02/13/24 [2000s Indie Movie-core, Kryptonite and Trippy Shit]
I love the feeling of discovering new shit, the feeling of clicking on an artist after hearing the first 30 seconds of a song, and being lowkey kind of upset that they haven’t blown up.
If you couldn’t already tell that happens to me a lot. Let me share that feeling with you.
Here are FIVE new songs to listen to from artists with under 1,000 monthly listeners to widen the horizons of your musical journey:
Bohemian Monk Machine, “Blonde”
This song is such a trip the second it starts and the relationship between all the aspects of the song feels monumentous. The vocals have such an interesting sound to them it feels different from what you would expect them to be according to the instrumentals themselves but they’re this amazingly deep and heavy baritone. I’m also totally digging how wide the music sounds coming through speakers it makes me feel like I’m right in front of the band as they play. “Blonde” is this perfect mesh of connection between the horns and vocals but with a funky fresh guitar solo smacked halfway into the song. I feel like the tone that the instruments bring forth gives off this purposefully sassy New Orleans-esque vibe right to the speakers…Interestingly enough Bohemian Monk Machine is a 6-piece straight out of Scotland…
Psychedelic Suns, “Colours”
My kryptonite is psychedelic rock–put an insanely trippy guitar solo in front of me and I’ll fold but listening to “Colours” for the first time felt like I had a movement inside my soul. The beginning starts off with this lovely audio panning that just expands the entire piece into this infinite space where the echos of guitar go on forever. This ten-minute song is a modern-day appreciation and take on the heart of psychedelic rock in the late 70s; mirroring “Any Colour You Like” by the legends themselves, Pink Floyd. The first half of the song is beautifully composed but when the audio panning reappears for a bit we get dropped back into the song where we left off for an explosive last half of the song. This song feels like being on top of a rollercoaster and just waiting for that sudden drop. If you think this song is impressive wait until you find out that Psychedelic Suns is a one-man band absolutely annihilating the modern rock game. When you discover a song that makes you feel so deeply and think so hard that’s how you know you’ve found a great fucking song.
NOVA, “Patience”
I’m gonna tone it down for this next one with this alluring indie-pop tune by NOVA, a project based out of New Zealand. I also really love the dynamic between the instruments and the vocalist in this song, “Patience”. I think this song is so auditorily aesthetic with these beautiful grooves and flow; there’s very obviously a movement occurring in this song that’s so appealing to the ear. Theres this beautiful balance with all components that lets the song speak together. The vocals are so impressive in this song it feels like Sara Bareilles meets Lake Street Dive with these clean and crisp runs and emotive lyrics. This song is super sweet and doesn’t overdo it; the background vocals are perfectly addictive. Even after a couple of days, the lyrics are still stuck in my head and the delivery is just so utterly amazing. NOVA has this uniquely soulful sound to them that makes it impossible to turn away and ignore their warm genre melding.
Red Room Exposure, “Sit Out”
When you think of Tennesse I bet the first thing that doesn’t come to mind is alt-rock–but maybe it should. Rural areas go overlooked when it comes to new budding sounds which totally limits the music we consume or discover. With only 86 monthly listeners, Red Room Exposure is a hidden gem waiting to be unearthed. I really enjoyed how raw “Sit Out” was from the vocals to the guitar to the echoing you hear in the background; its not overproduced its perfect the way it sounds. The contrast between the guitar and the bass throughout the song is appreciated and lifts this song up a little more. Its as if all the instruments have their own voice, their own sounds but it all collides into this beautiful painting of a song. The vocals are Tame Impala-ish, they feel comfortably lonely; its like feeling isolated with everyone in the world around you. It feels distantly beautiful like a black hole. It’s stunning but when you get close you just might get sucked in. I can’t wait to hear what these guys do next.
Tilden Sullins, “Desperately”
“Desperately” by Tilden Sullins is such an affectionate and wanting song that keeps you on your toes just like love itself. The consistency of the guitar feels like a heartbeat, consistently pumping as the song goes along. The vocals are soft and airy like a confession, they feel dainty while carrying so much weight. The projection of the song feels irregularly breathable and pulsating like it’s stretching the sound and then springing right back. The vocals feel dusky almost as if Fleetwood Foxes had severe young adult angst (which is a good thing) I feel like this song I can see so clearly in my mind as a part of a 2000s indie movie (picture The Perks of Being a Wallflower) score. “Desperately” is so beautifully composed and executed I can’t help but listen to it over and over again to scratch an itch in my brain.
I hope you give these songs a good listen and my words resonate as you listen. Feel free to check out these artists’ Bandcamps or social media pages to get an in-depth look at what they’re about and what they’re up to!
Feel free to send me any music you think should be featured on a Before the Break and I’ll definitely give it a listen! As always, check out the Spotify playlist for convenient listening of all songs featured on the blog 🙂
Stay safe, be kind to yourself & I’ll see you next week.
where do we go from here? 
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