New Music From The Inbox – Monday Edition! (Apr 25, 2022): Pastel Blank, Glass Animals, Nikitch and Mart One, and more!
Every week, we’re sent dozens if not hundreds of promotional emails from agents, PR firms, and hopeful artists containing the latest releases from around the world. From the biggest superstars to the ambitious self-starters we comb through it all to highlight to you what we’ve been digging, the tunes that caught our eye, and the recommended selections that make the notifications worth it. This is New Music From The Inbox!
Artist: Pastel Blank
Song: “Attention! Shopkeeper”
Album/EP: Pastel Blanc
Sinuous and twanging guitars that trill and growl amongst each other’s syncopated staccato footsteps are the feature presentation of Pastel Blank’s “Attention! Shopkeeper”. The Victoria-based experimental rockers really push the sonic boundaries of art rock with their minimalistic and flighty style: breathy vocals, oft-isolated instrumentals, and a tendency to flit from phrase to theme then back again are a burst of freshness for the genre.
Watch/Listen:
Artist: Glass Animals
Song: “I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance)” with Albert Hammond Jr.
Album/EP: Single
Glass Animals have been on top of the world recently, and for good reason: their tight, catchy, and embracingly pulsing tunes become global bangers, of which this new version of “I Don’t Wanna Talk” is no exception. Exposed bass, silken vocals, and the lilting guitar solo in the back half of the remixed track by The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. adds some grittiness to this shimmering pop sensation.
Watch/Listen:
Artist: Niktich and Mart One
Song: “Jowa”
Album/EP: Jowa
Thick and heavy subwoofer-shaking modulating bass beats give way to sampled vocals and a smorgasbord of percussion in “Jowa”, from collaborating producers Nikitch and Mart One. The duo describe their songs as oscillating between African ball, hip hop beats, and new jazz – influences obvious in the busy middle and back thirds of this exotic single.
Watch/Listen:
Artist: Cold Years
Song: “Jane”
Album/EP: Goodbye To Misery
Effervescent and infectiously optimistic pop-punk with the bright and energetic power chords to match, “Jane” is positively an anthemic ripper from Scotland’s Cold Years. The tune’s crystalline production especially help with the uplifting message – triumphant organ stings, thumping kit, and a crackling vocal & melodic guitar performance all shine together.
Watch/Listen:
Artist: Blurry Eyes
Song: “Quicksand”
Album/EP: Single
Breezy and propulsive alt rock that belies a darker subject matter, Montreal’s Blurry Eyes get a bit deep with “Quicksand”. Searing guitars and gentle vocal backings make it easy to miss the mental struggle at the core of the tune – despite the clarity of the lyrical delivery, it doesn’t take much to get distracted from lines like ‘The worst part is I’m not unique / All my friends are just as bleak, with a darkness I couldn’t see’.
Watch/Listen:
