Round-up: Best of Bandcamp: November 2014

It may not seem like a long time, but in the world of Bandcamp where releases are instantaneous and so often forgotten, a year of activity makes Chumped veterans of the game. The Brooklyn-based band first grabbed everyone’s attention with their self-titled EP, a sugar-sweet collection of power pop tracks that channeled Superchunk by way of Saves the Day. With ‘Teenage Retirement’, their debut LP via Anchorless Records, they’ve crafted a power pop record more immediate and gut-punching than anything from the Burnout 3 soundtrack. Songs like ‘Name That Thing’ have it all: lyrics about hanging out and talking shit; Rhode Island; gang vocals; a chorus more infectious than the common cold. Chumped are making pop punk exciting again; reinvigorating that feeling of listening to ‘Through Being Cool’ for the first time.

Funeral Sounds Records are at it again. It’s hard to keep track of the Texas-based label given how prolific they are, but it’s releases like this debut EP by ROMP that make keeping an eye on them totally worth it. ‘Sorry, Not Sorry’ is an unrelenting - dare I say it - romp through chaotic, adrenaline-fuelled garage rock as well as tender, incredibly catchy indie rock. ‘Portrait’ encompasses the best of them, combining their ramshackle tendencies with straightforward, heartfelt lyrics and a very blink-182 riff. “It’s just a lot of fun,” say Funeral Sounds on the EP’s Bandcamp page, but that’s a huge understatement - ROMP are the missing link between Girlpool’s youthful first world problems and the uproarious, full-throttle melodicism of Makthaverskan.

Bandcamp isn’t just home to a bunch of great bands and artists, it’s home to a bunch of great stories too, and the story behind My Name Is Mathias isn’t just great - it’s fucking awesome. When Mathias Kom, the man behind alt-folk outfit The Burning Man, started going through a particularly difficult period in his life, his friends Nick Ferrio (bassist in The Burning Man) and Andrew Stratis weren’t having it. They conceived this huge compilation of The Burning Man covers, dedications and touching tributes in a wide variety of genres, featuring contributions from Great Lake Swimmers, Man Meets Bear and even Ferrio himself, amongst a ton of others. ‘My Name is Mathias’ was announced to a gobsmacked Kom on stage during a show in early October, and now the record is online to purchase. All money raised from the album goes to Kingston Humane Society, in memory of Mary Beth Kom.

When Double Double Whammy are involved with an artist, it’s best to pay full attention, and Mitski is no exception. ‘Bury Me at Makeout Creek’ is the third full-length from the Brooklynite; a gorgeous, rough-around-the-edges record that’s literally in the middle of a venn diagram of Angel Olsen and Weezer. ‘First Love / Late Spring’ starts out as this timeless sounding folk song, yet expands into a cavern of lush synths, smoke-tinged vocals and a head-nodding chorus. Mitski gives you the impression that she’s an artist well beyond her years - it’s the kind of music you’d expect to hear an artist making far further into their career Which beckons the question: if this is the quality of material that she’s producing right now, what can we expect in a few years time? Something magical undoubtedly.

Tags: Mitski, Best of Bandcamp, Features