V to Z is the pseudonym of Joshua Moore; a staple of the Nashville & Murfreesboro rock scenes likely most known for his drum work in The Katies, Imagined Order, Bright Age, The Jane Shermans and Wax Fang. You’ve likely seen him play and it was likely bombastic. His work as V to Z is informed by decades of rhythmic explosions but decidedly more nuanced and fleshed out than just “drummer making solo music.”

The latest release from the project, “Daughters of Decay“, is a compelling tune that fits in perfectly with Fall / Halloween vibes. It’s a dash of spooky keyboards, a bit of haunting ambiance and a surprising amount of melancholy. It’s not a stretch to feel that parts of the track evoke the 1999 soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides by AIR, though Moore manages to twist and bend that mournful feeling into some much more doom and gloom as the track progresses.

Generally, V to Z tends to release a single song at a time. This may be due to time constraints, an abundance of ideas or a marketing technique. There’s no right way to release music but with “Daughters of Decay” it’s become clear that a larger compiled release would be a welcomed treat into this world. In the meantime, we’ll just play this one on repeat.

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.