But then, as though in keeping with Shady Bug’s signature unpredictability, things began to change. Both Anderson and O’Neill left the band, and Rainey took a break to experiment with solo project hennen. As we described previously, the project “sees Rainey work through feelings of heartbreak, isolation and self-sabotage using an iPhone and her distinctive brand of twee-tinged garage rock.” Recording as hennen broke open a new seam of creativity and encouraged Rainey to write full band arrangements alone for the first time. She then took these to practice, where Ripple and new members Chris Chartrand (bass) and Jack Mideke (drums) transformed them into complex warrens of sound and texture, but always with Rainey’s vocals front and centre. In other words, made them into Shady Bug songs.

When they were ready, the band took the new songs to Alex Molini (of Pile) at his studio in Nashville. Molini not only acted as producer but also provided keyboard segments that add an extra layer of complexity to the compositions. Take opener ‘zero expectations’ with its wiry guitar and steady galloping percussion, whipping up into a squally noise before the introduction of Rainey’s vocals, which land somewhere between impish and indifferent. It soon becomes apparent that this delivery masks more complex feelings, feigned apathy as a shield against worries, a kind of Schrödinger’s cat approach to unavoidable anxieties, where if you don’t acknowledge them they don’t exist.

“‘Zero Expectations’ has been a motto I tell myself to help go into situations with an open mind even though I am actually very worried,” Rainey explains. “The song playfully explores some of my anxieties, including climate change, capitalism, and trying to be noticed in the music industry.”

“I had zero expectations, zero and some were bad
Get over that notion, cuz every oceans filled with plastic
trash out on the sidewalk, but nobody seems to mind
Staring at the advertisements, but they
just want your money buy buy buy”

Such worries thread throughout the album, no matter how much the mood changes. ‘frog baby’ is altogether more sedate, at least outside of the stomping chorus. But again it’s wracked by uncertainty, and the continuation of the quiet-loud dynamic of ‘popsicle’ twists taut with an anxious tension which outlasts both the sunny rhythm and soaring chorus. ‘favor’ turns this frustration into a kind post-punk snarl, Rainey’s vocals those of a person fast approaching the end of their rope. “Always doing somebody a favor favor after favor,” she sings, “Step out of my body step out I don’t even know her / People pleasing couldn’t please me / please me much not much forever.”

But there is catharsis in airing such feelings, and as such the songs of What’s the Use? come to answer the titular question. To externalise that which has grown stale within you, moult the accumulated weight to emerge anew. The image is captured directly on closing track ‘Lizard’. It’s a beast of a finale, the longest, loudest thing Shady Bug have made to date. Taking full use of the stacks and amps in Pile HQ, the track builds to a crushing crescendo full of crashing percussion and squealing guitar (what the band describe as a “a nuts fuzz loud wildin’ out section.”)—a moment of pure, visceral noise.

“’Lizard’ was written while I was still in my relationship but I knew I needed to leave so I could grow, aka shed my old layer of lizard skin,” says Rainey. “It was really hard to leave the relationship because I knew I would regret either decision and be sad. Tossing and turning, not knowing how to go on. The Lizard Year is a reflection of wanting that growth so bad but having many doubts.” The song is a fitting conclusion both to the record and this period of the Shady Bug project, and one which leaves you wondering just what form they might take next.

What’s the Use? is out now via Exploding in Sound Records. Grab a cassette tape or download via Bandcamp.

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Setili started the algae dust project as an exercise in improving her guitar playing and teaching herself to mix, working instinctively to build on ambiguous ideas that explore themes of “nostalgia, cyclical thought, and the importance of perspective.” Starting slow and subdued, ‘circular’ is a good introduction. “Well I’ve been walking circles in my mind,” Setili begins over gentle bedroom pop guitar. But it’s not long before the song sparks into something bigger, fellow Frankie Valet member Gram Tolish providing drums as the song crashes into life in its final third, transforming into something with considerable force.

This duality becomes a theme across the algae dust half of the album. Tracks that start soft and intimate find stormy peaks or refuse to settle into recognizable patterns, peaceful blue skies of songs like the patient instrumental ‘by the window’ sit next to grey rainclouds and agitated squalls of emotion, like ‘grasp’ with its constant percussion and whirring organ-like keys.

The hennen side sees Rainey work through feelings of heartbreak, isolation and self-sabotage using an iPhone and her distinctive brand of twee-tinged garage rock. It takes the Shady Bug formula (catchy hooks and knotted, unpredictable melodies) and strips things back, losing some of the sheer power of the full-band crescendo but gaining an intangible sense of the personal. There is perhaps more of a pop influence, which comes to the fore on tracks like closer ‘bothered’, sounding remarkably slick and streamlined with its electronics and yearning vocals.

There’s a definite sense these songs give Rainey space to experiment, allow her to venture into areas that perhaps wouldn’t fit Shady Bug. Tracks like ‘lizard’ shift between woozy bedroom pop and contemporary r&b, while ‘auto-pilot’ smothers strong vocal melodies in wobbly, underwater distortion. But that’s not to say there’s not a healthy dose of indie rock grit on display. ‘the hardest’ has a propulsive energy and satisfying rumble in its bones, while ‘zero expectations’ juxtaposes gentle vocals with blown-out distorted guitar. All in all it’s a consistently surprising and cohesive split, and one which feels right at home on the It Takes Time discography.

algae dust // hennen is out now and you can get it on cassette or download from the It Takes Time Records Bandcamp page.

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We caught up with the band to delve a little deeper into the record and what it means to them.

Hi Shady Bug, thanks for talking to us! How does it feel to have Lemon Lime out in the world?

We are so happy to have these songs out in the world to share!! It’s been really fun touring and hearing everyone’s reaction to the record.

Lemon Lime is an album of juxtapositions, from the guitar playing to the lyrics to the sweet and sharp imagery of the title. Would you agree with that? And if so, is it something you aimed for, or did these opposite but balancing elements come together naturally?

Definitely, there’s a lot of dynamic range on the record and we wanted a hyper contrasting sound with twists and turns and surprises. I love to write songs that may seem happy-go-lucky but then switch to something dark, in the music or lyrics. We also have two very different guitar styles – I’m more jangly and sweet while Tom is more sharp and sour. For some reason this works, not sure how but we just have fun with it!! The album title is on purpose to highlight our aesthetic, but it’s also from a lyric in ‘Make it Up’ about drinking sprite with your crush from a styrofoam cup.

There’s a similar theme in the lyrics too, sweet and sour ruminations on relationships and life in a Midwestern city. How did the songwriting process work? And what was your inspiration when writing these songs?

I write all the lyrics for these songs, usually on notes in my phone, about my life or things that happen to my friends. My process is never the same each time, sometimes it takes one day to write a song, and then other times a month. I’m definitely influenced by my surroundings in St. Louis. The city is falling apart in some places and lively and exciting in others. At the time I wrote this record, all my friends were broke and going out almost every night. I was writing about going to shows and having fun, against the feeling of heartbreak, anxiety, feeling lost with no direction in your life, and being surrounded by all these old brick buildings in south city St. Louis.

I really like how lots of the songs have a darker, unrestrained edge, both sonically and lyrically. Is that an attempt to confront the fact life in 2019 isn’t just all crushes and soda? And how important is it that bands acknowledge the troubling times we live in?

I’ve had a lot of anxiety about global warming and the political state. I think it’s really refreshing when bands write about what’s actually going on because we can all relate and it makes us feel less alone. Writing about my fears has helped me cope and not ignore these real issues in the world. Writing about my heartbreak has also helped me come to terms with my sadness and heal.

Hannah’s background is in classical guitar, while Tom is self-taught. How do these opposing styles come together? And at what point does a classically trained guitarist decide they want to form an indie rock band?

At first we didn’t really understand each other, I never knew what Tom was trying to play (still don’t!), but I think that’s kind of cool. We have our own guitar voices in each song that contrast but also flow together at unexpected times. It’s been fun working with people that can teach me new ways of approaching music and I can also teach them! Aaron our drummer is trained in jazz upright bass so he also has a whole different mindset about music.

I actually have been playing DIY shows since I was in high school with my folk band with my twin sister called Dubb Nubb. I was pretty familiar with the scene but just never thought I could play rock guitar. I was intimidated by the ‘boys club’ lol. Years after Dubb Nubb was well established in our area I started writing some solo songs and borrowed an electric guitar. I finally began to create riffs and use pedals. I actually didn’t even try to get a full band together but I told Aaron about my songs and he took the initiative to form a band with me. For Shady Bug I bought my first electric guitar and tube amp, and I started playing with a pick haha. I still play classical sometimes but have completely lost my chops, which is sad.

Lemon Lime is your first album on Exploding in Sound Records, which seems like such a perfect fit for your sound. How did that relationship come about? And what does it mean to have a label like EIS?

Well, we were huge EIS fans. All of us have been listening to bands from the label for a long time and were influenced by bands like Ovlov, Pile, and Speedy Ortiz. Post-Trash music blog reviewed our first album ‘tbh idk’ and premiered our first music video. When Dan Goldin expressed interest in putting our next record, we were SO excited, it was a dream come true!!

As for the label itself, we are so lucky to work with the best people that just care about releasing good music. The music industry sucks but EIS is definitely a special label, they are real.

Going back to the St. Louis/Midwest theme, do you feel there is something distinct about midwestern music, compared to that being made on the coasts?

People always say we sound like ‘midwest emo’ or ‘that St. Louis math rock’ lol! But I think the scene here is unique because it’s so small, we have a lot of crossover from the different genres and there’s lots of support. I feel like we have a certain soul and way of life in the midwest that you can’t find on the east or west coast. The people here are slower paced and more understanding, but it’s also easy to feel stuck here. The honest and raw art made in St. Louis reflects this midwestern angst, but formed in an intimate DIY community of just making music with friends in basements.

Finally, could you name four or five artists you are enjoying at the moment? They can be new, old, popular, obscure, whatever you find yourself turning to.

Hannah – Weyes Blood
Aaron – Miles Davis, Second Great Quintet
Tom – Patio
Chris – Team Dresch

Lemon Lime is out now via Exploding in Sound Records and you can grab it from Bandcamp.

Photo by Mabel Suen

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Tracklist:

Field Medic – henna tattoo
Leggy – Taffy
Myshiuno – Turf War In Chinatown, SF
Press Club – Suburbia
Shady Bug – Make it Up
Calicoco – Anchor Park
LUNCH – Forget Everything
krissanthemum – Honesty Hour
Wy – Pavements
UV Rays – Flowerhead
Fanclub – Stranger
Jeffrey Silverstein – Easy Rider
Ryan Dugré – Tonight
Okay Embrace – Phantom Text
Samia – Lasting Friend
community college – karaoke
runnner – eggshell
Fields of Heaven – Song of Loss
Minor Moon – Hold Me Up (Liar)
Lampland – You Little Liar
Westkust – Swebeach
kate can wait – licantropía
Bleeder – Rusted and Raw
Laveda – Dream Sleep
Pass/Ages – As It Rises
Yuri Tománek – In the end, we all fade away
Tender Glue – Dear Peri
Red Wedding – Bones
Women Tied to Railroad Tracks – Endless Carpet
Eyesore & the Jinx – On An Island
Bellows – What Can I Tell You About the World?
Merival – Sinner
Vassals – Lil Anvil
The This – The Strangest Ritual
Breakup Films – You Said You Hate Not Seeing Me
The Phone Booth – Healthcare
Seamstress – Everything
Zelma Stone – Light Bulb Boy
Charlotte Cornfield – Andrew
Wicketkeeper – Night Night (Whatever)
a. harlana – faces
Lady Dan – What Sanity
Tesha – Funeral

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runnner – eggshell

runnner is the project of Noah Weinman and Nate Lichtenberger, who make muic that they describe as “fus[ing] electronic and experimental elements into ragged, heart-on-your-sleeve folk-rock.” In May last year we premiered a video from their debut album Awash, and now the band are readying a follow-up EP entitled Fan On. In anticipation, runnner have released the first single, ‘eggshell’, a song that sees them inject a little lo-fi folk aesthetic into their bedroom pop. It’s something like the breezily reflective folk pop of Pinegrove meets the kitchen-based everyday introspection of early Trace Mountains. Lyrically the song is both smart and sad, probably the most affecting song you’ll hear about cooking eggs all year.

Stay tuned to the runnner Bandcamp page for news on the new EP.

Wy – Pavements

We wrote about ‘Gone Wild’ by Malmö’s Wy back in 2017, describing the track as “representing the sensation of being stuck in your own head, a vast lonely place that’s somehow claustrophobic too.” The track was taken from Okay, an album which existed within a great cloudy haze of atmosphere and emotion, though latest single ‘Pavements’ expands upon the record’s style and pushes into more urgent, aggressive territory. The evolution serves to increase the intensity and ferocity of the Wy sound, the insistent rhythm driving Ebba’s ominously threatening vocals and forthright lyrics.

‘Pavements’ is out now via Hybris.

Westkust – Swebeach

Based in Gothenburg, rock band Westkust have been quiet since the the release of Last Forever back in 2015, though this year will see that put right with a self-titled album with Run For Cover Records. Lead single ‘Swebeach’ gives an indication of what to expect, fun-filled garage rock as filtered through a shoegaze prism, Julia Bjernelind’s vocals emerging through the wall of noise with a sense of assurance and warmth, like a hand reaching out in the dark.

Merival – Sinner

Merival, the project led by Toronto’s Anna Horvath, make lush and emotive songs that combine self-searching introspection with slow-burning catharsis. Their latest single ‘Sinner’ is what Horvath describes as a song “about being caught between two places, one known and comfortable, and the other intoxicatingly new and impossible to avoid.” It combines the lyricism commonly associated with folk with sparse guitar arrangements and confident vocal delivery. The sense of grand emotion is heightened in the track’s second half as elegant strings weave onto the scene, proving that you don’t need to write a sad-sounding song to convey real feeling.

You can buy ‘Sinner’ from the Merival Bandcamp page.

community college – novocaine / karaoke

The side project of Horse Jumper of Love bassist John Margaris, community college are readying their debut album on Disposable America. Joined by his brother Dan on drums and fellow Horse Jumper Dimitri Giannopolous on bass, Margaris makes downbeat lo-fi pop songs that are nevertheless crunchy and catchy. The opening two tracks have been released into the wild early, and both ‘novocaine’ and ‘karaoke’ are short and moreish, the former feeling as numbed as the title suggests, while the latter has a bit more life, tentatively shambling towards glorious basement indie rock.

You can pre-order comco now from the Disposable America Bandcamp page.

Seamstress – Everything

New Jersey’s Gabriella Chavez met Charlie Sztyk in their local music scene, and the pair formed Seamstress, a band that take Chavez’s personal history of heartbreak and moulds it into songs that sweep and shift around a solid emotional core. Their latest single, ‘Everything’ is a case in point, a vulnerable admission of the difficulty of communication in trying times. Chavez’s vocals sound strong and still despite this sense of fragile yearning, resulting in the kind of sincere folk rock that Sharon van Etten has made her own.

I don’t wanna talk about it, anymore,
I don’t wanna talk about it

Tender Glue – Dear Peri

Tender Glue is Tom Gluewicki, born and raised in Poland but now residing in New York. ‘Dear Peri’ is a track from the latest Tender Glue album, Closet Leftovers, an achingly emotive song inspired by the death of a Polish climber on Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas. The Peri of the title is a ghost of local legend which protects the mountain, and the lyrics confront imagined details of the climber’s last moments as he succumbs to the will of the mountain. Built on an anchoring guitar line, the song sways with waves of atmospherics as Gluewicki’s vocals deliver his words with an intense melancholy.

Closet Leftovers is out now and available from the Tender Glue Bandcamp page.

Charlotte Cornfield – Andrew

Charlotte Cornfield is a singer-songwriter from Toronto. Her third LP, The Shape of Your Name, is on its way in the Spring, and is set to feature a stellar cast of collaborators, including Leif Vollebekk and Brendan Canning, Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin (all of Broken Social Scene). In anticipation of release, Cornfield has unveiled the record’s first single, ‘Andrew’. She describes the song as a “reminder to step back and look at the bigger picture instead of dwelling on the minutiae,” and says that it could be about a partner both platonic or romantic. The press release promises something contemplative and contemporary, funny and heart-wrenching, and Cornfield makes good on the pledge, creating a folk rock song that feels both spry and tender, a clear-eyed and confident confrontation with the truth of a situation.

The Shape of Your Name will be released on the 5th April via Outside Music’s new imprint Next Door Records.

Zelma Stone – Light Bulb Boy

Zelma Stone are from San Francisco, with lead Chloe Zelma joined by Haley Pan (bass), Jake Kissner (drums), Jewelz (keys) and Kevin Fielding (lead guitar). Citing Big Thief and Angel Olsen as major influences, the band have recently released their debut EP, Layla, which promises to “channel grief and pain into a dreamy soundscape of empowering arrangements and addictive melodies.” ‘Light Bulb Boy’ is the third track on that EP, a song that builds from mellow folk rock beginnings into something altogether more stirring.

Being here where things are breakable
I guess we’ve chosen this path
It’s a long familiar road now darling
and these seasons just keep on coming back

Field Medic – henna tattoo

We’ve been fans of Field Medic, aka Kevin Patrick, for a long time here at VSF, and have been pleased to watch his progress as he has made music his full-time endeavour. His latest album, fade into the dawn, is on the way via Run For Cover Records, a release that promises to blend “black humour and bold introspection” to find meaning in the mundane. As a taster, Field Medic has unveiled first single, ‘henna tattoo’, a characteristically sincere song recorded to 4-track tape recorder. Acoustic guitar is joined by Patrick’s earnest vocals and subtle beats from his drum machine, making for a track that lands at the folkier end of the bedroom pop spectrum.

fade into the dawn will be released on Run For Cover Records on 19th April, and you can pre-order it now from their website or Bandcamp page.

Shady Bug – Make it Up

The latest addition to the ranks of Exploding in Sound, Shady Bug are an indie rock band from St Louis. Their forthcoming album Lemon Lime is due to be released next month. The first single, ‘Make It Up’ is available to stream right now, and it’s immediately apparent that their sound feels right at home next to their new label mates. Lead Hannah Rainey says the song is about sharing Sprite with a crush, although the sweetness is offset somewhat by the chorus which covers worries both personal and what Rainey describes to Flood Magazine as “anxiety caused by the trees blooming early and dying in my neighborhood because of global warming.” The thrashing, cathartic finale helps too, proving that Shady Bug have the indie rock chops to support their fun songwriting.

Pre-order Lemon Lime now from the Exploding in Sound Bandcamp page and the Shady Bug Bandcamp page.

UV Rays – Flowerhead

Though originating as the solo project of Adrien DeFontaine, Brooklyn’s UV Rays soon grew into a four piece and found their groove as a raucous indie rock band. New single ‘Flowerhead’ serves as a great introduction for the uninitiated, driven forward by the drums and vocals of  Erica Warner, the guitars and bass surging behind with warm energy—like a shoegaze track as imagined by a power pop band, all melancholy blown away by the sheer momentum.

‘Flowerhead’ is taken from the band’s debut EP, Try and Begin, which is set for release on the 1st March, so keep an eye on the UV Rays Bandcamp page.

a. harlana – faces

Juno Roome leads a. harlana, a band that make gauzy and vaporous ambient pop songs with a raw and emotional edge. They have recently released an EP, ada belle, three tracks that shift and swirl with dreamy feeling, or as the press release accurately puts it, “elegaic, elegant, enigmatic and extra-good.” ‘Faces’ is the initial standout, a 7+ minute lesson in patience and atmosphere, lingering like tendrils of fog over sparkling guitar and lovelorn vocals. The overall aura is one of yearning, especially with the final line of “but i can’t seem to will your face next to mine.”

Okay Embrace – Phantom Text

We first featured David Schaefer’s Okay Embrace back in November when we premiered their single, ‘Moving’. “The delivery has a breathless quality,” we wrote of the track. “like the words of a person who has withheld their feelings for too long, the mounting pressure breaching some threshold and spewing forth in manic flow.” ‘Phantom Text’ is the second song from the release Moving/Improving, a song that builds from uncertain beginnings and kicks into a tighter rhythm. Again, the track builds into an increasingly pressing emotional state, bringing to mind the likes of Bright Eyes and Slaughter Beach, Dog in its ability to craft personal struggles into affirming, searching tunes.

Moving/Improving is available now from the Okay Embrace Bandcamp page.

Lady Dan – What Sanity

Working out of Texas but with roots in Birmingham, Alabama, Lady Dan makes music which is self-described as “Melancholic cowboy sounds you can cry in front of your cat to.” Taken from a forthcoming EP, ‘What Sanity’ takes this aesthetic and runs in the direction of unrequited love, detailing the soul-sucking sensation of falling for someone when they are indifferent to your very existence.

Bellows – What Can I Tell You About the World?

Recording as Bellows, Oliver Kalb has made his name as an interesting, ambitious songwriter that deals in heartfelt honesty. The Rose Gardener, his forth record that’s coming soon on Topshelf Records, looks set to continue the trend, stretching the limits of the bedroom pop genre and calling into question the use of such terms. Still, leads single ‘What Can I Tell You About the World?’ keeps things simple, a humble, touching folk song that comes complete with an intimate video from Richard Gin, setting the tone for an album that looks to address the poisonous culture of judgement and loneliness that marks the contemporary Western experience.

The Rose Gardener will be released on Topshelf Records on the 22nd February and you can get it on Bandcamp.

The This – The Strangest Ritual

Beginning life as a solo project of Evan Matthiesen, the ungoogleable Victoria, B.C. band THE THIS put out a debut EP back in 2017, and have since followed up with a series of single in preparation for a full length album. After the dejected weariness of ‘Casual Encounters’, the band are back with ‘The Strangest Ritual’, a frantic slice of punk rock that trades any hesitancy for frantic forward motion. As Matthiesen shouts over runaway instrumentation, you get the sense that the song is determined to have a good time despite whatever might be happening around it, as though fun and assured energy can be willed into existence with enough desire and dedication.

Bleeder – Rusted and Raw

Bleeder is the recording project of Shelby Smoak a writer and musician who focuses much of his attention on his experiences as a haemophiliac. His memoir, also titled Bleeder, was published by Michigan State University Press back in 2013, detailing the quest for life and love when suffering from haemophilia and HIV, with what Joanna Smith Rakoff described as “not just brutal honesty, but also with humour and grace.”

Bleeder the band emerged from the book’s ashes, looking to explore similar themes through a different form and tone. The second video in the outfit’s Singles Series, ‘Rusted and Raw’ takes the emotion, fear and loneliness of the memoir and weaves it into a wistfully retro brand of indie rock—once again breathing human life into a story of suffering and perseverance.

You can find all previous editions of Bright Sparks here, and why not check out our monthly roundup mixes?

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