Optic Sink - "Don't Look Down"

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Photo by Nate Packard

Optic Sink are a Memphis based trio that includes Natalie Hoffman of NOTS. Their latest single, "Don't Look Down," is a mixture of post-punk and dance music that feels very DIY and unique. It doesn't sound like music being made in 2025. Instead, it has an extremely retro vibe to it, but without being able to quite put your finger on when exactly. It sorta has an 80's synth meets early 00's indie sleaze thing going on, with some odd and interesting psychedelic elements. "Don't Look Down" has a home recording sound to it with its minimalist approach, while still sounding lush and fully fleshed out. Optic Sink have crafted their own little slice of the indie rock world, and we are here for it.

Natalie Hoffman says of her band's latest single:

“I was there [Nashville] working on a TV show and ended up snowed in at a Candlewood Suites by the highway that overlooked the train tracks. To get out of the hotel room, I would go down to the parking lot and watch the trains that went by in the snow. I became sort of obsessed with them. I thought there was something both beautiful and eerie about their movement and sounds.”

You can watch the video for "Don't Look Down" below. Lucky Number is due out October 31 on Feel It Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Optic Sink, check out the band on Instagram and Bandcamp.

On Repeat...

The New Limits - "Normal Day"

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Photo via Facebook According to their Bandcamp profile, The New Limits are a "Boston ska band with a taste for rocksteady, reggae, soul, and rock n roll." They just released a single that shows off their sound perfectly. "Normal Day" is a laid back ska song dripping with soul. You know that joke that goes around every few months saying that ska is the sound that plays in a twelve year old's head when they get an extra mozzarella stick? The New Limits are the grown up version of that sound. This is ska/rocksteady for adults. It's ultra chilled out music with some of the best horns in the city. Even if you haven't listened to ska since your youth, you need to check out "Normal Day." This might help re-open the entire genre to you. The New Limits say of their latest single: " What is normal, anyway? Some of us just want a nine-to-five. Others cry at the thought. 'Normal Day' has nothing to do with quarantine and lots to do with figuri...
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The Beths - "Mother, Pray for Me"

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Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it.   “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
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Brennen Leigh - "Dumpster Diving"

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Photo by Lyza Renee Brennen Leigh has quickly become a favorite of ours, with her take on a classic country sound with a slight sense of humor. Her latest single, "Dumpster Diving," which she describes as a "trashy little tune," is everything we love about the musician. It's a vintage style country song that comes in at a punk like one minute, forty-eight seconds. With a chorus of "Dumpster diving, this ain't gonna last / Dumpster diving, 'cause baby you like trash..." how can you possibly resist. Leigh's latest gives us a decades old sound with modern sensibilities and her fantastic voice that's tailor made for this genre of music. It's almost like a collaboration between Loretta Lynn and Shel Silverstein, and who doesn't want to hear that? You can hear "Dumpster Diving" below. Don't You Ever Give Up On Love  is due out October 3 on Signature Sounds, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Brennen Leigh,...
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