The Weekly Spread #4
Featuring Moon Mullins, GIFT, Office Culture, and more
This is The Weekly Spread, a roundup of some of our favorite new music in and around the indie scene. Always on Fridays, always free, it’s the bread and butter of Bread and Butter (lol).
Howdy :)
It has been a busy week, so I’m writing this intro at 2 a.m. on Friday with a mushy brain. The only thing I can think about is the show The Last Kingdom, which Eddie and I finished a few days ago after binging it throughout September. Now I’m going through withdrawals and I don’t know what to do with myself. Has anyone else watched it? How did you recover???
→ In case you haven’t gotten tix to the Dazies show at Our Wicked Lady on October 21, they’re still available! Eddie will have stickers and maybe even some other merch for sale. Get ‘em before they’re gone.
As always, thanks for reading! See you next Friday.
~Britnee and Eddie
Moon Mullins - Surfboard
“Surfboard,” the newest track from Brooklyn-based ambient producer Moon Mullins, is strange and atmospheric in all the best ways. A reimagined version of the 1965 jazz composition by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Moon Mullins replaces classic strings and horns with reverberated chimes and synths, creating an effect that’s darker and dreamier but still retains the heart of the original. Shakers and pulsing percussion give the song its “beachy” feel, and the washed-out, crackling production pays homage to the analog style of the 60s. Equal parts eerie and groovy, “Surfboard” feels a little bit like surfing through cyberspace past a vibrant, pixelated landscape. It’s only two and a half minutes long, but the catchy beat and immersive production will make you want to lose yourself in it forever. Check out the incredible stop motion companion video here, and be sure to listen to Moon Mullins’ new album, Water Your Flowers, when it releases on October 21.
GIFT - Share the Present
Luminous and alive, “Share the Present” sounds like it was plucked straight from the climax of a John Hughes movie. The 80s-inspired track is the latest single from NYC-based pop rock group GIFT, and comes ahead of their debut album Momentary Presence, out October 14. Soaked in reverb and swelling with vibrant synths, the upbeat arrangement is the epitome of lush, and is a nice compliment to the washed-out, dreamy vocal that sounds like its own kind of soothing instrument. The drums burst with an energy that makes you want to get up and dance, an effect that would surely be impossible to ignore during a live performance. If you can’t see GIFT live when they play The Sultan Room on October 15, put in your headphones and listen to “Share the Present” to make your own magical movie moment. And while you’re at it, watch the vibey music video here.
Office Culture - Suddenly
With a smooth and sprawling arrangement, “Suddenly” is a chameleon of a song that straddles the line between easy listening and deep rumination, depending on the mood you’re in when you listen to it. The first track on Office Culture’s new album, Big Time Things, is a fitting introduction to the Brooklyn foursome’s eccentric brand of indie pop. The opening keys and bass are captivatingly off-kilter, like smooth jazz or ironic elevator music (appropriate for a group called Office Culture). Add in some head-bopping percussion, groovy guitar, and clear, commanding vocals, and you’ve got a sound that feels full and interesting as-is. But as the song progresses, so does the arrangement. Strings, horns, and synths add texture and depth, creating a rich, complex sound that somehow never feels crowded. Top it off with lyrics that add introspection and insight––“You were a road I could travel on/till opportunity knocked at the gate/what will I find at the end of my big mistake?” - and the result is a wholly original song in a genre all its own. If you’re in Philly, catch their show at Ortlieb's on October 13.
Jonathan Something - Catlick
Jonathan Something is digging deep on his latest EP, Lover Man, which is highlighted by the dark and surreal pop song “Catlick.” Scratching vinyl and a bombastic drum break start this early 2000s homage that quickly takes on a life of its own. The production features a chorus of guitars and delightfully nostalgic synths, but the true anchor of the song is the deep, echoing vocal of Jon Searles, the musical mastermind behind Johnathan Something. Searles’ lyrics are often bizarre and blunt, balancing ruminations about suicide, greed, and shame with images of sticks up his ass. It makes for a surprising yet engaging listen as he tells us how “this fruitless kind of living keeps me up at night,” especially when the song fades, and you realize your head hasn’t stopped bobbing through the entire thing. A quick glance at his Instagram profile will show you that Johnathan Something is hardly ever serious, but it’s clear that he takes his craft very seriously, and we are the fortunate beneficiaries. Be sure to listen to “Catlick” and the other two singles off of Lover Man, out now.
Boot - Con Ed
There’s a sense of camaraderie in “Con Ed,” the new single from Chicago-based indie rocker Boot. The track’s easygoing melody and sincere lyricism perfectly encapsulate the chaotic beauty of living in the city in your mid-twenties, when you have no idea what you’re doing, but you know life will work itself out somehow. This is represented literally in the lyrics - “get home late from work again/leave your pants on the kitchen floor/forget room to mature” - and supported by Benjamin RC’s earnest vocal delivery, which feels equally reflective and matter-of-fact. The arrangement, breezy and lolling, gives the track its go-with-the-flow energy, with its impressive acoustic guitar picking and bobbing percussion that makes you want to sway to the beat. A lighthearted and relatable song about losing your electricity and loving your friends, “Con Ed” is an instant classic that will make you nostalgic for the calamity of youth even if you’re still in the midst of it.
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All songs from every issue of The Weekly Spread in one playlist: