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| Photo - Zoe Hopper |
Boston’s Tiberius have announced their new album, ‘Troubadour,’ for release via Audio Antihero on November 14th. "Sag" is taken from ‘Troubadour,’ the label debut of Boston’s Tiberius. Originally a solo outing for songwriter Brendan Wright (they/them), the lineup has evolved into a catchy and cacophonous four-piece. With a sound that blends Indie Punk, Alt Country and Psychedelia with confessional but conversational lyrics, Tiberius have dubbed their sound “Farm Emo.”
After a series of self-releases, which received great praise and support from New England-based press like Allston Pudding and Penny Mag, ‘Troubadour’ sees Tiberius make their label debut with Audio Antihero (Frog / Avery Friedman / CIAO MALZ).
Artist Statement for "Sag": "Sag is about this dreaded ‘Allston to Bushwick’ pipeline we have in Boston. A lot of musicians end up using Boston to cut their teeth before heading off to New York or LA to pursue their music careers. I wrote ‘Sag’ when I was really playing the ‘comparison game’ in my head and asking myself what role I wanted music to play in my life. It was the first in a batch about looking at yourself in relation to the others around you and trying to decipher who you are without that context.“ – Brendan Wright.
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The Outers Channel Gritty Glamour and Sonic Edge in New Single “Wishy Washy” Has the time come for another classic London band? The type that bring a uniquely British slant to indie pop and somehow call to mind the entire city’s heritage of catchy personality led guitar pop from X-Ray Specs & The Bellestars to Lush & Echobelly To The Libertines & The Noisettes. Well, here come The Outers to fill that void for the modern audience with their perky new summer single Wishy Washy.
“Wishy Washy” opens with a sharp bass-line and tight dance groove rhythm section before erupting into a chorus packed with raw emotion and biting delivery. The lyrics chart the downfall of a character fuelled by selfish ambition and surface-level charm, exposing the cracks beneath a carefully curated façade. There is a real sense of narrative tension here, told with both sonic swagger and lyrical edge.
As chirpy as the tune may be, the lyrics actually deal with dark subject matter: “It is about a character driven by disguised self interest always trying to take advantage of people and situations, despite permanent efforts to project a glamorous appearance and chase popularity, actions guided by circumstances and greed will clash with his narrative. Acting behind closed doors to gain power by isolating others or pinning them against each other, the character does not realise his intentions show.” - Ade (Singer).
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| Photo - Devonte Johnson |
Winnipeg band Living Hour releases "Wheel" this week, the first single from their fourth album Internal Drone Infinity, out October 17 via Keeled Scales.
Lyricist Sam Sarty writes: "The story of 'Wheel' begins with buying a car off Facebook Marketplace in BC. Turns out the car was junk, but I had no choice but to drive it home to Winnipeg. It took 3 days. I was driving through the mountains, and the headlights were so dim, and for a stretch there was nowhere to turn off. It felt like a weird, horrific video game–navigating the road and dodging danger and trying not to die. I also felt so deeply betrayed by all the men involved in the whole thing."
The song captures a certain powerlessness involved in the affair: the car salesman handing over the keys, the cops interrogating from the side of the road, the ex arguing from the passenger seat. Sarty continues: "In this song, I was able to imagine an alternate reality where I’m a vengeful spectator in these men's lives. What if I had died on the road, and what if I came back and plagued them all with my powerful essence that they so easily dismissed, contorted and took advantage of in order to sell me a fucked up car?"
Anchored by Sarty’s vivid lyricism, shaped by years as a projectionist conjuring stories in a dark theater, the band explores the quiet magic hidden in everyday life. With wistful vocals, textural distortion, and poetic detail, Living Hour capture the ache of memory, the mess of feeling, and the beauty in what remains.
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St Louis, Missouri's favorite indiepop nerds Bunnygrunt are to return with a 30th Anniversary reissue of their long out of print cuddle-core classic 'Action Pants.' The band dug deep and unearthed lost recordings that were left off of the album due to last minute line up changes way back in the day. The album will now finally be heard in the way it was meant to way back 30 years ago adding three never before heard tracks. The album comes out on August 8th on HHBTM Records and the band's own Sillymoo Records label.
St Louis e’er-do-wells Bunnygrunt sprung fully formed into the Great Indie Pop Underground of the early 1990’s, when gas was cheap, 7” singles grew on trees, and every zine had a reader. After a hugely successful turn at 1994’s YoYo-A-GoGo festival and a steady stream of 45’s, the band hit the studio in early 1995 to record their full length debut Action Pants for LA scene makers No Life Records.
Unfortunately, the band lineup shifted and the track list contracted between recording and release, leaving a few songs on the cutting room floor. Now is the time to re-introduce the world to the Action Pants it needs now more than ever. Alongside the breezy perfection of Just Like Suppertime, the clattering feedback frenzy of GI2K, the jangle motorik of Open Up And Say Oblina, and the other hits you know and love, faithful Bungalos can now feast their ears on the shambling glory of Eggy Greggy, the transmission from another planet of Maude (in two parts!), and originally planned pre-release single Inanimate Objects.
Meet Action Pants: The Thirtieth Anniversary Director’s Cut! A split release between Georgia’s Happy Happy Birthday To Me & St Louis’s Silly Moo, it’s just like the old one, only, like, better…
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| Photo - Ray Redding |
Texas Headhunters aren’t here to play it slick; they’re here to play it real. This week, the trio of Johnny Moeller, Ian Moore and Jesse Dayton, drop “Gimme Some Love,” the third single from their self-titled debut album, out August 22 on Hardcharger / Blue Élan Records.
This time, it’s Johnny Moeller stepping out front. Long known for his razor-sharp guitar work with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Moeller shows a new side of his artistry here -- cool, sly, and soaked in Texas groove. Think Ray Wylie Hubbard swagger meets Delbert McClinton soul, with a little Billy Gibbons grit for good measure.
“This one came together real quick in the studio,” says Moeller. “I’m playing rhythm and singing while Jesse and Ian laid down the ‘ancient art of guitar weaving,’ Texas style, all in one live take. The song’s about looking at this crazy world and realizing we all just need a little more love. I was stuck on the third verse, and my wife said, ‘write something about your dog.’ So, ‘my little sweet Talullah’ made the cut.”
Lyrically, “Gimme Some Love” is a gritty gospel-blues plea for redemption, cut with humor and heart. It’s a song about breaking bad habits, riding the soul train out of trouble, and shining a light in the darkness. Musically, this track rides a low-slung groove. With the swampy pulse of Little Feat, the grit of a Chess Records session, and the laid-back cool of a late-night Austin jam, captured live at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio with producer Steve Chadie.
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New Zealand indie rock royals, The Bats, have recently had their heads down recording new music and have today announced their 11th full-length album, ‘Corner Coming Up’, out on October 17th via Flying Nun Records. The new album strikes a very distinctive and familiar chord that exists in the fuzzy-loving hearts of fans all round the world. Throughout their 40 plus years of existence, and now with 'Corner Coming Up' ready to share with the world, The Bats have stayed true to their roots, creating timeless music that continues to resonate with fans old and new.
The Bats are Robert Scott, Kaye Woodward, Paul Kean and Malcolm Grant. Since their inception in Christchurch in 1982, The Bats’ music has earned a devoted following around the world, and they remain one of New Zealand’s most cherished and enduring exports. The band has a phenomenal ability to create melodies that linger long after the record has stopped spinning.
This week the band have also shared their brand new video single ‘Lucky Day’. Shot out of a suitcase by Marc Swadel, Julian Reid and Kermath, while on work trips, the accompanying lo-fi psychedelic video was shot in Florence, London, Tokyo, Doha, Taipei, Liverpool, Zagreb, Manchester and Hong Kong with the band filming themselves in Christchurch. This is the fourth Bats video by director Marc Swadel (who has previously worked with Crowded House, Thurston Moore, The Datsuns, Jonathan Bree, Sparks, Liam Finn, Duran Duran, Head Like a Hole and The Chemical Brothers).
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