Steady Holiday – Terror

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Feeling the need to express herself post election, Steady Holiday, the solo project of Dre Babinski picked up a pen on November 9 and composed a collection of tracks in the span of a month. Culminating in an EP called Terror, the effort features contributions from Josh Adams (Jenny Lewis) and Gus Seyffert (The Black Keys, Beck). In the title track, Babinski writes about a fictional character’s fear of the unknown, which also serves as a metaphor for the xenophobia sweeping the country. The dark subject matter juxtaposed with her romantic ’60s-inspired arrangements and soft lilting vocal adds a rich layer of irony to the track.

The follow up to her 2016 breakout LP Under the Influence, the new EP will be released this April on Infinite Best Recordings. Steady Holiday will be supporting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Mitski on the road this spring, and doing a hometown EP release show April 7 at Resident in LA.

Hear “Terror” along with standout earlier effort “Your Version of Me” below.

Cigarettes After Sex – K

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The Brooklyn ambient pop collective Cigarettes After Sex are back with a poignant new single in anticipation of their debut full length, due out on Partisan Records in 2017. Sensual, hazy and wearily romantic without holding any self-delusions, “K” is a minimal, moody gem of a shoegazey track guided by frontman Greg Gonzalez’s evocative vocals — recalling Mazzy Star‘s “Fade Into You.” Get intimate with “K” below, and then go have a cig.

Wy – Nobody Else

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Meet Malmö-based duo Wy, the new Swedish dreampop outfit using sad guitar, pulsing synths and and majestic choruses to create emotive and powerfully raw music. Consisting of real-life lovers Ebba and Michel, the creative duo both contribute to songwriting and production for the project, while Ebba’s background as creative designer and photographer lends itself to their artwork and videography. Ebba’s vocals eloquently express anxiety-ridden sentiments of powerlessness in an unfair world, layered against the backdrop of melancholic instrumentation reminiscent of The xx. Listen to “Nobody Else,” the cathartic single from their debut EP Never Was below.

Graveyard Club – Cellar Door

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Graveyard Club came together over a mutual appreciation of stories by sci-fi author Ray Bradbury, the music of Ryan Gosling’s project Dead Man’s Bones, and a shared love of 50’s and 80’s pop. The Minneapolis-based band was resurrected in 2013 by founding members Matthew Schufman (vocals, synths) and Michael Wojtalewicz (guitar), and eventually grew into a quartet with the addition of Cory Jacobs (drums) and Amanda Zimmerman (bass, vocals). Together they create a retro blend of Goth-romantic new wave and synthpop noir, inspired by the musical stylings of The Cure and New Order.

Eschewing personal narrative in favor of more overarching thematic pursuits, Graveyard Club cover a range of subjects on their new LP Cellar Door, including nostalgia, love and yes, death. The record’s title track, a gorgeous and melodious dirge is a testimony to this with its swirling, haunting synths and bittersweet lyrics. Over an elegiac soundscape Schufman croons, ‘Close your eyes and count to ten, I’m going to start to love again,’ suggesting a sense of hope in the face of past disappointments. Stream below and support the group by following them on Spotify.

Grimes – Flesh Without Blood / Life In The Vivid Dream

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Grimes

Just in time for Halloween, Grimes has released the sanguine self-directed video for “Flesh Without Blood” / “Life In The Vivid Dream” off her forthcoming album Art Angels. The album is the long anticipated follow-up to the Canadian artist Claire Boucher’s 2012 LP Visions, and will be out November 6 on 4AD.

Despite the bloody essence of the video, which evokes imagery from that of a possessed angel to a scorned Marie Antoinette — “Flesh Without Blood” is a pretty pop number that retains her signature dark and ethereal undertones. At the end of the phantasmagorical video reveals another, more subdued and equally intriguing sound with the second piece “Life In The Vivid Dream.”

Beginning her headlining tour in the US this week, check out Boucher’s North American tour dates below, which include a sold-out show at DC’s 9:30 Club November 13.

2015 North American Tour Dates:

28th – The Showbox, Seattle WA, US [Tickets]
31st – The Fillmore, San Francisco CA, US 
2nd – Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles CA, US [Tickets]
4th – Guggenheim, New York NY, US [Tickets]
7th – Fun Fun Fun Fest, Austin TX, US [Tickets]
9th – Republic, New Orleans LA, US [Tickets]
10th – Marathon, Nashville TN, US [Tickets]
11th – Buckhead, Atlanta GA, US [Tickets]
13th – 9:30 Club, Washington DC, US [Tickets]
14th – Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, US [Tickets]
16th – Terminal 5, New York NY, US [Tickets]
20th – Paradise, Boston MA, US [Tickets]
21st – Metropolis, Montreal QC, Canada [Tickets]
22nd – Danforth, Toronto ON, Canada [Tickets]
25th – Metro, Chicago IL, US [Tickets]

Wild Ones – Show Me Islands

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WildOnes

As dreampop outfits go, Portland’s Wild Ones are one of the dreamiest. They stole our hearts with their 2013 debut Keep It Safe — an album brimming with romantic cuts like “Paia” — and in August released their new EP Heatwave. Listen to one of their more upbeat tracks, “Show Me Islands” from the EP, showcasing Danielle Sullivan’s winsome vocals below.

Currently on tour with Pure Bathing Culture, DC locals can catch Wild Ones opening for PBC tonight at DC9 Nightclub. We can attest that the quintet are just as alluring live as their studio manifestations.

Also check out a couple of our favorites from the Wild Ones‘ debut LP:

// LSBV // – Smoke N Mirrors

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LSBV

London duo LSBV (short for Little Shoes Big Voice) dropped a lovely new piece of dreampop in the ether this week — a track called “Smoke N Mirrors.” Made up of Jack Durtnall and Emily Harvey, the British two-piece released their debut EP, Little Things last year and continue to assert themselves with instantly accessible singles such as this one. Enjoy the whimsical gem below.

WATERBED – around

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Once upon a time in a strange la-la land, there was a musical outfit called MVSCLES who caught our ears in 2012 with the pithy and endearing tune, “sweet n sour.” After going into hiding for awhile, the LA-based dreampop duo have reemerged under the name WATERBED with their new single “around.” It’s a welcome return, with its whimsical melodies and kaleidoscopic synths, sonically similar to Grimes. Members Chad and Cat are currently in the studio working on their debut album. For more of their particular bubblegum flavor, we recommend streaming the sprightly track “somethin” below as well.

Yumi Zouma – It Feels Good To Be Around You (ft. Air France)

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YumiZouma2Air France may no longer be with us, but luckily the former members Joel Karlsson and Henrik Markstedt agreed to briefly reunite for Yumi Zouma‘s cover of their last single, “It Feels Good To Be Around You.” Along with Zoumi’s vocals, the track features spoken portions of Air France’s touching tumblr tribute to the group’s dissolution (*tear).

The Line of Best Fit, in conjuction with Zoumi’s label Cascine premiered the track earlier this year. Listen below, along with an entrancing remix of the original by Memory Tapes.

If you’re in the DC area, catch Yumi Zouma tomorrow, July 26 at the DC Rooftop Party put on by All Things Go.