GoldFlakePaint and The Grey Estates are not the best indie pop band you’ve never heard of, they’re music blogs (and excellent ones at that), based in Bristol and Pittsburgh respectively, which let’s be honest you’ve probably already heard of. Earlier in April they teamed up to put out The Pale Light Between, a compilation of 20 songs from independent bands, and as ever we are playing catch-up to let you know about it. If you’re even just a casual reader of either blog then you’ll probably have some idea as to the vibe of the compilation – namely lo-fi indie pop/rock. There are good-time rock & roll songs (such as Pearl Earl’s ‘Karaoke Superstar’ and ‘Ex Marionette’ by Gal Pals), fuzzy pop songs (by Dear Tracks and Plums and Fake Laugh amongst others), gentler bedroom acoustics (e.g. the excellent ‘Can You Feel It Too?’ by Fun Home) and even some proper amp-blowing lo-fi rock (I’m looking at you Wendell Borton!).
The collection feels like a treasure trove for fans of that kind of thing and it’s a lot of fun delving in and discovering new acts. Pretty much every artist has a Bandcamp page with more material, so if you hear something you like then follow the trail and find your new favourite band.
The full tracklisting is below – the odd numbers were chosen by GoldFlakePaint, the evens by The Grey Estates:
1. German Error Message – A Lingering (Check our review of Haunts here)
2. Dear Tracks – Alive
3. Naps – Floral Mattress (Check out our review of ‘Floral Matress’ here and the band’s debut single here)
4. Sundae Crush – Toxic Slime
5. Sunshine Faces – TEENAGE PRAYER
6. Fun Home – Can You Feel It, Too? (Sprocket Session)
7. Romp – Drive
8. Echo Courts – I’ve Been Down
9. Plums – Parking Lots
10. Pearl Earl – Karaoke Superstar
11. Fake Laugh – As I Get To Know You Better
12. Littlefoot – Fever Dream
13. two white cranes – two white cranes (Check out our review of Two White Cranes here)
14. No Touching – Lighting
15. Froth – The Eterniturtle
16. Gal Pals – Ex Marionette
17. Wendell Borton – Saucy
18. Sandlot – Sober (Demo)
19. Smiling Disease – Double Locked
20. Dripping Wet – She’s Not Mine
Our current favourite is German Error Message, what’s yours?
You can grab The Pale Light Between right now on the GoldFlakePaint Bandcamp page on a pay-what-you-can basis.