J. A. Simpson

Jan 16, 2025 | popmatters.com | J. A. Simpson

Dweller Three One G Two of the four Haunted Horses album covers feature surfaces. Their debut, 2013’s Watcher, shows a featureless, unbroken granite slab. 2022’s The Worst Has Finally Happened features stark, skeletal branches reflected in an eerie gray lake. It’s more porous and yielding, yet intact. Given the cohesiveness of their visual aesthetic, the distorted well on the cover of Dweller feels intentional, doubly so given the lyrical reference on the first song, “Dweller on the Threshold”.

Dec 12, 2024 | popmatters.com | J. A. Simpson

Psychedelia is alive and vibrant in 2024. Musicians worldwide have been exploring the visionary potential of electrical instruments in all manner of new and novel ways, integrating shimmering production and stream-of-consciousness song structures into hip-hop, progressive rock, metal, jazz, and most other genres you can think of. Meanwhile, previously under-appreciated genres are being busted out of the bargain bins and put on a global stage, like the magnificent Turkish psych of Kit Sebastien.

Dec 12, 2024 | popmatters.com | J. A. Simpson

It’s been a strong year for shoegaze. The genre rediscovery via TikTok during the first stages of the pandemic has been going on long enough that we might consider it a Shoegaze Revival Revival. All over the world, teens and 20-somethings are rediscovering the revolutionary power and possibilities of picking up a guitar, bass, or drums and screaming their emotions to the heavens for the first time.

Sep 25, 2024 | popmatters.com | J. A. Simpson

One of the best things about the 2020s has been the re-appraisal of under-appreciated post-punk, shoegaze, and dream pop. Ever since the excellent, unknown-in-their-lifetime Life Without Buildings became a viral sensation on TikTok at the height of the pandemic, there’s been a gold rush on dreamy, atmospheric, romantic guitar rock from the 1970s through the 1990s. That’s not to say that Cocteau Twins or Low – the two most relevant touchstones on Only Hinting – are incredibly obscure.

Aug 8, 2024 | popmatters.com | J. A. Simpson

Still WillingBella UnionThroughout Personal Trainer’s new LP’s 40-minute duration, you may feel like you’re listening to Modest Mouse, Guided By Voices, the Flaming Lips, Pavement, Sparklehorse, the Strokes, and maybe even a little Coldplay. You’ll also hear shouty, abrasive mathcore, woozy psychedelic prog, and sunshiney folk. While Still Willing might not be the most original indie rock ever etched into vinyl, it still sounds fresher, individualistic, and more personal than their first record.