Majorette ~ Forever Starts Tuesday EP

Hallo music lovers! Happy Sunday to you. 

I would like to make a public service announcement: this EP is incredible and you should listen to it right now! 

 

Majorette are a pop band led by twee chanteuse Danielle Salomon, a native of Queens, NY. What a little beauty this EP is: nostalgic, warm, and charming; the best debut I've heard in many a year. She possesses a gorgeous singing voice, too. I sound like a stuck record now, but I can't help it — this band have stolen my heart. 💘

For fans of: Stephin Merritt, Acid House Kings, The School. 

Releases 24th April on the Pretoria, South Africa-based indie label Subjangle. It's set to be an instant classic, you mark my words! 😍

Merry Christmas to all my friends. 💗

Enjoy this throwback to the time when fluffmeister Nancy dragged her own present - some catnip-flavoured treats - out of the pile and started opening it with her teeth. Even though it looks faked, I did not stage this picture in any way - cross my ♥! 

Merry Christmas to all the kitties.  

From the compilation Cwistmas Twee (Total Gaylord Records, 2004). 

And now for a pair of festive gems released just this month. ✨🎁

I'd like to wish everyone who reads this a very happy, healthy and music-filled 2024. 🥂 All Dressed Up in Dreams will be back in the new year - stay tuned! 😻

The Ballet ~ Daddy Issues

Oh man, I love The Ballet with all my heart — so I was beyond excited for the release of their fifth album last month. Already I can say with 99% certainty that this is going to be my favourite record this year. 💜😭🔥 Have a listen below. 

Recently I did a deep dive, and discovered this: before forming The Ballet, Greg and Craig (plus their fellow grad student Emily) were in a band called The Mean Corner. They released one EP in 2004 called I Learned It By Watching You. This is my favourite track, "Who Is Sean Cody?"

Cascading synths; strummed Spanish guitar; boy-girl duetting; witty and heartfelt lyrics: what a perfect pop gem. 🥰💛 If anyone would like me to upload the rest of this excellent EP to YouTube, please just leave a comment below and I shall do it!

(P.S. Sean Cody is the name of a gay porn studio, in case you were wondering. 😏)

The Umbrellas ~ Promises

Poptastic San Francisco outfit The Umbrellas covering the Buzzcocks' classic? Don't mind if I do! 😏

This track is from Oakland Weekender 2022, an album of Buzzcocks covers which was jointly released by Slumberland and Emotional Response Records to accompany their three-day San Francisco Bay Area festival of the same name. I so wish I could have been there - the line-up looks incredible! 

Click here to download the compilation courtesy of this blog. ✨

Drizzly. ~ Bitter to See You

I just can't get enough of this debut single from all-woman Indonesian pop-group Drizzly.: short, sweet, and neat as a pin. 

Then there's the delightful follow-up single, If We Know Each Other Well Enough, Maybe We Can Go on a Date (featuring Raka Pradana). 

I hope they make more music very soon! 😺

Papercuts ~ I Want My Jacket Back

Now this is what I call classic indie-pop: sunshiney, jangly, it's a foot-tapper for sure! From Papercuts' forthcoming album Past Life Regression, released 1st April '22 on Slumberland Records. 

Acid House Kings ~ A Little Dancing

Hooray! Acid House Kings are back with their first single in a decade. And it's a cracker! ✨💃

Acid House Kings · A Little Dancing

The Blue Herons ~ Go On

Reminiscent of Club 8's early singles or Red Sleeping Beauty (the band), this was an enchanting find: fresh and sweet janglepop. 

   

The vocalist, Gretchen DeVault, sounded very familiar, so I did some digging: turns out she was a member of indiepop's The Icicles, whose Snowman Song is one of my favourite wintry-themed tracks of all time! ☃️❄️

 

Real Numbers ~ Brighter Then

I'm loving Real Numbers' jangly new tune Brighter Then, a taster from their forthcoming EP of the same name. 💙 Releases 22nd January 2021 on Slumberland Records and Meritorio Records. 

Star Tropics ~ Running Scared

Star Tropics are one of my fave bands of the moment: Chicago-based purveyors of sweet boy/girl dreampop. I'm excited for the upcoming album! 💖

The Field Mice ~ September's Not So Far Away

 I can't wait for autumn. Not long now. 🍁🍄🍂

Buddhist Bubblegum ~ Merry-Go-Round

Currently obsessed with this promising debut single by Buddhist Bubblegum, straight outta Ljubljana.