If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Amanda Piquotte Kalbells (featuring Kalmia Traver of Rubblebucket along with members of Sad13, Okkervil River, and more) have released a new single from their upcoming album. "Pickles" features that laid back dance groove we've come to cherish from Kalbells. It's a dance track, but one that lives in a world where disco and trip hop melded into one sound. Plus, it features a verse from Miss Eaves, giving it a feel of 90's R&B when every song would inject a hip hop verse in the middle. Kalmia Traver says of the new song: “ The song is about escaping a romantic pickle by grudgingly accepting getting one's ego chopped down, or at least chopped back.... and then realizing the whole experience can be kind of fun, sadistically, but also existentially thrilling and weirdly healing. For the second verse Miss Eaves and I had a long conversation about fuckbois and then she turned around this glistening cave of pickle puns and our mouths all dropped to the fl...

Photo by Amanda Picotte Kalbells are best known as the side project of Rubblebucket's Kalmia Traver, but the band also features members of Sad13, Okkervil River, and more. They have a new single out, and it's going to really demand your attention. "Purplepink" is great for fans of Rubblebucket. The song has that indie rock goes hippie party feel, but "Purplepink" has a chilled out, spacey feel, even without the accompanying video. It's a modern day version of Parliament's spaced out funk, with a few more electronic sounding elements sprinkled in. You can watch the video for "Purplepink" below. Max Heart  is the upcoming album from Kalbells, and will be out on NNA Tapes on March 26. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Kalbells, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

2017 has been an interesting year for Rubblebucket. January saw the release of the If U C My Enemies  EP, followed up by Alex Toth releasing a garage rock album under the name Alexander F in February. It's now singer Kalmia Traver's turn to go solo for a bit. She's releasing a solo album under the name Kalbells, and right now we can listen to the first song from it, "Craving Art Droplets." While Alexander F's album sounded nothing like what I'd expect from a Rubblebucket member's solo album, "Craving Art Droplets" is exactly what I'd expect. It's a chilled out sounding song that is equal parts hippie and electronica. And yes, I used the term "electronica" because it reminds me heavily of late 90s bands like Sneaker Pimps and Morcheeba, but, you know... really artsy. I'd hope you'd expect artsy with a name like "Craving Art Droplets," plus the fact that Rubblebucket have always brought a level of artines...