Over the past few years, Wild Nothing‘s name has become synonymous with dream pop. If you’re familiar with the magic of Jack Tatum then you know that’s for good reason. Though it hasn’t even been a year since the band’s sophomore LP, Nocturne, Tatum is already cranking out fresh material from his upcoming EP, Empty Estate, that’s guaranteed to keep fans captivated.

Empty Estate’s first single, “A Dancing Shell”, is the perfect teaser to the seven-track release. The track blends gleaming synths and deep basslines over a luminous, upbeat atmosphere that’s easily reminiscent of The Psychedelic Furs or The Talking Heads. The band whipped up some 80s throwback visuals for the track, which you can watch above.

Wild Nothing’s Empty Estate EP comes out May 14th via Captured Tracks.

STREAM: Wild Nothing – “A Dancing Shell”

It’s no secret we’re madly in love with HAERTS. The NY five-piece continue to shed their veil of mystery with a video for their debut single, “Wings.” Though it may look like a collection of found footage at first, this original piece comes courtesy of director Emily Kai Bock. Give it a watch above and see if you can spot cameos from each of the band members.

HAERTS’ Wings 7″ is out now on Neon Gold.

STREAM: HAERTS – “Wings”

GEMS continue to spread the dream-pop gospel on “Never Age.” These DC upstarts wowed us two weeks ago with the sonic majesty of “Pegasus,” and have done so yet again with this reverb-heavy jewel of a track. If you’re at SXSW, make sure to catch these two next Saturday evening. Stream “Never Age” below.

STREAM: GEMS – “Never Age”

GEMS. Finally, a DC band to get really, really excited about. Like, really excited. After wooing listeners with two dreamy jams in 2012, the guy-girl duo today dropped a third nugget of sonic gold, “Pegasus,” prior to their inaugural SXSW appearance in March. Smooth, slow and meandering but never lost, “Pegasus” floats on a wistful cloud of sparse but dramatic dream-pop, showcasing the hauntingly good vocals of both Clifford John Usher and Lindsay Pitts. Enjoy.

STREAM: GEMS – “Pegasus”

Although their debut album may still lack a title and release date, New York’s Black Light Dinner Party are getting us ready for it with their latest single, “We Are Golden.” The track is a bright one, filled with plenty of synths and some bird chirping samples here and there. The vocal melody is definitely sure to give you an earworm.

The band has paired the track up with an animated short form music video that gives Cartoon Network a run for its money. It features a nomadic female warrior and her cautious polar bear friend as they travel through Arctic waters to reach an unknown golden object that crash landed on an eyeball moon before a group of Tetris-piece riding Russian pirates get to it first. You know, that old story. Check out the creative piece above or just stream the single below.

STREAM: Black Light Dinner Party – “We Are Golden”

Another arbitrary 365-day cycle has come and gone, offering the music world an opportunity to reflect on the fruits of the preceding year’s toil. Most frequently, these reflections come in the form of innumerable ‘Best Of’ lists, but for 2013, dream pop duo Beach House decided to reminisce the retro way: with an old school home video. The band’s latest video for “New Year,” off of 2012’s Bloom, samples footage from their recording session at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas. The video is replete with up-close-and-personal shots of the band in action, shakily shot Halloween décor and a well-timed catfight (literal cats, not the kind you need to take your earrings out for) which, as the band writes, “we just thought these moments and the memories they involve fit this song.”

Watch the video above and buy the rest of Beach House’s Bloom, out now on Sub Pop.

Strange things hide in the back of storage rooms. You never know what you’ll find rummaging in the back through old crates and boxes. Among trunks filled with old memories, next to old department store mannequins, you might even stumble upon a lightbox diorama featuring a battle between tanks and dinosaurs, soundtracked by a Canadian five-piece playing pretty dream-pop. “Backlines” is the first video off Stars‘ most recent album, The North. The piece’s epic yet quirky battle between plastic toy monsters and artillery rages around Amy Milan, decked out as a 40s jazz singer, singing smoothly into an old-school microphone. It’s a fun video for a fun song from a fantastic album.

The North is out now on ATO records.

STREAM: Stars – Backlines

We have a fully packed week for all you New Yorkers running the CMJ Music Marathon. As with any long-distance endeavor, we recommend a nice warm-up stretch before you really start pushing yourself to see where that extra Five Hour Energy takes you. We have the perfect workout for you tonight at Santos Party House, where San Francisco-based Blackbird Blackbird will be transfixing crowds with his unique brand of “dreamy folktronica” to celebrate today’s release of his new EP, Boracay Planet. Featuring more layers than a mexican party dip, his anthemic tunes give you the same feeling cobras must get when the irresistible notes of the pungi flute hit their ears. But you don’t have to be a snake to be charmed by this chillwave insurgent; stream Boracay Planet below and make sure to grab your tickets before they run out. Limited entry with CMJ badge.

STREAM: Blackbird Blackbird – Boracay Planet EP

If you’re anything like us, you’ve been experiencing an insatiable hunger for more Savoir Adore since their Dreamers EP dropped this past spring. And even though the release of their upcoming LP, Our Nature, is only a month way, you might not be able to last that long. Lucky for us both, the Brooklyn duo has been nice enough to release a studio version of “Regalia” to tide us over. The track features the classic dream pop that we’ve come to love from the band, as well as some forays into uncharted territory, including a tropical drum beat and harmonizing Ratatat-style guitar licks. You can grab “Regalia” and the rest of Our Nature when the album comes out October 15th via Popular/Red Eye.

STREAM: Savoir Adore – “Regalia”

From the first washboard-like güiro strokes in Shintaro Sakamoto‘s new song, “In A Phantom Mood,” it’s obvious where the tune is headed: to the beach! After 20 years and mainstream Japanese success with Yura Yura Teikoku, Sakamoto has headed out on his own, and from the sound of it he’s drinking Mai Tais all the way. This song, off of the recently released How To Live With A Phantom, is one of the chillest songs in recent memory, built purely for lounging in the shade and sipping on something cold while a sea breeze gently wafts by. There are echoes of French pop, lightly strummed guitars, and a cool, relaxing groove that’s perfect for finger-tapping on the armrest of a rattan beach chair.

How To Live With A Phantom is out now via Other Music Recordings.

STREAM: Shintaro Sakamoto – “In A Phantom Mood”