Hello! I’m Tarynn Law, and this is a weekly column I’ll be writing that spotlights some up and coming indie pop / alternative / hipster / hype / buzz bands / you-get-the-idea groups that you should be checking out before they become massive. I mean, we all want to be that person that says “I knew them way back when,” don’t we? I thought so. This week the spotlight is on indie-poppers The Colourist, the retro vibes of The Postelles, alt-R&B crooner JMSN, and ballad loving-turned-80’s influenced trio Barcelona.
Here we go!
2014 will be The Colourist’s year, and if you won’t take my word for it, maybe the fact that they’ve been direct support on the frequently sold-out Panic! at the Disco tour (with fellow #WGDC-ers X Ambassadors) will convince you. You also might think “oh, cool, another band with dual female/male vocals, how original” but alas! Not only does Maya Tuttle have a sugary sweet voice that works oh-so well with Adam Castilla’s, but she’s also a killer drummer (yep, that’s her on the drums). They hail from Southern California and their EP Lido, released last year, is filled with tons of good vibes. Every song on the EP is something that will get stuck in your head for days on end, speaking from personal experience, and with the fantastic response they’re getting on the Panic! tour, it seems the rest of the world taking notice of their addictive indie-pop as well. They just announced their next tour earlier today, the “2014 World Stadium Headline Tour” with fellow California indie rockers Night Terrors of 1927, and you can find all of the dates over on their Facebook; it includes a stop at SXSW, so if you’ll be attending that festival like I will be, you should definitely stop by their set. Follow them on Twitter to keep up with their tour antics.
New York quartet The Postelles haven’t been terribly active since the end of 2013, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve a ton of praise. Their album …And It Shook Me came out in April of last year and from there they caught the attention of the hugely popular Australian duo Atlas Genius, who invited them on their sold out US tour (including some shows with The Colourist!). The album was produced by Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes and its retro guitar riffs are reminiscent of those sunny, tropical days out on the beach. They’ve perfected the art of creating pop songs that don’t sound too cheesy or naive – quite the opposite, actually. If Spoon and Butch Walker hung out in Hawaii and made some pop songs, you’d have The Postelles. You can grab a free download of their latest song “On My Shoulder” over at Artist Direct, and follow the band on Twitter and Facebook to see what they’re up to!
It seems that alt-R&B is all the rage these days (think The Weeknd), and JMSN – pronounced Jameson, like the whiskey – is one of its most promising stars. He doesn’t just possess a great voice, either – he owns his own record label, White Room Records, who put out his latest EP †Pllajë† (meaning ‘plateau’, a nod to his Albanian roots), he’s a producer, and a multi-instrumentalist. He’s caught the eye of acts like Kendrick Lamar, appearing on Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, and he’s also done songs with the likes of Ab-Soul, Ta-ku, Deniro Farrar, and Kaytranada. Oh, and did I mention he directs his own music videos? The videos for “Alone,” “Hotel,” “Love & Pain,” and “Something” were all created by him and done extremely well if I do say so myself – there’s nothing he doesn’t invest his whole self into. The Neighbourhood are huge fans of his, and took him out on the road this summer on The Love Collection tour, which was sold out in almost every city. From there he went on tour with Active Child where he entranced crowds nightly with his mesmerizing voice. He doesn’t have any 2014 shows announced yet, but keep an eye tuned to his Facebook and Twitter so you can know when he does! Stream †Pllajë† over at his SoundCloud page.
Barcelona aren’t the band you thought you knew anymore, and that’s not a bad thing in the slightest. Their album Absolutes is a favorite of many people with its moving, piano focused ballads that can make even the hardest of souls have the slightest tinge of emotion. That was in 2007, and they did a few tours before things grew quiet. They came back with Not Quite Yours in 2012 and embarked on one of their biggest tours in a few years, opening for Andrew McMahon on his solo run. They’re taking on an ambitious three EP series called The Melodrama this year, and just released the first of those called Love Me on the 21st. It sees the band going in an entirely new direction with an 80’s influenced, synth-laden sound that is better suited for the dancefloor than coffeeshops, but they’ve still kept the harmonies that made everyone fall in love with them in the first place. You can stream Love Me on Spotify, and stay tuned to their Facebook and Twitter pages for any tour dates they announce! They put on a great show, and you won’t want to miss out.
That’s all for this week! I’ll be back next Thursday, and until then you can follow me on Twitter and let me know who you’ve been listening to lately!
