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Sunday, February 14, 2016

Discoverer 135: new indie findings

A most deserved, unstoppable hype, a veteran songwriter showing his neverending talents and a most promising band from down under. What a trio of proposals we have for you in our discoverer series, today. A lot to enjoy!

Sunflower Bean.  Born in Brooklyn, New York, during August 2013, this trio comprised by Julia Cumming, Nick Kivlen and Jacob Faber is fated for greatness. With first songs appearing online throughout 2014, with tune 'Tame Impala', a tribute to the Australian band, leading their first digital single and making some Internet noise, the group began 2015 with EP 'Show Me Your Seven Secrets' that January, out via Fat Possum Records. The expectations rocketed, fuelled by 7" 'I Hear Voices/ The Stalker', released on July, and now, with their debut album 'Human Ceremony', out just now, they are one of the most . Completely understandable, as the album is a surprisingly diverse, mostly brilliant, and always addictive blend of psychedelia, lo-fi sounds, dark rock and indiepop that sounds fresh and captivating to anyone willing to listen. The future is all theirs, and I'm sure it looks like a fun ride for all of us.

Pete Astor. Technically speaking, far from a discovery, but I had to write about it. The latest incarnation, under his own name, of a real auteur, a SONGWRITER in big capital letters: Pete Astor, formerly quintessential part of The Loft, The Weather Prophets, The Wisdom of Harry and Ellis Island Sound. A huge career that now has a flamboyant, stunning new chapter in the form of album 'Split Milk', out now on Fortuna Pop/ Slumberland. The 80s British legend, an indiepop pioneer, with the crucial help of his pupil James Hoare (Astor is also a music lecturer and taught the member of Ultimate Painting, The Proper Ornaments and Veronica Falls), who convinced his teacher to make another record, and later produced and became his one-man back at the studio, has delivered a modern guitar pop classic. Instantly catchy yet full of wry lyrics, humming melodies, endearing tunes. What a return to form! One of the first MUSTS of 2016!

Hideous Towns. And we end in Melbourne with this young quartet which assembled through friendship and the Internet (that's the way they recruited singer Alana) becoming a proper band around 2013, when first songs and gigs started to take shape. First digital release arrived in February 2014 with tune 'Joy', followed by 'Don't Look Up'. That same year, in October they put their first proper release, the self-recorded, self-released and self-titled EP. Finally, their last release to date, arrived in June 2015, in the form of glorious 7" 'Heart Attack/ Skin', out via Lost and Lonesome Records, with the band promising on Facebook debut album is on the works for this year. We can't wait to hear it, because their personal blend of post-punk, dreampop and shoegaze is hard to resist. Haunting melodies enveloped in haze, pulsating drum rhythms, driving guitars and captivating vocals. Don't forget their name.

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