Just Rolled In: SALES - "renee" [indie pop / minimal folktronica]

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It's always refreshing to hear a simple song that manages to pull you in by the heartstrings just as much as a complex, professionally produced song would. That's exactly what freshly formed Orlando, Florida duo SALES pulls off with their heartfelt debut track "renee", which was inspired by and named after a breathtakingly beautiful and interesting woman the two got the chance to spend a special evening with at a bar. Unfortunately, as the night went on, and after falling hopelessly in love with her, they lost track of her. So, in hopes of reconnecting with Renee, they wrote this song.

Set in motion by the repetitive, yet catchy guitar melody and angelically sincere vocals of SALES-woman Lauren Morgan, the song soon gains texture when it joins forces with the underlying bass line and bare-bones drumbeat of SALES-man Jordan Shih (aka JSHIH). Once "renee" gains momentum with that beat it never ceases to unfold itself and grow on you. The initial raw sound (yes, those are crickets chirping in the background) is slowly embellished upon by the minimal electronic production of JSHIH, who adds layers of reverberated vocals, a sleek electric guitar hook, a heavier pulsing bass line, and finally the chopped and layered vocals and bouncy drumbeat of the fully realized coda. This gradual buildup, the duo's less-is-more approach, and Lauren's alluring voice is what makes "renee" truly infectious.

If you're reading this, Renee, you can find Lauren and JSHIH performing as SALES at Total Bummer Fest alongside Javelin, Levek, Alligator Indian, and Saskatchewan at the end of August in Orlando, FL. And to everyone else: There are more tracks on the way and you're invited to Total Bummer Fest too.

p.s. Please forgive my salesman/saleswoman puns

Just Rolled In: Big Scary - "Luck Now" [experimental pop / indie folk / soul]

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Here's another Melbourne, Australia band sure to turn some heads in 2013: Big Scary. Seemingly boundless with their genre exploration, the experimental indie pop duo is set to release their sophomore album Not Art June 28 via Pieater (Aus) and September 17 through their new US home, Barsuk Records.

After listening to Big Scary's previous releases (their debut LP Vacation and previous EP collection The Big Scary Four Seasons), I find it difficult to stick a label on the music, which is a good thing in my mind. On one track they're floating through a delicate piano-based folk tune, then they explode into an energetic rock'n'roll jam that drops off into a more glossy indie pop song, just to do it all over again.

The Australian duo's second single from Not Art, "Luck Now", finds them in one of their more stripped down, subdued moments, but the track is given extra life with lead singer/guitarist/pianist Tom Iansek's soulfully stirring vocal performance akin to that of Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. "Luck Now", one of my favorite songs released this year, marks a shift in musical style for Big Scary as they have incorporated a hip hop-influenced, syncopated drum loop embellished by percussion samples they recorded in a garage while hitting various objects. It all comes together quite nicely, if you ask me.

Listen to "Luck Now" below followed by Big Scary's first single "Phil Collins" and grab a copy of Not Art on iTunes at the end of June!

Artist Making Waves: Vance Joy [indie folk / folk pop]

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In a year you probably won't see me posting about Vance Joy, the 25-year-old skyrocketing indie folk artist from Melbourne, Australia, mostly because he will be more popular than The Lumineers and Of Monsters And Men and this blog tries to focus more on the lesser known acts. Either way, here he is now, and for a good reason: he's damn good! When I mentioned those bands above I didn't mean to liken Vance Joy to them, but rather hint at the mainstream success and radio play that his golden voice and expertly crafted folk pop songs will surely gain.

Born James Keogh, he only has one EP under his belt, God Loves You When You're Dancing, which contains the hit single "Riptide", but he has already gotten snagged up by music industry giant Atlantic Records. They signed him on for a five-record deal after a bidding war that broke out following his performance at SXSW in Austin, Texas this March. As long as Atlantic doesn't completely change his sound or make him do duets at the Superbowl with Skrillex or Sean Paul then you can still color me interested in Vance Joy's future as an artist.

Take a listen to two tracks from his EP ("Riptide" and "From Afar") and watch a video of him performing the opening track "Emmylou" live with his band. You can purchase the the God Loves You When You're Dancing EP here.

Swell EP: Painted Palms - Nothing Lasts Long EP [psych-pop / synth-pop]

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Painted Palms were "discovered" by Kevin Barnes (of Montreal ringleader) shortly after releasing their psychedelic surf pop debut Canopy EP back in 2011, which gave them much more exposure and the attention of Secretly Canadian Records, who re-released said EP later in the year. Much like that first EP, the San Francisco psych-pop duo's free EP Nothing Lasts Long is instantly likable and leaves you thirsty for more. Well, the two cousins Reese Donohue and Christopher Prudhomme have actually been working on their debut Polyvinyl full length to help us quench our thirst for over a year now, but threw us a curveball with this mixtape-style free download while we wait.

Filled with danceable beats, psychedelic melodies, tropical synths, and energetic Panda Bear-stained vocals, Painted Palms' Nothing Lasts Long EP gives a us a taste of what's to come while giving them a break from the stress of releasing an official debut:

Making this EP was a bit of a release. It felt refreshing to make 6 songs with the intention of putting them out immediately. A whole album can seem monolithic and you can easily get lost in your head, so it was nice to write under different circumstances. —Impose Magazine interview

Download the EP for free at their Bandcamp page and enjoy the 6 new tracks below.

Just Rolled In: Washed Out - "It All Feels Right" [chillwave / psychedelic / dream pop]

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Apparently recorded using over 50 instruments and some samples, Washed Out's sophomore album Paracosm (artwork above), which will hit shelves via Sub Pop on August 13, casts us even further away from multi-instrumentalist Ernest Greene's initial lo-fi chillwave arrangements and leads us drifting into a more mesmerizing and complex organic environment.

Paracosm's first single "It All Feels Right" comes to us today just in time for the summer, helping us lose ourselves in its intricate and hypnotic blend of tropical, psychedelic, and spacey melodies. Check out the official lyric video below followed by two hits from his 2011 debut album Within and Without and the fan favorite 2009 single "Feel It All Around".

Swell EP: His Clancyness - Charade EP [indie rock / dream pop / psychedelic]

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Born in Ottawa, Canada but living in Bologna, Italy, Jonathan Clancy, who plays in A Classic Education and has made solo recordings as His Clancyness for a few years but now has a full band, has recently signed to Brighton/Brooklyn label Fat Cat Records, which will release his band's debut album Vicious in the fall. Lucky for us, Fat Cat put out the Charade EP cassette (also available digitally) a few weeks ago, which gives us a couple tastes of that upcoming full-length on one side, and on the other, four of Clancy's dreamy songs from his previous bedroom recordings.

All six songs on the EP are outstanding, exploring the sounds of indie rock, lo-fi, psychedelia, and dream pop. The new single "Machines" sounds a lot like psychedelic indie rockers The War on Drugs and lead-off track "Safe Around The Edges" leans toward the indie pop of Say Hi. Although certainly not on purpose, I can't help but liken his voice to a more subdued and mature Darwin Deez. Upon listening to the other 4 tracks, some other musical similarities that come to mind are Kurt Vile, Deerhunter, Ariel Pink, and Lower Dens.

Listen to the latter five tracks of the Charade EP below and get your beautiful hands on the cassette and a digital download here. Look out for His Clancyness's Fat Cat Records debut album Vicious on October 7!

Just Rolled In: f y f e - "Conversations" [electronic / soulful pop / R&B]

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As you may recall, London's f y f e, aka Paul Dixon, was the first artist featured on holaOLA back in March. Well, the rising R&B-tinged electronic musician is back with a new single called "Conversations", which has surfaced in the wake of his recent excellent Solace EP.

Nothing much has changed regarding f y f e's musical vision, which is certainly fine by me. On "Conversations" Dixon whips together another irresistible hard-hitting beat and glazes it over with his beautifully soulful voice and adds some more texture with his usual guitar licks and haunting backing vocals. While fitting in well with his previous singles, the only difference here would be a heavier hip-hop-influenced beat and more glitchy production.

Check out "Conversations" below followed by f y f e's beloved Solace EP. You can purchase the EP via the "Buy on iTunes" link on the SoundCloud player.

Artist Making Waves: Hibou [tropical pop / dream pop / shoegaze]

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Hibou is the solo project of former Craft Spells drummer and 19-year-old Seattle native, Peter Michel. Seeing as 'hibou' is French for 'owl', it is pronounced quite Frenchly—"eee-booo". Because one of my pet peeves is hearing mispronunciations of another French-based indie band name, Bon Iver, I figured I'd set the record straight so I won't have to cringe hearing things like "high-bow" or "hih-boo". Anyway, my instincts tell me that Michel named his project thus because he considers himself a 'night owl', or maybe he prefers to write, record, and hunt mice after the sun goes down. Either way, his upbeat music is definitely meant to soundtrack a beautiful, sunny day, but it wouldn't hurt to throw it on at your next dance party.

While borrowing the dream pop elements of his old band and mixing in his brand of vibrant surf-poppy guitar hooks and danceable tropical drum beats (see "Hollow") or progressive shoegaze drumming (see "Glow"), Michel produces Hibou—a perfect concoction of hazy beach pop that I would file next to bands like Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils, Diiv, and Kisses. Hell, just sign him to Captured Tracks already!

Hibou's Dunes EP is due out June 13 via Fat Cat Records so grab yourself a copy when it drops. In the meantime, you can listen to a handful of songs below and download them for free or in pay-what-you-want-style by clicking the "Download" or "Name your price" buttons on the players.