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Tag Archives: twee as fuck

New BOYISH: “The Hidden Secrets”

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As the image above indicates, “The Hidden Secrets” also doubles as the name for Tokyo indie-pop outfit BOYISH’s newest EP, one which was slated to come out on July 25 but as of 11:18 P.M. on that day isn’t anywhere to be seen (I guess check for an update if it appears by the time this posts). Still, BOYISH have served up a preview in the form of the title track. BOYISH tend to have two modes of twee – they either sound sorta explosive in their ennui or downtrodden and muffled. “The Hidden Secrets” is the latter, as the vocals sound mumbled and have been recorded as to me nearly unintelligible. The guitars and the beat, though, dash ahead and do an excellent imitation of 80’s indie-pop, which is what this group does oh so well anyway. Listen below.

Update: Now you can hear the whole EP below.

New The Paellas: “Following”

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Ahhh, rejoice, for here is yet another slice of Japanese indie-pop from a year choking on the indie-pop to the point where I’m probably writing “here is yet another slice of Japanese indie-pop” at an annoying rate, desperately trying to think of some new way to present jangly guitar music that’s dominated my SoundCloud front page for six months now. At times I think I’m getting cynical about it, even though for the most part I like everything I’ve written about here on the blog (if you think I just fire up WordPress for every song labelled “twee” I see, the pile of songs I don’t think warrant attention is even bigger0. Even then, most of this stuff is just “very good,” most of this C86-influenced stuff being plenty pleasant but ultimately lacking the extra something to be “great.” There have been a few – but not too many.

Osaka’s The Paellas already submitted one candidate for the “best Japanese indie-pop song of the year” category with “Lights,” a skeletal number that stood out from the pack by sounding like a ghostly lounge performance. Their newest song, “Following,” also jumps out as something special in a very crowded year for this type of music, although for very different reasons than “Lights.” “Following” adds bite to The Paellas shambly rock, the guitars being more jagged than jangly and the vocals muffled just enough to sound mysterious but also loud enough to not be an afterthought. For the most part, it’s a beefed-up version of their “Distance,” taking the Strokes-like guitar chug and beat but making it sound a little angrier. Listen below.

Radio Friends Release EPs, Featuring New Songs

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Radio Friends have released a few songs here and there over the past Spring, but now they’ve corralled those tunes into two (very brief) EPs. We’ve written about the indie-pop loving group’s songs “Sometimes” and “Want Of Order” before, and now both track have been blown up into EPs with one new song tacked onto the Want Of Order EP for good measure (the other comes with the previously posted downer “You Can Make Me Sad”). The freshest track is called “Anywhere,” and like “Want Of Order,” it leans heavy on the fuzz to mask the ennui-dipped vocals. Also like “Want Of Order,” the guitars dart through and do all the emotional punching, being just as wrenching as whatever the group is saying. I mean, just check that little solo after the chorus. Get both EPs for free here.

New Post Modern Team: “Heartbreak”

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This one just plopped down over on SoundCloud – Kansai’s Post Modern Team have another catchy rush of indie-pop, this one titled “Heartbreak.” The chorus makes you think this one might be a bit more chin-raised-high…”I get over you heartbreak.” The next line, though, is “every single day,” which implies the titular feel happens way too frequently to our protagonist. The emotions might be tough to read, but the music is simple and delicious – in the same mold of the group’s first release “Never Let You Down” except taken to an even greater extreme, “Heartbreak” is one giant hook…the only sentences in this song are the two above, though the way this song unfolds you swear a lot has changed. Listen below.

New The Paellas: “Distance”

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Osaka’s The Paellas’ best releases this year have been able to strike a good balance between noise and silence. See the lovely side-swaying “Lights,” which found the group using vast amounts of space to build up tension for the big mid-song release, one of the better moments in Japanese indie rock this year. Now along comes “Distance,” and The Paellas have stepped out of the shadows in favor of something more in-your-face. “Distance” surges ahead, all electric-guitar chords and slightly distorted vocals, the song presenting a new side of The Paellas. Yet “Distance” still fits in a moment of surprise, as the sudden burst in noise found in “Lights.” A sweeter guitar line sneaks in early, and sews its way across the song, adding some softness to an otherwise prickly number. Listen below.