If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Vincent Arbelet You probably know Miki Berenyi as the lead singer and rhythm guitar player from Lush, or more recently from Piroshka. Now she's back with the Miki Berenyi Trio, which also features Kevin "Moose" McKillop on guitar and Oliver Cherer on bass. They've released a brand new single, and if you enjoyed her previous bands, you're going to be into "Vertigo." This feels like a natural extension of Lush. It has that dreamy, shoegaze quality along with the pop side of Britpop. It's all just toned down a bit, but aren't we all. There's a bit of a trip hop sound going on here, but just slightly. This is a great, chilled out track that we think you're going to be into. Miki Berenyi says of the band's new single: “‘Vertigo’ is about anxiety and the efforts to talk myself down from the precipice – the usual cheerful stuff. It’s a challenge to not have a drummer, and to use more programming, but the essence of the music is stil...

Another slow week, so adding a few we missed, too. Artist : Pony Hunt Album : VAR! Quick Thoughts : We loved Pony Hunt's debut when it came out almost five years ago. The follow-up gives me a lot of Lady Lamb vibes, but it's really a nice logical extension of a sound we love here. I found so much to enjoy about this one, and I probably could have added every song to the weekly playlist if I were so inclined. It's a little bit folk, a little bit country, and a more than a little awesome. Songs of Note : "Pulse," "Stardust," "Who Are You," "Rising Sun," "Last Alive" Artist : Molly Burch Album : Romantic Images Quick Thoughts : Molly Burch is back with another winner. We both really liked First Flower , and this new one continues the trajectory of a multi-genre artist with a lot of positives going for her. This was super enjoyable on a whole, and should solidif Burch as a voice worth hearing. Songs of Note : ...

One of the more exciting supergroups to emerge in the past few years is back with an upcoming album. In case you don't remember, Piroshka features members of Lush, Moore, Elastica, and Modern English, so you know they already have your attention. With that pedigree, you would expect that Piroshka would be a letdown. "Scratching at the Lid" more than meets your expectations. It's a little more shoegazey than the music from their 2018 debut Brickbat , but there is still plenty of Britpop still left. Hearing a more poppy and fun sound of shoegaze is truly an interesting combination that helps set Piroshka apart aside from the members' other bands. Bassist Mick Conroy explains the difference in sounds between the two albums: “Brickbat was a classic first album; noisy and raucous. On  Love Drips And Gathers,  we’ve calmed down and explored sounds, and space.” You can watch the video for "Scratching at the Lid" below. Love Drips & Gathers  is due out July ...

I've always loved a good supergroup. Piroshka might have one of the better pedigrees we've seen in quite a while. It features  Miki Berenyi of Lush, KJ "Moose" McKillup of Moose, Mick Conroy of Modern English, and Justin Welch of Elastica. Their single, "Everlastingly Yours," is exactly what you'd want it to be. It has a distinct shoegaze vibe, but in this almost groovy tropicalia kind of way. It's a smooth, chilled out song. It's definitely the sound shoegaze/Brit pop/New Wave bands should be making now, 20-30 years into their careers. Piroshka are the rare supergroup that have taken all their parts and blended them perfectly together into a more mature and modern sound. You can listen to "Everlastingly Yours" below. Piroshka's debut album, Brickbat , will be out February 15 on Bella Union. The album can be pre-ordered here . For more on Piroshka, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .