7000apart is a project born from the budding relationship of Jon Kresin and Amelie Eiding. The now husband and wife met in high school while Eiding was studying abroad in Wisconsin. A music class was what drew the pair together, and the band 7000apart, named after the distance between Greenbay, Wis. and Sweden, kept Jon and Amelie together during their long-distance relationship. For anyone who has done long distance, whether it be another city or another country, it is difficult to hold a relationship together. Tiny cracks can easily become an impassable crevasse. After a couple of singles and an EP, the duo came together to create their debut full-length,  We Are More . The title sort of says it all when it comes to the album's concept - we are more than just the individual pieces. The duo describes themselves as an "organic pop" band, which feels like a bit of an admirable novelty. 7000apart have almost no room to hide within the minimal instrumentation, so ...

Minneapolis-based indie-psych band Atomic Cafe have released their latest EP, Flamingo , via Prison? Records . It is their first new music of 2019. The six-track release was mastered by Normal Parents' Caleb Hinz. Danny Akah  features on the song "Dragonfly." Last year, Atomic Cafe released the one-off single "Juniper," featuring Anamaya Shore. In 2018, the band came out with their Further  EP . Stream Flamingo  below.  

Photo taken by Sara Collins. Tours can be hell, but they're the destiny of most bands. They can also be exhilarating. It's a wholly unique experience to hop from city to city, playing a show almost every night, travelling in a cramped yet homey van - or, in the case of Minneapolis' Juniper Douglas, a bus. After releasing their debut album last fall, Juniper Douglas planned a relatively massive national tour. They made their way through the South, and are now journeying along the East Coast. The group faced an unique challenge: translating their wide-ranging, robustly experimental, and just plain insane record Error to Introspection  into a live format that would a) be consistently performable, b) be enjoyable for audiences, and c) maintain the artistic integrity of the work.  I was curious about this process, and what it was like to plan such a sudden and extensive tour, so I reached out to the band and their label, Subaquatic Records , via email. Th...

Kate Malanaphy's voice is the sonorous core at the heart of her songs. "Glue," her brand new single, is the latest evidence of this. As per most of her solo work prior to this, the instrumentation consists primarily of full-bodied piano and meandering vocals. However, "Glue" subtly shifts all expectation on its head. Skittering electronic drumbeats and minimal vocal processing seep into the pensive watercolor portrait being painted by the lyrics. Much of this comes from the production of Caleb Hinz (Baby Boys/Normal Parents/The Happy Children). His generous contributions fill in all the cracks of Malanaphy's anachronistic alto. Hinz has proven himself to be a versatile contributor, serving the purposes of each collaborator with whom he works. This is a clear step in Malanaphy's evolution. It proves her willingness to experiment while still knowing and adhering to her well-defined strengths. The same sonic blood is pumping through "Glue"...

The Symptones  are a band that seems to be doing its damnedest to create the next classic American album, and their debut full-length  Irrational Fears / Overactive Imagination  has definitely given them a springboard toward that goal. The band has a unique blend of funk, soul, and folk filtered through indie rock that allows their music to feel oddly familiar yet different.  From the first triumphant notes of the opening song "Fall Guy," the Springsteen-ian need to take your partner and just run is thrust front and center.  Following "Fall Guy" is the album's single "Rosetta," which is another anthem about the familiar daydream of taking your love and running away. "Rosetta" has one of my favorite moments on this album. The breakdown in the bridge is a Beach Boys-styled vocal line mixed with a punk breakdown that should not work on paper. Drummer Steve George hammers on his kit while the guitars play delicate arpeggios and the bass ...