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DEREK SIMPSON – KID THE MOON

Written, performed, and mixed by Simpson, “Kid The Moon” makes me imagine I have a space helmet on and I’m looking into outer space from a rocket ship that’s drifting into the depths of the universe.  This track starts out with a kind of “Another One Bites The Dust” type of drum beat. It totally drew me in the first time I heard it. This is such an enjoyable track. So sit back and enjoy the ride. 

PNAU AND ELTON JOHN – PHOENIX

Pnau is an Australian electronic/dance group. The group is musicians, Sam Littlemore, Peter Mayes, and Nick Littlemore. You may know Nick Littlemore from his other band Empire of the Sun. In 2012 Pnau remixed a bunch of Elton John songs for an album called Good Morning to the Night. “Phoenix” is the stand out track in my opinion. It’s a total dance around the room, spin your daughter around, track. If you are an Elton John fan, an Empire of the Sun fan, or an electronic/dance fan in general, you need to check out the whole album. I’ll be sure to include another Pnau song on a future playlist. 

TOMMY NEWPORT – ULTRA MANGO

“Ultra Mango” is a feel good dance/pop track from British born Tommy Newort. I love the simple drum beat, reverb synths, and trippy vocals. This track is his brand new single off his Ultra Mango EP. If you like this track I highly suggest listening to the whole EP. It’s really good. 

OMAR APOLLO – USELESS

“Useless” starts out with a guitar riff that sounds like a sample from the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 1990. Then Apollo’s mysterious and beautiful vocals take over the track. The hook is mesmerizing. I could listen to just the hook on repeat. “Useless” is from Apollo’s 2020 debut album Apolonio. I really dig his sound. It’s got a real 90’s vibe, mixed with current indie rock sounds. I’m looking forward to more Omar Apollo. 

SPORTS – THE LOOK

“The Look” from duo Sports, is really following the dance/pop vibe of this week’s playlist. This track is from their brand new EP Get A Good Look Pt. 1. “The Look” is a super fun track with a really catchy, sing along hook. I don’t know a lot about the band, but I have a feeling I’ll be going into a deep dive soon. 

THE MARS VOLTA – INERTIATIC ESP

The Mars Volta have been broken up for years, but this week they released their full discography in a giant, remastered, mega vinyl package with rarities, unreleased tracks, and outtakes. “Inertiatic Esp” is from my favorite album of theirs. 2003’s Deloused In The Comatorium. 

SWIM MOUNTAIN – YESTERDAY

This is just another indie track that stuck out to me while listening to my daily spotify playlists. Swim Mountain has a real psychedelic vibe that reminds me of Toro y Moi a lot. Swim Mountain is singer/songwriter/producer Tom Skyrme and I’m looking forward to checking out more from him in the near future. 

SOFT HAIR – JEALOUS LIES

I’ve been obsessed with Soft Hair since the moment I heard them. I listened to their only album, 2016’s Soft Hair, on repeat for weeks before I looked into who they actually were. Soft Hair is New Zealander Conan Mockasin, who is basically an indie-rock legend that recently worked with MGMT on their most recent album, and my favorite new artist LA Priest, who was featured on Week One’s playlist. I hope you enjoy this track as much as I do.

THE VOIDZ – LEAVE IT IN MY DREAMS

For someone who loves The Strokes as much as I do, it’s baffling that I never heard of The Voidz. It’s The Strokes lead singer, Julian Casablancas’ side project. It sounds just like the Strokes. I’m sold. Check out their 2018 release Virtue. 

POND – GIANT TORTOISE

Pond’s sound is Tame Impala meets Queens of the Stone Age. Two of my all time favorites. There’s a pretty good reason why they sound so much like Tame Impala too. The band is made up of the members of Tame Impala’s touring band. “Giant Tortoise” starts out with a heavy, bang your head rock riff, and then quickly dips into a dreamy, psychedelic world of Tame Impala-esque verse. The chorus could be pulled straight from an early Queens of the Stone Age album. I love this.