The 50 best Indie Rock Albums of 2024
Maxband - On Ice: “taut guitar jags that peel out into dreamy expansiveness that brings to mind bands like Pylon, Love Tractor and Deerhunter”
5 Songs To Hear This Week
“Patrick J. Smith, aka A Beacon School, may very well be NYC’s finest purveyor of gauzy electro dreamscapes”
Also named Today’s Top Tune
more from KCRW: Track Premiere: A Beacon School “It’s Late”
A Beacon School - Cola
“…it’s the production that really gets me, informed by shoegaze and classic guitar pop but Cola is a very Now sounding record, very digital, and really making the most of what modern recording software has to offer.”
A Beacon School Reissues ‘Cola’, Shares Unreleased “Fade in Nylon”
“…wisdom ahead of its time – acceptance of the inequities of life as a path toward redemption. Destiny is preached as a set-in-stone limitation, but soft tones and enchanting melody highlight our ability to adjust our sails in intractable winds, holding that former philosophy to the fire with heavenly optimism.”
NYC dream pop maestro unveils captivating new single off upcoming LP yoyo
“Get ready to be swept away by the enchanting dream pop sounds of A Beacon School‘s latest single ‘Alone’ “
A Beacon School - "I Don't Believe It"
“a neat and focused ripper, dripping with melodic charm and guitar based hooks”
A Beacon School Grab Onto Hope on New Single “Alone”
“hews close to the wispy atmospherics of Air and the jangly, light-shoegaze tones of The Radio Dept”
Maxband – “Cut It Loose”
“exceedingly pretty post-punk track with a metronomic pulse straight out of an early Strokes record.”
More from Stereogum: Maxband – “Nothing’s Changed”, Maxband – “Lines”, Maxband - "Means To An End"
This song is an indulgent acceptance of relaxation
“…Smith adds layers of soothing guitars and vocals with ease, reaching a build-up that feels natural, without ever fully peaking”
Daily Dose: A Beacon School, “Glue”
“…an intoxicating indie-pop tune that manages a dreamy appeal despite its frenetic pace, balancing flying saucer synths with a hyperactive rhythm section.”
A Beacon School Shares New Single “KITM”
“an insular dream pop confessional, guided by spectral swirls of guitar… quickly unfurls into expansive new territory…inviting and richly layered”
Featured Album
“Densely layered guitar and vocal work imbue the project's dreamy, soothing sound with a ‘strong sense of early 2010s nugaze’“