Nashville-based indie singer/songwriter + actress Katie Boeck (pronounced Bōke) returns with “Dust” today August 15th, produced by Shane Leonard and recorded at his home studio in Eau Claire, WI.
It’s a song about spiritual timing, when one soul is ready for something real and the other is still chasing fleeting pleasures. The gentle guitar and dreamy vocals seduce the listener with a gentle warning, and a challenge to rise. But ultimately the song settles into acceptance and letting go.
For the video, Katie worked with Bella Mazzola (Twin Lantern Productions). “We wanted to reflect on that longing with something simple yet ethereal, a visual echo of the song’s emotional space: vulnerable and yearning, but also beautiful and sacred,” explains Katie.
Katie Boeck is an actor who shared the lead role of Wendla in the Tony nominated Broadway revival of “Spring Awakening,” a coming-of-age rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik. The play’s success led to appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, and feature with Katie and Sandra Mae Frank on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.
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Following on from the release of “Knock Down, Drag Out” earlier this summer, The Wild Things have announced their new single “I Can’t Wait”, which details the second half of their sonic love story.
Back in June, The Wild Things shared “Knock Down, Drag Out”, a scorching tale of lust and love in New Orleans, delivered through cheeky lyrics and pop-rock soundscapes. Now, the band have announced their follow-up single, “I Can’t Wait’, which recounts the bitter end to the love affair.
From the opening moments of the track, The Wild Things make it clear that any feelings of lust have been replaced with rage over the course of the summer. “Hey son of a bitch,” declares vocalist Sydney Rae White, “First of all, go to hell.” Taking aim at game-playing scumbags and arrogant fools, the track is defiant and self-assured, bringing their summer lovin’ (or lustin’) to an abrupt end over catchy rock instrumentals.
““I Can’t Wait” is part two of our love affair story, happening inside New Orleans,” shares White, “The gap between the singles is the realtime breakdown of our character’s relationship, ending in a vitriolic yet cathartic rock song. This song is a real shift for us in some really exciting ways. If “Knock Down, Drag Out” is a nod to our past, “I Can’t Wait” is a window into our future…”
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| Photo - Kyle Ross |
This week, weird art lifer Greg Jamie shares "I'd Get Away," the first track from his forthcoming full-length, Across a Violet Pasture. An established devotee of dark weirdness, Greg Jamie brings forth his second solo album on Orindal, Across a Violet Pasture. Over ten songs, Jamie journeys to the strange, enchanted center of his personal vision. This is a space between sleeping and waking, where Jamie’s woodsy, weary voice guides us forward.
It’s no surprise that the latest from the Maine-based musician and visual artist aims to haunt, but this experimental folk pop does it in a way that’s more playful than funereal. It lays a shimmering floor over the abyss.
Across a Violet Pasture evokes, on different tracks — a sea shanty, a cowboy song, and lounge music for a David Lynch film. A beaten-up vintage drum machine provides the pulse for one song, while another conjures the cavernous panic of Suicide. But the album doesn’t adhere too strictly to any gesture or influence. This is Jamie’s unique blend.
Many of the songs on Across a Violet Pasture are about going away — in search of freedom, alternatives, and a sense of meaning. There are mentions of the open road, a passage through the woods, distant shores, and the countryside. Yet Jamie’s descriptions of everyday life are mostly hints of a real world, quickly interrupted by bursts of the unexpected. Stories about relationships and inner turmoil are suggested. A broken or restless heart cries out. But the narratives are never fully told. On “Beautiful Place,” the singer speaks as if in a dream: “I took the witches by the hand / To tell me where I am / And take me back inside the fold.”
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| Photo - Harry Artland |
From a beach hut in Thailand to the wooded trails of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, "Walk Right Through" is Jont's latest transmission from the deeper currents of human experience – a contemplative, harmony-soaked track that feels both ancient and modern, gentle and unflinching. The inspiration that Jont experienced during his time in Thailand was more than just a song – it was a narrative wrapped in archetype and poetry.
"A story of a son and a father, of a truth so radical it's banned by society, of the desire to sing that truth despite everything," he explains. "It's a photographic story if you want to see it. But more than that, it's a felt experience – melodic, harmonic, trance-like. The lyrics are there, but the real message is in the feeling."
At the heart of the track lies a chorus that offers a kind of spiritual reassurance: "Nothing's ever gonna get you / nothing's ever gonna blow you out / no-one loves you like I love you / you're the me that is all around." "I have goosebumps as I type these words," Jont admits. "Perhaps I've never felt prouder of a song than this one. Or maybe I mean grateful."
"Walk Right Through" lands as a personal and artistic high point – not only for its musicality, but for the clarity with which it affirms Jont's role in this world. "We are the ones who bring the songs," he says. "Thousands that may disappear without trace. But one or two get through. One or two, 50, 60, 80 years later, will still be alive in people's hearts. We do this for those who are not here yet."
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Ahead of the anticipated upcoming EP Motel FM (Nov 28th), Liverpool rising indie-rockers Honey Motel share the reflective new single ‘...Try Not To Worry, Babe’.
Produced by Alec Brits (Clean Cut Kid, Michael Aldag, St Catherine’s Child), ‘...Try Not To Worry, Babe’ showcases more of the bands indie credentials whilst highlighting the more emotive, reflective side of the band's writing. Intimate and honest, yet built around some radiant guitar work and soaring, infectiously catchy vocals, the track balances its emotive undercurrent with an accessible and stylistically vibrant soundscape.
Talking about the track, lead vocalist Freddie explains: “‘Try Not to Worry, Babe’ to me is if the Fallout video games were a surf rock inspired song. We wrote about what it would really look like if the world fell apart, not in a movie, in real life. Little details like the weatherman breaking down on live TV as the facade crumbles, and ultimately everyone embracing the end. (And I got to make a plane noise with Sam's guitar in the studio which I am very proud of)”
Honey Motel formed in the rehearsal rooms of Liverpool, rooted in the teenage friendship of guitarist Sam Meredith and bassist Jack Hughes, who laid the band’s early foundations before drummer Lew Fogg joined in the winter of 2023, locking in the rhythm section. With the groove in place, they brought in Freddie Griggs to lead the outfit in April 2024, debuting as a four-piece at Liverpool Sound City 2024 and diving headfirst into the live circuit.
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| Photo - No Aesthetic Stills |
This week, the Minnesota-based group Maygen & The Birdwatcher are encouraging all of us to welcome joy into our hearts on new single “Millie Moon” from upcoming LP The Americana Dream, out October 10 via Yellow House Music Collective / Missing Piece Records. The song finds lead vocalist Maygen Lacey, vocalist/guitarist Noah Neumann and banjo player Nik Pellinen trading verses about what happens when you let good things come to you and embrace bliss – especially after a particularly rough patch in your life. Mandolin player Jesse Maravec adds harmonies to create a truly communal sound.
On the new song, Neumann shares: “The journey out of the briars into accepting and welcoming joy. The melody and the tone of this song were something we really wanted to make very sing and dance-along friendly, to encourage everyone to experience joy.”
The new LP reimagines the traditional definition of the American Dream by shifting away from the aspirational nature of the concept itself and moving towards a full embrace of the literal definition of Americana – the vast geographical, historical and cultural expanse that reflects Maygen & The Birdwatcher’s roots as well as this country as a whole. The band already shared the bouncy first single “Feel Good,” as well as the cathartic “Elizabeth,” which was named The Current’s Song of the Day and earned praise from Magnet Magazine who lauded the band’s “easy Midwestern charm and effortless versatility.”
The record’s expansive sound, firmly rooted in the band’s bluegrass and folk roots, is the result of a new recording process where Lacey and Neumann worked with co-producer John Fields (Brandi Carlile, Soul Asylum, Miley Cyrus). Bursting onto the scene with their sparkling bluegrass in 2021, they’ve already shared stages with fellow genre luminaries like Sierra Ferrell, Old Crow Medicine Show and Grace Potter. They’ve also won Album of the Year, Americana Artist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year from the Midwest Country Music Organization.
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