New Music: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- Simple and Sure

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart sound like they made a trip to the Wax Bar because they have totally removed the fuzz from their music. The band announced a new LP titled Days of Abandon the other day, and today singer Kip Berman elaborated on how the album will sound by stating that the record would be “joyful and full of light, even if the subjects were often dark.” Their first single "Simple and Sure" is a lot cleaner than the songs on their previous records, and that enhances the melodic pop music they are known for. Now they are a lot less Pastels and a lot more Aztec Camera. Listen below:

Days of Abandon will be out April 22nd via Yebo.

New Music: Fear of Men- Alta/Waterfall + Luna

Not sure why I missed hearing about Brighton band Fear of Men before this week, but better late than never. These guys released an EP titled Early Fragments (an EP I really need to check out) last year, and now they will be dropping their debut LP, Loom, on Record Store Day. The first single "Alta/Waterfall"is actually two songs in one. "Alta" is a short 50 second instrumental opener that lapses into the gorgeous dream pop of "Waterfall". And building on that first single is the hazy "Luna", the second track to be previewed from the album. Check them out below:

Loom will be out April 21st via Kanine Records.

New Music: Kevin Drew-Mexican Aftershow Party

"Mexican Aftershow Party" is the second track to be previewed from Kevin Drew's upcoming new LP Darlings. The Broken Social Scene front man will also make a couple of appearances at Toronto's Field Trip festival on June 7th and 8th, both with his solo project and with his band.

Darlings is out March 18 via Arts & Crafts.

New Music: Hamilton Leithauser- Alexandra

New York indie rock band The Walkmen broke up, got back together to play some NBA all star game benefit show, and then during the last song of that gig announced that it would be the last song the band would ever play. And now, just a few days later, The Walkmen lead singer Hamilton Leithauser has announced a new solo album titled Black Hours.

The boys in the Walkmen have made a lot of friends over the years, and Leithauser's new LP reflects this with a pretty impressive guest list. Among the contributors are Morgan Henderson (Fleet Foxes), Richard Swift (The Shins), Amber Coffman (Dirty Projectors) and Paul Maroon (The Walkmen). Also helping out is Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij who produced and co-wrote the first single "Alexandra", a song not too far removed from Leithauser's work with The Walkman, albeit way more uplifting and less forlornly than the songs of his previous band. Watch the video for the track below and watch for a cameo from the aforementioned Rostam Batmanglij.

Black Hours will be out May 6th via Ribbon Music.

New Music: Cousins- Mess

Halifax Nova Scotia indie rock band Cousins have been a fixture in this part of the world for a couple of years now. The group are well known for putting on a ferocious live show and that has garnered them a lot of attention. In fact, so much attention that they have just signed to popular indie label Hand Drawn Dracula and have announced a new LP titled Halls of Wickwire.  Listen to the album's garage-y guitar rock first single "Mess" below:

The album will be available May 13th.

New Music: The Horrors- I See You

UK shoegaze band The Horrors premiered a brand new song titled "I See You" on BBC Radio earlier today, and now it is available for all to take in via a lyric video. The track will be part of the just announced new LP Luminous which will be available on May 5th. "I See You" is two songs in one-the track starts out like a synth-y post punk pop song, but after a couple of minutes it transitions into a extended glistening psychedelic jam. Listen below:

New Music: The Wytches- Wire Frame Mattress + Gravedweller

The Wytches are a new buzz band hailing from Brighton, England who possess a unique sound that mixes 90's alt rock with 60's Dick Dale surf guitar. These guys are being compared to everybody from The White Stripes to The Smashing Pumpkins. Me, I think they sound like a better version of Strange House era The Horrors. Take a listen below to their first single "Wire Frame Mattress" and then stick around to watch their video for the song "Gravedweller". BTW, "Gravedweller" is available as free download here.