Pow Magazine here, bringing you the latest in cool-dreamy-psychedelic rock music worldwide. Below are fifteen new singles and albums many from the first weeks of 2024. The music represents talent from the USA, France, Germany, and England for an international mix of contemporary psyched out sounds.
The Crystal Teardrop – “Nine Times Nine”
The Crystal Teardrop from the UK is inspired by the psychedelic music of the 1960s experimenting with psych pop and garage rock. Their sound is proper retro but with a bit of modern grunge. Dreamy lyrics, wonderful female vocals with harmonies, rock chorusing and echoing after effects. The guitars are bright with jangle and for true 60s vibrations they have reverse delay bringing in The Beatles sounds from the psychedelic era.
https://thecrystalteardrop.bandcamp.com/track/nine-times-nine
Chronics – Do You Love The Sun?
Chronics, from Italy released their 3rd full length album Do You Love The Sun? Upbeat punk with snarled vocals pop choruses and nostalgic 90s punk music. Fast strummed electric guitars blend garage rock, punk and coastal surf sounds. Their melodies and energy give them a charismatic edge.
https://chronics.bandcamp.com/album/do-you-love-the-sun
The Uppers – “Stimulation”
The Uppers are a punk rock band from St. Louis, Missouri USA. The single ‘Stimulation‘ has punchy bratty vocals accented with start and stop riffs and bouncing basslines. The drums are tight with ride cymbals blaring and the guitars swagger with driven fast strummed power chords. The band kicks out high energy guitar solos and the vocals will get any crowd jumping.
https://theuppers1.bandcamp.com/track/stimulation
Human Colonies – Kintsukuroi
Human Colonies from Italy released their 2nd full length album Kintsukuroi in late 2023 following several EPs and singles from the prior years. This is inspired atmospheric shoegaze with swirling reverbs, droning keyboard synths, and washy vocals. The songs foundation is its deep bass lines with steady drumming and beats. The overall sound is rich in harmonics the vocals and instrumentation blend beautifully and the mix and sound is very enriching. Fans of My Bloody Valentine will find plenty to like on Kintsukuroi an album that is inspired from start to finish.
https://humancolonies.bandcamp.com/album/kintsukuroi
Rob Clarke – She’s A Mean
Rob Clarke from Liverpool, UK has released the first single from his new album ‘Blues, Beats and Brel’ released January 2024. ‘She’s A Mean‘ is old style blues picked on acoustic guitar. The rhythm is defined by a foot stomping on a wooden floor and the attack of the guitar strings. The vocals are the defining piece of the song with classic blues melodies sung with a folk inspired vocal style. Rob Clarke is a true vintage troubadour playing early American blues.
https://robclarke.bandcamp.com/track/shes-a-mean-2
The Asteroid No.4 – Tremble
Asteroid No.4 of Northern California has released their 12th album Tremble. This is psychedelic shoegaze album that rocks!! Asteroid No.4 released their first album in the mid 90s and they have been a leader in the psychrock shoegaze scene ever sense. Their crafted tones, skillful songwriting and overall composition of the songs on Tremble are a joy to listen to. Do yourself a favor and give this a good listen on some good headphones.
https://theasteroidno4.bandcamp.com/album/tremble
Whitelands – Night-Bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day
Whitelands from London, UK has released the first single from their upcoming album Night-Bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day to be released in February 2024. The music has beautiful layers of shoegaze vocals backed with chorus heavy guitar riffs. There are elements of emo and dream pop in their sound. They specialize creating smooth atmospheres that are emotionally evocative. The bass lines add deep resonance and the drums are set back and drive the songs from mellow to larger choruses and bridges.
https://whitelands.bandcamp.com/album/night-bound-eyes-are-blind-to-the-day
Fast Eddy – In Too Deep
Fast Eddy released their new single ‘In To Deep’ in early January 2024. the music is alternative punk rock with thoughtful songwriting that builds up and draws back for a dynamic single. The chorus has backing vocals singing ‘da da da da‘ while the vocalist sings ‘so long farewell‘. The songs starts with an acoustic guitar which sits in the background as electric guitar kicks in with drums and bass. The guitar arrangements against the vocal melody is well placed adding energy to the song. The bass lines back the melody and hit for powerful accents.
Swirlpool – Reimagine
The new single from Swirlpool ‘Reimagine‘ released January 2024 is from the bands upcoming debut LP ‘Distant Echoes‘. They are inspired by My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and dream pop music. Their guitars have heavy modulation sustained echoes and are the guiding element in their songs. The vocals are hushed with a comfortable range. The music is dynamic swelling to its climatic peak at the outro. This band is from Germany and be sure to check out their other single ‘Evergreen‘.
Deary – Deary
Deary is the self-titled EP released in November of 2023. This London based band recorded the album between 2019 and 2023. The vocals are airy and distant with beautiful melodies and tonality. The songs have a soothing sound that brings to mind the shoegaze of the 2000s with expansive reverbs, chorus and echo. The songs are very intentional with consideration put into the arrangements with the various instrumentation and overdubs adding production value in each moment. Deary also breaks out the 12 string acoustic and plays beautiful dream pop folk on the song ‘Want You’.
https://deary.bandcamp.com/album/deary
Three Quarter Skies – Universal Flames
Universal Flames is the debut EP from Three Quarter Skies a new band formed by Slowdive drummer Simon Scott. The theme of the project was “to not restrict or enforce any creative boundries…” It is a blend of Shoegaze, krautrock, post rock and psychedelia. There is use of looped beats, modular synth, guitar pedals and open boundaries. The music on Universal Flames came into existence from a recording of a semi-spontaneous live performance in late 2022.
https://threequarterskies.bandcamp.com/album/universal-flames
KARKARA – Anthropia
KARKARA from Toulouse, France has released the new single ‘Anthropia‘ from their third upcoming full-length album ‘All Is Dust‘ coming March 2024. They blend Middle Eastern scales with psychedelic rock guitar. Heavy drums and gritty bass lines create a entrancing blend of stoner and psychedelic rock that brings to mind bands like Osees, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Slift, and Atlin Gun.
https://karkara.bandcamp.com/album/all-is-dust
Slift – Ilion
Slift of Toulouse, France released their third full-length double album Ilion in January of 2024. The new album moves their sound into the heavy stoner psychedelic rock with hints of progressive and krautrock. The album is a sci-fi epic tale with hard hitting bass lines, echoing fuzzed wah guitar and expansive atmospheres that can be mellow but mostly drive in high energy rock. Their live performances have captivated audiences across Europe and the USA. This is one of the most exciting new heavy psychedelic rock bands out there and is newly signed to Sub Pop Records.
https://slift.bandcamp.com/album/ilion
Black Market Karma – An Introduction To Black Market Karma And Their Technicolour Liquid Audio Machine
Black Market Karma released their latest album ‘An Introduction To Black Market Karma And Their Technicolour Liquid Audio Machine‘ as a Christmas present on December 25th 2023. This album is “A retrospective collection of songs spanning Black Market Karma’s back catalogue. Everything has been remixed and remastered, including previously unreleased tracks and new alternate versions of songs like Skullgroover, Delta Hand, Mule Kick and more.” This band has the quintessential sound of alternative psychedelic rock with influences from krautrock, garage rock and early shoegaze. It is wonderful to hear the remixes and remasters along with some new songs. The compilation has all my favorites from the band.
