8 Bit's Second Wind, For Crying Out Loud

Back in 2013 I became inexplicably enamoured with 'Bodega Run' by NY 8-bit rock wizards Crying. Actually it's not inexplicable - that thing is aural crack. Well the trio are back with new EP Second Wind, and it's more of the same - high octane, euphoric rock with heavy 8-bit overtones, an overdose of sugar and blinding colour palettes. 'Sick' reminds me of Speedy Ortiz if they scored Paperboy on the Sega Master System, while 'Batang Killjoy' is a call to arms that hits me right where my blocky heart resides. Seriously, on paper this is the twee-est of Fortuna Pop and indebted to Weezer University, deepfried in 80s console mania, and could - possibly should - go horribly wrong - yet this stuff kills. 'War of Attrition' even has a beautifully 80s hair metal guitar lick in the middle! My teen self is crying with joy.

Growing Up Wrong In Native America

A New Orleans trio called Native America. I can't work out if that is a contentious moniker or not. What I CAN work out is their laconic guitar pop that these guys churn out. There are remnants of Real Estate, Kurt Vile and The Shins in the tunes that colour new LP Grown Up Wrong (out next month on Inflated Records, also home to Speedy Ortiz and Ducktails). It has that distant percolated warble that evokes a narcolept version of '60s paisley rock, faint swathes of surf rock malaise, and the dark riptide of rock breakouts that often appear without warning and sweep you away. Many of these tracks don't reach three minutes either, which makes these movements deceptive yet imminently addictive.

You can pre-order Grown Up Wrong here.

Kicking Goals, Son!

This has been a long time coming. I’ve been a fan of Boston band Soccer Mom since their inception back in 2010; they were the subject of one of the first ever Sonic Masala interviews (an element that has come in fits and bursts, but has included the likes of Civil Civic, Angie (Straight Arrows/Ruined Fortune/Circle Pit), White Walls, Batpiss and Alpine Decline amongst others); my write-ups find a small space in the nether regions of their press releases. And yes their moniker is incredibly misleading. But if you haven’t jumped rampantly on their bandwagon, no need to go back to the beginning. Simply dive headfirst into the distorted world of their debut self-titled album – it’s an exercise in calibrated tension, serrated guitar lines opened up to the sky, a series of noise and nuance that embodies what guitar rock should be.


Start with opener ‘It’s Probably Not Your Fault’ – my favourite track on the album, because it IS Soccer Mom. Crawling out of an aluminium bin with the requisite fast-approaching din, we enter the kind of loud-sedate territory that Archers Of Loaf made (make?) their own, creating a cacophony of fuzz and cymbals amidst the sonorous chorus, everything tempered with gazed-shoe precision (including the feedback-toying close). Its that sense of frivolity and earnestness tagteaming amongst the chaos that makes them such an enthralling listen. Elsewhere the is the swirling guitars and disembodied of vocals of ‘Orejas’; the glazed dreaminess of ‘No One Left’; the anguished stutter of (im)personality on ‘Dry Mind’; and the crowded instrumental interlude in the middle of ‘Hideaway Sands’ is the kinda things that coalesces into a vibrant catharsis of crossed strings and smashed slings that Deerhunter-via-Sonic Youth revel in. The brooding closer ‘Open Heart Surgery’ is more openly abrasive, still tempered by crooned insistence, but offering an expulsion that to be honest doesn’t even need to come - if you aren’t an acolyte by album’s end, why are you still here?

The band continue to connect, playing alongside the likes of Weekend, Whirr, Speedy Ortiz and Nothing, bands in particular that embody the yin and the yang of Soccer Mom’s aesthetic. I know there will be albums this year that will grab my attention harder and for longer, but this is such a solid opening gambit longplayer, especially having listened from the beginning, that it’s hard not to get rabidly excited. Well done guys. Soccer Mom is out now through 100m Records – you should definitely get this.

Major Speedy Deals 90s In The Arcane

This week I'm finding myself posting about bands that were sending me stuff when they were but minnows in the pond, likeminded souls scratching each others' backs (see: FIDLAR, Tape Deck Mountain, Weekend, Forest Swords...). And to see these artists blooming and getting deserved praise and adulation whilst Sonic Masala plugs away - it brings a tear (of pride) to the eye. Run forth and prosper, you crazy kids...

One such outfit is Boston-via-NY's Speedy Ortiz. After a lil email to-and-fro with the lead Sadie Dupuis I finally got round to taking in their Sports EP and really dug it, especially songs like 'Indoor Soccer' which took me back to my childhood (90s angular indie rock when it was still indeed independent). Now Speedy Ortiz are riding high after the successful release of their debut album Major Arcana (out on Carpark Records), and the fleshed-out production has done nothing to hide the raw aggression in the compositions, the sardonic sneer in Dupuis' lyrics, the mirrored image of Liz Phair and Louise Post, sanctioned angst. The deliberate wonky nature of songs like 'Plough' (the fact they have a song called 'Plough' feels very 90s too...) They even have an elongated spiked meltdown closer in 'MKVI' that stretches almost over double the playing time of their other songs! As if I wouldn't be a fan of this. So many great tracks... Hurry up and come to Australia guys!

You can buy Major Arcana here.

Friday Cover Up - Fresh Lilys

Here's a bit of a throwback. Sonic Masala was conceived at My Bloody Valentine curated ATP festival Nightmare Before Christmas back in 2009. One of the bands (and there were goddamn many) that I was blessed to catch that weekend was Lilys, the 90s DC dream pop outfit that missed out on much in the way of adulation despite their inherent cracked brilliance and obvious influences. A couple months ago a compilation came out of early Lilys classics called And I Forgot A Long Time Ago How You Feel,  and it included covers from up-and-coming acts handpicked by the Clicky Click Music Blog. Many of these bands have actually graced the hallowed halls of Sonic Masala over the years, such as Lubec, White Laces and Soccer Mom. Another band to lend their talents, Speedy Ortiz, is blowing up due to the hype surrounding their latest LP Major Arcana (you will hear more of this soon). On here they tackle 'The Hermit Crab' - and it takes me back. You can get the comp for free here. Enjoy.

Speedy Ortiz - The Hermit Crab (Lilys cover)

Rocking Cosmic Exploding Porches

(photo by Jessica Lehremans)

Exploding In Sound are figuratively (and probably literally) blowing up with their recent releases, with both Fat History Month and especially Ovlov offering stellar records of late. That doesn't mean the label has exhausted the coffers however.

New York's Porches. are releasing their debut LP Slow Dance In The Cosmos late August, and it's a corker. Swinging inexplicably between 60s pop rock, maudlin campfire musings, reverb-heavy Casiotunes, wonky slacker euphemisms and a lead in Aaron Maine who sounds like a cross between Mark Koselek and Brandon Flowers (similar to their labelmates Fat History Month - well, except for the Brandon Flowers reference. I feel I should clarify isn't a backhanded compliment - Flowers and his cronies had the inkling of something in those first two albums, which the excellent collab with Lou Reed verified, before they decided they would rather be U2). Intro song and single 'Headsgiving' is fantastic, even though the opening riff sounds not that dissimilar from another (ex)labelmate Speedy Ortiz' 'Silver Spring'. That is part of the charm of Porches. - that despite the genre hopping (the spazz-synth faux RnB of 'After Glow'; the faux MOR ramble of 'Franklin The Flirt' - just a lot of fauxs really, with tongue planted in concrete in the cheek), Maine manages to anchor it into a skewed world where everything is aligned and in its right place, for better or worse depending on the abuse being suffered or inflicted, a tawdry scratched out existence. Slow Dance In The Cosmos is its own beast, inhabiting the same cracked, homespun world that Exploding In Sound seems to be cultivating whilst ensuring their environment is invariably their own.

Pre-order Slow Dance In The Cosmos here - it's a keeper.

Porches. - Headsgiving
Porches. - Franklin The Flirt

I Am Ovlov

I love it when you throw an album on with 0% knowledge of what is about to assault you - and it ends up being mindblowing. Massachusetts label Exploding In Sound have an uncanny knack of slinging unknown entities my way that have pulled the rug out from under me - Pile, Fat History Month and Speedy Ortiz have all graced their stable at some stage. I have been listening to Am, the debut LP from the Newtown Connecticut upstarts Ovlov, for a few weeks, but missed the boat on writing about them before the album was released last week.  The band can't help but wallow in the holy waters of Dinosaur Jr ('Grapes', the crushing 'Blue Baby') and Archers of Loaf ('Really Bees'), melding molten distortion with insidious melody - preternatural pop tunes for those with chronic tinnitus. Come for the noise; stay for the lack of pretension, the weary warmth, the all-you-can-eat harmonic buffet. Abject 90s predilections never felt so right as they do here.

Am is a killer gift that keeps on giving. Have at it here. Ovlov have been playing some great shows Stateside recently, not least with SM faves PAWS and Speedy Ortiz, and seeing as Speedy Ortiz seems about to explode (more on that soon), let's hope these guys follow suit.

Ovlov - Milk
Ovlov - Where's My Dini

Hits From The Box #62 - Working Overtime In Overcast Times

God I'm tired. Started work at 6.30am today, don't finish til 10.30pm. Using my lunch break to write this. And it's still raining.I know a lot of people are over it - and I understand, because people have been flooded and everything - but I love Aussie rain. Maybe it's the fact that it isn't freezing cold, and it has that fresh smell. Although I don't love it today - the overcast weather just makes me want to sleep. That's all Ive got today - sorry. So time for some Hits From The Box, see what'll revive me...

Speedy Oritz AKA Sadie Dupuis released the EP Sports ages ago, and slack ol me am only getting to it now. It's a complete 90s throwback, reminding me of hanging out at my friend's place after school and watching his sister jump on the trampoline listening to Veruca Salt. It's much more innocent than it sounds, actually... The grungey, distorted haze reminiscent of those times is well and truly at the fore of these five tracks. That juxtaposition between the sweet vocals and abrasive lyrics, pop transitions to aggressive explosions of sound, are elements that were rife in 90s bands from the Pixies to the Breeders (and lots of bands without Kim Deal in them). You've heard it before, but the inherent verve and attitude, accompanied by sharp musicianship, means it's a winner. Sometimes you've gotta look backwards to look forward - and hey, this sound never gets old.

Speedy Oritz - Curling
Speedy Oritz - Indoor Soccer

Portfolio is an improvisational instrumental band from Italy, whose album The Standing Babas seesaws between ambiance and defiance without disappearing or bubbling over - a controlled medium. It bears some resemblances to local Brisbane band Ghost Notes, especially with the spectral presence of the trumpet. Portfolio at times feel a little too ephemeral, lacking the punch needed to sustain a languid, mood-building exercise, but there are many moments on this record that really shine. Laura Loriga's vocals swims over the top, or sometimes through the compositions, enmeshed within the melodies.
Portfolio - Beth Gibbons
Portfolio - Latre

Another ambient daydreaming act is Cliff Dweller, who is classically trained violist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer whose strong predilection for soundtracks have led to an intriguing body of work. His latest record is Emerald City, a cinematic kaleidoscope that utilises a mix of orchestral instrumentation and electronic sounds across its nineteen tracks. There is an understated sense of desperation and unease throughout, giving it a noirish undercurrent that belies some of the sunnier moments such as 'Peace In The Valley'. Its the kind of art concept that can uproot and transport you even without the aid of visual cues, no easy task.

Cliff Dweller - Peace In The Valley

Last week's HFTB I spoke about Kiki Pau. Their Pines record was the second release from Brooklyn label Beyond Beyond Is Beyond. The first was Prince Rupert's Drops
' Run Slow EP, and it's a cracker. Straddling genres that sees them eat up garage rock, psychedelic malaise, alt-folk Americana and countrified truisms, and the result is electric. I've only sat down with this album for a bit, but it really got me the first time and continues to grow on me with repeated listens. I expect to make more hullabaloo about these guys before the year is out...

Prince Rupert's Drops - Almond Man

I have to admit that Younolovebunny is a strange name. The Danish artist is an overtly prolific songwriter, allegedly with more than 700 recorded songs under his belt. The latest release he has is Happy Nation II, and its quirky lo-fi sensibilities belie a rocky core that often lends the songs more gravitas than they probably would have otherwise. The record is out through Almost Musique (home of Shimmering Stars and Hhappiness) and is well worth checking out.

Finishing up is Radar Brothers, a Los Angeles rock band that have been doing the traps for almost twenty years now. The latest record Eight is a cracker. They are probably a little better know than most bands that first sweep through HFTBM, but I wanted everyone to discuss this song and band.

Radar Brothers - If We Were Banished

Sorry that's it. I'm falling asleep. I hope you enjoy. Happy Tuesday people!