Cool Band Alert - IE

It's pronounced "eee"

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Name: IE
From: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Members: Michael Gallope (keyboards), Meredith Gill (drums), Sam Molstad (guitar, bongos), Mariel Oliveira (bass, vocals, flute), Travis Workman (guitar, keyboards)
RIYL: Can, Bitchin’ Bajas, Low, Jessamine, Terry Riley, Psychic Ills
The Gist: Sunshine pop for people who listen to Velvet Underground bootlegs and go to noise shows

IE (pronounced “eee”) are an underground psych band from the Midwest with a Minimalist-inspired sound perfectly balanced between heady and heavy. On excellent new full-length Reverse Earth, the group swirl a set of mildly fried kosmische jams and dubby drone pop in deep pools of resonance for a plush, almost cozy listening experience—you’ll want to sink into these songs. Space rock with a compositional twist, IE construct their luminous music out of intricately patterned synth melodies, spidery guitar lines, and hypnotic rhythms that alternate between ritualistic thumps and elegant grooves. A playful array of interstellar whirrs and warbles sprinkled throughout add further texture and twinkle to the group’s spacedust-streaked soundscapes. Also, there’s flute and some rather majestic vocals, both from bassist Mariel Oliveira.

Reverse Earth is out May 9th on Quindi Records. Pre-order it.

Dig this record and want more like it?

IE’s mix of heavy and hazy atmosphere has precedent in the gloomy head music of ‘90s Pacific Northwest (think Earth, Magnog, bands like that…); their composition style is directly influenced by the Minimalists of the 1960s. Other stuff….find more neu hypnotic sounds on our guide to modern psychedelia or keep contemplating the cosmos (and the ‘90s) with this classic dive into ‘90s ambient. For cool contemporary experimental pop and ambient releases, give Moon Glyph Records a follow (they released IE’s very good 2018 album Pome on cassette.)

Listening Party Picks, May 8th-14th

Come hang in the chat with artists hosting album listening parties for their fans on Bandcamp this week.

May 8th, The Vernon Spring for Under a Familiar Sun. RSVP.
May 8th, Ezra Furman for Goodbye Small Head. RSVP.
May 8th, John McKay for Sixes & Sevens. RSVP.
May 8th, Locrian for The Crystal World: 15th Anniversary Remaster. RSVP.
May 9th, Catherine Lamb x Ghost Ensemble for interius/exterius. RSVP. [All attendees will receive a discount code for $5 off the digital or LP version of the album.]
May 9th, Naviar Records Presents: Quiete (静謐) RSVP. [Livestream from Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Saitama, Japan]
May 10th, Steve Von Till for Alone in a World of Wounds. RSVP.
May 11th, Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires for Sounds Made By Humans. RSVP.
May 11th, John R. Mabry for Courage and Grace. RSVP.
May 13th, Fielded for Chuckles Deluxe. RSVP.
May 14th, The Flying Hats for The Return Of. RSVP.

For a list of all upcoming listening parties, go here.