dream pop
Track: Revolution Above Disorder unveil ‘Scream Quietly’: a haunting, enigmatic cover of the ethereal Television Personalities track.
Revolution Above Disorder is the work of Dubliner Stephen Nicholas White (The Orange Kyte, House of Dolls, The Subterranean Satellite Band, Magic Shoppe), who is currently based in Vancouver. We reviewed his deliciously cool shoegaze track ‘Illuminate’ last year and are pleased to present his new single ‘Scream Quietly’. A cover of the Television Personalities song, …
Track: Barrie is vulnerable, reckless perfection on new single ‘Quarry’: Album ‘Barbara’ out 25 March on Winspear
American songwriter and producer, Barrie, has shared her latest single Quarry with the announcement of new album Barbara, due out on 25 March. The strength of ‘Quarry’ is in its softness – Barrie’s romantic, delicate vocals match the pace of pulsating drums, synths and bass. A veritable showcase of the artist’s fearless new sound, the …
Track: Norðir release the epic and shimmering track ‘How To Sail Your Ship 2077’.
‘How To Sail Your Ship 2077’ is the new single from Germany-based duo Norðir: a slow burning sparkling track that has a crystalline guitar riff and deep sonorous vocals that are enigmatic and Bowie-esque. According to Viktor Norðir, the track is part of a wider project which, …revolves around the concept of time traveling, so …
Album Review: Overland Inn’s ‘Proxima’ is a sensual, liquid melange of bubbling electronic delights.
The liquidity of movement and sensual overload in French Czech-based duo Overland Inn‘s new album ‘Proxima’ is nothing short of magnificent. Heralded by a series of delectable amuse-bouches over the last 12 months following their signing to the brilliant Brisbane label False Peak Records, Overland Inn have perfected an electronic based dream pop oeuvre that has …
Premiere: Mako Bron’s ‘cloudbites’ EP is an effervescent and glorious pop masterpiece, with a dark heart and uplifting melodies.
Mako Bron is the brainchild of one musician/producer Chris Brookman, and the single ‘Straight Down’ went to straight up to my top five Australian/New Zealand single releases for 2021. We at Backseat Mafia are therefore absolutely thrilled to be asked to premiere Mako Bron’s new EP, ‘cloudbites’, set for release on 3 January 2022. Brookman …
Backseat Downunder: A Personal Top Fifty List of Favourite Australian/New Zealand Albums and Singles from 2021
This has been another extraordinary year which has seen musicians reach peak creativity locked away in their bedrooms, recording studios, recording studios in their bedrooms and all manner of locations – a side effect of the lockdowns that have beset both Australia and New Zealand. The sheer volume of releases seems to me to have …
Track: New Zealand’s enigmatic T.G. Shand gifts us with an exquisite new track ‘Seats’ for the festive season and announces new album for 2022
Ōtautahi/Christchurch resident Annemarie Duff, formerly of the legendary Melbourne shoegaze band Miniatures (on the iconic Saint Marie Records label) is T.G. Shand: the producer of some of the most dreamy velvet textured shoegaze dream pop this year through her singles ‘Lemony‘ and ‘The Ease‘. And with the hint of an album coming out in the new year, Duff is …
Premiere: Fingerless proffer a shimmering fatalistic view of life in the acidic, psychedelic ‘You Are Going To Die’.
We are infinitely pleased to premiere the new single from those chameleons of indie rock, Brisbane band Fingerless. This band continues to defy definition and, in their new single ‘You Are Going To Die’, even gravity, in their fascinating output. Following on from their last single – the magnificent ‘Leaf of Stone’ (see my review …
Album Review: End Scene’s debut album ‘All My Ghosts’ is a masterpiece that jangles with a dark pop intent and an indelible shimmer.
There is a recognisable antipodean jingle jangle thrum in Sydney band End Scene‘s debut album ‘All My Ghosts’. Essentially, End Scene is James Jennings and Tom Dufficy and together they have produced an indie pop delight with instrumentation that chimes and rings, given a celestial reach by an acerbic and droll undercurrent in the vocals and …
Premiere: Spring Skier gently reflect on ‘Six Strings, Eight Legs’ with a dreamy pop elegance.
Brisbane’s dreamy pop duo Spring Skier (Remy Boccalatte and Kane Mazlin) grace the pages of Backseat Mafia again with another stunning premiere, the gentle and reflective ‘Six Stings, Eight Legs’. A wry observation on the ministrations of a spider, Boccalatte’s voice has the sweetest edge, wrought with yearning and imbued with a sort of sadness …