Summer is in full swing with plenty of new music heating things up for the next playlist. A single from the much-anticipated Passion Pit album starts things off with the venerable Hot Chip next in line. Newcomers Deep Sea Arcade, Teen Daze and Stepdad are definitely worth a listen, while more music from Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Pomegrantes are always welcome additions.
1. “Take a Walk” – Passion Pit
Boston area electropop band Passion Pit burst on the scene with their debut album in 2009, with a youthful embrace of danceable songs and Michael Angelakos’ soaring falsetto. This is the first single off the quintet’s sophomore album, Gossamer, introducing a serious approach to lyrics over the ever chugging beat.
2. “Night and Day” – Hot Chip
“Night and Day” is off the fifth studio album, In Our Heads, by the UK electropop band Hot Chip. Alexis Taylor’s vocals float amid a layered dance groove and call backs galore to bring this dance frenzy to a close.
3. “Brains” – Lower Dens
Lower Dens is a Baltimore based indie folk band formed in 2010. The quintet just released their second album, Nootropics, with this psychedelic tune providing an expanded, ethereal sound for the song list.
4. “Pass Away” – Pomegranates
Cincinnati band Pomegranates have stayed true to their indie rock roots since 2006. This upbeat song with whoops of fun is off their fourth album, Heaven.
5. “How Do I Know” – Here We Go Magic
6. “Make Up Your Mind” – Here We Go Magic
Here We Go Magic is an indie rock band based in Brooklyn, New York. These two infectious songs are off their fourth album, A Different Ship.
7. “Dreambeat” – Peaking Lights
Wisconsin husband (Aaron Coyes) and wife (Indra Dunis) duo Peaking Lights recorded their latest album Lucifer in a professional studio, leaving behind the homemade tracks of last year’s debut release. The experimental nature of the music is fully intact, however, as “Dreambeat” proudly displays.
8. “Man on Fire” – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
The Los Angeles band Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros recently convened to record their second album, Here. Singer Alex Ebert fronts this folksy troupe of a dozen or so members, a fluid group befitting the casual nature of their songs.
9. “Girls” – Deep Sea Arcade
Schoolmates Nic McKenzie and Mick Weaver formed Australian band Deep Sea Arcade back in their teens. The quintet’s sound is sun drenched indie pop, as this song off their first album, Outlands, reveals.
10. “1997” – Saint Motel
Saint Motel is an indie pop band based in L.A. with a confident mantra utilizing plenty of outside influences for their first full length album, Voyeur. A/J Jackson’s smooth crooning vocals lead the charge for this four-piece group.
11. “Must Land Running” – Stepdad
“Must Land Running” is the audacious single off Stepdad’s first album, Wildlife Pop. This electronic pop quintet was formed by roommates ultramark and Ryan McCarthy in their Chicago apartment in 2009, but are now based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
12. “Endless Flowers” – Crocodiles
“Endless Flowers” is the title track of the third album by this indie pop band from San Diego, California. The wall of sound production brings a sunny vibe to the fuzzy rock groove, with strumming guitars and a persistent percussive backbone.
13. “Gold Morning Mend” – Ian McGlynn
Ian McGlynn is a singer/songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist from New Jersey, who just released his third album, Now We’re Golden. The song showcases McGlynn’s emotive vocals over an intricate indie pop sound.
14. “No. 1 Against the Rush” – Liars
Liars is a Brooklyn based three-piece electronic dance punk band, formed in 2000 by Californians Angus Andrew and Julian Gross. This multi-layered song is off their sixth album, WIXIX (pronounced ‘wish you’).
15. “Brooklyn Sunburn” – Teen Daze
16. “Hold” – Teen Daze
Teen Daze is the solo project of music producer Jamison from Vancouver, British Columbia. These synth compositions are from his first album, All of Us, Together, inspired by a book found in a thrift store called Utopian Visions.