So, back in the 1960s, when Apollo 11 took off towards the Moon, every astronaut was given a cassette tape with songs to listen to on their incredible journey. Imagine putting that track list together – and not just from a stylistic point of view: back then it was no small feat to even get your hands on those recordings. NASA relied on one record executive to create these actual, physical mixtapes and there is a beautiful profile about Mr. Mickey Kapp and his thinking behind them in Vanity Fair, from 2018, as well as his charming obituary from July 2019 in the New York Times. What a guy! Six decades later during the Artemis II mission earlier this year, according to the NASA live blog the crew woke up every morning (whatever that means in space) by a song chosen by ground control – less pressure than on fair Mickey Kapp, I imagine.

Well anyway, it’s this type of grand emotional energy and planet encompassing sound that Montreal’s beautiful trio Bye Parula induce with their wonderful songs. It has not been reported whether their music was played to the astronauts on Artemis II but they are firmly positioning themselves for the next lunar mission with their exciting new album Something Out Of Nothing – to be released June 5th on the keen Secret City Records.

The record neatly showcases their unique and expansive talent to create warm pop melodies and catchy hooks, while clearly having a coherent story to tell. Attached below is their latest single Quand vient le soir. The album then comes as an LP of two sides: Songs to Listen to in a Standing Position and Songs to Listen to in a Sitting Position – which in terms of orbital listening pleasures does require a certain amount of gravity though I guess.

To celebrate the release, Bye Parula are set to play in London (2 June), Paris (3 June), Berlin (4 June), and Montreal (11 June). All info here.

In preparation for this, the three of them took some valuable time off their schedules to sit down for a photo-interview – so pull a chair, hit play and scroll through their visuals.

Where did it all begin? [continue reading…]

Information is scarce on Kagemand here. Apparently they are based somewhere in the UK, just south of Greater Manchester, and apparently a wounded fox was recovering in their garden for a few days. At the time of writing it remains unclear how bad exactly its injuries were, who or what hurt this fox, and whether it made a full recovery. However, Kagemand reached out to Team Poule with this total gem of an instrumental track inspired by the events which leads us to believe that indeed the fox regained its strength, and went on with his fox business, just south of Greater Manchester.

You can also find this track – and many more – on the frequently updated official Poule d’Or playlist – available on Apple Music and Spotify.

Louie Cameron here has build a name for himself, playing dreamy melodies wrapped in almost movie dialogue-like lyrics and vocals. He just released a new single titled Canina Canoona off his upcoming debut EP that goes by Do You Wanna Go Out?

This new track is nestled on the more sensible, poppy and easily accessible end of the record that overall presents a remarkable diversity and creativity while maintaining a clear and coherent path forward, opening up an almost cinematic space for himself. The single comes with a charming video too, shot in crisp and sunny Hamburg.

He is celebrating the EP release with a show at Third Man Records / The Blue Basement in London, April 28, playing with a full band and a limited run of 10″ vinyl on scene.

You can also find this track – and many more – on the frequently updated official Poule d’Or playlist – available on Apple Music and Spotify.

Photo credits go to Cenia Zitter and Cenia Zitter only.

With a band name straight from the New York Times Games app, SSAANN here from Milwaukee speak right to the demographic that came of age in the fair old chillwave-era. The quartet relies on a background of classical music education and rallies around a keen setup of Korgs and Rolands to create a brilliant and mesmerizing iteration of dreamy shoegaze with orchestral depth.

Today, the group is releasing their debut album Higher, via the up and coming Broken Palace Records. The diving single Echo neatly showcases their wave length and is attached below at your convenience. You can also find this track – and many more – on the frequently updated official Poule d’Or playlist – available on Apple Music and Spotify.

They have two shows lined up right now, playing MKeUltra on Friday April 10 and Falcon Bowl on Friday April 24, both set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Scott F. Johnson here encourages you to take his seat side, to take your own side actually on his latest embracing single that is attached below. There is a concept called emotional sovereignty that is rooted in ancient stoicism and found various applications in modern psychology. It is supposed to help you assume complete governance for your own doings and feelings – understanding, managing, and making sense of them from within, instead of allowing outside situations to control what governs your actions and reactions. So, next time you find yourself cut off and annoyed, take a step back, and take your side.

S.F. Johnson meanwhile is one if not two steps ahead of this curve, having recently returned to the UK after spending a healthy line of years in Japan. Take My Side then is a crisp and dreamy banger fueled by this experience and comes with a bow and a Western handshake promise of more to come.

You can also find this track – and many more – on the frequently updated official Poule d’Or playlist – available on Apple Music and Spotify.

Main man Peter here from Gothenburg goes by the name of King Towel and has built a nice audience spanning Scandinavia all the way South to Australia. He produces some rather royal tunes these days: Skyline is his latest piece of recording and nicely moves around the jangly Swedish coastline, illuminating the silhouettes, floating like a butterfly while not stinging too much.

It’s out now, with a promise of more to come. You can also find this track – and many more – on the frequently updated official Poule d’Or playlist – available on Apple Music and Spotify.