Tamaryn Brown is a New Zealand songwriter and singer based in Los Angeles. Since 2008, Tamaryn has released four studio albums, an EP and several singles. Her multifaceted style melds various genres such as

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

and

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

Early life

Tamaryn Brown was born in New Zealand. She was raised by a mother and godmother who were

Jungian psychologists Analytical psychology ( de , Analytische Psychologie, sometimes translated as analytic psychology and referred to as Jungian analysis) is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science" ...

, and the family moved frequently around New Zealand and, later, the United States. The New Zealand government commissioned her mother and godmother to open a

halfway house A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. As well as serving as a ...

for runaway teenagers. Tamaryn described being raised with "30 brothers and sisters, kids who had been in different gangs:

Mongrel Mob The Mongrel Mob (sometimes self-labelled as the Mighty Mongrel Mob or colloquially known as the Mob) is an organised street gang and Prison gang based in New Zealand. With a network of more than thirty chapters throughout the country and additi ...

, Black Power… Some of them white, some

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, some mixed". The halfway house later faced criticism for its unorthodox practices, and the resulting public backlash led to her family moving to

Roslyn, Washington Roslyn is a city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 893 at the 2010 census. Roslyn is located in the Cascade Mountains, about 80 miles east of Seattle. The town was founded in 1886 as a coal mining company town. D ...

. She left home at the age of 13, and remained in the United States thereafter.

Career

Beginning a long collaboration with

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

n guitarist Rex John Shelverton (

Portraits of Past Portraits of Past was an American post-hardcore band from the San Francisco Bay Area that existed roughly from 1994–1995. The genre of music that they helped create is often described as "screamo," though that term was not used at the time the ...

, the Audience,

Vue Vue or VUE may refer to: Places * Vue, Loire-Atlantique, a commune in France * The Vue, a skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina Arts, entertainment and media * Vue (band), a rock and roll band from San Francisco, California * Vue Cinemas, a c ...

and Bellavista), Tamaryn self-released a 2008 debut EP, ''Led Astray, Washed Ashore'' (later reissued on

Troubleman Records Troubleman Unlimited Records was a record label specializing in indie rock and similar genres. Founded in 1993, the label was based in Bayonne, New Jersey and owned by Mike Simonetti. History The label started as an offshoot of a fanzine called ...

), followed by several 7" singles. In September 2010, Tamaryn's full-length debut album, ''The Waves'', was released on

Mexican Summer Mexican Summer is an independent record label founded in 2009 by Keith Abrahamsson and Andres Santo Domingo. Based in Brooklyn, New York, the label has released recordings from artists including Best Coast, Kurt Vile, Ariel Pink, Allah-Las, Weye ...

Kemado Records Kemado Records is an American record label based in New York City founded in 2002 by Andrés Santo Domingo and Tom Clapp. In 2006 the label released the '' Invaders'' compilation, which featured many of the label's bands alongside other hard roc ...

. In May 2011, Tamaryn's song "Cascades" was rearranged to provide the soundtrack to artist Richard Phillips' short film ''Lindsay Lohan'', which starred the

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

herself. In July 2011,

True Panther Sounds True Panther Sounds (TPS) is a New York City-based independent record label founded by Dean Bein, previously owned by Matador Records and distributed by Beggars Group. The label began in 2004 in San Francisco to release a tour-only 7" by founders ...

released a 7" by Les Demoniaques, a project featuring Tamaryn and Dee Dee Penny of

Dum Dum Girls Dum Dum Girls was an American rock band, formed in 2008. It began as the bedroom recording project of singer and songwriter Dee Dee (née Kristin Gundred). She is currently based in Los Angeles. The name is a double homage to the Vaselines' albu ...

covering "Teenage Lust" by

the Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...

. In November 2011, Tamaryn provided guest vocals on

's 100th release, a 12" by Ford & Lopatin. In late summer 2012, Mexican Summer released "I'm Gone," the first single from Tamaryn's second album, ''Tender New Signs'', which was released in October of that year. It was her final album with Shelverton as her collaborator. On Record Store Day 2013, Mexican Summer released a cover of Turning Shrines song "1/4 Circle Black" performed by Jorge Elbrecht (

Lansing-Dreiden Lansing-Dreiden is an American band and art collective based in New York City. Lansing-Dreiden was founded in Miami, Florida. Their body of work includes music, multimedia artwork (in the form of drawings, collages, sculpture and video), and the ...

, Violens) and Tamaryn. In 2014, Tamaryn was credited for the rebranding and creative direction of the Dum Dum Girls on that band's third

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

album, ''

Too True ''Too True'' is the third and final studio album by Dum Dum Girls, released by Sub Pop on January 22, 2014 in Japan; January 27, 2014 in Europe; and January 28, 2014 worldwide. The album marked the fourth Dum Dum Girls release in a row produced b ...

''. In March 2014, Tamaryn provided the score to a short film written by

Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a w ...

, ''Are You Okay''. Her collaborator on the project was former Coil and Psychic TV member

Drew McDowall Drew McDowall (born 28 January 1961) is a Scottish musician who has been a member, collaborator, and remixer for various influential music groups. McDowall was formerly a full-time member of Coil. History McDowall formed art-punk trio Poems in ...

. Her third album, ''Cranekiss'' (2015), featured production by Jorge Elbrecht. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' writer Jes Skolnik said that ''Cranekiss'' "moves from the denser shoegaze thickets of ''Tender New Signs'' and ''The Waves'' into a pure, sugary dream-pop world. No longer competing for sonic space with a heavy wash of guitar, Tamaryn's voice, even drenched in reverb, becomes the focus". ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' critic Heather Phares declared that ''Cranekiss'' was "a beautiful pop fantasia that finds Tamaryn expressing her music's passion and sensuality in exciting new ways", and called the album's combination of shoegaze and synth-pop "some of her most arresting music yet". During April and September 2016, Tamaryn performed as the opening act on

Lush Lush may refer to: People Music * Lush (band), a British rock band * ''Lush'' (Mitski album), a 2012 album by Mitski * ''Lush'' (Snail Mail album), a 2018 album by Snail Mail * "Lush", a single by Skepta featuring Jay Sean * ''Lush 3'', a si ...

's North American reunion tour. In 2019, Tamaryn released her fourth album ''Dreaming The Dark'' wit
Dero Arcade
She was credited as a songwriter on Sky Ferreira's 2019 single, " Downhill Lullaby''."''

Discography

Studio albums

* ''The Waves'' (2010,

) * ''Tender New Signs'' (2012, Mexican Summer/

) * ''Cranekiss'' (2015, Mexican Summer) * ''Dreaming The Dark'' (2019, Dero Arcade)

Singles and EPs

* ''"'' Terrified ( Robin Gutherie Remix)" single (2019, DERO Arcade) *"Path to Love (

The Horrors The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, consisting of lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spurg ...

Remix)" single (2019, DERO Arcade) *"Fits of Rage" single (2019, DERO Arcade) *"Led Astray, Washed Ashore" EP (2008, self-release; 2009,

) * "Return to Surrender" b/w "Ashore" 7" single (2009, M'Lady's Records) * "Mild Confusion b/w Light Shadows" 7" single (2009,

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apart ...

) * "Weather War" single-sided 7" single (2009, Hell, Yes! Records) * "I'm Gone" digital single (2012, Mexican Summer) * "Heavenly Bodies" digital single (2012, Mexican Summer)

Other appearances

* "Teenage Lust" (

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...

cover) single-side 7" flexi-disc by Les Demoniaques (Tamaryn and Dee Dee Penny of

) (2011, True Panther Sounds/

) * "Flying Dream" on "Snakes/Flying Dream" 12" single by Ford & Lopatin (2011, Mexican Summer) * "1/4 Circle Black" (Turning Shrines cover) single-sided 7" single by Jorge Elbrecht featuring Tamaryn (2013, Mexican Summer/Kemado Records)

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control American women singers Art pop musicians Dream pop musical groups Living people Mexican Summer artists Musical groups established in 2008 New Zealand emigrants to the United States Shoegaze musicians Women in electronic music Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women