Ghost Feet, Twingle, Darkswoon

Ghost Feet

Tying together threads across multiple genres, Ghost Feet weaves themselves into a unique cloth cut from dark wave, psych rock, and trip hop inspirations—creating a distinctively textured shoegaze sound that wraps the listener in its sonic fabric, first tucking you in and then tearing you back out. 

Ghost Feet’s collaborative writing style is rooted in its first life as duo Rachel Dubuc and Nuri Erdal, guitarists and audio engineers who wrote both their initial release Wires and Cords (EP, Dropping Gems, 2011)  and their first full-length album Together Alone (Dropping Gems, 2015) remotely—trading Ableton tracks back and forth while living in Olympia, WA and Portland, OR.  

After taking a break to focus on individual projects, they revived the band in 2019—adding new complexity in this incarnation with Jessie Branch, whose dynamic vocals add an emotional depth that pulls each song into sharper focus. 

This layering of individual writing into a final cohesive piece lets the three leave their own signature at each level, stacking those elements into a sound larger than the sum of its parts. Their rhythmic waves draw you out to sea and then wash over you in a tsunami of lyrical impact, as Branch’s graceful vocals flutter past your ears, packing an unexpected weight on arrival. 

It also allows the band to continue to write while living in both cities. Now performing as a five-piece with the addition of bassist Ryan Scott, and Benjamin Tyler on drums—Ghost Feet has put out two singles in this latest incarnation, with a third to be released on the upcoming PDX Pop Now! 2023 compilation.

Twingle
"Twingle, an art rock ensemble that includes songwriter Anna Sabatino (vocals, guitar, piano), Alex Radakovich (drums), Eric Sabatino (bass), Jessica Sylvia (backup vocals, percussion) and Nathan Weber (guitar, piano, synth and backup vocals), enjoys surprising listeners with their unique sound, which blends the unexpected with the familiar. “The line between traditional and untraditional is where I like to live, experiment and push in my songwriting,” Anna Sabatino says. Currently, the band is looking forward to releasing their debut album, Future Caviar."
- Willamette Week, Best New Bands 2023

Darkswoon
Darkswoon is a Portland-based trio that has carved out a unique blend of styles. Recently described as one of the strongest darkwave artists in Portland (Robert Ham, Willamette Week), their music isn't boxed into one genre, drawing from elemental post-punk roots, atmospheric guitars that croon along with ethereal vocals bordering on dream pop and shoegaze. Layers of beats, vintage synth sounds, and melodically driven bass add to the original style, while paying homage to old-school goth and electronic basics. The emotionally charged, potent sound of Darkswoon was founded by composer Jana Cushman (vocals, guitar) in 2014 as a solo project, and later completed with the addition of Rachel Ellis (beats, synths) and Norah Lynn (bass) in 2017. Their sophomore release, 'Bloom Decay' (2022, Icy Cold Records), represents an evolution of Darkswoon's sound, emerging after the challenges of a global pandemic with a body of work that has been praised by some as one of the best albums of 2022 (Stereo Embers', Last Rites').