Curve (band) – Queen City Sounds and Art

Kai Tak and Draag Deliver a Salve on Feelings of Guilt and Anxiety on Dream Pop Single “Jalen Rose”

Draag(Adrian Acosta (left) and Jessica Huang (right)), photo courtesy the artists

“Jalen Rose” originated in email and text conversations between Adrian Acosta and Jessica Huang of Draag during the pandemic lockdown of 2020 with a demo following in 2021. And now the song in its mature, properly recorded in the studio form is being released ahead of the debut LP from the project due out in late Spring of 2024 through á La Carte Records. Taking inspiration from late night walks through the Wan Chan neighborhood of Hong Kong, a locale that is both one of the busiest commercial districts in the city but also ample urban decay. Meaning it’s surely a place that has energy and a certain haunted quality to boot especially after the usual business hours of daytime. Musically the song is in the realm of dream pop but with more rich and textural guitar work mixed in with uplifting electronic melodies and beautifully ethereal vocals courtesy Huang, Acosta and Chelsey Holland. Acosta, Huang and Chris King, aka Kai Tak, of Cold Showers fame have crafted in this song a soundscape that is resonant with what Curve was doing in the early 90s and perfectly blending shoegaze tones and aesthetics with that of electronic music in a way you can easily get lost in for its just over three and a half minute duration complementing the vocals and buoying up their irresistibly transporting moods. Listen to “Jalen Rose” on Spotify and connect with Kai Tak at the links below.

Kai Tak on Instagram

Kai Tak on Bandcamp

Kai Tak on YouTube

Seja Rides the Waves of Psychedelic Melodies and Motorik Rhythms of “Time To the Brim” to a More Fulfilling Place

“Time To the Brim” by Seja is teeming with layers of tone from guitar, to pulsing and shimmering synth with a steady, almost motorik beat and in moments is reminiscent of a 90s trip-hop band but more psychedelic. It progresses in steps with lyrics like personal mantra coaxing oneself out of static headspace and diving into how the music breaks out of the repetitive rhythm in the last half of the song with swirling guitar sound that goes off standard rhythmic meter while still anchored to the beat until the end when the haze of synth slow arcs to silence. Emotionally it’s like Seja trusts in the float of the slow momentum of the song to nudge herself to a place she wants to be and leans into the melody with her vocals. Fans of Curve and the more electronic end of Blonde Redhead may enjoy the physicality and entrancingly disorienting melodies running through this sing. Listen to “Time To the Brim” on Spotify and follow Seja at the links below. The new album Here Is One I Know You Know was released on August 4, 2023 via It Records.

Seja on Facebook

Seja on Instagram

Spunsugar Explore the Nuances of the Meaning of Happiness in One’s Life on the Brooding Yet Bold Industrial Shoegaze Track “Happier Happyless”

Spunsugar from Malmö, Sweden has infused a gritty and dark dream pop with industrial beats on the debut single “Happier Happyless” from it’s forthcoming album Drive-Through Chapel. Whereas many latter day bands that are mining shoegaze territory have drawn from a relatively narrow spectrum of those sonic inspirations, Spunsugar seems to have not missed how some of those early bands were influenced by or absorbed the influence of electronic and industrial music. Elin Ramsted’s vocals are melodious yet moody, Cordelia Moreau’s drums and electronic percussion insistent and broadly dynamic and Felix Sjöström’s guitar granular yet lush. One might think of it as Cocteau Twins somehow having come up first through Curve, punk and hard rock, a sound that suits a song examining the meaning of happiness in one’s life and the nuances and gradations therein. Watch the video for “Happier Happyless” on YouTube, connect with Spunsugar on Spotify and look out for Drive-Through Chapel set for release in fall 2020 through Adrian Recordings.

adrianrecordings.com

AFAR Lures You Into a Brooding, Downtempo Journey Into Slow Burn Emotional Catharsis on “Lulled and Fake”

There is a sultry darkness to AFAR’s single “Lulled and Fake.” The distorted, electronic bass pulses along with a brooding menace while electric bass traces the outlines of a melody that runs through the song as a compliment to the dynamic and rich vocals like one of the more dub-inspired tracks by 90s downtempo groups that crafted songs using something of a production songwriting palette and a seamless mix of electronic and electric instruments like Massive Attack and Portishead. Except that on “Lulled and Fake,” AFAR is especially reminiscent of Curve in the vocals and the way Curve could sustain a slow burn intensity without having to resort to a blowout denouement to leave a lasting impression Listen to “Lulled and Fake” on Soundcloud where you can also follow the band’s further exploits.