Young Scum on Facebook](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/youngscumva) ![Staffords_HI-RES](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Staffords_HI- RES.jpg "Staffords_HI-RES") #### Staffords – _Doubting Thomas Anonymously_ Originally conceived as a punk rock-inspired three-piece band in 2011, **Staffords**( formerly The Staffords), from the Australian city of **Melbourne**, ripped it up at various venues big and small for nearly two years in the lead up to the release of their debut EP, _On The Make_ in 2013. Together with frequent performances in and around Melbourne, and praise of their debut EP, the band received notice in the music press outside of Australia and grew an enthusiastic following in their home city, opening for artists like Ash. Lead vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist **Mike Barnes** worked earnestly after the release of _On The Make_ to craft songs that were no longer punk rock, but more so melodic pop combined with psych guitar rock, which is apparent on the 2014 debut LP, _It Kills Me_. However, prior to its release, the band’s original line up dissolved, much to the disappointment of their loyal followers. That left Barnes with a sleuth of new songs that he could not perform live or record with the help of a band. Rather than quitting on Staffords, or engaging again in the arduous task of forming a new band, Barnes decided instead to record a new album completely solo. During this period, Barnes’ palette of instrument capabilities evolved from mainly guitar to include keys, synthesizers, bass, and drums, recording each track and then mixing and mastering them himself. In advance of his new LP, _Doubting Thomas Anonymously_, sent us the wobbling, grooving psych pop track, “White Chrome” and the fuzzy guitar pop rocker, “Poor Folks Live,” both of which are terrific teasers for the upcoming album. His musical influences, which you can hear interspersed in the music, include The Nerves, The Kinks, Buzzcocks, Big Star, and Beastie Boys. The video for [White Chrome](https://youtube.com/watch?v=euM6iEBFcsc&feature=youtu.be) was a Featured Music Video on YouTube’s main page. “White Chrome“ – **Staffords** from _Doubting Thomas Anonymously_ “Poor Folks Live“ – **Staffords** from _Doubting Thomas Anonymously_ [Staffords on Facebook](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/staffordsmusic) ![scienceofsensations](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/scienceofsensations- 480x480.png "scienceofsensations") #### Science of Sensations – _Science of Sensations_ For fans of ambient instrumental stoner post-rock, you’ll want to kick back, close your eyes and tune into the next couple of songs from the band **Sensation of Science**, based in the lovely tropical paradise of **Costa Rica**. We don’t know much about them other than the band members – **Esteban Aguilar** (keys and guitar), **Javier Aguilar** (bass), and **Sergio Gutiérrez** (drums) – met in 2010 and discovered a common love for ambient instrumental rock. The chill, jam-heavy songs they supplied us with from their self-titled debut LP, like “Melancholia” and “The Valley,” are truly accomplishments in writing and recording for a new band with few resources. Science of Sensations, perhaps aptly-named, lean towards progressive and psych instrumentation infused with a heavy dose of post rock variances in the songs that keep them from being too repetitive or flat. The band’s musical influences include Pink Floyd, God is an Astronaut, Porcupine Tree, and Opeth. We’ll be keeping an eye on this talented trio. “Melancholia“ – **Science of Sensations** from _Science of Sensations_ “The Valley“ – **Science of Sensations** from _Science of Sensations_ [Science of Sensations on Facebook](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/scienceofsensations)