The Japanese House – “Boyhood”

It’s been four years since Amber Bain – aka The Japanese House – released her sumptuous debut Good At Falling, and she’s been pretty much radio silent since her Chewing Cotton Wool EP came out in late 2020. Official word on the follow-up is still forthcoming, but she’s finally returned with new music in the […]

Asobi Seksu – “Thursday”

New York’s Asobi Seksu certainly had their unique angle in the mid-aughts shoegaze revival with their blend of dreampop and J-pop, complete with bilingual vocals from frontwoman Yuki Chikudate, but as the decade rolled over, their attempts to move away from the elevator pitch that made their early work so appealing yielded diminishing returns and […]

Bodywash – “With Heat”

Montreal’s Bodywash are another in the seemingly bottomless reservoir of worthy dreampop bands coming out the city. The duo of Chris Steward and Rosie Long Decter offer up lovely, laid back dreampop that blends balearic beats with Loveless-friendly six string textures. Is chillgaze a thing? Their debut Comforter came out in 2019, with “With Heat” and […]

Still Corners – “Fireflies”/”Hearts Of Fools”

Still Corners have undergone a number of transformations over their fifteen-plus years, from a band to a duo, and shifting from cinematic psychedelica to synth-forward dreampop to dusty Americana. I prefer some phases over others, but as they’re always centred around Tessa Murray’s breathy vocals and Greg Hughes’ atmospheric guitarwork, there’s usually something to fit […]

Fazerdaze – “Winter”

Yesterday brought the first appreciable snowfall of the season here in Toronto, and while it’s actually rolling over into Summer down in New Zealand, Fazerdaze’s Amelia Murray must have known. Why else would she choose the day to release the new video for “Winter”, taken from last month’s comeback EP Break!? Or maybe she knew […]