Human traits are wrapped up in a gloominess as grey and chilly as the Cold War-era of the post-punk and new wave it references, revealed only in the intermittent illuminations made so prominent by the twilit tones—the dancing sparkles, the fog-bound will-o’-the-wisps, the great flashes of light.

After a number of singles in the intervening years, this month sees Crandles return with a brand new Prudence EP, Untitled, this time released via Endless Recordings. The record again delves into a chaotic and contradictory blend of moods, a swirl only exacerbated by the current predicament. Indeed, Untitled is something of a product of the pandemic. “In the past year I have taken an involuntary break from music and life in general,” he explains. “Obviously 2020 was one great collective struggle. I decided to print some music as motivation to help find my balance and connect again. This music is a reflection of my year in static.”

In other words, the juxtaposition that Crandles usually seeks out for the Prudence sound was all too apparent. A mismatch between exterior stasis and internal turmoil, and the dizzying present that results. Latest single ‘Celestial’ faces this head on, leaning on piano to amp up the intimacy and confront the pessimistic picture of the world unfolding outside. The song “is more of a reflection of the face of futility that stares me down day to day,” Crandles explains, “and the harmful ways in which I try to defy it which ultimately lead me further away from where I want to be.”

Untitled will be released on 14th May on Endless Recordings and you can get it now from the Prudence Bandcamp page.

The post Prudence – Celestial appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The song is the lead track from Songs After The Blue, the fourth studio album from Hamburg duo Deniz Çiçek and Robert Heitmann, and it’s clear that the entire record is crafted from the same aesthetic. Drawing inspiration from a wide range of artistic sources, from Rilke’s Letter to a Young Poet and Patti Smith’s Just Kids to movies such as Heathers and Breakfast Club, the album spins new wave, electro-pop and indie rock into a beguiling blend of familiar and strange.

The thematic side of the album is equally fluid, with lyrics that manage to sound at once intimate and abstract, a collision of the human and digital where connection does not necessarily equate true communication. Indeed, such a tension informs much of the release, the struggle of living and loving in a world of images and information. Songs such as ‘Heather’ tussle with some sort of loss of tangible existence in a world augmented by technology, where direct experience is replaced by the curation and re-visitation of the past. “We used to sleep under the trees,” Çiçek sings, “Now all we do is browse through / Long forgotten distant memories,” and later decrying “Living in a mirror / feeling like an error.”

‘Resonating Truly’ expands upon similar ideas, opening with the idea of “living [i]n a made-up scenery” before detailing a kind of free-fall through too many memories, too much information. ‘The Day the Internet Died’ feels like a culmination of these themes. As the press release describes, the track explores the “discrepancy between the promises of a virtual community and the lack of intimacy and internal isolation in the real world.” Worse, this does not result in a deadening of feeling, like the cliche of screen-obsessed zombies, but rather lonely and desperate people doing all they can to break free, to cut through the technological haze to once again feel something.

Songs After The Blue is out now via Better Call Rob and you can buy in on vinyl and cassette via the Kraków Loves Adana Bandcamp page.

The post Kraków Loves Adana – Songs After The Blue appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Dreaming of Notting Hill is a three song EP of new wave-style music, driven by synths and supported with post-punk vocals to give a satisfyingly retro feel. If you can imagine John Maus teaming up with Small Black and The Cure to soundtrack a melodramatic 80s teen movie where the misunderstood hero finds herself walking home alone from the disco time and time again, then it would probably sound a lot like this. And yes, that’s a compliment. Check out opening track ‘KiwiKisses’ below:

You can buy the album now over at the Vacant Magic Bandcamp page on a pay-what-you-can basis. Cassettes are in development so keep your eyes peeled if tapes are your thing.

The post Trenton Point – Dreaming of Notting Hill appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Opener ‘Seasons (Waiting On You)’ is the lead single from the album, and has a nice video courtesy of director Jay Buim –  a visual slice of modern day Americana, shot on location in the Great Plains. It’s a really great track, the band’s trademark heartfelt new-wave with a belter of a chorus. I’m no tastemaker, but I can’t help but feel it could prove a popular hit, particularly as summer (and festival season) comes calling.

A second track has also been given the video treatment, this time album closer ‘A Dream Of You And Me’, which has this amazing stop-motion video courtesy of Elena Johnston and William Cashion.

Singles is out on the 25th of March, pre-order it now via 4AD.

The post Future Islands – Singles appeared first on Various Small Flames.