Life in Film – Needles & Pins

Just working through the backlog of emails I’ve been getting and came across this gem from Life in Film, a four piece from London.

Mellow Johnny Marr-esque guitar lines, catchy melodies, and forlorn lyrics about lost loves – what’s not to like.

Have a gander at the video for “Needles and Pins” and stream the rest of the EP below, where you can also score a free download of “Needles and Pins.”

Burn Antares - Into The Night

*Swoon. Be still my beating heart.

It’s been a while since I’ve been absolutely knocked down by a track, but something about Burn Antares’ “Into the Night” just gets me.

I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but it’s somewhere between the psychedelic swirl of intertwining surf guitars, a heavy hitting bass line, haunting organs, and vocals that resemble a darker, sultrier, and more malicious version of Tennis that create the unmistakable haunting feel of a night drive through the desert in a freaky mash up of a David Lynch and Tarantino movie.  

More please!

Cub Scouts – Do You Hear

Cub Scouts – what a bunch of dream boats! And by dream boats, I mean their brand of halcyon, summer dream-tinged indie pop is perfect to usher in the warmth of Spring. Dangerously infectious, “Do You Hear” will immediately become a staple of your “Fuck Yea, Summer’s Almost Here Playlist.”

Keep an eye out for this charming 5-piece from Brisbane, because they are definitely set to break out with the release of their upcoming EP.

Stream the track below and watch the video – and check out their last single “Evie,” which is every bit as catchy with its steel drums.

AA Loves - The Fearless Vampire Killers

The Fearless Vampire Killers – I mean with a name like that, how can they not be fun?

These Melbourne-based indie rockers are from another era – the 60s to be more specific -- no, not literally, but sonically speaking. Dripping in retro psychedelic-twinged surf rock with a dose of blues rock, The Fearless Vampire Killers sound like the Beach Boys if experimented heavily with acid and psyachedlic music or if the Velvet Underground played Beach Boy covers.

Watch the video for “For You & Me," which features an MC5 “Kick Out The Jams”-esque guitar riff.


The Fearless Vampire Killers 'For You & Me' from Timothy Melville on Vimeo.

AA Loves - Hootenanny

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With a name like Hootenanny, you get just that – a foot-stomping, bear throwing, barn burning good time.

Prepare your ear drums to be utterly demolished by monstrous fuzz, grinding rock riffs, plenty of howls, and a shit-ton of attitude. What’s more impressive is that all this attitude and brimstone comes radiating from just two very talented Aussies.

Have a listen to “I Love You” and “Fire In My Belly” below.

  Hootenanny - I Love You by Aesthetes Anonymous

  Hootenanny - Fire In My Belly by Aesthetes Anonymous

Reptiles – One By One

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Lock up your daughters because Reptiles just blew into town.

In their words, “Our new EP spits out the venom about being on the run from the law, psychotically in love, and murder, normal kids stuff.” Well, that pretty much sums it up.

Think Link Wray, The Cramps, and a serious psycho-rock vibe, but with a bluesy southern twist.

Listen to “One By One” below.

 

AA Loves - The Growl

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I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the water, but Australia has been pumping out amazing blues rock bands like nobody’s business. The latest in this steady procession is The Growl.

Steeped in voodoo and darky mystery, this quartet from down under does not mess around. Their simmering brand of soul-drenched blues rock conjures up images of hazy smoke-filled rooms sweltering with the heat of Southern humidity and serves as the perfect backdrop for tales filled with mystery, black magic, and murder.

Listen to “3,6,9” and “With the Sharp End of a Trowel” below.

EXITMUSIC – Passage

Blessed is the day for today, we have new EXITMUSIC!

Every bit as eerie, ghoulish, distant – and awesome – as their previous releases, “Passage” is powerfully haunting as Aleksa Palladino’s unnerving wails will linger in your mind long after the last echoes have faded. If that wasn't enough, courtesy of director Will Joines, the latest release comes with a beautifully arresting video that looks like it’s part of a big budget artistic horror movie that has something to do with mysterious rituals, the woods, and a bathtub.

Watch and be mesmerized below. Also, keep an eye out for their debut LP Passage, which is due out May 22^nd on Secretly Canadian.

La Mancha Negra - Amigos

Caution the teetering rock and roll about to spew forth from your speakers may cause pregnant women to miscarry.

Full of janglin spitfire and moonshine, La Mancha Negra does not mess around when it comes to making some mean ol’ blues rock. Mixing a bit of ghoulish punk a la the Cramps with plenty of raw southern blues, “Amigos” is the perfect soundtrack for your cannonball run through the desert as you flee from a pack of police cars in hot pursuit.

Head over to bandcamp to score your free download of their killer EP The Black Stain. 

Memorials – White Guts EP

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Just stumbled across the mysterious band Memorials after getting drawn into one of those dangerous YouTube wormholes that can take hours to escape.

From what I can tell, their/his/hers/its latest EP, White Guts, just dropped last week and is insanely good. Their dreamy guitar driven shoe gaze would be perfect for a David Lynch movie with its innocent 50s pop vibe and dark underlying malice that’s bubbling just below the surface. The textures are surprisingly lush given the minimal instrumentation, but whatever,  it works.

Have a listen to the EP below and if anyone knows anything about this band, please drop me a line.