Category: 2015 DIY Releases

The Best DIY Music of 2015 series, ten installments in all, features more than 150 bands from across the United States, Canada, U.K., Australia, France, Germany, the Scandinavian countries, South America and many other world locales.

If you love discovering new bands with great music, we urge you to review the entire series to read about talented bands and listen to their music. No matter what kind of alt. and indie rock you like, you’re going to find awesome some artists and bands you didn’t know about before, and who will likely be favorites for a long time. You heard them here first!

Here’s another collection of bands to watch who dropped impressive DIY singles, EPs and LPs in 2015.

Jean Pool – Jefferson, New Jersey
Wooden Waves – Buffalo, New York
Endless Forms – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Optimus Rex  – St. Louis, Missouri
Alberteen  – Nottingham, England
Ember Oceans – Chicago, Illinois
Sun Blood Stories – Boise, Idaho
Erick Macek  – Los Angeles, California
Oliver House  – Phoenix, Arizona
Tim Bick – Brighton, England

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From the small suburban town of Jefferson, New Jersey, the new alternative rock band, Jean Pool, reminded us of a mixed drink with plenty of Modest Mouse, a shot of Weezer and The Strokes, and salted with a dash of Arctic Monkeys.

Their infectious single, “Fluffy,” an IRC Song of the Day in December, is absolutely superb, and easily one of the best DIY debut singles of 2015. The band’s debut EP, Wet, dropped last November, and includes the blazing psych alt. rock of “Parking Lot Plans,” the Arctic Monkeys-like “Alone,” and the jangly punk of “Older.”

We like how Jean Pool’s vocalist and guitarist Dan Barrecchia, described the band’s muse: “In an era of sarcastic and whiny/emo/pop-punk based music, Jean Pool finds it’s influences from the legends of rock music. We play every show like it’s our last and thrive off of the crowds energy. We’re dynamic and catchy all while keeping the feels in our lyrics, guitar solos, and bass slappage.”

The other members of the NJ quintet are vocalist and guitarist Dan DiCaio, Paul Brushaber on bass and Brad Odgers on drums. The band’s major influences include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Modest Mouse, Jimi Hedrix, The Strokes, Led Zeppelin, and Arctic Monkeys. The band classifies their music as a mix of alt. rock, psych rock, punk, and post punk. They’ve shared the stage with bands like Happy Body Slow Brain, Deal Casino, and Terror Pigeon.

MP3: “Fluffy“ – Jean Pool from Wet

Jean Pool on Facebook

 

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Wooden Waves – Wilder Dreams

Formed in 2010, Wooden Waves is a new-to-us band from Buffalo, New York. During the summer, WW’s released, Wilder Dreams, the band’s debut album, featuring noisy indie rock on songs like the unforgettable “Song For Sweatypalms,” with its fast, busy rhythm, relentless, free form post punk elements, and experimental indie rock with minimalistic-like guitar jams, and vocalized hoots, ah-yah-ah-yahs, wooh-oohs, and minimalistic jams. You can tell these guys have a lot of fun – and that’s really what it’s all about.

The follow-up track, “It’s Only Sky,” is also noisy and energetic, with some melodic hooks, booming bass, voracious drums, and a driving rhythm. These guys are really good. You can tell that they’ve been working on their own unique sound for years. The band are fans of The Bats, The Feelies, Mogwai, Yo La Tengo, Mike Watt, Jonathan Richman, The Ramones, Descendents, and Mr. Show.

The members of Wooden Waves are Ray Fulton (guitar/vocals); Nikki McIntosh and Joey McIntosh on keys and vocals; Billy Fulton (bass), and Sonny Baker (drums).

“Sweaty Palms” – Wooden Waves from Wilder Dreams

“It’s Only Sky“ – Wooden Waves from Wilder Dreams

Wooden Waves on Facebook

 

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Endless Forms – Lazarus

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the DIY band Endless Forms has made a name in the area for its “unique chamber-rock exploration of sonic space, mixing a traditional song structure with the liquid textures of ambient alternative music,” according to songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Justin Allen. That’s pretty much indie rock; and they’re pretty damn good at it.

The band was put together by Allen himself after he completed mastering his debut album, Lazarus, as Endless Forms. They were so impressed that they joined up to play live gigs. The full band features Robert Redmond (keys); Sean Ammons (lead guitar); Donnie Fite (bass), and Will Cook (drums). Lazarus was just dropped back in October. It’s an impressive debut, with plenty of musical highlights and introspective lyrics.

The song, “Reset The Bone,” is quite a beautiful work with it’s mellow, laid back, The National-like dreaminess, accompanied by harmonica, wavy synth notes, understated drum beats, shakers, slide guitars and Allen’s seductive, bluesy vocals. No wonder he is a big fan of The National, as well as The Smiths, Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, David Bowie (RIP), and Radiohead. That’s a pretty good selection of rock legends and newer indie artists.

MP3: “Reset the Bone“ – Endless Forms from Lazarus

MP3: “Reanimation“ – Endless Forms from Lazarus

Endless Forms (official website)

Endless Forms on Facebook

Indie Rock is a movement and idea based on the democratization of music. It is about freedom of expression and empowerment of artists to create what they are inspired to create without the pressure to edit or contort their art in order to appeal to corporate sponsors. – Justin Allen

 

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Optimus Rex – Embers

A relatively new St. Louis indie rock band, Optimus Rex, dropped an under-the-radar EP in August called Embers. The intoxicating guitars, bumbling bass and rolling drums and cymbals on the single, “Witch Hunt,” definitely got the attention of the folks in the cafe.

“The lyrics come off as kinda dark on first glance,” says guitarist and vocalist Nick Stergos, “but really it’s a song about personal responsibility; about how people (myself included) prefer to blame problems on forces that are out of our hands. For some reason the thought of being powerless is easier to swallow than facing up to our own apathy and complacency.”

Nick is also joined by his brother, Jake Stergos, on drums, upright bass, and piano, and bassist Jeremy Carpenter and guitarist and keyboardist Jeremy Hill.

Another track, “Few and Far Between,” was “written in one sitting,” Stergos says. “Lyrically it’s just kind of a downer about getting old and numb. How we don’t get excited about things anymore, how nothing impacts us the way it did when we were younger.”

Since forming in 2013, Optimus Rex has opened for artists like Eve 6, Darling Parade, Tristen, and Bend Sinister. The band’s top musical influences are Thrice, Brand New, Margo & The Nuclear So & So’s, Cursive, Bright Eyes, and Radiohead.

MP3: “Witch-Hunt“ – Optimus Rex from Embers

MP3: “Few and Far Between“ – Optimus Rex from Embers

Optimus Rex on Facebook

 

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Alberteen – Miss World

From the UK city of Nottingham comes the DIY, self-described “rhythm and noir” band, Alberteen. They are not your ordinary band. In fact, the band itself was formed at a funeral in 2010.

Here’s how bassist Abe Berry describes the band and their mission: “We Are The Mods/King’s Evil – we’re instant three-minute pop classics, in the band’s classic rhythm and noir style; we’re 21st century post-punk sonics, instantly addictive tunes and brutal, poetic lyrics.

The songs reflect – respectively – the clash between Mods and Modernists on Margate pier (reflected in the image taken by artist Nigel Green) to violent student riots and uprisings.”

After listening to the two tracks the band sent in from their second album, Miss World, a number of times, we have to say they are definitely not a chillwave band or even an alt. rock band. Alberteen’s music reminds us of a mix between Frank Zappa, Nick Cave, They Might Be Giants and The Cure.

From their new album, the first single, “A French Connection,” is transfixing. The song and the album were produced by the legendary Mike Bennett (The Fall, Ian Brown).

A second track, “We Are Mods,” sounds a lot like a glam rock riff ala-T. Rex, and at times, like The Who (which would fit with mods, since The Who are widely regarded as the most well known band from the UK’s mod era/genre), which we surmise was intentional.

The other band members are John Rose (guitars and vocals); Phil Shaw (vocals), and Gareth Warden (drums and percussion). Among their favorite bands, Berry listed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Parquet Courts, Temples, The Preatures, and Shamir. Alberteen has opened for bands like Primal Scream and Ramsgate Hovercraft.

The members of Alberteen actually formed the band at a funeral (of all places) in 2010. Their first single, “A Girl And A Gun,” was ultimately remixed by Cornershop and played regularly on the BBC.

MP3: “A French Connection“ – Alberteen from Miss World

MP3: “We Are The Mods“ – Alberteen from Miss World

Alberteen Official Website

 

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Ember Oceans – Ember Oceans

The talented Chicago DIY band, Ember Oceans, embodies a breath of fresh air in the alternative synth rock genre. The band dropped their self-titled debut EP, delivering fans and listeners a collection of warm electronic grooves and rhythms, driving pop melodies, sunny surf harmonies, reverb soaked synths and crispy beats on standout tracks like “Right Reasons” and the inspirational “Karma.”

“Indie rock is like a page in a ‘Where’s Waldo?’ book. Everyone’s attention is drawn to the same place, but if you look at the big picture you might get a kick out of what else you find” – Parker Simonaitis, Ember Oceans drummer

Ember Oceans, who are obviously influenced by artists like Passion Pit, are easily in the top ranks of new DIY bands we heard in 2015. Enough said. Let the music speak for itself:

MP3:  “Right Reasons” – Ember Oceans from Ember Oceans

Video: “Right Reasons“ YouTube video

MP3: “Karma“ – Ember Oceans from Ember Oceans

Ember Oceans on Facebook

 

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Sun Blood Stories – Twilight Midnight Morning

Sun Blood Stories isn’t a trendy indie band or a band you’d book for a wedding. Instead, the Boise band, which calls it’s style ‘high desert ghost music,’ creates “long-flowing song forms and delicious noise, leaning toward post-rock in its fondness for long crescendos and crushing finales.”

Coming from the musical vocabulary of classic psychedelia, the music builds on these ideas and blooms into an “ever-moving mass of echo dream sounds.” Featuring multiple slide guitars, a space viola, thunderous drums and “far too many echo pedals,” SBS crashes and wails its way through a “wild and strange collection of songs about hallucinations, dreams and death.”

“Palace Mountain Mirage” is spooky psych rock jam that builds into a sudden explosion of ringing guitars, bumping bass, furious drumming, crashing cymbals and menacing sound effects that turn the song into a full blown sonic nightmare; awesome recording and mixing work. The followup track, “NighTremor” is equally as eerily, dark, long and trippy with constant percussive beats and sound effects.

Over the past few years, SBS has opened for bands like Mount Eerie, Ancient River, Acid Mothers Temple, True Widow, Kithkin, and Wooden Indian Burial Ground. The band’s musical influences include Janis Joplin, The Flaming Lips, Foxygen, Captain Beefheart, Bongripper, and Pink Floyd.

MP3: “Palace Mountain Mirage“ – Sun Blood Stories from Twilight Midnight Morning

MP3: “NighTremor“ – Sun Blood Stories from Twilight Midnight Morning

“Indie Rock is a term that covers so much music that it is now almost meaningless. But its also a starting point for people to find some of the best music being made.” – Ben Kirby, Guitarist

Sun Blood Stories on Facebook

 

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Erick Macek – Erick Macek EP

It’s almost impossible not to get the urge to want to stand up and dance and sing on Los Angeles songwriter and musician Erick Macek‘s uplifting, celebratory track, “Love,” which he wants to be shared with the world in order to promote peace.

“More personal to me,” Macek says, “indie music is seeing what you’re really made of. It’s the blood, sweat, tears, and the culmination of one’s hard work. It’s the freedom to create what you feel.”

The first single, “No Worries,” from his debut, self-titled EP, is more somber, and follows the theme about the failings and the victories of life. He worked with Grammy-winning producer Mikal Blue (Jason Mraz, Five For Fighting, Colbie Caillat, Jason Reeves), who produced, mixed and engineered the crowd-funded EP, the band’s fourth release.

Band members include Stephen Jones on bass; Bill Jones on guitars and ukulele; Anne Seidler on piano, wurlitzer, and rhodes, and Christian Hogan on drums & percussion.

Macek and co-writer Kate Earl were accompanied on their duet “You Say,” by bass player Dean Dinning, from Toad the Wet Sprocket. In 2014, songs from Macek’s Colors May Change album received significant placement on shows like Life Unexpected and Melrose Place. The band has opened for artists like Joan Jett, Gin Blossoms and G. Love.

MP3: “Love“ – Erick Macek from Erick Macek EP

MP3: “No Worries“ – Erick Macek from Erick Macek EP

Erick Macek on Facebook

 

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Oliver House – If You Love Me You’ll See

Three college friends from Arizona State University in Phoenix formed a new band, Oliver House, last summer and got to work. Over the ensuing months, they honed their skills, pumping out heavily melodic and percussion laced tracks.

The results of their hard work over the past year are impressive. The band’s debut single, “If You Love Me You’ll See,” is an ominous, but driving psych guitar rocker with a chugging base and accompanying beats. The interplay between bassist Dan Horner III, guitarist and lead vocalist Sean MaCauley and drummer Holden Flesner is particularly potent. They sound like a band that has been together for years, not months.

The second single, “Warhawk,” from the band’s new EP is a softer, acoustic psych pop style track with a chugging bass and drums all the way through. The chorus, “away…away…away,” is another constant, accompanied by a high nylon guitar mini-solo at the end of the track. We can’t help but to wonder how much a great producer, and manager, could help make these guys a popular indie band nationally. Right now, they have a good start with a terrific debut EP, which officially dropped in March.

MP3: “If You Love Me Youll See“ – Oliver House from If You Love Me You’ll See

MP3: “Warhawk“ – Oliver House from If You Love Me You’ll See

Oliver House on Facebook

 

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Tim Bick – Information

Somewhat creepy and strange, the semi-dark psych pop of U.K. musician and multi-instrumentalist Tim Bick on the track, “Information,” a song that includes kick-ass guitar playing, is oddly compelling. He’s obviously no newbie on the guitar.

Bick marries classic 60s and 70s pop structures with “wrly witty wordsmithery that takes a few cues from Aimee Mann or Fountains of Wayne’s Chris Collingwood.” He dismisses claims that his music is retro, insisting instead: “It’s just an organic thing that was planted in the ground a long time ago.”

The eccentricity doesn’t end with the songs themselves. Apparently, according to Bick, he is working on the development of ‘The Emotionalizer,’ a “piece of studio hardware designed to maximize the emotional effect of music that modern technologies tend to reduce.” Hmmm…stay tuned.

With Bowie (RIP) so much on our minds these days (see our Soundcloud Bowie covers’ collection), Bick’s music sounds influenced by Ziggy Stardust. And yet, Bick retains his own unique sound that is sparse, elongated, heavily narrative, lo fi, guitar-laden, and imperfect – all elements that work nicely together. Either way, we suspect that listeners who dig these two tracks will want to hear more.

“Information“ – Tim Bick from Information

“Heart Attack“ – Tim Bick from Information

Tim Bick on Facebook

 

While 2015 is over, the Best Music of 2015 is still being tallied, and we’ll be featuring the top music – both DIY and ‘mainstream indie’ – for the next few weeks. We have hours and hours – even days – of playlists published throughout the year in popular post series like Best New DIY Music of 2015; 7 Bands You’ve Gotta Hear; Artist of the Week; 5 Rock Bands You’ve Gotta Hear, and Best New Releases (featuring signed artists).

Don’t miss our Song of the Day, and other special playlists, on Indie Rock Cafe’s Soundcloud page, and follow us on Instagram for regular new bands, songs, album covers, videos, amazing photos and more. And for more and more playlists, including the best signed and talented indie artists and bands, singles and new releases, follow us on Spotify.

In this ninth edition of the Best New DIY Music of 2015, we introduce you to some of the best kept secrets, and Bands to Watch in 2016, in the world of DIY rock.

Sound Is Lovv – Los Angeles, California
Bad Hounds – Akron, Ohio
Margarine – Boston, Massachusetts
My Tribe Your Tribe – Kildare, Ireland
Beachmen – Salt Lake City, Utah
Serve The Sun – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ocean Glass – Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
Hookspine – Lille, France
Jaromil – Dijon, France
Tombstones In Their Eyes – Los Angeles, California

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Sound Is Lovv – Shipwrecks

Based out of Los Angeles and born from Brad Watson‘s solo project, Sound Is Lovv creates dreamy, shoegaze noise rock that is simply arresting and transfixing. Influenced by “90s alt. bands and their ’80s shoegaze predecessors, along with 60’s Motown,” the band shoots to “offer a heavier brand of modern shoegaze and dream pop.”

The band’s true standout track, “Take Me With You,” from their debut EP, Shipwrecks, is a slow blaze of rolling beats, echoey, soft vocals, hypnotizing guitars and choruses that soar and float above the green and blue world below – truly one of the best DIY dream pop tracks of 2015. Don’t miss the music video for the track.

“Take Me With You“ – Sound Is Lovv from Shipwrecks

Sound Is Lovv doesn’t restrict itself to just one genre, which is part of the magic found on shoegaze/noise rock tracks like “And Don’t Believe,” with its crashing cymbals, riveting and soaring guitars and heavily reverbed vocals.

In addition to Watson, the band members include guitarist John Rockwell; bassist Dario Grenados and drummer Joel Murray. Tag Sound of Lovv as a Band to Watch in 2016.

“And Don’t Believe“ – Sound Is Lovv from Shipwrecks

Sound Is Lovv on Facebook

“Indie Rock is taking certain ideals of mainstream music and hodgepodg’in them together to create one’s own desired sound. Next to that sound, and re-envisioning it to accommodate broader tastes and facilitate accessibility, is what is required in order to initialize your brand as ‘independent’.” Brad Watson

 

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Margarine from Free Tibet

The psych rock unit Margarine is a Boston-area DIY band that puts an emphasis on melodies “in the stylistic realm of the Beach Boys, Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, and Animal Collective,” says the band.

He speaks the truth because from the first few seconds, right to the very last, of the fantastic, even mind-blowing track, “White M & M,” we were fans.

“It features an upright bass, a real grand piano, a guitar tuned to open D, and drumming on the back of that same guitar,” MacKenzie said. “We considered using a more conventional percussion instrument, but the sound of the guitar surface cut through the mix perfectly and it turns out you can get a pretty wide range of tones out of the back of a guitar.” That is exactly on point.

Other talented band members, and fellow university students, include Charles Wiston on keyboards and Matthew Okun on guitar. Bass player Ryan Accardi is a senior at Wellesley High School.

“White M & M“ – Margarine from Free Tibet

“Rocking Horses“ – Margarine from Free Tibet

 

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Bad Hounds from Bad Hounds

Bad Hounds are an Akron, Ohio rock band with two songwriters and singers – Ty Deming and Alex Gallo, both of whom are also guitarists, supported by bassist Mike Varga and drummer Cory DiBello.

The band released their self-titled, debut album this past August featuring passionate alternative rock songs like “Salt” and “Aphrodite.” Akron should be proud to have a band that stays true to their roots and can really rock it.

The young band’s top musical influences are Tame Impala, The Black Keys, Manchester Orchestra, Bad Books, and Alt-J. The band have already built a respectable following in and beyond Akron.

“Salt“ – Bad Hounds from Bad Hounds

“Aphrodite“ – Bad Hounds from Bad Hounds

Bad Hounds on Facebook

 

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My Tribe Your Tribe – Ghost With You/Will To Survive

Straight out of the picturesque Irish town of Kildare, located just 10 miles outside of Dublin, a new alternative shoegaze trio with the cool name, My Tribe Your Tribe, lighted up our radar thanks to a trio of debut singles released throughout 2015.

Garnering nearly 4,000 plays on Soundcloud, the hottest track, “Ghost With You,” sizzles with gritty synths, blazing alt. rock styles and booming percussion. The talented young musicians that make up My Tribe Your Tribe are George Mercer (lead vocals, synths, guitar); Tod Doyle (drums, vocals), and Colm Daffy (bass, guitar).

My Tribe Your Tribe hit the ground running since forming in 2014. Despite the fact that they haven’t even release an EP or LP yet, the band has played numerous music festivals around Ireland.

We can just imagine how the gorgeous “Ghost With You” was a hit with festival goers when MTYT were on stage last summer. And, if you listen to their other two tracks, “Will To Survive” and “Only A Horizon,” you might be able to hear the seeds (hearing seeds?) of a hot and fresh new DIY band from Ireland.

The beautiful Emerald Isle has given us so many amazing bands over the decades, and there are so many DIY and small label indie and alt. bands in Ireland that are amazing (see our Soundcloud page). MTYT has opened for bands like Electric Picnic, Body and Soul, and Hard Working Class Heroes. They are most influenced by the music of Jape, Deerhunter, St. Vincent, and Spoon.

“Ghost With You“ – My Tribe Your Tribe from Ghost With You/Will To Survive

“Will to Survive“ – My Tribe Your Tribe from Ghost With You/Will To Survive

My Tribe Your Tribe on Facebook

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Serve The Sun – Watching the Watchers EP

Let’s turn our sights to a talented young new band from The Netherlands. Serve the Sun is an Amsterdam-based indie soundscape quartet.

As evidenced by songs like “Helianthus,” the band paints a sound that relies on deep bass lines, grooving rhythms, shoe gaze-heavy guitar sounds, and sweet, emotive vocals, creating what the band prefers to call ‘indie groove trance.’

The second track, “With One Another,” is mystical, downbeat and sparse. The second half of the track picks up the tempo and introduces layers of swirling synths, almost as if the sun suddenly broke through the dusky morning, casting its warm rays onto a cold, dark world.

The band members include Tim Schakel (vocals, guitar); Manuel Verburg (guitar); Nard Koemand (bass), and Job van der Zijden (drums). These indie grooving, sample-loving musicians list musical influences as Radiohead, Atoms for Peace, The Veils, Bonobo, and Flying Lotus.

Producer Pim van de Werken (Eins, Zwei, Orchestra and Silence is Sexy), says it just about right in referring to Serve The Sun’s debut album: “It’s beautifully layered and experimental. Lie down, close your eyes; this deserves a careful listen.”

The band’s new EP, Watching the Watchers, is out now. Review the official music video for “Helianthus” via YouTube.

“Helianthus“ – Serve The Sun from Watching the Watchers EP

“With One Another“ – Serve The Sun from Watching the Watchers EP

“Indie Rock is music with freedom. Free from standards who limit the creative mind and create borders. Indie rock means you can express music the way you want to. “ – Tim Schakel

Serve The Sun on Facebook

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Ocean Glass – Track By Track

The Champaign-Urbana, Illinois-based indie rock band Ocean Glass has acquired a dedicated local following since finalizing their lineup in September of 2015. The band, only a little more than a year old, have become known for their high energy shows and have opened for top midwestern bands like Into It. Over It.

The track, “Stumble,” is what really drew us into this band from the Great Lakes region. With its ringing guitars, bumbling bass, and crashing cymbals and skins, “Stumble” is this new band’s standout track. Ahmed’s vocals, and the band’s choruses, are uplifting, and yet there are veins of angst, love, and hurt: “I wanna run away with you/but you tie me down.” That’s a fairly brilliant juxtaposed lyric.

The next track, “Saltwater,” has angular guitar and bass riffs that remind us of American Analog Set. The various stops and restarts, and the tangental jams that seem to characterize the band’s style also has some similarities to one of the band’s top musical influences – the superb indie band, American Football. The band members of Ocean Glass have proven themselves to be an excellent band with a lot of promise. Keep an eye on these guys; they’re not the regular fare of indie bands you might be used to.

Currently, the band is in the studio recording their second EP, and their first release with the new lineup. The band members are Nishat Ahmed (vocals); Kyle Solner (rhythm guitar); Weston Harman (lead guitar); Justin Isler (bass); and Luke Smith (drums).

Stumble – Ocean Glass from Ocean Glass

Salt Water – Ocean Glass from Ocean Glass

Ocean Glass on Facebook

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Hookspine – Averageness As A Cancerous Shivering Cell

We’ve been listening to the tracks of a young French solo musician Jean-Nicolas Lys (JnL), from the town of Lille.

His debut solo single, “Enough Cuteness,” as the artist Hookspine dropped this past summer, and we’ve been listening to it ever since. It doesn’t take long to recognize the artistry in the composition with it’s many progressions and even angular key and timing shifts with piano, guitar, bass and drums. Lys, or JNL, as he also references himself as, performed, recorded, and mixed all of the instruments. Yet another achievement.

Don’t feel out of sorts if you hear influences of The Beatles’ unique recording techniques, and the practice of sinking chapters, or at least sub plots, if you will, into songs, starting with Rubber Soul and continuing on through Sgt. Pepper, The White Album and Abbey Road (and the heart of the band’s experimental and creative genius).

However, “Enough Cuteness” is not The Beatles; nor trying to copy them. The influence is there, but the song retains its own identity and originality, which is the sign of a talented artist that can pull that off.

JNL’s top musical influences include Blur, Simian, Super Furry Animals, Elbow, Grizzly Bear, and Deerhunter. He was born and raised in Reunion Island where he began playing the piano at the age of three years old. His debut EP, Averageness As A Cancerous Shivering Cell, dropped on December 27.

“Enough Cuteness” (single edit) – Hookspine from Averageness As A Cancerous Shivering Cell

Brazen Pimp – Hookspine from Averageness As A Cancerous Shivering Cell

Hookspine on Facebook

“Indie rock is a mix of several styles, apart from the popularity of mainstream music. it is quite vast; you can really hear totally different bands in indie music (Animal Collective vs Elbow for instance) and come across all sorts of unusual sounds.” – Jean-Nicholas Lys

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Beachmen – Everybody’s Pink Inside

The Salt Lake City DIY garage pop, psych funk band, Beachmen, started out as a “home recording project” between guitarist Kyle Dickson and bassist Joshua Hunsaker.

After drummer Evan Vice joined to make a trio, the band began working on their new album, Everybody’s Pink Inside, which was just dropped on September 12th.

“In recording our new album, we wanted our audience to see our live show happen in their bedrooms,” Hunsaker wrote. “In fact, most of our songs were first recorded in one take as a band to be able to accomplish this.”

That is an accomplishment, and at times you can hear the rawness of their unperfected recording session, such as on the minimalistic, morphing track “Earthquake,” and yet it sounds awesome.

But the song, “Waiting,” changes gears; it’s bumping and chugging right along, with funk-borrowed beats, thick bass lines, and semi-tropical, heavily-distorted guitar riffs. We love the rocking and rolling jam the band kicks out, with liberal use of the whammy bar.

While they have only been together for a few years, Beachmen has shared the stage with top indie bands like Cold War Kids, Geographer, School of Seven Bells, and Wild Nothing. The fellas major musical influences are Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Flaming Lips, Dr Dog, Radiohead, and Talking Heads.

“Earthquake“ – Beachmen from Everybody’s Pink Inside

“Waiting“ – Beachmen from Everybody’s Pink Inside

Beachmen on Facebook

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Jaromil – The Usual Shit You Tell Someone Who’s In Pain

From the city of Dijon, in the bucolic Burgundy region of France, comes the DIY indie pop electro rock duo Jaromil, who have previously opened for indie bands like Oh No! Oh My!, Girls In Hawaii, Absynthe Minded, Syd Matters, Vitalic, Bob Sinclar, French Cowboys, and Yeti Lane.

The track, “St. Pancreas,” from the release The Usual Shit You Tell Someone Who’s In Pain, is a menacing song with spooky keys, bumbling bass lines, and smoking guitar licks. Some of the duo’s many musical influences include Sufjan Stevens, Ghinzu, Pavement, Sigur Ros, Nick Cave, Eels, and Beach House. Jaromil is Antoine Barré Foncelle on drums and Arno on vocals, bass, guitar and sampling.

“St Pancreas“ – Jaromil from The Usual Shit You Tell Someone Who’s In Pain

“Cockleshell“ Jaromil from The Usual Shit You Tell Someone Who’s In Pain

Jaromil on Facebook

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Tombstones In Their Eyes – Sleep Forever

The Los Angeles DIY project Tombstones In Their Eyes has a unique story. It started on the Internet a few years ago in a collaboration between songwriter/singer, guitarist and keyboard musician John Treanor and New York musician James Cooper.

After collaborating via Dropbox, and using GarageBand, the duo ended up with some two dozen songs. Treanor set about picking the top tracks, and then recruited bass player Josh Drew and drummer Samuel Sherwood to record them on their debut album, produced by musician Paul Roessler (Screamers, 45 Grave, Deadbeats, Nina Hagen).

The result is a debut album that features psych rock, garage rock, and acoustic elements, as heard on choice tracks like the expectedly drowsy, “Sleep Forever,” and the more sinister, “It’s Always Nothing.” The band’s top musical influences include The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dandy Warhols, Built To Spill, and Elliott Smith – nice selection of four solid artists.

“Sleep Forever“ –
Tombstones In Their Eyes from Sleep Forever

“Its Always Nothing“ – Tombstones In Their Eyes from Sleep Forever

Tombstones In Their Eyes on Facebook

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It doesn’t seem possible that 2015 is almost over, but the hard reality is that it’s on the outs. We still have lots of artists and bands with stellar 2015 releases that we want to share with you all.

This is the eighth installment of the popular band profile and playlists series, Best New DIY Music of 2015. Therefore, without further delay, here is the next batch of artists and band’s you need to hear.

In This Installment:

The Modern Savage – Anchorage, Alaska
ness – Long Island, New York
Gibberish – Los Angeles, California
Storie Grubb – Boise, Idaho
Duals – Goleta, California

[zbplayer]

The Modern Savage – Unfazed

Alaskan alternative rockers The Modern Savage‘s new EP, Unfazed, displays the band’s knack for driving, explosive rock, such as on the edgy lead single, “Go,” one of the standout tracks of the five song EP.

Front woman Jenni May Toro exhibits her raw, emotive and sneering vocal work throughout the EP, accompanied by the accomplished guitar and synth work of John Cripps and Matt Eley, Ivan Molesky on bass, and David Devlin on drums.

“As a whole, Unfazed explores the multifaceted aspects of being a woman in her mid-20s,” Toro says.

“The song ‘Comet’ confronts the predefined archetypes for women in music, and songs like ‘More’ and ‘Unfazed’ touch on the lonely aspects of millennials, who are never fully satisfied.”

The new EP was produced, engineered, and mixed by NYC based producer and recording engineer James Frazee (Radio Music Society, Sharon Van Etten, Patti Smith).

The Modern Savage has been moving up in the Anchorage rock scene in recent years, and plan to make their way down into the lower 48, where the band already has a growing and loyal fan base.

They’ve shared the stage with powerhouse acts like Jane’s Addiction, Foster The People, Silversun Pickups and Owl City. TMS was also featured in YouTube’s celebrated series, American Hipster Presents, which focuses on art and culture in 10 American cities.

Now, with their sophomore effort out, the band has much more material to perform live with for their growing base of fans.

“Go“ – The Modern Savage from Unfazed

The Modern Savage official website

The Modern Savage on Facebook

ness – Behind The Couch (official lyric video)

During the summer, we featured the Long Island DIY electro pop duo, ness’ hazy song, “Behind The Couch,” from the debut EP, A Second To Think.

The reverb-heavy acoustic pop track with uptempo mandolins, twinkling xylophone notes, and light beats, was favorited so much by listeners that it easily became the No. 1 song in July on IRC’s Top Ten Songs.

Now the duo are back with the official lyric video for “Behind The Couch,” which is already attracting kudos from fans. The track, since its release, has received over 17,000 plays on Soundcloud and the EP more than 55,000 streams on SC and Spotify.

The band members, Ethan Peck and Jesse Weisberg, are also currently writing and recording songs for their next release expected in the spring of next year.

Ness on Soundcloud

Gibberish – Winter Coat

One of our favorite releases from 2015 comes from the Los Angeles duo of Derek and Lorie Bromley, aka Gibberish. Their wild, glitchy, and rattly psych pop tracks on their debut EP, Winter Coat, has been rotated on the cafe’s speakers many times over the past few months.

If we had to pick one track to represent the band’s Animal-Collective-meets-Brian-Eno sound, it would be the song, “Colonies.” It stomps along with a hard bass drum; clattering drum sticks; waves of warm, soaring synth riffs; and layers of hazy reverb-heavy vocals, oozing with rich melodies and sweet harmonies, creating a weird and wonderful psychedelic feast of sounds, samples, effects, rhythms and beats.
“Colonies“ – Gibberish from Winter Coat

“Everything on Winter Coat was done by myself on my laptop, using gear I’ve accumulated throughout the years,” says Derek Bromley. “We recorded most of the album using one or two mics at a time, which is how we got the percussion sounding psychedelic and glitched out.

“I used a vocal effects processor and looped drum parts one at a time and then added them all up to give the rhythm section a lush, full, textured sound. I used this technique on a lot of instruments and vocals to varying degrees, so the album would have continuity between songs.”

Gibberish official website
Gibberish on Facebook

Storie Grubb –The Length of Tomorrow

The prolific Boise DIY musician and visual artist, Storie Grubb, has just released his fifth album in the past year. The LP, The Length of Tomorrow, is a tour de force of emotive and introspective anti-folk indie music, and a sobering tale of modern times, with elements of punk woven into the fabric of Grubb’s music.

“It is album that for me is totally appropriate for the times we are living in,” Grubb writes on his official website.

It is full of themes that I love bringing to light, like war, death, love and life…as well as religion and the relationships one has with fellow human beings on this beautiful planet.”

Completely written, composed, performed, recorded, produced and mastered by the talented extraordinaire multi-instrumentalist Sean Kelly (aka, Storie Grubb), the new LP features would-be indie hit songs like “Milky Way,” “Never Coming Back,” “A Cloud in the Sky,” and a magnificent cover of Beck‘s “Jack-Ass”, featuring backup vocals from Amber Pollard.

“Milky Way“ – Storie Grubb from The Length of Tomorrow

“Jack-Ass“ – Storie Grubb from The Length of Tomorrow

Grubb’s melodic, heartfelt, and at times, angst, music consists of dabbling in various genres of indie music – including folk, rock, pop, punk, and psych – and is inspired by musical influences like Elliott Smith, Neil Young, Belle and Sebastian, and The Magnetic Fields.

Last fall, before the dissolution of his previous band, Storie Grubb and The Holy Wars, Kelley and his band were asked by Built To Spill frontman Doug Martsch to open for the legendary, trail-blazing indie rock band at a benefit concert in Boise.

We have been big fans of Storie Grubb since we first heard the fascinating album, The Jewel and The Germ.

Fans will likely dig into his discography once they take the time to listen to a true unsung musical and lyrical indie hero of our time who is just a few blog reviews from underground stardom.

Storie Grubb official website

Duals – Honesty Is Mandatory

Duals is the moniker of Goleta, California DIY artist and producer Aphiah Cey-Jude. Drawing inspiration from artists like Cat Power, Eyedea, Bob Dylan and James Brown, Cey-Jude created Duals in 2000 as an outlet for musical expression, dabbling in everything from hip hop and rock to ambient and electronic.

Those influences and tastes, and his own traumatic childhood, have translated into art rock songs like “Life Is A Paradox” and “Big Sisters And Stuffed Animals,” from Duals debut LP, Honesty Is Mandatory, released earlier this year. He asserts that the moniker is to reflect “the duality of depravity and love that the concept of man is tied to.”

Mixing analog instruments, finely produced vocals and electronic samples, Duals has set himself up as an artist to watch in 2016.

“Life Is A Paradox“ – Duals from Honesty Is Mandatory

“Big Sisters And Stuffed Animals“ – Duals from Honesty Is Mandatory

Dual’s Growth of Culture homepage

Duals on Facebook

Throughout the year, we have been putting a lot of work into reviewing 2015 releases from DIY artists and bands across the country and around the world. We’ve labored over the flood of submissions we’ve received this year (most of them submitted to IRC via our submission form) from every type of artist and band, genre and style, you can think of, and from totally terrible to brilliant music that needs to be heard from talented musicians.

Over the years, since 2008, artists and bands featured on IRC have received all kinds of new fans, more coverage and reviews, gigs, licensing deals, recording contracts with labels, bookings on tours and festivals, and their music featured on television and film soundtracks as a result of being featured on IRC. Nowadays, bands need to hustle to make a living like never before, and harnessing the power of the web is one of the best ways to do it.

In this installment of the crazy popular series, Best New DIY Music of 2015 (which has received hundreds of Likes on FB), we’ve got rock, blues, synth, pop, folk, psych and more – as well as mixes of one or more genres, which is more typical of indie anyways – from bands in Tel-Aviv and London, Kiev and Petrozavodsk, Falun and Truro, and from Boston to Athens, Spokane to Tulsa and Squamish to Omaha.

Click on the player below to stream all of the songs uninterrupted or listen to them one by one by clicking the song links. Enjoy and please Like, Tweet, Insta, Pin and whatever else to show your love. We appreciate it y’all!

In This Installment:

Bill & Murray – Tel-Aviv, Israel
The Bread Brothers – Athens, Georgia
Skyhound – Kiev, Ukraine
Sports – Tulsa, Oklahoma
Third Brother – Falun, Sweden
Break The Bans – Petrozavodsk, Russia
Aüva – Boston, Massachusetts
Dismal Beeches – Tel-Aviv, Israel
Boat Race Weekend – Spokane, Washington
Colourshop – London, England
Sperry Alan – Truro, Nova Scotia
Battling Giants – Omaha, Nebraska
Slunq – London, England
Adam Hill – Squamish, British Columbia, Canada

[zbplayer]

A new synth dance pop trio from Tel-Aviv, called Bill & Murray, is bound to turn some heads on this side of the globe. The grooving synths and beats of “Rabbit Hole” are irresistible, as are the gorgeous vocals and acoustic beauty of the more subdued single, “The Silence Grows.”

Vocalist and keyboardist Stella Goshtein has a terrific voice that hopefully will gain greater recognition in the U.S. Other cornerstones of the band’s presence are the guitar playing and vocals of David Blau and drum kit work of Ran Jacobovitz.

The origins of the band trace back to 2012 when an experimental collaboration between Blau and Gotshtein quickly turned into an full on band with the addition of Jacobovitz in 2013. The trio have performed all over Israel and music festivals in North America and Europe. They also wrapped up a tour of Europe and have opened for artists like Gary Numan.

Bill & Murray debut album, A New Kind of High, officially drops August 30th. The band’s top musical influences include Joy Division, The Cure, The Stone Roses, Gary Numan, My Bloody Valentine and Bauhaus greatly influenced the album. Though the album combines synth-pop and post-punk influences, the bands personal touch and their unconventional choice of musical instruments and pedal effects created a unique and distinct flavor.

“Rabbit Hole“ – Bill & Murray from A New Kind of High

“The Silence Grows“ – Bill & Murray from A New Kind of High

Bill and Murray on Facebook

The Bread Brothers – The Bread Brothers

Rock legends REM’s hometown of Athens, Georgia has produced many fine artists and bands over the years, including indie and DIY that are unknown to the mainstream. For 2015, we’re adding The Bread Brothers to Athens’ growing list of impressive, home ‘bread’ bands. Earlier this year, the brothers dropped their self-titled, debut album. And it’s one hell of an album for a band that few people outside the city have heard of.

But what started as a standard rock outfit has now progressed into a solidified sound; a melodic, yet hard-hitting, signature with many colors reflecting the band member’s musical backgrounds, including experiences with playing folk, country, rock and pop. In fact, fans of The Strokes are probably most likely to be attracted to the talented quintet’s sounds.

It’s hard not to think of The Strokes with the wonderfully jangling, jamming electric guitars, the radical chord shifts; the coarse, yet melancholic vocals, and driving percussions of the standout single, “Milk and Honey.” The brothers weave elements of folk rock with pop rock on the mostly uptempo single, “Dirty Deeds,” with its hard acoustic guitar playing and glittery piano swirls.

The ‘brothers’ of bread include Aaron Campbell (vocals); Cody Provost (rhythm guitar); Remington Rehklau (bass); Cameron Kelly (drums), and Alex Magee (lead guitar). They have opened for bands like Stop Light Observations, Voodoo Visionary, Lindee Link, and Chasing Jonah. Their top musical influences include The Strokes, Kings of Leon, and Needtobreathe.

“Milk and Honey“ – The Bread Brothers from The Bread Brothers

“Dirty Deeds“ – The Bread Brothers from The Bread Brothers

The Bread Brothers on Facebook

Skyhound – Dreamcatcher 7″

It’s not often that we come across a smoking hot band from the Ukraine. While the former Soviet satellite has been garnering worldwide attention as Russian separatists battle Ukranian loyalists, two Ukrainian friends and musicians – Farid Mbaidin and Daniel Hryhoriev – from the capital city, Kiev, have been writing and recording high energy synth/electro dance pop songs in their spare time under the moniker Skyhound.

Mbaidin and Hryhoriev have been working on their music since forming Skyhound last summer. The result are the two singles, “Dreamcatcher” and “Till We Fall.” The first track, “Dreamcatcher,” is an emotionally-charged, subdued song with a big, booming bass drum beat throughout, dark pop synth embellishments and haunting, layered vocals. The second track, “Till We Fall,” is epic-sounding with its driving rhythm, charged melodies and full throttle dance synth pop flourishes.

“We are in charge of everything in our band,” Mbaidin says, “starting with songwriting and lyrics, through designing artworks; mixing and producing songs, and finishing with music videos shooting and editing.” Mbaidin cites bands like Linkin Park, The Knife, M83, Howard Shore, Broods, CHVRCHES, and Evaline as top influences. The Dreamcatcher 7″ officially dropped on July 7th. The duo are working on their debut LP.

“Dreamcatcher“ – Skyhound from Dreamcatcher 7″

“Till We Fall“ – Skyhoundfrom Dreamcatcher 7″

Watch the ‘Dreamcatcher’ video via YouTube

Skyhound on Facebook

Sports – Naked All The Time

Heavy bass lines, steady, grooving rhythms and beats, soft vocals and layered choruses, and dreamy psych synth pop melodies are the hallmarks of singles like the swaggering “You Are The Right One” and the sunny, breezy “Panama.” Both tracks are from the new album, Naked All The Time, by the Tulsa, Oklahoma DIY band Sports. These guys delicately weave synth pop with tinges of psychedelia and dream pop.

Throughout junior high and high school, members Jacob Theriot (bass, keys), Christian Theriot (guitar, keys), and Cale Chronister (vocals, keys, guitar) have written and recorded music together under various project names . Not surprisingly, they are fans of bands like Tame Impala, as well as Prince and Fleetwood Mac (that’s an interesting range, chronologically and genre-wise).

Sidebar: One thing worth mentioning – and advice for other new bands – is that picking such a common and diluted word, ‘sports,’ puts the band at an immediate disadvantage because it is nearly impossible for potential fans and followers to quickly find more information about the band in a Google search. Lesson 101 in band naming/branding in 2015: Create a totally original band name that will guarantee that all of the web pages and social media links with your band name will come up first and dominate Google search results. For example, a band name like The Radically Sonic Bandits.

Now, back to regular programming. These two hot tracks from Tulsa band to watch, Sports, are sah-wheet!

“You Are The Right One“ – Sports from Naked All The Time

“Panama“ – Sports from Naked All The Time

Sports on Facebook

Third Brother – No Mind Police

In Falun, Sweden, a new DIY band called Third Brother released their debut EP, No Mind Police. The title track from the EP has a bit of a foreboding tinge to it even though it’s an otherwise uplifting track that weaves folk and rock elements. It’s a standout song, rich with melodies and choruses. The story behind the song seems to be a love song about the emotional struggles love inevitably encounters.

The follow-up single, “Boxes and Old News” is a mellow, folksy acoustic number that somehow sounds so amazingly woodsy, almost like you can smell decaying leaves in November walking in the forest after a rainfall, or old newspapers in an aged shoebox – from notes of music. That’s a unique talent.

It turns out that Albin Carlson, Third Brother’s songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, retreated to a small cabin ‘deep’ in the woods of Dalarna near his home in Sweden. There he wrote and recorded demos for the songs and set out to form a band, bringing together Anton Klasson (guitar and backup vocals), Axel Widmark (bass), and Philip Stjernberg (drums) to complete the band line-up. Not surprisingly, Carlson’s major influences include artists like Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Nick Drake, and Radiohead.

“No Mind Police“ – Third Brother from No Mind Police

“Boxes and Old News“- Third Brother from No Mind Police

Third Brother on Facebook

Break The Bans – Okay, Okay

Based out of Petrozavodsk in the Karelia region of Russia, the garage/punk rock band Break The Bans, formed in 2007, rip out raw, raunchy rock on their debut album, Okay, Okay. Songs from the album made their way on to radio stations in Spain, England, the U.S., Finland, Italy and Portugal by popular request. In fact, the song featured below, “How Can I Love Her?” was featured on a commercial for Hudson Jeans.

Unfortunately, the band did not have the resources – including cash and visas – to tour in order to build on the momentum. But there is still the band’s amazing kick-ass discography. The single, “How Can I Love?” is amazing; we’ve spun it countless times in the cafe. It’s dark, disassociated and different. The second single, “Sexy Lady,” is raw angst the way we like it, and not like we have heard from an overseas DIY band in a while. If you like angry, non-conformist punk rock, you might just want to give this Russian band a shot.

It’s also worth noting that the songs from the band’s album were featured in the indie movie, Drive-In Movie, at a film festival in Belgium.

Last year, the band dropped the EP, Propaganda, which made it to No. 24 on Starfrosch Top 100 Hot Download Charts in Russia. Band members include frontman Alex Fry on vocals; guitarist Vadim ‘Bad’ Bogorodski; Tim Romanse on bass; Louie Zipper on drums; and Tom Rise on guitar.

How Can I Love Her? – Break The Bans from Okay! Okay!

Sexy Lady – Break The Bans from Okay! Okay!

Break The Bans Facebook

“In Russia indie-rock is freedom and poverty. You can make the music you want. But it does not makes money.” – Alex Fry

Aüva – Light Years

Among its many prestigious universities, the Berklee College of Music is one of Boston‘s most respected educational institutions, and one of the top music schools in the world. And consistently over the years, it has spawned many great artists and bands. A new DIY band, Aüva, is among the latest to join the ranks of bands born at Berklee.

The four music students who make up the band arrange complex and sophisticated tunes that feature cross breeding and layering of garage surf rock and dream psych pop. Their tracks from the band’s new debut EP, Light Years, are wild, idealistic and full of energy as glimmering, glam pop tracks like “Into Place,” with it’s layers of harmonies, demonstrate. The second single, “Nothing Else,” is a more dreamy song, while still maintaining somewhat of a driving beat and rhythm.

All of the band members – Miette Hope (vocals and piano); Jack Markwordt (guitar, vocals); Jake LeVine (guitar, vocals) and Michael Piccoli (drums) – are students at Berklee who decided earlier this year to form a band.
The band’s surfy, dream pop tracks, like “Into Place” and “Nothing Else” are catchy and hard to forget.

Recently, friends and fans of the band have titled the band’s music as, ‘dolphin music,’ because of its watery driving guitar, over up tempo and dance-influenced drum set parts. “If dolphins made rock n roll, this may be what it would sound like,” Piccoli said.

Auva has previously opened for bands like Bay Faction and Elizabeth Color Wheel; the band’s top musical influences include Tame Impala, Wild Nothing, Diiv, Beach Fossils, Mammas and the Papas, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

“Into Place“ – Aüva from Light Years

“Nothing Else“ – Aüva from Light Years

Aüva on Facebook

Dismal Beeches – Into The Woods

We’ve been coming across a series of artists and bands this year from Tel-Aviv. While Israel is not considered a hotbed for indie or alternative music, bands like the dream folk rock outfit, Dismal Beeches, are doing their part to create a local scene. This ‘dark wave’ duo is comprised of long-time collaborators, Stephan Friedman and Ronnie Slogun, who aspire to “create somber, intimate aural portrayals dedicated to the sacred mysteries of Nature.”

The eerie title track, “Into The Woods,” from the band’s debut EP, is something you’d expect to hear on the soundtrack of an indie horror track – and that’s not minimizing the song at all. It’s genuinely creepy. The same is nearly true for the song, “A Tramp’s Tale Told Late At Night Near The Salvation Army Homeless Shelter,” a poignant and hauntingly beautiful piece with expressive, echoey vocals, aqua-like psych guitar and glittery but tame synth melodies galore – a strikingly rich and complex song. The guys favorite artists are Cocteau Twins, David Lynch, Lustmord, and The Cure.

DIsmal Beeches describe the story behind their debut EP as “a mystic journey in the depths of the Forest told through four different stories. We start off at a recluse’s retreat in the woods, then proceed through an enchanted woodland as twilight shadows lurk behind the trees; stop by a rural asylum to hear a dreary tale of a beggar; and finally step into the heart of the black forest to meet the spirits of old.” Friedman plays electric guitar, e-bow, kantele, harmonica, synthesizer, sings, and programs drums and effects. Slogun adds bass and vocals to the lineup of instruments.

“Into The Woods“ – Dismal Beeches from Into The Woods

“A Tramps Tale Told Late At Night Near The Salvation Army Homeless Shelter“ – Dismal Beeches from Into The Woods

Dismal Beeches on Facebook

Boat Race Weekend – The Talisman

Boat Race Weekend is a new alternative/pop punk trio based out of Spokane, Washington. Comprised of three childhood best friends – Evan Kruschke (guitar, vocals); Collin Price (bass) and Jay Orth (drums) – the band officially formed in spring of 2013 when asked to perform at the college they attended, Gonzaga University. The band caught attention of many students and began playing packed house shows in the college neighborhood. Soon, the three started playing venues throughout the city of Spokane and the greater Pacific Northwest.

Their demo, “Beautiful Days,” caught the attention of Identity Recording Studios where they recorded their debut album, The Talisman, which was released DIY-style in March 2015. Boat Race Weekend music is characterized by pop punk verses, airy post-rock breakdowns, and heartfelt lyrics. BRW rages through like a hurricane on songs like “The Welcoming,” with blazing guitars, storming drums, frantic bass lines and angst-filled vocals. The band has since grown in popularity in Spokane and more recently in Seattle.

The trio has opened for artists like Dan Smith, Hank and Cupcakes, Heart by Heart (founding members of Heart) and include among their top musical influences Brand New, Blink 182, The Wonder Years, The Story So Far, and Have Mercy.

“Beautiful Days“ – Boat Race Weekend from The Talisman

“The Welcoming“ – Boat Race Weekend from The Talisman

Boat Race Weekend on Facebook

Colourshop – 3PM

The acoustic, experimental folk pop of London‘s bro duo, Colourshop, is captivating, spirited and uplifting on songs like “My World” and “3pm,” the title track from the duo’s debut album that dropped officially in May. “My World” is a powerful, heart-wrenching song; vocalist and guitarist Alfredo Salvati sings his heart out, backed up nicely by glimmering keys and backup vocals from his brother Diego Salvati. The brothers have a wonderful synchronicity that is unmistakable, and an originality that is encouraging. Colourshop is definitely on our Best Overseas DIY Bands to Watch.

“My World“ – Colourshop from 3PM

“3pm“ – Colourshop from 3PM

Colourshop on Facebook

Sperry Alan – Hold On Tight

In Truro, Nova Scotia, musician John Alan Sperry has been writing, recording and releasing albums DIY style since 2004. He crafts alt. rock/folk tracks with introspective lyrics and musical conviction, like on the lo-fi single, “Hold On Tight.” A bit of work on mixing instruments for a master is needed to create a more full sound. His influences include Matthew Good, Silversun Pickups, Smashing Pumpkins, and Sean Panting. There is a youthful inspiration to his music, and attention to artistry and tradition.

“Hold On Tight“ – Sperry Alan from Hold On Tight

“Give Me A Warning“
– Sperry Alan from Hold On Tight

Sperry Alan on Facebook

Battling Giants – Birth/Death/Reckoning

Battling Giants is an alternative hard rock blues band from Omaha that formed in 2014. In May, they dropped their sophomore album, Birth/Death/Reckoning, featuring songs like the raunchy, kick-ass rocker, “Hell Water Blues,” and the dark and menacing, “Dr. Dealer,” a track about prescription drug abuse and the doctors who ‘deal’ out such drugs (especially with the nationwide problem of opiates and subsequent heroin abuse when opiate addicts can find or afford the pills). The band is currently touring. The band members are Lucas Smith vocalist and guitarist Lucas Smith, bassist Matt Limberg, and drummer Scott Peterson.

Battling Giants have opened for bands like All Them Witches ( Nashville), The Well (Austin,Tx) Crushed Out (NY), among many others. Their top musical influences include Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Clutch, White Stripes, Black Rebel Motrocylce Club, and Motorhead

“Hell Water Blues“ – Battling Giants from Birth/Death/Reckoning

“Dr. Dealer“ – Battling Giants from Birth/Death/Reckoning

Battling Giants on Facebook

Slunq – Eel World

From London, the alternative noise rock band, Slunq, is the collective brainchild of brothers Peter Dahl Collins (bass, drums) and Chris Collins (guitars), and their friend, singer and songwriter, Daniel Knowler. We first featured the band back in 2013. Now back with new material, the singles, “Farming Equipment” and “Angeldirt,” from the band’s new EP, Eel World, Slunq’s music feels more menacing and tighter.

The dark, haunting hard rock of “Angeldirt” is riveting, with mind-blowing riffs, mini guitar solos and thunderous percussions. The trio’s musical influences include Cardiacs, Killing Joke, Oceansize, Future Of The Left, and The Pixies.

“Angeldirt“ – Slunq from Eel World

“Farming Experiment“ – Slunq from Eel World

Slunq on Facebook

Adam Hill – Old Paint

You can’t really appreciate, and love, the every expanding ‘indie rock’ genre without respecting, and listening to, the new releases of music that comes from indie and DIY aritsts and bands of all kinds, whether they are rock, folk, pop, folktronic, synth punk, new wave, C-86 and so on. That’s why we can appreciate the folksy music of Adam Hill and friends from Squamish in British Colombia, Canada.

We don’t normally hear southern rooted folk/country mixed with tinges of blues and bluegrass. “[I perform] new and timely indie folk music… on acoustic instruments and [sing the songs] the way they were meant to be sung – address the present without betraying their roots in the past,” Hill writes. He has traversed the United States and lived in states like Ohio, Tennessee, Wyoming, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington before making his home in Squamish, BC.

The tracks, “Three Hundred Miles” and “The Cuckoo,” are rambling and festive, but with a bit of darkness lurking between the notes. Hill writes all his songs, plays all of the instruments – including guitars, bass fiddle, mandolin – sings, records, mixes and masters DIY style. Stephanie Dawn provides additional vocals. Hill is a fan of the Punch Brothers, Sam Amidon, Frank Proffit Jr., and Ola Belle Reed. The album Old Paint dropped in June.

“Three Hundred Miles“ – Adam Hill from Old Paint

“The Cuckoo“ – Adam Hill from Old Paint

Adam Hill on Facebook

In case you’re looking for some great music from debuting DIY bands, you’ve come to the right place. Continuing with the 5 New DIY Debuts You’ve Gotta Hear series, this third installment kicks off with a debut from an exciting new duo from New York.

In This Installment:

PUNT – Tivoli, New York
Balloon Ride Fantasy – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
That’s Right! – New York, New York
The Masonry – Los Angeles, California
Repel The Robot – Dallas, Texas

[zbplayer]

PUNT – OIL EP

Tivoli, New York DIY duo PUNT kick out powerful, lo-fi garage punk rock on their debut album, OIL – an impressive accomplishment from a promising new band. And they do it without using one guitar.

Bassist Eli Frank aptly describes PUNT’s music as “lo-fi garage punk, with a classic rock/metal undertone and a psychedelic influence,” adding, “the Wurlitzer organ and tambourine are on many tracks. Simple punk song structure, short and sweet tunes, upbeat and loud.” He can mimic the sound of guitars, and does, through the organ and effects, particularly apparent on “All The Way.” While Frank is buzzing along on bass and organs on standout songs like “Black and White,” drummer and co-PUNTer, Bill Butts, keeps a solid back beat and rhythm, hitting the skins and tins with fervent passion.

The chemical reaction that became PUNT is a relatively recent creation. The duo first got together this past February for an ad-hoc jam session, expecting nothing to come of it. By the end of the weekend, they had a bunch of new demos and a chemistry that sowed the seeds for PUNT. “We started out playing one weekend to mess around,” Frank says, “and came out of the jam with a handful of solid original tracks after a quick eye opening session.”

In just a couple of months, they wrote and recorded, mixed and mastered, 11 songs for a triumphant debut album. OIL is raw, energetic, lo-fi, unique and a nice DIY surprise for 2015.

Frank distorts his Fender Precision bass to produce the romp and bump with punk riffs with psychedelic notes. Butts plays his heart out on a simple kit; his style has a “jazz influence and is heavily inspired by Bill Ward (Black Sabbath), Ginger Baker (Cream), and other monumental drummers.”

PUNT has opened for bands like Gym Shorts and Vulture Shit and count among their top musical influences bands like Black Sabbath, Cream, and Thee Oh Sees. PUNT is currently in the midst of a run of shows in New York and as far south as DC. Check out their gig schedule, listen to more songs, buy OIL, and follow the band on PUNTMUSIC.com.

“Black and White“ – PUNT from OIL

“All the Way“ – PUNT from OIL

PUNT’s Official Website – PUNTMusic.com

PUNT on Facebook

Balloon Ride Fantasy – Balloon Ride Fantasy EP

Pittsburg synth pop, ‘fantasy rock’ sextet Balloon Ride Fantasy recently released their debut, self-titled album inspired by “80s pop nostalgia, science fiction and such artists as David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Prince.” In ‘indie’ terms, they’re somewhere between Flaming Lips and Of Montreal sound-wise.

Soaring synth flourishes, vocal dubbing harmonies and choruses on the song, “Balloon Ride Fantasy,” are the elements of the band’s sound within the synth pop/art rock – sub genre, sub genre – which makes them even more fascinating. Additional songs like the entertaining “100101” are crowd favorites when the band gigs in Steel City and the region. We definitely expect to hear more from the band in the next year. Their self-titled DIY debut EP is one of the top synth pop debuts of the year.

BRF members include Chris Olszewski (vocals, guitar); Phil Conley (guitar, keys); Brad Schneider (bass); Jordan Wood (keys); Bethany Berkstresser (vocals) and Brian Ganch (drums). The band has previously opened for Jeff Tweedy and they’ve been well covered in the Pittsburgh alternative press. In addition to the artists mentioned above, the six band members have many musical influences, including Hall and Oats, Phil Collins, Bloc Party, Tokyo Police Club, The Kissaway Trail, At The Drive-In, Boards of Canada, Cursive, The Strokes, Interpol, and Wolf Parade. That’s an awesome list of bands!

“Balloon Ride Fantasy“ – Balloon Ride Fantasy from Balloon Ride Fantasy

“100101“ – Balloon Ride Fantasy from Balloon Ride Fantasy

Balloon Ride Fantasy official website

Balloon Ride Fantasy on Facebook

That’s Right! – Tiger 7″

Three friends from New York City who grew up going to summer camp together decided last summer to form a band called That’s Right! and plunge into the world of DIY rock. The long-time friends – guitarists and vocalists Griffin Novie and Tyler Kamen, along with drummer Dylan Bressler – recruited bassist Artie Greenberg, and started playing shows all over NYC and Long Island, building a local following.

The single, “Tiger Lily,” is amazing – a drifting, jam-heavy track that cuts through everything else with such authority, or as the band puts it: “a muscular but nimble journey that builds to a climactic four-part harmony.” And yet, on the ‘B-side,’ the second song, “Pillar of Salt,” sounds like a track from a completely different band because it is so folksy.

Blending the haziness of psychedelia with the energy of progressive and alternative rock, and layered with harmonies, their music spans across decades of sonic influences but with a firmly contemporary aesthetic. The band really know where they want to go and obviously have a united passion.

“There’s such a sense of family and friendship that informs our process,” Greenberg said, “and we just flat-out enjoy spending time with each other. I feel like a lot of bands that are put together on Craigslist and through friends of friends are more than capable of emulating that bond, but with us it’s really the driving factor in continuing to play music together.”

That’s Right! are influenced mainly by “classic and progressive rock, but also modern jam bands and psychedelic rock,” including bands like
Tame Impala, Rush, Love, Radiohead, Muse, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles. The Tiger Lily 7″ dropped in April.

“Tiger Lily“ – That’s Right! from Tiger 7″

“Pillar of Salt“ – That’s Right! from Tiger 7″

That’s Right! on Facebook

The Masonry – As We Fall In

A DIY debut album that should not be overlooked, As We Fall In, from Los Angeles band The Masonry, is one that has been a favorite in the cafe this summer. Our top picks from the LP include “Arrows,” with its seamless chord progressions, soaring guitar solos, thunderous drums and bass, and ultimate climax.

The band’s musical skills and experimentation are showcased in stretches of free form jamming (big fans of this style that has been making a comeback) on the track, and throughout the album as well. By combining complex rhythms, folk inspired male/female vocal harmonies, post rock guitar tones, and accessible melodies, the band has created its unique sound.

The song, “Tired Wars,” is also a little gem that keeps beckoning us back to listen again and again. We love how the band weaves elements from Indie rock, shoegaze, post rock, psych, and alternative rock into their overall sound. The band members include guitarist and vocalist Matt Tye, keyboardist and vocalist Krissy Tye, guitarist Jason McKay, bassist Evan Pegler and Hunter Michael on drums.

The Masonry hold a lot of promise. But LA is tough. It’s a sprawling urban megalopolis overflowing with talented artists and bands vying for some recognition. The band has a good shot at building a following in the LA area, and beyond, with the right mix of publicity, branding, promotion, and plenty of gigging. Raw talent still counts for something. And right now, The Masonry have raw talent, a handful of awesome songs and the drive to succeed. The Masonry has opened for artists like O’Brother and Native, and list their top musical influences to include Brand New, The National, The Dear Hunter, and Abilities.

Tired Wars – The Masonry from As We Fall In

Arrows – The Masonry from As We Fall In

The Masonry Official website

Repel The Robot – Why We Are Who We Are

The Dallas alt rock/pop duo Repel The Robot formed in 2013 “after a long period of musical exploration,” between friends Jarrett Shaffer and Sean Trauth. They’ve opened for bands like The Vaccines, Slow Magic, Mew and Carnage before they even had a debut record.

The duo started out writing music together via Google hangouts and Skype while attending college. After graduation, Shaffer and Trauth teamed up to finish working on their debut DIY EP, Why We Are Who We Are, featuring standout songs like “Feels Damn Good,” and “This Time Tomorrow.” The debut EP dropped in April.

The first single, “Feels Damn Good,” is definitely the most memorable track from the EP with dream pop spliced with rock elements, including uptempo riffs, synth embellishments and big vocal harmonies. In fact, the song earned Repel The Robot a winning spot in JanSport’s 6th Annual Battle of the Bands competition to play at SXSW. The second track, “This Time Tomorrow,” is an acoustic pop love song, and further evidence of the duo’s talents as songwriters and musicians. Their top musical influences include Coldplay, Taking Back Sunday, Deadmau5, MuteMath, Linkin Park, and Atmosphere.

“Feels Damn Good“ – Repel The Robot from Why We Are Who We Are

“This Time Tomorrow“ – Repel The Robot from Why We Are Who We Are

Repel The Robot on Facebook

Today drops the fifth installment of the wildly popular DIY series, Best New DIY Music of 2015. 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

[zbplayer]

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“ – Astronaut Project from Astronaut Project

“Lejos de Aquí“ – Astronaut Project from Astronaut Project

“Setiembre“ (Demo) – Astronaut Project from Astronaut Project

YouTube video for “Night”

Astronaut Project on Facebook

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

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.

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“ – Mittenfields from Optimists

“Goliath FTW” – Mittenfields from The Fresh Sum

Mittenfields on Facebook

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“ – Sea Ghost from Nothing Is Cool

“Nothing is Cool“ – Sea Ghost from Nothing Is Cool

Sea Ghost on Facebook

“Melted” music video – Sea Ghost

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“ – Lorna from London’s Calling Me
[Watch YouTube video for “Wayne Mills”]

“As She Goes By“ – Lorna from London’s Calling Me

Lorna on Facebook

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,” 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“ – Fire Fences from Pocket Full of Stones

“Call of the Wild“ – Fire Fences from Pocket Full of Stones

Fire Fences on Facebook

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.”

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

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 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

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

Here are some new DIY singles we think folks will enjoy as much as we have here in the cafe for the past few days. The bands featured in this post include:
The Clox – New York, New York
The Verigolds – San Diego, California
My Empire of Sound – Stockholm, Sweden
Geometrist – Boston, Massachusetts

[zbplayer]

Clox – “Lullaby”

The New York indie rock trio, Clox, traces back to 2009 when two friends, Denis Orynbekov (guitar, lead vocals) and Ruslan Baimurzin (drums), moved from Kazakhstan to New York in pursuit of a dream. Soon after, they were joined by mutual friend and bassist, Igor Reznik , and thus the trio was complete. Over the past few years, they received praise from Village Voice and Deli Magazine and have had their songs licensed with MTV, Oxygen Channel, PBS, and Lions Gate Films.

They have performed many shows during the past five years, sharing the stage with bands like The Toadies, Clinic, Little Barrie, Band of Heathens, The Gift, Mumiy Trol, Drew Halcomb and The Neighbors, The Technicolors, The Night Snipers, and Lyapis Trubeckoy. The trio’s most influential bands include Radiohead, The Beatles, Beck, and The Mars Volta.

“Lullaby” – Clox from Lullaby 7″ – April 14th

Clox on Facebook

The Verigolds’ “Grunge”

The Verigolds are a four-piece California band from the beaches of San Diego, where the “60’s meet the 21st century in a sonically pleasant parallel universe.” Formed just last year, the DIY band mixes genres like psych, pop, rock and folk into tantalizing tracks like their latest single, “Grunge,” which is not really what the title suggests. The band members include lead vocalist and guitarist Eliot Ross, vocalist and guitarist Jenna Cotton, keyboardist Ben Smedley and drummer Craig Schreiber.

The Verigolds have opened for bands like Magic Giant, Hey Rosetta!, Andrew Belle, and Emily Jane White; their musical influences include Foxygen, La Femme, Cults, Arcade Fire, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, and Wooden Indian. Join The Verigolds on the band’s Facebook page.

Grunge – The Verigolds

The Verigolds on Facebook

My Empire of Sound’s “Scandinavian Summer”

A band we have featured before on IRC, Stockholm Danish/Swedish electro-pop husband and wife duo, My Empire of Sound, just dropped the single, “Scandinavian Summer,” from their forthcoming sophomore album. The song starts out softly, progressing into a Phil Spector-inspired ‘wall of sound’ with a big-sounding chorus, thanks to John Alexander Erison and his bandmate Sidsel Soholm. The duo also released an amazing album in 2014 that is a piece of indie synth pop history, whether more than a few hundred people know or not.

Scandinavian Summer – My Empire of Sound from Scandinavian Summer 7″ – May 18th

My Empire of Sound on Facebook

Geometrist – “Hellos”

Melodic, uptempo and cheerful choruses of “woah oh oohs” – that sound much better than an indie pop song gimmick- are some of the welcoming elements that make up the new single, “Hellos,” from Boston indie project Geometrist. We don’t have much information about them – because they didn’t bother to provide it – but we can say that we like what we hear anyways. The Bean Town band is comprised of five “long-time friends” who got together in 2012 and began writing and recording original songs.

In April, Geometrist dropped their debut album, Ain’t Comin’ Down, DIY-style. Their musical influences include Vundabar, The Shones, and Juston Stens. The band members include Jake Capistran (guitar, vocals); Mike Larsen (guitar); Nick Brozek (drums); Jason Perfetto (keys) and Zack Renschler (bass).

Hellos – Geometrist from Ain’t Comin’ Down – April 28th

Geometrist on Facebook

One of the great things about music nowadays is the access to all kinds of artists and bands, from all around the world, and every type of genre. This fourth installment of the popular Best New DIY Music of 2015 series features bands from Los Angeles and Long Island, London and Paris, Norway and Sweden, Reno and San Diego, and from rural Ohio to upstate New York, as well as genres including ambient rock and indie pop to psych and roots, folk, electro and shoegaze. This is some of the best underground music of 2015 you haven’t heard (yet).

In this Installment:

The Wild Young Hearts – Los Angeles, California
Starar – London, England
Ness – Long Island, New York
Ordinary Van – Fort Wayne, Indianapolis
Pelicat – Norway
Elder Flower – Arvika, Sweden
The Mondanes – Gothenburg, Sweden
Maven – Paris, France
Aether Street – Reno, Nevada
More Than Skies – Huntington, New York
Bad & The Ugly – San Diego, California
Jeremy & Lynee – Minster, Ohio

[zbplayer]

The Wild Young Hearts – Feel Good

The Los Angeles indie rock band The Wild Young Hearts has a great sound that will remind some right away of Weezer, which the band listed as one of their biggest musical influences. But they are not simply a copy-cat band of the Weezer sound (we’ve heard plenty of those over the years); instead they make it their own with elements of Sonic Youth and Pavement intertwined on songs like “U R,” (a recent IRC Song of The Day) with its part whimsical, part swagger, aided by melodic, hook-happy guitars, and an angling lead guitar riff that loops throughout the otherwise slow, ambling track.

TWYH’s second single, “Broken,” from the just released album, Feel Good, is more serious and somber. It tells the story of a cancer diagnosis of the story teller’s lover, who eventually dies within six months; thus the title, “Broken.” The song picks up into a rising, almost celebratory chorus (as the story teller realizes he must move on) at the end, with the following verses:

We cannot change
what’s already broken
and I cant just wait around
for a dream that wont’ come true

We cannot change
what’s already spoken
if I could babe
you know I would
trade it all
for another night with you

The band, just formed last year, includes Robb Laffoon (vocals, guitar); Justin Norman (guitar); Garrett Warren (bass), and Kevin Pintado (drums). In addition to Weezer, the band members listed their other musical influences to include The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, Blink 182, Against Me!, and The Menzingers.

“U R“ – The Wild Young Hearts from Feel Good

“Broken“ – The Wild Young Hearts from Feel Good

Music Video: I Just Wanna Go Home

The Wild Young Hearts on Facebook

Starar – Time Under We

This post highlights two sibling duos. The first is the impressive London indie rock/shoegaze band Starar. Formed in 2009, the duo consists of Jenna Starar (guitars, keyboards, vocals) and Steven Starar (drums, bass, vocals). Growing up together in the same house, the sister-brother duo were fans of singer/songwriters like Jackson Brown, Paul Simon, Bruce Hornsby and Marc Cohn. They are also fans of modern day artists like Haim, Bon Iver, Sigur Ros and The Bear’s Den.

Styling themselves after classic rock and pop acts of the 70s and 80s, and a newer generation of indie/alternative artists, each write their own songs which they record together. The results on incredibly catchy, hook-filled tracks like “Time Under We” and the softer, more sentimental, “Holding Our For The One,” demonstrate that Starar are just too good to be another under-the-radar indie band.

In fact, in London, they are pretty well known and have amassed over 37,000 ‘followers’ (Likes) on Facebook. The numerous genres that inform the music of the Starar siblings, like jazz, shoegaze and rock, are apparent in their growing discography. They’ve also performed at various venues around the U.K., including the swanky Park Plaza Westminster and the downbeat pubs and clubs of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Now it’s time for Starar to grow a U.S. following.

“Time Under We“ – Starar from Time Under We – April 5th
The official music video: “Time Under We”

“Holding Out For The One“ – Starar from Time Under We

Starar on Facebook

ness – A Second to Think

During the hazy Long Island summer of 2013, 21-year-old Jesse Weisberg (vocals, keys, drums) and Ethan Peck(guitar, key, bass, drums) formed the DIY alternative folk/indie pop band ness, modeling their sound after musical influences like Coldplay, Frightened Rabbit, Vampire Weekend, alt-J, The National, and Passion Pit.

A few months prior, Peck, who was already writing songs, heard Weisberg singing while playing RockBand on the PlayStation and convinced him to start playing the guitar and singing more seriously. That was the catalyst for the two to begin recording together.

A year later, the duo had picked up a following, and by the fall of 2014, they were playing gigs at renowned New York City venues like The Studio at Webster Hall, Bowery Electric, Rockwood Music Hall, and Pianos. In January, Ness dropped their debut EP, A Second to Think.

“Our EP was recorded at home on a laptop,” Peck said. “It might not be perfect, but it sounds like what it is: a couple of kids experimenting on a laptop – to a certain extent, we’re proud of it that way,” he added. “What ness lacks in talent and audio knowledge, we hope to make up for in songwriting chemistry and creativity. The goal has always been simply to elicit emotion.” We don’t agree that the duo lacks talent, as anyone can hear for themselves on songs like the uptempo mandolin strumming, reverb-heavy vocalsof the first single, “Behind The Couch” and the emotive track, “Walls,” that builds up, flourishes and then bubbles down.

Ness’ music is original, compelling, and reverb-heavy acoustic pop with uptempo mandolins, twinkling xylophone notes, and light beats. Keep an eye on these guys! You can listen to the entire EP via the duo’s official website.

<a href="https://indierockcafe.comwp-content/uploads/Behind%20the%20Couch.mp3">“Behind the Couch“</a>   - <strong>ness</strong> from   <em>A Second to Think</em> - Jan. 21st  

“Walls“ – ness from A Second to Think

ness on Facebook

Ordinary Van – Ordinary Van

Over the past decade, more and more music lovers, not just in Europe, but increasingly in the U.S., have come to appreciate, and seek out, more ambient rock than in years previous. So it’s no surprise that ambient rock bands are in demand. Filling some of that demand is Ordinary Van, a DIY ambient post-rock band from Fort Wayne, Indiana, which actually started out as a recording project of singer/songwriter Paul Bates and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Holquist in 2011.

OV’s songs are best described as lo-fi, dreamy, melodic rock dominated by Bates’ understated, soft vocals, and ringing electric guitars from Holquist and guitarist Charlie Davis, backed by the mean beats and crashing cymbals of drummer Chris Leonard right through the crescendo on songs like “Tidal” and “Armadillo.” The band has opened for artists like Water Liars and Heaven’s Gateway Drugs, and count among their major musical influences Radiohead, The El Camino, Sigur Rós, John Vanderslice, and Death Cab for Cutie.

Ordinary Van released the self-titled EP with the help of acclaimed electronic artist Onewayness, who is actually Ryan’s brother Adam Holquist. The songs were adapted and recorded with Davis and Leonard in order to achieve the full band sound they originally envisioned as a duo.

“Armadillo“ – Ordinary Van from Ordinary Van

“Tidal“ – Ordinary Van from Ordinary Van

Ordinary Van official website

Pelicat – Pelicans and Rainbows EP

From Norway, the DIY indie pop rock duo, Pelicat, co-helmed by Andreas Kase (vocals, guitars) and Mads Johansen (drums, backing vocals), deliver sensual, dreamy hooks and melodies peppered with brief transitions of psych pop, as evident on the love song, “Who You Are.” With a similar dreamy, melodic hook, the second single, “Head to Rome,” is a metaphor from the perspective of a lover who is tired of fighting and suggests to his ‘other half’ to ‘head to Rome’ and to understand that a relationship takes work, as in “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” They sound somewhat like their Scottish role models, Belle and Sebastian, whether intentionally or not.

Based on how tight they sound, who would know that they’ve only officially been a unit since the first of the year. “We gathered for the first time in a cabin on January 1st with a lot of instruments, a tape recorder, and a few bottles of wine,” said bassist and keyboardist Jonas Rhode-Moe.

Three days later, he added, a newly formed trio emerged with three new demos. “Now, only three months later, we have already released two songs on Soundcloud, and both of them have been played quite a bit on Norwegian national radio. We focus on the fun in making music, and we hope that reaches out to the listener as well.”

The forth-coming debut EP, Pelicans and Rainbows will drop in June. Kase and Johansen, accomplished musicians at a young age, have opened for artists like Crystal Fighters, The Kooks, Xzibit, and ++ in their previous bands. Pelicat identifies top music influences as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, POND, Mac Demarco, and Tame Impala.

“Who You Are“ – Pelicat from Pelicans and Rainbows

“Head to Rome“ – Pelicat from Pelicans and Rainbows

Elder Flower – Caribou

Just like Pelicat, the Swedish band Elder Flower, talk about their formation in almost matter-of-fact, simplistic terms. “Based in rural Sweden, we met, and we started to play.” That’s pretty much all they gave us.

The band members – Josephine Bodén (vocals); Kalle Widén (guitar); Annie Persson (synth); Rasmus Andersson (bass), and Daniel Hägg (drums) – fashion themselves after bands like Mew, Little Dragon, Robyn, and Bosnian Rainbows. As members of bands other than Elder Flower, the musicians have shared the stage with artists like Peter Bjorn and John, Sugarplum Fairy, and The Sounds.

“Forest“ – Elder Flower from Caribou

“Caribou“ – Elder Flower from Caribou

Elder Flower on Facebook

The Mondanes – Freeze Out

In 2014, five young musicians in Gothenburg, Sweden, with a common interest in musical styles like indie rock, folk, pop and Americana, got together and formed The Mondanes. After performing in venues around the city, they entered the studio to record their debut EP, Freeze Out, which dropped in March. Over a few “intense days” in the studio, the band recorded a ‘live’ set, without too many takes or intricate mixing, we’re told, in order to “capture the living, genuine vibe that only music performed live can offer.”

The result is a fantastic EP brimming with energetic pop and catchy hooks. The EP entered and remained in the Swedish Top 10 Album Charts on iTunes for a number of weeks following its release. Once the young band’s music gets circulated more around the U.S., and especially if they come over to tour, they’re bound to grow a U.S. following.

The band members include Jonas Ben Rahmoun (guitar and vocals), Jonathan Ryberg (bass, vocals), Nicolas Velasquez (guitar), Love Nurmi (drums,vocals), and Karl-Johan Gydell (guitar, vocals). Some of their favorite bands include The Beatles, The Kinks, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Beach Boys, The Band, and First Aid Kit.

“Silver Spoon“ – The Mondanes from Freeze Out – Feb. 22nd

“Violet Gun“ – The Mondanes from Freeze Out

The Mondanes on Facebook

Maven – Staring At Eastern Lights

Maven is a post-rock/ambient instrumental band from France who we think are making strides to become a band to watch in France and beyond. The two dreamy and calming tracks — “The Hymn of Her Innocence” and “Fragility of Life” — interrupted by moments of soaring guitars and synths, from their latest release, Staring At Eastern Lights, are simply fantastic and a must-hear for fans of ambient rock. It’s impossible to miss the clues in these compositions that demonstrate that all four band members are sailing along the same beautiful and thrilling trip.

You may find yourself agreeing with guitarist Alex Dupy‘s description of the band’s music: “Each song is a mixture of dense atmospheres, ambient soundscapes, aerial and captivating melodies followed by explosives and epic rises,” he says. “We hope this EP will transport you through the same range of emotions that we had creating it.”

We can only imagine how amazing this band would sound at an outdoor concert on a warm August night with an amazing light show behind them. Ordinary Van has opened for bands like Lymbyc Systym, Kerretta, and God Is An Astronaut, and their musical inspirations include Mogwai, Caspian, and Explosions in the Sky.

“The Hymn Of Her Innocence“ – Maven from Staring At Eastern Lights

“Fragility Of Life“ – Maven from Staring At Eastern Lights

Maven on Facebook

Aether Street – Lock Your Guns Up

Aether Street is a new Reno-based indie electronic duo featuring brothers Aaron (guitar, vocals) and Daniel Sion (drums, vocals, production), who are just 21 and 24 years old, respectively. As former members of the regionally popular band, CRVSH (aka ‘Crush’), the Sions already have more than 200 west coast gigs – in cities like Reno, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles – under their belts with their previous band.

After dabbling for some time in genres like rock, hip-hop and EDM, the duo has honed a new radio and festival-friendly sound that mixes electronic production with orchestral rock and two-part vocal harmonies. On stage, the brothers use nothing more than a laptop, two microphones, drums and a guitar. Daniel cues samples from the computer, and keeps the beats on a small, three-piece drum kit, while Aaron strums away on a translucent electric guitar — both the drums and guitar light up in a display of colors synchronized to the drum beats, samples and guitar notes.

Their new single, dropped in March, is “Lock Your Guns Up.” They recently opened at the Knitting Factory in Reno for RAC before their big Coachella appearance last month. They have also opened for 3OH!3 and Dev. Their biggest musical influences are The Beatles, Bjork, Queen, Nirvana, and Bob Dylan.

“Lock Your Guns Up“ – Aether Street from Lock Your Guns Up – Single – March 23rd

“Lock Your Guns Up” video

Aether Street on Facebook

More Than Skies – More Than Skies

Started in 2006, More Than Skies, based in Huntington, New York, is an indie folk rock band that songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Adam James Tomlinson (bass, guitar, piano) founded after realizing that his other musical projects were not compatible with the sound he was looking for. So he formed a band around the music he has been writing.

His nasally voice reminds us a lot of an Artist of the Week musician we have featured in the past, Joel Strauss. But just like Strauss, the nasal aspect of the vocals is not a bad thing – just the opposite. On the song, “White Pine Way,” angular, ascending guitar notes, brisk drumming and thumping bass blend to create an almost ambient folk sound. The second single from More Than Skies self-titled double LP, “Euphoria,” is a lazy, drifting track that meanders through slide guitars, gentle drumming and understated bass until it builds up into a subtle climax and almost as quickly fades into the ending like a camp fire that flares one last time before it smolders into just a few glowing ambers.

More Than Skies previous releases include an EP, The Liar, The Puppet, The Fox, and a full length album entitled I Am Only Above The Ground. The following artists participated in the recording of the new album: Phil Corso (drums); Jiliane Russo (cello); Dylan Ebrahimian (violin); Derek Smith (guitar); Darrell Cheng (lap steel guitar); Chris Polzella (percussion); and Emily Lazio and Stephanie Tolino (backup vocals).

The band has opened for artists like John Nolan and Laura Stevenson. Their musical influences include Elliott Smith, The Beatles, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, Sharon Van Etten, David Bazan, and Joel T Hamilton.

“White Pine Way“ – More Than Skies from More Than Skies – Feb. 28th

“Euphoria“ – More Than Skies from More Than Skies

More Than Skies official website

Bad & The Ugly – Slept In The Pages

The name of the San Diego folk band Bad & The Ugly might give you some kind of mental image, but don’t let it mislead you. The band has a sound similar to groups like City and Colour or Thrice with a unique twist of dark acoustic overtones, hook-heavy melodies and introspective lyrics. Bad & The Ugly has been on the radar in San Diego since the release of their debut EP Skin and Bones in October of 2013.

Although Bad & The Ugly are a relatively new band, vocalist Nate Hess and bass player Tyler Ferguson are no newbies to the scene, having both played in the hardcore band A Shattered Hope. ASH toured the US numerous times and were even booked for a while on The Vans Warped Tour.

The duo joined Tarvis Keane on guitar, Derek Michael Hudson on drums and Eric Hesse on the slide guitar to record their sophomore EP, Slept In The Pages. The change in musical direction for Hess and Ferguson is apparent – from loud, chaotic rock to an almost cinematic folk pop sound, Bad & The Ugly have opened for bands like Howlin’ Rain, Buffalo Killers, Soft White Sixties, and include among their top music influences Grizzly Bear, City and Colour, Polyenso, and Mortal Orchestra.

“Dead Body“ – Bad & The Ugly from Slept In The Pages March 31st

“Can’t Shake The Daze“ – Bad & The Ugly from Slept In The Pages

Bad & The Ugly on Facebook

Jeremy & Lynne- Drawing Blood

Folk, roots duo Jeremy & Lynne, from Minster, Ohio, weave soft, melancholy acoustic guitar with whimsical lyrics and gentle vocals on songs like “Inside My Head” and “4am” . The duo’s songs have been described by listeners as “a folk/Americana/punk hybrid in the DIY tradition; the lyrical content is the focal point of all the original songs. Delving into the familiar territory of a life lived, relationships and past success and regrets, the music through the filter of both artists attempts to take on a life of its own.”

Longtime friends, Jeremy Siegrist (guitar, vocals) and Lynne Baker (guitar, mandolin, vocals), decided to start writing, demoing and recording songs in 2012, official formed as a duo last year and dropped their debut, Drawing Blood, in March. Jeremy & Lynne’s favorite artists include Bon Iver, Jason Isbell, DBT, Frank Tuner, Neil Young and Lucero.

DIY and indie music, Siegrist writes, is “music that falls outside of the radio, media juggernaut; music as art and expression from people around the world who might never be noticed otherwise.”

“Inside My Head“ – Jeremy & Lynne from Drawing Blood

“4am“ – Jeremy & Lynne from Drawing Blood

Jeremy & Lynne on Facebook

It’s already the first week of April and the DIY releases are piling up. So far, we’ve released two installments of the Best New DIY Music of 2015, and they’ve been a huge hit with our listeners, subscribers and other music lovers around the globe, accumulating tens of thousands of page views and hundreds of Likes and Tweets. After filtering through tons of submissions, we’re happy to deliver to you Volume III of this popular DIY music discovery series.

Stay tuned – much more is coming up, including the Top 10 Songs playlists for March; A Guide to the Best of Record Store Day; Best New Album Releases of 2015 (from signed bands); 5 DIY Album Debuts You’ve Gotta Hear; 5 DIY Bands to Watch, and a new volume of 5 Bands That Rock. You might also want to check out recent installments of other popular features like Artist of the Week and the six-part series, Top DIY Songs & Albums of 2014.

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In This Issue:

Pet Politics – Gothenburg, Sweden
Bud Collins Trio – Mansfield Center, Connecticut
Lascaux – Rouen, France
Babbling April – Dayton, Ohio
Hard Soul – Albany, New York
Forensics – London, England
Stella Got – Israel
Drew Gibson – Washington, D.C.
Virgin Mary Pistol Grips – Omaha, Nebraska
HAPPY good – Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Elad Eyni – Rishon Lezion, Israel
Atrium of The Fall – Topanga, California
Fringes – Ormond Beach, Florida
Russell Joslin – London, England
Dan Zdilla – Lanchester, Pennsylvania
Doug Balmain – Laramie, Wyoming
No Body – Olympia, Washington

Pet Politics is the former one man band of Gothenburg, Sweden musician Magnus Larsson, active from 2005 through 2008. Drawing from his top musical influences like Sonic Youth, Pavement, Flaming Lips and Silver Jews, Larsson captured our ears with his incredibly melodic and jangly guitar riffs, measured drum beats and bass lines , and his slightly out-of-tune vocals and double-dubbed choruses on standout tracks like “The Ghost Mary and Her Friends” and “Taken Away By Aliens,” off of Pet Politics compilation album, simply titled 2005-2008, released in February.

“The Ghost Mary and Her Friends“ – Pet Politics from 2005-2008

“Taken Away by Aliens“ – Pet Politics from 2005-2008

The Bud Collins Trio’s DIY Drop, JimTom

Located in Mansfield Center, Connecticut, the Bud Collins Trio first came together in 1987, and not long after were featured in the popular MTV show Basement Tapes. That of course opened up doors for the DIY band as they toured extensively throughout the 1990s, opening for artists like Bob Mould, Maceo Parker, and Blues Traveler. In 2009, the band reformed after a decade hiatus. The band’s sounds showcase a mixture of various styles and genres swirling and crashing and blending, including melodic pop, tropical, jazz and psych rock. Song themes range from pop culture to love. In February, BCT released a new album, JimTom, the terrifically entertaining, mesmerizing and unforgettable musical journey, and the follow-up to the November release of Jimmy Tom. Stream more songs on the BCT Soundcloud page. It’s no surprise that the band members are fans of artists like XTC, Flaming Lips, Brian Wilson, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan and Elvis Costello.

“As Far as Ziskos“ – Bud Collins Trio from JimTom

“Captain Rainbow“ – Bud Collins Trio

Bud Collins Trio on Facebook

Lascaux – Losing Sleep

Lascaux is an unsigned indie power pop/rock quartet from Rouen, France that booted up in 2011 when a group of musician friends decided to take their shot at writing and recording their own songs. As big fans of 1980’s pop and rock, Lascaux forges a large sound with deep percussions from Grégoire Mainot , jangling guitars from Victor Moignard, twinkling keys from Martin Lefebvre and splendid vocals by front man Clément Durand. The band members recorded their debut album, Losing Sleep, at the U.K.’s prestigious Chapel Studio. The result is eight tracks of catchy, hook-filled pop. Lascaux won a musical contest in France that placed them as the opening band for alternative rock giants Dinosaur Jr. and Texas. Their debut album, Losing Sleep was released on February 16th. The band’s most influential artists include The Sound, Depeche Mode, Kasabian, and The Strokes.

“Daydream“ – Lascaux from Losing Sleep

“Vice Hotel“ – Lascaux from Losing Sleep

Lascaux on Facebook

“Reflect” YouTube video

Babbling April – Babbling April EP

Starting out as a one-man band project of Dayton, Ohio bassist Dave New last year, Babbling April was joined by drummer Stephen Yokley, and for live shows, Lee Wise and Vivi Machi on vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards. Machi’s warm and sweet vocals, layered shoegaze-like guitars and keys, along with New’s bass thumping and Yokley’s forceful drumming on the single, “Sunny Day Records,” are phenomenal for a lo-fi track. A great producer could take that single, and the riff-heavy, punk/new wave track, “Girl I’ma Babe,” and really make them even better. The band dropped their self-titled debut EP DIY-style on February 13th.

Babbling April was featured on Noisetrade‘s ‘New and Notable Artists’ page. They’ve opened for artists like Bailiff, The Receiver, Narrow/Arrow, New Vega, and Blond, and their musical influences include Yo La Tengo, Built To Spill, White Denim, and Broken Social Scene. “Indie rock,” New said, “is the new folk music – people making music they love by the means they have available and sharing it with their friends and communities.”

“Sunny Day Records“ – Babbling April from Babbling April EP

“Girl Ima Babe“ – Babbling April from Babbling April EP

Babbling April on Facebook

Hard Soul – Fairer Shores

Hard Soul is a DIY rock and power pop band from Albany, New York band who’ve dropped a new release every year since their formation in 2011. The band has performed in venues throughout the northeast and built a small, but loyal, following. Hard Soul’s new Kickstarter-funded EP, Fairer Shores, dropped on February 24th, features standout tracks like “The Sweetest Heart” and the title track. The band has opened for Brick and Mortar and The Zombies, and draw from musical influences like Oasis, Thin Lizzy and The Beatles. The band members are Johnny Salka on vocals and lead guitar; Nick Kossor and Steve ‘The Dome’ Thompson on guitar; Ryan Klaeysen on bass; Mark Podbielski on drums.

“The Sweetest Heart“ – Hard Soul from Fairer Shores

“Fairer Shores“ – Hard Soul from Fairer Shores

Forensics – Charlotte’s Web

Forensics is a DIY London quartet that favors reverb-heavy and angling guitars as is evident on the band’s latest single, Charlotte’s Web. The band is releasing a series of singles throughout the year.

“Charlottes Web“ – Forensics from Charlotte’s Web

Stella Got – Wounded Ladies

Israeli artist Stella Got released her solo debut LP, Wounded Ladies, featuring the urgent, meddling and grey song, “Like A Rope.” Got has opened for artists like Gary Numan and Rockfour, and is also a member of the band Bill & Murray.

“Like A Rope“ – Stella Got from Wounded Ladies

Drew Gibson – 1532

From his base in Washington, D.C., musician Drew Gibson has spent the last 20 years recording and releasing indie rock and acoustic folk music DIY-style. Gibson’s latest album, 1532, features heartfelt indie folk rock tracks like “Bettie-Jane” and the driving beats and steel guitar licks of “Hallow Flood of Wounds.”

“Bettie-Jane“– Drew Gibson from 1532

“Hallow Flood of Wounds“ – Drew Gibson from 1532

Releases from DIY Artists Virgin Mary Pistol Grip, Elad Eyni, and HAPPY good

Virgin Mary Pistol Grip is a rock band from Omaha whose recent self-released, self-titled album spawned their first single, “Whiskey Flats,” which has been spun on radio stations throughout the Midwest. HAPPY good is David Speakman, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania based artist who loves tomatoes, black-capped Chickadees and many things unconventional. His musical influences include Junip, Telekinesis, Lupen Crook, and Tom Waits. The electro-sludge, as he calls it, is apparent on the single, “Electric Cigarette.” Other releases include Elad Eyni, a one-man alt. rock band from Israel with a track, “Catch The Sun,” from his Feb. 15th debut EP, Memories From The Kingdom Garden.

“Whiskey Flats“ – Virgin Mary Pistol Grip from Virgin Mary Pistol Grip – Feb. 3rd

“Catch The Sun“ – Elad Eyni from Memories From The Kingdom Garden – Feb. 15th

“Electric Cigarette“ – HAPPY good from single – Feb. 12th

Atrium of The Fall – Machines and Matriarchs

Topanga, California’s Tool-inspired DIY alt. rock band, Atrium of The Fall (all ex-music business professionals) chime in with the singles, “The Chancellor” and “El Dorado” from the debut LP, Machines and Matriarchs.

“The Chancellor“ – Atrium of The Fall from Machines and Matriarchs

“El Dorado“ – Atrium of The Fall from Machines and Matriarchs

Dan Zdilla – Behold and Lo

The mellow waviness of pop mixed with country embellishments like watching tumbleweeds dance in the sunlight is how we think of the advanced singles, “It’s Alright” and “As It Begins” from the debut solo album from Lancaster, Pennsylvania musician, songwriter and vocalist Dan Zdilla. He makes no bones about the fact that he’s a “sucker for a good melody.” Over the past few years, Zdilla has performed in and around his home city. On April 21, he will release his debut solo album, Behold and Lo. He is performing the songs from the album with help from drummer Paul Murr; keyboardist Matt Thomas; bassist Mike Bitts, and guitarist Chad Kinsey, the same folks that Zdilla recorded the album with.

“Behold and Lo nods to pop-rock of years past; while still sounding relevant to our generation of music-heads,” he says, “it’s inspired by melodic greats like The Beatles and The Kinks as well as more soulful artists like Paul Simon and Van Morrison.” Other influential artists and bands that inform his musical palate include Jimmy Cliff, RX Bandits, Cheers Elephant and Elvis Costello.

“Its Alright“ – Dan Zdilla from Behold and Lo

“As It Begins“ – Dan Zdilla from Behold and Lo

Dan Zdilla official website

Fringes – Antoonos EP

In 2012, four high school buddies from Ormond Beach, Florida got together and formed the alternative rock band Fringes. In February, the band dropped their energetic and edgy alt rock debut EP, Antoonos. In 2014, Fringes performed at nearly a dozen festivals and venues throughout central Florida, winning first place at the Granada Grand Festival‘s battle of the bands event. Two singles from their debut EP, “My Friends From New York” and “Here” demonstrate the band’s out-of-the-gate talents and prospects. Band members include guitarist and vocalist Max Haberman; drummer Gio Barreto; bassist Travis Hanson and lead guitarist Greyson Rayos. “Indie rock,” Hanson writes, “is about experimentation of instrument techniques, song structures, digital mastering, and musical freedom.” Fringes’ musical influences include Nirvana, The Black Keys, The Orwells, Alice in Chains, Led Zeppelin, and The Strokes.

“My Friends From New York“ – Fringes from Antoonos – Feb. 15th

“Here“ – Fringes from Antoonos

Fringes on Facebook

Russell Joslin – Harlequins

Based in London, singer/songwriter Russell Joslin is, according to the BBC, “living proof of how fresh, vigorous and abrasive an acoustic songwriter can and should be in the 21st century.” Born and raised in the countryside of Wiltshire, he moved to London as a young adult to pursue his music career and was quickly noticed in the competitive music scene and booked to tour with artists like The Early Years, Scouting for Girls and Dot Allison.

In 2009, he released his solo album, Dream Token, that received wide praise from the press and bloggers – “an album of eloquent beauty” wrote ThisisfakeDIY and “a much needed gust of fresh air into the British folk scene” added Subba-Cultcha. That was followed up with his sophomore album in 2011. In February, after a two-year hiatus performing with the band High Windows, Russell dropped his third solo album, Harlequins, featuring songs like “What A Waste” and the Nick Drake-like, “Pittsburgh It Is.” His musical influences include Nick Cave, Death Grips, Two Gallants, and Bob Dylan.

“What a Waste“ – Russell Joslin from Harlequins

“Pittsburgh It Is“ – Russell Joslin from Harlequins

Doug Balmain – Burnin’ Both Ends

From Laramie, Wyoming, solo rock musician Doug Balmain self-released his latest album, Burnin’ Both Ends, on March 3rd. As a fan of bands like The Stone Foxes, Oasis and Ryan Adams, the diversification of his tastes are evident on funky songs like “Bad Habits” and the title track.

“Bad Habits“ – Doug Balmain from Burnin’ Both Ends

“Burnin Both Ends“ – Doug Balmain from Burnin’ Both Ends

No Body – Deep Ocean Empty Wave

Formed in 2013, Olympia, Washington, the DIY band No Body knocks out grungy experimental rock on their new album, Deep Ocean Empty Wave. The band members are Issac Scott, Kevin Loughlin, and Josh Wolf. Their musical influences include Colleen Green, Women, METZ, Deerhunter, and Ava Luna.

“Always Moving Never Reaches“ – No Body from Deep Ocean Empty Wave – March 7th

“Deep Ocean Empty Wavve“ – No Body from Deep Ocean Empty Wave

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