Jeanines' 2019 self-titled debut was an indiepop tour-de-force that drew from a deep set of DIY pop influences, garnering attention from well beyond the international pop underground. Now they're back with "Don't Wait For A Sign," and it's a real gem. With the band now divided geographically and touched by the isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic, Jeanines' new album is deeper and a bit darker than their debut. The folk influences feel more pronounced, at times recalling early Fairport Convention or Vashti Bunyan as much as indiepop touchstones like Dear Nora, The Aislers Set, and the many bands of Pam Berry. The thirteen songs on "Don't Wait For A Sign" show a band in total mastery of their idiom—a brilliantly compelling blend of timeless influences illuminated by distinctive songwriting and sharp lyrics. The arrangements are always on point, full of interesting transitions and modulations but never fussy or in the way of the songs themselves. Alicia Jeanine's vocals really take flight here, richer and more confident, and often layered in harmony. Second albums can be tricky, but with "Don't Wait For A Sign” Jeanines ably manage to build on their terrific debut with well-honed songwriting, singular melodies, and unerringly sympathetic production.

Don't Wait For A Sign

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Jeanines - Don't Wait For A Sign

Phoenix (Radio Edit)

Wait For You is out now: https://smarturl.it/margotwait

Wait For You

Margot - Wait For You

"Every Morning" by Naima Bock 
Stream now: https://ffm.to/naimabockeverymorning

Naima Bock: 
Bandcamp: https://naimabock.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naimabockmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naimabock
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naimabock

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Podcast: http://subpop.fm

Naima Bock - Every Morning

Just 6 months after the release of their debut album screensaver return with a double a-side 7-inch single that extends upon the blend of post-punk, new wave and synth-punk on their debut. Side A, Clean Current is a burst of high-energy: nervy guitars and groovy bass underpinned with kraut-rock drums and cosmic synth noise, overlaid with delay heavy vocals.

Clean Current

STUPID DRAMA
 
The song has a cool repetitive minimal funk thing going on reminiscent of Use No Hooks and Pylon, but the vocals are sharp, dry and fiery, sometimes eroding into an acerbic Sleaford Mods style bored and anguished drawl. It's a bratty, snotty, foot-stomping, sax-screeching romp through the types of absurd, mundane predicaments that sometimes grow so big they seem to generate their own gravitational fields.  I always feel like I'm gasping for air in this song, which fits well with the theme of being completely fed-up and trying to laugh about it.    - Anna

Loose Fit - Stupid Drama

https://www.instagram.com/softlanderband/
https://softlander.bandcamp.com/

Softlander - Angel

Emily

Mana Takatāpui

California Angels "My New High" Sure Haven Campus/ Nate Law  11-6

Artsick's debut album "Fingers Crossed" is a thrilling, compelling and downright fun record that surveys a vast swathe of indie and indiepop history, from DIY progenitors like Dolly Mixture through the punkier side of C86 to the 90s K Records-centered International Pop Underground and straight through more recent exemplars like Vivian Girls and Colleen Green. New single "Ghost of Myself" is unsparingly introspective, a story of internal struggle, self-doubt and ultimately resilience and self-belief wrapped in a brilliantly driving punk/pop song. "Ghost of Myself" is a timeless and vital tune and a prime example of what makes Artsick such a crucial band right now.

Fingers Crossed

Artsick - Ghost of Myself

Slumberland began operations in 1989 as a collective effort consisting of members of DC area bands Velocity Girl, Big Jesus Trash Can/Whorl, Black Tambourine and Powderburns. We were inspired by such musical happenings as C86, early Creation, Postcard, K, Bus Stop, lower East Side noise, and also the renegade art aesthetics & methods of people like Cage, Burroughs and Duchamp. The explosion of punk had left behind a thriving network of 'zines, labels and distributors and we felt that there was room for our noise-loving, pop-obsessed aesthetic. While there were loads of US indie labels releasing a steady stream of 7"s, there wasn't much pop going on. Notable exceptions included Bus Stop, K and Picture Book, and we hoped to join that group and help chisel out some space for melodies amongst the noise.

Early releases from Velocity Girl, Whorl and Black Tambourine struck a note, and we found like-minded popsters getting in touch from all over the world. As we expanded the label roster and our own horizons, the goal was always to share great songs and interesting sounds from a range of styles. Our first burst of activity through the 1990s and early 2000s brought seminal records by legendary bands like Stereolab, Rocketship, The Ropers, Lorelei, The Aislers Set, Hood and Boyracer.

By the mid 2000s we were seeing a resurgence of interest in guitar pop and the start of the ongoing vinyl revival: the perfect environment for Slumberland! We launched into our latest phase of activity with as string of classic releases from The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Crystal Stilts, Frankie Rose, Veronica Falls, Allo Darlin', Joanna Gruesome and so many more.

2025 is our thirty-sixth (!) year we are still at it, ploughing our own furrow and bringing you unique, genre-defining (and genre-defying!) releases from bands like The Laughing Chimes, Humdrum, The Cords, Autocamper, Jeanines, The Umbrellas, Neutrals, Artsick, Kids On A Crime Spree, Papercuts, Lightheaded, Tony Jay, Chime School, Lunchbox and many, many more. Indie fashions come and go but we're still thrilled by great songs and the new ways that pop can be rejuvenated to fit the times.

Jeanines - Don't Wait For A Sign

Slumberland Records

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