premiere: Oliver Munch - Bomb Set

Bec Sandridge - In the Fog, In the Flame

Braves - Get it Right

I’ve been taking a bit of a breather here on the web, but I think this song is a great way to open 2016. I covered them last year on a Letter to YVYNYL they sent me telling about the music scene in Western Australia. They recently caught up with me to check in with news and send me two hot new singles.

“Tame Impala is inarguably one of our hometown Perth’s biggest exports, and for good reason, but their massive national and worldwide success has dramatically shifted the music scene here in Australia. It seems everyone’s buying synths and changing their sound to try and capture that bottled lightning a second time. Previously energetic rock bands have shifted towards this wishy washy retro synth ‘pop’ sound in what transparently seems to be a bid to appeal to the Tame Impala aesthetic (without having the Tame Impala hooks) that critics and audiences are frothing at the mouth for right now. As a result, we don’t really fit in here right now, more so than usual. There are bands doing things internationally that we feel align with who we are, bands like FIDLAR and Wavves and Twin Peaks and Cloud Nothings and PAWS, but we stand out like a sore thumb in the Australian scene currently.

“Braves has always been about the songwriting first, and the pedal / synth effects later or even never. I think a strong hook transcends genre and taste, a catchy chorus or melody will cut through the noise and grab someone regardless of what they think they like or what the current trends and fads dictate. I wanted that to be the focus of these new songs, I wanted people to be able to get excited about these tracks in a live setting especially and actually have fun at the shows. I always thought the best live shows were the ones where you left a sweaty, half-deaf mess, rather than composed at the back of the room sipping on a beer. I hope these songs can facilitate that ideal. I hope all Braves songs can.

“YVYNYL followers have been very supportive of us in the past, and we hope that continues with Get It Right / Dropout.”

Here’s to half-deaf messes in 2016! Oh, and I’ll be back soon.

Palace Winter - Menton

Silicon - Burning Sugar

premiere: The Sun Hates Me

Earlier this year, I wrote a raving review of what I think is the best music video of 2014: Sheep, Dog & Wolf’s single “Glare.” If you need something to entertain you on the final day of the year, this 25-minute documentary about shooting this gorgeous piece should do the trick. The story behind the challenging, adventurous shoot creating the music video by director Damian Golfinopoulos gives New Zealand musician Daniel McBride work the gravitas it deserves.

Happy New Year! 

GRRL PAL - NGHT