MangoWave

Picture Credit: Presley Duyck   Presley Duyck - Juliet Release Date: September 24, 2021 Length: 03:36 Genre: Indie Folk Origin:  Dallas ,  TX ,  USA What is your first association with the name Juliet ? Probably, a vastt majority of people socialized in Europe or North America will refer to the narrative of Juliet Capulet  and Romeo Montague , once written by William Shakespeare . The number of arts that was inspired by this drama is uncountable. Yet, there are great works that deserve special attention, and thus, here is 'Juliet', the latest single by Dallas' Presley Duyck . Inspired by the old tale, Duyck  wrote this song that is based on the original but contains unexpected twists which make 'Juliet' so exciting. Music-wise, 'Juliet' is a very warm and atmospheric Indie Folk anthem driven by a highly dynamic acoustic guitar and passionate Americana moods. The soundscapes beautifully musick Juliet 's longing for her beloved Romeo , and on top, it is th...

Picture Credit: AI AI - Vincent Dylan Release Date: September 21, 2021 Length: 03:48 Genre:  Synthwave  /  Indie Rock Origin:  Austin ,  TX ,  USA Arent't human emotions something weird and fascinating at the same time? Polar opposites can be so close to each other, only thin lines divide them. And often, several emotions can appear simultaneously and create a colourful and savage tohuwabohu that affects feelings and moods. These phenomena are dealt with in AI's single 'Vincent Dylan'. The Texan duo hereby pays tribute to the beautiful chaos that human emotions can be. This thrilling Indie and Synth Rock anthem is defined by asynchronous movements of rhythm section and riffs. Dream Pop, Indie Rock, and Wave create a powerful vortex that musicks the clash of several emotions. This allows the listeners to read positive and negative emotive states from the soundscape, or to focus their hearing on one of them. Music from every post will stay in the  MangoR...

Picture Credit: Todd Prune   The Best Around - Bitter Pill Release Date: September 01 Length: 02:40 Genre: Indie Rock Origin: Austin , TX , USA In late 2016, unbelievable news shocked major parts of the Western world: the 45th president of our planet's most powerful nation is an entrepreneur and entertainer. The four years between 2017 and 2021 seemed to last forever and the aftermath can still be felt in many places of politics and society. Democracy getting undermined, society perpetually dividing, and progress getting interrupted and reversed were only some of the daily phenomena that coined this period. And after all, COVID19 hitting us in 2020 has only made it worse. Jon , Todd , and Camron  from Austin, Texas have produced a song looking back on these times and their longterm consequences. Thus, 'Bitter Pill' feels like a horrible nightmare that consequently leads to a panic attack. The dominant synthie organ sound reminds of circus music, but referring to the song...

Picture Credit: Anh Phan   Angry Joe and the Holy Socks - Kicking Rocks Release Date: July 30, 2021 Label: selfrelease Format: Digital Length: 38:45 Genre: Alternative Rock Origin: Houston , TX , USA The band name Angry Joe and the Holy Socks might raise the assumptions that this young band from Houston, Texas plays pissed-off and raging Hardcore Punk. Instead, "Kicking Rocks" is a soulful, autochthonous, and yet dynamic and honest Alternative Rock release. The band with the long and awesome name consists of Charli  (violin, viola, bass, drums, guitar, backing vocals), and Joe  (guitar, bass, percussions, vocals). Their first album is a product of quarantine, during which the two band members decided to write and record songs that everyone can refer to. The result is an eleven-track work containing songs about life, drugs, love, emotions, the status quo of our society, and the sober statement that we are all human, and we all have the same feelings. Predominantly, "Kicki...

Picture Credit: AI   AI - Prosper Park Release Date: August 08, 2020 Length: 03:22 Genre: Synthwave / Post Punk Origin: Austin , TX , USA Recently, two of the latest releases by Austin's Synthwave duo AI were presented and reviewed. Find all posts on AI here . Today, we are taking a look back into last summer - the first (Nothern hemisphere) summer of the coronacene. In August 2020, Liz Feezor  and Bobby Cheatham  released their most successful single so far, the summer anthem 'Prosper Park'. Contrary to what one might assume, this summer song that was out during the times of lockdowns, dirty election campaigns, and a period of time defined by uncertainty, 'Prosper Park' is as hot and colourful as a sunny sky reflecting on the waves of a gorgeous swimming pool. AI have created a synth-driven Post Punk hymn moved forward by a Fischer-Z-like Post Punk guitar riff and dreamy Indie and Synthwave. AI's 'Prosper Park' is the soundtrack of youth, long summer d...

Picture Credit: Presley Duyck   Presley Duyck - Happy 22! Release Date: July 23, 2021 Length: 03:43 Genre: Indie Rock Origin: Dallas , TX , USA Presley Duyck's 'Happy 22!' is one of the many stories that were written during the time of the pandemic. The Dallas-based artist found herself in quarantine when she realized it was her ex-boyfriend's 22nd birthday. What to do with this situation? Text him? Call him? Talk to somebody else? There are many ways how to react to this flood of weird emotions. Presley Duyck chose to write a song about it. Here is 'Happy 22!': The song starts with a dreamy atmosphere which then slides into some energetic Indie Rock movements. Presley Duyck combines soulful harmonies with dynamic tempo and a melancholic air. 'Happy 22!' is a self-reflected and self-empowering Indie Rock hymn that has the potential to support everyone who finds themselves in similar situations. Apart from that, it is dynamic hit for the dancefloor of eve...

Picture Credit: AI   AI - 76 Release Date: July 26, 2021 Length: 03:53 Genre:  Synthwave  /  Indie Rock Origin:  Austin ,  TX ,  USA Liz Feezor  and Bobby Cheatham , also known as AI, had their first appearance on MangoWave in May 2021, when their single 'Don't you (get carried away)' was reviewed. Click here to read the article . In late July, the Texan duo has released a new song in which they express their fascination for the complexity of the dynamics and interferences of human interaction. Indie Rock and Synthwave merge into a fuzzy, gloomy, and bubbly sound in AI's new track. Certain elements of Dream Pop and Post Punk complete this stunning soundscape that feels like a blurry fog of misunderstandings and pretending to be somebody else to please another human being. Thus, the chorus 'I don't fit into your picture' is a mix of relief and desolation. AI bring the sound of 1980s Synth Rock back and present it in a contemporary thrilling way. Mu...

Picture Credit: The Cush Artwork: Winston Smith   The Cush - Riders in the Stardust Gold Release Date: August 06, 2021 Label: Mad Bunny Records Format: Vinyl / Digital Length: 33:19 Genre: Psychedelic Folk / Americana Origin: Fort Worth , TX , USA For more than twenty years, The Cush from Fort Worth, Texas stand for a unique mix of Space Rock, Psychedelic Rock, and Americana-influenced Folk. The band founded by Burette  and Gabrielle   Douglas has recently released their sixth full-length album. Not only has it been published two decades after their selftitled debut was born. Further, "Riders in the Stardust Gold" marks another milestone in the band's history since it is their first release on Ben Harper 's label Mad Bunny Records. "Riders in the Stardust Gold" is a mesmerizing sonic journey through a psychedelic kaleidoscope of heat, boppy colours, fuzzy images, and intense dreams. It is the idiosyncratic style that makes The Cush's sixth longplayer s...

Picture Credit: Venustra   Venustra - May, I Release Date: February 06, 2021 Length: 08:52 (12:01) Genre: Gothic Metal / Alternative Metal Origin: Austin , TX , USA "May, I" is a two-track (Bandcamp), respectively three-track (Spotify) single by Austin's Venustra. The title track was inspired by the film " May ", a psycho thriller by Lucky McKee , starring Angela Bettis . Further tracks are "Step Right up! (Adoration Destroyed Remixx)" and the bonus track "Los Ageless" (only on Spotify). Venustra was founded by Texan artist Synderalla Nervosa . The band is constantly releasing brachial music full of horror and darkness. Even if you have not watched the film, the song is inspired by, you can easily feel the thrill of protagonist May Kennedy 's dark desires. "May, I" is a brutal Alternative Metal piece, defined by sonic darkness, brachial riffs, and violent rhythms. The soundscapes spread darkness, horror, and gore, as Venustra c...

Picture Credit: boywithahalo   boywithahalo - Summer We Never Had Release Date: June 19, 2021 Length: 03:16 Genre: Indie Rock / Post-Grunge Origin: Dallas , Texas , USA Summer of 2020 (on the Northern hemisphere) was a season defined by standstill, isolation, mourning, hope, and calm. Thinking back, I often refer to the album " Un Verano Silencioso " by Chilean Somatic Post Rock artist Martia Pelepsi - although, the album concerns a whole different topic. In Dallas, Texas, boywithahalo wrote an anthem that directly addresses the "Summer We Never Had". It is boywithahalo's eighth single, and a good opportunity to get to know artist JK . "Summer We Never Had" is a wholesome sonic experience, containing MGMT-like Synthwave, the gloomy atmosphere of the Post- Cobain  era-Alternative Rock, a stoic Shoegaze air, and a deeply artistic approach to the complete oeuvre. And somehow, the soundscapes remind of Reykjavík's Lofi Indie Cute Pop Punk duo BSÍ . bo...

Picture Credit: Tough on Fridays   Tough on Fridays - Cabin Fever Release Date: May 03, 2021 Length: 04:13 Genre: Garage Rock Origin: Georgetown , Texas , USA After " Bad Memories and Wishful Thinking " and " Undone ", this is already the third time, Texan trio Tough on Fridays get featured on this blog. The song "Cabin Fever" is actually the last track from their pre-pandemic sessions, and now it marks the dawning of a new era since it is the first song, Chris , Carly , and Caleigh  release via Golden Robot Records . "Cabin Fever" deals with the experience, vocalist and guitarist Caleigh  made when having a nocturnal panic attack in the Coloradan countryside. The song shows how normal such an incident is, that it can happen to anyone at any time, and that it should not be a taboo topic. Different to previous releases by Tough on Fridays, their Garage Rock has a slightly different atmosphere on "Cabin Fever". Spacey Post Rock contradict...

Picture Credit: TexMex Shaman   TexMex Shaman - Vimana Release Date: March 24, 2021 Length: 03:52 Genre: Psychedelic Rock Origin: Dallas , Texas , USA The word "Vimana" ("ವಿಮಾನ") means "Flight" in the Indian language Kannada. Since TexMex Shaman from Dallas, Texas play instrumental Psychedelic Rock, the title reminded me of Aschaffenburg's fantastic My Sleeping Karma . In their single "Vimana" TexMex Shaman invite us on a galactic trip. The vivid language of the instrumental song takes the audience to colourful extraterrestial phenomena, and you might even encounter alien life on this sonic journey. The soundscapes on "Vimana" are defined by a mesmerizing mix of space-themed Psychedelic Rock and Shoegaze. Hence, I decided to call it Psychedelic Spacegaze. The multilayer jam creates gorgeous thrills and exciting twists amidst a wavering kalleidoscope where consciousness and unconsciousness merge. TexMex Shaman combine styles of hypno...

Picture Credit: Tori Boltwood   Tori Boltwood - Fame Release Date: April 23, 2021 Length: 03:44 Genre: Indie Pop Origin: Fort Worth , Texas , USA The single "Fame" is Texan artist Tori Boltwood 's take on the music industry. The song is a call for artists to act in solidarity with each other, instead of playing the big players' game and concurring against each other for a place in the sun. The scholars amongst the readers might think of two things here: 1) according to Adorno , is it possible to criticize the music industry by producing a song? (I say, yes! Tori Boltwood  is an autochthonous Indie artist, Theodor !) 2) is that a Marxist idea? (well, if you really want to, you can interpret "Fame" in a Marxist discourse, but solidarity and unity work without Marx, too, don't they?). Enough with the theory... let's talk about music! Tori Boltwood 's "Fame" is a powerful Indie Pop song.  Atmospheric soundscapes carry the verses, while brid...

Picture Credit: House Parties Artwork: Daniel Hambright   House Parties - Hindsight Release Date: February 05, 2021 Length: 03:33 Genre: Skate Punk / Melodic Hardcore Origin: Dallas , Texas , USA Let's start with a short disambiguation. "Hindsight" is the debut single by Texan band House Parties, not to be confused with Franconian band Houseparty - nevertheless, both of them are awesome! "Hindsight" deals with the moment, a person finally realizes they have been in a toxic relationship for quite some time. It is the kind of partner that is popular amongst your friends, but drags you down behind the scenes. House Parties hereby describe the moment when their masquerade finally drops, and in hindsight you realize that you have fallen for their acting, too. "Hindsight" is a powerload of Melodic Hardcore and Skate Punk. The sound can be located somewhere between The Neighborhood Brats, the better times of Sum 41, and Millencolin. Also, if you enjoy the m...