Cool Band Alert - Lightheaded

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Playlist of the week: “dreamy ambient” by Edward Herbers (who also makes dreamy ambient music himself).

For non-playlist people —> Get album recommendations directly from artists in our Big Ups column on Bandcamp Daily.

Name: Lightheaded
From: New Jersey
Members: Cynthia Rittenbach (bass, vocals), Stephen Stec (guitar), Madison Proffitt (guitar), Gavin Cordaro (drums)
RIYL: Sharp Pins, The Umbrellas, Artificial Go, The Pastels, Belle & Sebastian, Rain Parade, Heavenly, Shop Assistants, The School, every band in the C86 tag
The Gist: Lazy Line Painter Jane goes to New Jersey

Is Roger McGuinn’s chiming 12-string intro on “Mr. Tambourine Man” the most consequential riff in pop history? Are Orange Juice more influential than Joy Division these days? New Jersey band Lightheaded’s winsome indie pop makes a strong case that the answers are yes and also yes. In a banner year for jangly guitars (see: Sharp Pins, good flying birds, Whitney’s Playland), these New Jersey popkids deliver a master class with new full-length Thinking, Dreaming, Scheming! Nonstop hits from start to finish, the record pairs sweet ‘60s touchstones like folk-rock and sunshine pop with neo-psychedelic guitars and punky energy straight out of ‘80s college rock (they are from New Jersey, after all.) But it isn’t all glowy nostalgia. Lightheaded modernize their sound by enthusiastically embracing the possibilities of sonic texture and a whole lot of reverb. Sometimes they’re quite stylish and baroque, sounding like a twee Left Banke (“In the Garden”) or a scrappier Aislers Set (“The Lindens, The Lindens, The Lindens!”); at others they conjure up a haze of lo-fi yet richly detailed chamber pop of the kind not heard since the days of The Boy With the Arab Strap (“View From Your Room”). Like any good subculture (remember those?), indie pop has its own in-group signifiers, cheerfully popping up here in song titles like “Me and Amelia Fletcher” and “Mercury Girl,” and credits listing more than a few of the genre’s luminaries, but don’t worry if you don’t get the references—all you need to know is, if you like the Beatles, you will like this.

Thinking, Dreaming, Scheming! is out June 27 on Slumberland (US)/Skep Wax (UK). Pre-order it here.

Dig this record and want more like it?

Indie pop forever! Hear the classics on our intro guide to indie pop, then dive into the deep cuts. For a personal tour, Lightheaded labelmate and indie pop enthusiast Andy Pastalaniec (Chime School) shared a list of impeccable picks with us last year. (He was talking about Sharp Pins before anyone.) Explore the discographies of foundational labels like Slumberland Records, Harriet Records, Elefant Records, and Sarah Records, and newer arrivals like Meritorio. Contemporary indie pop scenes exist all over the world: take a tour with our scene reports on San Francisco, China, Indonesia, and Chile. Get a firsthand account of how the psychedelia melded with punk via this recent overview on the Paisley Underground, with legends Vicki Peterson of the Bangles and Steve Wynn of Dream Syndicate weighing in.

Listening Party Picks, June 19th - June 25th

Come hang in the chat with artists celebrating their record release this week on Bandcamp.

June 19: BC Camplight for A Sober Conversation. RSVP.
June 19: L’Eclair for Cloud Drifter. RSVP.
June 19: Robert Dallas Gray [ex-Life Without Buildings] for The Vallum. RSVP.
June 20: Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer for Different Rooms. RSVP.
June 21: Pedro the Lion 30th Anniversary Show No. 3. RSVP. [Livestream]
June 21: Val Emmich, full band home concert. RSVP. [Livestream]
June 21: ｔｅｐｈ　ｃｏ. 愛 & 直子coed for ＮAＧ♢ＹA░Ｍ AＬＬ░ＤAＴΞ░１９８５. RSVP. [“3 hours of slushed out mallsoft and signalwave”]
June 22: Alpha for Come from Heaven. RSVP. [Record giveaways and exclusive merch discount codes will be distributed throughout the party.]
June 23: Isiliel [Himari Tsukishiro from NECRONOMIDOL] for Moonbow Rebellion. RSVP.
June 24: Willi Carlisle for Winged Victory. RSVP.
June 25: Mocky for Music Will Explain (Choir Music Vol. 1). RSVP.
June 25: Sumi Tonooka for Under the Surface. RSVP.

To see the full calendar, go here.