Introducing…Tallows

Bringing a new spirit to indie music with their refreshing combination of unique vocals, rolling melodies and crisp horns and percussion, experimental indie band Tallows brings a distinctive mood to the genre.

Tallows

Known for their “…kaleidoscopic songs that quickly turn anthemic” (Paste Magazine) and already hailed by tastemaking music blogs (including DIY Magazine and The Wild Honey Pie) as the new indie band to watch, Tallows began when friends Josh Hogsett (multi-instrumentalist/vocalist) and Richard Lindsey (guitarist/programmer) met and formed the band in Oklahoma City in 2012. With the addition of Jay Sullivan (drummer) and Adam Thornbrugh (bassist), the band recorded their first album Memory Marrow, released in 2013. Quickly winning listeners over with their eclectic songwriting, infectious singles Soft Water and Small Talk and dynamic performances, Memory Marrow was nominated for best indie/alt album by Independent Music Awards.

With the  release of new single Sea Bitch, the band continues reshaping organic and electronic sounds into a dynamic structure, giving them a unique and original sound that is comparable to Foals and Local Natives but unlike any other. The band is currently working on their next full-length, set to be released in mid-2015.

Introducing…Split Seconds

Split Seconds

After penetrating airwaves and the blogosphere with their previous single Halfway There, Split Seconds is proud to announce the release of a brand new single, Delivery, from their upcoming EP release titled Neil Young & Dumb.

The new track and EP is as you’d expect having experienced the band’s flawless back-catalogue to date – a natural progression for a band already with a penchant for penning perfect songs that emerge as feeling already classic. Herein lies unconventional and clever lyricism with sharp and textured arrangements.

 

Introducing…Ex Hex

Ex Hex, the new project from Helium & Wild Flag vocalist Mary Timony, will release their highly anticipated full-length debut Rips on October 7 in North America and October 13 worldwide. They have also announced a full list of US tour dates.

Ex Hex is Mary Timony, Laura Harris and Betsy Wright. They are a power trio hailing from Washington, DC, making the music you’ve been waiting for. Drums, bass, guitar, P90s, searing leads—this is unapologetic rock ‘n’ roll spat out in the discipline’s mother tongue.

Ex Hex

Mary found Laura Harris (The Aquarium, Benjy Ferree) and they hit it off immediately. Laura is a monster on drums: intuitive, solid and just a bit rough around the edges. The pair played together for a couple of months in a tiny carpet-lined practice space shared with half a dozen hardcore bands and what appeared to be the better part of a B.C. Rich Mockingbird.

In walked Betsy Wright from the wilds of Virginia. She and Mary have similar tendencies, both defaulting to denim and The Voidoids. Betsy is a performer and an ace piano player, and before long, she was slinging a cherry SG as the third member of Ex Hex.

The group played a handful of shows and a couple of months later, in the spring of 2014, headed into the studio. Working furiously, they recorded over the span of two weeks in North Carolina with Mitch Easter (Let’s Active) and in the basement of Mary’s home with frequent collaborator Jonah Takagi. Bobby Harlow (The Go, Conspiracy of Owls) was tapped to mix because of his unique take on making rock records.

What results is Ex Hex – Rips, twelve songs about underdogs, guys stealing your wallet, schoolyard brawls and getting bent. The record happens pretty quickly so don’t blink.

You can pre-order Rips now at iTunes (pre-orders will receive an instant download of Don’t Wanna Lose) and in the Merge store. Ex Hex have also revealed their latest track, Beast.

Passenger Peru Release Second Single, Dirt Nap, Taken From Forthcoming Self-titled Album

Dirt Nap is the second single from Brooklyn-based duo Passenger Peru who are soon to be releasing their self-titled album.

The melodies and arrangements on Dirt Nap float delicately above the clouds, however, the song itself contemplates what happens when you are six feet under the ground. The music juxtaposes the crashing realisation of the meaning of this song. It’s a marvelous track which is very Elliot Smith inspired – chirpy melodies against dark lyrics. As Justin Gonzales’ guitars soar and migrate, lead singer Justin Stivers ponders where our bones will end up and asks, “Will anyone care that your buried and gone?/Will anyone celebrate what you accomplished in your life?/Or will they just eventually build a highway over you and leave you forgotten?”

You can listen to Dirt Nap here.

Passenger Peru is also offering four free albums (digital) from their former band, Pet Ghost Project, if you pre-order the cassette.

Pre-order Passenger Peru’s forthcoming self-titled album here. Their self-titled album will be released on January 28 via Fleeting Youth Records.

Passenger Peru To Release Debut Album This Month

Tuesday 28 January will see Brooklyn duo Passenger Peru release their debut, self-titled album on Fleeting Youth Records. The band consists of two Justin’s; Stivers and Gonzalez, both multi-instrumentalists and singers who together make a sound more complex and layered than the sum of just two parts.

As well as the usual formats, the album release also comes in cassette form complete with a tasteful badge to pin upon your lapels. The cassette format harks back to a time gone by that the boys sound also evokes. Obvious influences on their sound stem from such classics as Pavement, Modest Mouse and Yo La Tengo however sounding new and fresh enough that they should be able to ride the coat tails of 2013’s critical darlings; Kurt Vile, Ty Segall and Jackson Scott.

Indeed Justin Stivers has already paid his dues playing bass in the rather excellent, Antlers. Now residing in New York, the group was originally formed from an advert on Craig’s list and Passenger Peru have since spent the last couple of years honing their sound, sometimes sleeping on the studio floor to make ends meet. The first single from the album Heavy Drugs is one of the records highlights and a classic slice of scuzzy mid-nineties stoned indie rock. Whack it in a playlist with some tracks from the new records by Stephen Malkmus and Ariel Pink and you’ll hardly notice a change of pace.

Passenger Peru have also recently released their own version of British art rock band Roxy Music’s 1982 hit single, More Than This as well as their own DIY video for Health System, another track that’s been taken from the forthcoming self-titled debut album.

Plus if you sign up to their website you can get the single for free along with some covers of Pavement and My Bloody Valentine in a very nice personal email from Stivers. What’s not to love?

By Josh Bennett