Brighton kids Lion Bark (all members of the band are between ages 20-23) make their B3 debut w/ the very nice “Longhorns”. Featuring a neat mix of UK/post-punk-styled guitar and rhythm and frontman Guy Bangham’s (which is a breathtaking rock and roll name) subtle but affecting croon, “Longhorns” is a standout and is firmly indicative of band on the definite up.
Lion Bark 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.1
“Try It Over”, new from Melbourne-based Yujen, features a fresh mix of spaced-out electronics, deep water depth-charge beats and the pillowy croon of B3 fave Chet Faker on vocals. “Try It Over” is the title track from Yujen’s upcoming debut EP on Mr. Faker’s Detail Co. label.
Yujen 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Method Records lets loose a crazy collab/line-up in the form of the infinitely cool & funky “Together” featuring of the moment vocalist Sam Smith, UK dance it boys Disclosure and the legendary Nile Rodgers (and some dude called Jimmy Naples whom we even googled but came up with no identity for). “Together” (besides sounding awesome) sounds just about what you might expect a Disclosure, Sam Smith, Nile Rodgers collaboration sound like, dope a f.
Method Records (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.1
The skillfully-constructed bliss pop w/ hooks of the GEMS “Ephemera” is the D.C.-based duo’s best track to date (which after the near perfect “Medusa” is quite a take). The band’s new “Medusa” EP dropped on Tuesday and if you haven’t secured yourself a copy you should sort that out ASAP/immediately.
GEMS 
(Official)
Rating 8.4
L.A. via Chicago production duo Blended Babies have been knocking out soulful instrumentals on the reg for hip hop’s brightest (incl. King Chip, Chance the Rapper and Freddie Gibbs) for years. Here, the duo grab favorite collaborators Asher Roth & Chuck Inglish for the dreary R&B-lean of “See the World”.
Blended Babies 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.1
R&B newcomer King Avriel impresses with the fresh infusion (into an already stacked genre) of sounds & ideas on “Prelude”. The track, which as Pigeons and Planes reports, was inspired by and created as a response to Kendrick Lamar’s “Keisha’s Song”; with Avriel commenting the following on the song:
““I was inspired by the story Kendrick told in Keisha’s Song. I wanted to create a prelude to his story by using my own experiences, because I felt so connected to Keisha’s struggle. I hoped the song would shed light on the cycle of abuse and neglect of black women, and how it negatively affects everyone in our community on some level — even our men.”
King Avriel 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.4
Previewed below is the excellent gritty latest track from Jagjaguwar artist Angel Olsen “Forgiven/Forgotten”. Built on a relentless guitar snarl, crashing drums and Ms. Olsen’s taking y’all to task vocal “Forgiven” is another standout song from the Chicago artist. Angel Olsen’s Burn Your Fire for No Witness LP is out February 18th on the aforementioned Jagjaguwar.
Angel Olsen (Purchase)
Rating 8.1
Glass Animals’ ‘intelligent* indie’ sound is easily likened to Alt-J, but there is a whole other layer to this Oxfordshire four piece. The trippy electronic R&B twist on “Woozy” adds a little extra something and is particularly prominent with the addition of Jean Deaux and her laid-back flow. Glass Animals also have potential to be the better live band, and already succeed in delivering intricately produced tracks in a way that moves their audience with every woozy groove. Add the support of super-producer Paul Epworth’s new label Wolf Tone and you’ve got a pretty sure bet on a great debut album. Reviewed By Nathan Hetherington
*as intelligent as a band previously known as “Alligator Puffin Chicken Go Yeh Woo” gets anyway.
Glass Animals (Facebook)
Rating 8.6
Triptides have their new sophomore LP Predictions at the ready. Noise around the trippy guitar jangle collective from Indiana has been building steadily with recent support from the likes of NME, DIY, Clash, and Rough Trade to name a few. To mark the November 18th release of the album, Triptides are letting loose on a new video for the hooky psychedelia of their single “Set You Free”. We’ve got you set up with the premiere for the video below, and be sure to pick up a copy of the Predictions on 11/18 via Stroll On Records.
*ALSO, we caught up with Triptides for a bit last year. Check out our convo here.
Triptides 
(Official) (Purchase)
Rating 8.4
“Jukebox Dreams”, new from L.A. band The Rebel Light, excels on its strong melodic rudder (for real, try not getting “I fell for you, I got a love that’s comin’ true” line in your head) and cleverly derived warm 60’s British pop familiarity (imagine something like Peter Noone from Herman’s Hermits giving you a great big bearhug).
The Rebel Light The Neighbourhood (Bandcammp)
Rating 8.4
We’re digging the dark modern pop of UK newcomers P A N E S’ “Choice Errors”. The nods to current R&B, hip hop, UK bass music are obvious on “Choice Errors” (and part of the track’s appeal) but their subtle and spun into the track as components of a whole sound palette rather than “modern music checklist boxes” to tick.
P A N E S (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.5
The Bo Saris train kept a rollin’ w/ new track “Little Bit More”. Stylistically, “Little Bit More” falls in a lane with the sort of new school blue-eyed soul espoused by artists like Mayer Hawthorne or Fitz and the Tantrums. Driven by hooky percussive piano and Saris’ all guts tenor, “Little Bit More” is soulful and pleasantly nostalgic without being silly or pastiche. Bo Saris’ “The Addict” EP is out now on Deram/Universal.
Bo Saris 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.49389
