Tag Archives: Captain Kidd

Weekly Gems 43

Beacon – On Ice

Beacon - On Ice

Beacon is NYC-based duo Thomas Mullarney III and Jacob Gossett.

The new single, ‘On Ice’ showcases Beacon’s signature sound of melodic yet mysterious pop music with a cathartic edge.

Like a beacon of light, the duo use multiple instruments to portray a journey from darker places to those of colour and spirituality.

‘On Ice’ is out now on Ghostly International.

Sounds like: Matthew Dear, Nimmo, Solomon Grey, Junior Boys, Kyson, Hot Chip, Cut Copy, Aquilo

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The Rungs – King of Books

The Rungs - King of Books

The Rungs is a female-fronted, alt-pop, bedroom-based project from Brooklyn NY.

Their new single, ‘King of Books’, is a dreamy, melancholic indie synth song that explores a toxic relationship, capturing that moment when the rose tinted glasses are lifted.

Sounds like: Men I Trust

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ORKID – NoNoh

ORKID

ORKID shares ‘NoNoh’ and it’s every bit of tuned electro-pop you’d expect from a young Swedish act.

Offering sweet fragiity with commanding vocals, it’s beauty will instantly captivate you.

Speaking about the track, ORKID says,

“”NoNoh” is about that moment when you feel you’ve had enough of someone’s bullshit. Singing this song is literally a release for me. It’s an aggressive yet awesome feeling of strength. The song kind of speaks for itself; with the melodies and track combined, “NoNoh” gives you exactly that sense of self-empowerment”

Sounds like: Rihanna, Rita Ora, Harlee

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Tanjier – Lights

Tanjier

Irish trio, Tanjier create perfectly crafted indie pop with a sophisticated attitude about modern day pressures on Generation Y.

Their new single, ‘Lights’ explores the challenges of breaking the typical parental expectations of going to college, getting a 9-5 job, and making enough money to buy a house. It tells the story of someone who has gone through all of these so-called life goals successfully but, ultimately, isn’t happy.

Sounds like: Dead Ceremony, The Kite String Tangle, Foals, George Michael

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ANNALIA – Cycles

ANNALIA - Cycles

Los Angeles-born singer/songwriter ANNALIA has some serious talent.

Described as “organic pop”, she distinguishes herself from the crowd by discussing important topics and using real instrumentation over catchy beats. In her new single, ANNALIA considers the cycles of emotional abuse in a relationship.

If anyone can help you through this, it’s ANNALIA, her killer pipes and “You’ve Got This!” attitude.

Sounds like: Linney, VÉRITÉ, Carly Rae Jepsen

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Twin XL – Good

Twin XL

Meet five kids who go by the name of Twin XL.

Their glistening and gorgeously retro single ‘Good’ maybe a debut, but between the lads, the three have written and produced for artists such as All Time Low, Lindsey Stirling, and Life of Dillon, and have had their music featured in commercials and trailers like Disney’s Christopher Robin and ABC’s Lucifer

Sounds like: Portugal, The Man, Titanics

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Hydromag – P.J.R

Hydromag

Hydromag is the dream-pop project of Falmouth-based producer and multi instrumentalist Josh Best-Shaw.

He has just released an uplifting and almost freeing track called ‘P.J.R’, which unfortunately covers the sad topic of suicide.

Speaking on the release, Hydromag says “It was not easy task to write this song, it took a lot out of me and I spent far longer on it than any other song I’ve written. I’m still not sure that I’m fully happy with it, but it was a good way to address the issues I had locked away.”

Sounds like: Summer Heart, Washed Out

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Gregory Dillon – Painted Blue

Gregory Dillon - Painted Blue

We’ve had a lot of NYC-based artists on this week’s gems, however each of them have something unique to offer us.

Last but not least is Gregory Dillon and his new single, ‘Painted Blue’.

With a driving 80’s backbeat, considering a backdrop of the New York skyline, Gregory explores the city and all its musings.

Sounds like: Du Tonc, Captain Kidd

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Captain Kidd – LIMIT

Captain Kidd by Grant Jones

Psychedelic pop infused four-piece, Captain Kidd once again showcase their songwriting capabilities with ‘LIMIT’.

Speaking of the track, they explain

“Limit” is our most collaborative effort as a band yet. We bounced a ton of ideas off each other and really stuck to our decision to not overthink anything, but rather let the song develop naturally as those ideas poured out. We had fun with this one. We were watching 007 Casino Royale and thought, “hey let’s write a James Bond dance song.””

Sounds like: RÜFÜS, SAMA, Glass Animals

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Weekly Gems 30

High Hazels – Days Of No One

High Hazels

BBC 6 favourite, breezy indie band High Hazels share their new single ‘Days Of No One’.

Fighting an ever-losing battle of love and being lonely, lead singer James admits that despite the conflicting themes in their music, he is a fan of people; “Weirdly that’s why I think loneliness pops up in our music quite a lot, I suppose it’s more the fear of it.”

Sounds like: The Last Shadow Puppets, Miles Kane, Arctic Monkeys, Babyshambles, Richard Hawley, The Coral, Beach House, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine

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Cape Cub – Come Around

Cape Cub

Creating honest, real and emotive music is Cape Cub‘s forte. It seems to be in his blood.

His new single – out today on LAB Records – is called ‘Come Around’ and is a highly thought-provoking song about losing a loved one.

Sounds like: Foals, Passenger, Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Tep No, Brandon Flowers, Death Cab for Cutie, Temper Trap,

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Captain Kidd – Bleed

Captain Kidd

There is a bit of a Drake vibe going on in Captain Kidd‘s new single ‘Bleed’ and we are digging it.

A perfect blend of blissed-out, nostalgic indie with modern pop. Listen below.

Sounds like: RÜFÜS, SAMA

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Bishat – Unholy Romance

Bishat - Unholy Romance

Swedish alt-pop artist Bishat shares the intriguing ‘Unholy Romance’.

It has an intense and destructive undertone and was written in collaboration with producer Damian Ardestani (aka XOV) on a freezing day just outside of Stockholm.

Sounds like: The Weeknd, Robyn, LKA, Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, July Child, Nao, Lorde

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LMBO – Fake It

LMBO

Classically trained multi-instrumentalist school friends and singer LMBO releases debut single ‘Fake It’.

Music to match a soundtrack, the melodies effortlessly tip toe between the light and dark.

Sounds like: Hellogoodbye, Owl City, Hotel Garuda

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Playlist: Captain Kidd

Captain Kidd

Ohio based psychedelic pop quartet Captain Kidd share their new single called ‘Wild’, which is a blissful tune full of calming harmonies and shining production.

Lucky for you lot, Captain Kidd put together a playlist for us.

Blood Orange – Best to You

The hardest part about making this list might have been picking the right Dev Hynes track, but we would be lying if we said we’ve been jamming any other more than this one. The man truly is a genius, especially when it comes to writing parts for female vocalists, which is clearly shown in “Best to You.”

McFabulous – I Live Above the Hobby Shop

We were shuffling through discover weekly once and came across this track and thought maybe this was a live version of Glass Animals. We looked it up and realized they had sampled McFabulous for “Season 2 Episode 3,” and we absolutely loved this jam. Plus, McFabulous is an incredible name.

Ariel Pink – Another Weekend

Ariel Pink is the epitome of an artist pushing the boundaries of their sound. In fact, he has no boundaries. He does whatever he wants. Not many people can make experimental music catchy. This track off his new album is no different.

Porches – Find Me

One of our favorite current artists, still unknown to some. We fell in love with his last album Pool. It’s such a progression from his debut release. His latest, “Find Me,” combines that retro 90s house sound with modern day indie pop. We can’t wait for more from his upcoming full length.

TENDER – Machine

We discovered this U.K. based duo on a sub Reddit a few years back. They had one track out called “Armour.” We immediately fell in love with their production and the low and high vocal melody combo, which seems to have become their signature sound. Nate and Eric had a chance to see them live a few months back in Philadelphia.

La Poré – Sad Girl

La Poré is the fast rising solo project of our drummer, Nick Samson, started about a year ago now. If you’re into anything 80s or Foster the People then check out this track, and keep a look out for more of this tasteful pop coming from our percussionist!

Kanye West – Lost in the World

Kanye has been a favorite artist of ours for a long time, and has accompanied us on many road trips back and forth to Cleveland, so a playlist without him just wouldn’t feel right. Between the Bon Iver intro sample and the heavy driving beat, we have always felt this epic album closer is an underrated banger.

Frank Ocean – Self Control

Frank Ocean released Blonde in August 2016, and we instantly fell in love. His raw, emotive vocal style and minimalistic production caught our attention, and the album as a whole continues to get better with every listen. We like this track in particular because it starts out small and simple, but slowly transforms into one of the most moving songs on the album.

Jamie XX – Girl

Jamie XX has been a huge influence on us as self producers, especially with our percussion. We were obsessed with his album In Colour our last year of college. We lived in this enormous house with 9 people total, constantly jamming “Girl” and other accompanying tracks. The people we lived with that year are still some of our best friends, so the combination of nostalgia and the mark Jamie XX has had on us with our production makes this an important track.

Miguel – waves (Tame Impala Remix)

Kevin Parker of Tame Impala continues to amaze us with his progression as a producer and song writer. I mean, who saw Currents coming when Parker first released Innerspeaker? It seams as though he gets poppier with each release, but somehow still maintains that other worldly psychedelic goodness that many fans initially fell in love with. The “waves” remix isn’t what one would normally think of when thinking about a “remix.” It sounds like Miguel and Parker just teamed up to make a banger psych pop track, with those warm drum tones, luscious synths, and of course, lots of flanger.

Sounds like: RÜFÜS, SAMA

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