Kristina Esfandiari is Miserable. Former vocalist of Bay Area shoegazers, Whirr, Kristina writes and performs a brand of moving and evocative music that oozes with nostalgia – and the Halloween Dream EP is no different. Over the course of four tracks, Esfandiari’s powerful voice and poignant compositions swell into soundscapes both haunting and wistful. 

Building on the momentum of her Run For Cover-issued 7-inch split with PA’s Grey Zine, Halloween Dream finds Kristina experimenting with muscular riffs ("Bell Jar") and sparse instrumentation ("Spinning") – new territory for the songwriter, but seemingly comfortable all the same. 

Halloween Dream, Miserable's first release with The Native Sound will be available on February 18th as both a digital download and on a limited edition, hand-numbered transparent 7-inch with gold haze.

Click the "Buy" link above for more info!

Miserable – Bell Jar

7" / Tape / MP3

Miserable – Palmistry Notes

Pre-order the tape/ watch the music video for "Uneasy" at bit.ly/sheeruneasy

Part shoegaze, part 90s-alternative and grunge, Uneasy is the debut album and inaugural release from Simi Valley’s Sheer. Formed in the summer of 2014, quickly becoming a staple in the greater LA scene, Sheer channel an earnestness redolent to that of mid-90s emo and indie rock, while primarily occupying a reverb-induced space suggestive of Galaxie 500 and The Jesus And Mary Chain.

While Uneasy introduces the band as one with a kinship for catchy, pop-informed melodies, their focus relies most heavily on building evocative and emotive soundscapes. Uneasy will be released on November 20th on limited edition cassette tapes, and digital download and streaming outlets.

Pre-order Tape / MP3

Sheer – Uneasy

Free download at bit.ly/temporaryep

Coming off the heels of this past summer’s Imago LP, we are pleased to announce Lost Film’s new EP, Temporary. Led by Jimmy Hewitt, the band’s sole permanent member, Lost Film is the minimalist – and in this iteration – lo-fi guitar pop project that followed Hewitt’s now defunct band, Orca Orca.

Unlike the lush, full-band recordings of Imago, the Temporary EP brings Jimmy back to the place he feels most comfortable as an artist, and put simply, where it all began – isolated, and alone at the microphone.

Melodic and often times dreamy, the instrumentation takes a much more tepid approach to the guitar-based indie pop Jimmy has developed as Lost Film. For one, it’s a lot less "pop" in the bombastic and hook-laden way you would routinely expect, but instead explores a more nuanced and introspective approach to writing that is still very obviously informed by, and at it’s core, pop music.

FREE DOWNLOAD

Lost Film – Closer

Lost Film – Still Youth

Lost Film – Assurance

Lost Film – Temporary

It’s been a long road to Vow’s debut album. After two EPs released in quick succession, Vow slowed down and took nearly a year and a half to write what would become their debut full-length LP. Without any real direction in mind, but with the mindset of leaving the synths and drum machines behind, Vow set out to reshape their sound. The songs they would begin demoing were their most energetic yet, and more than anything, raw.

Resembling indie rock more than the synth-pop of their former life, Andrew and Julia recruited their close friend, sometimes collaborator, and Touché Amoré guitarist Nick Steinhardt as a permanent addition to the band. “Withdraw” is the first single from Vow upcoming debut album (out this Spring), and a very balanced representation of where the band arrived in with the new direction.

“Withdraw” also marks the first entry in our Private Press series. Pressed on made-to-order hand-numbered square 7” lathes, “Withdraw” will be on sale for a one week period. At the end of that week we will press the exact amount ordered, and that’s it. No repressing ever. This is your only chance to ever own this 7”, so if you want it, order by February 3rd. All orders should ship about two weeks later.

7" / MP3

Vow – Withdraw

Heavenly out April 22 2016. Pre-order yours now!

12" / Tape / MP3: bit.ly/heavenlylp
Bandcamp: http://plasticflowers.bandcamp.com

Plastic Flowers is a Dream Pop band from London, UK, formed in late 2011 by multi-instrumentalist George Samaras. He has recorded two full length studio albums Evergreen (2014) and Heavenly (2016).

After graduating from high school he experimented with drone sounds and worked closely with other musicians, including former band member Angelos Paschalidis. During his college years in Thessaloniki he begun recording under the name Plastic Flowers and quickly released a series of EP's and singles that received praise for their lo-fi feeling and warmth. The hazy atmosphere created with the heavy use of soft guitars and multilayered synth patterns are some of the main characteristics of Plastic Flowers' sound.

BBC described his music as "very ethereal soundscapes accompanied by warm vocals" while DIY Magazine labelled him as a "Greek wunderkind musician." After a prolonged period of writing and experimentation, his second full length album entitled "Heavenly" will be released April 22nd, 2016 through The Native Sound. Recordings took place between October and December 2015 in North West London.

Plastic Flowers – Diver

12" Pre-order: bit.ly/uncontrollablelp

Kristina Esfandiari is Miserable. Based in the Bay Area and the vocalist in King Woman, Kristina writes and performs a brand of moving and evocative music that oozes with nostalgia – and the forthcoming Uncontrollable LP is no different.

Succeeding a string of EPs (Halloween Dream and Dog Days), Uncontrollable follows as Kristina's most complete and nuanced work. Written and recorded over the course of a year, this debut LP is consequentially the most emotional, and quite frankly, saddest release in her history as an artist. Wrestling with insecurities, grief, and the lingering feeling of lack of control, Uncontrollable compiles nine songs drenched with feeling. 

Uncontrollable will be released on April 29th, both digitally and on limited edition vinyl.

12" Vinyl

Miserable – Oven

Plastic Flowers is a Dream Pop band from London, UK, formed in late 2011 by multi-instrumentalist George Samaras. He has recorded two full length studio albums Evergreen (2014) and Heavenly (2016).

After graduating from high school he experimented with drone sounds and worked closely with other musicians, including former band member Angelos Paschalidis. During his college years in Thessaloniki he begun recording under the name Plastic Flowers and quickly released a series of EP's and singles that received praise for their lo-fi feeling and warmth. The hazy atmosphere created with the heavy use of soft guitars and multilayered synth patterns are some of the main characteristics of Plastic Flowers' sound.

BBC described his music as "very ethereal soundscapes accompanied by warm vocals" while DIY Magazine labelled him as a "Greek wunderkind musician." After a prolonged period of writing and experimentation, his second full length album entitled "Heavenly" will be released April 22nd, 2016 through The Native Sound. Recordings took place between October and December 2015 in North West London.

Plastic Flowers  – Mary (Del)

Pre-order Tape: bit.ly/shadytapes
Bandcamp: https://divinonino.bandcamp.com/album/the-shady-sexyfornia-tapes

Based in Chicago with roots in Latin America, Divino Niño is a band known for their dreamy, psych-inspired pop. On their sophomore LP The Shady Sexyfornia Tapes, the Chicago band experiments with washed out reverb, dynamic vocal ranges, and lush soundscapes to create a truly unique 16 track album.

Following their debut LP Pool Jealousy, The Shady Sexyfornia Tapes is much more relaxed effort. The band recorded it at home, and although most songs hover around two and a half minutes, they’re far from underdeveloped. Filled with rich harmonies and liberal use of eclectic percussion, the songs on this record reflect the band’s most confident and inspired to date.

The Shady Sexyfornia Tapes will be released May 13th, both digitally and on limited edition cassette tapes.

Divino Niño – Time

Pre-order 12" / Tape / MP3: bit.ly/heavenlylp

Plastic Flowers is a Dream Pop band from London, UK, formed in late 2011 by multi-instrumentalist George Samaras. He has recorded two full length studio albums Evergreen (2014) and Heavenly (2016).

After graduating from high school he experimented with drone sounds and worked closely with other musicians, including former band member Angelos Paschalidis. During his college years in Thessaloniki he begun recording under the name Plastic Flowers and quickly released a series of EP's and singles that received praise for their lo-fi feeling and warmth. The hazy atmosphere created with the heavy use of soft guitars and multilayered synth patterns are some of the main characteristics of Plastic Flowers' sound.

BBC described his music as "very ethereal soundscapes accompanied by warm vocals" while DIY Magazine labelled him as a "Greek wunderkind musician." After a prolonged period of writing and experimentation, his second full length album entitled "Heavenly" will be released April 22nd, 2016 through The Native Sound. Recordings took place between October and December 2015 in North West London.

Plastic Flowers – Angel Town

Pre-order 12" at bit.ly/kindeyes

It’s been a long road to Vow’s debut album. After two EPs released in quick succession, Vow slowed down and took nearly a year and a half to write what would become their debut full-length LP. Without any real direction in mind, but with the mindset of leaving the synths and drum machines behind, Vow set out to reshape their sound. The songs they would begin demoing were their most energetic yet, and more than anything, raw.

Resembling indie rock more than the synth-pop of their former life, Andrew and Julia recruited their close friend, sometimes collaborator, and Touché Amoré guitarist Nick Steinhardt as a permanent addition to the band. ‘Kind Eyes’ is the result of this new evolution of Vow. Their 10 song debut LP will be out May 27th.

Vow – Lowest

Pre-order: bit.ly/asalover

Simultaneously straddling the line between being completely nostalgic and futurist sounding, Planning For Burial is the product of a single wunderkind taking healthy obsessions with certain influences and filtering them through a droning, gloomy spyglass that evokes only the most concrete blues (the emotion not the music) this side of the gray waters of the Atlantic. While Planning For Burial gets lumped in with the whole wave of “bedroom recording artists” (which is where the project toiled for years until Leaving finally was released), the mastermind behind the project sets himself apart from his peers due in no small part to his background in sound. Planning For Burial’s brand of dark shoegaze/gloomgaze is hard to categorize, but it’s sound contains elements of slowcore, shoegaze, doom, drone, 90′s alt rock, 80′s goth, and black metal, while never being defined by any one of those genres.

Pressed on made-to-order hand-numbered square 7” lathes, “As A Lover” will be on sale for a one week period. At the end of that week we will press the exact amount ordered, and that’s it. No repressing ever. This is your only chance to ever own this 7”, so if you want it, order by June 21st. All orders should ship about three weeks later.

7" Lathe Cut

Planning For Burial - As A Lover

Plastic Flowers is a Dream Pop band from London, UK, formed in late 2011 by multi-instrumentalist George Samaras. He has recorded two full length studio albums Evergreen (2014) and Heavenly (2016).

BBC described his music as "very ethereal soundscapes accompanied by warm vocals" while DIY Magazine labelled him as a "Greek wunderkind musician." After a prolonged period of writing and experimentation, his second full length album entitled "Heavenly" was released in April, and is now quickly followed up with the new single "Falling Off".

7" / Download

Plastic Flowers - Falling Off

Grave School – We're Coming Back (Cock Sparrer cover)

Funeral Advantage have been mostly hermetic since the release of 'Body Is Dead', the band’s 2015 debut album. With the exception of some sporadic touring through the US and Canada, Tyler Kershaw (Funeral Advantage’s sole member) has kept to himself, writing and recording what would be the next chapter of Funeral Advantage – a new EP entitled ‘Please Help Me’.

If 'Body Is Dead' came from a place of hope, 'Please Help Me' comes from a place of desolation and confusion. Written during the disintegration of a long term relationship, the record works through the existential feelings of hopelessness and meaninglessness that followed.

While the lyrical content is much darker on this release, musically ’Please Help Me’ picks up where ‘Body Is Dead’ left off – irresistibly bright, and melodic dream-pop. ‘Please Help Me’ will be released on February 24th on limited edition vinyl and cassette tape, as well as digitally.

12" / Tape / DL

Funeral Advantage – CEOT7K

In the corner of his small bedroom in Somerville, Massachusetts, Luke Reed of Bent Shapes and Mini Dresses spends most nights quietly writing and recording solo material ranging from quiet and deliberate meditations, to summery jangle pop. Over the years, Luke has amassed a prolific collection of lonely and disenchanted pop songs, seldom released. 

On March 24th, The Native Sound will be re-releasing Luke Reed’s debut LP ‘Won’t Be There’. Quietly self-released on Bandcamp last summer with no promotion, or even album art, 'Won't Be There' is a set of 16 lo-fi indie rock songs. The first 13 were including on the original album, while the final three (“Just Want To Hold You”, “Sarah”, “Your Face”) are new additions.

Luke Reed – Just Want To Hold You

Pre-order vinyl at bit.ly/nofriendsep

Follow Surf Rock Is Dead:
http://www.surfrockisdead.bandcamp.com
http://www.surfrockisdead.com
https://www.facebook.com/surfrockisdead
https://twitter.com/surfrockisdead
https://instagram.com/surfrockisdead

Hailing from Chicago and Melbourne, Australia respectively, Kevin Pariso and Joel Witenberg together make up the Brooklyn duo, Surf Rock is Dead.  Embodying the beachiness of their namesake's genre through a new wave filter, the band have spent the last two years crafting an infectious brand of dream-pop in the vein of Diiv, Day Wave, and Beach Fossils.

“The phrase ‘we have no friends’ is a running joke and half-truth between the band.” Says Pariso about the namesake of the EP. “When we formed the project we would spend late weekend nights jamming and writing music instead of spending it out with friends. Putting time into a creative project definitely can hamper your social life but the idea is that the fruit it bears will be worth the sacrifices.”  

Those sacrifices paid off when the band went to record, using music as a way to escape the day-to-day grind and hot NYC summers. Ultimately, the duo was able to build off each other from similar shared experiences to turn song and lyric ideas into the anthemic dream-pop of the five-song EP. 

‘We Have No Friends?’ will be released September 22 on both vinyl, and digital formats. Vinyl versions include their debut 'SRiD' EP on the b-side.

Photo by Allegra Toran

Vinyl/ Streaming

Surf Rock is Dead – As If

Pre-order at bit.ly/nofriendsep

Hailing from Chicago and Melbourne, Australia respectively, Kevin Pariso and Joel Witenberg together make up the Brooklyn duo, Surf Rock is Dead. Embodying the beachiness of their namesake's genre through a new wave filter, the band have spent the last two years crafting an infectious brand of dream-pop in the vein of Diiv, Day Wave, and Beach Fossils.

“The phrase ‘we have no friends’ is a running joke and half-truth between the band.” Says Pariso about the namesake of the EP. “When we formed the project we would spend late weekend nights jamming and writing music instead of spending it out with friends. Putting time into a creative project definitely can hamper your social life but the idea is that the fruit it bears will be worth the sacrifices.” 

Those sacrifices paid off when the band went to record, using music as a way to escape the day-to-day grind and hot NYC summers. Ultimately, the duo was able to build off each other from similar shared experiences to turn song and lyric ideas into the anthemic dream-pop of the five-song EP.

‘We Have No Friends?’ will be released October 6th on both vinyl, and digital formats. Vinyl versions include their debut 'SRiD' EP on the b-side.

We Have No Friends? EP

Surf Rock is Dead – Everything They Said

Vinyl, streaming, download, etc. at smarturl.it/absent-forever

Absent Forever is the newest album from London-based producer Plastic Flowers - his third full-length LP and the second for The Native Sound after Heavenly. Plastic Flowers formed vaguely around 2011 in Thessaloniki, Greece and play a noisy version of Dream Pop filed under Shoegaze, Ambient and Indie. Much like his previous releases on labels such as Crash Symbols, Inner Ear Records or Bad Panda, this new album artfully slips intelligence and experimentation into a dying art form.

Recordings were completed in less than three months in 2017 and the album comprises of ten tracks that have been around George’s hard drive in demo form since early 2013. For this record Plastic Flowers recorded himself onto tape in different DIY spaces around London, including a friend’s old house in Hampstead and his small home studio. While dealing with massive academic workload and stress for his PhD, he managed to completely reshape Plastic Flowers’ sound with a new record that captures the analog aesthetics and the warm sound of the tape. As part of the creative process, he collaborated with a string quartet and his ex bandmate Angelos who assisted in the recordings.

Absent Forever finds Plastic Flowers hopeful and heavy, a new direction for those familiar with his music. It still possess the pensive and melancholy undertones taken of Heavenly, but they take different forms and themes. There are different ways to find growth and constructiveness through the times and situations that are labelled as negative, but through this album Samaras explores themes of personal flaws and downfalls that changed his life and helped him complete Absent Forever.

Absent Forever is out November 10th on vinyl and digitally via The Native Sound.

Plastic Flowers – How Can I

Order vinyl at bit.ly/nofriendsep

Hailing from Chicago and Melbourne, Australia respectively, Kevin Pariso and Joel Witenberg together make up the Brooklyn duo, Surf Rock is Dead. Embodying the beachiness of their namesake's genre through a new wave filter, the band have spent the last two years crafting an infectious brand of dream-pop in the vein of Diiv, Day Wave, and Beach Fossils.

“The phrase ‘we have no friends’ is a running joke and half-truth between the band.” Says Pariso about the namesake of the EP. “When we formed the project we would spend late weekend nights jamming and writing music instead of spending it out with friends. Putting time into a creative project definitely can hamper your social life but the idea is that the fruit it bears will be worth the sacrifices.” 

Those sacrifices paid off when the band went to record, using music as a way to escape the day-to-day grind and hot NYC summers. Ultimately, the duo was able to build off each other from similar shared experiences to turn song and lyric ideas into the anthemic dream-pop of the five-song EP.

‘We Have No Friends?’ will be released October 6th on both vinyl, and digital formats. Vinyl versions include their debut 'SRiD' EP on the b-side.

Surf Rock is Dead – White Salsa

Plastic Flowers – Dalliance

Vinyl, streaming, download, etc. at http://smarturl.it/absent-forever

Absent Forever is the newest album from London-based producer Plastic Flowers - his third full-length LP and the second for The Native Sound after Heavenly. Plastic Flowers formed vaguely around 2011 in Thessaloniki, Greece and play a noisy version of Dream Pop filed under Shoegaze, Ambient and Indie. Much like his previous releases on labels such as Crash Symbols, Inner Ear Records or Bad Panda, this new album artfully slips intelligence and experimentation into a dying art form.

Recordings were completed in less than three months in 2017 and the album comprises of ten tracks that have been around George’s hard drive in demo form since early 2013. For this record Plastic Flowers recorded himself onto tape in different DIY spaces around London, including a friend’s old house in Hampstead and his small home studio. While dealing with massive academic workload and stress for his PhD, he managed to completely reshape Plastic Flowers’ sound with a new record that captures the analog aesthetics and the warm sound of the tape. As part of the creative process, he collaborated with a string quartet and his ex bandmate Angelos who assisted in the recordings.

Absent Forever finds Plastic Flowers hopeful and heavy, a new direction for those familiar with his music. It still possess the pensive and melancholy undertones taken of Heavenly, but they take different forms and themes. There are different ways to find growth and constructiveness through the times and situations that are labelled as negative, but through this album Samaras explores themes of personal flaws and downfalls that changed his life and helped him complete Absent Forever.

Absent Forever is out November 10th on vinyl and digitally via The Native Sound.

Plastic Flowers – Half Life

Back in 2012 when MP3 blogs dominated the music discovery landscape, Tea Leigh and Luke Reed pumped out a series of beautifully lush dream-pop singles. The songs were extremely popular on the internet and widely shared on Soundcloud and YouTube. Eventually, they stopped releasing music and went about in separate directions.

Tea became a sought after tattoo artist, who now owns Welcome Home, an all female tattoo shop in Brooklyn, and Luke spent years playing in the now defunct Bent Shapes, and Joy Void’s latest signing, Mini Dresses. He also of course released a solo record earlier this year, with plans for another in 2018.

Now, after many dormant years, Tea Leigh and Luke Reed are back with a new single, “Underwater.” It’s a sleepy affair, and one continues right where they left off years ago.

Tea Leigh & Luke Reed – Underwater

In the corner of his small bedroom in Somerville, Massachusetts, Luke Reed of Bent Shapes and Mini Dresses spends most nights quietly writing and recording solo material ranging from quiet and deliberate meditations, to summery jangle pop. Over the years, Luke has amassed a prolific collection of lonely and disenchanted pop songs, seldom released.

"I'm Dreaming" is Luke's first single of the year – an ultra-catchy, lo-fi dream pop song that follow's his collaborative single with Tea Leigh. Last year, The Native Sound re-released Luke Reed’s debut LP ‘Won’t Be There’. Initially self-released on Bandcamp last summer with no promotion, or even album art, 'Won't Be There' is a set of 16 lo-fi indie rock songs.

SPOTIFY

Luke Reed – I'm Dreaming

Conceived in Salt Lake City, and realized in Baltimore, June Pastel is the work of Anthony Peña. A Venezuelan-American whose music stretches through the intersections of indie, pop, jazz, and chamber music, June Pastel sits at the rare transitory space only available through processes of growth and motion. 

On the band’s debut single “Without a Phrase,” Anthony explores the kind of smooth and dreamy indie rock that brings to mind Wild Nothing, and Craft Spells, with a little bit of jazz weaved in for good measure. It’s the perfect primer for not just the band, but the album to come.

Set for release this summer, June Pastel’s forthcoming debut album finds Anthony amassing an eclectic group of musicians with roots that stretch beyond the confines of genre. Each of these worlds builds the collaged moment-to-moment vocabulary within the June Pastel universe. For Peña, June Pastel is all about community: his songs are bases upon which his musical collaborators may find their own expression, around which relationships may form. June Pastel is a first—and important—step by Peña away from solo work, and into the communal ecology of creating with others.

June Pastel – Without a Phrase

Conceived in Salt Lake City, and realized in Baltimore, June Pastel is the work of Anthony Peña. A Venezuelan-American whose music stretches through the intersections of indie, pop, jazz, and chamber music, June Pastel sits at the rare transitory space only available through processes of growth and motion.

On the band’s album 'Collages,' Anthony explores the kind of smooth and dreamy indie rock that brings to mind Wild Nothing, and Craft Spells, with a little bit of jazz weaved in for good measure. It’s the perfect primer for not just the band, but the album to come.

Set for release June 29th, 'Collages' finds Anthony amassing an eclectic group of musicians with roots that stretch beyond the confines of genre. Each of these worlds builds the collaged moment-to-moment vocabulary within the June Pastel universe. For Peña, June Pastel is all about community: his songs are bases upon which his musical collaborators may find their own expression, around which relationships may form. June Pastel is a first—and important—step by Peña away from solo work, and into the communal ecology of creating with others.

Tape Pre-order

June Pastel – All To Come

In the corner of his small bedroom in Somerville, Massachusetts, Luke Reed of Bent Shapes and Mini Dresses spends most nights quietly writing and recording solo material ranging from quiet and deliberate meditations, to summery jangle pop. Over the years, Luke has amassed a prolific collection of lonely and disenchanted pop songs, seldom released.

"Ordinary" is Luke's second solo single of the year – a dancey dream pop song that follow's his ultra lo-fi "I'm Dreaming" single. Last year, The Native Sound re-released Luke Reed’s debut LP ‘Won’t Be There’. Initially self-released on Bandcamp last summer with no promotion, or even album art, 'Won't Be There' is a set of 16 lo-fi indie rock songs.

Free Download

Luke Reed – Ordinary

Surf Rock Is Dead - Away Message

The Native Sound is a small, New York City-based record label established in 2013.

Email: info@thenativesound.com

The Native Sound

Popular tracks