Back in January Ernest Green released a new track under his Washed Out moniker for Philips’ Sound Of Creation project, which was the first new music from the once-chillwave-prince since his excellent 2011 album Within And Without.

Today he’s announced that the album’s followup will be Paracosm, out on August 13th via Sub Pop and set to feature as many instruments as possible that will rid him of the chillwave tag that follows him around like a hungry, lonely tramp dog. Below you can watch a trailer for the album, and check back for a tracklist and the album’s first cut “It All Feels”.

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When you’re looking to cover yourself in glitter, wear shoes that are exactly 24 inches too high, and dance around in a fishnet tanktop like your feet are on fire, the only album that should soundtrack this experience is Charli XCX‘s debut album True Romance.

In the first video since her album’s release, “Take My Hand”, she does all of the above excluding the fishnet tanktop, I just threw that in there from personal experience.  Watch the video below, and if you’ve yet to dance like an E’d up maniac, go listen to True Romance.

Connect with Charli XCX: Facebook | Twitter | Website

In a week where one of the highest profile new releases of the year introduces its nostalgia-reveling sounds to the masses, Fred Thomas’s Saturday Looks Good To Me quietly returns in all its 60s pop glory. One Kiss Ends It All is filled to the brim with plenty of pop chestnuts, but it’s also the home to an array of modern production flourishes, bringing in twists and turns to the band’s twee-as-fuck foundation. The result is an album that uses the pop sounds of Burt Bacharach and Phil Spector as a springboard before exploring the lo-fi sounds of modern indie music.

That aesthetic pops up on several songs, including the excellent “New City.” Starting with a lovely girl-group vocal, the song brings in a dirty sax in the middle, jolting the song out of its clean-cut 60s viewpoint into the filthy view of modern Detroit. It’s a delightful tugging of style that accentuates the craftsmanship of Thomas, while bringing visions of mid-70s Springsteen combining with the sugar sweet sounds of The Supremes.

This isn’t to say One Kiss Ends It All breaks the wheel. On the contrary, it doubles down on many of the twee tropes that bands like Belle & Sebastian and Camera Obscura excel in. Thomas brings in four different female vocalists (Carol Catherine, Amber Fellows, Autumn Wetli, and Betty Marie Barnes), with each one bringing her own unique stamp to the proceedings. This has the effect of making each song feel a bit different with the vocals on “The Everpresent New Condition” and “Invisible Friend” being the standouts of the record.

Thomas and his rotating collection of musicians know the ins and outs of pop from a bygone era. “Break In” kicks in with horns and an expanding sound that gives the feel of a tune from the heyday of Motown. “Are You Kissing Anyone” turns it down a notch, but it still hits those emotional sweet spots. Of course, there are also modern touches throughout the record, from the slight lo-fi haze of opener “One Kiss” to the clarity in production on “Space Children.”

The production work here is outstanding, giving life to every vocal tic and instrument without sacrificing the album’s fidelity. Thomas does a superb job with everything here, giving the songs room to breathe, while staying away from bludgeoning the listener’s ear by turning everything up. It’s a different deal than She & Him’s Volume 3, an album with a similar sound palate that shot itself in the foot by sacrificing production for the sake of loudness.

It’s nice to see the return of Saturday Looks Good to Me after a half-decade of silence. While One Kiss Ends It All isn’t breaking the mold, it does bring a nice spin to a genre that can too often rely on old tricks. It’s a pleasant listen, with enough studio trickery to reveal new flourishes on each listen.

Connect with Saturday Looks Good To Me: Facebook | Twitter | Website

The sound of a band that’s a collaboration between members from Belgium, Cameroon, China, and France might leave the listener scratching their head a bit, but thankfully it’s as easy as hitting play on any FI/SHE/S song. The five guys in the band met in a Parisian suburb in their early twenties, and with little money and big dreams joined forces and started to work on their music, which has frequently been labeled as dream pop. After trying the names Kinda Weird Fishes and FI.SHE.S, it seems they’ve settled on FI/SHE/S.

With this latest moniker the band has released a self-titled EP that contained two originals (“A Drive to the Psychos” and “Quiet Is the Monster”) and a cover of Kavinsky‘s “Nightcall.” It was the cover that brought the project some buzz, as it was a creative take on the song without straying too far from the original’s shape. The originals are reminiscent of bands like Grizzly Bear and Local Natives, full of intricate arrangements and beautiful harmonies.

The relationship with Local Natives goes further than just sonics; FI/SHE/S recently posted a remix of the beautiful “Wide Eyes” to their Soundcloud. It’s got fresh electronic-meets-primitive ritual vibe, bringing a slow pace to the vocals and heavier emphasis to the percussion, giving a sensation close to a smooth trance state.

On the band’s Soundcloud we also find the song “Animals”. Posted a few days ago, the track shows a progression in their sound, with a stronger, more rhythmic melody. There’s also the sublime ”Selfish Confession,” which creates an ethereal soundscape and features some smooth vocals. As of now it’s only available as a live performance from last year, but hopefully that changes soon. Maybe with the announcement of a debut album soon? While we wait, we’ll keep listening to the highlights below.

Connect with FI/SHE/S: Facebook | Twitter | Website

“Bow down bitches,” the Queen is back.

Really she should have been back a long time ago, as a GQ cover story from earlier this year said that her new album would be out in April and it’s already late May and we still haven’t had anything else beyond a couple commercial snippets and that Soundcloud thing (is it one song? two? parts of two?).

That’s all changed now though, as the full version of “Grown Woman” has made its way online, albeit unofficially. On display is Beyoncé looking to continue commanding pop as she did with 4, with a very aggressive Timbaland beat (good to see he’s back in fine form). There’s a definite African-feel to the track, including a completely tribal bit, and layered over it are vocals that remind a bit of “Run the World”, especially in the girl-power subject matter. It makes a bit of sense too, as The-Dream is believed to have co-written the track.

“Grown Woman” will presumably appear on the singer’s fifth studio album, which will presumably come out later this year.

Connect with Beyoncé: Facebook | Twitter | Website

So it’s finally festival season, and in a few weeks we’ve got the mother American summer music festivals, Bonnaroo, gracing the lives of 80,000 lucky attendees. To get ready for the big event, I participated in a press conference interview with none other than Josh Tillman – Father John Misty frontman and former Fleet Foxes drummer – along with several other journalists.

Check out the interview below, and be sure to check him out if you head to Bonnaroo this summer.

Josh Tillman: First of all, I would appreciate it if everyone took their – all their clothes off, like I am right now, like because I’m more or less naked. So I would feel far more comfortable if everyone would kindly oblige me that small indulgence.

Hey Josh, nice to see you in the festival frame of mind already.

Josh Tillman: Yes man. I just took some ecstasy and – but I’m also hung-over so it’s perfect.

I think I want a later question then so that I get the full effect of the ecstasy.

Josh Tillman: That’s an amazing question, whoa.

Can you talk a little bit about – you know, it’s been about a year since, you know, since Fear Fun came out and everything. And it’s almost like Bonnaroo’s going to be a, you know, a part of a victory lap for this. But where else do you see going as Father John Misty? How has the whole idea of this evolved for you? And has it changed at all since the album came out?

Josh Tillman: Well I mean, if anything I hope that the concept of Father John Misty, you know the – that concept as like a – as – I hope that that like devolves and the – you know, I mean I’m working on the next – I’m working on the second record now. And you know, it’s very much like just the songs of Josh Tillman. Like there isn’t much of a – I think the goofy name served a purpose of – I mean it was like very emblematic of this kind of creative change of mind. And I think that just in terms of like, the name really just served as this like, it really only exists as – giving yourself a really stupid name is just something that I would do and I would think was funny. But you know the – so it’s more the active kind of choosing the name more so than like, “This name is emblematic of, you know, this or that type of song or this or that type of expression.” So if anything, I hope that the name thing just sort of becomes like an – you know more of an invisible - just some invisible, you know like a brand name or something. But in like a, you know a (Rosebiney) name sort of way. But I mean, I don’t have any particularly exotic plans other than continuing to make albums and play live, et cetera, et cetera.

Sure. How far along are you on this next one?

Josh Tillman: I’m about 80% done with 80% of the songs. So I’d say, “I’m about 160% done.”

I was going to say, “I don’t think I’ve had enough ecstasy today to figure out the math on that but…

Josh Tillman: So well dude, if you need to do math, do not take ecstasy, it won’t like – numbers are the, you know, numbers are the first thing to go out the window.

Are you going to take the time to see some other acts while you’re there? And if so, who are some of the acts you’re most excited to check out at?

Josh Tillman: Well I’m sure I’ll probably like overhear a bunch of music as I’m being driven around on a golf cart to do promo. But I don’t know, I’d like to see Weird Al, I’d like to see R. Kelly, I’d like to see whoever is making funnel cakes at the funnel cake booth, I’d like to go watch them for a while. Yes, those are my Big 3.

Those are – that’s a very good Big 3.

Josh Tillman: Yes I hope that my music is ultimately some kind of amalgamation of R. Kelly, Weird Al and the funnel cake guy.

So besides the musical acts, you know, Bonnaroo has a fantastic comedy portion and between, you know, your trucker spots on KCRW and you know, a lot of your general humor, you’ve shown that you’re a pretty good comedian yourself -

Josh Tillman: I’m pretty fucking hilarious if you ask me.

Well are there any comedians you are excited to either see or meet at the festival? And do you plan to participate in any of the Bonnaroo comedy events?

Josh Tillman: I would like to maybe just like continue to ingratiate to like ingratiate myself to David Cross. Yes you know, maybe like take a – maybe get a photo op with us like pointing at each other, like doing that kind of photo where, you know, like Tom Cruise and Stephen Spielberg pointing at each other. Have you ever noticed that, how like men of power – like powerful men can only stand one another if they’re like pointing at each other like, “No this guy,” like a tale of douchebaggery. So I just want to take a photo like that with David Cross in front of like a Sierra Mist backdrop or something.

Are you planning on participating in any events or is that kind of a secret as of now?

Josh Tillman: Well no I’m not – I’m – no. Now I’m going to go get on the phone and scream at my manager and ask him why I’m not involved in any comedy events.

Bonnaroo is a place where you can collaborate on a whim so.

Josh Tillman: Yes.

So get up there with David Cross and have a good time.

Josh Tillman: Yes.

As often as I’ve seen and heard you talk about nudity and as hot as Bonnaroo gets, are you – can Bonnaroo fans expect to see you just parading, walking around, or on stage or anything like that?

I’m sorry, I couldn’t – I didn’t understand the first part of your question.

As much as you talk about being naked and…

Josh Tillman: Yes.

…as many pictures as I’ve seen come across the Internet of you clothes-less, is that going to be a persona you portray at Bonnaroo?

Josh Tillman: Well I just had this giant like 20×12 backdrop made and it’s like a giant collage, and I am actually naked on the – like up at the top, like underneath a rainbow, next to a burning church, there’s a naked picture of me. So I will be I guess, you know, in some way represented in my innocent nakedness in that way. I don’t know, probably. It depends on what the weather’s like; maybe a shirt off, maybe no socks, you know, some combination of the two.

Okay. Is there a reason you have so – you’re into that whole artistic thing or do you just like being naked?

Josh Tillman: I did a bunch of market research as to like what my – what the average music fan wanted to see, and a large part of the pie graph that the independent company that I contracted to acquire this information for me, was nudity. So I took, you know, took course and started just putting a bunch of naked pictures of myself on the Internet. But I also just – I don’t know, I think that there’s – you know, when you live with a photographer, with like a fine art photographer, a lot of naked pictures of you start to come into your life. And then when you also have like a laptop and kind of a morbid sense of humor, those pictures end up finding their way onto the Internet. That’s probably the most succinct way I can explain how it happened. 

What is the most disgusting thing you’ve ever done at a festival? What was – have you ever had a sexual like encounter at a festival and what was the first one?

Josh Tillman: Okay, shit. What’s my – the most – I know there’s got to be one. I mean, you have to understand, festivals you know, to me they’re almost like – they’re really hard to have fun at because there are so many, you know, limitations on kind – you know there’s all this like, “This wristband won’t get you into this hole in the fence, you have to go to the wristband pavilion and get a red wristband so that you can go through this hole in the fence.” So you know, whatever. So you know, I’m not sure that my festival experiences have been – really have been all that like Dionysian, or like you know, like sexually liberated. But I – man I don’t – I just don’t – I’m failing you miserably. I wish I had some canonical crazy festival story. I kind of remember a funny – I was at a festival in England and it was like one of those real hippy like, you know like, “Let’s put all the white people on an island and see how hippy they can get,” kind of festival. They – so they had like this Kid Zone where they had like this big hula-hoop thing happening. And so there are all these kids hula-hooping and then I walked in and started hula-hooping and the place – like every child like left immediately, and I was just like left standing there hula-hooping by myself, like in the Kid Zone. That was – that’s more just kind of a funny mental image than a crazy thing.

So you seem to be on a number of festival lineups this summer. So I was wondering what it is about performing at festivals that, you know, you enjoy? And is there anything special we should be expecting at Bonnaroo?

Josh Tillman: I’ll tell you what I like about playing festivals, the money. That’s what you do, you just, you go out there, you play as many as you can, you just get fucking paid. No like, if there’s a reason – I mean, I think the one thing I do enjoy about the – playing festivals is that you still have an opportunity to kind of confuse and baffle people, like in a way that you don’t. Like when you just play a show by yourself, people are kind of – they’ve entered a social contract with you, they’ve watched a few YouTube clips, they know what you do and whatever. But at a – in a festival there’s all kinds of people who have like no interest in seeing you, they have no idea who you are and they might just watch it on a whim or something. And I think some of the – you know, in all sincerity that is like kind of part of what’s you know, exciting about a festival slot. And I also really enjoy playing while two other bands play, like roughly 25 feet away from you, at full volume. It creates a real magical musical moment.

How are you enjoying your conference call? I’m loving it, except I have that weird thing where with public speaking instead of picturing everyone else naked, I feel like I’m the only one naked, and it’s very nerve-racking.

Yes, I invented this kind of though experiment scenario with my fiancé where there’s a coffee place that’s like right down the hill from where we live. And one day we were lying in bed and I was like, “What if some guy barged in here with a gun right now and pointed it and he was like, go down to the coffee place naked and get – and bring back 3 latte’s or I’m going to kill her.” And just thinking about like what that would actually feel like, to go down to the coffee place like completely naked, and just imagining people’s – you know like, there’d be like three waves of like, “Oh my god, that guy’s naked. He’s naked.” I like thinking about it.

Do you think anyone would make like a really good grande or a venti joke?

Josh Tillman: Nice, no man. You’re on fire this morning. I would hope so. I mean yes, if life was like, you know, like some terrible like Judd Apatow comedy or something it would probably…

“I’ll have a tall black,” it’s like more like, “A small white.”

Josh Tillman: Yes.

On that note, you know I’m a – admittedly a big Kid Cudi fan. And I was wondering if you were expecting the type of great reception you got from the hip-hop community with your collaboration with them? And do you see yourself working with that genre anymore? And any chance you’d jump on stage with any of the other hip-hop acts at Bonnaroo if, you know, Wu-Tang wanted to see if you were something to fuck with?

Josh Tillman: You know, it’s a real – you don’t want to over – I don’t think you really want to over-salt the soup when it comes to things like that. I mean I was surprised when I – you know, when he told - when Scott, Kid Cudi, contacted me about it. And…

I heard he like, he heard you at an antique store?

Josh Tillman: Yes. Well he was looking at – no, he was – like a clothing store, he wasn’t like antiquing and

Okay. Yes that’s – I knew it was something odd. All right.

Josh Tillman: Yes. But I like that story better actually, “He was antiquing.”

Sure.

Josh Tillman: And yes, no I definitely think that I’m in a very precarious position where if I did start doing a lot more hip-hop stuff I could serve to like really embarrass myself. So I don’t intend to tempt the fates, as far as that’s concerned. But I would play drums with Wu-Tang. I think I could do that and have my dignity remain intact — what’s left of my dignity intact. 

You know, that’s totally fair and I would totally accept that.

Josh Tillman: Yes. So I’m also going to scream at my manager about playing drums with Wu-Tang.

Well Josh, thank you for making the time for us today.

Josh Tillman: Yes.

And I think I speak for everyone on this call that, “I’m now even more excited about your set then I was.”

Josh Tillman: Awesome. I hope it wasn’t too obtuse. I – yes.

It was. It was very obtuse, and that’s why…

Josh Tillman: Just the right amount of obtuse. Cool.

In the best of ways.

Josh Tillman: All right. Well I look forward to it. Everybody, come say hi. We’ll eat a funnel cake.

Connect with Father John Misty: Facebook | Twitter | Website

Daft Punk announces their intentions right off the bat with “Give Life to Music.” In their trademark robotic monotone, the words “let the music of your life give life back to music” could be read as something of a thesis statement, recycling old sounds into a revised history of the 70s and 80s, where disco never went out of style and the quiet storm is always raging. “Give Life to Music” is all disco glitter and Nile Rodgers funk, sounding like something you would’ve seen on Soul Train in the show’s heyday.  The track doesn’t really go anywhere though, setting up a repetitive beat that will test the listener’s patience for disco. Its follow up, “The Game of Love” slows things down considerably, showing off another side of the group while reveling in mood and atmosphere. Besides the song’s vocals, “The Game of Love” sounds like something you would’ve heard on the FM radio at night in the 80s – a perfect “lovers after dark” type of tune that you’d expect to be introduced by a DJ with a sultry voice and a flair for the dramatic.

The first real highlight of the album comes in the form of “Giorgio by Moroder.” The great Italian producer, Giorgio Moroder, starts the track off by discussing his career in the 70s, his youth, and creating the music he would become known for. It’s an intriguing voiceover that matches the album’s central theme. When Moroder talks about taking sounds of his youth and turning it into music for the future, it matches Daft Punk’s embrace of its own past throughout Random Access Memories. Once Moroder finishes his talk, the song takes off, becoming an enthralling jam mixing Daft Punk with an 80s aesthetic that is truly the best of both worlds.

Part of Daft Punk’s charm is the dizzying array of guests. Rodgers and Moroder start the cavalcade off, with Chilly Gonzalez making an appearance on the schmaltzy “Within.” Drenched in more 80s nostalgia, the tune sounds like a long lost duet between singers like Lionel Richie or Diana Ross. On “Instant Crush,” the Strokes‘ Julian Casablancas sounds the most engaged he’s been in years, turning in a fine performance. “Lose Yourself to Dance” returns to the disco funk of the first tune, bringing back Rodgers and introducing Pharrell Williams to the proceedings. It’s a good tune, with a killer riff from Rodgers, but the repetitive nature of the track overstays its welcome.

One of the stranger detours occurs with “Touch” a folk-pop jam featuring singer/songwriter Paul Williams. Williams made a name for himself in the 70s by penning songs for David Bowie and The Carpenters as well as writing the music for Phantom of the Paradise and “The Rainbow Connection” for The Muppet Movie. On “Touch,” Williams shows off his still impressive vocal range in a number that feels so unlike Daft Punk as it goes on, you’d think it was from another group entirely. At eight minutes, it’s a lot of melodrama to take in, but it has a sweetness to it that makes the song a grower. Williams sells the hell out of the tune, making it work on his terms, despite seemingly jumping genres in just seconds.

“Touch” then segues into “Get Lucky,“ another disco-funk tune with Rodgers and Pharrell that fires on all cylinders and hits the right notes. The first (and obvious) single is a bit too long in its album form, but it’s so infectious and giddy it demands to be danced to. As the centerpiece of the album, it begins the transition to the second half of the record where things slow down considerably. Whether it’s due to the repetitive nature of the music or the feeling that Daft Punk is playing in someone else’s playground, Random Access Memories begins to feel bloated as it heads to its conclusion.

“Beyond” is fine, but it feels like Daft Punk is spinning their wheels. It does lead into the solid “Motherboard,” a tune where you can hear the modern sound of the group as they wade through the 70s haze. Then there’s “Fragments of Time,” a tune that is so 80s, it sounds like a dozen other songs that have come before. Here’s where the journey of nostalgia begins to become tedious. Previously, Daft Punk had used these old sounds within their aesthetic, creating tunes that may have sounded from another era, but at least maintained some aspect of the group’s forward-thinking personality. “Fragments of Time” is the sound of the band losing its own identity, going as far as to create a song that so personifies early 80s pop-rock that it eliminates any semblance of early 21^st century electronica.

That’s not to say the back half of the record is completely without merit. Panda Bear shows up and makes his mark on “Doin’ It Right.” The tune is exactly what you’d expect from a collaboration between the two parties and it leaves a lasting impression on the record, keeping it from drowning in its own sea of nostalgic devotion. The positive vibes are kept up in the record’s closing song, “Contact,” bringing out Daft Punk’s more well-known side in a banger of an ending. It’s a tune that’ll play well in a live setting, but it also shows that the group can still push their music looking forward without having to look back.

Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories is a good, if indulgent record that takes intriguing turns, but doesn’t quite feel like the triumphant return it should’ve been. There’s some excellent tunes, but the second half becomes too bogged down trying to sound like something the group is not. That said, Random Access Memories has enough greatness to justify its existence, just don’t approach it expecting anything close to Daft Punk’s best work.

Connect with Daft Punk: Facebook | Twitter | Website

The National have been making music since 1999, and for over a decade they’ve been consistently getting better at it. It’s hard to imagine that given the already grandiose nature of their style – a high-class blend of driving rock beats and chamber-pop instrumentation – but they’ve been refining that blend ever since their self-titled debut. In 2005, they completely nailed it with Alligator, and they’ve built upon it with each subsequent release of theirs: Boxer, the glorious High Violet—and now, their newest LP, Trouble Will Find Me.

What most sets The National apart from their aural contemporaries (younger bands like Interpol, Kings of Leon) are the dark, romantically pessimistic lyrics, written and delivered by lead singer Matt Berninger. While their last two albums focused on bitter vignettes about stifling urban life, Trouble Will Find Me moves on to more abstract settings in order to convey themes of lost love and remorse. Whereas before, Berninger was “a birthday candle in a circle of black girls”, he’s now “a white girl in a crowd of white girls in the park”, and dependency has reduced him to repeating the title of “I Need My Girl” over and over again.

As a result, Trouble Will Find Me is arguably more relatable as an album, if a little lacking in the bleak humour of some of their earlier work – but that’s traded in for beautiful lines like the chorus of the opening track, “I should live in salt for leaving you behind”, or one of the more memorable lines from the powerful “Pink Rabbits”: “I’m so surprised you want to dance with me now / You always said I held you way too high off the ground.” In fact, the greatest non-sequitur here is probably the reference to the Violent Femmes’ “Kiss Off” on the closing track “Hard to Find”, but it’s enveloped in such a gorgeous arrangement that it becomes complimentary as opposed to distracting.

The greatest thing about The National is that they come across as artistic without becoming the least bit pretentious. They use unconventional time signatures on “I Should Live in Salt” and “Demons”, but they’re executed so well that they’re anything but jarring, instead reflecting the reincarnate nature of these opening tracks. The album’s blooming with fantastic moments: the earth-shattering chords in the coda of “Don’t Swallow the Cap”; the swung rhythm of “Slipped” that’s barely there, adding just enough propulsion to the quiet tension of that track; and the fiercely explosive drumming on “Sea of Love”, demonstrating how underrated Bryan Devendorf is as a rock drummer.

The lack of pretension also informs how they use their guest artists. Although one might not realise it when casually listening, the LP includes Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Etten, Richard Reed Parry of the Arcade Fire and Annie Clark (St. Vincent). Some of their contributions are more obvious than others – you can hear Sufjan still revelling in his electronic sounds at the end of “Don’t Swallow the Cap”, and Sharon Van Etten and Annie Clark’s backing vocals break through every once in a while – but the fact their features are so imperceptible shows you how careful The National are with their tools.

Ultimately, Trouble Will Find Me is a National record, so it’s more of the same, more or less; but if you don’t think that’s a good thing, please: familiarise yourself with their back catalogue and indulge yourself in this new album. It’s beautiful, emotionally gripping, and it serves as a concrete reminder that The National are the stalwarts of the indie rock scene.

Connect with The National: Facebook | Twitter | Website

A lot of people seem to be annoyed by Zooey Deschanel‘s “adorkable” persona, to the point that they undermine her artistic abilities. I’m guessing her having married (then divorced) twee-king Ben Gibbard probably doesn’t help. Still, she’s the star of a hilarious sitcom, has played key roles in several notable movies, and has gotten progressively better at writing and arranging songs for her musical project, She & Him, where she performs alongside the always great M. Ward.

For the video for “I Could’ve Been Your Girl,” the sunny, highly enjoyable first single from the also very enjoyable Volume 3, Deschanel has added another skill to her repertoire: directing. As she explained on the HelloGiggles site she helps run, she took inspiration from some of her favorite ’60s musicals, and the result is a colorful, funny watch. I mean, just look at the screenshot above.

She & Him‘s Volume 3 is out now via Merge Records.

Connect with She & Him: Facebook | Twitter | Website

There are very few bands out there that do the whole shoegaze-y, indie glam rock vibe as well as Smith Westerns do. Or maybe they’re the only ones? In any case, the one thing that’s for sure is that the young Chicago band are one of indie rocks finest treasures. After their excellent 2011 second album, Dye It Blonde, there were questions raised as to where they’d be going next, and if they could live up to the standards. 

These questions were more than answered with “Varsity,“ the first single to be released from their upcoming album, Soft Will. The track’s upbeat, shiny haze was a bit more polished, but still showed the group’s songwriting abilities, and that they’ve grown a lot in two years.

“3am Spiritual” continues to prove that they know what they’re doing, even at a slower tempo – though it should hardly be a surprise as some of Dye It Blonde‘s best moments were the slower numbers. The reflective new song feels a bit from another era, and creates the kind of hazy soundscape that might be expected at 3 A.M. Still, the band manage to combine the introspective nature of the song with enough sheen for it to remain catchy, and keep us anticipating more.

Soft Will will be out on June 25th via Mom + Pop. It’s available to pre-order now from iTunes, with “3am Spiritual” coming as an immediate download.

Connect with Smith Westerns: Facebook | Twitter | Website