The Matinee September 3 edition has a very west coast feel with three of the artists from California. The others are from Australia and New York City. Regardless where the artists are based, these tracks will enliven your Thursday.
Ryder (USA) – “Pretty Little Gangster”
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Here’s an artist who basically is self-made and whose latest song, “Pretty Little Gangster”, became an online sensation basically through the word of mouth. In a matter of three months, it has over 300K plays on SoundCloud. All it takes is one listen to this groovy, electro-pop track to understand why people are fawning over Ryder, the singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. She will be releasing a new single in the coming weeks, and by that time music fans and writers will likely be calling her the next Banks.
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MOONZz (USA) – “Satisfy”
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Also from Los Angeles and another mysterious singer-songwriter-producer is MOONZz. While sharing a similar approach to Banks and Ryder, the one thing that stands out on MOONZz’s debut single, “Satisfy”, is her sultry, soulful voice, which is intoxicating. The song, meanwhile, is a hypnotic trip down the rabbit hole and into MOONZz’s dark electro-pop world. Simply mesmerizing. It’s a trip many, including myself, would surely take over and over again. What will she do next? Only she and the fine folks at Taste and Tone know.
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Summer Flake (Australia) – “The Sun Wont Shine”
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Another young artist with an immense future is Stephanie Crase, who goes by the moniker Summer Flake. From Adelaide, Australia and now residing in Melbourne, Crase is taking aim at breakthrough the tough US market. The first single from her debut EP, Time Rolls By, is the indie rocker “The Sun Wont Shine”. It has the gritty, honest songwriting and sound of two of our favorites – Waxahatchee (Katie Crutchfield) and Hailey Wojcik. As such, don’t expect flowery soliloquies or sappy love songs; just great storytelling that will make your reminisce, reflect, and re-live a moment in time.
Time Rolls By has an ETA of October 9th, and it will be released by Rice is Nice.
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Limbo Sanctuary (Australia) – “Lost”
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Whereas Summer Flake’s track is full of reverb, fellow Australians Limbo Sanctuary adopt a warm indie pop-rock sound on their debut single, “Lost”. The song is simple and low-key with a familiar riff and melody, but it is still nonetheless a beautiful tune about a journey of losing oneself. The gorgeous refrain echoes of the lush simplicity of Eskimeaux, who had one of our favorite albums of the second quarter.
Limbo Sanctuary are composed of Nina Barnard, James Phipps, and Austin Harris. This young trio has a huge future in front of it.
“Lost” will be officially released on September 18 via A&R Department’s subsidiary Tape Records.
Western Scene (USA) – “See What You Want To”
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Released nearly a year ago, Western Scene‘s “See What You Want To” is worth revisiting. This folk-pop tune with a touch of ’60s pop is a treat on the auditory senses with the terrific harmonies and the euphoric melodies. It’s the type of song that is perfect to end a long day, and it’s guaranteed to leave a smile on your face.
Another reason to share the song is for the awesome video. Created and directed by Emily Wilder (who fronts the all girl band, Wet & Reckless), the stop-motion video was recorded entirely on an iPhone 6 (can you say “commercial potential”?) and it features handcrafted wooden characters. Needlessly to say, a lot of time and energy went into this clever video.
Western Scene is the project of LA-based Tom Pritchard and three of his close friends. “See What You Want To” is the lead single from Western Scene’s forthcoming EP, whose name and release date are to be determined.
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Fort Lean (USA) – “Might’ve Misheard”
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Back in May, we featured Fort Lean’s “Hobbies”, which is the lead single from their the forthcoming new album, Quiet Day. They’ve shared single number four from the album, this time a dance rocker called “Might’ve Misheard”. The song has a Brit indie-pop vibe – an anthemic sound with a blistering chorus and just a dizzying effect on the mind. The short guitar solo about two-thirds through the song resonates of 80s power pop, which we all admittedly or not have a special place in our heart. And if Quiet Day is as good as the first four releases, including this epic tune, then Fort Lean will find themselves firmly entrenched in music writers and listeners hearts for a very long time.
Fort Lean are Jake Aron, Zach Fried, Keenan Mitchell, Will Runge, and Sam Ubl. Quiet Day is due out October 2 via Ooh La La Records. Pre-order the album at iTunes and Amazon.
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