Showing posts with label Solar Eyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solar Eyes. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 June 2026

Primula - Twin Bloom - Solar Eyes

Photo - Elvira Glänte
Primula - Nothing New (EP).

Swedish band Primula steps into a new chapter with ‘Nothing New’ their new EP which has just been released. With a dream of collective creativity and a desire to make something personal and unpretentious, Primula embraces the new sound they have grown into together as a band. Rather than following conventional three-minute structures and predictable choruses, Primula embraces tension and space that many musicians shy away from. The result is far from run-of-the-mill indie as their tracks shift seamlessly between fragility and power, driven by Ella’s striking and unconventional vocals.

The collection of songs that make up ‘Nothing New’ focus on the ups and downs of early adulthood: wanting to fit in while also finding your own path, dealing with love and loss, and the distance that can grow when life doesn’t turn out the way you imagined. Recorded using mostly a live approach and produced by Gustav Alte, the EP brings powerful drums and strong vocal performances, redefining the band’s musical identity while showcasing the matured sound the band have grown into.

The lead single from the EP, ‘Nothing New’, captures the emotional core of the release and sets the tone for the band’s new chapter. The track reflects on the strange familiarity of growing older and how certain feelings, patterns, and disappointments seem to return no matter how much time passes. It moves
through resignation and repetition, while still holding onto the possibility of change, of breaking old habits, and of daring to choose differently. The song balances melancholy with a sense of moving forward, reflecting the uncertainty and hope that run throughout the EP.


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Twin Bloom - Magazine Dreams.

Dandy Boy Records announced they will release a 12" EP on July 10 from Twin Bloom. You can hear the first single, Magazine Dreams, now. Twin Bloom makes indie rock that balances momentum with atmosphere, drifting between the glow of 80s new wave, the haze of shoegaze and the melodic pull of classic guitar pop. Based in Oakland, the band leans into warmth over sharp edges. Guitars shimmer and blur, melodies stick quickly, and close vocal harmonies give the songs a familiar, lived-in feel.

Influences like Teenage Fanclub, Alvvays, The Cure and The Strokes are present, but never foregrounded, filtered instead through a sensibility shaped by years of playing rooms, basements and clubs. There’s patience in the band’s writing, but also a steady sense of drive. Songs unfold gradually, carried by chiming guitars and propulsive rhythms that keep things moving even as textures bloom and recede. The arrangements stay lean and focused, favoring clarity over excess and letting repetition, tone and melody do the work. The music feels emotionally grounded and immediate, well suited for hazy summer drives and warm, nostalgic nights that stretch on longer than expected.

Twin Bloom’s self-titled debut EP, slated for release in summer 2026, captures a moment of transition, caught between looking back and pushing forward. Lead single “Summer’s Gone” distills the band’s approach most clearly, pairing an easy, driving rhythm with a bittersweet sense of seasonal shift. Twin Bloom isn’t chasing trends or big statements. The band is focused on writing songs that stick, sound good turned up in the car and feel just as natural on the tenth listen as the first.


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Solar Eyes - Be Under No Illusion.

Just in time for a hot, hazy summer ahead, Solar Eyes return with a brand new single, “Be Under No Illusion”. “Be Under No Illusion” is a full‑throttle indie psych-rock track that hits with immediacy, confidence and a gun-slinging swagger. Driven by a relentless groove, howling fuzz guitars, and Western-movie vocal whoops provided by Nadine Batchelor Hunt, it brings the raw energy of early Kasabian and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to a Morricone-scored shoot-out. With its unusual, off-kilter 7/4 time signature it counts itself amongst a rare-breed of classic tracks, including Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song” and Pink Floyd’s “Money”, both of which count them as part of their DNA. The result is a dizzying track firmly rooted in the now, but very much orbiting in a realm of its own.

The same day, Solar Eyes will accompany the track with two contrasting B‑sides that deepen the picture. The interdimensional, driving shoegaze of “Sweet Angel” is a claustrophobic contrast of darkness and light; whilst its companion “All Because Of You” is both hazy and melodic as it walks a tightrope of tension with atmosphere – think Velvet Underground or Suicide with a hint of Bob Dylan.

Collectively, the three tracks showcase Solar Eyes at their most focused and confident, sharpening their sound and building on the momentum of last year’s critically acclaimed second album ‘Live freaky! Die Freaky!’. Solar Eyes is the cosmic creation of Midlands (England) duo Glenn Smyth and Sebastian Maynard Francis. Formed in 2021, Solar Eyes have steadily been amassing a devoted fanbase at tastemaker events like SXSW and The Great Escape. 


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Primula - Twin Bloom - Solar Eyes

Photo - Elvira Glänte Primula - Nothing New (EP). Swedish band Primula steps into a new chapter with ‘Nothing New’ their new EP which has j...