PLAYLIST UPDATE: It’s been an eternity since we last wrote a written update of our New Independent Post-Punk/ Motorik/ Kosmische/ Darkwave/Coldwave/Shoegaze/Post-Rock Spotify playlist. We’ve decided to streamline these write-ups to ensure we get the word out quicker about the great artists we showcase. The playlist at present in brimming full of the some of best tracks going around in each of these historically connected and related genres. Included in the 30 current tracks is and are;
The new single ‘Cave’ from Austin via Flint Michigan power trio Grivo, the esoteric closer ‘No Universe’ on Yours, Chris Garneau’s new record, Iceland punks Kælen Mikla, New York City based duo Ghost Cop, Seattle artist Jenn Taranto’s project Medejin , Tokyo shoegaze duo Bearwear, Preston’s White Flowers Copenhagen quartet Iceage Massachusetts duo Boy Harsher, TWINS, the project of Atlanta’s Matt Weiner, Albany punks Drug Church, Brighton quintet TOY, London post punks White Lies, veteran English post rock duo Hammock, Norwegian dark arts artist Sylvaine, the collaboration between dark lowe and Ukrainian artist Alex Zinchenko aka stonefromthesky, Veteran Australian duo Dead Can Dance Unloved, made up of trio Jade Vincent, producer/composer Keefus Ciancia, and DJ/ producer/composer David Holmes, Austin’s Blushing, Portland based Californians HXXS, Oxford England’s Swervedriver, Melbourne’s Middle Management, Berlin 4 piece Voodoo Beach, Drag City trio Axis:Sova, Hull outfit Bdrmm, Kennedy Ashlyn aka SRSQ, Austin trio Single Lash, Detroit post punk legends Protomartyr, Slovenian post rockers Shadow Universe, London & Newcastle combo Rude Audio and Providence duo Video Shoppe whose EP Nostalgia Trap(s) totally passed us by a couple of months back.
30 tracks all told regularly revolving and regularly updated. You can access all our playlists in the sidebar on the front page of the site. Our spotify profile is here.
Older updates below the playlist.
NEW INDEPENDENT POST-PUNK / MOTORIK / KOSMISCHE / DARKWAVE / COLDWAVE / SHOEGAZE / POST-ROCK – AN INDIE30 PLAYLIST
Updated November 9, 2018
OLDER UPDATES
SEPTEMBER 21 UPDATE: A month has flown by since our last write up on our newly named Waving & Gazing: From Post-Punk to Post Rock playlist (too cheesy – Yep?). After being given short shrift so far shoegaze fans will be pleased with its front end. The playlist at this moment in time begins with a thrilling dose of that genre’s goodness from China in the form of Xi’an four piece Endless White. They released their debut album Flow West To You recently and the three singles shared in the lead up can be accessed here. The track we’ve chosen for this playlist is the deep, tuneful and at times intense, Some Other Life. Following that is the angular drive of ‘The Celebration’ from Los Angeles veterans Film School who released their new album Bright To Death last week. The Daysleepers are next with with the catchy as fuck ‘Arclights’ from their new record Creation before Belgian quintet Whispering Sons present with their excellent new single ‘Alone’, the follow up to the impressive ‘Waste’ which featured here last month.
The playlist heads in a post rock direction with introspective beauty of ‘Solitude’ from Palermo post rock outfit 42DE from their debut album Fall Of The Moon, one that was four years in the making. That’s followed by the honest and self-effacing Fred Thomas, who released his outstanding bipolar like new album Aftering last week. While we haven’t announced it yet its our current album of the week at present. After a busy pop filled A side, the album’s veers into a harrowingly honest assessment of trying to navigate the fucked and false state of affairs in the US and indeed the world under this fucking neoliberal nightmare we are all suffering exacerbated by the horrific US election of 2016. Unless the sad trajectory is arrested, human culture is knowingly heading into a future where ethics and progressive morals are but public foil and in reality are privately shunned. A future where the shallow and the narrow, the high flyers as liars and cheats prevail. Truth is now corporate truth. Illusion and delusion are reality and the insatiable twin aims of maximising profit and increasing shareholder margins smash any truth at great human cost. Thomas delivers his personally sobering take on life soundtracked through a post rock inspired lens and ‘House Show, Late December’ is a salient reminder of all that is wrong in an immediate sense.
In keeping with the unsettling tone, English band TOY are next with the rollicking ”Energy from their mew double a sided single. Read about that here. German band XTR Human are next with ‘Disturbia’ off their new album Reflections before Philadelphia’s The Spirit of The Beehive enters the scene with the math rock inspired title track from their new album. Los Angeles post punk duo Sextile make their second appearance in this playlist with the dirty, sensual and eminently danceable, ‘Disco’ from their new EP 3 while just to their north, San Francisco’s coldwave inspired Cold Beat contribute ‘Never Gonna Cry Again’ from their new album A Simple Reflection. Shadow Age follow with the sparkling ‘Someday’ from their self titled debut album and are followed by Austin’s Grivo with ‘Burnout’ their debut single for Holodeck from their forthcoming album Elude due November 16.
Returning to the post rock world, Many will be very pleased with the return of another Austin band as This Will Destroy You released their first new music for a long while with ‘Go Away Closer’ from their upcoming new album New Other Part One out on September 28. The Berlin based experimental noise duo Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff, aka Nadja have released a new album Sonnborner and the sprawling intellect that’s all over ‘Sunbon (Coda)’ is next. That’s followed up by the equally weighty proactive left wing resistance of the The Radio Dept. with the anti-fascist ‘Going Down Swinging’ which we covered upon its release here.
Austin’s Vivian Moon aka Pastel Ghost is next with her new single ‘Mercury’ from her new album Ethereality. Nothing follow with ‘(Hope) Is Just Another Word With A Hole In It’ from the Philadelphia band’s new album Dance On The Blacktop. Portland’s Alien Boy released his second album Sleeping Lessons last month and provides the next track ‘I Just Can’t Feel It’. Last but not least is Sydney trio Baltimore with their new single ‘Secret Melodies’.
AUGUST 21 UPDATE: It’s been three weeks since the last write up on developments in our New Independent Post-Punk/Motorik/Darkwave/Coldwave/Shoegaze/Post Rock Playlist. Half of the tracks in total have been turned over since then with 17 absolute ripping exhibits from genres trading in music’s dark or introspective arts replacing them. Mostly made up of post-punk, darkwave and motorik leaning tracks, there’s also two recent tracks of a post rock ilk.
Among the tracks that were released last Friday we’ve plumped for a Cleopatra Records one-two. The delay drenched post-punk of ‘Tsavo’ by Sacramento’s Creux Lies from their debut album The Hearth gets things started while Black Plastic‘s brilliant ‘Charcoal’ follows from the double A side single it shares with ‘Savage’. Read about that here.
In 2014 Austin three piece Spray Paint have teamed up with Detroit’s Protomartyr to produce the 7″ double A side Irony Prompts A Party Rat which is the result of both bands sending each other instrumentals and getting the recipient to contribute lyrics and vocals. The former provide them for the latter on the stunning ‘Bags And Cans’ which sees Protomartyr guitarist Greg Ahed in mighty fine form. Its out on vinyl through Monofonus.
Next is the angular and catchy as fuck new single from a man who has more than made his mark on independent Canadian music. Veteran musician and producer Jim Bryson’s new single ‘Cut Bait’ heralds a solo renaissance of sorts for the former Punchbuggy, Weakerthans and The Hip member and touring musician extraordinaire for the likes of Kathleen Edwards and The Skydiggers. It’s off his new album Tired Of Waiting out mid September on Coax Records.Following that is Helsinki quartet New Silver Girl with their part-motorik/proto-punk/psych rock inspired new single ‘Starlight City’. It’s the second single from their forthcoming self titled debut album set for October on Soliti Records.
English punk rockers IDLES have released an appropriately acerbic new single ‘Great’ and today shared its Theo Watkins directed video. The track rounds on the hideous stupidity of white nationalists and is from their awesomely named soon to be released album Joy as an Act of Resistance which is due to drop on August 31st via Partisan Records. Watch below.
Great
IDLES (ENG)
From the forthcoming album, ‘Joy as an Act of Resistance’, Partisan. Out Aug 31.
Official Video
Los Angeles duo Sextile are also into producing acts of resistance to living in a fucking neoliberal nightmare where dog eat dog division is the order of the day. ‘Paradox’ is the second single from the EP 3 out September 14 on Felte. Watch the John Bravos directed video.
Paradox
Sextile (USA)
From the forthcoming EP, ‘3’, Felte Records
Official Video
We featured a write up on the excellent new Luminelle Records single ‘Graceland’ from Norway’s Das Body and that is next followed by Hamilton Ontario trio Basement Revolver. The dense immensity of ‘Heavy Eyes’, is the follow up to first single ‘Baby’ and is the title track from their debut album out Friday through Sonic Unyon. It paves the way for ‘Frail Pose’, the new dissonant single from Lowfaith from their soon to be self released album On Loss, out mid September. Following that is the towering and telling first single ‘Cruel Anxiety’ from the upcoming new album Nine Memories Between Impression and Imprint by Samantha Glass for Holodeck Records. Read our coverage for that here.
Next we have Brussels quintet Whispering Sons who just released the hard hitting and cascading delay of ‘Waste’ ahead of Image, the bands debut album set for October on S.M.I.L.E. Records. Miserable, the solo project of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kristina Esfandiari (King Woman) has released the first single from her forthcoming double-EP Loverboy / Dog Days out October 26 on Sargent House and it precedes the spiky yet fully formed new single ‘Twelve Divisions Of The Day’, from Leeds Outfit Drahla. It’s out on Captured Tracks and their video is below.
Twelve Divisions Of The Day
Drahla (ENG)
From the single, ‘Twelve Divisions Of The Day’, Captured Tracks.
Official Video
ADULT. released a new single last last month called Perversions of Humankind on Dais Records. Its their first new music in five yearS since The Way Things Fall.
And yes this playlist does have experimental and post-rock leaning tracks in it from time to time. New York’s Forma released their new album Semblance on kranky recently and the nine minute piano centred monster ‘New City’ combines with guitarists Marc Byrd’s and Andrew Thompson’s Hammock who follow with the stunning ‘Snowburn’ off their recent self released album Floating World.
JULY 30 UPDATE: Perth punk trio Hideous Sun Demon get things off to a willing start with the excellent album track ‘Crap Revelation’ from their impressive new album Fame Erotic Dream. The spacious ‘Teflon’ from Seattle’s Spesh is next giving immediate point of difference before late 90s-early 00’s channeler and Seattle transplant Eric Elbogen’s Say Hi gives another again with ‘I Just Wanna Go Home’. Philadephia’s Swearin’ return after a five year absence with the canny and distortion heavy ‘Grow Into A Ghost’ highlighted by Alison Crutchfield’s excellent vocal performance. Next is Newtown CT post punk/alt-rock hybrid Ovlov released their new album TRU a week or so back and the half Ought/half Dinosaur Jr inspired ‘Tru Punk’ is one of its best. New Jersey’s Dentist combines melodic new wave with 60s pop on their single ‘Night Swimming’ off their new album of the same name while Reykjavik’s Kælan Mikla quickly follow up previous single ‘Lítil Dyr’ with another angsty affecting offering, ‘Manadans’.
Sydney drunk rockers Pist Idiots would probably say what the fuck are they doing in a “post-punk” playlist. They’re probably right but we couldn’t give a fuck either because their new album Princes is killer, plenty post 78 and deserves to be heard. Where else were we going to put it anyway? The relentless ‘Smile’ is our pick from it.
Visual artist Reuben Sawyer’s The Column released his debut album Oracle three weeks back and the lo-fi wiry and bass line heavy ‘Reasons’ is next The dramatic goth influenced Astari Nite dropped their new album Midnight Conversations last Friday and the paean to 80s new wave ‘Unfulfilled Promise is its single.
Auckland artist Hayley Smith’s Dead Little Penny mixes fuzzed out guitar with ethereal synths and the weighty echo laden ‘U 4 Me’ is her all too brief new single. Köln’s C.A.R. combine a number of classic West German influences in the kosmiche/motorik & jazz influenced ‘Dick Schaffrath’ while Oakland’s Tanukichan land in the right playlist this time with the motorik driven sweet lo-fi of the title track off her new album ‘Sundays’. Brian Christinzio’s BC Camplight is back three years after being booted out of the UK telling the sad story on ‘I’m Desperate’ from his new album Deportation Blues and Sydney darkwave artist Marc Dwyer aka Buzz Kull dropped his synth heavy new single ‘Avoiding The Light’. ‘Watch’ by London’s noir driven post-punk quintet FLOAT IS the penultimate of the 17 new tracks added over the past couple of weeks while Sacramento new wave/independent rockers Soft Science complete the new additions with some generous Stone Roses inspired action of ‘Sooner’ from their new album Maps.
JULY 16 UPDATE: Two new tracks from two bands not averse in their own deadpan way to spelling out how bad things are on all levels at present as neoliberal economics and social conservatism continue their relatively successful attempt to suck vitality and meaning out of society. Bristol experimental & motorik trio Beak>are set to release their third album, aptly titled >>>. Set for a September 21 release on Invada Records and Temporary Residence, the second single is the rather pensive and bleak ‘Brean Down’, an observation on how disconnected the connected have become. New York City’s BODEGA take a similar path but deliver it more acerbically with the third single ‘Jack In Titanic’ from their debut album Endless Scroll released a week or so back on What’s Your Rupture.
JULY 13 UPDATE: A particularly poignant lead track heads the 10 new ones today. The recently released Amends will be the last ever release from Them Are Us Too, the band of Kennedy Ashlyn and the late Cash Askew, who passed away in the Oakland fire of December 2016. Made from the original demos by Ashlyn with help from Cash’s stepfather Sunny, her partner Anya and friends Josh Eustis and Matia Simovich, its six substantive tracks include the outstanding energy that emanates from ‘Floor’, a track more than suggestive of what the world’s independent music community have lost.
Following Reykjavik dark punk trio Kælan Mikla have a killer new single out called ‘Lítil Dyr’ which begins in somnambulist fashion before Laufey Soffía explodes at its three and a half minute mark spewing forth some what I’m sure are home truths in her native tongue. Portland quintet Tender Age are next with the fiery opening track ‘Don’t Mind’ from their new album Becoming Real Forever while Los Angeles post rock duo El Ten Eleven are due to drop their tenth record shortly and ‘You Are Enough’, a seven minute work of art is the first cut from it.
We’ve moved HTRK to the playlist they belong to this week as the second track. ‘More To Enjoy’ surfaced with the full release 0f the double A sided single Drama. It’s a perfect accompaniment to the excellent ‘Mentions’. Melbourne Cans released their new record Heat of The Night today through Lost & Lonesome and the winding ‘Bellyache’ is the third single from it. RDTK is the new project of Brazilian duo Ricardo Donoso & Thiago Kochenborger and the next track, the hypnotic ‘Shadows Arrive’ comes from their album Affective Forecasting.
The next track from Denver’s A Shoreline Dream is ‘In The Ready Sound’ which has an affecting eighties vibe to it. It’s from their EP Waitout. Catalonian post rock quartet Mourn return with a new album Sorpressa Familia for Captured Tracks and our pick is the 90s inspired rockout ‘Strange Ones’. Washington DC trio Flasher also have a new album out Constant Image. We’ve gone with the insistent ‘Material’. Another trio Florida’s Astari Nite trade at the apex of new wave and post punk and their new single ‘Unfulfilled Promise’ is no exception. There’s also a powerful alternate track from Lauren Lakis ‘Twice Is So Nice’ and like with HTRK, we’ve also brought Death Bells over to where they belong with Echoes off their new double A sided single.
July 7 UPDATE: Three new additions today, all singles, starting with Swedish artist Zacharias Zachrison’s Vacation Forever with I Changed My Life For You’, Tacoma quartet Versing with ‘Silver Dollar.
June 29 UPDATE: Our sixth genre based playlist which focuses on tracks with a punk, post punk, motorik, shoegaze and dream pop bent makes its debut just in time for our mid year break which starts today and lasts until July 13. After kicking off with Adelaide shoe gazers Blush Response who we are featuring at present in our Long Read series, who are followed by American bands Western Medication, Hypoluxo & Ovlov. No less that six Swedish bands make an appearance kicking off with Gothenburg’s Rome Is Not A Town and Agent Blå, Malmo’s Kluster, Sista Bossen and Echo Ladies and Stockholm’s Sudakistan. Other acts to feature include Melbourne’s Press Club, School Damage, Melbourne Cans and Lowtide, Nantes shoe gazers An Ocean Of Embers and Italian bands Starframes and In Her Eye among others.
One Response