U.S. Girls, Photo Credit: Artist’s Facebook
Enjoying another genre-spanning haul of new music, Getintothis’ Matthew Wood unearths some captivating, French ambience and some bedroom recorded mellow psych, amongst others in another Singles Club.
Single of the Week
U.S. Girls – Mad As Hell
U.S. Girls the moniker of Meg Remy begins her follow up to 2015’s Half Free, with this generous slab of glitzy 80’s disco pop. Her career began with a series of four-track recordings, delving into the avant-garde and lo-fi, exploring experimental textures and harnessing pop tendencies that have now made it to the forefront of her latest outings on 4AD.
Mad As Hell exhibits Remy’s love for texture; you’ll hear bongos, pulsing synths and rhythmic scratches of guitar amid the glossy pop number, with Remy’s vocal recalling 80’s pop icons.
Her roots serve her well here as she encapsulates her experimentalism within an impressively vibrant outer shell that equally could have shone on Top of the Pops as much as it does on 4AD Records.
Mademoiselle Nineteen – Au Jardin
Having recently announced a Liverpool date as part of her tour, we turn our attention to Mademoiselle Nineteen and her native tongue chamber-pop.
Au Jardin rides a wave of nostalgic, Magic Numbers-esque energy, crafted with a vintage sheen of crisp acoustic guitars, muted bass riffs and tight drums that charged the success of the ye-ye genre back in the 60’s.
Her sweet vocal threads simple, classic melodies throughout the well measured track that twinkles to life particularly in the chorus with some Miles Kane-style guitar flurries and crowd-pleasing vocal motifs.
Underwater Boys – Bye & Bye
Bedroom recording duo Underwater Boys boast a crisp, mesmeric blend of chilled, psych rock, fused with elements of soul and RnB. Soft, breathy vocals shimmer and float above suspended chords and sumptuous synths bringing to mind the work of Peter Sagar and his post-Mac DeMarco work as Homeshake.
‘Cause I can tell you anything, and baby it’ll be alright‘, chimes the chorus optimistically via a dreamy falsetto vocal, falling, just as pulses of synth urge their way to the forefront, colliding and bursting with vibrant psych colours; it’s a fine composition and a testament to the lads given their music’s modest origins.
A Grave With No Name – Wreath
Crafting their own brand of wonderfully weird folk-rock, A Grave With No Name release Wreath, which is as crunchy as dry autumn leaves, and as haunting as the wind that passes through them in the night.
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Wreath is a solemn number that walks a similar melancholic path to the mightily-euphoric Cigarettes After Sex, but with a more organic finish. Gently placed utterances mark the track with a blurred narrative, while the band utilise atmospherics to really bring out the band’s autumnal colours.
Colleen – Winter Dawn
French ambient composer Cécile Schott who began creating music under the guise, Colleen back in 2001 has a unique and compelling repertoire, beginning with a version of ACID Pro and utilising modified loops and samples, Schott has developed her sound through the years, favouring an organic, real form of sampling over the synthetic forms.
Winter Dawn, however, draws entirely from synthesisers and Moogs as she delves into her roots and puts the acoustic instruments aside. Still rhythmic and looping, the whirling synths accompany a hollow vocal that calls and replies, while waves of ink warp mysteriously on screen.
You’ll get sucked into this one for sure.
The Pink Diamond Revenue – Go Go Girl
Colliding devilish, sandstorm blues with hectic space-age electronica, The Pink Diamond Revenue join the past and the future in magnificent explosion that’s like sending a space shuttle and bullets from an old western gun hurtling towards each other; they ricochet, collide, and it’s a joy to behold.
Charged with sonic, chugging riffs and vocal samples it bears resemblance to Public Service Broadcasting and The Moonlandingz in their clever fusing of genre and roaring presence that you’d imagine would be gut-wrenching and pummelling during live performances.
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