With the major new releases taking some time off (likely to steady their hands for today’s announcement of the Record Store Day list ... we have those lists, so come see us), we thought this would be a great time to wrap up some stellar new artists who have records out this week.
FLOOD DREAM
Leya
[LP] (NNA Tapes)
New York City is often the meeting place for the most experimental of ideas. The duo Leya take a neoclassical idea (strings, harp and near-operatic voice) and make it fit the ongoing trend of fringe music dipping into the mainstream (see also fka twigs and Grimes). The duo of Marilu Donovan and Adam Markiewicz explore what is both beautiful and frightening.
COLLECTOR
Disq
[LP/CD/CS] (Saddle Creek)
One of 2019's best singles came from this band of rabid guitar pop slinging high schoolers. "Communication" was a sweeping, elegant and immediately memorable experience of love in all its early trappings. For their debut the Madison, Wisconsin, band looks for elements of Pavement, Built to Spill and classic ‘90s guitar Rock to upend. "Daily Routine" sounds like Parquet Courts until its epic slowdown in the end while "Loneliness" takes a long walk through its acoustic opening to arrive at its shimmering Weezer-esque core. Disq shows a lot of potential on their debut, and yet they still have a ways to go.
EYELET
Islet
[LP/CD] (Fire)
This Welsh trio sound familiar with their gauzy, dreamy vocal loops and streams of transparent synth part waving around you like curtains in a breeze. However, beneath the surface (and when you listen to more than, just say, two cuts), Islet flirts with Krautrock (the incandescent "Geese,") Psychedelia (the Indian drums and vocal textures on "Radel 10") and even EDM (the bouncy Animal Collective-ism meets Sugarcubes on "Clouds.") Islet makes a startling first splash into the States with this warm album that tricks you with its familiarity.
ADMIRER
Stella Emmett
[LP] (Beachball/Ship To Shore)
Deep in the woods of New York, singer/songwriter Emmett (nee Kortchmar) crafted a deeply personal record documenting her growing relationship. Much like Cate Le Bon's beautiful "Reward" from 2019, "Admirer" strikes a balance between missing someone ("Out of Town") and falling in love all over again when they return. What sets Emmett apart from countless others is how she can embrace a chorus like a mantra and use all the strokes of production in her songs. While "Done With U" may be the happiest breakup song you will ever hear, "Admirer" has a lot more for you to admire.
SILVER DEMON
June
[LP] (Mannequin)
Since 2019, Coldwave has enjoyed a small comeback. There is some unknown progression that these new artists have tapped into that sounds like the classic "industrial graveyard" emptiness of the nascent artists from Britain in the ‘80s; however, it rarely sounds as bleak. The Greek artist June has been releasing dance albums since 2010. On his third album, he revives the sequencer-led sound of Throbbing Gristle and Tangerine Dream to write tracks that are simple and to the point. Like late ‘80s Industrial Dance Music, the simplicity of "Silver Demon" lulls you into a trance. Without kitsch or even acknowledgement of its vintage sounds, June gives you an album of dance music that is largely unstoppable.
