After playing in numerous indie rock and punk bands together dating back to 2009 with varying degrees of artistic success, guitarist Joey Degroot and bassist Kyle Wilkerson formed Joy Cleaner in 2015. The duo viewed the band almost as a challenge to themselves to take a more mature, accessible and deliberate approach to songwriting. Recruiting Cary Billemeyer on drums, Joy Cleaner began performing live in early 2016 and were immediately praised for their full embrace of pop songwriting while still retaining a scrappy alternative edge, with many favorably comparing their sound to such bands as Teenage Fanclub, Guided By Voices or The Lemonheads.
Hoboken’s Karyn Kuhl has always evoked the hum of NYC right across the river, with all of its tension and light. Her new Dromedary Records single No Traces (produced by Charlie Nieland) is no exception, evoking post-punk with a touch of the ethereal. Karyn draws a scene of loss and transcendence, with her lush voice and icy synths glinting off the driving guitars and drums, all tough and glossy. The Tower (produced by Larry Heinemann) rounds out the two-sided single release, with moonlit swampy grace.
Karyn Kuhl first received national acclaim for her early bands Gut Bank and Sexpod, growing out of the vibrant Hoboken music scene and the legendary club Maxwell’s. Over the past 20 years, she has released nine LPs, EPs and singles under her own name and with her band. With her solo material, Karyn lets the unexpected and the familiar take shape into sculptures of melody and noise, sensual, ethereal and heavy. With her alluring mix of different rock styles, she continues to push the boundaries with No Traces‘ retro and modern sound, finding the enigmatic in the everyday.
These days, she performs both as a solo act and leading Karyn Kuhl & The Gang. In addition to her long-time rhythm section of drummer Jonpaul Pantozzi and bassist Lou Ciarlo, the band now includes guitarist/producer Charlie Nieland (Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainright). Karyn’s music has been used in several films & series and is available on all streaming platforms.
No Traces b/w The Tower will be available as a 7” single and digital download at dromedaryrecords.bandcamp.com
“The Mommyheads are a true indie rock national treasure.“ -Fun Fun Fun
The Mommyheads (Adam Elk, Dan Fisherman, Jason McNair, Michael Holt, and Jackie Simons) are an indie-pop band formed in Brooklyn in 1987 by Adam Cohen (now Adam Elk). They developed a cult following across North America through extensive touring in the 1990’s. They broke up in 1998 after being signed and later dropped by Geffen Records. They reformed in 2008. They’ve released ten albums.
Striking a wild balance between embracing the spirit of inspiration and abandoning the strictures of inhibition, Night Court is set loose to draw new/glue repurposed maps over the post/pop/punk/lo-fi rock landscape. Wanting to travel light, the band decided to write only good songs with no unnecessary weight, leaving concentrated grooves of distorted/indelible catchiness in their wake. Where’d they find that sound? It gets me so excited.
Vancouver indie punk/garage pop band Night Court was born during the great lockdown of 2020 from lifelong friends Jiffy and Dave-O and quickly grew into 30 songs, 26 of which became their debut duology Nervous Birds! One and Too, and later compiled in a one cassette ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation on Spain’s Discos Peroquébien. Once Emil Taylor completed the power trio on drums in 2021, the band spent the next year playing locally, touring Canada and the US, and recording their third full length album -and first to be pressed on vinyl- HUMANS! – released June 9th on Debt Offensive Records in Canada and Snappy Little Numbers in the US.
Following the release of HUMANS! the band teamed up with New York indie Dromedary Records for the release of the Frater Set EP, a loosely Halloween-themed collection of short and speedy pop songs.
With a lo-if DIY approach to their recordings, Frater Set continues the band’s love affair with loud, messy, beautiful songs that are not likely to overstay their welcome. The album’s 5 songs- coming in under 8 minutes- were recorded at Magic Hour, the converted “studio” that Jiffy and Dave-O built in Jiffy’s garage. With a wide pool of influences and rave reviews- “loose and crazy indie punk-pop with solid drive and inventive style” (The Big Takeover), “kind of indie rock-ish at times, catchy yet dripping, with feedback in all the right places.” (Razorcake)- Night Court’s energetic live performances have earned them gigs supporting everyone from hometown punk progenitors Pointed Sticks to Welsh post-hardcore noise enthusiasts Mclusky. Currently booking dates in Canada and the US, Night Court demands attention, but long attention spans are not required.
“Penguins Kill Polar Bears deservedly follow in the footsteps of groups like Aereogramme, Biffy Clyro and newer friends and contemporaries like The XCerts.” -The Scotsman
One of Scotland’s most exciting young bands of the early 2010s, Penguins Kill Polar Bears teamed up with Dromedary in 2011 to release Vessels & Veins in North America as an intro to this great band. The US version of the EP was released in March of 2011 on CD and digital download.
Positive No created melodic, unpredictable pop balanced with tension and energy. The songwriting focus isn’t just about producing melodies performed as if it were their last day on earth or pounding out rhythmic twists and turns. Each note, beat, and breath is meticulously spaced so the room between the notes is as important as the ones played all together. It might be tempting to assume these musicians were heavily influenced by the heavy guitar indie rock of The Breeders or the melodic post-hardcore of Fugazi in the ‚’90s. However, the reality is they were among those artists shaping underground music at the time. This band is not a tribute to the golden age of independent music; they are the same people who helped to created it in the first place. Positive No was a continuation of DIY veterans writing emotionally raw and dynamic songs with lyrics that are as thoughtful as the music. The unique language developed between the band members is like that of a well-established family.
