THURSDAY SEP 14, 2017
Floral Print
After first meeting on a whim over Facebook, what started out as a chance occurrence between drummer Paul DeMerritt-Verrone and singer/guitarist Nathan Springer (Narrator) sprouted into a continually exciting and unpredictable collaboration. The pair first started practicing and performing around Atlanta, GA in late 2014, and quickly started honing their penchant for dizzying song structures and erratic rhythms grounded in pop sensibilities. Their debut EP ‘woo’, recorded with bassist George Pettis (100 Watt Horse) and producer Graham Tavel, showcased floral print’s vibrant pastiche of psych-pop, early emo, ambient, and deconstructionist rock. Following ‘woo’, the duo (rounded out by a rotating cast of bassists) embarked on numerous tours throughout the East coast and Midwest, making friends and tightening up their sonic communication skills. In summer 2016, floral print linked up again with Tavel to start recording their debut full-length, entitled ‘mirror stages’, at Broad Street Visitor’s Center in Downtown Atlanta. The tracks on ‘mirror stages’ display a marked change in tone from ‘woo’, as glimmers of noise, distorted melancholy, and manic energy imbued their sound with more nuance and stylistic aberrations. Following the recording of ‘mirror stages’, floral print rounded out its lineup with the addition of Josh, Paris, and Lily as the band charts a new course for future tours and releases."
After first meeting on a whim over Facebook, what started out as a chance occurrence between drummer Paul DeMerritt-Verrone and singer/guitarist Nathan Springer (Narrator) sprouted into a continually exciting and unpredictable collaboration. The pair first started practicing and performing around Atlanta, GA in late 2014, and quickly started honing their penchant for dizzying song structures and erratic rhythms grounded in pop sensibilities. Their debut EP ‘woo’, recorded with bassist George Pettis (100 Watt Horse) and producer Graham Tavel, showcased floral print’s vibrant pastiche of psych-pop, early emo, ambient, and deconstructionist rock. Following ‘woo’, the duo (rounded out by a rotating cast of bassists) embarked on numerous tours throughout the East coast and Midwest, making friends and tightening up their sonic communication skills. In summer 2016, floral print linked up again with Tavel to start recording their debut full-length, entitled ‘mirror stages’, at Broad Street Visitor’s Center in Downtown Atlanta. The tracks on ‘mirror stages’ display a marked change in tone from ‘woo’, as glimmers of noise, distorted melancholy, and manic energy imbued their sound with more nuance and stylistic aberrations. Following the recording of ‘mirror stages’, floral print rounded out its lineup with the addition of Josh, Paris, and Lily as the band charts a new course for future tours and releases."
Blue Smiley
"I recently saw Philadelphia’s Blue Smiley play in Atlanta; a couple days prior they released Return on Bandcamp simply “because they were broke.” The band’s rationale for the release of this record makes me love their music even more. Return is unguarded and without pretension, indulging in equal parts sugary pop and distorted wall-of-sound instrumentation. Like their previous album, ok, Return is a straight-to-the-point collection of fuzzy pop songs with one-word titles. The brevity of these songs serves as one of their strengths (none of them break the three minute mark), not because you want them to be over, but because they leave you wanting more. This band recognizes the merits of not letting any one idea linger too long. Beginning with the infectious strummed chords of the opening track “Bird,” Return is a relentless string of hooks. “Flip” offsets some of the other tracks driving rhythms with a slightly slower, more stuttering approach, while the brief (even for the band’s standards) “Old” relies completely on the mid-range synth that shows up only intermittently on other tracks. Closer “Tree” ends the record on the same note it began, riding out on a mood that lies somewhere between melancholy and ecstasy. The album’s lyrics are vague, yet evocative. Half of the time they serve to bridge the gap between the extreme moods of the music and the seemingly mundane events of everyday life; elsewhere, they venture into more cryptic territory. Return finds Blue Smiley sharpening the pop craftsmanship they displayed on their previous recordings. It is refreshing to find a band that has equal love for catchy riffs and unabashed heaviness. Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, this is a perfect album to throw on for a long night drive, utilizing the loop function." -Post-trash
"I recently saw Philadelphia’s Blue Smiley play in Atlanta; a couple days prior they released Return on Bandcamp simply “because they were broke.” The band’s rationale for the release of this record makes me love their music even more. Return is unguarded and without pretension, indulging in equal parts sugary pop and distorted wall-of-sound instrumentation. Like their previous album, ok, Return is a straight-to-the-point collection of fuzzy pop songs with one-word titles. The brevity of these songs serves as one of their strengths (none of them break the three minute mark), not because you want them to be over, but because they leave you wanting more. This band recognizes the merits of not letting any one idea linger too long. Beginning with the infectious strummed chords of the opening track “Bird,” Return is a relentless string of hooks. “Flip” offsets some of the other tracks driving rhythms with a slightly slower, more stuttering approach, while the brief (even for the band’s standards) “Old” relies completely on the mid-range synth that shows up only intermittently on other tracks. Closer “Tree” ends the record on the same note it began, riding out on a mood that lies somewhere between melancholy and ecstasy. The album’s lyrics are vague, yet evocative. Half of the time they serve to bridge the gap between the extreme moods of the music and the seemingly mundane events of everyday life; elsewhere, they venture into more cryptic territory. Return finds Blue Smiley sharpening the pop craftsmanship they displayed on their previous recordings. It is refreshing to find a band that has equal love for catchy riffs and unabashed heaviness. Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, this is a perfect album to throw on for a long night drive, utilizing the loop function." -Post-trash
True Blossom
True Blossom formed in 2017 from the thriving Atlanta underground synth-pop scene. The band released their debut album Heater, a sweet and strange collection of disco, city-pop, and classic indie, last year on Citrus City Records. They followed that with a series of tours up and down the east coast.
Their second album, In Bliss, arrives October 23rd, again on Citrus City. Its surface is all sophistication and light - red lipstick, brushed steel, and lace, but an eerie sadness hangs over the whole affair. Though bits of new wave synth and disco percussion shimmer and glow with warmth, the gloom never quite lifts.
In Bliss was recorded in Atlanta by Damon Moon at Standard Electric Recording Co. Founding members Sophie Cox, Nadav Flax, Adam Weisberg, Jamison Murphy, and Chandler Kelley tracked most of the instruments before Jamison left to attend graduate school in Maryland. Newest member Bonnie Hardie joined the band during the sessions, and her vocal harmonies can be heard throughout.
True Blossom formed in 2017 from the thriving Atlanta underground synth-pop scene. The band released their debut album Heater, a sweet and strange collection of disco, city-pop, and classic indie, last year on Citrus City Records. They followed that with a series of tours up and down the east coast.
Their second album, In Bliss, arrives October 23rd, again on Citrus City. Its surface is all sophistication and light - red lipstick, brushed steel, and lace, but an eerie sadness hangs over the whole affair. Though bits of new wave synth and disco percussion shimmer and glow with warmth, the gloom never quite lifts.
In Bliss was recorded in Atlanta by Damon Moon at Standard Electric Recording Co. Founding members Sophie Cox, Nadav Flax, Adam Weisberg, Jamison Murphy, and Chandler Kelley tracked most of the instruments before Jamison left to attend graduate school in Maryland. Newest member Bonnie Hardie joined the band during the sessions, and her vocal harmonies can be heard throughout.