PopMatters' 10 Best Indie Pop Albums of 2020

VINYL RELEASE OF "FREE ADVICE" ON MT.ST.MTN. www.mtstmtn.com/audio/mtn-25-cindy-free-advice UK VINYL RELEASE OF “FREE ADVICE” ON TOUGH LOVE RECORDS toughloverecords.bandcamp.com/album/cindy-free-advice INTERNATIONAL PRE-ORDERS FOR "FREE ADVICE" ON MT.ST.MTN. www.midheaven.com/item/free-advice-by-cindy Free Advice offers a somber-yet-uplifting take on sobered dream pop. Imagine if Galaxie 500’s On Fire didn’t have a guitar solo or if The Trinity Session was stripped of its folk & blues roots; it’s just pure mood. Like sitting in a half-empty movie theater that’s playing Alphaville or Wild Strawberries and watching patron’s heads briefly illuminated from the screen; Free Advice (and all of the Cindy output) transfers you to these momentary worlds. Cindy is Karina Gill on guitar/vocals, Aaron Diko on synth/keys, Simon Phillips on Drums/Percussion, and Jesse Jackson on Bass/Keys + Simon and Jesse on backing vocals. Started by Karina in 2016 when she learned to play guitar on a Squire Strat found in the basement of the house she moved into: “It was mummified in electrical tape and encrusted with something gross. The high e string isn’t on the fretboard because the nut belongs to some other instrument. I had never played music or sang or been a performer. Simon, a roommate, overheard me and encouraged me. I met Jesse when he was cashiering at a local grocery store. In 2018, Aaron joined us.“ The songs on Free Advice are these moments in mood: Phillips & Jackson’s rhythms create the foundation, while Diko’s keys rise and fall. Gill’s guitar rattles, vocals brood, and lyrics create these narratives that depict observers, not necessarily wronged rather, cautious and investigative of the world around them. All proceeds from the sale of this release will be donated to The Movement For Black Lives, “an ecosystem of individuals and organizations creating a shared vision and policy agenda to win rights, recognition, and resources for Black people.” If you like Free Advice you should also check out Cindy’s self-titled / self-released album from 2018. Which you can buy directly from their Bandcamp: cindytheband.bandcamp.com

Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico is the debut album from Tan Cologne, a new project by interdisciplinary artists Lauren Green and Marissa Macias. The two met in Taos, New Mexico and have been exploring musical and creative terrains together ever since. From forming an underground gallery space to composing experimental soundscapes, Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico emerged from parallel observations and growth, with New Mexico as the axis of the journey. The album is a story of time capsules and contact; examining fossilized terrains, monsoons, New Age dreams, alien visitations, resurrected communes, and the life cycle of a human ego on Earth. Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico is an entryway to a new portal - a journey that explores the mysteries and oddities of New Mexico, alongside spatial inner-workings of growth and spirit. Using sound as a vibrational connective tissue, Cave Vaults was recorded in two unique spaces - a 250+ year old historic adobe fortress located in Ranchos de Taos Plaza, and a small casita in Northern New Mexico. Everything you hear was written, performed, recorded, and produced by Green and Macias. The only other musician on the debut album is Green’s mother, who plays the flute on New Dune + Empty Vessels. The album title was grafted from Taos Composer Joanne Forman’s 1987 soundscape. Her composition “Cave Vaults of The Moon” accompanied a sculpture exhibition in Taos, NM on imagined alien artifacts - a resonant investigation and scent of Tan Cologne.

Thibault is the long-awaited new project for Melbourne musician Nicole Thibault. Her drily-titled debut album Or Not Thibault is full of harmonic invention, unexpected arrangements, and atmospheres so lush they make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It moves seamlessly from humour to genuine pathos, from spacious mystery to kinetic energy. Nicole’s former band Minimum Chips were a cornerstone of Chapter Music’s fabled 90s roster. For a decade or so, Minimum Chips played Moog-driven motorik pop that made them support band of choice for touring artists like Stereolab, Pavement, Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Nicole’s vocals, trombone, keyboards and songwriting helped grow a cult mystique around Min Chips that persists to this day. Nicole took time off in the late 00s to raise a family, but recently returned to music with the support of a new generation of Melbourne pop kids. Or Not Thibault includes contributions from Zak Olsen (Orb, Traffik Island), Rebecca Liston (Parsnip), Lachlan Denton (The Ocean Party) as well as Minimum Chips co-conspirator Julian Patterson. The live Thibault band currently features Zak, Rebecca and Stella Rennex (Parsnip). The album’s dreamy space-age pop feel has been beautifully captured by producer James Cecil (The Goon Sax, Architecture In Helsinki). Or Not Thibault is a richly rewarding return from a master of melody and charm.

Eve Komp - vocals, synth Kärt Ojavee - synth Rein Fuks - guitar, vocals, synth, tambourine, shaker Reijo Tagapere - bass Joosep Volk - drums, electronic percussions Kristel Eplik - back vocals All songs written and arranged by Rein Fuks Recorded by Rein Fuks at Seksound Studio, Tallinn, Estonia. Synths and electronic percussions recorded at the country house, Loe village, Estonia. Drums, acoustic guitars and some electric guitars recorded by Erko Niit at Neat Beat Studio, Pärnu, Estonia. Mixed by John McEntire at Soma Electronic Music Studios, Nevada City, CA, USA. Produced by John McEntire, Rein Fuks, Lauri Liivak. Mastered by Lauri Liivak at Peeter Salmela Studio, Tallinn, Estonia, and Lauri Liivak Mastering Studio, Pärnu, Estonia. Artwork by Kaarel Vahtramäe.

For the cassette, please order from Lost Sound Tapes: lostsoundtapes.bandcamp.com/album/needs-help Please consider buying the vinyl version, which contains a vinyl LP and a CD-EP! To buy the vinyl version, go here: kocliko.bandcamp.com/album/kr17-needs-help Needs Help is the fifth full-length album from The Very Most, which will be released on October 9, 2020 on Lost Sound Tapes and Kocliko Records. The title comes from the fact that Jeremy, the songwriter/main guy of the band, recorded a bunch of songs that, unbeknownst to him, were outside his vocal range. This required him to recruit a bunch of guest vocalists, including: - Melanie Whittle (The Hermit Crabs) - Kristine Capua (Tiny Fireflies) - Cristina Quesada (Elefant Records solo artist) - Gerri White (Arts & Leisure) - Sally Jati (Starry Eyed Cadet) - Gina Gregerson (Dirt Fishermen/Lovey) - Sarah Lowenbot (Thee Ahs) - Ashley Eriksson (LAKE) - Adam and Darcie - Eli Moore (LAKE) Needs Help is also an appropriate title due to its mental health connotations (positive or not). The lyrics deal with everyday anxieties concerning parenthood, faith, fallible memories, internet nonsense, and how hard it is, ultimately, to change your life for the better. There's also a song about getting caught being choked up listening to Automatic For The People in your cube at work for the first time in 25 years. The music itself falls broadly within indiepop, calling to mind at times Belle and Sebastian, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, or Camera Obscura, but is a bit more experimental and, perhaps, a bit darker than what you might expect from the genre. It includes synth textures, dream-pop influences, the requisite boy/girl vocals, and lush harmonies. It's the culmination of five pretty intense years of effort and it had to get made. We hope people enjoy it. Thank you to: Sarin, Gia, everyone who played and sang, Jim, Knut, my family (immediate and extended), Antonio, Jon, Indiepop Shop Talk, everyone who’s played in The Very Most over the years, everyone who helped us on tour, and all my friends.

Peel Dream Magazine is the musical vehicle for NYC's Joe Stevens, who launched the band in 2018 with the critically acclaimed album "Modern Meta Physic," a mysterious, liminal tribute to the hazy end of ‘90s dream-pop that found its place on numerous "Best of 2018" lists. Now Peel Dream are back with "Agitprop Alterna," an album that pays homage to sonic and spiritual influences ranging from early Stereolab and Broadcast through stateside groups like Lilys and Yo La Tengo.. "Agitprop Alterna" finds Stevens channeling the collaborative spirit of the band's live incarnation in the studio, deepening the connection between the existential and the interpretive first explored on "Modern Meta Physic." It is a rejection of manipulation in all its forms and a buzzsaw against complacency; it's a rare trick to agitate without being obvious, and perhaps that makes "Agitprop Alterna" the most Peel Dream Magazine-like statement yet.