November 12th, 2013 
Tarynn Law 
Hello again! I’m Tarynn Law, and this is a new 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 I’ve got NYC pop/soul trio Misterwives, London duo We the Wild, Smallpools (who are fresh off a tour with Walk the Moon and The Mowgli’s), and Magic Man who just happened to open up the first run of that Walk the Moon tour as well.
Here we go!
Mandy Lee, William Hehir, and Etienne Bowler, better known as NYC trio Misterwives, recently won over fans and critics alike at the CMJ festival this year. Their indie-pop/soul sound is equally captivating and emotional while making you want to get up off your feet and dance until you can’t anymore. While “Kings and Queens” is one of the catchiest tracks I’ve heard in a while (I dare you to try not dancing to it), “Coffins” is a different beast entirely. Its soaring strings and soulful vocals mesh so perfectly with Mandy Lee’s heartfelt lyrics that I’m sure it won’t be long before we hear it in movie trailers constantly. The band is out on the Three of Clubs tour opening for The Royal Concept and UTG favorites American Authors, and you can find those dates over at their Facebook page. Oh, and you like free music, don’t you? Well, you’re in luck then as the band has posted 5 tracks for free download over at their SoundCloud! Sadly, their charming cover of Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” isn’t one of those tracks, but there’s nothing that says you can’t stream it constantly now is there?
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/87042726″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
While I’m still not too positive what’s happening in their painted-up video for “Body Electric (Blue),” there’s no denying that it’s one hell of a song. The London duo consisting of Ant West and Casey Roarty is barely a year old, but they’re already catching fire like crazy across the pond with “Body Electric” being spun on BBC Radio 1 and XFM. “Body Electric” shows such skill that upon first listen you might not think they’re as new of a band as they are, and while they urge you to “take your time to love” in the bridge, you’ll instantly adore their alt-pop sound. Their debut EP, Volume 1, has already landed in the top 20 on the iTunes alternative charts in the UK and there’s little doubt in my mind they’ll see the same success in the states. Grab Volume 1 here, and follow the guys on Twitter and Facebook. They’ve got their first release, “You Lost My Mind,” and its subsequent remixes over on their SoundCloud as well.
There’s a chance you may be familiar with former UTG crush Smallpools. The band embarked on a huge fall US tour opening for Walk the Moon and The Mowgli’s (on what I titled the “Indie Friendship Tour 2013 after witnessing all of the camaraderie between the bands) and won over the crowd every single night with their infectious synth-pop sound. Fans of Passion Pit (or people who like Passion Pit’s sound, but occasionally get turned off by the vocals) will instantly find a new favorite band in the LA quartet. Their debut self-titled EP was the soundtrack to my summer with “Dreaming” quickly rising near the top of my “Top 25 Most Played Songs” on iTunes, and I’m sure it’ll cure you of the winter blues! You can buy it on iTunes here, and follow them on Twitter and Facebook too – they’ve got a short stint of dates opening for Twenty | One | Pilots later this fall, so make sure you take a look at their tour dates to see if they’ll be in your area.
It seems Walk the Moon have quite the penchant for picking fantastic opening acts, as Rhode Island-based group Magic Man opened up the first bit of that aforementioned fall tour. Occasionally when I listen to a new EP from a band, I can easily pick a favorite track or two and listen to those few songs to the point of exhaustion. However, that wasn’t so easy to do with Magic Man – every track on You Are Here was fantastic in its own right and brought something different to the table. Sometimes I think “Paris” is my favorite with its sugary sweet chorus and quirky piano riff, but “Texas'” driving drums and hushed bridges that crescendo into choruses reminiscent of The Killers or Keane. A few days ago they just announced what’s sure to be an incredibly fun winter tour supporting New Politics (who recently opened for Fall Out Boy) with Sleeper Agent, and you can find a complete listing of those dates at their Facebook. Pick up their EP You Are Here on iTunes, and read our review of it here.
That’s all for this week! I’ll be back next Tuesday, and until then you can follow me on Twitter and let me know who you’ve been listening to lately!
- 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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