Tag: pop

Song of the Day #23: Nice Purse – “Broken Filthy Arrows”

NICE PURSE are self-described as a “loud, dumb, garage pop band from Minneapolis.” Their sophomore LP, Slumber Girls, is their first release to come out on wax from the Forged Artifacts label which is also based in Minneapolis. As far as their own description goes, they’re pretty much dead on – they’re loud in a joyfully obnoxious kind of way due to whiny vocals, they’re definitely garage pop to keep it simple, but they’re far from dumb.

The opening track of Slumber Girls, titled “Broken Filthy Arrows,” sets us up with quite an optimistic and unsettling pop vibe. If you think like us then it’s probably pretty hard not to be hooked after a song like this. With Magic Bullet-esque guitar hooks and plenty of energetic change-ups, Nice Purse make it difficult for us to solidify any specific pattern throughout this blissfully upbeat jammer. They roll with this spastic formula, comprised of cheerfully sloppy vocals and tightly woven guitar jangles with a hint of grit, all done up with an admirably uplifting pop sensibility that makes it hard to not like these guys – hence, they’re not dumb. A short bit past the two minute mark, the song suddenly stops before they take it for another spin, hereby gracing our ears with another solid two minutes of this exemplary pop.

The best part is, aside from this lone track, there’s still six others out there just begging to be heard – for those who are curious, some are similar, but some are also very different (like “Run Tun Tun” or “Your Mohawk”). Listen to the rest of these tracks from the excellent LP on the Nice Purse Bandcamp, then head on over to Forged Artifacts to grab your very own copy of the vinyl – there’s only 250 pressed, so don’t sleep!

Genre/ Tags: Pop, Folk Rock, Indie Rock

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Song of the Day #22: Estrogen Highs – “Grass of Leaves”

It’s been way too long since we’ve covered the ESTROGEN HIGHS. Their latest album Irrelevant Future on Trouble in Mind Records sees the band bringing a little bit of everything from their previous releases into one cohesive effort (minus the weirder stuff, like from the Cycles EP). They focus on the task at hand by sticking to their whimsical, off-kilter garage rock, laying down hit after hit with their tightly woven guitars on what turns out to be an undeniably solid album.

One that personally stood out was “Grass of Leaves” with it’s unsettling pop charm. They plow through the song at breakneck speeds, throwing around malfunctioning keyboard swirls and nasally guitar hooks that sound quick and snappy. It’s hard to dismiss such an inviting song, especially when it’s surrounded by other instant-classics like “Columbus Nightwalkers,” “Temporary Spaces,” and “I Wanna Be Tall” just to name a few. In the end this song is really only a small piece of the album, but it goes to show the kind of sound Estrogen Highs strive for, and better yet, how they achieve that sound in each of these 12 tracks.

Considering these guys have dropped a pair of full length records, countless singles and a bunch of other shit, it’s no surprise that they’ve ended up here with Irrelevant Future. Check the song below and you’ll see what we mean. Chances are you’ll be aching for the rest of the album once you’re finished with this lone track.

Grass of Leaves –

Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Pop, Lo-Fi

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Past Related Posts:
Cycles EP (Safety Meeting Records)
Find the Estrogen Highs in our Top 10 EPs of 2011