The rise of microgenres over the past decade has been a wonderfully intriguing process to witness. While the term itself has been around since the ’70s, their proliferation has really taken off thanks to services like Tumblr, Bandcamp, Spotify and their ilk before them; Real Player, Napster, et al. If you’ve ever heard the terms Vaporwave, Chillwave, Synthwave, Witch House, Seapunk, “Soundcloud Rapper” or even “Simpsons Wave” you are familiar with the phenomena. The latest contribution from New Bang makes me hopeful for the rise of a new microgenre; Tiki Beats.

The term “Tiki” tends to evoke images of Hawaii and 1950’s “exotica” artists like Martin Denny or even Don Ho, though the term itself has its actual origins in Māori culture, potentially being a name for the first man. Given the complex history, there’s certainly room for conversation about how the entire subculture could be deemed exploitative if not handled carefully. Fortunately, New Bang’s approach is a blend of many influences and cultures, never leaning too hard into one particular subset, borrowing equally from early exotica, traditional percussion styles and hip-hop breaks.

Like many microgenres, the ingredients may not sound sensible on paper but the results simply speak for themselves. “Stoned God” is the second single from the forthcoming full-length album Ultimate Tiki Beach Breaks and it stands to reason that if the entire record is as good as this one track, we may be on the precipice of the genre taking over the underground. The track has a warm production to it (likely from the samples pulled from vinyl), a hard hitting beat and just the right amount of levity thanks to the booming title exclamation. It’s immersive, it’s unique and, most importantly, it’s fun.

Way back in September of 2017, electronic artist Makeup and Vanity Set released a series of daily tunes inspired by various horror movies. The 31-track compilation of these tracks has been avalable to his Bandcamp subscribers for some time but only recently made more widely available. Despite these songs now being four years old, they are the perfect soundtrack to creating an ominous soundtrack vibe for the month of October.

Anyone even vaguely familiar with the works of MAVS will pick up on the fact that horror movies have served as an inspiration since the very beginning. Works like his Charles Park series, the 88:88 soundtrack or the more recent Monster podcast scores are seeping in foreboding tones. A series of songs inspired by classic and cult horror films isn’t a stretch by any means but it’s a riveting listen to have the curtain pulled back and know that what you’re hearing is specifically intended to stem from a given film.

The inspiration spans a surprisingly wide gamut of works; from The Wicker Man to Train to Busan to The Omen to Hellraiser you’ve got everything from folk horror to modern zombies to occult thriller to body horror classics covered in full fashion. The selections themselves aren’t entirely surprising but the interpretation of the films are fascinating. MAVS manages to evoke the films cited but without simply taking the existing themes and running them through his synth setup.

It’s rare to hear an artist pay homage to their sources of inspiration with original works. Many artists may provide their interpretation of a cover (which is great, don’t get me wrong) but it’s a damn treat to get to hear new works that tie back to the music that inspired them to start making their own in the first place. These songs are a compelling execution of tunes that just so happen to be the absolutely perfect soundtrack for the month. In the words of MAVS himself, “Hopefully these tracks will provide a soundtrack to some night driving, street wandering, Halloween creeps.”

The Nashville Public Library YouTube channel has a wealth of content; including eighteen seasons of “Courtyard Concerts.” A majority of these don’t seem to be online but with the pandemic they’ve introduced “Virtual Concerts” with online performances from the likes of Joe Pisapia, Fats Kaplin, Patrick Dailey and, most recently, Crave On.

The roughly 40-minute set includes 11 song performances, six of which are previously unreleased tracks. “Rust Under the Hood” and “Ouroboros” from 2019’s excellent Ace on the Outspeaker set the stage for the intimate bedroom performance that includes Patrick Orr on guitar and vocals, Kate Richi on violin and backing vocals, Bryan Hench on bass and a drummer who’s name eludes all credits across NPL and Crave On’s own Instagram.

Visually, the band did an admirable job of eschewing the lazy route of a single locked off camera shot and keeping things interesting by jumping between multiple angles of all of the different band members. Aurally, it strikes a healthy balance between feeling like a real deal live performance (which it is) without losing clarity on any of the individual contributions. As with all virtual performances, it’s not quite as satisfying as being there in person but the tradeoff is that it sounds better and can be enjoyed on multiple occasions.

The biggest upside to the performance is that it may signal that Crave On is gearing up to polish up new material and release it to the world. The aforementioned Ace on the Outspeaker has been a mainstay in the WOTT rotation since it’s release and we welcome this opportunity for a sneak peek at what may be next.