MRCH
I Love You But You Don’t Know What You’re Talking About
That’s a rather long EP title for a band I would usually describe as terse. They don’t even give us a vowel in their band name and most of their tracks have one word titles. The breathy electropop of MRCH, however, isn’t short on style. “Light” opens the five-track EP, I Love You But You Don’t Know What You’re Talking About. This isn’t upbeat dance music. This is dreamy, meditative electronica pop meant to induce swaying in a club setting. Although, in all fairness, you could definitely dust off some of those New Wave dance moves for some of the tracks on MRCH’s latest, including “Ruins” and “Spin”. The EP is available on Spotify and iTunes, but you can preview “Ruin” here…
Iska Dhaaf
Iska Dhaaf is an artist I want to keep an eye (or ear) on. It is only with his fourth release – The Wanting Creature – that I even discovered Dhaaf and his musical endeavors, but I plan on delving the complete discography. The latest album opens with “Invisible Cities”, aptly named for its decidedly urban feel. Listening to this song, I can imagine tearing through a cityscape in middle of the night, windows open and music blasting. The Wanting Creature definitely provides some dance-able electro-pop despite its darker reflections on city life, a recurring theme on this album. At other moments, the music swims toward the listener at a meditative pace. The Seattle artist currently resides in New York, but The Wanting Creature was released through Brick Lane Records out of Seattle. That seems appropriate because The Wanting Creature has a mellow, West Coast vibe. “Chrysalis” and “Laura Palmer” (of course) are stand out tracks for me, but, overall, The Wanting Creature won’t leave you wanting. Preview the album before purchase here…
Beginners
This five-track, self-titled debut from L.A.’s Beginners offers a high-energy, club-ready mix of music to get you moving whether on a dance floor or in your bedroom. The EP opens with “Ever Love” and fans of alt-electro-pop will be uplifted by the effervescent vibes. That invigorating energy doesn’t diminish although it does transmogrify throughout the release from the New Wave feel of the synths on “Let Go or Get Dragged” to easy permutations between chill and edgy on “So Close I Almost Believed It”. The closing track, “If It’s Not Enough”, takes on a plaintive hue without losing that Beginners’ sound. Overall, this EP is a promising start for Beginners. The band already has a new album in the works due out in September, but before that release hits public ears, give Beginners by Beginners a listen here…
Foresteater
Nightlife of the Exploding Heads
Mikey Pro out of Phoenix creates music under the name Foresteater. The act’s debut EP kicks off with the single “Very Friendly People”, but it’s not until the second track, “High and Bright”, that I really start to feel the Foresteater groove. Pro started writing the album after he had a dream wherein there was “a band playing on an island in outer-space with electric rainbows everywhere.” That’s actually a great visual to call to mind when listening to this album. Foresteater offers up effervescent, spaced-out electro-pop, something a little more dreamy than dance club. “Nighttime Honey” has a slowly building energy that envelopes the listener before the closing track, “Dress in Yellow”, mellows out a little with the EP’s most indie track. Recorded with Bob Hoag over at Flying Blanket Studios, Nightlife of the Exploding Heads was an unexpected boon to my afternoon listening. Check it out for yourself here…
Koala Bear
KBTP
Koala Bear describes his unique brand of electronica as “Drug Pop” and, while we never want to encourage disreputable behavior, I can imagine that certain foreign substances in the blood stream can induce a trance-like state with the addition of a KB soundtrack. The largely instrumental debut EP – KBTP – offers listeners four dreamy and uplifting tracks that are simple in design, but held our attention from start to finish. Coming in a just a little over ten minutes in length, my only complaint about KBTP by Koala Bear is that it leaves you wanting more. You can download the EP from Koala Bear for free through Bandcamp. But first, give it a listen here…
