Bandcamp Picks of the Week 3/29/17
Have you heard of music before? No? Good thing Bandcamp Picks of the Week is here to help you out.
Hoops – EP
Genre: Indie Pop
Favorite Tracks: “Cool 2,” “Gemini”
Hoops are an indie pop band from Bloomington, Indiana. The band takes it name from the hoop houses that were in the greenhouses that singer Drew Auscherman worked in as a teenager. Though the project initially started as a solo ambient project, Auscherman’s music has expanded to become a quartet playing more traditional fare. Their songs are twangy and lo-fi but upbeat, reminiscent of Real Estate’s first album. With the upcoming release of Hoops’ full length debut in early May, everyone should check out their latest EP. “Cool 2” is the perfect summer skate anthem, sounding exactly like the last day of freshman year of high school in sonic form. “Gemini” sounds like Toro y Moi’s WHAT FOR, if the ‘70s nostalgia were replaced with a yearning for late ‘90s punk rock simplicity. The chorus is gorgeous and heart wrenching and will likely be a refrain you’ll find yourself humming for weeks afterwards. Though mumbling indie pop’s heyday may no longer be the most original sound, Hoops are a reminder that it is an enjoyable sound nonetheless. Listen to the Hoops’ EP here for the perfect soundtrack to 2017’s warmer months. [Ted Davis]
Jupiter Davis – DARK SOULS
Genre: Folk
Favorite Tracks: “Softy,” “Peaches”
Jupiter Davis is a the first record by Lancen Harms and Ryley Epp, who both provide vocals and guitar work, as well as occasional ukuleles and merlins. What starts as a dainty, effete acoustic affair proclaiming love for a girl becomes a scrambled, chaotic mess as the story becomes more consumed by madness and jealousy. Rumbles of harsh electric guitar emerge under the mix, producing a surreal effect even as Lancen remains relatively composed in his delivery, and the acoustic guitars strum like they are oblivious to the wave of pure terror emerging around them. Bandcamp describes it as “a seven year saga of love, loss, sadness, madness, and redemption,” and DARK SOULS is a pretty, but at times disturbing, look at spiralling into grief after the painful loss of someone you thought you could never live without. It’s one of the strangest folk records I’ve heard in awhile, and while it’s purpose is fairly obvious (seven songs for seven years), it’s still a deeply effective record that somehow earns it’s label of “cosmic.” If you like your folk minimal and simultaneously interstellar, you can listen to it here. [Blake Michelle]
