Jupiter Deluxe Tube releases debut album

The day finally came. Darwinn Sato and her dreamy project Jupiter Deluxe Tube have released the debut album Products of Insomnia. It has been a long wait, since the release was initially planned in March. But it has really been worth the wait. It only takes one listening from start to finish to understand that this is someting different. Jupiter Deluxe Tubes debut album have the quality of an art installation. It's partly straight up pop as in the Cardigans-like third track Home. Partly it's experimental, ambient and dreamy and all over the record there is this constant artsy imprint. What I mean is that Jupiter Deluxe Tube seem to have a great deal of creative confidence. This makes Product of Insomnia an unafraid and interesting album to listen to. It's surprising, bold and still really, really likeable.
The album itself is divided in two larger sections with the sixth track Cabin Song as a divider. The two parts of the album tells two sides of a story that is written with a specific person in mind. Sato's lyrics have always been open for interpretation which lets listener relate to the story in their own way. Jupiter Deluxe Tubes album debut is strong. It is the first steps of a great voyage and Weekly Indie Pop is honored to tag along from the start.

Listen to Jupiter Deluxe Tube here:

Mary The First - You Must Be Strong

Stunningly progressive and dark. Mary The First have released a debut EP that, in some ways, pushes the boundaries of contemporary electronic music. It's not time to redraw any maps but this little four track creation called You Must Be Strong manages to challenge this, sometimes boring, era of copy cat artists and producers. All four songs have a pulsating, intense and yet experimental feeling. With inspiration from the new wave and the EBM scene Mary The First (or Maria Eilersen) have tried to ignore what conventionally "works" which (according to my opinion) makes it fly. This is not the least visible on the second track Bystander with it's spatic, convulsive beat. Weekly Indie Pops favourite tune is the title track You Must Be Strong with it's heavy production and haunting, urging vocals.
       Though, what really captures me about Mary The First is her ability to make music that is genuinely dark and undisguised. A piece of art that holds the rare ability to feel completely real.

Listen to Mary The First here:

AyOwA returns with the new single Fri

The danish duo that earlier this year dropped the captivating single RUS is back with a new song called Fri. This new song is the last taste of what's to come since AyOwA will release their debut EP this month. With Fri AyOwA broadens the spectrum of their pop music and shows that they not only master the darker more bittersweet pieces of electro pop but also holds a lighter and very dreamy quality. Fri feels airy with a sparse beat and floating synths. The song also gives a very seamless impression where the different parts are bound togheter by Hannah Schneiders vocals in a very typical AyOwA way. Fri is what Weekly Indie Pop would like to call: the perfect summer release. A meditative almost hypnotic blend of bright colours, etheral sunsets and pop music. The expectations for the coming EP sure isn't lowered.

Listen to AyOwA here:

Tender - Erode

Erode is the name of a new single from electronica duo Tender. The band are planning an album release this summer and Erode is a foretaste of what's to come. The song in itself is, at least on the surface, a genuine pop track. Though it's still hard to argue that Tender goes for something mainstream. Their chill vibe and minimalistic yet spacious production holds a series of interesting arrangements and really cool sounds. The idea of making chill electronic music and then package it in a contemporary pop format feels like something that is really happening right now and gives Tender an edge in todays music scene.
Lyrically Erode paints a (at least in my opinion) kind of wry relation. Like the title of the song the descibed relation tells of a twosome that forces one part to slowly erode, to become something else, or more dramatic, to become nothing. It's something beautiful about a sacrificial love but when taken for granted or abused it holds a forceful backlash. Tender makes a magnificent job creating a perfect emotional soundtrack for such an implosion.

Listen to Tender here:

Twin Oaks - Nothing

The dream pop duo Twin Oaks just recently released a new track from their upcoming EP. Nothing, as this new (released march 21)  song is called, is a somewhat darker Twin Oaks compared to earlier work. The whole track contains a dark, ominous vibe. Some parts even sounds a bit like the 90's grunge wave while some parts touches the spectrum of post rock. Nothing starts of minimalistic with moving vocals and a lyrical material that adds to the harshness and asperity. The track constantly grows, adds layers of atmosphere, a beat with a reverb to die for and grand guitars. With Nothing, Twin Oaks have created a slow, pulsating crescendo. The whole song starts and finishes with the lines "Please forgive me for I have sinned". This line in itself captures and frames the beauty with Nothing which contains an almost cinematic, gray filtered, impression of despair paired with a distant, lingering but unsung hope, more represented in the music than in the lyrics themselves. The EP is planned for this summer and if Twin Oaks continues down the road of Nothing then we sure have someting look forward to.


Listen to Twin Oaks here:

3 Cutting Principles

Nicolai Dungers musical acts have always been an inspiration for us at Weekly Indie Pop. Somehow though his spectacular project, the band 3 Cutting Principles, have managed to elude us for over a year now. The amazingly well made debut album called 3 Cutting Principles involves Dunger himself and his two fellow muscicians Jonas Nyström and Manne von Ahn Öberg. The record in itself is a slow burning piece of orchestrated ambience, hymn-like melodies and Nicolai Dungers distintive vocals. Though this previous description may sound like it, there is absolutely nothing moderate about the works of 3 Cutting Principles. Instead the music is an ongoing source of mystic surprises and a lyrical material that elevates this piece of art and gives it a transcendent edge. Though it's been almost exactly a year since the album release Weekly Indie Pop strongly feels that this material is definately worth a return to. 3 Cutting Principles offers a well to pour out of. The music paints a broad panorama from grand symphonic motions to the narrow and fragile almost meditative. 3 Cutting Principles is something to discover and rediscover.

Listen to 3 Cutting Principles here: 

Vaarwell - YOU

YOU is the first song to be heard from Vaarwells upcoming debut album Homebound 456, which will be released this march. This single is the first encounter I've ever had with Vaarwell and I must say that this trio really swept me off my feet. YOU is a dark dream/indie pop song that holds layers of quality. The vocals breathe a melancholic feeling that makes every word of the break-up described in the lyrics feel real. The production makes every part of the song feel perfectly fitted into this beautiful mosaic. Though dreamy, the indie flavoured guitar and the drum beat mananges to create a distinct course for the song. As YOU ends up in a dynamic, still mellow, climax with the toms pounding like the beat of a military march, I'm utterly sold on the sounds and emotions that Vaarwell manages to create. The release of their debut album is most definitely something to have in mind for this month.

Listen to Vaarwell here:

RUS - new single from Ayowa

The danish duo Ayowa is back with a new single called RUS (released february 24). The new single continues Ayowas tradition of making ambient, expressive, electronic pop music. The contemporary beat, the pulsating soundscape and the emotional, floating vocals sung in danish makes for a bittersweet experince. It's both a feel good and a deeply emotionally captivating song. The danish word "rus" means "intoxication" and without having a full interpretation of the text the whole song still breathes this ecstatic shimmer. Ayowa have truly mastered the skill of making ravishing and touching music rooted in the pop genre.


 

Atmospheric vibes from Seersha

Wasteland is the debut single from the emerging atmospheric electropop artist Seersha. It's the first song from her forthcoming record (to be released in May). Wasteland is a song filled with melancholy, carried by soft synthpads and a minimal beat. Though Wasteland feels a bit held back, it still holds a shimmering energy with Seershas expressive vocals guiding the listenter through the wastelands, enclosed in atmospheric auras. The name Seersha comes from the phonetic spelling of Saorie, an Irish or Scottish given name meaning freedom. And it seems important for Seersha to make music that can hold up to that description. To not give away all the keys of interpretation but rather give the listener a possibility to measure their own thoughts and feelings in relation to Seershas artistry is a great artistic strength and makes for an interesting follow up in May.

Listen to Seersha here:

   

Corniglia - Oh My Love

Out of Perth, Australia comes this rare gem called Corniglia. Their debut single (released in November last year) should send shockwaves on every Indie Pop listeners radar. Oh My Love, which is the name of the song, is a repetative (in a good way), minimalistic and dreamy tune. It has this really downplayed production but still manages to create a really catchy sound, which one can probably thank the groovy basslines for. On top of the hazy, floating soundstage Oh My Love is a lovestory, though Corniglia works with meta narratives and the song seem to have more than one layer. It handles the contemporay endeavours of prolonged or eternal life and the want to always "play it cool" and "keep it togheter". In summary, Corniglia, with their dark, danceable sound, is another example of pop music that isn't only kitsch and placard messages, but the carrier of profound content. If you're into Oh My Love as much as Weekly Indie Pop is, be sure to keep your eyes open for Corniglias debut album bound for this year.

Listen to Corniglia here:       

Treasureseason XY

The London duo Treasureseason is back with a new EP called XY (released January 19).  XY is compact. The EP concists of three dreamy tracks with a charming retro/80s flavour. But Treasureseason clearly values quality over quantity and XY adds up to ten minutes of pure melancholic joy. An impressive feature about Treasureseason is how their retro flirt never becomes exxagerated. The soft synthpatches and the melodies sometimes feels directly retreived from the 80's synth pop scene but they are constantly merged with contemporary drumbeats and modern sounds. One thing to love about Treasureseason is how they open up for the electric guitar to take a lot of space, which feels almost like a revival. A band to have in mind this year.
 

Atmospheric electro pop from PAIR

PAIR is a swedish duo that makes atmospheric and emotional electro pop. Their debut single Northern Lights have been out for a while (released in october last year) but it is a fresh find for Weekly Indie Pop. Northern Lights is four minutes of pulsating, vibrant synths, airy production and stunning harmonies. The sound is both minimalistic and grand. The atmosphere and sentiment that PAIR manages to create have a captivating impression to the likeness of innovative Iamamiwhoami. Northern Lights really captures the shimmering magic of the night sky and Weekly Indie Pop looks forward to next phenomena.


 

New Album from The Deer Tracks

It's been a while since the swedish electronica duo The Deer Tracks (conscisting of Elin Skeppstedt and David Lehnberg) released new music. About three years to be more precise. With that in mind this new release is (at least for me) like reuniting with an old friend after a long period of time. I first discovered The Deer Tracks music in 2007 on myspace and was instantly amazed by how lion-hearted and innovatory their sound was. That conviction has followed me during The Deer Tracks continued history and certainly on the new album Undersvik. The album contains ten atmospheric tracks infused with scandinavian melancholy and encapsulated in international fast paced electro sounds. It's experimental and modern but still holds a great amount of mysticism . It's hard not to respect the fact that a band touring so frequent as The Deer Tracks still manages to create a record filled to the absolute breaking point with creativity and content. The Deer Tracks is really good at creating a dynamic soundscape and the balance between dark electronica and Elin Skeppstedts airy vocals sometimes sounds a little like the danish electro pop project As in RebekkaMaria. Weekly Indie Pops favourite track from Undersvik is the thin aired and melodic piece Gossip. Though released late 2016, Undersvik makes for a great start of the new year.