The rest of the EP is no less striking. Take the aphorism-filled ‘Old Rope’, a track which juxtaposes bullish energy with chronic doubt and lands on something like defiance, the sound loaded with the kind of bitter confidence of those who have longed accepted this world of ours to be rigged against the little man. ‘Chew’ takes things even further, a song of two halves which barrels forward at a hundred miles an hour before stretching out into a weighty instrumental. Again, the presiding emotion is that of exasperation, Gilmore-Innis a man at the end of his rope, pushed too far once too often, and now letting every ounce of gathered frustration pour out in one cathartic breath.

But more than an exercise in self-examination or personal release, Committeemen also use (S)HITS to excoriate the forces responsible for much of our contemporary pain. Taking aim at those who use religious ideology as an excuse for cruelty, final single ‘Control’ is the perfect example. A no holds barred assault on a government who would not only deny healthcare to those most in need, but have the audacity to claim such actions are somehow Christian. “Anything it takes for control,” as the chorus puts it, though you feel such people might not have accounted for the rage they have brought upon their heads.

(S)HITS EP is out now via Rue Defense and available from Bandcamp.

Photo by Clare Kemp

The post Committeemen – (S)HITS EP appeared first on Various Small Flames.

With 2023 album Cleaning Up With Big Mess, Copenhagen‘s Big Mess introduced a genre-spanning style which tapped into the unbridled joy of good old-fashioned punk rock, and new release Terry EP indicates they have no intention of slowing down. The record is out now via Specialist Subject Records, and opener and title track shows off the vibe of the collection. Repurposing Kirsty MacColl’s hit into a power pop gem, ‘Terry’ distils the wry humour and bite of the original into their purest states. The result races into life from the off and never lets up, harnessing MacColl’s cheeky defiance as its own form of momentum, and proving as cathartic as it is fun.

Ciao Malz – Clementine (Elliott Smith cover)

Back in December, Ciao Malz released their debut EP Safe Then Sorry, a four-song grab bag that veered between alt-country twang and woozy pop confidence. Now Malia DelaCruz is showing another dimension to the project with a cover of Elliott Smith’s ‘Clementine’, recapturing the hushed intimacy of the original in all of its sincerity and narrative depth. “‘Clementine’ is probably my favorite Elliott Smith song,” as DelaCruz explains. “The way he picks up on a bartender singing and turns it into something so eerie and beautiful is wild. The harmonies are something I’ve always wanted to nail, and I love experimenting with them when I’m recording. And yeah, sometimes it’s just fun to channel Elliott Smith for a while.”

You can find Ciao Malz on Bandcamp.

Committeemen – Therapy

Consisting of DJ Gilmore-Innis (vocals/guitar), Ken Dannelley (drums), Matt Kast (bass), and Graham Bell (guitar), Houston punk rockers Committeemen owe as much to post punk royalty like Gang of Four as they do contemporaries Osees and Parquet Courts. But, they’re no cheap copy, managing to recombine this range of influences into something wholly their own. With a new EP on the way via Rue Defense, single ‘Therapy’ highlights the searing intensity of their sound. Taking aim at the burgeoning ecosystem of quacks and narcissists which seems determined to tell us how to live, this is blistering punk complete with yell-along chorus, treating this vapid, insidious cohort of podcasters, Youtubers and televangelists with the contempt they deserve.

Daily Toll – Killincs

Described as “eleven songs traversing three years of forged friendships, collaborative experimentation and a shared love of growing through words and song,” new album A Profound Non-Event sees Sydney post-punks Daily Toll take the next step in their evolution, building upon what came before with a growing sense of confidence and conviction. With the release coming this June on Tough Love, the trio have shared lead single ‘Killincs’, and the track embodies the sound of a band striving towards their most truthful form while appreciating such a quest might prove unending. “The light reflects an upside-down image of a life I might never visit,” as lead Kata Szász-Komlós sings. “Too far to touch, not far enough to forget.” And as the song progresses, its verbosity belying the relatively understated, assured tone, it becomes clear the unresolved is something to be accepted, even embraced. As a later line states: “I have the key still, but I’ve buried the path.”

Watch the video directed and edited by Szász-Komlós below:

A Profound Non-Event is out on the 20th June via Tough Love and you can pre-order it now.

eggcorn – Observer Effect

Taking its name from the phenomenon where an observed system is disturbed by the very act of being observed, eggcorn‘s new album Observer Effect sees songwriter Lara Hoffman explore the ways in which reflecting on one’s life and surroundings can shape our experiences. Moving away from the synth pop sensibilities of debut Your Own True Love, the album adopts a pop-inflected brand of chamber folk which combines sincere compassion with unerring honesty, a sound able to probe deep into the heart of the matter and unafraid of getting dirty in the process. The lead single and title track is the ideal entry point, Hoffman using the impatient frustration of a slow-healing injury to delve into unpalatable truths about herself and the desires therein, baring vulnerabilities and reckoning with their implications without sacrificing a certain playfulness.

MF Tomlinson – Die To Wake Up From A Dream

Over a series of releases in recent times, Brisbane/Meanjin born, London based artist MF Tomlinson has challenged genre conventions, progressing beyond classic folk styles with the addition of psych, rock and other sensibilities. This summer will see him return with Die To Wake Up From A Dream, a brand new album via PRAH Recordings which continues this exploration of the possibilities of folk. Described by Tomlinson himself as a treatise on “resilience, hope and the frankly wildly psychedelic experience of being alive,” the lead single and title track shows one such possibility, drawing on everything from John Martyn to Talk Talk and My Bloody Valentine to create a sound which might originate in folk but ends up beyond any easy genre categorisation.

Watch the accompanying video—described as a “visual essay”—by Andrea Zvadova below:

Die To Wake Up From A Dream is out on the 11th July via PRAH Recordings.

sachi’s mirror – a new shape

The recording project of Oakland-based experimental violinist and composer Shaina Pan, sachi’s mirror offers rich, genre-bending soundscapes which use pedal effects to push the violin to new ground. Classically trained, Pan dipped a toe in experimental music as a vocalist and bassist for Bay Area art-punks Juicebumps during the pandemic, and is now reaching further across ambient, avant-garde and art pop sensibilities to weave her own compositions. Taken from debut release coral miracle church, single ‘a new shape’ embodies the style, a song full of space and intricate detail which grows with subtle grace. Spoken word samples further the mood, and the result feels like a doorway into some adjacent, ethereal world.

Serfing – no new friends

Consisting of Austin Weber and David Caploe (Singer of Hate Drugs, BEST DAD), LA‘s Serfing are preparing to release their debut EP to properly introduce themselves to the world. Lead single ‘no new friends’ is the first taste of what to expect. Painted in long, relaxed strokes, the track offers a dreamy meditation on making connections with other people, its languorous tempo able to draw out both the warmth and anguish inherent within such a process. “It’s hard to keep yourself from falling / falling in love,” as the opening lines go. “Spend enough time with somebody / falling in love.” But true to the ambiguous mood of a sound that could be taken as dawning fondness or anxious hesitancy, the lyrics soon offer conflicting thoughts.

Why even plant a tree to cut it down?
you know those roots are staying in the ground
better off just being no-one
than falling in love

The Taxpayers – Outline of Your Blood

We’ve covered a number of singles from Circle Breaker, the new full-length from  Portland, Oregon emo outfit The Taxpayers, in recent weeks, be it ‘At War With The Dogcatchers‘ with its search for love amid tragedy and cruelty or ‘I Am One Thousand‘, an ode to those afflicted by war and its adjacent sufferings. With the album now out via Ernest Jenning Record Co., The Taxpayers are releasing a new single, ‘Outline of Your Blood’, as a celebration. The closing track to the album which encapsulates everything which came before, stricken by discouragement and burgeoning doom yet unable to shake a sense of hope despite it all. As the title suggests, this is an album of cycles, the grandest of which being the circle of life itself, and no matter how dark the present, The Taxpayers want to remind you that new life is always being born too.

Circle Breaker is out now via Ernest Jenning Record Co. and you can get it from Bandcamp.

Wishy – Over and Over

“Everything fans of the band have come to love.” That’s how we described ‘Fly’ back in February, the lead single from Wishy‘s forthcoming EP Planet Popstar. “A song,” as we put it, “that looks to move beyond heartbreak with a mix of affirming energy and wistful longing.” With the EP coming next month on Winspear, the Indianapolis outfit are back with fresh track ‘Over and Over’. With vocal duties shifting back to Kevin Krauter, and Nina Pitchkites offering backing harmonies, the song sees fingerpicked guitar melded with breakbeat rhythms, offering a sound packed full of detail while maintaining a languid calm, and further marking Wishy as one of the most inventive acts working today.

The song comes complete with a video directed by Demi Fenicle, edited by Aaron Agler and with visual Effects by Stephen Orban, which you can watch below:

Planet Popstar is out on the 25th April via Winspear and you can pre-order it now.

The post Weekly Listening: March 2025 #4 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Solid Blood is the solo project of Graham W. Bell, who has also played in the likes of Committeemen, Alexei Shishkin, Kinships and Hart & Hare, serving as a vehicle for him to share personal accounts of life between Houston and Brooklyn, as well as his time on the road. The result is an “amalgam of lived moments, both quiet and intense, that seek to make sense of the ordinary,” as the label put it, “and the state of the world on a more intimate scale.”

Opener ‘All I Need’ is the gateway into this style, unfolding with a sense of measured contemplation that is shot through with something darker, fear and disquiet clawing at the window, asking to be let in. “Bell looks to preserve the small details of life amid a wider unease,” we wrote in our preview, “carving out an introspective, inquisitive space in which we might shelter from the dire state of the world.” Following track ‘Beyond Belief’ moves from easygoing lulls to spikes of agitation, built on Bradford Krieger’s percussion and electric guitar which whips up into squally noise in the chorus. Fitting perhaps for a song that’s part paean to the thrills of New York City and part warning to the way they can wear you down to nothing.

‘Old Days’ is a shadowy post punk song, all wiry guitar and swaggering vocals, while ‘Right’ is perhaps the EP’s heaviest track, a bona fide rock song complete with crushing guitars and pummeled percussion. Closer and title track ‘Western Sun’ still has a healthy dose of crunch, but is altogether lighter on its feet, Bell’s vocals riding  on the instrumentation’s propulsive current rather than enveloped by it. Say it quietly, but the release might just end on a hopeful note. Past mistakes and bad choices feel like chances to learn rather than sentences to future doom, and may perhaps work out for the best after all. “All hail the Western sun,” Bell sings, “I left you for someone / Didn’t know it at the time, didn’t wanna make you mine.”

Western Sun is out now via Rue Defense and available from the Solid Blood Bandcamp page.

The post Solid Blood – Western Sun appeared first on Various Small Flames.

“Moves through sounds and emotions like scenes in a dream, seemingly disparate thoughts and feeling united by an uncanny common thread.” So we wrote of Water Words, an album by Bay Area artist Asha Wells which combined a number of genres to “sit in the strange space at the heart of any new relationship,” as we continued, “the period where nothing is decided in any one direction, the potential of both promise and regret latent within every detail.” Next year, Wells is releasing a brand new EP Tears of a Clown on Anxiety Blanket Records and first single ‘Impermanent I’ shows a clear evolution of this style. A piece of idiosyncratic pop which melds the experience of classical training with a willingness to push beyond conventions to mine the fertile ground outside.

Cloudbelly – November

Last year we featured ‘Leavened‘ by Montague, Massachusetts‘s Cloudbelly, introducing Corey Laitman’s expansive yet personal style which “[found] assurance in their contemplation of identity and relationships.” New single ‘November’ is no less heartfelt and confident, taking the melancholy of the titular month and infusing it with a marching rhythm to evoke the precious fragility of love. “Say my love’s marked ‘return to sender’ / Teach me mercy, cold November,” as Laitman sings. “Hungry lungs, my love’s the space between the notes / I meant them, every word I ever spoke.” Here, the onset of winter is both a threat and a reminder, as well as something which might yet be outrun.

Daphne’s Demise – Bedroom Window

The solo project of Sarnia, Ontario’s Zoë L, Daphne’s Demise has made a name with a home-recorded blend of indie pop, folk and ambient sensibilities. However, the new ‘Bedroom Window’ represents something of a change, with the track seeing Daphne’s Demise take to the studio with a full band. What emerges is a country-inflected labour of love which taps into the dreamy richness of the seventies. But within the enveloping wistfulness and languid drift lies something more direct. “No more can I be / The one that you keep inside your head,” as the opening lines play, “Looming over me is a thing I just won’t see / Can’t watch it spin.”

Through the bedroom window
See it light up green
And fly away

Dead Bandit – Staircase

The recording project of Ellis Swan and James Schimpl, the music of Dead Bandit might be instrumental, but it is decidedly lyrical in spirit. Swan is known for haunting murder ballads within his solo work, while multi-instrumentalist Schimpl weaves expansive soundscapes. So it followed that the debut Dead Bandit album From the Basement combined these sensibilities into a raw, shadowy sound which merged Southern Gothic needle and hauntological strangeness. Again on Quindi Records, new album Memory Thirteen is no less evocative, with single ‘Staircase’ presenting a cryptic mood. Is the past returning to haunt the present? Or is that the future we glimpse breaking through the clouds?

Humbird – Child of Violence

“Another blue sky morning,” sings Humbird’s Siri Undlin on new single ‘Child of Violence’, “In the land of the free to believe / Lies on the Internet and the glamor of money / Missing the real thing.” The Minnesota artist has been releasing a number of singles via Nettwerk in recent months, channelling the politically charged folk rock of yesteryear, and the new track is perhaps the most direct and cutting yet. A song which refuses to treat acts of violence within the US as tragedies or aberrations, but rather a cornerstone of the entire national project. And perhaps most importantly, it identifies how honesty around this fact is central to any hope of change.

I could be a break in the chain
I could be a piece of the change
When I talk about it
I’ll call it by its name

Little Kid – Something to Say

Back in 2020, Toronto‘s Little Kid released Transfiguration Highway, an album “at least in part inspired by an enduring interest in Christian mysticism,” as we described, “and themes of epiphany and revelation allow [lead Kenny] Boothby to explore his own growth.” Next year will see Little Kid return with A Million Easy Payments, a new full-length on Orindal Records, which finds Boothby and co. again probing at the line between the corporeal and the spiritual. Lead single ‘Something to Say’ offers a picture of reality so keenly observed that a sense of latent mystery begins to suggest itself, and with it the possibility of transcendence.

Nora Roy – No Steppy Snik

“Sometimes I want to pull my teeth out / unzip my skin / start over.” So sings Nora Roy on ‘No Steppy Snik’, a new single which pairs surreal detachment and forthright confession to welcome the listener deep into its heart. Joined by Julian Fader (guitar) Brett Nash (bass) and Daniel Siles (drums), Roy follows this dreamlike thread through murmured quiet and towering peaks, though for all of the song’s unreal qualities, the parting sense is that of having been told something true which might not have been communicable any other way. “You love / Like a snake I saw,” as Roy continues, “in a magazine / some time.”

‘No Steppy Snik’ is out now and you can find Nora Roy on streaming services.

Parademaker – Utah

The recording project of Houston‘s Shaun Clarkson, Parademaker creates folk in the mould of John Prine, where heartfelt emotion and wry humour intertwine to form a picture of a specific period and place. New album Good Shit is full of such songs, but single ‘Utah’ encapsulates the spirit perfectly. A story of the second coming where Jesus is kicking about America, looking for somewhere to settle down. “This time he came to live and not to die,” as the lyrics offer. But that’s not to say Christ has no standards when it comes to potential homes. “You won’t find me in Utah / the Latter-day Saints and the petite bourgeoisie ain’t seen a cage they didn’t want to climb inside.”

You won’t find me in U-hecking-tah
the worst damn state that you ever saw
along with Texas, Florida, most of Indiana
and the whole goddam Bible Belt

Prism Bitch – City Nights

Albuquerque’s Prism Bitch originated when Lauren Poole and Chris Walsh met at a small theatre group and imagined creating a band as a piece of performance art. But upon adding Lilah Rose and Teresa Cruces to the line-up, they found themselves shedding the performance aspect and becoming the real deal. Establishing their rambunctious and often flamboyant brand of garage rock, debut full-length Perla showed the switch was more than justified, and it is fitting that new single ‘City Nights’ sees the outfit return to their theatrical roots. A sleek, sensual eighties bop which comes complete with a delightfully tongue-in-cheek video filmed at the Albuquerque public access studio, directed by Lauren Poole with cinematography by Colemar Nichols:

‘City Nights’ is out now and available from Bandcamp.

The post Weekly Listening: December 2023 #1 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

His self-titled debut album, the first solo blues record Fat Possum Records have released in almost twenty years, stays true to this goal. “Part of my intent, making myself more comfortable with this release, is putting more Black stories into the genres of folk and blues,” Nichols explains. “Listening to this record, I want more Black people to hear themselves in this music that is truly theirs.”

Lead single and opening track ‘Lost & Lonesome’ introduces just what this sounds like. Lines of gently detailed acoustic guitar capture the wistful reflection of Nichols’s delivery, rising and falling with his own searching tone. The style has a downbeat charm, marked by the modesty and loneliness of a wanderer cast into another unfamiliar place. But within this mood something else emerges. Some shimmered light playing at the edges. Some hope perhaps, or else just steadfast determination. The sense that the questioning is not futile. The search has an end.  A home lies at the end of the road.

Photo by Dustin Cohen

The post Buffalo Nichols – Lost & Lonesome appeared first on Various Small Flames.

It is this directness that serves as the common thread across what is an expansive and varied record. Drawing on slacker rock, noise pop and even shoegaze, Young Mammals serve up a variety of moods on Lost in Lima. From the playful pop of ‘Want You’ and needling darkness of ‘Cusco’ to the insistent clamour of ‘Into View’, the uniting factor is the sense of motion imbued in the songs, a forward-facing gallop that draws the listener in, with even the relatively sluggish ‘Insurgentes’ rises into a thumping crescendo.

We’re delighted to share a brand new video for the title track, joining the band for what is likely the most eventful visit to the barber’s you’re ever going to see. Stylistically, the track takes something of the wistful shoegaze aesthetic for the vocals, though is not afraid to break the tone in favour of the energetic, celebratory refrain.

Lost in Lima is out now via Wallflower Records and you can get it from the Young Mammals Bandcamp page.

Album artwork by Bret Shirley, layout by Angel Oloshove

The post Young Mammals – Lost in Lima appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Last month saw the release of ‘Heads Up’, a brand new K. Campbell single that further develops this style. Warm and emotive, the tone is that of solidarity, finding strength and ambition from those around us, those going through the very same trials and tribulations. ‘Heads Up’ is a song “for the friends who challenge you and always hold you accountable,” explains Campbell, whether that to be kinder, more available, or just to utilise your talents to the height of your potential.

Such sincerity is fundamental to the song’s message. “Under the daily threat of neo-fascist repression and the crushing alienation of late-era capitalism,” Campbell continues, “cynicism remains an understandable, but all too easy response (at least for those like me who reap the benefits of a relative amount of privilege). This song is about finding in love the difficult but rewarding inspiration to fight harder.”

heads up listen to the sound
get your feet on the ground
Last page of an open book
I cant help but take a look
only to find the threads are breaking at the spine

my one and only, I need you to show me
the fire in your eyes is just like a sunrise

Take a look at the video by Clyde Petersen below:

‘Heads Up’ is out now via Poison Moon Records on  7″ vinyl and cassette, and you can get it from the K. Campbell Bandcamp page.

The post K. Campbell – Heads Up appeared first on Various Small Flames.

We’re delighted to be able to share a brand new single from the EP today. ‘True Blue’ is a languid dream pop track that utilises a variety of synths and sax to conjure its luscious ambience. Rising from this swirling atmosphere are Clinton’s words, her voice equally captivating as a dreamy croon or more urgent call, thus with an emotional range that ebbs and flows in great swells.

This serves as the perfect basis for the thematic resonance of the track, which details a relationship still unformed. However, rather than being full of promise, the amorphous nature of this tie casts doubt over everything, painting a picture of confusion where communication is attempted but never fully realised. As such, the participants turn to hoping and guessing, filling in the blanks with imaginings of their own. These might be rough approximations of the truth, or pure fictions, yet either way they only serve to reinforce the barrier through which sincere communication struggles to pass.

Coax Me Out is set for release on the 15th June via Poison Moon Records and you can pre-order it now from Bandcamp page. Pearl Crush is also heading out on tour in support of the EP, so check the dates below and catch her if she stops anywhere near you:

Fri, 6/29: New Orleans, LA at Banks St. Bar
Sat, 6/30: Atlanta, GA at Sofar Sounds
Sun, 7/1: Wilmington, NC at Modern Legends
Mon, 7/2: D.C. at Black Cat
Tue, 7/3: Brooklyn, NY at Wonders of Nature
Wed, 7/4: Brooklyn, NY at Alphaville
Thurs, 7/5: Pittsburgh, PA at Spirit Lodge
Sat, 7/7: Nashville, TN – TBA
Mon, 7/9: Austin, TX at Hotel Vegas

Artwork by Daniela Galindo & Victoria Pena

The post Song Premiere: Pearl Crush – True Blue appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Ruth & Trudy is the recording project of Mitchell Young who lives in Houston, Texas. His latest album is called Still Pond Songs a record he describes as, “songs of earth, love, heartbreak, family, encounters with the occult, and fun”. If that doesn’t capture your attention then you’re reading the wrong music blog buddy. Luckily, the music sounds as good as its description, an unorthodox brand of lo-fi pop that blends a laidback hipness with heartfelt naivete.

The opening track, ‘Greens’ is a ramshackle indie pop song complete with keyboard, tambourine and handclaps. The song also gives us our first glimpse of Young’s vocals, which he delivers in a slightly detached manner, capturing the feigned indifference of youth. Next up is ‘Star Projector’, a brisk instrumental number that’s all playful xylophones and swirling guitars, while ‘Late Swim (tfl)’ brings a mellow lo-fi aesthetic, a drum beat emerging around the halfway mark, a beat which sometimes overtakes the guitars and sort of stutters back in time. This gives the track a slightly agitated air, like that feeling when you can’t quite get your mind to focus right. The lyrics add to this unsettling feeling,

“who was there
standing on the lake
under the moon
above you
is he your friend
do you trust him
is he even alive?”

‘Pond Scum’ begins with a warbled vocal sample which loops and loops as the track continues as a slice of lo-fi folk, bringing to mind the Lucas O’Connell album we featured last year. ‘Captain Falcon’ is a blast of sunny indie pop, complete with kid giggle samples, sounding like a lazy summer afternoon, a tall glass of icy lemonade sweating in the sun. This is followed by another instrumental track, ‘Cop Island’, an almost tropical 70 seconds of shimmying guitars and gentle percussion, before ‘Provide For Family’ announces itself with odd little rattles and squelchy sounds, like the shambling whir of some clockwork contraption. The lyrics are about what the title suggests, “make sure your mother still feels she’s needed” it begins, before the oddly uplifting chorus of:

“provide for your family
uplift their spirits
we all share the same fears
no one wants to lose their loved ones
no one wants to die”

Then we get ‘Diane’, a sweetly unpolished love song, ‘When You Can See Your Breath Outside’, which rumbles along with the now familiar echoey vocals, and the finale ‘Here Last Year (Era Crathmania)’, which switches things up with a slice of rousing, 80s-tinged electro-pop, not unlike M83 at their most shimmering. But my favourite track is number 10, ‘And You Meant the Sea’, which is just the epitome of summer, all sea and sand and surf. Even the guitars seem sun-drunk as the track strolls along, a tale of beachside romance:

“we were eating candy at the beach
and I was playing with your hands
our hair was blowing in the wind
do you remember what it feels like
when our skin in sunlight would meet?
‘come on in,’ you said
and you meant the sea”

You can get Still Pond Songs on super-limited cassette tape or as a name-your-price digital download via the Z Tapes Bandcamp page.

P.S. Stay tuned for a review of the second Z Tapes release in the very near future!

The post Ruth & Trudy – Still Pond Songs appeared first on Various Small Flames.