Carnations - I Die

I like everything about this cut from Sydney band, Carnations. I Die is from their debut self-titled five-track cassette on the Urge imprint. Everything works here, the relentless bouncy beat, along with the gloomy title repeated over and over. Not an easy task to accomplish, yet this bunch of talented folk deliver with an almost naive charm. Make sure you check out all the cuts. Nice quirky video, too.

⁠Bedchamber - Patterns⁠

As this one begins, I’m prompted to blurt out, “I know this!” Then the vocals kick in and I realize I almost spoke too soon. Yes, there is that little hook that does sound familiar, but this four-piece from Jakarta, Indonesia are clearly doing their own thing. Patterns comes from Bedchamber’s LP, Capa City, with nine cool tracks to investigate.

⁠Joyful Forfeit - Please Don’t Change⁠⁠

Here is a challenge, listen to Please Don’t Change right up until the bridge before the vocals come in. See if you can describe how you think the vocals will sound. Joyful Forfeit surprised me. This cut is so well accomplished as is the album, Everything Came To Light. Hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Kody Stieve presents as Joyful Forfeit who says “Over the past several years he has developed migraines, where I have difficulty with my field of vision, thought processing, and overall discomfort for periods of time.  Much of that discomfort is in my eyes, where they feel extremely heavy, or painful and that they’ll just fall out of my face”. This goes a long way to explain the emotional and autobiographical mood of Kody’s work. Excellent.

⁠Lemonade Baby - Tints (ft. Kevin Collett)⁠⁠

At this point we are we are satisfyingly familiar with the releases from Australian producer, Lemonade Baby. So, it will come as no surprise we give a big thumbs up to this collaboration with fellow Brisbane based artist Kevin Collett. About the single Tints, LB says, “I actually had the vibe and lyrics but just needed a title for the song. I met up with Kevin in the studio and showed him the idea and then laid down a verse in 3 takes. The title Tints sorta works, you can’t see people’s eyes thru tinted glasses, or there is even saying, rose-tinted-glasses which is in theme with the concept.” We don’t recommend dancing while you drive, but you will want to wriggle your bum around to this one.

⁠Varsity - Head In The Clouds⁠⁠

Stephanie Smith, Dylan Weschler, Patrick Stanton, Jake Stolz and Paul Stolz are Varsity, they are out of Chicago and they make splendid music. I listened to Head In The Clouds a number of times on headphones to make sure I was correct in noting how good the production is. Not complicated or tricky, simply well executed. Interesting artwork for their series of sleeves, too.

⁠Holly Powers - Make Me Feel Light⁠

Aww, Make Me Feel Light captured me immediately. Holly Powers confidently uses delicate vocals and harmonies alongside her accessible yet intriguing melodies. This Edinburgh-based songwriter clearly has a lot of talent. I want to hear more from Holly, much more.

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