Ringo Deathstarr: 'Rip'

Ringo Deathstarr's highly-anticipated second album Mauve drops September 24. First single, 'Rip', is due September 11, but you heard it here first... Or second if you subscribe to Pitchfork; third if you have a Twitter account too. Don't get smart, just enjoy the track.

Ringo Deathstarr:
'Rip' (on SoundCloud)

Artist Watch - The Fauns

The Fauns are a young, girl-next-door fronted band with understated lyrics delivered sincerely over elegant and well-textured compositions - think a dream-pop counterpart to Best Coast's breed of surf pop. The approach is quite effective for The Fauns in that young listeners should also be able to relate to lead singer Alison Garner's forthright lyrical turns and it helps that they float amidst some of the sweetest guitar sounds we've heard in recent times. You can just imagine these tracks serving as the soundtrack to your first crush and ensuing rejection, the stresses of doing casual hours at McDonald's after school to save pennies for concert tickets, or finding out you weren't invited to that party after the fact. Bringing this sentiment to a new generation truly encapsulates the essence of what nugaze really should be all about; The Fauns recreate the feeling shoegaze gave us in the early 90s without ever feeling like a calculated retread.

Album number two is currently in the works, but in the meantime, enjoy this cut off their debut:

The Art sign with American Label

Sydney hard-rockers The Art have signed on with US label, Rocket Science, signalling disribution by Sony across America and Europe. The band, who played SXSW earlier this year, released their debut record as The Art in 2011 and have already supported the likes of Sonic Youth, Pixies and Marilyn Manson.

The Art will return to their hometown for a single Australian date at Black Cherry Club on July 21, 2012.

Artist Watch - Naked On My Own & Dopedrone

Norge-Polish collaborators Naked On My Own and Dopedrone have recently emerged with cinematic sounds and production values to rival the likes of M83 and Explosions in the Sky. Like the latter, these guys are all about ambience, free-flowing structures and creeping dynamics. While we're unlikely to hear a 3 minute pop-romp from Naked On My Own or Dopedrone anytime soon, they offer up plenty of melodic hooks in their sprawling compositions to lift them above dreaded elevator music territory.

Check out the video for their single 'Changeless' below:



The pair are offering a free download of 'Changeless' on their bandcamp page, as remixed by SPC ECO.