The Corner Laughers - Midsommar

If there every was a competition to find the world's most twee-friendly band, then it's safe to say that Californian indie-poppers The Corner Laughers would be one of the main contenders to the crown. To date, they've released three albums of sugar-y sunshine-pop tracks, many of which, like "Grasshopper Clock", are so sucrose-infused that they're believed to be a leading cause of tooth decay among music fans.

Ahead of the release of a 4th album, the band are releasing a new single, "Midsommar", to mark the summer solstice. And I'm happy to say that it's quite possibly their best song to date. It still retains their trademark sugar-y sheen, whilst adding elements of English folk to their sound. In particular, the song "Northern Lights" by Renaissance springs to mind. Plus, how can anyone resist the song's exquisite double-tracked guitar solo? With much difficulty, one suspects.

"Midsommar" is a wonderfully upbeat track which deserves to bring The Corner Laughers' music to a brand new audience. Now, when does the International Tweedom Ceremony take place?

"Midsommar" will be released on June 17th.

Trails and Ways - Como Te Vas

It's always lovely to hear new music from new musical friends, particularly from new musical friends who have blown up in a massive way since the last time you visited them. We last covered California based group Trails and Ways back in October last year, following the release of their melancholic "Border Crosser" single. That song has now been streaming over 100,000 on Soundcloud alone, and the band ended 2012 as one of the most blogged artists of year. (Incidentally, this blog's review of the single ended up being quoted on a French website magazine, translated into French, simultaneously being one of the best and most surreal moments of The Metaphorical Boat's existence).

The band have now released their latest single, and in keeping with the band's multilingual style, this song is sung entirely in Spanish. "Como Te Vas" (which means "How are you going?") is a delicious slice of dreamy pop which seems tailor made for lazy days floating on a lilo in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. With a gorgeous guitar part which just screams the 1980s, plus a chanted hook reminiscent of Bastille's monster hit "Pompeii", Trails and Ways might have just struck a musical goldmine. Again.

"Como Te Vas" will be released on their upcoming E.P "Trilingual", which is out on June 11th.