today’s rock picks cover a lot of road: an irish shoegaze band three decades deep into a gorgeous wall of sound, a canadian roots-rocker turning his career into an anthem, a dutch songwriter reflecting on who he used to be, and a detroit duo turning an actual street race into sound design. four tracks, four very different journeys.
crybaby – flywheel
flywheel’s latest shoegaze banger is a genuinely gorgeous wall of vintage fuzz and ethereal vocals
crybaby is a dark dream-pop anthem built on a heavy, vintage-fuzz wall of sound and post-punk bass. the synth is wonderfully wonky, and ann marie ryan’s soaring, ethereal vocals cuts right through the chaos in the best kinda way. it’s got real slowdive and lush energy, but this outfit are definitely in their own lane. it’s a genuinely immersive listen, thick and dense without ever feeling murky. and ive not heard much shoegaze with a slight trip hop edge before. incredible stuff.
friend of the blog flywheel are a cork, ireland based shoegaze outfit with three decades of history behind them, first forming in the early 1990s and releasing their debut album, she, on swedish label iwh in 1996. after an extended hiatus, they reformed in late 2020, bringing renewed focus and a more vocal-forward approach to their atmospheric sound. thirty years in, they’re clearly not done evolving.
thank u for making this flywheel 🌧️
the work makes me – chris colepaugh and the cosmic crew
chris colepaugh and the cosmic crew turn thirty years on the road into a genuinely gritty, soulful anthem
the work makes me is a guitar-driven americana and roots-rock single built on the idea that the work we do also shapes who we become, and after nearly three decades in the game, colepaugh sings it like he’s lived every word. it’s gritty, soulful and powered by real live-band energy, no studio gloss smoothing over the edges. it’s a genuinely honest reflection on persistence and identity, the journey mattering as much as the destination.
chris colepaugh is a riverview, new brunswick based singer-songwriter who’s spent almost thirty years leading chris colepaugh & the cosmic crew, alongside stints as a touring drummer for big sugar and a guitarist and pedal steel player for roch voisine. he’s shared stages with gov’t mule and north mississippi allstars, and picked up multiple east coast music awards and music new brunswick awards along the way. that’s a resume most bands would kill for.
thank u for making this chris colepaugh and the cosmic crew 🛣️
between two selves – teanko
teanko captures the quiet space between who you were and who you are in a genuinely moving single
between two selves is a reflective, softly 80s-tinged rock song about the space between who you’ve been and who you are now, written after theo konst retired and started piecing together a timeline of his musical life through old photographs. it’s not really a nostalgic song, despite looking backward, it’s ultimately about moving forward by choice rather than necessity. the line “but this is where i’m exactly meant to be” sums it up perfectly. it’s a genuinely calm, considered listen.
friend of the blog teanko is the recording project of dutch singer-songwriter theo konst, now based in portugal after decades of writing, recording and performing. between two selves blends traditional songwriting with modern production, and it’s a strong example of someone using a lifetime of musical experience rather than chasing anything new for its own sake.
thank u for making this teanko 📸
hoosiers up front – 800cc
800cc floors it with a genuinely inventive slice of street-racing sound design
hoosiers up front captures the raw thrill of street racing down detroit’s woodward avenue, kline’s turbocharged dodge neon srt4 going head to head with mustangs and corvettes. the recording itself gets genuinely inventive, an iphone voice memo of the actual car’s brakes and acceleration gets worked into the track, while tremolo, vibrato and bowed cymbals recreate the screech of brakes when police are spotted. it’s a loving update of classic car songs for a new generation, and it’s a genuinely fun ride.
friend of the blog 800cc is the experimental rock project of detroit based artist and designer kevin kline, working alongside uk producer charlie andrew to push guitar music into stranger, more textured territory. the whole thing doubles as a nod to kline’s father’s 1968 plymouth roadrunner. it’s a properly original way to write a car song.
thank u for making this 800cc 🏎️
follow indie bangers 26 for more of the most exciting, up and coming artists
Leave a comment