gleam

a sleep

Formed in London in 2012, Flowers have released two albums and an increasingly assured string of singles on labels like Fortuna Pop, Kanine, Oddbox, Cloudberry and Where It's At Is Where You Are. Those associations might give you an idea of where they are coming from: beautiful, effecting pop with echoes of C86 indie, post-punk pop, shoegaze, 90s 4AD and even a dash of early Slumberland Records. Far more than just a sum of their influences, they've dazzled pop fans around the world with their distinctively spiky songs and Rachel Kennedy's thrilling, ethereal vocals.

"Erik" is their contribution to Slumberland's SLR30 Singles Series and their first single since 2017. Written about their wayward pet hamster, it's a lovely tune that wouldn't sound out of place on a Belly record, a prime piece of the grungy, fuzzy pop that Flowers are so expert at creating. On the flip, "Candour" is deeper and slower, recalling early SLR groups like Black Tambourine and Henry's Dress, a connection that makes their participation in our singles series all the more appropriate.

Erik

Flowers - Erik

By Sam Rakestraw: 
Imagine that you had access to a time machine. You could go anywhere, any place, at any point in time, and do whatever you please. I’m fairly confident there’s one place where most wouldn’t go: 2020. Maybe you’d want to fast forward to whenever this horrible time of Covid uncertainty and loss comes to an end and return to a life free from restrictions. Or, you could go back to the world before the viral trauma when your favorite local restaurant, amusement parks, or theaters weren’t closed. It’s hypothetical, but it’s fun to create that escape. One of Nashville’s newest indie rock bands, Nite Tides, makes that escape to the west coast of the Sunshine State with a 60s pop take in their debut track, “Forever Baby.”

Born and raised in San Diego, Ryan Poole made the musical pilgrimage to Nashville to work in recording. After the move, he spent the next seven years behind the soundboards in the studio mixing, editing, and largely working on other people’s music. Poole, however, found himself idling in the studio one Sunday this summer. 

“It was the Sunday afternoon after the Fourth,” Poole recounted. “I didn’t have anything to do. And I was telling myself, ‘Dude, don’t go into the studio; take a break from work.’ But I just got this bug in my head. I wanted to do a song that was kind of surfy for a long time,” he remembers.  

The retro sounding song about escaping to the Golden State beaches for surfing, away from a sickly world, influenced the project name, “Nite Tides,” as Poole brought some of his buddies on. What was intended to be a day of messing around in the studio developed into a 100-hour project.

“Forever Baby” begins with an overture of guitar. They sound violent at first, as the strings are aggressively tugged at. It’s almost like the section of The Beatles’ A Day in the Life, where the instruments sound as if they’re winding up for an ear-splitting roar. But that roar never comes. Out of the blue comes a tropical guitar and ukulele melody. Whatever image of a growing storm the listener had in their mind is now replaced by a Californian seaside with towering foaming white waves beckoning to them. Poole sings the verses of escaping the current time in a wavy trance-like tone similar to Day Wave. In fact, Poole cites the 2015 indie rock project as one of his influences towards creating this track. 

“The Enneagram test is a personality test like Myers Briggs or anything else,” says Poole, “My particular Enneagram is what they call a seven. Basically, the main thing regarding the seven is having fun, always busying yourself with activities, and trying to avoid pain by having fun and never stopping. This song hits that seven quality in a bunch of ways. Even after its creation, I couldn’t just take a Sunday off and be lazy. I had to do something fun and creative.”

Many of the song’s lyrics were an escape for Poole to write and sing. The rest of the song structures piano and guitar chords to versus that sing, “If I’m not sick and you’re not sick then we’ll head out west where the sunset lives and we’ll ride a wave forever baby.”Those lyrics were what  brought Poole into the studio. From there, he wrote more verses that built on the theme of escaping in the true nature of an Enneagram seven.

“Forever Baby” is Ryan Poole’s time machine to the coast, set in the 60s and a love letter to surfing. It’s an accurate estimate to say that Poole would take his time machine to the San Diego beach circa 1968. “With the idea of Nite Tides, that’s how I’m branding the whole thing. Creating this aesthetic of 60s beach surfers and classic cars (he drives a 64’ Thunderbird). It’s just very much a Beach Boys-like band, and we’re having fun with it. That’s not everything about me; it’s not my whole personality or my whole taste in music, but it is one big part. So, Nite Tides is this compartmentalized part of me—my retro beach side.” #surf #surfrock #janglepop #indiepop#bedroompop#lofi

Forever Baby

"Behind Bar // Sword" were recorded during the Mirror LP sessions with Jack Shirley at the Atomic Garden in 2016.

For now, digital sales of this release will be directed to CCF Wildfire Relief Fund.

Thank you for listening.
Jared, Michael, John
credits
released September 1, 2020

Balms are Jared Padovani, Michael Ascunsion & John Kolesnikow • All Songs Written by Balms • Recorded by Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden, East Palo Alto, CA • Mixed by Justin Gerrish at Hook & Fade Studios, Brooklyn, NY • Mastered by Justin Weiss at Trakworx, San Francisco, CA • Album Art by Naveed Ahmad

Behind Bars

Music and all Instruments: 
The Churchhill Garden | Andy Jossi (Switzerland) 

Lyrics and Vocals: 
Krissy Vanderwoude (USA) 

Mastered by: 
Andrew Rose at pristine audio .
lyrics
Beautiful bird 
High up in the tree 
Tell me all you see 
Sing a song for me 

When I wake in the morning 
It's your song I hear 
It brings me peace 
Knowing you are near 
And then through the day 
I look to the sky 
To see you flying by 

You are full of life 
You are soaring free 
Beautiful bird 
You inspire me 
If I close my eyes 
Even in my dreams 
Can i learn to fly 
If I spread my wings 
Beautiful bird 
Sing me a song 
Help me forget 
All that is wrong 

Beautiful bird 
When you fly above 
You remind me of 
Love 

©Krissy Vanderwoude 2020

Birds

Following on from 2016's "Wordless Wonder" album, Minneapolis' Real Numbers are back with a brand new EP entitled "Brighter Then." Recorded over winter 2019/2020, the EP shows the band journeying deeper into straight-up indiepop than ever before. Where "Wordless Wonder" partook in lo-fi post-punk DIY pop thrills, "Brighter Then" revels in the more sophisticated sounds of the late 80s and *nails* it. The smart songs and crisp production echo Sarah Records favorites like The Wake and Brighter; while never straying too far from their scrappy DIY roots, Real Numbers have broadened their sound with assurance, and fans of Felt and the Field Mice will be pleased with the results.

Brighter Then EP

Brighter Then

pre-order

Real Numbers - Brighter Then

'A dreamy song with a gorgeous bassline that captures you, ‘Save My Life’ is a true wonder' - Happy People Music

'The song is both energetic yet soothing at the same time.. Layers of analogue synths are both bubbly and infectious' - Puddlegum

'Coated in desirable melodies that will float you to paradise' - MoggBlogg

'A fine piece of chamber pop' - Fadeaway Radiate

The relentless rhythm of lockdown manifests in the motorik inspired beat underpinning Save My Life. A driving yet melodic bass line glues to the drum machine, with a subtly pleading vocal up close and personal in the mix. Bubbling synths, filtered guitars and ghostly harmonics swirl around the soundscape adding depth and off-kilter sonic flourishes. 

‘Save My Life’ asks a big question with a myriad of answers.  All that’s really required to dig a tunnel through the despair is the knowledge that somebody actually cares about you. Someone that sees through those painted smiles and nonchalant shrugs and knows when you’re not ok. It’s not about heroics and grand gestures. This life is saved by love.

Mastered by Philip Marsden
Cover art by Gavin Stretch of Mode=Create

Save My Life

What a year it was for Spunsugar. Among the most promising acts to emerge from Scandanavia in 2020, after a raft of glorous early singles drew plaudits from all quarters of the English press the Malmo-based trio released debut LP Drive-Through Chapel, which more or less lit up the boards in their native Sweden. Kicking off what will be a even bigger year for the gothgaze dreamers, January sees the release of their new single ‘You Never Turn Around’.


As Oscar Wilde once put it “There is no romance without tragedy” An uncharacteristically poptastic offering from the Swedes, ‘(You Never) Turn Around’ is synthwave melodrama about the great tragedy of lukewarm indifference. Like Alvvays covering Gary Newman, and ever so macabre – this is Spunsugar remember – it's the trio at their most unashamedly flamboyant. Sad never sounded so spectacular. 

"A little less steel, a little more silk: that was the mantra when "(You Never) Turn Around" was recorded. It’s the final song in a trilogy about being in a relationship with a person who’s emotionally unavailable ("Time Enough at Last" and "Dial Up Tone” from the debut album are the first and second parts). 

The lyrics are inspired by a hazy memory of a film. In the film the theory goes that when they say goodbye but turn to look at you one last time, you know it’s love.    
Make no mistake, this is a true Spunsugar song, so you’re guaranteed a meaty rock song. But this single is pop: dreamier than previous releases and crisper in its construction, with a compelling intro, groovier tempo and the sort of singalong feel that your granny might appreciate. Spunsugar might be accused of having sold our souls, but that don't bother us. We never had one to begin with." Spunsugar

Spunsugar - (You Never) Turn Around

‘’Skogen’’ is the second single from the new Stephen's Shore EP ‘’Brisbane Radio’’ to be released by Meritorio Records on January 22nd.

Link in BIO to pre-order the limited 7" vinyl or digital.

Stephen's Shore - Skogen

Moon Palace first worked on Faultlines during the Covid-19 stay-at-home order in Washington state. Carrie Biell wrote the song in her basement studio and sent Jude the track on May 10, 2020. From there each member began writing parts at home and working together remotely to bring you this first single off their new EP.

Vocals and Bass | Carrie Biell
Back Up Vocals and Guitar | Cat Biell
Synth | Gabriel Molinaro
Drums | Jude Miqueli 
Artwork by Cat Biell
Lyrics by Carrie Biell
Recorded by Carrie Biell and Gabriel Molinaro
Co-produced by Gabriel Molinaro and Timothy Robert Graham
Mixed by Timothy Robert Graham at Beacon Mountain Recording in Seattle, WA
Mastered by Ed Brooks at Resonant Mastering in Seattle, WA

Faultlines

Cinnamon Eyes

Our upcoming album Love Lost will be out spring of 2022￼.
Follow us on Bandcamp: https://moonpalacemusic.bandcamp.com/follow_me

Faultlines

Moon Palace

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