December 26th, 2013 
Tarynn Law 
Hey, everyone! #WGDC took a bit of a break because of finals week but it’s back now, and I hope your holidays were fantastic! 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 is a bit more pop than usual, probably because I’m excited for New Year’s Eve festivities, with LIZ and London duo Rainer holding down the fort there, while Pacific Air will be perfect for your hungover-laden “I just need something to relax to” Thursday.
Here we go!
Described as label Mad Decent’s #1 pop princess, LIZ has been dropping pop hit after hit for the last year or so. While yes, Mad Decent did release the omnipresent “Harlem Shake” last year, that’s clearly not the only thing they’ve got to offer as LIZ’s fantastic blend of 90’s R&B nostalgia with a hint of bubblegum pop and tons of sass are here to make you dance. She originally grabbed my attention with “Hush,” which you can watch the video for below, but since then she’s released a handful of other fantastic tracks including “Underdogs” featuring RiFF RaFF in which she proclaims that “bitch, I’m a unicorn” and, well, I can’t say she’s wrong. Her latest track “All Them Boys” is a bit of a departure from her bubblegum pop style, reaching more into a laid back Disclosure territory, but it just proves that she’s an incredibly versatile artist that has way more to offer than not. 2014 will no doubt be her year and I’m looking forward to seeing what she’ll be releasing next! She recently wrapped up her first fall tour supporting Charli XCX, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing more tour dates from her in 2014. Make sure you follow her on Twitter and Facebook to see what she’s up to, oh, and if you’re digging “Hush”, you can download some of her tracks for free (!) over at her SoundCloud. Consider it her Christmas gift to you.
While I was grabbing the video you see below for “Move,” I noticed in the comments that people had come across the track either through its placement in a Hershey’s ad or, oddly enough, shopping in Hollister. I only say “oddly” because I wasn’t really aware people still shopped there, but nevertheless I think the song is quite a good fit for any shopping experience – its upbeat rhythms and infectious melodies are enough to keep anyone in your store. Things happened quite quickly for the brotherly LA duo, too – a few days after they posted a few songs to their BandCamp, Republic Records realized they were onto something and signed them straight away. After that they released an EP, played a handful of shows at SXSW, opened for the likes of Atlas Genius, played Lollapalooza, NYC’s Governor’s Ball festival, oh, and they released their fantastic debut album Stop Talking in June. Pretty hard-working guys if I do say so myself! The album is one of my favorites of the year and it has brought them comparisons to Britpop band Talk Talk and even New Order. I had the pleasure of seeing them open for Walk the Moon about a year and a half ago, and while they were just getting their feet planted on the ground that is the indie-rock planet then, they’ve more than cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with with their album Stop Talking. ‘Like’ them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter for the latest updates on their whereabouts.
Rebekah Raa and Nic Nell, better known as the London duo Rainer, offer a slightly different branch of pop than the aforementioned LIZ. Theirs is more experimental, filled with glitches and dramatic changes at the drop of a super-fashionable hat between spacious and top 40 pop; see “Hope” for the best example, when about halfway through the track it almost entirely transforms from a slow and expansive ballad to a gem of a pop track complete with xylophones, clarinets, synth, and snares (oh my!). While one might call the single “Satin” the most “conventional pop” track on the EP, I would venture to say it’s not so much conventional as it is brilliant and sensual in all the right ways – Raa’s silky smooth vocals fit quite nicely over Nell’s percussive production, detailing their love for American pop music at its finest. Really its only issue is that US radio may have to alter it a bit as it’s “about telling your boy to come home from that party he shouldn’t be at because you’re pretty much naked and waiting for him.” Things are dying down right now for much of the live music world as they don’t have any upcoming live dates scheduled either, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing more from them next year so keep a sultry side-eye (much like the ones from the ladies in their “Satin” video) turned to their Facebook and Twitter for dates. Pick up the Hope / Satin / Glass / Dreams EP over at Kissability.
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! Oh, and if you’re wanting to know what my Best of 2013 looked like, you can check that out here!
- White Girl Dance Corner featuring Waters, RAC, Mother, and Wild Ones - March 27, 2014
- White Girl Dance Corner featuring Broods, Eliza and the Bear, Clean Bandit, and Tei Shi - February 20, 2014
- Watch Bruno Major Perform Acoustic Rendition of “The First Thing You See” - February 11, 2014
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