When making “dark” music, there’s a fine line to walk between impressively brooding and hilarious parody. Thomas Mayo manages to stay on the right side of the execution with his three song EP, The Man Who Damns Gods. Admittedly, there’s a heavy vocal fry throughout the lyrics that feels almost painful at times but that stretch and strain works especially well on tracks like “The Fall” where the guitars provide a brighter contrast.

If I had to make a comparison, I’d say if you ever enjoyed the likes of White Zombie and Interpol and the lyrical content of The Cure or New Order, you’ll find something to enjoy here.

There’s a deceiving simplicity to the handful of tracks from Dancers available over on their Bandcamp. For instance, “Well Rested” consists of a simple drum machine beat, a gently strumming guitar and a floating vocal but the entire song is augmented by subtle keyboard flourishes that race through the background and vocal harmonies that hit at just the right moments. It’s fair to call it dreamy.

There’s two other tracks available with the same kind of rewards available upon multiple listens. Looking forward to a full EP or album from them.

There’s only two tracks currently available from Patzy but there’s an enchanting allure to both. “Black Bangs” slowly rolls along with a very subtle tension mounting throughout the verse until the track finally releases into a full wall-of-sound of guitars and layered vocals.

The lyrical content seems to be about a lost love but since there’s a darkness to the presentation that undercuts the entire thing, you can’t help but wonder if something more sinister is going on.

Two tracks isn’t a lot to go on but it’s looking good for Patzy. I’m ready for more.

Ron Gallo is nothing if not diverse. His previous EP, Really Nice Guys, goes from breakneck punk blasts to floating musings to psych-rock explosion in the span of three songs. It’s not unpleasant but it’s definitely hard to pin down.

Now he’s released “It’s All Gonna Be OK, the first single from his forthcoming full-length, Stardust Birthday Party. It’s an upbeat rocker with a mouthful of lyrics about the political times we live in. The message may or may not be nihilistic, depending on how you look at it. The thing is, the majority of the song sounds like an Oh Sees style rocker with the back third changing entirely into a DIY sounding jazz trail off. This kind of stylistic gymnastics is not a new thing for Gallo but it makes it difficult to forecast exactly what the full album will sound like.

You can pre-order the digital, CD or vinyl over on Bandcamp and start taking bets on what the record will sound like when it’s released on October 5th.

Have you ever been at a wedding and the band starts to play and you immediately think about how corny they are? Then, fifteen minutes later, you find yourself indulging in the sincere performance and letting go of your indie rock baggage to just enjoy yourself? There’s elements of that in this single from newcomers The It City.

There’s something undeniably delightful about the song and video. Despite being posted a year ago and having over 100,000 views, I’d never heard tale of it. That may be because the song is intentionally… fun? It’s R&B / funk inspired number with some “smooth grooves”, great horn parts and enjoyable, occasionally, falsetto. The video features the band members acting a fool around an elementary school as the kids, donned in superhero costumes, watch from afar. On paper, you’d likely scoff at the idea. In execution, it’s a treat.

As a hippie at a concert once whispered to me, “Let It Go.” All your pretension about music, just let it wash away and enjoy this first song. Maybe even allow yourself to smile a little bit.

I hesitate to post this as it’s not entirely clear that All Them Witches is even a Nashville based band anymore. I’m hedging my bets here though that at least one of them still lives here, making this appropriately relevant to post.

The desert rock / psychedelic group has announced a new album due September 28th via New West. The LP, entitled ATW, is a self-produced undertaking that intentionally steers the band in somewhat new directions. The first available track, “Fishbelly 86 Onions“, is much less of the slow burn we’ve come to expect from the band and more of a roar out of the gate. Obviously, not much is known about the rest of the record yet but it’s going to be a double record, so it’s safe to assume the runtime between the eight songs allows some of them to stretch out into the meditative state the band has honed over the years.

Pre-orders of the album are available here and I’m sure we’ll see a video or two in the not so distant future.

The Flowerss EP from Halfnoise was released back in May with the “All That Love Is” single preceeding it in April. While the track may have been around for a minute, it’s not lost any of its luster. In fact, this official video for the track makes it even more enjoyable.

A woman prepares herself in a tackling position as a man rolls away down the hill. Another woman turns her back as a man tries to greet her from the beach. Intercut images of an egg, a clothespin, a handful of ice. What’s it all mean?! Maybe it’s just enjoyably random images or maybe, just maybe, there’s a vague hint at the “dance” of a relationship; both the courtship phase and the longterm maintainable. The 70’s color palette, the camera zooms and overall presentation are engaging and well worth multiple views.

Openly citing The Strokes, Tame Impala and Radiohead as your influences is a quick way to earn a massive eyeroll from any potential new listener. One false move and you’ve gone from skeptical intrigue to flat-out miserable mockery. Fortunately, East Nashville’s Cave Mode Shack manages to not fuck it up.

The debut EP, Time Traveler’s Party, clocks in around 15 minutes. There’s very little room for filler and they make great use of it; exploring some breezier lighter pop with the likes of “End of Days” and even some more upbeat, fist-pumping, fair with “Good Girl.”

It’s certainly a promising first offering and well worth keeping an eye out for live shows and a future full-length.