Just Rolled In: Vesuvio Solo - "Don't Leave Me In The Dark" [soft rock / psychedelic / indie pop]

Tweet

Montreal-based band Vesuvio Solo are following up their excellent 2014 debut, Favors, with the promising Don't Leave Me In The Dark LP on September 28 via Banko Gotiti. A few months back we got the first taste of the new album in the form of the sexy R&B synth jam "Mirror Held To The Flower", and now Vesuvio Solo have released the groovy title track, a psychedelic soft rock song that brings to mind artists like Ariel Pink, Ducktails, and Mac DeMarco.

Check out the two songs below and grab a copy of Don't Leave Me In The Dark here.

Just Rolled In: Young Dreams - "Of The City" [psychedelic / orchestral pop / electronic / tropicalia]

Tweet

Bergen, Norway's Young Dreams has just released new material for the first time since their excellent 2012 debut album Between Places in the form of the fully imagined psych-pop single "Of The City". With production chops recalling the sleek expansiveness of Tame Impala's Currents, this upbeat single stays true to the psychedelic leanings of their debut and sports one hell of a string arrangement and bongo-heavy percussion section.

As the story goes, Young Dreams began work on their sophomore effort immediately after releasing their debut, but after three years of work on this "requiem for God", it was scrapped because the producer/composer/singer-songwriter behind it all, Matias Tellez, feared the album was "blasphemous and too conceptual" for anyone to like. However, the new track "Of The City" is actually a reincarnation of one of the songs from that discarded album, and boy, are we lucky that it made it to see the light of day! It just makes me wonder what the rest of that album would've sounded like. Nevertheless, Young Dreams has finished a different album that will be released in 2017, and if this song is any evidence, it's going to be amazing.

"Of The City" sees an official release August 26 via Blanca Records but can be streamed now on SoundCloud.

Swell Album: Stolen Jars - Kept [indie folk / bedroom pop / experimental]

Tweet

New Jersey's Stolen Jars were first featured on holaOLA last summer for their unforgettable single "Folded Out", a dynamic song released in preparation for their sophomore effort Kept and characterized by a web of looped guitars and brass instruments, ornate percussion, and a wholehearted vocal interchange between core members Cody Fitzgerald and Molly Grund. Now, that album has been made available on Bandcamp on a pay-what-you-want basis and much like the first single, Kept has a very unique sound, meshing the softness and sincerity of folk and bedroom pop with the unlimited sonic possibilities of experimental music. And for how bare the songs may sound at times, they always manage to unravel into fascinating, intricately-crafted blankets of sounds.

Between the honeyed lyrics and vocals, the energetic percussion littered with clicks, clacks, and thuds, the elaborate guitar picking, loop pedals, and ambient backdrops, Stolen Jars seem to have fill eda musical niche with Kept that we never even knew existed, injecting each and every one of its ten tracks with a substantial dose of undeniable affection and dexterity.

Download Kept here and make sure to throw them the money you think it deserves. You can also check out their 2011 self-titled debut album here.

Just Rolled In: Pure Bathing Culture - "Pray For Rain" [indie pop / synthpop]

Tweet

Portland, Oregon's Pure Bathing Culture are returning with their sophomore LP Pray For Rain this October and they've been kind enough to grace us with the beautiful and surprisingly beat-driven title track. The two Vetiver members first made a name for themselves three years ago with a very hazy, nostalgic sound recalling the synthpop of the 80s, and they've pretty much stuck to the same dreamy sound since, but on "Pray For Rain" the drum machines take on a more crucial role, which sees the duo embracing a whole new energy, turning that slow body sway into an ebullient bounce.

Pre-order Pray For Rain on iTunes now and stream the first single and title track below.

Swell Album: Triptides - Azur [psychedelic rock / indie pop / surf]

Tweet

Los Angeles's new residents Triptides have come a long way from the bedrooms of founding members (and primary songwriters) Glenn Brigman and Josh Menashe in Bloomington, Indiana. They have since transformed into a four-piece and have been steadily pushing out recordings for almost five years now. The psychedelic guitar pop band's most recent LP and followup to last year's Colors EP is Azur, which came out July 10 via Requiem Pour Un Twister.

As you may have gathered from the band's name and album art, Azur is a very warm, summery listening experience, but it shouldn't be limited to that. Although Triptides' intricate guitars and overall breezy vibe may recall current bands like Real Estate at times, it's their effortless ability to fuse 60s-influenced psychedelic, surf, and pop melodies together into fresh, memorable songs that makes them irreplaceable.

Considering the balance that the guys of Triptides have crafted between upbeat guitar pop songs and more relaxed psychedelic tunes on Azur, it's clear that they are more than just a one-trick pony hoping to get one of their sunny tracks lost amongst the uniformity of someone's Summer '15 playlist. Azur is an impressive album front to back and deserves to be listened to in full, no matter the season.

Grab yourself a copy of Azur here and check out the excellent singles "Wake", "Dark Side", "Hideout", and "Where You Are" below!

Just Rolled In: Darwin Deez - "Kill Your Attitude" [indie pop / indie rock]

Tweet

Two years have passed since Brooklyn's charismatic indie-pop mastermind Darwin Deez released his sophomore effort Songs For Imaginative People. A few weeks ago, the first song since that album, "Kill Your Attitude", was featured on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show and not long after, Deez sent out a blast email to his mailing list fans announcing that his band's third LP Double Down was finished and that it would be available September 18th via Lucky Number Music. A good month for Darwin Deez fans!

We are yanked back into the bittersweet world of Darwin Deez with "Kill Your Attitude", an upbeat indie pop song about the not-so-cheery issue of "interpersonal squabbling". It's immediately recognizable as a Deez tune for its bare-bones introduction with nothing more than a punchy guitar, pulsing snare hits, and Darwin's heartfelt vocals which eventually evolves into a bouncy, hook-heavy jam (complete with a rad half-minute guitar solo) that you can't help but imagine singing and bobbing along to live.

Stream Darwin Deez's new single "Kill Your Attitude" and/or watch the creative official music video below, and check out the classic "Radar Detector" from his 2010 self-titled debut. Pre-order your digital copy of Double Down here and for the physical copy click here.

Just Rolled In: Jinja Safari - "Find My Way" [tropical pop / indie pop / afropop]

Tweet

Despite what your calendars and thermometers may say, summer's here! And if you happen to be in another part of the world where it's pretty cold right now, rejoice, because it just takes one quick (or repeated) listen(s) to the new single from Sydney, Australia's seminal indie pop band Jinja Safari to be teleported to a warmer, brighter, and happier place.

"Find My Way" comes to us in the wake of founding member Pepa Knight's recent solo effort Hypnotized Vol. 1 EP and serves as the preliminary taste of Jinja Safari's upcoming sophomore LP. Inspired by experiences while touring in the UK, "Find My Way" is a joyous celebration of life to say the least, and if you watch the official music video, which is composed of five years' worth of footage collected by vocalist Marcus Azon of the band's exploits, you can witness for yourself how much fun these guys have while traveling abroad together. Jinja Safari's usual afropop beats, island guitar, tropicalia flourishes, and other worldly influences come together beautifully with the soaring vocal harmonies on this buoyant track, which will certainly find its way to the top of many a summer playlist.

Stream "Find My Way" and/or watch the official music video below, and if you approve, you will definitely dig Pepa Knight, so stream his recent EP here.