Always busy and rarely settling down, Black Honey have taken an incremental approach to build their portfolio and, thus, their popularity. Instead of releasing full-length albums, they’ve given music fans bite-size morsels in the form of numerous singles and a handful of singles (and it’s approach replicated by other bands like YONAKA). Consequently, the Brighton-based quartet have enough material to […]

Lingering Pt. II by Sleep Party People Fifteen months ago, Brian Batz – the multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and songwriter behind Sleep Party People – took us through the rabbit hole and into a world of unearthly psychedelic dream-pop with Lingering. The album, which was one of the year’s most outstanding records, was an extraordinary experience into the cosmos and a journey […]

Twisted Crystal by Guerilla Toss Since their formation in 2010, Guerilla Toss have always been unconventional and never boring. Their forays into dance-punk even defied categorization since the quintet would unveil a surprising guitar riff or punch a wicked dance beat like an unexpected Mike Tyson uppercut. If their previous five albums didn’t push the experimental boundaries enough for some, […]

The Matinee ’18 September 20th edition demonstrates that women are the present and future of music. Each of the nine songs are by a woman singer-songwriter or a female-fronted band. Each offers something different, ranging from indie rock to power-pop to disco-pop to shoegaze to downtempo to grunge. Bec Sandridge – “Animal” (Sydney, Australia) RIYL: La Roux, Dead or Alive, […]

With so much great music, we’re offering another two-part series. The Matinee ’18 September 18th – Europe Edition kicks things off with seven stellar songs. Each artist / band represents a different country. To hear the USA edition, click here. AKINE – “Money In Your Mouth” (Kyiv, Ukraine) RIYL: Lorde, So Below, Mallrat Ukranian singer-songwriter and alt-pop artist AKINE isn’t even […]

The Matinee ’18 September 18th – USA edition includes songs from artists residing across the country. For instance, one artist is Swedish, but she now calls California home. There is a bit of everything, including one of the most beautiful songs of the year. To hear the seven songs on the Europe edition, click here. Big Bliss – “Constants” (Brooklyn, […]

Emma Ruth Rundle‘s last album, Marked for Death, was a sonic and emotional catharsis that continues to tremble walls and souls. It is Rundle’s masterpiece and one of the great records of not just 2016 but this decade. Trying to follow up a generational LP is a challenging endeavor that many before have fallen short, but Rundle, with the assistance […]

Hyper Super Mega by The Holydrug Couple A decade since their formation, The Holydrug Couple continue to push psychedelic-pop to the extremes. Ives Sepúlveda Minho and Manuel Parra’s first two albums, Awe and Noctuary, were laid-back, summertime efforts. Meanwhile, Soundtrack for Pantanal was cosmic in its scope, and it displayed the Santiago-based duo’s ability to make the hazy dazzling. For their […]

The Matinee ’18 September 13th – North American Edition features artists and bands who are originally from or now call Canada and the USA home. All six are alumni to The Matinee, so their names should not be surprises. If they are new to you, then we highly recommend following them because you’ll see them in the future. The second […]

We have another two-parter for you today. First up is The Matinee ’18 September 13th – ROW Edition, or Rest of the World. The six songs in this mini-playlist are immensely creative and riveting, and some could be up for song of the year. As usual, several countries are represented, and we do realize one group features members from Mexico. […]

 Thirty-six years ago, Jason Pierce co-launched Spacemen 3, introducing the world to his and Peter Kember’s cosmic vision of neo-psychedelia and psych-rock. Since that time, he’s been known as J. Spaceman, which he took to a different orbit in 1990 with Spiritualized. Seven largely imaginative albums followed, ranging from the space rock of Lazer Guided Melodies to the more […]

The Matinee ’18 September 11th – ROW Edition (Rest of the World) has a strong Southern Hemisphere vibe with a couple of artists residing north of the equator. There are buzz-saw rockers and dreamy synth-pop numbers plus one electronic enchantment. For more music, check out the USA edition over here.   Academie – “Eyes” (Johannesburg, South Africa) RIYL: Cults, Cathedrals, […]

The Matinee ’18 September 11th – USA Edition has a bit of everything. You’ll delight in some ’80s synth-pop and art-pop, gasp to an indie-rock ballad and an Americana fable, and be blown away from a couple of moving numbers. For more music, check out the Rest of the World edition over here.   Ariel Beesley – “Awake All Night” […]

Kingdoms In Colour by Maribou State For the better part of their seven years together, Chris Davids and Liam Ivory have taken their Maribou State project to nearly every corner of the globe. From playing lavish events in Ibiza to DJ’ing in intimate clubs in India and New Zealand, they have gradually established a reputation as one of electronic music’s […]

Marlon Rabenreither is a throwback to the days when songwriting was entrenched as a celebrated art form. The music he crafts under the moniker Gold Star is in a word – timeless. His first two albums, Dark Days and Big Blue, captured the energy and spirit of the late ’60s and ’70s when rock ‘n roll and folk-rock were at […]

A year ago, Juanita Stein released her debut solo album, America, which showcased a vastly different side from her days fronting the underappreciated indie-rock band Howling Bells. Instead of catchy and booming numbers, the record was complex and mystical, as Stein combined an ethereal vocal deliver with hard-hitting and occasionally unnerving stories. In addition, she brought an expected cinema and […]

Indigo by Wild Nothing Through his first three full-length albums and two EPs, Jack Tatum, through his project Wild Nothing, made effortless, lo-fi dream-pop. The records were made for intimate moments in the bedroom, whether with a friend, your partner, or alone. The Virginia Tech alumnus, however, goes hi-fi and widescreen on Indigo. If his debut Gemini and follow-up LPs, […]

When thinking about the music that comes from Russia, most English-speaking music fans will cite Pussy Riot, Pinkshinyultrablast, and Tchaikovsky. The list is pretty limited due to the lack of exposure Russian artists and bands receive abroad. Someone, however, has to be the first, and the group could be Hospital. Formed in 2011, Hospital is an indie-pop rock band that […]

The Matinee ’18 September 4th edition is filled with surprises. This includes the return of an indie star from abroad, songs that sound like one thing but reveal a different message in its lyrics, and playful tunes that will leave you smiling. CASTLEBEAT – “Research” (Brooklyn, USA) RIYL: DIIV, Ghost Wave, Daywave The summer may be over in some parts […]

Tank Town by Many Voices Speak When Matilda Mård released “Video Child” nearly two years ago under the moniker Many Voices Speak, the song marked the triumphant return of a woman and singer-songwriter who at one point lost her confidence and almost quit music entirely. After years of toiling in Stockholm’s music scene and with little success, Mård moved to Borlänge […]