Los Angeles – Right off the bat of the opening track from Chaos And The Calm, the 2015 Brits Critics’ Choice winner James Bay sings with experienced aplomb. However, the British singer/songwriter/guitarist is only debuting his first LP. The affecting vocalist from Hitchin commands festival-ready tracks that balance the fine lines of soul, soft rock,
Next week, indie pop act, Geographer, will be back with their newest record, Ghost Modern. (Best New Bands contributor, Sean Kayden, first reported on the upcoming record here.) The five piece San Franciscan band has been working to leave no ear un-intrigued and no playlist without a spot for filling, in the time leading up the the release and the group
Austin – A lot of people say SXSW Music doesn’t really start until Wednesday, but those chumps missed out on day one. It was a little slower than usual as people waited in line to collect wristbands, but careful planners could have filled up their schedules. Or, just stayed at Spotify House. They had some
Courtney Barnett’s full-length debut album, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit is out next Tuesday, via Mom+Pop Music. Anxious fervor has been growing in the months and weeks leading up to the release and things have only reached a new high with Barnett’s latest promotional effort. This past Monday, Barnett and her band made
Los Angeles – Local synth-pop aficionados, Smallpools, are enthusiastically prepared to show the world their highly anticipated debut LP, LOVETAP! In the summer of 2013, the band released their first self-titled EP on RCA Records. It was an incredible feat considering the band had only been together a few months up until that point. They
New York – Two heavy hitters of the music world, synth-pop artist, Grimes (Claire Boucher), and indie pop act, Bleachers (Jack Antonoff), recently teamed up to create and release a completely new track titled, “Entropy.” The new collaborative creation debuted on the most recent installment of the HBO program, Girls and was co-written by both artists specifically for the show. Viewers
New York – Noise-inspired indie pop band, Surfer Blood, has announced a set of national headlining show dates, in support of their tertiary record, 1000 Palms. (The band’s last release, 2013′s Pythons, was reviewed by Best New Bands.) The West Palm Beach based group recently performed a special acoustic version of the single, “I Can’t Explain,” during a studio session the band
Iceland’s Of Monsters And Men are back with an ambitious fury, releasing a new song, announcing the date for their sophomore release and revealing a list of stops for an extensive spring tour, with plenty of stops in North America! (Including their previously reported participation in the Sasquatch Music Festival.) June 9, 2015 is the day to
New York - The Bright Smoke are a uniquely profiled duo based out of Brooklyn. A self-described, “indie-noir” band, Quincy Ledbetter (guitar, bass, piano) and Mia Wilson (vocals, guitar, piano) certainly have some bright endeavors to look forward to, despite the slightly sonically dark associations that come to mind when cueing up their music. Wilson and Ledbetter
Los Angeles – Last December, the Ohio dance-pop act Walk The Moon released their second major label album Talking Is Hard. Since the release, they’ve been popping up everywhere, including on late night variety shows such Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. I reviewed the record for Best New Bands calling