In The Pharmacy #83 – Late July 2015

Seventeen new tracks from the US, UK and Australia. New music from Kurt Vile, Chvrches, Wilco, Sports, Royal Headache, Best Friends, Girls Names, La Luz, White Reaper, Fans, Protomartyr, Ultimate Painting, Ducktails, LVL UP, Major Leagues, Cowtown and Cold Beat.

Kurt Vile ‘Pretty Pimpin’’
The opening track from KV’s forthcoming album b’lieve i’m goin down…(September 25, Matador). After the success of his former band The War on Drugs’ breakthrough Lost In The Dream seems like Kurt has raised his game again. Produced by Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck) and featuring Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa on drums, don’t let Vile’s laidback delivery make you b’lieve he’s leaving anything to chance this time round.
[Kurt Vile]

Chvrches ‘Leave a Trace’
Electro Jockpop taken from second album Every Open Eye, September 25.
[Chvrches]

Wilco ‘Pickled Ginger’
Taken from their surprise free release new album Star Wars (out now, dBpm). This is a grittier album than the last couple of pop leaning albums. Download the whole album at the link.
[Wilco]

Sports ‘Saturday’
Gambier, Ohio US punk powerpop / indiepop band. Taken from their forthcoming second album All of Something (30 October, Father/Daughter).
[Sports]

Royal Headache ‘Another World’
Sydney’s finest with another slice of garage soulpunk from their forthcoming second album High (What’s Your Rupture?, August 21).
[Royal Headache]

Best Friends ‘Holy Mountain’
Taken from the Sheffield garage pop types rather tasty second album Hot.Reckless.Totally Insane (out now, FatCat).
[Best Friends]

Girls Names ‘A Hunger Artist’
Black-clad Belfast band subvert pop with chiming guitars, motorik beats and dark lyrics. This is the second track taken from their forthcoming third album Arms Around A Vision (October 2, Tough Love), following on from April’s excellent stand alone single ‘Zero Triptych’ (ITP #76).
[Girls Names]

La Luz ‘Sleep Til They Die’
Haunting slow number from the Seattle surf pop band’s second album Weirdo Shrine (Hardly Art, August 7).
[La Luz]

White Reaper ‘Candy’
Lo-fi garage rock from the Louisville, KY band’s new album White Reaper Does it Again (out now, Polyvinyl).
[White Reaper]

Fans ‘Born Into’
A touch of The Strokes and their early ’00s contemporaries on the latest single from this UK band. This is the title track of a forthcoming EP.
[Fans]

Protomartyr ‘Why Does it Shake’
Detroit post-punk band, previously featured here back in February 2014 with ‘Come & See’ (ITP #51) follow up their Under Color of Official Right album with the first taste of The Agent Intellect (Oct 9, Hardly Art)
[Protomartyr]

Ultimate Painting ‘(I’ve Got The) Sanctioned Blues’
Lo-fi, Velvet Underground indebted pop from second album “Green Lanes”, (August 7th, Trouble In Mind Records).
[Ultimate Painting]

Ducktails ‘Surreal Exposure’
New Jersey, US. Following on from ‘Into the Sky’ (ITP #81) and Church (ITP #82) here’s another track from Matt Mondanile’s (Real Estate) latest album as Ducktails, St Catherine.
[Ducktails]

LVL UP ‘Blur’
Lots of Slanted and Chanted-era Pavement to be heard in the work of this Purchase, New York band, but also a hint of the Elephant 6 collective. Previously featured here with ‘Soft Power’ (ITP #61) this time last year.
[LVL UP]

Major Leagues ‘Someone Sometime’
Brisbane jangle pop band with their first new music since their sublime 2013 EP, Weird Season.
[Major Leagues]

Cowtown ‘Castle Greyscale’
Leeds band with catchy “variant mutant pop”.
[Cowtown]

Cold Beat ‘Cracks’
Last featured here this time last year with ‘Other Side of The World’, Hannah Lew (formerly of San Francisco’s Grass Widow) returns with more gothy electro pop with post-punk guitars. Taken from forthcoming album Into the Air (Crime on the Moon, September 4).
[Cold Beat]

In The Pharmacy #81 – Late June 2015

Sixteen new tracks from the US, UK, Canada, Sweden, Chile and Spain. Indie rock, freak-folk, post-hardcore, garage punk, dreampop, post-punk, electronic pop, psych rock. New music from Low (Alan Sparhawk pictured), Wolf Alice, Ducktails, Weaves, jj, White Reaper, Desaparecidos, Shannon and the Clams, mewithoutYou, Palehound, Grave Babies, Widowspeak, Ancient Sky, The Holydrug Couple, Haberman, and Meg Baird.

Low ‘No Comprende’

Low release the first track from their forthcoming eleventh album Ones and Sixes (September 11, Sub Pop). Although they have long outgrown the slow-core tag of their earliest records, the pace here is unhurried and power is conveyed through minimalism.
[Low]

Wolf Alice ‘Lisbon’
One of many highlights from the London band’s long awaited debut album My Love Is Cool (out now, Dirty Hit)
[Wolf Alice]

Ducktails ‘Into the Sky’
Last featured here back in September 2013 with ‘Honey Tiger Eye’ (ITP #42) Ducktails return with a new album St Catherine (July 24, Domino).
[Ducktails]

Weaves ‘Tick’

Toronto band play catchy indie rock with singing guitars.
[Weaves]

jj ‘Truce’
The Swedish experimental pop duo return with their first new music since last year’s third album V.
[jj]

White Reaper ‘Pills’
Louisvile, KY garage band with another taste of their debut album White Reaper Does It Again (July 17, Polyvinyl).
[White Reaper]

Desaparecidos ‘The Left is Right’
After a 13 year hiatus, Conor Oberst’s punk band return with their second album, the follow up to Read English / Speak Spanish. All those years of focussing on Bright Eyes haven’t dulled his righteous anger and the new record, Payola, bears the influence of “70s/’80s punk & hardcore like T.S.O.L. and Cro-Mags; early ’80s power-pop, the Vapors and Tommy Tutone”.
[Desaparecidos]

Shannon and the Clams ‘Corvette’
A band in love with 50s and 60s vintage forms of rock and roll return with an album fueled by break ups. This is a downbeat number, a million miles away from their last appearance here ‘Mama’ (ITP #54), but just as compelling.
[Shannon and the Clams]

mewithoutYou ‘Lilac Queen’
Post-hardcore types with a crafty track from their rather special Revelation-inspired Pale Horses album.
[mewithoutYou]

Palehound ‘Molly’
ITP favourite Palehound (aka Ellen Kempner and friends) return with the first track from debut album Dry Food (Exploding in Sound Records, August 14). (Bugger. Appear to have accidentally re-used ‘Drooler’ rather than the new song ‘Molly’. Follow the link to hear the newer song.)
[Palehound]

Grave Babies ‘Something Awful’
Seattle goth-influenced types return with a more brooding take on new wave and a bass sound indebted to The Cure. Taken from their forthcoming Holograpic Violence album (Hardly Art, July 24)
[Grave Babies]

Widowspeak ‘Girls’
Brooklyn dreampop duo return with a languorous shuffle taken from their forthcoming album All Yours (September 4, Captured Tracks).
[Widowspeak]

Ancient Sky ‘Garbage Brain’

Brooklyn droney psych rock band with a track from their new album Mosaic (out now, Wharf Cat Records).
[Ancient Sky]

The Holydrug Couple ‘Concorde’
Suitably agreeable, instrumental dreampop from the Sacred Bones signed Chilean duo.
[The Holydrug Couple]

Haberman ‘Vida Muerte Vida De Un Mirlo’

Buenos Aires-born, Barcelona based guitarist Fernando Moresi-Haberman is a guitarist ingrained in open tunings and the finger picking style of John Fahey and those that have followed him. This is a demo from the artist newly signed to FatCat.
[Haberman]

Meg Baird ‘Back to You’
Stunning freak-folk from the former Espers-mainstay. This is taken from her third solo album Don’t Weigh Down the Light, the follow up to the wonderful Seasons on Earth (both albums through Drag City).
[Meg Baird]