DYGL – Half of Me

Artist: DYGL

Song: Half of Me

Genres:  #alternativerock #poppunk

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Release date: July, 2021.

Comment: Formed in 2012, DYGL (pronounced “Day-glo”) is an indie rock band from Japan that sounds incredibly good. Half of Me, for example, is all kinds of catchy with a touch of pop-punk rhythms. Their press release calls it a “killer tune” and, quite frankly, I have to agree with that. This song is one of the singles off their latest release, A Daze In A Haze, which is well worth a listen.

I hope this is just the start of a trend of great rock music coming out of Japan. We need this.

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Sylvan Esso – Funeral Singers

Sylvan Esso - Funeral Singers

Artist: Sylvan Esso

Song: Funeral Singers

Genres:  #folktronica

Location: North Carolina, United States

Release date: September, 2018.

Comment: One of my favorite tracks in Third Eye Blind’s new album, which we have discussed before, is Funeral Singers, which I thought was an original song until the band shared their influences for the new album on instagram and one of them was Sylvan Esso‘s Funeral Singers. It turns out that Sylvan Esso‘s version is also a cover, with the original being from experimental rock band Califone. Each version is different but if I had to pick just one, I think I’d choose Sylvan Esso‘s. There’s something about lead singer Amelia Meath‘s voice and the acoustic strums in the background that I find mesmerizing.

If, like me, you were not aware of Sylvan Esso before, I hope you enjoy this cover from 2018 (which features American musical ensemble Collections of Colonies of Bees) as much as I do.

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Transistor – Silver Lining

Artist: Transistor

Song: Silver Lining

Genres: #indierock #alternativerock

Location: Alabama, United States

Release date: July, 2021

Influences: The Strokes, Bruce Springsteen, The Killers

CommentSilver Lining is the third single off Transistor‘s debut album and despite its upbeat rhythm and fun vibes, it got a sad and deeply moving backstory. Lead singer Patrick Davies’s mom was just like this song: upbeat and energetic, and that did not change even after she got a terminal cancer diagnosis. Silver Lining refers to searching for meaning and something to hold on to despite having everything against you. Don’t get me wrong, Silver Lining is a really good song but knowing it is a homage to Patrick’s mother takes it to a whole new level.

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in earnest – i feel alone even if i’m not

in earnest

Artist: in earnest

Song: i feel alone even if i’m not

Genres:  #indiefolk

Location: Southend on Sea, United Kingdom

Influences: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers.

Release date: October, 2021.

Comment: Regular visitors to T.A.M. should already be familiar with indie trio in earnest, as they have been featured here a couple of times before. They are back now with their sophomore EP, reasons to stay alive, which is also their most artistically ambitious project to date. It is a six-track record with no gaps between songs that you could listen to on an infinite loop. Ideally, you would listen to the EP from beginning to end but if I had to choose just one song, then it would be I feel alone even if I’m not because of its haunting melody and emotional vocals. If you’re looking for some music to listen to during some alone time, you just found it.

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Jonquev – Technicolor Dreams

Artist: Jonquev

Song: Technicolor Dreams

Genres: #electronicmusic

Location: New Delhi, India

Release date: May, 2021.

Comment: Some outstanding electronic music is being produced in India today and Jonquev is the latest example of that. Technicolor Dreams is a mesmerizing track full of immersive soundscapes and hypnotic beats. It’s hard to believe this is just his debut single. I cannot even imagine what his first EP, Electric Heart, Magnetic Soul, is going to sound like. Let’s just say he’s just set our expectations pretty high. I’m looking forward to it.

The Summer Set – Street Lightning

Artist: The Summer Set

Song: Street Lightning

Genres:  #alternativerock #poppunk

Location: Arizona, United States

Release date: September, 2021.

Comment: The Summer Set, a pop-punk band from Scottdale, Arizona that after achieving a decent following went on a hiatus in 2017, surprised their fans in August when they announced that they were back to making music and dropped their first single in 4 years. Street Lightning is as catchy as anything they’ve ever released with, as depicted in the music video below, some 80s music vibes that fit it really well. As lead singer Brian Logan Dales described it on his Instagram: “This song is about chasing the high of life as fast as you can, written by a guy who finally learned how to slow down and take in everything around him.”

Enjoy!

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Chxrlotte – Hey?

ArtistChxrlotte

Song: Hey?

Genres: #indiefolk

Location: Brighton, United Kingdom

Release date: June, 2021

Comment: Ukulele-based indie folk music is hardly a novel idea, but when it is done well and has a compelling melody, who cares? That’s exactly the case with Hey?, the latest single from British #singersongwriter Chxrlotte, a talented young artist with a bright future that you should check out.

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allie – ETYG

Artist: allie

Song: ETYG

Genres: #indierock #alternativerock

Location: Nashville, United States

Release date: June, 2021

CommentJ.Zito very generously recommended Nashville-based singer-sonwritter Allie Cuva (they/them) to me and I was blown away by their song ETYG (which must stand for Even Though You’re Gone). It sounds like a really good alternative rock song from the late 90s that was recorded with today’s tools. Allie’s vocals during the chorus are mesmerizing.
ETYG is part of allie’s debut full-length album under that moniker, released back in August. Worth checking out.

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Third Eye Blind – Silverlake Neophyte

Third Eye Blind  - Our Bande Apart

Artist: Third Eye Blind

Song: Silverlake Neophyte

Genres: #alternativerock

Location: San Francisco, United States

Release date: September, 2021.

Comment: Frontman Stephan Jenkins is kind of a polarizing figure nowadays but there’s no denying that Third Eye Blind is one of the most important alternative rock bands out there. Their heyday was over twenty years ago but they’re still active and relevant. In fact, four of their seven studio albums have been released in the last 12 years, with the last one, titled Our Bande Apart, dropping just last week. It’s not even close to the greatness of their first two records, but it is a decent album that I liked way more than the previous one, Screamer (2019). My favorite song is the fourth track, Silverlake Neophyte, which sounds a bit like a classic Third Eye Blind tune. It’s a song about the insecurities musicians have and never go away, no matter how successful they become. I highly recommend it.

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J. Zito – Colors Off

Artist: J. Zito

Song: Colors Off

Genres: #indierock #alternativerock

Location: Detroit, United States

Release date: August, 2021

CommentColors Off is a groovy song that, if I heard it on the radio, I’d have bet it was a new Feeder tune. However, this interesting track belongs to Detroit-based musician Jason Zito, who after releasing a self-titled album in 2019 that was heavy on synthesizers and electronic music, has just released a rock album that’s big on guitars and political messages: Before it Gets Better. His motto is that “when extreme thinking becomes normal, normal thinking seems extreme“, which is reflected on the album. Colors Off, for example, is a critique of extremism and groupthink; which is also represented on a painting Jason made for its lyric video, and you can watch it below. Enjoy!

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