Indie Rock Cafe’s latest new playlist of DIY indie songs from the following artists and bands:
FantasticBoom – Dallas, Texas
Jingo Kong – Bergen, Norway
Under The Rug – Los Angeles, California
Kris Kelly – Brooklyn, New York
Shockmop – Brooklyn, New York
Dusty Cubby – Everett, Washington
FantasticBoom – “I Thought I Could Save You”
Having left behind work on a PhD in the philosophy of religion to pursue music, Dallas songwriter and musician Mark Cuthbertson established a moniker, FantasticBoom.
After many months of work, including help from some reputed fellow musicians, Cuthbertson emerges with the new debut album, How To Build A Hole, featuring standout singles like the impressive overall production of “Gabby”; the captivating “I Thought I Could Save You” and the intoxicating, slow-burn of “Meg.”
The songs for the album were “written purely on acoustic in order to ensure substance, then recorded as peculiar sonic colors,” Cuthbertson says. “The lyrics are about things that ache me: epistemology, theology, heartbreak and my substantial failings.” (Ouch, don’t be so hard on yourself dude.)
Cuthbertson, who plays almost every instrument but drums, received top-notch help from respected musicians like Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev and Midlake) on winds and acoustic piano; Bucky Wheaton (Land of Talk) on drums, and Jace Lasek (The Besnard Lakes) on production.
His musical influences include Talk Talk, Broken Social Scene and Radiohead while his music itself crosses genre lines from indie rock to alternative to indie pop. The album dropped in late January and is well worth a listen on Bandcamp.
Jingo Kong – “Olivia”
Norweigan singer/songwriter and musician Per Vidar Staff has premiered his debut track, “Olivia,” under the new moniker, Jingo Kong, the former name of the long-time band PV & The Hehehes.
The song is a heartfelt, poetic and beautifully crafted acoustic track, featuring just Staff himself on guitar and vocals. “Olivia” has been featured on a number of Spotify playlists, music blogs and Norweigan radio.
In addition to performing in his native country and Europe, Staff has also performed in the U.S. as a touring musician.
It was then that he met Grammy-winning guitarist and producer Paul Nelson (Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy) in 1999 during the recording of Staff’s debut EP and invited him to the studio. During that session, Nelson ended up playing guitar on the track, “Summerdays.”
The song went on to become something of a hit record that summer in Norway and was used in a popular TV commercial.
Jingo Kong is set to drop more new and exciting singles throughout 2019. You can follow him on Facebook.
Under The Rug – “Manila & Grey”
Based in the sprawl of Los Angeles, alt-rock DIY band Under The Rug’s signature sound is an eclectic mix of rock and 90’s grunge.
This is clear on the band’s latest single, “Manila and Grey,” from the band’s recent album drop, Pale King. The song is a slow-burning, angry rocker with psych and blues guitar influences and anguished vocals embellished by heavy percussions and organ grinds.
Bassist Jesse Holsapple says the song is about working a long day at the office and the frustrations it brings on people. “It’s a concept album about day jobs…[and an] honest complaint about the way it feels to be part of the awkward working class in the US at the moment.’ The band self-produced its debut album.
UTR first formed (originally under the name Moo) in 2012 when UC Santa Cruz students Casey Dayan (lead vocals, guitars), Sean Campbell (guitars) and Brendan McQueeney (drums, percussion) realized a shared love for classic rock, grunge and funk/soul music.
Holsapple met Dayan in another band before joining UTR. A few years ago the band moved to LA to be around a bigger audience and greater opportunities.
They are influenced by bands such as Alabama Shakes, Soundgarden, Jeff Buckley, Pearl Jam, and mewithoutYou, and say they blend “the do-it-yourself attitude of bands like Vulfpeck with modern alt-grunge rock.”
Kris Kelly – “Birthplace”
Brooklyn-via-Austin singer/songwriter and musician Kris Kelly moved to NYC at the age of 17 to attend New York University, where he majored in classical vocal performance and music composition.
During that time and in more recent years, Kelly has performed his compositions for a range of instruments from voice and flute to violin and guitar.
Now, some years later, he is reflecting back on his youth and his roots on the emotional song, “Birthplace,” from the new album, Runaways.
Throughout the song, Kelly explores the idea and concept of examing one’s birthplace and “what that means on a deeper level.”
The indie-folk elements nicely complement Kelly’s thoughtful lyrics and the official music video for the song (which runs six minutes longer) is provocative, strange and visually compelling.
Kelly then spent five years traveling through South America with just his guitar and a suitcase. Spending most of his time in Argentina and Brazil, he met his husband, and through his experiences, along with “love, loss, discovery, and growth,” wrote Runaways.
Contributing artists where many: John Philip Shenale (Tori Amos) on string/wind/horn arrangements; Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco) on bass; Brian Griffin (Lana Del Rey) on drums; Dave Levita (Alanis Morrisette) & Benji Lysaght (Father John Misty) on electric guitar, and Dave Palmer (Fiona Apple) on keyboards.
Kelly self-produced the album and it was mixed by Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Andy Shauf).
Shockmop is a three-piece indie rock band from Brooklyn that is taking on the DIY scene from all sides, including releasing a new, and original, video for the mainly acoustic track, “Condoleeza.”
Shot in Ridgewood, New York, the video follows band members through various scenes in an apartment complex without the usual editing of big-budget music videos. The effect works.
“[It] was One-take, one performance and all the happy accidents and limitations that come with it,” vocalist and guitarist Jacob Goldfine said. “Collaborating with New York DP Armaan Virani, the band broke into the drummer’s apartment, scaled ladders, and sprinted across rooftops to capture the live rendition on video.”
The other two band members are Sean Mowry (drums) and brother Sam Goldfine (bass, vocals). The band actively performs at venues across Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The band is currently in the process of recording a few new tracks which we plan to release over the course of Summer 2019. They also made a sweet cover of The National’s “Sorrow.”
Dusty Cubby – “Everett”
While we have never been big fans of most emo pop, every once in a while there is some that filters through. Lately, we have been listening to some tracks from the new album, Town Story, by Seattle trio Dusty Cubby.
The tracks that have grabbed our attention the most are “Everett” (an emo ode to the Washington city of same name) with their rawness, lo-fi poeticism and emotions-on-sleeve brevity.
They also do a pretty interesting cover of Lil Yachty’s “Minnesota.”
The band members are Cade Miller (guitar, vocals); Danny Schwartz (bass) and Kade Samson (drums).