indie addict

bringing you your daily dose of indie music & artists. 📀

[indie-addict]

deluca by ruby empress from their first record, empressionism EP (2017).

“summer in the alleyway

she was entangled in a sweet decay

ready to sway into the morning sun

somewhere in heaven we’ll get along

oooh

facing a change, me and my babe

it’s alright you see

we got all we need covered

live in a dream

a memory

pretty summer glaze

wish that i could stay

don’t stop

next train coming

you will shine

it’s a liberation

time is what time is

into the dawn, we’ll shine”

ruby empress is from gothenburg, sweden, made up of lead singer tom serner, keyboardist axel agervi, guitarist and bassist melker petterson, and drummer gustav hyllstam. their music is chill and versatile, it can be piercing, daring, and cheeky, and it can also be sensual and dreamy. indieshuffles describes deluca as, “an easy going track that grows more and more powerful, ending in a very kevin parker-esque tidal wave.” singer tom serner says, “deluca was meant to be about a relationship... in hindsight, it turned out as a song about struggling with the scandinavian weather.” it’s psychedelic, it’s chill, it’s beachy, it’s summery. it makes you feel like you’ve just woken up on a beachfront room, with the beautiful morning sunlight streaming onto your face while you hear the muffled ocean in the background. it feels like sweet, sweet honey is directly pouring out of your headphones and into your ears.

[indie-addict]

johny says stay cool by the babe rainbow from their self titled album (2017).

“it’s 6am

it’s time for school

johny says stay cool

johny says stay cool

take a minute out

you work too hard

let it come to you

johny says stay cool

breathe in, breathe out

breathe in, breathe out

breathe in, *deep breath in noise* and out”

the babe rainbow is an australian trio taking huge inspiration from the sixties. the members are jack “cool breeze”, angus darling the hothouse flower, and lu-lu-felix domingo. the self titled album that johny says stay cool stars on was produced by the drummer of king gizzard and the lizard wizard. reading their interviews gives you a great idea of just how committed to the 1967 hippie life they are. their replies tend to be far-out and spacey, as if influenced by an eye-opening spiritual experience. their music is the epitome of groovy, it makes you want to move and it transports you right back to woodstock. their advice for any aspiring bands? “take your shoes off”. if you like surf rock, you definitely want to give them a listen. personally, i could describe them as tame impala goes surf-rock mixed with some king gizz vibes. surfstitch describes their sound as “retro 60’s and cosmic swirls in your ears”, and angus of the babe rainbow describes it as “god picking sunflowers”. they are all surfers themselves, so surfstitch had to ask how that lifestyle influences their music. angus replied, “pacific vibration is powerful stuff. it’s just one witch-mixing broth-pot. i guess if you were a cowboy you’d make cowboy music.” nylon says about this track, “stay cool! that’s what johny says, and what johny says, you must do. who’s johny? unclear, but he’s not telling you to be cool because he knows that you’re already cool. no, he wants you to stay cool, because summer may be ending, but your coolness shouldn’t.” the babe rainbow have released 3 other albums, including the babe rainbow EP (2015), double rainbow (2018), and today (2019).

JOHNY SAYS STAY COOL MUSIC VID

[indie-addict]

fruity by rubblebucket from their album sun machine (2018).

“i said i’d make it to the party

but i’ve got a lot goin’ on

the lioness gave a feast for forty

of her body

and slept on the ground till a flower grew out

yeah

i said we’d walk around the city

catch a cab at exactly dawn

i’ve promised with my eyes, and i know that

a peach tree skipped to you, fruity

and the next spring dropped her flowers on the ground

la la la la la la la la la la la la

let’s not wait, or let’s wait

no hurry to fall in love

la la la la la la la la la la la la

let’s not wait, or let’s wait

no hurry, we’re all in love”

rubblebucket is a band from brooklyn, new york. the band is made up of musical duo kalmia traver and alex toth, who were previously in a longtime relationship until they both agreed to end the romance in recent times. even though it was a breakup, they honored this decision by tattooing matching triangular daisies on one another. the design of the tattoos were special, as their 2010 EP was titled triangular daisies. sure, the breakup still hurt the both of them – but no amount of pain would stifle their creativity, and the two continue to write music together. thank goodness they decided to keep making songs together, because fruity and sun machine were born shortly after the breakup. but, as you may hear from this song, this doesn’t sound like a breakup track – in fact, it’s light, beautiful, and transcendent, filled with images of peach trees, flowers, and adventures with a loved one. here’s what bandcamp says about the nature of this ‘breakup’ album: “sun machine documents the pain of ending their romantic relationship, yet emerges as an unbridled and often-euphoric celebration of their lasting connection. while the breakup inspired much of the album, sun machine is deeply informed by several other life-changing occurrences in recent years: kalmia’s diagnosis with ovarian cancer in 2013 (followed by a round of surgeries and chemo treatments), alex’s decision to get sober after a long struggle with alcoholism, and the couple’s three-year-long attempt at maintaining an open relationship. the result is a strange and beautiful paradox: a party album rooted in radical mindfulness, a breakup record imbued with each partner’s palpable love for the other.” clearly, there’s a special connection that gets developed over an eleven-year relationship like kalmia and alex’s that doesn’t just go away after calling off a romance. a couple listeners on bandcamp described their support for this album. user rubble-ruckus says, “the energy, the rhythm, the horns, the wonder, everything. my favorite track is all of them, i would never be able to choose just one. i felt like i had left this earth and was transcending into another plane of existence before the sheer force of the music struck me back down to the ground in an explosion of light and color. another amazing masterpiece, well done.” this user definitely described how i still feel everytime fruity comes on. it really makes you feel like you’re floating in some kind of nature paradise. user luke wilson says, “this is the most intimate album of 2018, and it's so catchy to boot. it’s weird to think that a joint breakup album could sound so uplifting, but it's a joyous testament to the strength of their friendship and their willingness to salvage it. absolutely beautiful.” the event notes for rubblebucket’s 2018-2019 tour say “the wistful but breezy ‘fruity’ was built from a beat supplied from kalmia’s cousin.” fruity features kalmia on sax and alex on trumpet, as well as kalmia’s intimate, whisper-like vocals over a hazy soundscape. the revue says about fruity, “shimmering synths, tingling guitar riffs, and groovy rhythms meet the low bellow of sax, trumpet, and trombone. together, they form an intimate dance tune. traver’s vocals are deft and soft, as she recounts the multiple ways that people can fall in love even when they’re following separate paths. some of her lyrics are poetic and imaginative, sounding like she’s laying in a meadow and creating a story out of the clouds that float above.” rubblebucket also has 6 other albums than sun machine, including rubblebucket (2010), triangular daisies EP (2010), omega la la (2011), oversaturated EP (2012), and survival sounds (2014).

FRUITY MUSIC VIDEO

[indie-addict]

i like it by the marías from their EP superclean, vol. I (2017).

“physical

spin your body round, you know the way i like

sugar babe

take me to the moon cause i’m feelin’ right

call me when you’re holdin’ it down

yeah, and i’ll come around

baby if i’m holdin’ a drink

it doesn’t mean anything

babygirl

you don’t gotta see me any other night

cause baby i’m

always a step ahead of your other guys

call me when you’re holdin’ it down

yeah, and i’ll come around

baby if i’m holdin’ a drink

it doesn’t mean anything”

the marías are a sultry step back into the 60s, with lead singer maria’s breathy, dreamy voice satisfying any psychedelic pop lover. retro pools, red lips, long dresses, and empty red theater seats pop up throughout their imagery. aside from maría as the lead singer, drummer josh conway also contributes many vocals to their songs. the rest of the band is made of guitarist jesse pearlman with “tones that can melt steel”, bassist carter lee, and keyboardist edward james. their music is a smooth rendezvous of hypnotic guitar riffs, smoke-velvet vocals and nostalgic horn solos. the group’s dreamlike fusion of jazz, psychedelia, funk and lounge is exquisitely sensual. when performing or for photoshoots, the band looks like they just stepped straight out of a 70’s lounge. fans like me describe their sound as “pouring cream into coffee” and “having sex in the 70’s”. their music has this way of taking over you with its sultry tranquility as you drift into a timeless space. their intimate, retro songs are a product of romance. maría and drummer/co-singer josh conway met when she was performing in an LA club that josh was doing sound for. he approached her, asked if she wanted to record, and the two hit it off. a beautiful love blossomed between the two and they began writing songs for fun, eventually turning this passion into what the marías are now. i like it is a song about meeting someone on the dance floor and going home with them, just generally having a good time and getting close & romantic with another person. the marías have also made a second EP, superclean vol. II (2018).

[indie-addict]

raspberry vines by petite league, from their album no hitter (2016).

“raspberry seeds

stuck in between your baby teeth

blueberry juice

staining your tulip cheeks

baby’s first steps, holding onto my two legs

and i was only 21, your mother was only 18

and i’m trying, trying harder than i’ve tried before

oh baby, i’m trying, trying harder than i’ve tried before

oh, oh, ohhoh

down with the training wheels

this family learns by scraping their knees

you have your mother’s eyes but your face looks a lot like mine

we only take video of memories

your mother is 21, and i turned 25 today”

petite league is a musical duo of singer lorenzo gillis cook & his roommate and drummer, harry schoonmaker. it was lorenzo cook’s introduction to american fuzzy lo-fi basement music upon moving to syracuse that gave him the inspiration for petite league’s eventual signature musical style. petite league on their website describes themselves as, “blending the sweet, bubblegum qualities of bedroom pop and the snot nosed fuzz of garage rock, petite league is swinging for the fences.” one music blogger writes about raspberry vines, “although a stripped version of this same track was released on the sophomore album no hitter – an equally beautiful version – there’s something about this one that feels exponentially more vulnerable, the way that frontman lorenzo gillis cook’s pained, raspy, lo-fi vocals come close to colliding with the walls of thick, impenetrable guitar nearly every single time they coexist. it sounds grainy, out of focus, but coveted, cherished like an old photograph, the narrative expressing those specific images in the form of a father and his child.” petite league has four other albums, slugger (2015), rips one into the night (2017), and rattler (2019).

[indie-addict]

stages of fear by crepes from their cold summers EP (2015).

“cold stages of fear

rattle your bones

you keep on hiding but you can’t even forget about it

just as it goes it’s real

it comes riding home

and it’s like a supersonic barrel when it blows

there’s no way of knowing

what they would hear

about the time you didn’t do what you were told so you

just deal with the guilt

and try to be clear

but it seems it sits on the top of your tongue”

crepes is a band from melbourne comprised of singer, guitarist, & keyboardist tim karmouche, guitarist maceo wood, bassist pat robbins, drummer nick robbins, and keyboardist jackson dahlenburg. light, dreamy, dizzy, and lo-fi are staples of crepes’ music. happymag.tv says, “they’re a bit mellow, a lot like a mash-up between mac demarco & the drums. it’s like a summer day spent reminiscing and welcoming in the rain. their first EP, cold summers, demonstrates the whole laid back, floaty, ‘life’s a beach’ culture of guitar pop...the band showcases an overarching theme of a day in the life of the typical slacker. this is also coupled with undertones of the bedroom philosopher making a few armchair viewings and dreamscapes, if you will, on society. crepes come with the latest flurry of dream pop to entertain the indie pop outlet, a scene that is flourishing big time but the band manage to keep themselves visible.” stages of fear is a song encapsulating the everyday anxiety a young adult goes through in life. aside from their EP, they have released two albums, channel four (2017), and in cahoots (2018).

[indie-addict]

kidnap me by CRUISR from their all over EP (2014).

“got that bottom of the ocean

pressure, pressure

pushin’ down on me you know

(woo-hoo-oo-ooh)

got that out in outer space kind

pressure, pressure

thinkin’ my body might explode

shackle me up and lock it

i could live in your pocket

when ya gonna kidnap me

when ya gonna kidnap me

take me away from here

i could see it so clear

when ya gonna kidnap me

when ya gonna kidnap me?”

CRUISR, previously cruiser, is an indie surf pop band from philly, made up of singer & guitarist andy states, drummer jon van dine, and guitarist bruno catrambone. kyle cook was their former bassist, but left in 2016 to focus on his graphic design career. their feel good, happy-go-lucky, summery hooks are catchy and easily could become huge pop hits. vagrant.com, their record label’s website, says about the track, “in late 2013, CRUISR released a new track online, ‘kidnap me’, which attracted even more attention than the EP. representative of CRUISR as a cohesive unit, ‘kidnap me’ was the first track written as a band and showcases what CRUISR does best; sunny, warm, indie-pop.” andy starts this bop off with lines conveying emotional/expectational pressure from a relationship or his feelings about someone. he compares this pressure to the extreme pressures felt in space and at the bottom of the ocean. i sense this pressure is a sort of anticipation related pressure, from wanting to be with the girl so badly. the rest of the song focuses on his desire for his love interest to “kidnap him”. he wants to “live in her pocket” and will bend to her will just to be with her. he wants to run away and his desire for her is so great that he will stop at nothing to be with her; he is inviting her to sweep him off his feet. CRUISR has made three other EPs called cruiser EP, take that EP, and go for it EP. they have also released 3 singles in 2019.

[indie-addict]

inside out by rolls bayce, their most recent single (2016).

“love will

only

complicate you

feel

raging

confused

debut

take some

time to

make up

your mind

let me hear the tone

turning me inside out

you’re try’n but it’s never enough

could you dare to be loved

i’m not holding you down to give up”

rolls bayce is a brisbane band composed of singer & guitarist dean mcgrath, drummer james wright, and bassist neal apel. they’re an alternative rock band influenced by the soul and r&b records from the 60’s and 70’s, as well as rock bands like led zeppelin. they get their name by combining the name of a fancy car “rolls royce” + “bass”. this track has a lot of psychedelic-pop influences. amrap, or the australian music radio airplay project, says this track is “searing, direct, and impossibly tight, inside out is a sonic melting pot. there’s a familiarity that breaks to unexpected territory; this is a track that knows where it’s come from, but this is unashamedly explorative. galactic synths undulate over stirring guitar jabs, signalling a new era of maturation from rolls bayce.” they write that “inside out represents a sonic leap forward for the psych-soul trio, a fusion of warm, cosmic synths, searing guitar jabs, pulsating bass, and an impossibly taut backbeat. it’s the sound of both old and new, signalling a band willing to pay tribute to their psychedelic forebears while still seeking out unexplored pop territory.” rolls bayce has so far released their one debut EP, rolls bayce EP (2014), and another single, lost (2015).

[indie-addict]

daffodils by mark ronson featuring kevin parker of tame impala from ronson’s 2015 album uptown special.

“run your fingers down the cool

underbelly of the blue evening

crank that vapor wagon

start that kick dragon beating

step out on the patio

follow where your daddy-o’s leading

wrestle with our shadow twins

hold ‘em till they’re glowin’ in warning

hit that bubble kit now

laughin’ as you breathe out, easy

drop another daffodil

we can push on through till morning

drop another daffodil

sail off the map until morning”

mark ronson is a song producer and dj born in london who moved to new york at age 8. you might remember him from the hit uptown funk featuring bruno mars, which is actually from this same album. it’s awesome to see how each song’s style is slightly influenced by the artist ronson is collaborating with – bruno mars brought his classic catchy pop-funk-r&b vibe to uptown funk, while kevin parker brings out a dreamy, psychedelic rock vibe to ronson’s album. what strikes me the most about this song is its trippy, descriptive lyrics that you can’t quite place the meaning to. the meaning of the song and even line by line is certainly open to interpretation and i think left that way for a reason. the lyrics were written by kevin parker and michael chabon. on genius.com, chabon explains the meaning of the first line, “run your fingers down the cool underbelly of the blue evening”. he writes, “the opening lines make a mildly psychotropic illusion to the imagery that opens t.s. eliot’s the love song of j. alfred prufrock, ‘let us go then, you and i / when the evening is spread against the sky / like a patient etherized upon a table,’ figuring the evening as a physical body that can be anesthetized and operated on, in the case of eliot, or stroked and pleasured, in the case of chabon. they also echo the narrative stance of that poem by extending an invitation, reaching out to carry the reader/listener along into the mysteries of the coming night.” it seems likely that the lines “crank that vapor wagon” and “hit that bubble kit now, laughing as you breathe out, easy” are referring to smoking some kind of drugs, likely marijuana, but could be a variety of options such as dmt, heroin, or even just tobacco. a redditor on r/tameimpala concluded that this song is written from the perspective of someone who does the stimulant modafinil, which sounds very similar to daffodil. the song is about, according to the redditor, “a guy who stays up all night binging on stimulants, ‘drop another daffodil, we can push on through till morning’ and having manic sex all night and taking part in some sort of classic 70’s drug-fuel[ed] debauchery with multiple partners. six knees knocking seems to imply a threesome to me...as well as [a] classic innuendo like ‘sweet volcano violence’ backing this analysis.” this seems to be a sexy, drugged-out, psychedelic track. turns out, the aforementioned redditor may be actually quite accurate in their analysis. on genius, the only other annotated line is again explained by one of the writers himself, michael chabon. the line is, “flow with the isosceles to the beat of six knees knocking.” chabon explains this line, saying, “elsewhere on uptown special, love triangles don’t work out so well, and cause a certain amount of trouble. here, perhaps under the effects of the ‘daffodils’ they’ve taken, things seem more promising.” however, the “daffodils” could be argued to be LSD, because for one, writer and singer kevin parker is known to love psychedelics, and two, acid is the most common drug that is referred to as “dropped” (drop acid) when talking about taking it. if anything, this song can be appreciated for its soothing soft lyrics unique to kevin parker’s style, and for its catchy and funky synth beat.

DAFFODILS MUSIC VIDEO

[indie-addict]

alive by the warbly jets from their self-titled debut album, warbly jets (2017).

“it’s a dizzy dive

but i’ll survive

as noise around me grows louder

it’s been up and down

but now I’m fine

i know this time

i’m alive

i’ve been justified, i

i’m alive

and it feels like

i’m on fire

and it’s right on time

i’m alive

and it feels like

i’m on fire

and it’s right on time”

warbly jets is an alternative indie rock band made up of singer and guitarist samuel shea, bassist dan gerbang, drummer justin goings, and julien o’neill on synth. julien o’neill describes their sound as caught somewhere in between yesterday and today, where massive rock & roll melodies brush up against skittish breakbeats, swoon-worthy strings, and laser-guided synth lines. this song is likely written about their journey in the music world, having ups and downs but finally producing music just the way they want in a way that ties the synth laden psychedelic vibes of the 60s with classic rock inspired by the likes of bowie, nirvana, and the stones. aside from their debut album, they have released a new EP called propaganda in 2019.

ALIVE MUSIC VIDEO

[indie-addict]

dry heat/nice town by cheekface from their album therapy island (2019).

“you sound good when you’re screaming

you don’t need to dress up

it’s laundry day anyway and you can wear what you’re wearing

you can’t cover late capitalism over with makeup anymore

plus you’re richer than god, and more handsome!

too good to work in a business

too good to work for anyone

nice town, a lot of anarchists

we’re takin’ two of everything at the 7-11

nice town and it will end like this

the green juice is free now”

cheekface is an alternative indie rock band from LA made up of singer greg katz, bassist amanda tannen, and drummer mark edwards. their music commonly has a sarcastic tone to it, making fun of everyday life and its absurdities. in an interview, singer and songwriter greg katz says that he and amanda tannen co-wrote dry heat/nice town after attending a women’s march. he explains the meaning behind the song pretty well in this quote, saying, “i think the only way a more utopian society can happen is through mass protest movements. the central question of the song is, what would happen in LA if a public demonstration resulted in socialist utopia? and the answer is, there would be free green juice at 7-11.” so far, therapy island is cheekface’s only album.

[keepmeupkeepmewaiting-blog]

I’m a tumblr newbie so please reblog this post if you happen to post about

-hippo campus -the maine -pale waves -fifth harmony -paramore -Phoenix (the band) -coin (the band) -cruisr - coconut records -mating ritual (the band) -The Griswolds -mother mother - lany

like generally that area of expertise

[indie-addict]

canyon moon by andrew mcmahon in the wilderness, from his self-titled album (2014).

“the sun ran out on a cold october

somewhere under the canyon moon

camera jammed in a slow exposure

california in her rearview

she couldn’t handle another season

another ocean of fiction blue

said a prayer to a dashboard jesus

death valley and worn out shoes

then the roads turned into desert everywhere

the sun ran out on a cold october

she disappeared, she disappeared”

andrew mcmahon is an indie pop/alternative rock artist from ohio, who has since moved to california with his wife and daughter. aside from his self-titled debut album, he has made two other albums, zombies on broadway (2014) and upside down flowers (2018). he has a feel-good sound with lyrics that can still sometimes convey emotional pain. the lyrics are so beautiful and you can get lost in the catchy beats immediately.

[indie-addict]

moonwalking by late night alumni from their third album, haunted (2011).

“moonwalking

the stars have eyes

open even when the sun is high

moonbathing

in space, not time

i might need you when i’m out of light

closer now

white, forthright

you’re no fire, but you’re warm and bright

aurora night

a moon-like light

‘til the shine drowns the even tide”

late night alumni is a band formed from a project between member john hancock and kaskade. member becky jean williams joined as the singer, while the other three members (kaskade duo and hancock) serve as producers. they make chill, haunting, mellow, trance-like music, as becky’s voice is very soft, delicate, and angelic. kaskade brings in some electronic elements, and the band uses strings frequently. they have made five albums: empty streets (2005), of birds, bees, butterflies, etc. (2009), haunted (2011), the beat becomes a sound (2013), and eclipse (2015). this dreamy track is filled with space imagery in its lyrics.

SINGER BECKY WILLAMS TALKS ABOUT THE MAKING OF THIS TRACK

[indie-addict]

cayucos by cayucas, from their first album bigfoot (2013).

“did you see me up there

lookin’ down below

waves come in

soo slow

sayin’ ‘oh my god

i think i’m fallin’ in love’

(i think i’m fallin’ in love)

cayucos

past morrow bay

shelly, shelly, shelly, shelly, shelly

nuh-uh, no way

come on bright red fire

burn 10 feet high

no hit and misses

caught chasing fireflies”

cayucas is a band of twin brothers from california. they have made two other albums, dancing at the blue lagoon (2015) and real life (2019). their music is generally upbeat and somewhere between summer surf pop and indie rock. they’ve got a beach boys like vibe and their lyrics ooze far away memories of a beachy, california-like seaside place that one can’t quite pinpoint on the map.

CAYUCOS MUSIC VIDEO