By It’s our Bandcamp Picks of the Week, featuring Frost Children’s unique indietronica blend HEARTH ROOM and Ryan Wong’s DIY cosmic country ride THE NEW COUNTRY SOUNDS OF RYAN WONG!
Frost Children – HEARTH ROOM
Genre: Indie Pop, Emo-Pop, Indietronica
Favorite Tracks: “Marigold,” “Got Me By The Tail,” “Bernadette,” “Frost Park”
Frost Children are making waves by creating hyperpop that isn’t overly absurd. The duo of siblings Angel and Lulu Prost broke through with SPEED RUN earlier this April, latching onto shiny, late-2000s internet aesthetics to deliver a megamix of gorgeous, buoyant dance-pop soundtracking that era. Where other hyperpop acts, like frontrunners 100 gecs, are concerned with high-octane chaos, the Prosts concoct melodic electro-pop bangers, harmonizing with themselves. In turn, they ambitiously cross over into punk’s abrasion and art pop’s floatiness. Their allegiance to digital aesthetics can’t be understated. As hyperpop veers further into guitar-driven territory—underscores already did it on 2023’s WALLSOCKET—it’s only appropriate that Frost Children follow suit. The other side of the coin to SPEED RUN’s exuberance, then, is HEARTH ROOM’s eclectic folk.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the duo recognised that the indie rock crowd would dig HEARTH ROOM more than its predecessor. Emo and pop punk influences are present, but those can be easily traced back to the Prosts’ vocals. It’s the shift in sound palette—twinkly acoustic guitars—that boldly invites itself across the album’s opening tracks. “Lethal” encourages sappy swaying from side to side, while the wondrous laidback jam “Birdsong” recalls the grounded guitar work of Alex G. What’s more impressive is the math rock leanings in “Stare At The Sun,” which explode into an effervescent power pop take-off like that of Anamanaguchi. If fans were worried that Frost Children lost their hyperpop sheen, the warm wall of sound moments quell that fear. Their bubblegum sensibilities still glow in this earthier, woody musical environment. In particular, the chilled alt-pop of “Marigold” perfectly bridges these two styles. Lush synths retain their crystalline gloss, while the toned-down, softer energy is the duo sinking into indie sleaze.
That latter stylistic culmination shines on “Got Me By The Tail,” a stiff guitar groove with lackadaisical sing-songy flattery. I also can’t help but compare it to The Velvet Underground’s propulsive “I’m Waiting For The Man,” down to its repetition and carefree shabbiness. Fans of the Prosts’ usual bratty relentlessness may feel torn with this tune; don’t fret, as they return to those musings later in “Not My Fault” and “Oats From A Mug.” Frost Children continue their standout folky momentum on “Bernadette” and “Frost Park,” featuring interesting percussion choices of tweety jitters and a loungey güiro rhythm, respectively. With these left turns, as simple as they may appear, they hint at an immensely exciting reinvigoration—not only for Angel and Lulu Prost as musicians, but for hyperpop itself. Never has the genre sounded so tender and organic. Check out HEARTH ROOM, Frost Children’s cozy indie pop trip, over on Bandcamp.
Ryan Wong – THE NEW COUNTRY SOUNDS OF RYAN WONG
Genre: Country, Indie Rock, Singer-Songwriter
Favorite Tracks: “Day Dreamin’,” “Cold Beer,” “Lead Paint”
San Francisco’s Ryan Wong already records with the band Supreme Joy, whose genres starkly contrast with this collection of country tunes: post-punk, garage rock, and psych rock. With such an established sound palette, you’d think a shift into country music’s lukewarm embrace is not an easy task. However, on THE NEW COUNTRY SOUNDS OF RYAN WONG, he emulates it perfectly, right down to the steel guitar twangs and nonplussed crooning. In this era of time moving too quickly, Wong’s endearing ballads are a pleasant breath of fresh air. The entire album feels like a pause. They become more impressive when you consider his forte of more complicated music.
On his Instagram, Wong wrote that this album contains little one-minute, half-drunk demos, now forever immortalized into wax. Its simplicity in length and content is charming, much of which can be drawn from the song titles alone: bittersweet longing for success as a renowned superstar (“Day Dreamin’”), being unsatisfied with writing (“Tried to Write a Song Today”), and visiting the one institution carrying colorful art (“Museum”). Okay, it’s not all straightforward—the sparse oddity “Cold Beer” conjures a New Mexico bar in the middle of nowhere that serves nothing but cold beer. Perhaps it’s an allegory for solitude: “You stand alone, a shadow with no entity / An oasis, a stasis,” Wong utters. It’s certainly the strangest moment on the album, but also the most creative for its absurdly empty arrangement.
Elsewhere, the other songs feature addictive percussive work. “Yo Yo” chugs with acoustic guitar, playing like a swaying serenade. The riff of “Shadow” is almost like The Kinks’ bouncy “Picture Book.” My favorite is “Lead Paint,” which comfortably cruises with the same unphased bedroom pop jangle of any classic Mac DeMarco tune. It’s the embodiment of Wong’s musically carefree, lackadaisical pilgrimage, dissolving any external stressors. Its chirpy guitar solos and deep bass chords are reminiscent of a lullaby. This feel-good sensibility, though, is sometimes an illusion—the final lines on “Flowers” are “When she’s done and finally late / I’ll put some flowers on her grave”—Wong still sneaks in reality’s morbidity, backdropping it with optimistic sounds.
THE NEW COUNTRY SOUNDS OF RYAN WONG intrigued me for its campy artwork assembled with love, but also how it plays out so calmly. Country is a genre that’s often subject to flak, but with this project, those misconceptions must be left aside. Like his Bandcamp page states, Wong’s country influence leans closest to the bluesy roots rock of The Kinks’ Ray Davies—therefore, nothing here is boring. It’s a solid set of relatable, laidback, and subtly existential guitar ballads. Settle down by listening to Ryan Wong’s country-leaning sounds on Bandcamp.
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