Thailand

Somewhere between Bangkok, Kyoto and Tokyo, the Thai-Japanese quintet aire have been developing their own vision of modern instrumental rock for the last two years.

Just like in the case of (Japanese) group Uchu Conbini, their post/math rock inspirations are paired with a great melodic talent, which shows up in every bar of their guitar-filled music. And yes, crescendos are here too.

“Mizukiri” (水切り) is a four-minute song that further refines the style we’ve cheerished from the first record, constantly switching between chopped-up verses and a laid-back quasi-chorus. With some misleading pauses, the group leads us through a captivating crescendo to a powerful yet cheerful final.

aire on YouTube, Facebook.

Last year Bangkok-based quintet FWENDS released three impressive singles and played multiple stages, becomind one of the most-watched names in the local scene even before releasing their full-length debut.

A track they shared over a year ago, “Fade Away” immediately showed what their strengths are, and there are many. They sound like an experienced indie rock band (with shoegaze’y sound but immediacy of pop), yet the atmosphere of their songs bring the freshness you’d expect from a group that is still looking for their place on the stage.

“It’s feeling free, So come with me tonight tonight,” they sing, “All the songs we sang in past, shivering my heart”. Our hearts are excited about what’s still to come.

FWENDS on Facebook, YouTube.

The Gym and Swim are a young, Bangkok-based quintet performing “tropical inspired pop,” which in fact means you’ll smile every time you turn one of their songs.

To date, they’ve just released a few singles, including a brilliant track “Octopussy” and a video called “YUUWAHUU“, which was a part of the YoungJaTum Project, an initiative dedicated to young people.

Released at the end of last yar, “Bunny House” is the most catchy, sunny, and polished song not only in their inventory, but maybe in the whole catalogue of 2015 Thai music.

Gym and Swim on Soundcloud, YouTube, Facebook.

One of Thailand’s most prominent bands exploring the more distorted territories of indie rock, Hariguem Zaboy differ from most of their fellow shoegazers if only thanks to the positive atmosphere of their songs.

Releasd in Marchm, “Shine to Say” is a hypnotic video off their recent full-length album, “Thick Mink“, and it’s a great example of this record’s general mood, and its many other qualities.

The four members of Hariguem Zaboy met in school and started a band just to enjoy playing with each other and sharing their music with listeners. It’s great to see nothing has changed since then.

Hariguem Zaboy on Facebook, Bandcamp.

l _ / \ – l _ / \, which you should pronounce as simply as “La-La”, is an up-and-coming Bangkok duo whose most attractive feature is their permanent drive to add more and more styles into their sound mix.

After an inspiring single “Jaiyen” (meaning “Keep Calm”), and “MOA192b” a few months later their released another great track called “Rongtao”, or “Shoes”.

And there’s more to come. On February 28th, Teerapong Bumrungsheep and Thanart Rasanont will release their debut mini-album another new single.

l _ / \ – l _ / \ on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.

A great song project with Joyful Live Concert brought Monomania a great feedback, and they’ve been quickly gaining popularity among listeners in Thailand who love such kind of non-obvious music.

A fully equipped alternative music band, in the middle of last spring the Bangkok-based collective gave us what was to become one of the best singles of the year. It’s called “ตัวตน”, or “Tourton”, which means “Self”.

Monomania on Facebook, YouTube, Soundcloud.

Started by the singer-songwriter Kanyapak “Pie” Wuttara as her acoustic project, My Life As Ali Thomas evolved into a full-fledged alternative folk quartet based in Bangkok that’s deservedly attracting attention of the local indie public.

Initially, “Daughter and Son” was one of Pie’s acoustic songs, but the ultimate version perfectly demonstrates My Life’s many-sided talent. They start with an acoustic folk song, gradually expand to finish off with an semi-orchestral post-rock coda.

And just a few weeks ago, they released another great single, “Winter’s Love“, making us wait even more impatiently for their debut album.

My Life As Ali Thomas on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Soundcloud.

As we’re waiting for the full-length debut from the Bangkok quartet-turned-quintet New Mandarin, they keep giving us unforgettable singles and “Underwater” is certainly one of them.

Directed by Ladie Goodman, the video is alternately artistic and quizzical, which perfectly matches the character of the music itself. Simple on the surface, it’s a vibrant start-stop song that constantly swings between delicate folk verses featuring Kla’s solo voice and a majestic chorus.

As they seem to be getting better and better with each new little premiere, we don’t mind waiting a bit longer for the full-length debut. But just a bit.

New Mandarin on Soundcloud, YouTube, Facebook.

Phum Viphurit was born in Thailand and is currently based in Bangkok, but he spent his teenage years in New Zealand. That could explain his ambiguous style, which blends the intimacy of acoustic folk rock with emotional intensity fuelled by his sweeping voice.

“A song I wrote about my encounters with dishonest people and the desire to hold on to things that are unobtainable,” he said about his second single, “Trial & Error”. At some point, the song thickens up into an almost-orchestral peak.

One of the most talented young singer-songwriters we know, Phum Viphurit is certainly one of the names to watch in the coming years.

Phum Viphurit on Facebook.

Plot are a long-standing and experienced trio releasing their music on the SO::ON DRY FLOWER label, and their recent single single “ให้แม่และคุณ” (“For Mother and You”) was such a worth to wait – even though it lasts just over 2 minutes.

“I took one line of the lyrics – ‘Concreted wall established, We love you more than we can say’ – to shape all the visuals.” say Pai, the group’s singer and guitarist.

“While we play in parallel with a wicked saxophone, we reconstruct fragments of our memories. But the consequences are that we never face the truth eye-to-eye, and that’s the core idea of this video.”

Plot on Facebook.

This is just the third track from the “little indie band” Safeplanet, as they call themselves, obviously too modest concerning their spectacular debut single and a perfect follow-up, as well as the group members’ previous experiences.

The Bangkok-based trio released their new single “Paint” (ระบาย) just at the end of the year, but we immediately fell in love with jingling guitars, delicate and bright vocal lines, and a restrained yet powerful chorus.

With additional voices hovering all around the song, it makes a perfect 5-minute songs that once again makes us sure their debut full-length will be an instant classic.

Safeplanet on YouTube, Facebook.

One of Thailand’s finest rock outfits, Solitude Is Bliss initially wrote their songs in Thai, only to start singing in English quite quite recently. But they found this language more appropriate to what they want to convey in their music.

The Chiangmai-based quintet appeared in our Best of 2014 and here we are again. Taken off their new album “Her Social Anxiety”, this song is an example of how smoothly Solitude Is Bliss mix their local sensitivity with global inspirations, transcending geographical and time classifications.

The video for the single was directed by Peasadet Compiranont. It stars the band’s bass player Jomyoot Wongto in a role he apparently chose to show life that many people wouldn’t choose if they had any choice.

Solitide Is Bliss on Facebook.

A fully experienced reggae band fronted by the singer Bubu, Srirajah Rockers’ attractive live concerts make the audience stand up and dance to their groovy music throughout the show.

At the same time, they put many ideas into their songs, just like into their latest video “Karn Share” (การแชร์), meaning simply “Sharing”. A slow-paced track, yet as gripping as their live performances.

Srirajah Rockers on Facebook, Soundcloud, YouTube.

Bangkok-based four-piece The Whitest Crow employ standard rock setting to create (indie) songs that initially might seem pretty straightforward as well. But after a while, you start to discover diverse inspirations behind their vintage sound.

Currently signed to Rats Records, the band has been steadily delivering new singles over the last year with “Follow the Heart” being one of their best.

And it’s quite aptly titled, as the relationship with The Whitest Crow seems to be that of love/hate kind. But their musical heroes certainly have had it the very same way.

The Whitest Crow on Soundcloud, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter.

A standard guitar-bass-drums trio Vimuti from Nakhon Ratchasima certainly don’t play standard music. Rather, they boomerang between extremes of rock, from the quietness of an intimate ballad to post-rock’s highest emotional altitudes.

Accompanied by a simple and therefore way even more dramatic video, “Let the tears flow and shout out loudly” could be considered their music manifesto. But above all it’s a lamentation of something we all realise at some points of life.

“Among tens of thousands of people around us,” they sing, “we still feel lonely and all alone”. Let’s not hold it inside, but shout it out loudly and let the tears flow.

Vimutti on Facebook.

If Sufjan Stevens was born in Thailand as a girl and with a bit more positive outlook on life, he might be a good studio partner for Yarinda, the author of possibly the most summery song of the last year – and we knew it the moment it came out mid-January.

“คู่กัน”, which could be translated as “Couple”, starts modestly with a piano theme. But with every new bar new instruments join in gradually developing into an euphoric symphonic hymn to love with a brass section, choruses and a spectacular live video. We wish we were there.

Yarinda on Twitter, Facebook, www.