The latest Swedish export to hit our shores is a duo called Taped Rai. The wistful intro of debut single "Shadow of the Sun" wraps itself around you with heart-wrenchingly earnest vocals and a reflective piano bit that burns holes in your soul. Between the melodically pristine hook and the full-on solar eclipse of hands-in-the-lasers club levels in the climax, this could be a Top 40 smash had the duo followed a more traditional songwriting structure, but it's even more impressive that they haven't. From the audio to the video above, "Shadow of the Sun" is a cinematic accomplishment from a distant universe, like something out of Sound of Arrows' oeuvre as directed by Lars Von Trier. Beyond epic.
STREAM: "Shadow of The Sun (Acoustic Version)" - Taped Rai [exclusive]
HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY DOS & MY DON'TS.
The Jungle Giants are the latest Australian act to parachute onto our shores from halfway around the world. The Brisbane four-piece dropped their latest EP in the twilight of last summer and our favorite cut, "You've Got Something", is a hard-hitting clean sweep of Pacific heat. From the first lyrical punch, they're in your face like Two Door Cinema Club tangoing with The Wombats, and what starts with a slow simple construction quickly snowballs into a power-hungry Wolf Gang stadium-filler. Dear Jungle Giants, you've got something that everybody wants.MP3: "You've Got Something" - The Jungle Giants [exclusive]
THE SEA FEELS NOTHING LIKE A HOME.
We've been loving Mr. Little Jeans' debut album since she first sent us a secret preview of it late last year, and now she returns to publicly unveil our favorite track from it, "Oh Sailor", as her new single. A billowing youth anthem in waiting, Monica's wistful vocals drift in and out of your dreams, walking a delicate line between the whispered beauty of Lykke Li and the skyscraping uplift of The Naked & Famous' Alisa Xayalith. And when the ocean-sized chorus engulfs you with ageless harmonies from the Silverlake Conservatory Of Music Youth Chorale, it's like nothing else you've ever experienced in 2013. Truly perfect.
That huge new POPSHOP026: GHOST BEACH + MAGIC MAN
Hot on the heels of April's incredible Popshop throwdown last week, we're back to kickstart your summer with a May installment that promises to pick up right where last Thursday left off. Returning to the Popshop stage we've got NYC's finest, Ghost Beach, in the headline slot with direct support from our favorite new band of 2013, Magic Man, as they grace NYC for the first time since launching their new and improved full band live show. And rounding things out are LA's own dynamic duo, Wardell, stealing sunshine and warming up the stage early on. It's all going down Thursday May 2nd at Santos Party House, with doors at 9pm sharp and $10 advance tickets HERE. Come live the dream with us, New York.STREAM: "Been There Before" - Ghost Beach
DOWNLOAD: "Paris" - Magic Man
STREAM: "Opossum" - Wardell
HOW COLD IT'S BEEN.
Magic Man are quickly establishing themselves as one of the best new bands of 2013, and with phenomenal singles like "Paris" and "Texas" already under their belt, it feels like the sky is the limit for the Providence fivesome. Now they return with their debut remix offering, taking on Pacific Air's latest single "Lose My Mind" with true Ivy League swagger. They brandish the original hook, dip it in a futuristic palette of mountain-scaling synths and electronic heart flutters, and the result is a feverish blast of Atlantic gusto ready to sweep you off your feet.STREAM: "Lose My Mind" (Magic Man Remix) - Pacific Air [exclusive]
EVERYTHING I NEED.
We've been on the Ghost Loft train for a long minute, and now the LA shadow kid is back with new single "So High" sounding loftier than ever. All swirling ethereals, hazy-eyed vocals and slow-burning melodrama, the track comes across like the soft-spoken lovechild of The Weeknd and The Neighbourhood and picks up where the boundless promise of debut offering "Seconds" left off. Keep an eye out for Ghost Loft's debut EP and live shows this spring.
DOWNLOAD: "So High" - Ghost Loft
LET IT POUR OUT OF YR SOUL.
Little Daylight has been holding down the remix game for a minute now and after a pair of brilliant originals, we're here to talk about their treatment for The Mowgli's. Daylight spin their feel-good rock anthem "San Francisco" into an astrophysical exercise of electronic pop pushups and nu-disco pullups. It's an impossibly jubilant number that we can get behind any time of day. Catch Little Daylight LIVE tonight at Popshop, advance tickets still (barely) available HERE. And don't miss The Mowgli's first sold out NYC show tomorrow at Mercury Lounge.DOWNLOAD: "San Francisco" (Little Daylight Remix) - The Mowgli's
PRETENDING TO NOT FEEL ALONE.
You may remember Mandy Lee from that disco-knighted M83 "Midnight City" remix that The Knocks put out last February, but she's actually got a little project of her own called MISTERWIVES. Debut single "Vagabond" is a piano-riddled lovedrug of a folk song that flaunts its way through the midwest like Alex Winston's kid sister on a bullet train to the Heartland. If you were looking for a change of pace, here's a new starlet to get familiar with.DOWNLOAD: "Vagabond" - MISTERWIVES
SAILING THROUGH THE DARK.
Little Daylight swept the blogosphere like a fluorescent carpetbomb with their debut single "Overdose" earlier this year, and now the Brooklyn trio have released their second single "Name In Lights". The perfect complement to its predecessor, "Lights" drops in like mellow dynamite, a soft blow to your mind that you can't help but fall in love with. As the manic pixie dream-laced vocals seep in, the pensive gossamer synths play nicely alongside an angelic percussive patter, and with early offerings like these, it should come as no surprise that a label bidding war is currently hitting critical mass. Little Daylight will be making their NYC debut at Popshop this Thursday, and with advance tix still available HERE, you're gonna wanna lock yours up sooner rather than later. Trust us, this is not one to be missed. STREAM: "Name In Lights" - Little Daylight
ONLY YOU CAN SHOW ME.
Goldroom has been the sole purveyor of endless summery remixes for over a year now, and with his original tracks coming in just as hot these days, he's starting to inspire some pretty big time remixes. On The Room's newest, "Only You Can Show Me," The Knocks turn down the tropical atmos and turn up the club potential on a remix that finds the perfect middle ground between sunset and sunrise.
And in return, Goldroom has blessed The Knocks' forthcoming heater "Modern Hearts" (featuring the one and only St. Lucia) with a blissed out remix of his own. Catch the trailer for "Modern Hearts" above to help pass the time until the full length original and Goldroom mix roll out in the weeks to come, and don't miss Goldroom making his live debut at Popshop this Thursday (advance tix still available HERE).
DOWNLOAD: "Only You Can Show Me (The Knocks Remix)" - Goldroom
DOWNLOAD: "Only You Can Show Me (The Knocks Remix)" - Goldroom
MAYBE I'LL FIND SOMETHING REAL.
There's no denying that MS MR has been smashing it as of late on a very global scale (see: festival audiences in the thousands Down Under, a sold out run through the UK and Europe, and a massive sync on the latest Game of Thrones trailer). And with their newest single "Fantasy" quickly amassing an impressive remix package featuring the likes of Kele Okereke and Xaphoon Jones, MS MR's human drum machine himself, Zach Nicita, throws his hat in the ring with a thunderstealing mix of his own on a fantastic remix debut. Over a sidewinding bass line that just doesn't quit and a flickering percussive rhythm, it replaces the glittery innocence of the original with a shadowy ominousness that reimagines "Fantasy" in an entirely new light.MP3: "Fantasy" (NICITA Remix) - MS MR [exclusive]
POPSHOP025: ALEX METRIC + GOLDROOM
We've got one of our best and biggest Popshop lineups to date coming in hot this Thursday, and as if the bill alone wasn't enticing enough, we've brought our friends at Cutty Sark on board for a little open bar whiskey action to get the night started right. Between Alex Metric's first NYC headline and Goldroom bringing his new live set up east for the first time, plus Little Daylight making their New York live debut amidst a furious major label bidding war and Lovelife making their triumphant return to the Neon Gold stage, it's going to be a night for the ages. It's all going down from 9pm this Thursday at Santos, with open bar Cutty Sark whiskey from 9pm-10pm and $10 advance tickets going fast but still available HERE. And because we're never not feeling generous, we're also giving away a few pairs of free tickets via Gimme.io, enter HERE to win.STREAM: "September (Alex Metric Remix)" - St. Lucia
STREAM: "Only You Can Show Me (feat. Mereki)" - Goldroom
STREAM: "Overdose" - Little Daylight
DOWNLOAD: "Dying to Start Again" - Lovelife
POPSHOP WEST 009: BAD THINGS
Our next Popshop West is a blessed-coast blast of California sun. Getting things started we have sprightly LA songstress Cillie Barnes and local dream-surf favorites Cayucas, with Captain Cuts keeping things moving on the decks all night long, as per usual. Then in the main headline slot, we've got new kids on the block, Bad Things, stepping out from behind the veil in their worldwide live debut. And best of all, it's the one year anniversary of our Popshop West launch last spring and the perfect appetizer for a three-course weekend of Coachella bliss later that week. It's all going down Tuesday April 9th at our favorite home away from home, The Echo. $8 advance tickets are now available HERE, and we can't shake the feeling Bad Things might have a few surprises up their sleeve to make this a night to remember. So trust us when we tell you not to sleep on this one.STREAM: "Caught Inside" - Bad Things
DOWNLOAD: "High School Lover" - Cayucas
DOWNLOAD: "Brainwash" - Cillie Barnes
THE SKY WILL MELT IN TEARS.
With our next single release from HAERTS cresting over the horizon as we speak, we're stoked to unveil the B-side, a ferocious remix of "Wings" from our very own Wildcat! Wildcat!. After stripping away the '80s outerwear of the original, they space it out and shroud it in a technicolor cloak of invincibility, drawing out the dark undertones of the original with stunted synths and heightened vocals. Don't forget to preorder your own copy of the Wings 7" vinyl HERE, and be sure to get your tickets to their single launch party at Cameo next Tuesday night HERE before it's too late.STREAM: "Wings" (Wildcat! Wildcat! Remix) - HAERTS
REACH INSIDE YOUR MIND.
LA's been enjoying a sun-blessed pop renaissance for the past 18 months or so and shows no sign of letting up anytime soon. The latest newcomers to step into the spotlight are Bad Things, and though there's literally no information readily available about the band, their debut offering "Caught Inside" speaks for itself, and loudly. All blissed-out harmonies and sky-licking guitars, the winsome opening gives way to an avalanche of drums and soaring vocals on an absolute knockout double chorus as the song reaches its climax. The end product falls somewhere between Local Natives and Night Terrors of 1927, and coming out the gate with songs like this, Bad Things are destined to be all over alternative radio in the months to come. Expect great things.STREAM: "Caught Inside" - Bad Things [exclusive]
NEON GOLD PRESENTS: HAERTS
Brooklyn super troupe HAERTS step into the spotlight with the release of their debut single on Neon Gold next week, and to celebrate we're going big with a launch party at Cameo Gallery this Tuesday. Jumpstarting the night we've got local electropop outfit Future Screens, plus Boston's finest Gentleman Hall making their triumphant return to NYC for the first time since their massive Target sync during the Super Bowl. So join us next Tuesday April 2nd at 8pm as we look to welcome HAERTS into the world with a bang, tickets are going fast but still available HERE.DOWNLOAD: "Wings" - HAERTS
STREAM: "Sail Into The Sun" - Gentleman Hall
STREAM: "Don't Stop" - Future Screens
MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE.
Stop what you're doing, this is important. Until The Ribbon Breaks arrived under cover of darkness at the dawn of 2012 with his empire-toppling debut single "Pressure", but now it's getting a proper rollout with a killer new video (above) featuring an untouchable guest verse from Mr. MFN eXquire. From the soul-searching R&B vocals and candy-flipped 808s to the life-affirming pianos and emotional breakdown halfway through, it's possibly the year's most show-stopping single to date and one of the most promising debuts we've heard in ages. Newly signed to Universal Republic at the nexus of 2012 and 2013, Until The Ribbon Breaks is easily their best signing in a long minute and definitely one to watch in the months to come. Be warned, this is about to change your whole shit up.
STREAM: "Pressure" - Until The Ribbon Breaks
STREAM: "Pressure" - Until The Ribbon Breaks
POPSHOP BK 010: GOLDROOM
After taking last month off to observe the high holiday that is SXSW, Popshop Brooklyn storms back into action with another bang-up lineup next month. Headlining we've got Goldroom bringing his brand new live show to Brooklyn after debuting it at Popshop NYC the week prior, plus Michigan's own party godfathers Stepdad getting things started in a big way early. It's all going down at Brooklyn Bowl on April 13th at 11:30pm, $10 tickets now available HERE.STREAM: "Only You Can Show Me (feat. Mereki)" - Goldroom
STREAM: "My Leather, My Fur, My Nails" - Stepdad
WE COULD BE ANYWHERE YOU WANT.
Magic Man are on a serious winning streak. After dropping comeback single "Paris" last month, they're back with another massively promising taste of things to come on their latest offering, "Texas". Just when we thought SXSW and Austin were firmly in the rearview, Magic Man turn our sights southwards once again and establish themselves as an early band to watch at next year's festivities. But where "Paris" evoked shades of Passion Pit and Matt & Kim, "Texas" reveals a whole new side, as frontman Alex Caplow does his best Brandon Flowers while the band displays a penchant for Killer(s) hooks over triumphant adrenaline-rush synths and a driving instrumental. Calling it now: these kids have what it takes to go the distance.DOWNLOAD: "Texas" - Magic Man [exclusive]
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