Sorry for the lapse, been busy dealing with my own record release, but the Discogs orders keep flowing to my forlorn doorway. I needed a clean copy of Heaven Up Here and had to catch up on Wipers reissues, don’t judge me! Here are some new releases to dig into.

Wurld Series – What’s Growing (Meritorio)

Here’s a fantastic noise pop record I picked up a month ago. This New Zealand band has been around for a few years already but seems to be coming into its own with this accomplished work. The blend of late-80s, early-90s American indie and New Zealand Xpressway/Flying Nun sounds is never too copycat and feels fresh. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the 3D’s and Goblin Mix, as there are tasty David Mitchell-esque fuzz guitar licks all over this thing. Alongside the wild indie rock bits, we get midi-mellotron melodies and Third Ear Band style folky interludes which give this album more depth and feeling. The final two tracks really drive the point home with the big muff string bending drenched anthem “Moat” dissolving into the Bee Thousand-ish acoustic comedown of “Eighteenth Giant Brother”. I love the colorful collage sleeve too. Quality indie is alive and well and coming out on Spanish labels. 

Kairu Kenji – Sekai (Bruit Direct Disques)

Out of nowhere, this interesting record showed up in the mail. I have no context for it. It’s from Japan and released on a French label. It’s experimental and minimal art pop let’s say. Low key vocal crooning, sparse drum machines, wooly keyboard melodies, distant jazzy guitars, everything feels slightly underwater but clear at the same time? There is a groove to this that borders on lounge but that feeling is tempered by the same gloom that lurked in the Young Marble Giants and the early Weekend stuff. The plain white sleeve showing Kariu Kenji in a white shirt standing in front of a white wall somehow perfectly conveys the feeling of this record.

Flowertown – S/T (Mt St Mtn)

I riffed on Flowertown’s cassette EPs released on Paisley Shirt in previous columns, and this is a remastered reissue of those two gems on vinyl thanks to Mt St Mtn, who seems to be snatching up all the best current Bay Area bands. Lo-fi has become more of a genre name than a comment on studio method, but this is actually low-fidelity, recorded using savvy cassette tech at its finest. Flowertown’s elemental sound lands right in the middle between early Cannanes and Algebra Suicide, warm simple folk-pop on one hand, alienated and gently warped on the other. Overall, a consistent haze floats over this like the fog here, which makes for my favorite kind of listen. Pre-order this now cuz it will sell-out soon.