Perhaps the film industry won’t ever die, as long as enough indie acts decide to shoot music videos on old strips of 8mm cellulite. Holy Golden is the latest group to choose the faded film aesthetic, which lends to the clip for their newest single "Lost Island" the familiar, vintage looking bleeding washed-out color and soft edges. The video, filmed on location in a Swedish resort full of 1950s charm, evokes images of a forgotten era, looking like a compilation of footage from colorized teen beach B-movie flicks. "Lost Island"’s dreamy nature pairs well with the video; the duo of Leslie Schott and Andrew Valenti, who come to Brooklyn from New England’s shores, recorded the sunny track in the middle of winter, releasing it just in time for the doggiest days of the summer. It’s the first single to come from the group’s upcoming collection, called Sleepwalkers in the Milky Way. Watch the video for "Lost Island" below. – Will Sisskind

Filmed only in available daylight in the abandoned Medfield State Hospital, the “Medfield” video (streaming below) from Burlington psych-rockers The Dead Shakers is as surreal as the track itself. Primary songwriter and frontman Kevin Bloom is seen alone in alternating settings, almost always standing completely still — as if he has become part of his surroundings. It is only during the songs climactic ending that he begins to gain a sort of agency and energy, walking down a path right towards the viewer. The track comes from The Dead Shakers’ debut LP All Circles Vanish, which took Bloom three years to create. It is a hugely collaborative effort, featuring a rotating cast of over a dozen creators. Catch The Dead Shakers playing live in Allston at O’Brien’s Pub on August 29. – Lilly Milman

The enigmatic Oakland five-piece Half Stack have released the first single off of their forthcoming LP Quitting Time. The freak-folk track “Dually” is textured with psychedelic influences that draw out and distort the vocals into a pleasantly unique incarnation of West Coast country. The repetition of the line “Is it real at all?” invites listeners to drift into Half Stack’s dream world, and we are happy to do it. Quitting Time will be released in full on October 19 via Processional Cross. – Lilly Milman 

NYC’s Spritzer, the side project of Friend Roulette’s Matthew Flory Meade, is a band of skilled musicians who, refreshingly, don’t take themselves too seriously. The songs from their debut album, Love. Lies. Decay. have inflections of early-aughts indie reminiscent of Arcade Fire, but also sophisticated late ’80s/early ’90s pop like Prefab Sprout and The The. Songs like "Jean & Helene," whose video premiered a few days ago, are a rollicking ride, with relentless uptempo drums, reverb-laden vocals, and swirling synth lines that lend an air of the mystical to the already dream-like tunes. This is definitely a new NYC band to keep an ear on. – Ethan Ames

What exactly do BIRDS mean when they title their album Everything All At Once? It could be considered a one-size-fits-all genre tag, a wide net to summarize all their influences without using the nondescript term “indie”. However, we’d rather think of it as a means of describing what they offer on each song; there’s no token emotional song or designated hit single. Instead, the band opt to craft every song with psychedelic breeziness that merges with subtle earnestness in a way that these songs could fit either a summer or winter playlist without feeling out of place. BIRDS’ brand of weirdo psych-pop is reminiscent of what the Elephant 6 collective were doing in the 90’s, but their focus on more subdued songwriting allow for each song to expand in meaning and depth in a naturalistic and enthralling way. You can stream their music below and catch them playing live at Sunnyvale on October 3. –Tucker Pennington

Brooklyn Native Sun‘s fast paced and heavy handed mix of garage and psych rock has earned a space in the soundtrack to our summer 2018 trips. Their recent EP "Songs Born from Love and Hate" features many flavors of fuzzed-out guitars, so we thought it might be interesting to ask the band a few questions about their pedals and  gear – check out the link below, and see them live at NYC’s El Cortez on August 16.

Native Sun interview about Pedals and Gear

NYC Rap group Blahsum has released a new track for each of the past 42 full moons.  Only seventeen of them are videos, and their bandcamp isn’t maintained as well as it should be, but how much can you ask of some greasy underground rap moon worshippers?  “She loves me not” is a brawlick meditation of the bones of a love unrequited.  The video’s trippy visuals pair well with the verbal hallucinations likely barked into a distraught microphone in the basement of an LES squat.  Blahsum is the bad moon arisen – see them at their self hosted Brooklyn event on 255 McKibbin St. on 08.18.

Parrot Dream’s debut album Light Goes is full of emotionally wrought dream-pop that unfolds in small yet powerful moments. The crystalline guitars and subtle synthesizers offer up shimmering tunes that balance sobering reality with fully realized dreamscapes. The equilibrium they’ve struck between these ideals comes through fully realized with songs like “Ode To Octavia”, where the group isn’t afraid to add a little grit to their sparkling sound. The band will celebrate the album release on August 24 with a show at Union Pool. –Tucker Pennington

SELLER is New Haven’s new favorite grunge pop band, having hit the ground running fast with their debut LP Present & Pretending — a melodic medley of confessional lyrics, scuzzy grunge-influenced harmonies, and surreally pleasant guitar solos. One of many highlights on the seven-track project is “Backwards & Sideways” (streaming below), which matches the lyrical integrity of Moose Blood with the musicality of the jazz-psych-grunge outfit Fleece. The rest of the album follows suit, sometimes even channeling the pop sensibilities of (dare I say?) pop-rockers Neon Trees (see: "Coffee Stains.") Although their next show is in New York (at Brooklyn’s Wayward Social on August 15,) the four-piece is always gigging around Connecticut. They will be back in West Haven to play The Cave on August 28. – Lilly Milman

It seems every summer the temperature becomes more and more unbearable. That’s why it’s so refreshing to hear the breezy and cool return of Phony Ppl. After three years without any new material, the group has returned with the vibrant “Before You Get A Boyfriend” video (streaming). Sun-kissed guitars and splashy keys make this the perfect song to mark the beginning of the end of summer. You can watch the video below. – Tucker Pennington

The latest single from Salt Cathedral proves that the dancehall inspired pop that has taken root in the mainstream hasn’t scared away any alt-pop artists from dipping their toes in this distinct style of music. “Rudeboy” features mercurial production, shifting from Caribbean percussion to a chopped up vocal sample that acts as a synth on the hook. The soft, pulsating beat is a backdrop for a song about breaking through unsureness and finding something truly real in a relationship. –Tucker Pennington

Take a little bit of ’60s Motown funk, mix that with today’s R&B, add with some jazz overtones, and you have Valipala. Their debut EP Mango City, released last October, is a fun, twisting journey through genres. The opening track “Mongolian Afternoon” (streaming below) showcases the powerful vocals of Lauren Scales; it sounds like the soundtrack to a happy, sunny, summer walk through the city. The band does an excellent job of giving the spotlight to each instrument at one point or another and their cohesion as bandmates is also evident in the EP’s fourth track “Century Star.” Scales’ airy yet solid voice carries lightly over the instruments behind her, creating a harmonious blend of synths, drums, brass section, and voice. -Lily Crandall

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