Swell Album - Moses Gunn Collective - Mercy Mountain [psychedelic / indie rock] ***ALBUM STREAM***

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Brisbane's favorite psych-rockers Moses Gunn Collective have just unleashed their epic debut album, Mercy Mountain, complete with dreamy chops, oozy guitar solos, tumultuous jams, anthem sing-alongs, soulful falsettos, and just overall weird beauty. The five-piece have been around for a few years and are known for their trippy homemade costumes, impressive onstage dance moves, and of course, their frantic and fun take on psychedelic rock. Mercy Mountain just further solidifies them as one of Australia's most promising new bands.

As you drift through the 13 beautiful tracks on Mercy Mountain, you may be reminded of contemporary psych greats Tame Impala, MGMT, Foxygen, Connan Mockasin, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Deerhunter, or Thee Oh Sees, but just as each of those bands differs greatly from the others, Moses Gunn Collective also fit into their very own space on the psych spectrum, a glittery place where songwriting, melody, and good vibes rule.

Stream Moses Gunn Collective's debut album Mercy Mountain below and purchase your very own copy on iTunes.

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

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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.

Just Rolled In: Redspencer - "Ride It Out" and "Happy Slow Riverbends" [jangle pop / indie rock / lo-fi]

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Based in Melbourne but originally from New South Wales, the jangly indie rock trio Redspencer have shared two catchy singles this month in anticipation of the June 1st release of their debut EP.

The first single, "Happy Slow Riverbends", is the sunnier of the two and gives off a sort of Darwin Deez or Spoon vibe with its bouncy rhythm, punchy guitar riffs, and distorted vocals, while the newest single, "Ride It Out", is a more introspective cut, allowing the restless guitars to do most of the talking, much like summery guitar-pop poster boys Real Estate and Mac DeMarco.

Stream Redspencer's two new singles below and be sure to buy the debut EP coming out June 1st via Deaf Ambitions! And if you're in Melbourne, hit up their EP launch show at Bar Open on Friday, June 5th with Tourist Dollars and Head Clouds.

holaTUBE: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Multi-Love" [psych pop / indie rock / soul]

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Five years have passed since Ruban Nielson's first song as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, "Ffunny Ffrends", first infiltrated and spread like wildfire throughout the interwebs. After living up to the first adjective of his moniker by actually remaining anonymous for some time, forming a band, and gaining a huge following for their first two full-lengths of lo-fi polychromatic psych pop (the second of which made holaOLA's list of the best albums of 2013), the Portland-based Kiwi is back with a third, Multi-Love, which hits shelves May 26 via Jagjaguwar and, interestingly enough, was influenced by his recent experience with a polyamorous relationship.

UMO's first two singles (the lead-off title track and "Can't Keep Checking My Phone") set the bar high for the new album, not straying too far from the feel of their previous recordings but enriching their unique sound with noticeably higher fidelity production and the addition of other instruments and sounds that give their songs new depth and texture (especially on the latter track).

Hear it for yourself in the psychedelic music video for "Multi-Love" below and stream their funky second single "Can't Keep Checking My Phone" below that.

Purchase a physical copy of Multi-Love here or download it on iTunes.

Swell Album: Marika Hackman - We Slept At Last [indie folk / singer-songwriter]

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London's 23-year-old singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Marika Hackman has managed to turn lots of heads with her debut album, We Slept At Last, thanks to her gorgeous voice that teeters between wistful and brooding, her thematic exploration of the darker things in life, and her expertly crafted arrangements that serve as the haunting backdrop for it all. That ominous cloud glooms over most of the record, but it's those moments when it breaks apart just long enough to let some sunlight through that Hackman's artistry really shines.

Hackman's songwriting and the contrast throughout the record is what makes it so enjoyable—no one song sounds like the last. You'll hear drums on one track, and in the next, they'll be replaced by a string section, flutes, or just left out altogether. And if that wasn't enough, the introduction of electronic elements into the mix (vocoder-vocals, synths, drones, etc.) certainly makes We Slept At Last its own beast, and it's more proof of how versatile Marika Hackman is.

Stream and purchase Marika Hackman's We Slept At Last below and listen to her previous work here.

Standout tracks: 'Drown', 'Ophelia', 'Skin', and 'Animal Fear'