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Mixcloud Playlist

In The Pharmacy #77 – Late April 2015

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Twenty-one new tracks. Indie rock, indiepop, post-punk, psych pop, experimental pop, electronic pop, folk and punk.

Milky Wimpshake ‘Heterosexuality Is A Construct’
From the punk indie-pop lifers’ excellent Encore, Un Effort! album. Classic, scratchy, melodic, political.
[Milky Wimpshake]

Black Honey ‘Spinning Wheel’
Rumbling retro Spaghetti Western indie pop from the slightly mysterious outift born from the ashes of Brighton noise pop hopefuls Kill Moon.
[Black Honey]

Unknown Mortal Orchestra ‘Can’t Keep Checking My Phone’
Following on from the title track back in February (ITP #72) here’s another stand-out groove from the Portland band led by ex-pat Kiwi Ruban Nielson.
[Unknown Mortal Orchestra]

Built to Spill ‘Living Zoo’
Indie rock veteran Doug Martsch continues to combine great melodies with some winding, expressive guitar playing that is half J Masics, half Isaac Brock. This is from the band’s first new album in six years (and one of their best), Untethered Moon.
[Built to Spill]

Jacco Gardener ‘Find Yourself’
First featured here back in 2012 with ‘The Ballad of Little Jane’ (ITP#23), this is the title track from the dutch baroque psych pop dude’s forthcoming second album (Polyvinyl / Full Time Hobby / Excelsior, May 4), the follow up to the charming Cabinet of Curiosities (2013).
[Jacco Gardener]

Jenny Hval ‘Sabbath’
Norwegian experimental singer songwriter Jenny Hval returns with a half spoken / half sung stunner taken from her forthcoming Apocalypse Girl album (Sacred Bones, June 9)
[Jenny Hval]

Moon King ‘Apocalypse’
Toronto shoegaze duo with a track from their second album Secret Life (out now, Last Gang).
[Moon King]

Speedy Ortiz ‘Swell Content’
Short and snappy number from the 90s-indebted band’s new album Foil Deer (Carpark, out now).
[Speedy Orttiz]

U.S. Girls ‘Damn That Valley’
First featured here with ‘Jack’ back in August 2012 (ITP #16). After three self released albums and one on FatCat, Meghan Remy (who is U.S. Girls) makes her debut single for 4AD ahead of a full album later this year.
[U.S. Girls]

Miniboone ‘Basic Song’
From the New York art rock / power pop band’s second album Bad Sports (out now, Ernest Jennings Record Company).
[Miniboone]

Girlpool ‘Before the World Was Big’
Title track from the ITP favourites’ debut album (Wichita, June 1).
[Girlpool]

Passion Pit ‘My Brother Taught Me How to Swim’
Maximalist electronic pop from Michael Angelakos’ third album Kindred (out now).
[Passion Pit]

Courtney Barnett ‘Close Watch’
John Cale cover version. The b-side from CB’s Record Store Day 12” ‘Kim’s Caravan’.
[Courtney Barnett]

Downtown Boys ‘Monstro’
Providence, RI punk/ post-punk punks with a track taken from their Full Communism album (Don Giovani, May 4). Expect music that addresses “the prison-industrial complex, racism, queerphobia, capitalism, fascism, boredom, and all things people use to try to close our minds, eyes and hearts.”
[Downtown Boys]

Eternal Summers ‘Together or Alone’
First track to surface from the Roanoke, VA jangle pop band’s Gold and Stone album (Kanine, June 2).
[Eternal Summers]

Broken Water ‘Love and Poverty’
Olympia, WA band with a unique blend of grunge, shoegaze and 80s indie rock aesthetics. This is taken from their forthcoming album Wrought (Night People Records, out now)
[Broken Water]

No Joy ‘Moon in My Mouth’
Traces of woozy shoegaze,from the Montreal band’s forthcoming third album, More Faithful (Mexican Summer, June 9).
[No Joy]

Institute ‘Perpetual Ebb’
Texan punks with a post-punk bent, from their forthcoming Sacred Bones debut, Catharsis (out June 9).
[Institute]

Torres ‘The Harshest Light’
This track first appeared in a different form on a 2014 Record Store Day 7”, the structure remain similar, but the song has a more forceful presence, as if it was the work of a more confident artist.
[Torres]

Bill Fay ‘The Geese Are Flying Westward’
The north London singer songwriter, who waited 40 years between his second and third album, opens his fourth with this beautiful rumination on the path not travelled.
[Bill Fay]

Father John Misty ‘I Loved You, Honeybee’
A different version of ‘I Love You, Honeybear’ taken from the 2015 Record Store Day heart-shaped 7”.
[Father John Misty]

In The Pharmacy #76 – April 2015

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Eighteen new tunes from My Morning Jacket, Houndstooth, The Mountain Goats, Big Deal (pictured), Girls Names, Hot Chip, The Go! Team, Oddisee, Drenge, Tunde Adebimpe, The Lilac Time, East India Youth, Circa Waves, Psychic Reality, Bully, Upset, Rose Windows, and This Is The Kit.

My Morning Jacket ‘Believe (Nobody Knows)’
Suitably epic opening track from the band’s forthcoming seventh album The Waterfall (Capitol, May 4) their first since 2011’s Circuital.
[My Morning Jacket]

Houndstooth ‘Bliss Boat’
Motorik drumbeat and loose guitar lines drive this opener from the Portland band’s second album No News From Home.
[Houndstooth]

The Mountain Goats ‘Foreign Object’
Another standout track from the wrestling themed Beat The Champ album. An incongruously jaunty tune with lyrics of graphic violence, “one of these days my legs will snap like twigs, if you can’t beat them make ‘em bleed like pigs”.
[The Mountain Goats]

Oddisee ‘That’s Love’

Funky 70s soul underpins this hip hop track taken from the Maryland artist’s forthcoming The Good Fight album (May 5, Mello Music).
[Oddisee]

The Go! Team ‘Til We Do It Together’
A bonus track on the Japanese version of The Scene Between and due for release as a very limited edition Record Store Day release, this features Tweens’ Bridget Battle on vocals.
[The Go! Team]

Drenge ‘We Can Do What We Want’

The Loveless brothers expand to a three-piece for a handful of tracks on their second album Undertow (out now).
[Drenge]

Upset ‘Glass Ceiling’
LA garage punkers fronted by Ali Koehler (formerly of Vivian Girls / Best Coast) and featuring Hole’s Patty Schemel on drums. Previously featured here back in October 2013 with the track from their debut album She’s Gone (ITP #44), ‘Glass Ceiling’ is taken from the ’76 EP (out now, Lauren Records).
[Upset]

Big Deal ‘Veronica’
First taste of the dreampop duo’s third album (title and release date tbc).
[Big Deal]

Tunde Adebimpe ‘Speedline Miracle Masterpiece’ [feat Sal P and Sinkane]
Grand Theft Auto inspired tune from the TV On The Radio vocalist and friends, taken from the forthcoming GTA V tie-in The Alchemist and Oh No Present: Welcome to Los Santos (April 14).
[Tunde Adebimpe]

Bully ‘Trying’
Another track from Alicia Bognanno-fronted band’s forthcoming debut album.
[Bully]

The Lilac Time ‘A Cat On the Long Wave’
Baroque closing track from No Sad Songs, The Lilac Time’s first new album in eight years.
[The Lilac Time]

Circa Waves ‘T-Shirt Weather’
In your face summer pop from the Liverpool fourpiece’s debut album Young Chasers (out now).
[Circa Waves]

Hot Chip ‘Need You Now’
House-y number from the forthcoming Why Make Sense? album (Domino, May 18). Built around a sample from Sinnamon’s 1983 post-disco hit ‘I Need You Now’.
[Hot Chip]

Psychic Reality ‘Island’
Suitably tropical lo-fi electronic pop from Brooklynite Leyna Noel’s Chassis album (May 5, Not Not Fun) the follow up to 2011’s Vibrant New Age. Feature’s a lyrical nod to Madonna’s ‘Holiday’.
[Psychic Reality]

East India Youth ‘Beaming White’

Newly signed to XL, this is taken from the Bournemouth musician’s Culture of Volume album (out now), the follow up to last year’s debut Total Strife Forever.
[East India Youth]

Girls Names ‘Zero Triptych’

The apostrophe eschewing gothy post-punk Belfast band return with a new 11 minute epic that nods to OMD, Joy Division, The Cure and Krautrock.
[Girls Names]

Rose Windows ‘Hirami’
It’s never a good sign when a band announce their split prior to releasing their new album. Add to that the underwhelming nature of the ‘Glory, Glory’ the first track to surface. But, while their eponymous second album, doesn’t reach the spacey heights of their excellent debut The Sun Dogs, there are some understated gems, including this one.
[Rose Windows]

This is the Kit ‘Misunderstanding’

Haunting folk pop taken from the Bristol band’s Aaron Dessner-produced third album Bashed Out.
[This Is the Kit]

In The Pharmacy #75 – Late March 2015

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Sixteen great tracks, two weeks worth of the best new music from the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden.

Torres ‘Sprinter’
Title track from Mackenzie Scott’s second album (May, Partisan). While Scott has always had her own style, there’s a touch of early PJ Harvey to it, perhaps because the New York via Georgia and Tennessee singer songwriter recorded the album in the west country with Rob Ellis produced and playing drums (there’s also some guitar from Portishead’s Adrian Utley).

[Torres]

Young Guv ‘Ripe 4 Luv’
Title track from the power pop side project of Fucked Up guitarist Ben Cook. All hooks and harmonies and ringing Cars guitar lines.
[Young Guv]

Courtney Barnett ‘Dead Fox’
The most Australian song on a very Australian album, with references to the Hume Highway, the Holbrook bypass, roadkill possums and kangaroos, culling sharks and the general taking-your-life-in-your-hands nature of sharing the roads with Australian drivers.
[Courtney Barnett]

The Go! Team ‘Reason Left to Destroy’
One of the many excellent tracks from the new album The Scene Between. This one closes the album and has the spirit of a pop My Bloody Valentine, with vocals from two (relatively) unknown US artists Doreen Kirchner (of Vinyl Tigers) and Emily Reo (of Foxes in Fiction).
[The Go! Team]

Chic featuring Nile Rogers
The first new Chic music since Chic-ism in 1992, based around an old, recently rediscovered Chic demo for a song called ‘Love Someone Today’ and features the work of sadly departed Chic members Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson.
This is classic, seamless Chic groove with Nile Rodgers inimitable guitar style.
[Nile Rodgers]

Eskimeaux ‘Broken Necks’
Taken from O.K., the latest release from prolific bandcamp releaser and genre hopper Gabrielle Smith, “beat-driven and poetic bedroom pop”.
[Eskimeaux]

Girlpool ‘Ideal World’
First taste of the duo’s debut album Before The World Was Big (Wichita, June 1) is hypnotic in its restrained minimalism, compared to the garage punk we’ve come to love from this duo. There’s a nice, scuzzy guitar solo at the end so we don’t forget who we’re dealing with here.
[Girlpool]

Pill ‘Misty Eyed Porno Reader’
Brooklyn band with post-punk skronk!
[Pill]

Yumi Zouma ‘Second Wave’
Lush sophisticated pop from NZ, previously featured here with
[Yumi Zouma]

Au.Ra ‘Morning’
Shoegaze meets dreampop from the London-based Sydney duo which features Tim Jenkins of much-missed one-album-wonders Parades. This is taken from their debut album, Jane’s Lament (out now on Felte).
[Au.Ra]

Hop Along ‘Waitress’
Philly indie rock band fronted by the remarkably-voiced Frances Quinlan. This is from their forthcoming second album, Painted Shut (May 4, Saddle Creek).
[Hop Along]

Mas Ysa ‘Look Up’
New York-based Montreal musician Thomas Arsenault with layered, smart electronic pop. Hints of a smoother Future Islands meets a balearic, chilled out M83.
[Mas Ysa]

Mini Mansions ‘Honey, I’m Home’
Electronic pop from QOTSA bass player’s side project. Taken from their second album The Great Pretenders (out now).
[Mini Mansions]

Jeff Zagers ‘Neighbours Knock’
Jeff Zagers has recorded music in a number of different (usually electronic) styles. This is one of his most melodically straightforward and accessible tunes, taken from his Still / Alive album, out now on Wharf Cat (though it originally appeared in a different form on a 2010 cassette only release).
[Jeff Zagers]

Death and Vanilla ‘Necessary Distortions’
Swedish band who have a love not only for Broadcast, but also for all those sounds that influenced the much missed Birmingham band – sixties sci-fi soundtracks, The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and The United States Of America”.
[Death and Vanilla]

Wand ‘Melted Rope’
Fuzzy stoner psych from the Ty Segall / Mikal Cronin affiliated LA band’s Golem album (out now, In The Red).
[Wand]

In The Pharmacy #74 – March 2015

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Warpaint ‘I’ll Start Believing’
Unlike the leisurely paced seven-plus minutes of new single ‘No Way Out’, this b-side starts with a communal scream and clocks in at under 180 seconds. It’s all sinuous guitar lines, fuzzed bass and Stella Mozgawa’s urgent drumming. These two tracks are the“first in a series of new songs being released this year” and hopefully a sign of a new period of prolificness for the band who have previously released (brilliant) records at a snail’s pace.
[Warpaint]

Tame Impala ‘Let It Happen’
Speaking of seven-plus minute tunes, this is the first new track from Kevin Parker since 2010’s Lonerism. An electronics-heavy psych number, with the strings kicking in around the four minute mark and it’s not until after the six minute mark where we hear something that is recognizably a guitar. Download it for free over on the Tame Impala site.
[Tame Impala]

The Mountain Goats ‘Heel Turn 2 (edit)’
Second track to be released from the loosely wrestling themed album Beat the Champ (April, Merge) only whets our appetite to hear the whole thing. The full length version of this song has a beautiful instrumental piano coda that’s as long as the narrative part.
[The Mountain Goats]

Bully ‘I Remember’
First featured here with ‘Milkman’ back in November (ITP #67) this tracks is taken from the Nashville based band’s forthcoming as yet untitled album.
[Bully]

Chromatics ‘I Can Never be Myself When You’re Around’
Johnny Jewel and co. return with more 80s indebted electronic pop. This is taken from delayed forthcoming album Dear Tommy, the follow up to 2012’s Kill For Love.
[Chromatics]

Colleen ‘Captain of None’
Colleen (aka French multi-instrumentalist Cecile Schott) utilises her voice and the 15th century baroque intrument viola da gamba to create something hypnotic, haunting and contemporary. This is the closing title track from her forthcoming album on Thrill Jockey (April 7).
[Colleen]

Radical Dads ‘Slammer’
From the Brooklyn band’s third album, 
Taken from the indie rock band’s Cassette Brain EP.
[Radical Dads]

My Morning Jacket ‘Big Decisions’
Taken from Waterfall (ATO, May 4) their first album since 2011’s Circuital. A big stadium filling number driven by Jim James’s vocals and Patrick Hallahan’s drumming, over slide guitar, horns and piano.
[My Morning Jacket]

Evans The Death ‘Expect Delays’
Title track from from the London based indiepop band’s second album (out now on Fortuna Pop! / Slumberland).
[Evans The Death]

Modest Mouse ‘Coyotes’
The other end of the MM spectrum to ‘Lampshades on Fire’ (ITP#73). A waltz-time number from the band’s rather bloody excellent Stranger to Ourselves album.
[Modest Mouse]

Chastity Belt ‘Joke’
Second digital single from Chastity Belt’s second album Time To Go Home (out March 24 on Hardly Art) the highlight is the outro where the band cut loose on the guitars for two and a half minutes.
[Chastity Belt]

Dick Diver ‘Leftovers’
Melbourne, Florida is one of the best albums of 2015 so far and likely to stay that way. It’s one fault? That there are only a couple of tracks that features Steph Hughes on lead vocals. With mournful horns and slide guitar, this one is a real beaut.
[Dick Diver]

Slutever ‘Maggot’
LA garage pop duo of Nicole Snyder and Rachel Gagliardi teamed up with buddies Girlpool for a split cassette last year (though they’ve been releasing stuff through Bandcamp since 2010). This is taken from their new Almost Famous cassette.
[Slutever]

Speedy Ortiz ‘The Graduates’
Lessons learned from the Stephen Malkmus school of songwriting on this second track to appear from the band’s forthcoming album Foil Deer (April 21, Carpark). One of their best songs so far, I reckon.
[Speedy Ortiz]

Sufjan Stevens ‘Death With Dignity’
Openning track from the forthcoming Carrie and Lowell (Asthmatic Kitty, March 31).
[Sufjan Stevens]

Westkust ‘Swirl’
Gothenburg shoegazers who in Hugo Randulv and Gustav Andersson share a couple of members with Makthaverskan (ITP #72). This is taken from their forthcoming album Last Forever (available via their Bandcamp page).
[Westkust]

BRAIDS ‘Taste’
Raphaelle Standell-Preston has featured here a couple of times, firstly with her other project Blue Hawaii and then with ‘In Kind’, the closing track from BRAIDS last album Flourish//Perish. This may not have the quirky edge of that latter track, but it’s a winning slice of 21st Century pop, that takes its influence from the late 20th Century (a bit of drum n’ bass, a bit of trip hop, a bit of Radiohead), but it’s Standell-Preston’s vocals that are the star here.
[BRAIDS]

Soko [featuring Aerial Pink] ‘Lovetrap’
French musician / actress Stephanie Sokolinski (aka Soko) is well known to Australian audiences for her 2007 hit ‘I’ll Kill Her’. Here she teams ups with buddy Ariel Pink for some super smooth 70s-influenced electronic pop. Taken from Soko’s forthcoming My Dreams Dictate My Reality album.
[Soko]

Jenny Hval ‘The Battle is Over’
Previously featured here with ‘Mephisto in the Water’ and her cover of Paul Simon’s ‘The Cool Cool River’, the Norwegian experimentalist returns with this intriguing track from her forthcoming Apocalypse, Girl album (Scared Bones, June).
[Jenny Hval]

Lower Dens ‘Your Heart Still Beating’
Motorik centrepiece of forthcoming third long player Escape From Evil, features some nice Fripp-like guitar in the middle (March 31, Ribbon Music).
[Lower Dens]

In The Pharmacy #73 – Late February 2015

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Two weeks of the best new tracks. New music from the US, UK, Australia, Belgium, France and Canada. Tunes from Modest Mouse, Dick Diver, Best Coast, Death Cab For Cutie, Django Django, Sufjan Stevens, Calexico, Passion Pit, Surfer Blood, Fred Thomas, The Weather Station, Trust Fund, Broken Water, Cabane, Le Volume Courbe, Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld.

Modest Mouse ‘Lampshades on Fire’

So far, four tracks have surfaced from the forthcoming album Strangers to Ourselves (the band’s first new album since 2007’s We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank). This one is my current favourite, with its jittery post-punk-funk-scratch-meets-reggae rhythms and Isaac Brocks’ distinctive wired, but weirdly mellifluous yelped vocals.
[Modest Mouse]

Django Django ‘First Light’
It’s been just over three years since the Scottish electronic neo-psychedelicists released their debut album, but this is worth the wait, up their with that record’s highlights. Taken from Born Under Saturn (out May 4, Because Music).
[Django Django]

Dick Diver ‘Waste the Alphabet’
Second track to surface from the Melbourne band’s forthcoming third album Melbourne, Florida (March 6, Chapter Music / Trouble in Mind). Like ‘Tearing the Posters Down’ (ITP #72) it feels like the jangle has been turned up to 11, and while they have previously been singled out for wearing the influence of The Go-Betweens, this one has elements that sounds like the early work of those other antipodeans, The Church.
[Dick Diver]

Best Coast ‘California Nights’
I wasn’t a fan of the of Best Coast’s second album The Only Place, but they won me back over with the superior songs and fuzzy pop of the excellent Fade Away EP. This title track from their forthcoming third album finds them getting lost (in a good way) in a more dreampop meets shoegaze sound. It’s a better fit than the cheesy 80s FM n’ country stylings of the last album and seems a more logical progression from the lo-fi garage surf pop of their earliest records. The album is out May 5.
[Best Coast]

Death Cab For Cutie ‘No Room in Frame’
Second track from the band’s forthcoming Kintsugi, their last album to be recorded with guitarist Chris Walla before his amicable departure. Like ‘Black Sun’ (ITP #71) this suggests that the it will be a far better record than the somewhat underwhelming Codes and Keys (2011).
[Death Cab for Cutie]

The Weather Station ‘What It Is, Way It Could Be’
Last featured back in February 2013 (ITP #27) with ‘Mule in the Flowers’, The Weather Station is the work of Torontonian singer songwriter Tamara Linderman (Aussies might know her as Tamara Hope, star of early naughties Melbourne-set fantasy show Guinevere Jones). It’s gentle and beautiful folk music with a touch of Joni Mitchell in both vocal phrasing and styling.
[The Weather Station]

Trust Fund ‘Essay to Write’
This is about as 80s lo-fi indie as it gets in 2015. The stand out track from the band’s (rather good) debut album No One’s Coming For Us, following on from their also rather good split EP with Joanna Gruesome.
[Trust Fund]

Calexico featuring Ben Bridwell ‘Falling from the Sky’
The Calexico back catalogue is a rich and wonderful thing. Here they utilise Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell for the first taste of their forthcoming Edge of The Sun album (Anti-, April 14), the follow up to 2012’s wonderful Algiers.
[Calexico]

Broken Water ‘High-Lo’
Olympia, WA band with a unique blend of grunge, shoegaze and 80s indie rock aesthetics. This is taken from their forthcoming album Wrought (Night People Records, March 24)
[Broken Water]

Cabane ‘Sangokaku’
Big Sufjan Stevens influence on this track from Belgian musician Thomas Jean Henri with aid from Bonnie Prince Billy, Kate Stables, Caroline Gabard and Sean O‘Hagan.
[Cabane]

Passion Pit ‘Where The Sky Hangs’
Super-slick pop from Michael Angelakos and co.’s forthcoming Kindred, the follow up to 2012’s Gossamer.
[Passion Pit]

Surfer Blood ‘Grand Inquisitor’

Intriguing new tune from the Florida band’s new 1000 Palms (May 12, Joyful Noise) follow up to Pythons (2012).
[Surfer Blood]

Fred Thomas ‘Cops Don’t Care Pt II’
Another track from the Saturday Looks Good To Me frontman’s forthcoming solo album All Are Saved (Polyvinyl), this one features Radiator Hospital’s Sam Cook-Parrott.
[Fred Thomas]

Le Volume Courbe ‘The House’
It’s been ten years since French London-based ex-pat Charlotte Marionneau released her debut (and so far, only) album as Le Volume Courbe. Now she’s back, this time with a single which once again enlists the help of Kevin Shields (also Martin Duffy and John Parish).
[Le Volume Courbe]

Sufjan Stevens ‘No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross’
This track from his first proper album since Age of Adz (2010) finds Sufjan Stevens return to the style of the quieter moments of Illinois for the forthcoming Carrie and Lowell (Asthmatic Kitty, March 31).
[Sufjan Stevens]

Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld ‘The Sun Roars into View’
Arcade Fire violinist Sarah Neifeld teams up with fellow instrumentalist Colin Stetson for an album of minimal violin and horn music that, if this track is anything to go by, promises to appeal to fans of the more esoteric end of post-rock. Never were the way she was is due out on Constellation, April 28.
[Sarah Neufeld]

In The Pharmacy #72 – February 2015

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Eighteen of the best songs from the last two weeks. A fortnight’s worth of new music from the US, Australia, Canada, NZ, UK and Sweden.

Dick Diver ‘Tearing the Posters Down’
One of two songs to emerge from the forthcoming third album Melbourne, Florida (March 6, Chapter Music / Trouble in Mind) finds them taking both the jangle and songwriting up another notch.
[Dick Diver]

Desperate Journalist ‘Eulogy’
North London four-piece with a taste for The Smiths, post-punk and 12 string jangle have released a brilliant self-titled debut album (out now on Fierce Panda). This is just one of many stand out tracks.
[Desperate Journalist]

Unknown Mortal Orchestra ‘Multi-Love’
Portland based band featuring ex-pat Kiwis step it up for the title track of their forthcoming third album, due out on Jagjaguwar, May 25
[Unknown Mortal Orchestra]

Liam Hayes ‘Fokus’

Liam Hayes (the man behind slow moving project Plush) sounding like a power pop Ted Leo on this track from his Slurrup album (out now on Fat Possum).
[Liam Hayes]

Houndstooth ‘No News From Home’
Woozy psych-dappled folk pop title track from Pacific North Westerners’ forthcoming second album (March, No Quarter), the follow up to Ride Out The Dark.
[Houndstooth] http://houndstooth.virb.com/

Lower Dens ‘To Die in L.A.’
Poppier than anything on Nootropics, but still maintaining the Krautrock and Bowie-in Berlin influences of that album, this is taken from forthcoming third long player Escape From Evil (March 31, Ribbon Music).
[Lower Dens]

Alex G ‘Sarah’
Philly based Alex G has a wealth of music available on his Bandcamp page, a lot of recently reissued on ltd edition vinyl. This track originates from 2012 but is only now seeing the light of day. Lo-fi, melodic indie with heaps of charm.
[Alex G]

Father John Misty ‘Holy Shit’
One of many stand out cuts from J Tillman’s second album as FJM, I Love You, Honeybear (out now, Sub Pop).
[Father John Misty]

Fred Thomas ‘Bad Blood’
Leader of indie pop collective Saturday Looks Good To Me (among other projects), with something different and darker from his forthcoming solo album All Are Saved (Polyvinyl).
[Fred Thomas]

Babaganouj ‘Can’t Stop’
Brisbane band featuring two former members of the sadly defunct Go Violets with a big, bright pop song, the follow up to last year’s ‘Bluff’ and ‘Too Late For Love’ singles.
[Babaganouj]

Speedy Ortiz ‘Raising the Skate’
Northampton, MA 90s festishists return with first track from follow up to 2013’s Major Arcana, Foil Deer (April 21, Carpark). Lyrically a mission statement, and a reflection on the frustrations of being a female musician in 2015, singer/ songwriter/ guitarist Sadie Dupuis says “It’s crazy frustrating seeing women and girls, myself included, put in positions in which they have to shirk credit for their talent or otherwise risk getting dissed as overbearing and bitchy,”
[Speedy Ortiz]

Purity Ring ‘Heartsigh’
Opening track from the Canadian duo’s second 4AD album Another Eternity (March 3). Electronic pop with the occasional euphoric stadium house flourish.
[Purity Ring]

Joanna Gruesome ‘Last Year’
More self-proclaimed “dissonant wimp music” from the Welsh quintet who appear to have refined their noise / pop balance to better effect. This is taken from forthcoming second album Peanut Butter (Fortuna Pop! / Slumberland / Turnstile, May 11).
[Joanna Gruesome]

Nite Fields ‘You I Never Knew’
Taken from the Brisbane band’s Depersonalisation album, out now on Felte. Superior 80s goth / post-punk leaning sounds.
[Nite Fields]

Crushed Beaks ‘Overgrown’

Melodic, noisey indie pop that harks back to the mid-80s. Taken from the London band’s debut album Scatter (out now on Matilda).
[Crushed Beaks]

Makthaverskan ‘Witness’
Gothenburg post-punks with a track from their new limited 7″. Out in Europe on March 3, and in the US as an official Record Store Day single (April 18).
[Makthaverskan] https://www.facebook.com/makthaverskanofficial

Breakfast in Fur ‘Portrait’
Like In The Pharmacy favourites Diert Cig, Breakfast in Fur are from New Paltz, NY. But these guys eschew ramshackle indie pop for in favour of a more lush dreampop style as evinced on this track from their debut album Flyaway Garden (out now on Bar/None).
[Breakfast in Fur]

Ryley Walker ‘Sweet Satisfaction’
Another beauty from the Chicago singer/ songwriter / guitarist’s can’t-get-here-soon-enough Primrose Green album (Dead Oceans, March 31). Starting off with his picking folk guitar style and gentle jazz flavoured rhythms, this one has a vein of barely restrained fuzz running through it starting at the 1 minute 43 mark which carries on until the last two minutes of the song turn into more of a guitar freakout. Fantastic.
[Ryley Walker]

In The Pharmacy #71 – Late January 2015

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The 20 best songs from the last two weeks. New music from Courtney Barnett, Death Cab for Cutie, The Mountain Goats, Torres (pictured), Diet Cig, Sleater-Kinney, Milo Greene, Cool Sounds, Mondo Drag, Mikal Cronin, Twerps, Motorama, Belle and Sebastian, Ty Segall, The Dodos, Diagrams, Girlpool, Chandos, Ryley Walker and Natalie Prass.

Courtney Barnett ‘Pedestrian At Best’

Apart from one track on her own Milk! Records compilation, Courtney Barnett hasn’t released any new music since the How to Carve a Carrot into a Rose EP back in October 2013. She and her band have spent the last 15 months touring the world in support of a compilation of that record and its predecessor (2012’s I’ve Got A Friend Called Emily Ferris) which, despite being called The Double EP some people seem to have mistaken for her debut album. Sometime in there, CB and her (now fourpiece) band have found the time to record her debut album proper, the forthcoming Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (due out in March on Milk! / Mom & Pop). This is the first track and if this and live favourite ‘Depreston’ are anything to go by, she is about to totally deliver the album everyone is hoping for.
[Courtney Barnett]

Death Cab for Cutie ‘Black Sun’
The first taste of DCFC’s first post-Chris Walla album Kintsugi (March 31, Atlantic) doesn’t stray very far from the template they’ve carved out on recent albums, but is better than anything on their last album, the underwhelming Codes and Keys.
[Death Cab for Cutie]

The Mountain Goats ‘The Legend of Chavo Guerrero’

First taste of John Darnielle’s wrestling-themed album Beat the Champ (April, Merge) proves that, like his previous works, you don’t need to know much about the subject matter to find his lyrics fascinating (and, of course, the music is great too).
[The Mountain Goats]

Torres ‘Strange Hellos’

Mackenzie Scott (aka Torres) made the best debut album of 2013. Last year, her output was limited to two tracks. One (‘The Harshest Light’) on a Record Store Day split 7” with Motel Beds, the other only available on Soundcloud. The latter track, ‘New Skin’ featured performances from Adam Granduciel and Sharon Van Etten and was my favourite track of 2014. Both tracks appear (possibly in different versions) on her forthcoming second album Sprinter (Partisan, May 5).
[Torres]

Diet Cig ‘Harvard’

After ‘Scene Sick’ appeared earlier this month (ITP #70),this is the second track to get a release from the New Paltz, NY duo’s limited edition cassette EP, Over Easy due out via their Bandcamp at the end of February.
[Diet Cig]

Sleater-Kinney ‘Price Tag’
Opening track from their excellent (and very beautifully packaged) comeback album, out now on Sub Pop.
[Sleater-Kinney]

Milo Greene ‘When It’s Done’
From the fictitiously monikered California pop band’s second album Control (out this week on Atlantic).
[Milo Greene]

Cool Sounds ‘Night Line’
Another track from the Melbourne indie pop band’s new album, Healing Crystals (out now on Beko).
[Cool Sounds]

Mondo Drag ‘Zephyr’

Oakland, CA heavy psych rockers with the opening track from their eponymous second album, out now on Kozmik Artifactz. Is that the influence of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Higher Ground’ in the rhythm?
[Mondo Drag]

Mikal Cronin ‘Make My Mind Up’
The occasional Ty Segall sideman returns with a track from his forthcoming third album MC III (May 5, Merge). Hopefully, like its predecessors, it will contain more lush, melodic psych pop nuggets like this.
[Mikal Cronin]

Twerps ‘Simple Feelings’
Superior Melbourne janglists with an unabashed fondness for The Clean with another track from their excellent second album Range Anxiety (out now on Chapter Music / Merge).
[Twerps]

Motorama ‘Lottery’
Half early-Cure post-punk, half jangle pop, all goodness from the Russian five-piece.
[Motorama]

Belle and Sebastian ‘Allie’

Another stand-out track from the band’s eclectic and wonderful Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance album.
[Belle and Sebastian]

Ty Segall ‘Mr Face’
Title track from the prolific San Francisco-based garage psych rock muso’s new EP.
[Ty Segall]

The Dodos ‘The Tide’

The third track featured here from the band’s forthcoming sixth album Individ.
[The Dodos]

Diagrams ‘Phantom Power’
Taken from former Tuung man Sam Genders’ new album Chromatics. Breezy pop with eclectic influences and bearing a little of the folktronica thumbprint of his previous outift. 
[Diagrams]

Girlpool ‘Chinatown’ 

After their appearance on the The Le Sigh Vol. II comp (ITP #70) this is another new track, from a forthcoming 7” (Wichita, March 24).
[Girlpool]

Chandos ‘Swim Gym’
Taken from the Boston band’s twisting, chugging, a little post-hardcore, a lot great Rats In Your Bed album (out now on Carpark).
[Chandos]

Ryley Walker ‘On the Banks of the Old Kishwaukee’
Another track from the Chicago folkie-jazzy guitarist’s wonderful new album Primrose Green.
[Ryley Walker]

Natalie Prass ‘Your Fool’
Taken from her debut Matthew E. White – produced debut album
.
[Natalie Prass]

In The Pharmacy #70 – January 2015

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The best songs from the last two weeks (and a couple of late 2014 strays) . Tracks from the US, UK, Canada and Australia. New music from Belle and Sebastian, The Go! Team, Sleater-Kinney, The Dodos, Purity Ring, Father John Misty, Diet Cig, Cool Sounds, The Decemberists, Of Montreal, Girlpool, Ryley Walker, All Dogs, Waxahatchee, Twerps, Chastity Belt, Natalie Prass, and Iron & Wine.

Belle and Sebastian ‘Nobody’s Empire’
On first listen, the new Belle and Sebastian album Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is all over the place – Kleztmer, Mariachi, disco, sixties pop. But it soon reveals itself as something rather special. This, the opening track, is one of the most instant and also one of Stuart Murdoch’s most personal songs, dealing with his experience with chronic fatigue syndrome.
[Belle and Sebastian]

The Go! Team Scene Between
Ian Parton’s Brighton-based genre-hopping pop mashup project returns with title track of their fourth album, due out in March on Memphis Industries.
[The Go! Team]

Sleater-Kinney ‘No Cities To Love’
Title track from the comeback album, out this month on Sub Pop.
[Sleater-Kinney]

The Dodos ‘Goodbyes and Endings’
Second track to appear prior to the release of their forthcoming sixth album Individ. Baroque indie folk psych.
[The Dodos]

Purity Ring ‘Begin Again’
After ‘Push Pull’ (ITP #69) another track emerges from forthcoming second album Another Eternity (4AD, March 3), the follow up to 2012 debut Shrines.
[Purity Ring]

Father John Misty ‘Chateau Lobby 4 (in C for Two Virgins)’
J Tillman, prolific solo artist and former Fleet Foxes drummer, prepares to release his second album under the FJM moniker, I Love You Honeybear, the follow up to his excellent 2012 album Fear Fun. This song is beautiful.
[Father John Misty]

Diet Cig ‘Scene Sick’
Indiepop duo from New Paltz, NY. Taken from their limited edition cassette only release, Over Easy.
[Diet Cig]

Cool Sounds ‘Death Boys’
Melbourne indie pop band with a track from their new album, Healing Crystals.
[Cool Sounds]

The Decemberists ‘Mistral’
Penultimate track on the forthcoming What a Terrible World, What A Beautiful World.
[The Decemberists]

Of Montreal ‘Bassem Sabry’
Funky number from the forthcoming follow up to Lousy With Sylvianbriar, Aureate Gloom, out March 3 on Polyvinyl. This track is named after the Egyptian journalist and human rights campaigner who died in tragic circumstances last year at the age of 31.
[Of Montreal]

Girlpool ‘Alone at the Show’
After last year’s excellent self-titled EP / mini album. This is a new track featured on The Le Sigh Vol. II
[Girlpool]

Ryley Walker ‘Primrose Green’
Lovely bit of retro, jazzy, psych folk. The title track of his second album, due out on Dead Oceans in March.
[Ryley Walker]

All Dogs ‘Georgia
’
Columus Ohio female fronted indie rockers first featured back in September 2013 with Lovesong (ITP #41). Like Girlpool’s ‘Alone at the Show’ this is taken from the new The Le Sigh Vol II zine + tape (sadly already sold out).
[All Dogs]

Waxahatchee ‘Air’
From Katie Crutchfield’s follow up to Cerulean Salt.
[Waxahatchee]

Twerps ‘I Don’t Mind’
Melbourne janglers with a track from their forthcoming second album Range Anxiety, out next week in Chapter Music / Merge.
[Twerps]

Chastity Belt ‘Time to Go Home
’
First featured with ‘Black Sail’ back in August 2013 (ITP #39), this is the title track from the Pacific North West band’s forthcoming second album, due out in March on Hardly Art.
[Chastity Belt]

Natalie Prass ‘My Baby Don’t Understand Me’
Following on from ‘Why Don’t You Believe Me’ (ITP # 67) here’s another track from the debut album by sometime member of Jenny Lewis’ backing band and old schoolmate of Matthew E. White, Natalie Prass. This is taken from her debut album due out January 26 on Spacebomb.
[Natalie Prass]

Iron & Wine ‘Everyone’s Summer of ‘95’
An old previously unreleased track, this is coming out on Archive Series Vol. 1 album and dates from the same time as the songs on his debut album The Creek Drank The Cradle (2002).
[Iron & Wine]

In the Pharmacy #69 – December 2014

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Is this the last chance to hear great new music from 2014? Thirteen of the best tracks from the last weeks – indie rock and pop flaunting post-punk, folk, electronic and punk influences…includes a lovely Elliott Smith cover from Marissa Nadler.

Sleater-Kinney ‘Surface Envy’
Second track to emerge from the recently reformed band’s first album in nine years No Cities to Love (due out on Sub Pop, January 20, 2015).
[Sleater-Kinney]

Parkay Quarts ‘Slide Machine’
Another track from Parquet Courts alter-ego band. Taken from Content Nausea (Out now on What’s Your Rupture?).
[Parkay Quarts]

The Wharves ‘Left, Right and Centre’
Opening track from the London-based trio’s debut album, one of the best of 2014.
[The Wharves]

Hannah Diamond ‘Every Night’
Featured back in May (ITP #56) with ‘Attachment’, here’s more irresistible, synth pop from the PC Music associated Londoner.
[Hannah Diamond]

American Wrestlers ‘I Can Do No Wrong’
Lo-fi guitar pop “from unindentified Missouri-based Scotsman”.
[American Wrestlers]

The Decemberists ‘Anti-Summer Song’
Another track from their forthcoming 2015 album What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World due out in January.
[The Decemberists]

Hamilton Leithauser ‘Room For Forgiveness’
The former Walkmen frontman’s Black Hours is one of this year’s best albums, this is a non-album track available for free download from Soundlcoud.
[Hamilton Leithauser]

The Primitives’ Working Isn’t Working For Me’
Paul Court sung number from the excellent new Primitives album Spin-o-rama.
[The Primitives]

The Drink ‘Playground’
Derbhla Minogue from The Wharves other band. Taken from Company, the new album that compiles their first three EPs.
[The Drink]

Interpol ‘What Is What’
Free download of non-album track available now.
[Interpol]

Purity Ring ‘Push Pull’

First new music since their excellent debut album from the Canadian electronic pop duo.
[Purity Ring]

Marissa Nadler ‘Pitseleh’
Cover of the Elliott Smith song, available on the digital only demos and rarities EP Before July.
[Marissa Nadler]

Angel Olsen ‘May As Well’
Taken from the recently released deluxe edition of Burn Your Fire For No Witness.
[Angel Olsen]

In The Pharmacy #68 – Late November 2014

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The 12 best songs from the last two weeks. New music from the UK, USA, France and Finland. Killer tracks from Parkay Quarts, The Wharves, TV On The Radio, Smashing Pumpkins, The Primitives, The Heliocentrics & Melvin Van Peebeles, Mourn, Hookworms, The Dø, The Bots, Dream Police, and Zookeeper.

Parkay Quarts ‘Pretty Machines’
Another track from Parquet Courts alter-ego band. Taken from Content Nausea (Out now on What’s Your Rupture?)
[Parkay Quarts]

The Wharves ‘The Grip’
From the London three-piece’s excellent album At Bay (out now on Gringo). A mixture of 90s alt-rock, 80s post-punk and 70s prog-folk
[The Wharves]

Smashing Pumpkins ‘Tiberius’
Who’d have thought we’d be getting excited about a new Smashing Pumpkins record in 2014?
[The Smashing Pumpkins]

The Primitives ‘Lose The Reason’
…and who’d have thought a new album from The Primitives would be so good? Taken from their excellent Spin-o-rama.
[The Primitives]

TV On The Radio ‘Ride’
One of the stand out tracks from new album Seeds.
[TV On The Radio]

The Heliocentrics & Melvin Van Peebles ‘Big Bang Reincarnation’
From the best space rock concept album of 2014 The Last Transmission. This dub / sixties spy movie tinged mainly instrumental track is the album’s outlier.
[The Heliocentrics & Melvin Van Peebles] 

Mourn ‘Otitis’

Short blast from the Barcelona band’s self-titled album.
[Mourn]

Hookworms ‘Beginners’
Krautrock indebted track from the band’s second album The Hum.
[Hookworms]

The Dø ‘Lick My Wounds’
French / Finnish electronic indiepop duo of Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy (whose A Mouthful was one of the unheralded gems of 2008) return with a standout track from rather excellent new album Shake Shook Shaken.
[The Dø]

The Bots ‘Ubiquitous’
Following on from ‘All I Really Want’ (ITP #67) here’s another slice of garage punk from the Glendale, CA band’s Pink Palms album.
[The Bots]

Dream Police ‘Pouring Rain’
Another track from Mark Perro and Nick Chiericozzi’s (of Brooklyn punks The Men) spaced out psych/kraut side project. Taken from their debut album Hypnotized, out now on Sacred Bones.
[Dream Police]

Zookeeper ‘Conclusions’
Chris Simpson (formerly of Mineral) with a folky, Nick Drake indebted track from his Pink Chalk album.
[Zookeeper]