Recent Adds – Shoegaze and Fuzz Pop

As the year has moved along, the updates here have been fewer and further between, but I’ve still been adding great indie bands and artists to the 2021-a-Day playlist. Before the year ends, and before I get to my own year end best of list, I wanted to highlight some of the more recent additions that haven’t been reflected on the blog. This post focuses on indie rock and pop of the fuzzier inclination – dreampop, shoegaze and in-between and around.

Fuzzed Out Pop from Australia

Bridge Dog describe themselves as “a Sydney-based two piece, combining the fuzz rock aesthetics of Pinkerton-era Weezer, with the meandering indie pop melodies of Belle and Sebastian”. They have a few releases on their Bandcamp Page. The track added to the 2021-A-Day playlist, Smoking Season, was a single from earlier this year. You may also want to check out their most recent release, an EP released December 3rd called Going South.

Shoegaze from Poland

Heathermint are a young duo from Głogów, Poland. Lots of shoegaze effects with a melancholic sensibility. This track Hue Melt was included in their July release, Flority.

Thoughtful Indie from Madrid

From an EP released in the summer, Wthhyb is a great example of the sound from Madrid based kkvtz: “Through a mix of melancholic harmonies and joyous riffs, with catchy melodies and a lot of reverb, kkvtz creates a sound that taps into the best of genres such as alternative, retrowave, shoegaze, or dreampop, all of it resulting in their own unique sound. “

6 Tracks for the End of the Month

The days are getting shorter and the weather chillier and this blog continues to be a little hard to keep up with. The 2021-a-Day Spotify playlist is still getting regular updates, however: here’s a quick update of what’s been added recently. Links below to bandcamp pages, or use the playlist link to check them out together.

• 音楽の天才 (Ongaku no tensai – The Genius of Music) by Sacoyans (Bandcamp): Hailing from Fukuoka, Japan, synth infused American Indie rock sounds. This track is from the very recently released album Yomosue.
• Palm Trees by Often (Bandcamp): Melancholic pop from LA’s Often, from the October released album Dirty Saint. As the days get shorter and the weather starts to cool, this feels like a perfect warm sweater to wrap up in.
• Bloodhounds (Bad News Babe) by Star Moles (Bandcamp): Hailing from Philadelphia, self-described “lo-fi sci-fi DIY wi-fi band”, this one is listed as a 2021 released on Spotify but from 2018 on Bandcamp. Charming plinky piano matched with a heartfelt vocal delivery.
• Big Natural by Izzy True (Bandcamp): Ithica born, Chicago based band Izzy True is Izzy Reidy and a shifting lineup of fellow musicians since the band formed in 2015. Guitar, drums and a mix of wind instruments – this is alt rock peppered with jazz and a cool, unexpected sound that you should check out.
• More is More by Unschooling (Bandcamp): Post-punk sung in English but hailing from France (and with connections to Montreal, Canada), Unschooling released their EP Random Acts of Total Control in April and are currently touring the UK.
• The Evidence by Snapped Ankles (Bandcamp): Mysterious art-rockers from London, this track hails from the July released album Forest of Your Problems. The band performs in costume and their identities are unknown.

5 for Hot Summer Nights

I’m not sticking to my schedule these days, but I’m not prepared to give up on 2021-a-Day playlist entirely. It seems clear that we won’t end up with 365 tracks on our end of year playlist, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t space for some occasional additions. Here’s a few gems for your hot August nights.

Rock it up with Les Shirley

A friend put me on to Les Shirley from Montreal – punk rock with attitude that is perfect for summer listening. Their Bandcamp page describes them as a “kick-ass rock power trio” and that sums it up pretty nicely. I really don’t need to tell you much about this one, except that you should turn it up!

Pigeon brings punk

Here’s what I know about Pigeon: they are a three-piece from Berlin, they have releases on Bandcamp going back to 2014 and this track rips. Check ’em out.

BRNDA on Crafted Sounds

BRNDA are a three piece from Washington, DC and their arty, post-punk sound is exactly the kind of thing I love to share here on 2021-a-Day. The band has two previous albums but are new to me. This track will be included on their soon to be released record Do You Like Salt? Jump on this one early.

Indie rock from Oslo

Veps are 4 teenage pals from Oslo, Norway: 17 now, they’ve been playing together since they were 14. Their Spotify bio describes them as a “seamless blend of 90s indie aesthetic and classic pop hooks” and their debut EP was released on Kanine Records this year. Shoutout to Emily Smith of BRTtoday to turning me on to this one through her Ladies Skate Only show.

The Supreme Joy of Garage Rock

Hailing from Denver, Supreme Joy is songwriter Ryan Wong and a large and varied cast of local musicians. Supreme Joy’s debut cassette Joy was recorded over 2020-1 in a “Denver basement amidst a tumultuous year of pandemic, civil unrest, and a personal identity crisis” (Bandcamp): Body Contact is a standout track.

AIKO EL GRUPO | Amigos para nunca (confía y te la lían)

Peppy rock with with an angsty twist from Madrid, Spain.

Since starting in on this blog project this year, I reconnected with Spanish label Elefant Records, one that I hadn’t thought about since a fortunate trip to Madrid more than a decade ago. The prolific indie label has been sharing great Spanish language and international pop since the 1990s and seem to be a big part of the current exciting and expansive Spanish indie pop scene. (As of today their website is down due to a major fire at a data site in France, so you may have to check them out through other sources).

Aiko el Groupo are a young four-piece who write punchy poppy songs for shouting and dancing. Their first full-length Va Totalmente En Serio was released in December and this track comes from it.

Label mates with previous 2021-a-Day playlist band Lisasinson and sharing shouty good vibes All Girls Arson Club and Tough Age. If you liked those tracks, you’ll definitely want to check out Aiko el Groupo via the 2021-a-Day playlist, the bandcamp link above or enjoy this Lord of the Flies meets Wes Anderson video for Amigos para nunca (confía y te la lían)…

Teini-Pää | Koko kuuman kesän

Start your weekend with some Finnish indie rock, the latest add to the 2021-a-day playlist.

Teini-Pää hail from Helsinki. They have a few singles and one EP on their band release pages and play a mix of tracks from DIY punk sounds to more jangly-pop numbers. Last spring they made a splash with their cover of ABBA’s SOS.

Google translate tells me that this song’s title Koko kuuman kesän translates to “All hot summer” – I like to think it’s about the band collectively basking in the glory of their viral hit, but it feels a little more melancholy than that. But for a wintery morning in February, this one feels like a nice through back to breezy summer days. If you liked the Marcos y Molduras track we shared here a few weeks ago, I think you’ll like the vibe of this one too.

And because I know you’re curious now, here’s that ABBA cover…