(Make Me A) TRISTE© Mixtape Episode 196: MIEN

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MIEN (©Bowen Stead)

Austin TX via Montreal psychedelic supergroup MIEN current line-up is Alex Maas (The Black Angels), Rishi Dhir (Elephant Stone), John-Mark Lapham (The Earlies) and Robb Kidd (Golden Dawn Arkestra). Since their inception, MIEN has been a confluence of diverse musical influences and shared histories. The seeds of this collaboration were planted back in 2004 when Rishi Dhir, known for his work with Elephant Stone, crossed paths with Alex Maas of The Black Angels during a serendipitous encounter at SXSW. This meeting sparked a friendship and a series of collaborations. Around the same time, Rishi met John Mark Lapham of The Earlies, whose electronic and production expertise would become a cornerstone of MIEN’s sound. Robb Kidd (Alex Maas, Golden Dawn Arkestra) joined the band on drums in 2018. These connections eventually led to the formation of MIEN, a band that seamlessly blends their varied musical backgrounds into a unique sonic tapestry. Building upon the foundations of their critically acclaimed 2018 self-titled debut while venturing into uncharted territories, their long-awaited second album MIIEN marks a bold new chapter for a band whose alchemical approach to music has redefined the boundaries of psychedelia and pushes the group’s collaborative and exploratory ethos to thrilling new heights.

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Sean Armstrong – Velvet Ever After (Single Premiere)

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Sean Armstrong (©Rachel Taylor)

Sean Armstrong is a singer/recorder/player who fits into the barking grooves in the floorboards; sits on the ground, surrounded by a web of cables, and dreams that it is swept away. Armstrong recorded his first song (the song was about squirrels) at 5 years old, and could never lose a fascination with the magic of music. Sean lives in Berlin with long term musical collaborator Rachel Taylor aka Rocky Lorelei. Together they started Rehberge Records, a small tape label named after their favourite park, and play as Slipper. Armstrong’s first solo record on Rehberge, The Technical Times, was out in 2022 and a new one, Velvet Ever After will be out on cassette/online on 25th of April.

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(Make Me A) TRISTE© Mixtape Episode 195: The Pennys

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The Pennys

Self-described “occult heartbreak pop” band, The Pennys are the result of a budding friendship between songwriters Mike Ramos (Flowertown, Tony Jay, Cindy) and R.E. Seraphin (solo, Talkies, Glitz). Their self-titled debut combines Ramos’ signature slowness with Seraphin’s dynamic power pop, perfectly unifying their disparate yet complementary styles. Following a 2022 West Coast tour with Ramos’ project, Tony Jay, Seraphin approached Ramos to record his next solo record. Ultimately, they took a fully collaborative approach. Sessions took place over the summer of 2024 at Ramos’ idyllic Bernal Heights apartment; overdubs by Yea-Ming Chen (Ryli, Yea-Ming & The Rumours), Owen Kelley (ex-Sleepy Sun), and Luke Robbins (Ryli, ex-Latitude) came later. The music itself is simultaneously light and dark, unhurried yet feverish, tender but coarse. The recordings are rough-hewn, riddled with tape hiss and harmonies just out of sync. However, this homely presentation of the songs belies real pop aspirations. Ramos and Seraphin don’t hide their desire to conquer the airwaves. Still, they make sure not to take themselves too seriously. When asked what he’d like listeners to take away from The Pennys, Ramos half-jokingly replied: “how hard we worked on this.”
The Pennys’ self-titled EP will be released by Mt.St.Mtn on May 1st 2025.

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FAITH ELIOTT – An Ode Of Unrequited Love From A Hagfish To a Giant Isopod (single)

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Faith Elliott ( ©Flannery O’Kafka)

Minneapolis-born, Scotland-based singer-songwriter Faith Eliott grew up in the United States before moving to Scotland aged 13. Their first and most formative creative output was poetry. It was after becoming lodged in the Edinburgh DIY music scene, singing backing vocals in various bands and performing in folk pubs, that they began to develop into a songwriter. Albeit still with a poetic flourish – stripped-back and heavily lyric-driven. Their debut solo EP Insects was released on Song, By Toad Records in 2016, followed by the debut solo album Impossible Bodies in 2019, via Faith’s own label OK Pal Records, set-up in collaboration with fellow Edinburgh musician and friend Hailey Beavis. an ode of unrequited love from a hagfish to a giant isopod is their latest single, out on Lost Map records. It’s the second taste of the spellbinding music to be discovered on their forthcoming new album dryas, that is set for release on May 30, 2025.

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Tamino – Every Dawn’s A Mountain

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Carlotta Corsi per TRISTE©

Le parole che servirebbero per descrivere il sentimento generale che informa di sé questo album sono già state scelte e spese in maniera esaustiva dallo stesso artista.
La penna di Tamino riconferma, infatti, ancora una volta la propria straordinaria capacità compositiva, arricchendo, con Every Dawn’s A Mountain, la sfaccettata personalità dell’autore attraverso una nuova chiave di lettura.

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