What began as a singer-songwriter bedroom recording project in Albany, NY by Ali Genevich and Jake Brooks has now evolved into a full fledged Dream Pop experience known as Laveda. The first single off their upcoming debut LP What Happens After, out next month on Color Station, is simply entitled “Ghost”. This track opened the door to the heavier indie rock/shoegaze guitar sound that they worked so hard to harness throughout the rest of the record. After a scratchy lo-fi acoustic guitar intro with inaudible vocals, the song explodes with a tsunami of glittering delayed guitars and massive drums. It’s worth the wait.
Paying ironic tribute to Johnny Depp’s infamous tattoo (despite him ultimately editing it to “Wino Forever”, which is frankly also not a bad band name), this self-described Indie Jazz Yacht Rock quartet from Montreal is as wonderfully quirky as their namesake. Also aptly named is their album Feelgood, with songs like “Happy Days”, “Joyride” and “Keep Kool” setting a pleasant upbeat tone throughout the record. Their distinctive sound is extremely technical yet very smooth, kind of like Dirty Projectors meets Brian Wilson. If you’re looking for smooth indie rock that plays a bit ironic or comedic, these are your guys. I mean just look at them. You get it.