LCD Soundsystem Shares Two New Tracks from Upcoming Album
Some days you wake up to an ever darkening American paradigm. And some days you wake up to LCD Soundsystem releasing two brand new songs from their first album in 7 years, due out…
Track Premiere: Dark-wave Champs Knifight Share “Let the End Begin”
Dark-wave champions Knifight return with a new single, “Let the End Begin,” in advance of an upcoming album, Worship, to be released later this year. The song, mixed by Max Lorenzen, recalls like-minded…
delicious pastries Explore The Creative Process With aleatoric delay
We at Pop Press Intl are honored to announce Pittsburgh’s delicious pastries is back with its long-awaited follow-up to 2011’s Pretty Please, an eight song sophomore LP titled aleatoric delay, released on the cryptic Totally Snakes…
Hannah Lew Goes Synth Pop on Cold Beat’s “Spirals”
San Francisco musician Hanna Lew has created punk-leaning garage pop first with the band Grass Widow and later with Cold Beat. Today, she debuted a dark pop track, “Spirals,” which centers on her airy vocals…
Knifight Bathed Cheer Up Charlies with Waves of Dark Pop: Live Review
Many of argued the importance and influence of both New Order and Joy Division on contemporary independent music. Friday night at Cheer Up Charlie’s provided some undeniable evidence as the venue showcased two…
Worshiping with Prayher’s Minimalist Experimental Pop at Whip In
Phoebe Rayher was graced not only with an excellent voice but also with a first initial and last name that, when combined, work as a moniker that seems shockingly sensible in the current indie-rock…
Night Drive & Ishi’s Dark Dance Party at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Two outstanding synth-pop bands performed on Cheer Up Charlie’s outdoor stage this weekend. Dallas based Ishi brought jubilant and shimmering pop that demands dancing. John Mudd certainly feels the call to get down,…
Future Islands Leave It All on the Floor at ACL Taping
After an ingratiating and soft-spoken greeting in which Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring tells a packed Moody Theater about how in North Carolina, where he’s from, sometimes the only way to see music…
Barcelona with The Young Wild at Holy Mountain: Live Review
Monday night atop the Mountain, Seattle band Barcelona immersed the grooving audience in melodic songs of old and new. The trio released the final component to their three part EP series, The Melodrama, in March, revealing yet…
Sylvan Esso with Dana Buoy at Emo’s: Live Review
In light of Sylvan Esso’s outstanding debut effort as well as the quality repertoire of Akron/Family and member Dana Buoy’s solid new solo recordings, Sunday night’s double-bill at Emo’s stood out as a…
Sylvan Esso Bring Their Beats to Emo’s Sunday, August 17th
In case you missed our review, we are into Sylvan Esso’s debut record, which dropped earlier this year. We were also pretty enamored with the duo’s FPSF performance earlier in the summer. The pair employ buzzing,…
Letting Up Despite Great Faults Celebrates Neon Release Saturday at Holy Mountain
We already wrote a bit about the new, beautiful, pristine, and shimmering synth pop tracks from Austin band Letting Up Despite Great Faults. Over the years, the group has continued to expand an incredibly…
Album Review: Melted Toys – Melted Toys
The psychedelic-pop wake is currently making its second resurgence in the music scene with a vengeance, and it shows no sign of losing momentum. New bands are constantly emerging to join the in-crowd…
New Track: Letting Up Despite Great Faults – “Wrapped”
Austin synth pop band Letting Up Despite Great Faults has shared the initial single from their forthcoming album Neon, due out on August 12. The cover for Neon features an array of flowers in a…
Woman’s Hour Share Live Video of Track “Conversations”
Exactly two weeks from today, UK synth pop band Woman’s Hour will release their debut album Conversations on Secretly Canadian. Today, as a lead up to that release, the group has shared a live…
Album Review: Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
Over the last year or so albums like Taken By Trees’ Other Worlds and Wild Belle’s Isles have bridged the gap between electronic sounds and traditional rhythmic sensibilities by emphasizing beats and vocals while employing contemporary production. Duo…
Hear a New Track from Poliça’s Upcoming Deluxe Edition of Shulamith
Low, buzzing synths stutter across the sonic landscape of Poliça’s new song “Raw Exit,” a track that will be featured on an upcoming deluxe edition of the band’s most recent album Shulamith. In total,…
Austra Shares Title-track From Upcoming EP
Austra has shared the title-track from their forthcoming four-song EP, due out June 17th on Domino Records. Although “Habitat,” like other Austra songs, is built around frontwoman Katie Stelmanis’ dynamic and impressive voice,…
Wild Moccasins Bring Energetic Pop to Holy Mountain
Other than each band consisting of four men and one woman, Wild Moccasins and Lost in the Trees couldn’t be any more different from each other. On tour for their second album, 88…
Beat Heavy for the Uninitiated: Phantogram & TEEN Live at Stubb’s
In the spirit of transparency, let me start by saying that I wrote Phantogram off last March after listening to their music exactly zero times. It was the height of the Fader Fort-fueled,…
Future Islands’ Unforgettable Show at Mohawk: Live Review
When I left Future Islands’ sold out show at Mohawk on Wednesday night, I knew that the possibilities of my life were limitless. In the last couple of years, I’ve been to some…
Show Preview: Future Islands at Mohawk Wednesday, April 23rd
Future Islands have exploded in the last few months. The buzz surrounding the band permeated the week of SXSW, and the band made their network television debut with David Letterman last month. The…
Voxtrot’s Ramesh to Release Solo Album via Austin Town Hall
If you’ve ever found yourself wishing that Voxtrot had never dissolved, now you can practically satiate any lament with the musical output of its members. Core members Jason Chronis and Matt Simon have…
Tomboy Debut’s New Video “Roll Out”
The duo comprised of Sarah Aument and William Shore will release their debut EP this summer and have shared an initial track and video from that forthcoming release. “Roll Out” is a sparse, synth…
Craft Spells Shares Track from Forthcoming LP Nausea
Craft Spells has announced a new LP Nausea, set for a June 10th release on the Captured Tracks label. From that album, the group has shared a new track, “Breaking the Angle Against…
Sylvan Esso Releases “Coffee” Video, Tours with tUnE-yArDs
Watching people dance makes me wanna get up and dance, so I’m resisting all impulses to jump up and cut a rug and instead tell you about this new video from Sylvan Esso….
Hear a Track from La Luz Bassist Lena Simon’s Project Kairos
A little before SXSW hit, I got an email from a publicist about Kairos, the project of La Luz’s new bassist Lena Simon. I actually bookmarked the email and planned to write a…
Photos and Live Review: The Naked and Famous
There’s no way around the fact that this review is essentially an internal dialogue I’m having regarding my feelings on The Naked and Famous as a band. I’m always fascinated by which artists…
TEEN Shares “Not For Long” From The Way and Color
Remember a few days ago when TEEN shared a teaser trailer for their upcoming album The Way and Color out April 22nd on Carpark Records, and we told you that as a barometer, the…
Blouse Takes Us Down a Dark Highway in “Happy Days” Video
Although the song is called “Happy Days,” the new video fro Blouse carries the viewer down an ominous, dark highway and angles toward film noir. We can’t help but be reminded of the…
White Hinterland Shares “Ring the Bell” from LP Baby
Dead Oceans keeps carving out a special place in my heart. The label’s roster is astounding and every time they announce an album release, I can’t help but be excited at the prospect….
Great New Track from Coeds – “Sensitive Boys”
Coeds is like Blondie with a slightly darker, deeper undertone. Low, pulsing synths ride under a second catchy keyboard line as frontwoman Meredith Muñoz delivers a powerful and smooth vocal performance. So, they…
Chvrches Play Sold Out Stubb’s Show Friday November 22nd
This summer, Chvrches sold out the Mohawk, and it took almost no time for them to get back to Austin. This time, the band has sold out the much larger Stubb’s and will…
Austra Shares Video for Single “Forgive Me”
As a follow up to Austra’s most recent effort Olympia, the group will release a single for “Forgive Me” that also features two new tracks, out digitally on November 26th. This week, the band…
Show Preview: Poliça at Emo’s w/ Marijuana Deathsquads
We’ve brought you a couple posts about Poliça leading up the release of their sophomore album Shulamith, which dropped last month to favorable reviews. The synth-pop group will be in Austin tonight for a show…
The Blow with Love Inks at Red 7: Live Review
For New Year’s Eve 2006, my first blog, Urban Pollution threw a party at the fairly newly opened Mohawk. The bill included A Hawk and a Hacksaw featuring Jeremy Barnes of Neutral Milk…
Gems Announce EP Release Show, Stream “Medusa” Now
Washington D.C.’s Gems create ghostly pop with soaring synths and steady beats. The band is a boy-girl duo featuring Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John who’s sound falls somewhere between Beach House and Purity…
Video: Soft Metals – “On A Cloud”
Just in time for All Hallow’s Eve, there’s some witchy magic brewing in Soft Metals’ new video for “On A Cloud,” culled from the band’s Capture Tracks released album Lenses, which dropped this summer….
Poliça Releases New Single “Chain My Name”
Poliça has released a new track from their forthcoming album Shulamith, which is due out October 22 via Mom + Pop. “Chain My Name” utilizes punchy bass along with crisp snare and handclap…
Nite Jewel’s Ramona Gonzalez Sings Her Own Karaoke in Video for “This Story”
Nite Jewel released One Second of Love more than a year ago, and we’ve previously written about the video for “Memory Man,” culled from that album. Now, Nite Jewel has released a new…
Lightning Dust Releases Video for “Loaded Gun”
Last month, Lightning Dust released Fantasy on Jagjaguwar, and now they’ve created a video for album track “Loaded Gun.” The dark pop song constructs heavy synth lines around crisp snares while the video utilizes…
Album Review: Royal Forest – Spillway
From the first snippets of sound and previews of songs that preceded Royal Forest’s new album Spillway, I’ve been pumped for the release of this album. The band’s frontman Cody Ground has been…
L.A. Band Boardwalks Releases New Single “I’m To Blame”
Recently signed to Stone Throw Records, Los Angeles Duo BoardWalk is poised to release their self-titled debut album later this year, and if their single “I’m To Blame” is any indicator, it ought to…
Album Review: W-H-I-T-E – III
W-H-I-T-E’s third and most recent album, III, is a collection of sounds ranging from dreamy acoustic guitar to psychedelic electric pop. The project was created by Los Angeles-based musician and visual artist, Cory…
Video: Caged Animals – “Cindy + Me”
We wrote previously about the 80s synthy goodness in Caged Animals’ new song “Cindy + Me.” Now, the electronic pop project has released a video for the track which appropriately spins the concept…
New Track: Sombear – “Love You In The Dark”
Electro-pop musician Somber, aka Brad Hale, creates tender pleas over beat oriented synth pop. “Love You In The Dark” recalls contemporaries such as Autre Ne Veut, but the track relies on indie-pop sensibilities…
Lightning Dust Shares Video for “Diamond”
Synchronized swimmers do their watery dance to Lightning Dust’s song “Diamond” in the band’s new video, directed by Helen Reed. Although the video begins with a group of average, almost bored folks hanging…
Royal Forest Shares “Everyone Who Knows You” Ahead of Full-length
Austin band Royal Forest is one of the city’s most under-talked-about bands on the scene. Frontman Cody Ground is something of an indie rock institution, having founded the band Loxly, who performed significant…
New Track: Caged Animals – “Cindy + Me”
Built on quirky, squealing synths, strange percussive clicks, and thin distorted bursts, “Cindy + Me” is the first single released in advanced of Caged Animals’ sophomore effort, which is due out later this…
Pure X Shares Third New Track From Forthcoming Album
Austin band Pure X has shared a third new track from their forthcoming album, Crawling Up the Stairs, which will see release May 14th on Acephale Records. We previously heard outstanding tracks, “Things In…
Album Review: Phoenix – Bankrupt!
Though Bankrupt! is officially Phoenix’s fifth studio album, many listeners will likely know this album simply as a follow-up to the synth-rock band’s chart-topping success, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. As such, the main question…
Gauntlet Hair Shares “Human Nature” from Stills
Gauntlet Hair has announced the release of Stills on the Dead Oceans label on July 16th. Along with that announcement comes the release of the album’s first single, “Human Nature,” which is a low-pulsing gothic…
New Track: ADULT. – “Tonight, We Fall”
Dark, synth pop group ADULT. have emerged from an extended period of silence to release the eerie synth track “Tonight, We Fall.” The track will be on The Way Things Fall, the band’s upcoming…
New Track: White Prism – “Play Me, I’m Yours”
We told you last week about the White Prism EP, which will be self-released April 23rd, and brought you the track “Dance On.” Now, White Prism has issued a second track from the forthcoming EP….
New Track: W.H.I.T.E. – “I Wasn’t Afraid”
W.H.I.T.E. is the recording moniker of Thomas Hanson, and LA resident who creates dreamy pop. “I Wasn’t Afraid,” one such track, employs quick percussion and sustained synth-string notes. The song will be on III,…
New Track: Dungeonesse – “Nightlight”
Dungeonesse, a collaboration between Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner and White Life’s Jon Ehrens, has released a third track from their forthcoming eponymous LP out May 14th on Secretly Canadian. Like the two tracks before…
Lightning Dust Announces Fantasy Shares New Synth-pop Track “Diamond”
Lightning Dust will release their third studio effort, Fantasy, on June 25th on the Jagjaguwar label. The first single from that album is the minimal and dark synth-pop track “Diamond,” which is constructed around…
Video: Still Corners – “Berlin Lovers”
Still Corners’ new music video for album track Berlin Lovers focuses on a young couple at a roller-skating rink juxtaposes playfulness with darkness. The video opens with a shot of a leather jacket…
Album Review: Vondelpark – Seabed
Listening to Seabed, the first full album from London trio Vondelpark, can feel a lot like reclining in a steamy sauna. There’s no easy way to pinpoint its sound, which tremulously undulates between…
Future Bible Heroes Announce Partygoing, Share New Song
Future Bible Heroes is just one of the several projects developed by Stephin Merritt, who has seen his greatest notoriety from his band The Magnetic Fields. Future Bible Heroes has announced that they…
Colleen Green Streams Sock It To Me, Plays SXSW
Colleen Green has released two outstanding, lightly distorted pop songs in as many months. Now, as the release of her new album for Hardly Art Records approaches, you can stream the whole thing…
New Track: Still Corners – “Berlin Lovers”
“Berlin Lovers,” the first track to surface from the sophomore album by Sub Pop band Still Corners, employs an equilibrium of foreground 80s sythns and a softer, higher backdrop of a minimal whine. Tessa…
Album Review: Autre Ne Veut – Anxiety (Pop Press Pick)
When I first heard Autre Ne Veut’s single “Play by Play” I was hooked. I listened to it on repeat all week and constantly insisted that friends listen to it. Now that the…
Album Review: Lost Animal – Ex Tropical
Lost Animal is the work of Jarrod Qarrell, an audacious creator of genre blending music whose debut Ex Tropical might be described as synth-punk centered folk-rap. Most of the songs’ rhythmic lyrics are…
New Track: Helado Negro – “Junes”
We loved “Dance Ghost,” the first track released from Helado Negro’s forthcoming LP, Invisible Life, and we’re excited to report that a new song from the album has emerged. Roberto Lange’s vocals begin crisply…
New Track: “Time in the World” – Colleen Green
Hardly Art Records can take pride in releasing a wide range of outstanding indie acts from the challenging, sax-fueled punk of K-Holes to the quirky pop of Deep Time to the pretty ballads…
