Tag Archives: Psych-Pop

Carnivals ‘City of Skulls’.

Carnivals are a four-piece psychedelic band from South East London. Band members Joe Hannen (Lead Guitar & Synth), Harry Wood (Drums), Cal Green (Lead Vocals/Guitar) and George Brimble (Bass/Backing Vocals) have developed a sound that embraces the odd psychedelia of the unknown, whilst keeping themselves tightly gripped to their roots of indie-pop. 2016 saw them release the single ‘Shadows’ which was recorded at Liverpool’s legendary Parr Street Studios, gain Radio play from the likes of Radio X whilst recruiting a budding fanbase on the road playing UK festival slots including Isle Of Wight Festival.
The Psych-Pop quartet have released their latest demo ‘City of Skulls’. This kaleidoscopic of darkened gritty hallucinogenic rock shows the band delving further into the realm of 60’s Psychedelia. The mind bending guitar glitters and flashes with narcotic effects that shimmer like glass facets catching your eye. The track races through at a frantic pace taking time out for the slick shredding kick ass guitar solo. Punchy drums drives the track into this rapid pace adding a heavy manic mosh effect that is perfect for the pit at a live show. Flexible sensual bass slaps with a malleable elastic texture adding an enticing luring quality to the track. The Joy Division- esque vocals exude swagger and charisma. ‘City of Skulls’ takes you on the most thrilling opiate trip of 60s psychedelia mixed with gritty frenzied rock that I can imagine is insane live. When asked about the track the band said “our intentions were to channel a frantic pace with an insight into the live experience, with the lyrics we tried to release the strain of the daily grind”.
Can’t wait to hear more from these guys keep an eye out for Carnivals in 2017.
If you want to catch the lads live you can see them at
January 27th- The Rocksteady, London (Independent venue week)
February 4th- Paper Dress Vintage, London
Follow the band on social media here
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/carnivalsofficial/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/CarnivalsBand?lang=en
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/carnivalsofficial/
https://musicglue.com/carnivalsofficial/about

Stream ‘City of Skulls’ below

Desert Fevers ‘Raindrops’

Desert Fevers are Jake Rutter, Zac Blow, Joe Roberts, and Sam Roberts. They play a unique blend of raw, soul flavoured surf tinged garage. This new unique band have released this sweet little track ‘Raindrops’. Its an old school reverb drenched jangle of utter bliss mixed with lo-fi psych pop. Its the perfect recipe for success. The sweet honeyed melody glides with effortless flow creating a sound that is pure delight. A strut worthy jangle on guitar adds a swanky prance and flamboyance to the oh so sleek track. The hip shaking groovy beat coaxes you to move with a funky bounce and vitality. This track exudes swagger and panache from it very core spreading syrupy pop mixed with psychedelic euphoria like sticky sap oozing from every note. It gentle delicate mind numbing psychedelic vibes contrast with the sunny energetic upbeat spring creating a sublime bubble of heavenly elation. The vocals soothe, coated in reverb alongside the instrumentation but not as the main focus they act more like an accompaniment to the rippling elastic oh so cool instrumentation.
Stream ‘Raindrops’ below

Ten Fé ‘Twist Your Arm’

London-based duo Ten Fé have released their new single ‘Twist Your Arm’ which was produced by Ewan Pearson (Jagwar Ma, M83, The Rapture). It is a taste of whats to come from their upcoming debut album ‘Hit The Light’ which is due out February 3rd. Ben Moorhouse and Leo Duncan have already given us the acclaimed singles ‘Make Me Better’, ‘In The Air’, ‘Elodie’ and ‘Turn’ which accumulated over 6 million streams on Spotify. ‘Twist Your Arm’ is a relaxed bouncy pop track with trippy swirling electronics chilled with breezy natural tones and soaked in effortlessly cool funky swagger. Your heart skips a beat in time with the pulsating punchy beat as the melody sweeps you up into a fluffy cloud of psychedelic bliss. This deeply yearning track twirls with loose floaty ecstasy while pulling you into its depths with the propulsive strong beat and elastic bass. The funky guitar adds an infectious groove and energetic refreshing lift to the track while the velvety smooth vocals soothe and coo with hair raisingly creamy richness and lush falsetto in the chorus. The track builds to a massive Gospel like crescendo that compels you to sing along and sway back and forth clapping along.
Each track Ten Fé have released brings something new to the table displaying fine musicianship and diversity. Their debut album ‘Hit The Light’ is going to be one satisfying feast of juicy tunes that will brighten up 2017.
Stream ‘Twist Your Arm’ below

Dia ‘Gambling Girl’

Dia is the stunning project of composer and performer, Danielle Birrittella. The Indie folk/baroque pop artist has released the beautiful, cinematic music video for her latest single, ‘Gambling Girl’ off her debut EP ‘Tiny Ocean’, which was released with Manimal Records and features songs produced by Joey Waronker (Beck, REM, Atoms for Peace), Tim Carr (The Americans, HAIM) and Frankie Siragusa (theLAB). Raised on a Hindu ashram, Dia sang ceremonial ragas as a child, which led to training and performing as an opera singer throughout the U.S. and Europe. Along these travels, she began experimenting with music and writing song fragments on a ukulele, which was gifted to her by her brother. Dia’s practice as a classically trained opera singer induced an incredibly critical ear. Her influences of classical music, such as Baroque and French Romantics are beautifully infused with modern experimental cinematic folk on her debut EP. A native of New England, and graduate of New York University (BA) and California Institute of the Arts (MFA), she has lived and worked as an artist in New York, France, and Italy. Highlighted performances have included Disney Hall’s REDCAT – Los Angeles, La Musica Lirica – Italy, The Chautauqua Institute – New York, La Main d’Or – Paris, and The Ludwig Foundation – Cuba.
‘Gambling Girl’ is a moody cinematic dream pop swirl that is more sticky than honey. The dark stuffy atmosphere suffocates you in a spiralling dreamy haze. The steady thump beat teamed with sultry bewitching lull on vocals give a narcotic hypnotic effect that draws you further and further into the calming opiate illusion. Dia’s vocals act as a sedative or tranquilliser cooing with soft mind numbing qualities. Driven by a seductive sway-like flow ‘Gambling Girl’ lures and entices with graceful delicate charm and daydream obscurity.
Watch the video for ‘Gambling Girl’ which portrays Dia and a cowboy beneath a sunset, riding horses and dancing in the desert below.

The Fin.’Through The Deep’ Remix EP

Japanese masters of shimmering ethereal pop, The Fin. have announced an exclusive remix EP, featuring versions remixed by The Field, Ten Fé and All We Are. The ‘Through The Deep’ remix EP features four adventurous reworkings of tracks from their ocean-inspired dream-pop nugget ‘Through The Deep’ which was released in the summer. The remix EP will also serve as a key component of the launch of Spotify in Japan. Hailing from the vibrant Japanese port city of Kobe, The Fin. elected to temporarily relocate to England’s equally bustling capital in autumn 2016 to explore the impact that life in London might bring to bear on their new material. Having signed to Lost In The Manor Records the previous year, the band’s growing renown on these shores has led to a surge of media interest and prime headline slots such as this year’s Great Escape Festival. The Fin. have performed before thousands of rapturous fans at major Japanese festivals including Fuji Rock, Rising Sun and Viva La Rock. Not content with such acclaim in one country alone, Yuto Uchino (vocals and synths), Ryosuke Odagaki (guitar), Takayasu Taguchi (bass) and Kaoru Nakazawa (drums) set their sights worldwide and in 2015 embarked on a major tour of the US, which included a performance at SXSW, before signing to Lost In The Manor and releasing their debut UK EP, ‘Night Time’.
All We Are step up to the plate first with their exceptional rework of ‘Anchorless Ship’. Guro and Luis convert the sparse funk of the original into a haunting cut of anthemic techno, upping the tempo, bottoming out the bass end and decorating the track with dissonant acid stabs. True to All We Are’s psych-disco leanings, their ‘Anchorless Ship’ evolves into a second act with a ferocious tribal edge, and psychedelic stinging acid trip that livens up the original dream pop and introduces an invitation to dance that can’t be refused.
London’s blissful electro-indie pairing Ten Fé follow next artfully crafting their mix around the melodic synth washes of The Fin.’s 60-second ‘Heat’, originally the track shimmers with a chillwave and beautiful ocean lit glittering synths. Ten Fé expand the groove via a punchy bassline set to a motorik pulse, adding a kick and edge to the track. Phasing the original sine-wave oscillations and warping frontman Yuto’s vocal into an alien drawl. This singular piece of extra-terrestrial kraut-funk builds to a euphoric climax, as horn stabs and sustained harmonics add colour to an irresistible clubland vibe.
Stockholm-born, Berlin-based ambient techno producer Axel Willner, aka The Field, transcends the rapturous dream-pop of the EP’s title track ‘Through The Deep ‘ with an extraordinary 12-minute canvas of electro-minimalism. A hypnotic raga for our time, ‘Through The Deep’ here becomes an unusual jewel of rich, breathy experimentalism, almost imperceptibly peaking and trudging along luring and drawing you onto its mesmerising sonic path.
Finally ‘White Breath’ a remix by The Fin.’s vocalist Yuto Uchino takes us to the end of our psychedelic trance with soft electronic waves weaving and swirling in a blissful mind-bending kaleidoscope. Removing the delicate vocals of the original and becoming completely consumed in thick electronic experimental psychedelia. Beautiful warm tones on guitar give us a strong melody to hold onto keeping us afloat from the pulling and swirling abyss of the track.
The ‘Through The Deep’ remix EP is a Pandora box delight, full of mesmerising waves of synths interweaving and washing with acid elements and sonic depths with reverb weighty guitars on top of blissful melodies. The guys did a fantastic job with the remixes however I will say check out the originals first, you will fall in love with them and will only then appreciate the true talent of The Fin. and the effort and craft that went into creating the remixes.

Stream both the original and the ‘Through The Deep’ remix EP below

Fauna Twin ‘Water on Mars’

Fauna Twin are Parisian singer-songwriter Claire Jacquemard Ginsberg (leader of Hippies Vs Ghosts) and North Wales’ Owain Ginsberg (We Are Animal). The duo have recently signed to Crammed Discs Records and they released their new single ‘Water on Mars’ taken from their debut ‘The HYDRA EP’, which will be released in October followed by a string of shows around Europe.
‘Water on Mars’ is a dark intoxicating swirling concoction of alternative synth pop. The track lures you into its bewitching atmosphere from the very start with meandering instrumentation that draws you into a psychedelic labyrinth of complexity and confusion while enticing and coaxing you into its rich interweaving textures. Jacquemard’s vocals are haunting and gently coo and soothe the listener while giving a mysterious eerie tone to the track. The guitar adds grit and gives that final pull, drawing the listener in and trapping them in an enthralling brooding atmosphere. The track is coated in mesmerising rhythm and shadowy hints of tribal beats that give this track a fantastic bounce and multi texture.
Put ‘Water on Mars’ on repeat and let yourself become consumed and enraptured by this fantastic dark enchanting track.
Watch ‘Water on Mars’ below

The Only Ocean ‘CUL-DE-SAC’

Lompoc, California born four-piece, The Only Ocean, bring a fresh new edge to indie rock. Band members Wesley Hill (Vocals, Guitar), Dustin Whalen (Guitar), Alex Burdess (Bass) and Shae Kakos-(Drums) are childhood friends who have pulled together a wide range of sub-genres from Psych-Pop and Post-Punk to Acid Rock to create their unique sound.
‘CUL-DE-SAC’ is the first single off  their soon to be released EP, ‘TOO’ which was produced by Graham Ginsburg and Rick Mabery of The Barn Music Studio, and Jonathan DeBaun (The Mars Volta, Le Butcherettes, Antemasque). The track begins with a dark aggressive tone blasting us with heavy flashing vigorous guitars and a psychedelic delirious vibe. The verse cools things down with light beats and cool sedated vocals. The track is drenched in reverb adding to the psychedelic vibe. With swirling melodies that hypnotise and pull you into the intensity of the track teamed with cynical snarky lyrics that adequately portray that this track is an “anthem for anyone who has ever tasted the sweet angst in desolation”. The churning surge of instrumentation is enticing and leads the listener into the acid trip explosive crescendo.
‘CUL-DE-SAC’ is a well written and crafted track full of dark tones and confusing mystery that is perfectly conveyed through a blend of Psych/Acid Rock.
Stream ‘CUL-DE-SAC’ below