Molosser - Tape Waves - Wild Pink Feat. Samia

Molosser - Water My Way.

Swedish MOLOSSER paint an electrically vibrant soundscape with downtuned acoustic guitars, vocals and drums. Tess and Jahn of Molosser found each other in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city and home of a lively music scene. There, both were playing in various bands and constellations, mainly of the loud and noisy variety. After a while, though, they moved to a small farm in the province of Småland, where they found themselves in the company of a couple of horses, an American bulldog, a gang of cats, some chickens and three sheep. 

They started making music on their acoustic guitars, and lacking a bass player they tuned them down so they could share that duty between them. The music that emerged is colored by both their urban past and their current rural surroundings, a bit like when the blues moved from the delta to the city and got electrified, but the other way around. The nerve and drive remains, but have widened and grown to fill the windy woodlands and dusty, open fields as well as the deeper darkness beyond the edge of town.

Molosser’s music springs from a tight-knit, symbiotic relationship outside the music as well as inside it. It is built around the interplay between the two downtuned guitars, the intimate vocals, strong lyrics and meticulous, creative songwriting. Rather than using traditional acoustic guitar techniques of strumming or fingerpicking, Molosser weave deceptively simple and minimalistic lines and riffs into dancing, rolling patterns. 

Tess’s vocals add one more voice and deliver strong, poetical and highly personal lyrics, and on the studio recordings her drums make this little unit into a complete band. Any virtuosity involved is less about dexterity or speed and more about composition, arrangement and balance. One of the foundations for Molosser’s music is having access to two rather different musical temperaments, intent on creating a common territory – not necessarily a middle ground but rather a wide, including landscape.

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Tape Waves - Tired.

We have the blissful dreampop single "Tired" from the South Carolina shoegaze duo Tape Waves starts. The band return with their fourth album Bright which comes out on their new label Emotional Response this June. I love this record and it made a bit of my chill time just hanging out in a hammock on the lake over the weekend just perfect. The exact music I wanted coming out my headphones while little bits of sun would break through the thick cover of the leaves above.  The band debuted the first single at Austin Town Hall on Friday.

Tape Waves are Kim and Jarod Weldin, a dream pop duo from Charleston, SC. They have released 3 full length albums on San Diego’s Bleeding Gold Records, which have garnered comparisons to Mazzy Star, Cocteau Twins and Best Coast. SPIN described the bands’ sound as “wistful, lens-blurred dream pop to soundtrack nostalgia daydreams and sleepy weekend afternoons.” 

Their two most recent albums were also released on 2670 records in Japan, where they toured in support of 2018’s Distant Light. Their new album, Bright, combines the bands’ previously established sun-drenched pop with the fuzzed out indie rock influence of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Teenage Fanclub. Bright was mixed and mastered by Kevin McMahon (Real Estate, Titus Andronicus, Widowspeak) at his studio, Marcata Recording, in Upstate New York, elevating the production and adding the sonic depth that the songs deserve.

 

Emotional Response Recs USA · Tape Waves - Tired

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Wild Pink Feat. Samia - Ohio.

Hot on the heels of releasing one of the years most critically revered albums in A Billion Little Lights back in February, Wild Pink are today sharing their new single, "Ohio". Teaming up with Samia, it is the first track from the band's new EP 3 Songs, out June 25th on Royal Mountain Records, and follows last month's 6 Cover Songs.

Lush and expansive, Samia's and Wild Pink vocalist John Ross' intertwining vocals sit atop a stirring and beautiful sonic backdrop as Ross ruminates on the small moments of calm and glimpses of peace that occur when you take a second to breathe. On the track, Ross explains: "This song is about feeling isolated but then the relief that comes from seeing family/friends. It's about getting some comfort from some of the mundane things I took for granted growing up, like daily summer storms and the hum from an oscillating fan at night. I wrote a lot of it during soundchecks on a tour with Adam Torres in 2018."

A Billion Little Lights was released back in February to widespread acclaim, with Stereogum declaring it as "one of the most exquisitely pretty rock albums in recent memory" while Ny Mag/Vulture declared it "2021's best rock album," alongside praise from outlets like NPR, New York Magazine, Pitchfork, The AV Club, Uproxx, Paste, MTV, FADER, Consequence, BrooklynVegan and many more. The follow up 6 Cover Songs saw admiration from both Billboard and the r/indieheads community, as well as landing Ross a KEXP Live At Home Session, which is out now to coincide with the release of "Ohio".

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Frozen Farmer - The Underdogz - Nico Ev

Frozen Farmer - Things To Share (Album).

Things to Share is the third album for Frozen Farmer, released today May 10th, 2021 by Piesse Groove Records.

Frozen Farmer are active since 2009, when they formed the band out of a visceral love for the american folk tradition, grown during a long trip of Francesco – singer and banjo player – across the States. The first EP, releases at the end of 2011 by Ghost Records / Warner Chapell, didn’t stay unnoticed, and led to several shows and tours. The first full lenght, Stay, released in 2014 by Seahorse Recordings, moved to a more personal sound, with a psychedelic side reminiscent of the Paisley Underground and of Days of Wine and Roses. The single Angels Melody also gained a spot in the Top 100 radio airplays according to Indie Music Like.

Things to Shares comes after years of live experiences, changes in members personal lives, and reveals a definitely contemporary sound, which doesn’t disown the attachment to the folk, rural tradition. As a fil rouge, Frozen Farmer collaborated again with Tim Sparks, american guitarist who has been following the project from the very start. Sparks, who is special guest in two songs of the new album, is known for his works with Tzadik and for his collaboration with John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot and Greg Cohen. Things to Share was recorded at New Art Recording Studio in Saronno, then mixed in Verbania by Pierpaolo D’Emilio at GrooveIt Studio.

The Shore, the first single and video taken from the album, is a serene, positive song, with jingle-jangle guitars and a melodic tune, defining a sound that mixes elements from The Byrds, Green on Red, early REM and Wilco, a must for fans of ’90s indie rock, but also for whoever appreciates a well-written and carefully arranged song.

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The Underdogz - Black Eyed Dog.

Founded as a local cover band by Suat Vergili and Sarp Keskiner in 2016 under the synonym “Almost Rock’n Roll”, THE UNDERDOGZ (Izmir) recorded this obscure modal nugget of Nick Drake for a compilation album, curated by In the Void collective (based in Istanbul). 

Enjoy a rarity from the band that had disbanded in 2018, featuring the one and only female rock drummer based in Izmir.

Musicians:
Sarp Keskiner: vocals, guitar, harmonica, ocarina, jews harp, percussion
Suat Vergili: guitar
Ufuk Sinkil: bass
Oyku Celik: drums, backing vocals.

 

Black and Tan Records · Black Eyed Dog - The Underdogz (Bone Union Records)

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Nico Ev - See in the Dark.

Background from Nico: Based in Glasgow, I started writing and composing at the age of six.  Over the last few years, I have carved out my place in the Glasgow music scene, through hosting regular music nights across the city and providing a platform for other local talented singer songwriters to showcase their original material. 

Unable to perform live due to current restrictions, I have concentrated on live streaming and recording my debut EP which has new brought me many new fans,  increased media attention and radio play throughout the UK, Europe and the USA.

See in the Dark is the third track from the EP HUNTER, which was released in December 2020.

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Course - The Spare Parts - Anya Hinkle - The High Hawks

Course - Nick Of Time.

Chicago based synth/indie/pop group Course released today their brand new single "Nick Of Time." The track is the latest peak at their forthcoming debut album A Late Hour, out on May 21, which also features a collection of nine short stories written by singer/guitarist Jessica Robbins to accompany each song on the record. Robbins stated "'Nick Of Time' is about being in a toxic relationship and the freedom and realization of being in a happy/safe place because you acted and got out in time. This song, paired with the short story, is a progression from pain to liberation and self-worth."

"Nick Of Time" follows the release of Course's previous single "Sixteen," which Consequence embraced with "optimistic synths that dance with anticipation." The nostalgic track debuted along with an advanced preview of the song's accompanying short story. Lead single "Give It All Away" is also out now, which Under The Radar called "a lush dream pop tapestry."

Comprised of veteran musicians Robbins, Chris Dye (drums), Dan Ingenthron (synth/keys), Mikey Russell (guitar), and Brian Weekly (bass), Course blends diverse aspects of dream-pop, 90's new-wave, alternative, electronic, and indie rock. Drawing on Robbins' indie-folk roots, Course incorporates polished, modern production and lush electronic instrumentation to create songs with a characteristic ethereal-industrial sheen.

Course recorded the bulk of A Late Hour in the desert town of Dripping Springs, TX with producer Dan Duszynski (of Subpop group Loma), who's studio is set up among a series of airstream trailers. Bright but with depth, the album offers a collection of elegantly upbeat reflections on life and love - though not without somber moments. It's an album filled with intricate and sweeping stories - literally. At one point while writing lyrics, Robbins found herself stuck, so she devised another way into the songs: She wrote narrative fictional short stories to accompany and elaborate each track. The stories will be released in a Chapbook along with the record.

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The Spare Parts - Life Moves Fast.

Cheesy love stories really do happen. Our frontman, Phillip Vonesh, wrote our new single for his brother Mickey and sister-in-law Jamie's wedding.

She's from Vancouver and was studying to be an urban planner at York University. They met on OkCupid and fell for each other hard. Jamie moved in within two weeks and the rest is history.

Dance, kiss, love and take it all in this summer. "Life Moves Fast" is taken from our upcoming album, Infatuation, out on June 4th.

It is a collection of songs inspired by a two year period of being single in our mid twenties – trips to Austin and New Orleans, Tinder dates, hook-ups, crushes, late nights and embarrassing mornings. Infatuation is a meditation on unrequited, new, and true love.

The Spare Parts · 06 Life Moves Fast JTmaster3 88k24b

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Anya Hinkle - Why Women Need Wine.

For songwriters, any phrase, experience and observation can find its way into their next song. And often, it’s those details from life that make the music relatable, that make the music something people hear and say, “Oh, I know that feeling.” Organic Records artist Anya Hinkle’s new release, “Why Women Need Wine,” does just that, relating stories of situations and attitudes that women deal with day to day and reminding them with a little humor, a lot of friendship —  and maybe an eye roll — they can shake it off and move on with their lives.

The phrase “Why Women Need Wine” came to Hinkle when she was feeling down and reached out to a friend who said “Come over, I’ve got a great bottle of wine, let’s talk.”

“I spilled it all out, just said every ridiculous thing and we laughed, I cried, and on my way home I just felt so much better,” says Hinkle. “Everything seemed possible again, I got a grip, and this line popped into my head: This is why women need wine.”

That thought spurred another for Hinkle, and she began to list all the ridiculous things that drive women crazy, from “My skirts are all too long or short, my shirts too loose or tight” and “I swear what do I do with my hair” to “Cause girls can do anything, but women must do everything” and “Nobody wants to hear you whine / Grow up, but not over thirty-nine.”

As Hinkle sings these lines, the songs gently swinging country blues binds the ideas in a way that gives its subtext of struggle a light-hearted groove. Women will nod, smirk and laugh with the recognition that they feel these things, too — and they’re not alone.

Syntax Creative · Anya Hinkle - "Why Women Need Wine"

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The High Hawks - Heroes & Highways.

In the first few seconds of The High Hawks’ debut single, a flurry of pulsing electric piano, kick drum, and Townshend-esque guitar strums give way to a flat out J.J. Cale groove just in time for the first line to be sung: “If we could just find a highway...might even find a way to make it home.” And thus, The High Hawks take flight. That tune, “Heroes & Highways,” is an appropriate first taste of music from the long-time-coming, feel-good Americana cooperative, naturally expressing the range of which the bands’ members can reach. 

With close to 150 years of collective experience as professional touring musicians, The High Hawks—Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon), Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), Chad Staehly (Hard Working Americans),Adam Greuel (Horseshoes & Hand Grenades), Brian Adams (DeadPhish Orchestra) and Will Trask (Great American Taxi)—have maintained a generation-spanning presence at the forefront of the roots music scene for over two decades. On June 11th, their debut album The High Hawks will be released via LoHi Records.

Yesterday, Live for Live Music premiered the music video for the aforementioned “Heroes & Highways,” a song the band calls “a nod to the ever-present tension of the thrills and experiences of ‘the highway’ and the comfort and pleasures of home sweet home.” Live for Live music echoed that sentiment, calling the tune “a much-needed reflection on the way of the road.”

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Laddermen - Pam Setser (Featuring The Isaacs) - El Misti - Someone - Wy

Laddermen - Welcome to the 20's.

Two weeks after the release of their second single «Welcome to the 20’s», the band Laddermen (CH/US) delivers the accompanying video clip.

In February, Laddermen from Lucerne emerged on the Swiss indie scene with their debut single 'The Huntress Obeyed' and generated radio airplay beginning throughout Europe, finding a home in central America and reuniting with its roots in the States - guitarist and singer Leopold Oakes moved to Switzerland from Texas just a few years ago.

Laddermen will release their debut album later this year. Their haunting songwriting and deep dramaturgy, for which they draw inspiration from English bands, should splash the indie scene with another palette of colour.

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Pam Setser (Featuring The Isaacs) - Neighbors.

Neighbors, is a song that says so much about my life. The lyrics are not just a reference to people who live near you or in your community, but how we relate to each other in general.

I was fortunate to grow up singing in a family band, "The Simmons Family." We sang at our local courthouse and traveled many places to promote our small town, Mountain View, Arkansas. All of these experiences were wonderful, but my best memories are of neighbors from near and far coming to our house for what we call "pickins."

Many great friends and musicians enjoyed many hours of music. Also, on occasion, a delicious breakfast was prepared early morning by my mom. Charley Sandage became one of those neighbors and wrote this song for my family in 1975. "Neighbors"  has been recorded by The Simmons Family, The Grandpa Jones Family, Harmony, Joe Mullins, and the Radio Ramblers and most recently on my new album, Pam Setser, Now.

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El Misti - Don’t Ya Love Democracy.

‘Don’t Ya Love Democracy!’ is the first single from ‘All is Lost’, El Misti’s second album in as many years. Encapsulating frustration and concern for the expanding control in every aspect of life. An anti-imperialist boogie, a song of its time.

After last year’s eponymous debut, El Misti return with their second album in 2021. Despite turbulent times and ever-changing circumstances, ‘All is Lost’ marks a striking development in their sound and musicality. However, before this epic LP gets its full release this summer, the Liverpool/Cheshire band have offered up their first single entitled ‘Don’t Ya Love Democracy!’ which comes with a steady flow of insightful instigations towards an unbalanced centralization of power throughout the lands.

Singer and songwriter of the group Paddy Bleakley, gloriously throws up a catchy chorus reminiscent of The Doors and Dylan in full late 60s Vietnam style protestations, “Tongue tied, I will be no longer, Tonight, I will bring your house down, Freeride, You won’t get from me, Because I’m already sick and tired of the way things are.”

The verses are acerbic and full of venom for a world gone insane over the course of the past twelve months, but its beautifully disguised in a bluesy romp which allows great enjoyment on whichever level you choose to focus on.

Of the new album Paddy explains, “Completing a record is never an easy road, especially as directionless as everything seems to be right now, but the affinity and trust of this group of experienced, adventurous, and independently minded musicians was enough to anchor it through to its conclusion.”

El Misti · Don’t Ya Love Democracy

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Someone - Strange World.

Someone is the work of Dutch/British musician, producer, and visual artist Tessa Rose Jackson, a purveyor of abstract stage visuals and psychedelic pop music, with a soul and voice as  light as Air, as fragile as Feist, as deep as Nick Drake and as future-psych as Tame Impala.

Strange World is the first single to be taken from Someone’s velvet lined, cinematic debut album Shapeshifter (coming late 2021), a record that is intimate and immersive but also richly layered and uplifting. Written during lockdown it conveys the strange often surreal feeling of a life suspended.

Strange World, the alluring dream-state beauty that is the album’s first single, explores the paralyzing realisation that we cannot control life, nor predict an outcome. Born as a simple bass melody with a melancholy that conjured up a sadness of time passed;  the song grew to touch on the bitter-sweet escapism of daydreams where the warm security of nostalgia contrasts with our uncertain future. As Someone explains:

“I couldn’t stop playing it and in my mind the image started to form of a vast outstretched beach. Deserted, but for one person. This is her place; this is where she keeps returning to. But it’s not real. And so the story started to take shape. The song is about stepping back into an old, fond memory. And though it welcomes you in every time, the more you revisit it, the more you begin to realize how much things have changed. It becomes a reminder that nothing is constant, not even you.”
 
Strange World’s video was shot in London during lockdown by director David Spearing alongside Someone who joined the crew via video call. Inspired by their mutual love of musicals, the video uses dance to subtly reference our current isolation. As Someone explains:
 
“The idea was to create a video about a young woman who uses her imagination to evoke magic in the world around her in a situation that could very easily become numbing.”
 
Strange World is visually and sonically an exploration of the human mind’s ability to imagine and transport itself out of a bleak present and, ultimately, it’s about the importance of “staying positive and staying playful.”

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Pic - Larnia Karic

Wy - Marriage (Album).

Wy are a band strongest at their most vulnerable. The Malmö indie duo, Ebba and Michel Gustafsson Ågren, have showcased their musical skills across two albums, 2017’s Okay and 2019’s Softie which gained them recognition from KEXP, Line of Best Fit, NBHAP, Tonspion, CLASH and more as well as tours in Germany, Scandinavia and the UK. But what makes them stand out as a band is the raw, brutal emotion they capture in their music.

A Wy song at their best sounds like opening it all up, and letting the feelings flow where they will, letting the pain, anger, fear, hope and love steer the song. Those emotions are spun into the band’s skyscaping, cinematic sound, and turned into music that has a force behind it, a power that hits you, even when it's at its softest. And that power that illuminates the band’s songs is more present than ever on their new album Marriage which is out now.

Marriage is the first record since signing to Rama Lama Records (Melby, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes, Chez Ali etc.) and the sound of Wy moving forward and backwards at once. Leaving the more produced style of last album Softie behind, it turns to the simpler sound of their earlier work for music that’s rawer and sharper. On both the indie-rock and the pop songs of this album, there’s less between the listener and the heart of the song - this is music that’s very direct, both in theme and sound, with melodies that hit cleanly and leave nothing even trying to hide. It’s the work of a band that have grown into themselves and what they do, and making the strongest songs of their career.

That album, in a way, begins with a wedding. Ebba and Michel have been together since their schooldays, but a couple of years ago they tied the knot. The songs on Marriage have all been made since their wedding, and so in that sense the timing made it a natural title for a record that’s something of a scrapbook from the first two years of that marriage. But there’s also a deeper sense to it. Both in sound and theme, Marriage is more of a conceptual record than their earlier work. Ebba writes the band’s lyrics, and on the previous albums her themes were specific to her. But on this album, their relationship is at the heart of the songs. The lyrics have come from the experiences they’ve shared together, which they’ve then worked together into what they want to say, to each other and to everyone else.  “I have always written the lyrics”, says Ebba. “But this time they feel like our lyrics, and not just my diary set to our music. We've talked a lot with each other about what we want to say. About who we are and where we can find our place in the world. The title has been in place since we started, and that was because a lot of the songs revolved around our relationship since we got married. Not so much the relationship between us, but more about the internal conflicts that appear when you’re in a long-term, safe relationship, where you’re really sure about each other, but you’re not sure about yourself”.

The journey to the record has been a difficult one. The band started work on Marriage not intending to make an album. They went into the studio with the idea of making an EP, wrote some songs, but couldn’t quite nail what they were going for - the songs didn’t quite feel right together. So they went into overdrive, wrote a bunch more songs, and suddenly found themselves with over 20, and within those 20 what they realised was an album.

Rama Lama Records · Wy - Marriage

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Dizzy - The Quilter - Kelly McMichael - Los Lobos - ELUNIA

Dizzy - Sunflower, Are You There? (Feat. Kevin Garrett).

Following their recent JUNO Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year, Dizzy are excited to release their new single "Sunflower, Are You There?" featuring Kevin Garrett. The new track is the second offering from a forthcoming collaborations EP titled Separate Places.  The EP will be released by Royal Mountain Records and Communion Records on 11th June, and features recent single "The Bird Behind The Drapes" featuring Luna Li.

The Separate Places EP sees the Oshawa four-piece reimagine some of the standout tracks from their second album, 2020’s The Sun and Her Scorch. Each track features a different guest artist: "Sunflower, Are You There?" is a reworking of the album’s lead single "Sunflower", now featuring Grammy-nominated musician Kevin Garrett, known for his work on Beyoncé’s Lemonade.

On the collaboration, vocalist Katie Munshaw explains, "We opened up for Kevin back before we had released any music as a band. I remember looking up to him as someone our age touring, writing perfect songs and just doing the damn thing so well. Having his seal of approval on "Sunflower", a song about self-doubt, felt very full circle."

Upon its release, The Sun and Her Scorch album was praised for its “lyricism paired with their dreamy indie-pop sound” (MTV) and its candid exploration of the messiest, most raw emotions young people experience in the modern age. “I wanted to be completely honest about the things nobody ever wants to admit, like being jealous of your friends or pushing away the people who love you,” frontwoman Katie Munshaw says. “So instead of being about romantic heartbreak, it’s really about self-heartbreak.” The Sun and Her Scorch has been nominated for Best Alternative Album at the Juno Awards, a feat previously achieved by the likes of Arcade Fire - and Dizzy themselves, for their 2018 debut Baby Teeth.

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The Quilter - The Long Weekend.

The Quilter is Glasgow native Stuart Dougan, who having previously made an impact on the Scottish indie scene with notable projects French Wives and Smash Williams, returns entirely on his own terms - writing everything himself and recording most of the project alone. Set to release his debut EP in June, setting a high standard for what is to come, latest single ‘The Long Weekend’ (May 7) is the quilters most anthemic indie pop tune yet.

‘Bolt The Door’ EP is a collection of bold alt-pop songs, some of which were made before the pandemic and others that were written during the initial lockdown. This EP follows on from 2020’s immersive, cinematic visual record Dark Cloud/Grey Area, equal parts documentary film, live concert and album. Currently being considered for various film festivals for 2021.

Inspiring the same sense magnitude and euphoric nostalgia as Phoenix or Arcade Fire, ‘The Long Weekend’ is a driving anthemic slice of alternative indie-pop. Bold and colourful textures and melodies drive the track euphorically forward. A love letter to ordinariness pre-pandemic days, The Quilter makes one ache to share our lives with our friends again, to sit on the grass and bask in sunlight, stand shoulder to shoulder in the face of live music, just to spend a long weekend in the company of other humans - we’re all ‘patiently waiting for nothing particular, the mundane’s incredible now that it’s simpler’.

For The Quilter, ‘this song was in part inspired by a viral clip I saw from the set of ‘Uncut Gems’ where the crew had finished filming and were all dancing to ‘I Feel It Coming’ by The Weeknd.  It was just a short clip but I wanted to try and capture the palpable sense of joy that was clearly being felt at the time.  It was written during lockdown and is basically a love letter to my friends and daydreaming about getting to hang out and have fun in a post pandemic world.  I’m very aware that it’s bombastic and over the top in places but I wanted to purposely try and capture a sense of hopeful euphoria that one day, not too far from here, you’ll get to hug all your friends again.’

The Quilter · 1. The Long Weekend

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Kelly McMichael - Stepping Stone.

Kelly McMichael (from Peterborough ON, based in St. John’s NL), is known for her commanding vocals and stage presence as well as her classic-sounding songwriting. She has a unique ability to conduct powerful musical forces whether making bedroom beats, rocking a Gibson SG or serenading softly on the piano. Kelly has toured Canada, the UK and the US with various projects, most recently keys and vocals with Sarah Harmer. 

She has fronted Renders, Thelma & Louise, Kelly McMichael and The Gloss and Rouge, and as a collaborator Kelly has performed with Regina Gently (and alter ego Gentleman Reg), Allie X, Richard Laviolette, Terra Lightfoot, The Hidden Cameras, John, Claire Whitehead and Geordie Gordon (Islands, US Girls).

The first two singles from Kelly McMichael’s debut full-length album Waves display a wide range of rock sounds and mark a transition from her electronic based project RENDERS. It has taken years to find the right circumstances to bring these arrangements to life, and she finally found them by the ocean with the support of engineer, co-producer and drummer Jake Nicoll (The Burning Hell), and multi-instrumentalists Maria Peddle and Sarah Harris (Property) from St John’s. Kelly is keeping busy with musical explorations on the island, sharing little treats in the form of piano covers, vocal looping arrangements and other musical explorations until touring the album becomes a possibility.

Kelly McMichael / RENDERS · Stepping Stone (singe,wav)

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Los Lobos - Love Special Delivery.

Los Lobos will return with Native Sons on July 30th via New West Records. The 13-song set was produced by Los Lobos in East Los Angeles and finds the band mapping their musical DNA as a kaleidoscopic selection of tribute songs from their homeland, ultimately creating a crucial snapshot of L.A.’s musical heritage. Having formed in 1973 and gotten their start playing spirited renditions of Mexican folk music at parties and in restaurants, Los Lobos are no strangers to reinterpretation (and if you’ve ever been to one of their legendary live shows, you already know that). These brothers have always held a deep appreciation for diverse music, and they love pulling out old gems and making them shine like new.

For all the trailblazing musical acts who’ve emerged from Los Angeles, very few embody the city’s wildly eclectic spirit more wholeheartedly than Los Lobos. Over the last five decades, the East L.A.-bred band has made an indelible mark on music history by exploring an enormous diversity of genres—rock-and-roll and R&B, surf music and soul, mariachi and música norteña, punk rock and country—and building a boldly unpredictable sound all their own.

In a nod to their neighborhood, Native Sons opens with the wide-eyed frenzy of “Love Special Delivery” by Thee Midniters, an East L.A. garage band and one of the first Chicano rock groups to ever score a major hit in the U.S. From there, it features favorites and deep cuts by other Los Angeles luminaries such as the Beach Boys, WAR, Buffalo Springfield, Jackson Browne, and more. In a particularly meaningful moment for the band, Native Sons includes a fiery cover of “Flat Top Joint” by the Blasters, the seminal L.A. roots-rock band who helped pave the way for their signing to Slash Records in the early ’80s (and whom counted Steve Berlin as a member before his joining Los Lobos). The album’s title track is its sole original song, a loving homage to Los Angeles that sounds right at home amid so many classic tracks.

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ELUNIA - Pressure Points.

When reality became too much, ELUNIA created an alternative existence. A singer-songwriter-producer executing all of her own visuals, the New Hampshire-based recording artist captures the endless meaning of human interaction as an immersive experience. Her music delves beneath the surface, with striking electronic textures, soaring melodies, and observant, probing lyrics.

Although trained in music from an early age, it was the discovery of transforming feelings into creative entities that inspired the emerging songsmith to chart a different path. The multi-instrumentalist began writing and producing incessantly, hiding away in school practice rooms as a coping mechanism for the isolation she faced in the world around her. Fragments of thought noted in the midst of heart-wrenching moments evolved into ethereal, liquid atmospheres. Co-producing with multi-million streamed producer JMAC (Haux, Luz), the result is a flood of wild self-expression channelled through cinematic soundscapes.

Her latest release “Pressure Points” speaks of idolizing someone through a struggle with mental health and the fear of losing them. ELUNIA describes, “It's not like someone is outright saving you, but more that they're just existing in the right places and the right ways, and it's really subtle, but that makes it all the more powerful.”

ELUNIA is inspired by unique sonics that push boundaries, alongside currents of inexplicably raw, human emotions. The genre-bending, alt-pop essence radiates through her music, with the introspective single oozing in intimacy and vulnerability. “Pressure Points” features cries of hazy guitar falls and atmospheric keys, all shimmering with authenticity. The mellow track includes original voice memos with birdsong floating in the background, resulting in a hypnotic and peaceful delivery and ultimately giving listeners a moment to breathe and appreciate our inner strength.

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Lizzie Loveless - Sara Bug - Blurry The Explorer

Lizzie Loveless - Loveless.

We have a beautiful new single and album from Egghunt's latest signing Lizzie Loveless, AKA Lizzie Lieberson of beloved indie-pop group TEEN.

Lizzie's songwriting feels sophisticated and refined to me in a way that reflects her years of experience in music, but without sacrificing any emotional directness. Her songs have a momentum that I find intoxicating, something you can hear in particular on "The Joke" or "Loveless" - enhanced by a rhythmic delivery and attention to words that sets her style apart from a lot of her peers. And of course, there are hooks for days. I was pretty tempted to list the whole album under "recommended tracks."

For Lizzie Lieberson, writing a song is an act of letting go. As Lizzie Loveless, the New York-based artist weaves together her experiences on the road as a touring musician, ruminates on her past relationships and offers an optimistic reprieve for the future. As a member of TEEN alongside her sisters, from 2010-2019, Lieberson has taken the past couple of years to get to know herself again. Debut solo full-length You Don’t Know marks a new beginning for the songwriter: an exhale after the transition of everything she once knew and a warm, yet poignant goodbye to the past.

Over the last five years, Lieberson has been quietly piecing together ideas and compositions for You Don’t Know, writing in-between her hectic TEEN schedule, whether it was in an old apartment in NYC, under the watchful gaze of the redwoods in California or immersed in the stunning natural beauty of her hometown in Halifax, Nova Scotia. While the record comes with the heaviness of heartache, there’s a cathartic charge under a blanket of electronic soundscapes that allow Lieberson’s meditations to manifest with a hopeful flourish.

 

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Sara Bug - Back In Nashville.

"I set out to write a cheesy country song and I did, but Back in Nashville is for someone really special to me. But every time, it gets harder to go back to Nashville alone because truth be told I hate living in the city.

Back in Nashville is kind of about hating Nashville. It’s also about someone who’s really special to me who lives far away. Every time we see each other it gets harder to go back to Nashville alone."

The ten songs on Sara Bug’s forthcoming self-titled debut album were not meant to be shared. A culmination of seven years of her life, these songs were journal entries that reckoned with defining herself. Growing up in New Orleans, Bug imagined herself to be a successful songwriter. “I was so deep in the music. ‘Oh, I'm going to be a famous musician. When I get out of high school, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go have a career in music,’” she explains. “I think I held on to that for so long, I had finally kind of let go, like that pressure. Now it was just fun.” This eponymous project embodies Bug’s journey away from the expectations of others and her younger self, allowing her creative freedom.

Sara Bug opens with a lush, symphonic ballad about desire. “My whole life through, I want to die with you,” she sings tenderly on “Die With You.” Romantic and a bit morbid, Bug opens with the oldest song on the album and takes us to that time when the urgency of her happiness began pushing against the pressure of others’ approval. It's easy to get lost in the dreamy guitar strums and sturdy bass lines, Bug’s voice sharp and clear against the country-psych rock combination. 

A close listen reveals that Bug is letting the listener into the most poignant moments of the past years with sincerity and ease. She takes us on reflective motorcycle rides, whether literal or desired, for “Rosebank” and “Ride On Sundys.” She details the loss of a family member and a trip back home from her then-residence in New York on “Lotta Pride.” Inspired by the detailed storytelling of Dolly Parton and Neil Young, Bug leads across state lines and along her timeline of personal growth with unconventional, vivid song structures.

 

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Blurry The Explorer - Yoru Ni Yuku (feat. Tenniscoats).

Introducing Blurry The Explorer--a fearless new project lead by the experimental composer, drummer, photographer, and world-traveler Jeremy Gustin with Ryan Dugre (guitar), Ricardo Dias Gomes (bass, synth, vocal), Leo Abrahams (guitar), and their collaborators: Tenniscoats, Brian Eno, Kalmia Traver (Rubblebucket), Sarah Pedinotti (LIP TALK), CJ Carminieri (Ymusic, Sufjan Stevens), Fiona Forte, and more.

On June 18, Blurry The Explorer will release their debut, self-titled album--a playful, shape-shifting record inspired by gut feelings, miraculous experiences, and unbelievable coincidences. The soundscapes on the album bounce around each song's unique sound-world with great ease, modestly showing off this group of diverse musicians' talents while giving modernized poetic nods to their influences.

Blurry The Explorer have shared their debut single, "Yoru Ni Yuku," featuring the inimitable Tenniscoats on vocals and saxophone. Gustin describes the track as "A James Bond song that never was and never will be.” The single arrives with a video (created by Gustin) that was made by sifting through and editing together archived science and medical films from the 1940s.

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Dorothea Paas - The Backstays - Izzy Gazelle

Photo - Miriam Paas

Dorothea Paas - Waves Rising.

Toronto’s Dorothea Paas is today sharing her new single, "Waves Rising", coming just ahead of her debut album, Anything Can't Happen which is out this Friday, May 7 via Telephone Explosion.

The record was put together between Hamilton, ON and Toronto with mixing duties helmed by Max Turnbull (Badge Èpoque, U.S. Girls) and Steve Chahley whilst taking in members of Little Kid and Robin of Bernice. Over the last decade or so, Paas has worked with a number of Toronto-based projects, cementing herself as something of a stalwart in the city – these include (but are in no way limited to) U.S. Girls, Jennifer Castle, Badge Èpoque Ensemble and more.

Anything Can't Happen arrives from Doro's own push/pull relationship with the church, Paas initially felt uncomfortable about religion's utilising of music to control people and their emotions – now, however, Paas wants to tap into that idea, questioning the power and ability that music has to cause transcendence.

I find her way with lyrics to be pretty compelling, offering these fairy straight forward observations but embedding them with this universal wisdom which to me feels quite a feat given it's only her debut record – there's a lot more depth to this than the debut would necessarily suggest.

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The Backstays - Forever Gold Bricks.

"When the pieces first came together, it was about trying to escape but never being able to move on; like chasing after something intangible,” said The Backstays’ Serenna Chapman of single ‘Forever Gold Bricks.’ “I'd say this is a cautionary tale about how running away, towards empty, superficial things ultimately never works."

That push and pull mark the defining faultline of Tributaries, The Backstays’ debut album (released 05/01). A meeting point between heartland rock songwriting and darker, atmospheric indie rock, Tributaries sees the band experimenting with a more expansive sound that equally evokes new wave and post-punk.

"’Forever Gold Bricks’ is meant to be part of the ebb and flow of the album,” said The Backstays’ Pete Johnston (he/him). “Because so much of making this record was us learning how to fit these different sonic elements together, we wanted to take each song somewhere new, to see what sounds lent themselves to different stories."

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Izzy Gazelle - DOWN.

Emerging artist, Izzy Gazelle makes her way onto the rock scene with raw passion. Her new single “DOWN” is determined to cut out all the unnecessary noise. The hard-hitting track is released today May 4 on music streaming platforms.

Written and produced by Izzy, “DOWN” was inspired by the current sociopolitical climate. She says, “I think we're in a place in history where we have an abundance of information, some of which can be misleading around political or social justice issues and so I want this song to promote the idea of standing up for one’s self and staying curious about the facts and truths as opposed to being mere consumers of information." Her vocals are raw and reinforce her message with urgency, singing “Do you wanna get on your knees?... Don't you let me down,” amping up the bass and rhythmic riffs on the drums. She’s made the choices clear—fall at the mercy of deception or stand against it.

Izzy Gazelle is an artist based in Boston, Massachusetts. She describes her sound as a combination of raw rock & roll and blues with extra sauce. She cites Howlin’ Wolf, Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Queens of the Stone Age, Bad Brains, and Jimi Hendrix among her influences. Izzy kick-started her music career in 2019 with a vibey stripped-down psychedelic rock cover of Post Malone’s “Sunflower”. She followed up with a dramatic slow-building, thought-provoking “sleep tonight” single in the wake of George Floyd protests and social injustice in 2020.  A modern DIY artist, she writes and produces to fully establish her vision. She is currently writing new material.

“To me, it’s about making good noise and bringing good vibes— the good, the bad, and the ugly even when it makes us uncomfortable.” says Izzy.

Izzy Gazelle · DOWN

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BOI - Frecko - Women In Song

BOI - Cael Chdi Nôl.

New Welsh outfit 'BOI' have announced their highly anticipated debut album entitled 'Coron O Chwinc' which will be released on the 25th June via new Welsh label Recordiau Crwn. The first single from the album is 'Cael Chdi Nol.'

'BOI' create a big, melodic, unapologetically drum and guitar driven sound, with lyrics and melodies that explore the big issues of our times and the human state. These 10 songs off “Coron O Chwinc” were recorded in various spaces around Wales, and were then mixed in the capable hands of Dafydd Ieuan (Super Furry Animals)

Band Members are: Keyboards/Allweddellau - Osian Gwynedd, Lead Vocals/Canwr - Rhodri Siôn, Guitar/Gitâr - Ifan Emlyn, Bass/Gitâr Fas - Heledd Mair Watkins, Drums/Drymiau - Dafydd Owen.

Osian Gwynedd and Rhodri Siôn were members of Beganifs/Big Leaves for 15 years and more, and recorded several albums and EPs under various labels, with their hits including Seithenyn, Meillionen, Cwcwll and many more. The group gained huge success in Wales during the 1990 and 2000s and performed throughout the UK and further afield with bands such as Catatonia and Super Furry Animals. Their English-language single Racing Birds was Single of the Week on Mark and Lard’s Radio 1 show.

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Frecko - The Note.

Somewhere deep within the diverse collective of alt country music lies the story telling cadence of Frecko.

Inspired by the romance of Australian story, Jason and Jack Freckelton, create music that celebrates the simple moments in life including love, loss and everything in between.

“The Note” is the fourth single lifted from their second album due for release later this year and takes us straight to the scene of the crime. Jangled guitar riffs and shuffling drumbeats set the mood for a song about love, revenge and consequence.

Produced by Golden Guitar winner, Lachlan Bryan and co-conspirator, Damien Cafarella - “The Note” - plays on the tension of the scene and showcases the band’s trademark dark humour. Frecko’s new single, “The Note”, is out now.

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Women In Song - But I Knew Her When.

All-female Blind River, ON-based singer/songwriter trio Women in Song reflect on the hopes and dreams of their parents who have suffered from, and eventually and sadly succumbed to Alzheimer’s Disease in this, their new single,  ”But I Knew Her When” — available now.

The touching and ethereal song is the latest to land from the Ontario-based all-female group’s debut LP, Life of a Woman. “But I Knew Her When” is a prime example of what to expect from Women in Song…

It takes chunks of inspiration from the likes of folk, pop and country music and fuses them all together into something beautiful, and features an astonishing progression of chorus-heavy chords on the acoustic guitar, the soothing melody of an airy violin, and the beautiful, yet haunting vocal harmonies of singers Lois O'Hanley-Jones, Debbie Rivard and Patty Dunlop. Women in Song are based out of the small town of Blind River, ON — just off the North Shore of Lake Huron — and began performing together over 20 years ago after a conversation at the kitchen table.

Though the tightly-knit troupe has been together for more than two decades, Life of a Woman serves as their premiere studio album. The record was released in mid-January, and inspired by the ladies’ respective families, friends and fans — from near and far. The concept of the 13-track album, according to the talented musicians, is the “reflection of the reality of our lives.”

“It speaks to women having a career and a family, having arguments with their children, having our children leave home and ultimately that we are good enough,” the trio revealed. “Our album is a perfect homage to women — to the Life of a Woman — as the title suggests.” Along with the rest of the album, “But I Knew Her When” was written, recorded, and produced in Blind River at the local Riverview Studios. The ladies like to call the charming hamlet the “Nashville of the North.”

Succinctly describing what they’re all about, the group called Women in Song a “musical experience that aims to delight your musical sensibilities and tickle your funny bone.” “We are fortunate that not only are we musically compatible but we are good friends. Every rehearsal contains tears and laughter,” the ladies concluded.

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Go Analog - Eric Bazilian

Go Analog - Wait.

Columbus Ohio's Go Analog dropped the official video for the song "Wait" from last year's Moonlight Gram today. In addition to the video the EP is also officially available on vinyl as of now!

Go Analog is back with a new EP recorded at the Oxide Shed in Athens, Ohio with producer/ engineer Eddie Ashworth (Sublime). The four piece band has been a mainstay in the Midwest for over a decade, but has not released any new songs in years. 

The songs for Moonlight Gram began to come together during a few stripped down jam sessions following a time when the band had not even hung out let alone played together for nearly a year. As the lyrics came and the sonics of the songs began to fill out, they knew they had to get back into the studio and lay them down.

Over five days Moonlight Gram was recorded with Ashworth helping them see their vision to fruition. The resulting EP is a wonderful throwback to early to mid 90s indie rock. With a guitar driven sound surrounding Eric Croft’s vocals the songs take on relationships both past and present, the situation the world finds itself in, and a bit of self awareness that only time passing can create. All of this wrapped in away that only good rock n roll can.

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Eric Bazilian - Back In The 80s.

Grammy nominated singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and founding member of The Hooters, Eric Bazilian, is set to release his fifth and final single prior to the release of his long-awaited new album Bazilian.  Titled “Back In The 80s,” the song may at first seem like a glorified look back on a very successful time (the heyday of The Hooters)—a simple nostalgic ode in a time of isolation. The melodic, yet measured pop track is in fact an ode to appreciating all that life has to offer, the highs and lows and of being in the moment.  

The wry, quirky video conceived and directed by Max Tellving provides the perfect backdrop to the track as it takes old tymey imagery and turns it on its head to encompass a much wider perspective than anticipated.  Bazilian produced and mixed the track and plays guitars, bass, keyboards and mandola.  The Hooters’ David Uosikkinen provided drums from his home in Philadelphia and Steve Churchyard (formerly of Air Studios in London), provided help with the mixing. “Back In The 80s” was released on April 30 and the new album will be available May 14.

Says Bazilian: “I did a podcast with a Medium last spring. She told me that my father had a message ‘from the other side’-- that there was a song I’d given up on that I needed to finish. I wrote the chorus to ‘Back In The 80s’ the next day, and, with some help from James Bourne of the legendary British band Busted, I wrote the third verse a couple of days later. As glorified as that decade has been (and as kind as it was to me and my band, The Hooters), I feel no more sentimental attachment to it than I do to any of the other decades that gave us great music. If anything, the song is about appreciating the time we live in for all its beauty as well as its faults and frailties.

The video was conceived, directed, shot, and edited by Max Tellving in Sweden, the same person who has done many of my earlier videos such as ‘One Light,’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ (with James Bourne). His concept was to set the video in the 1880s (or 1780s) rather than the expected 1980s, but to include several timely visual ‘Easter eggs.’ We shot the video in my wife’s home town of Järvsö, four hours north of Stockholm, in the summer of 2020.”

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Belle Tower - Annie Keating - Sunshine & the Blue Moon - Bayleigh Cheek

Belle Tower - Fear.

Belle Tower is the lo-fi indie folk rock project of Isabella Harned, found at the intersection of life experience in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal and Xwilkway/Halfmoon Bay. 

Isolation, solitude, pain, love and healing are key themes at the heart of Belle Tower’s collection; songs that are heavy in their vulnerability, but that simultaneously carry you weightless through the processing of emotions. 

With contributions from main collaborators Ben Robertson (Winona Forever, Schwey), Scott Boudreau (Mauno), and strings from Audreanne Fillion (Lovelet, Crusssh), Belle Tower showcases ethereal vocals, dreamy guitar lines, and varied layered instrumentation resounding a sonic lightness in the new EP ‘tend to’, which was out April 27th, 2021.

Belle Tower · Fear

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Annie Keating - Kindred Spirit.

"Kindred Spirit," the first single from songcrafter Annie Keating's forthcoming album (Bristol County Tides).

The song is about finding commonality in our humanity and brokenness; the narrator is speaking about someone that has become a special part of the narrator's life, acknowledging that life's experiences have shaped the narrator and the narrator's friend, and finding the common threads of hardship that make the bond formed between them even stronger.

Annie's new LP, Bristol County Tides (out on June 4th), pays tribute to relationships forged in difficult times - Annie, who lives in Brooklyn, relocated herself and her children to coastal Massachusetts to wait out the pandemic.

She was treated with kindness and compassion and inclusion by her new neighbors, her city-raised children became country kids, learning to fish and all of that fun stuff, and she was able to write for the first time in a while. This album tells the stories of the love given and friendships forged in the middle of major hardship and pays homage to the people who embraced her and welcomed her family with open arms.

AnnieKeatingNYC · Kindred Spirit

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Sunshine & the Blue Moon - Good Morning Sunshine.

"Good Morning Sunshine" was inspired by dreary hazy mornings, when you wake up and don't want to do the things you’re supposed to do, with your mind more prone to wander.

Recorded live off the floor in Toronto, it's from our rock n roll-inspired sophomore album, Born 2 Boogie, which will be released on June 25 as we try to make sense of the human experience following our collective anxiety in this uneasy state of the world.

It's important to find time to unwind. The Dutch even have a word for it, niksen, the concept of doing nothing. It's supposed to be a stress reliever.

Let's remember that we're all in the same boat. Different lived experiences, but we all share those introspective humdrum days.

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Bayleigh Cheek - Release Me.

Dallas native Bayleigh Cheek began her love affair with music at an early age thanks to her immersive upbringing. Both parents were in the music scene, exposing her to a variety of sounds ranging from psychedelic and folk to progressive rock and new wave. 

Some of her personal music influences include Patti Smith, P.J. Harvey, Radiohead, and Angel Olsen. Those influences led to the creation of her EP, Immortals, that was self-released in early 2020 which brought her DOMA nominations for Best New Artist and Best EP.

In early 2021, she signed with Red Zeppelin Records, which will re-release Immortals as well as her debut album which is set for release in early 2022.

Cheek has frequently performed venues such as The Kessler Theatre, House of Blues, Three Links, opening for acts including Matthew Sweet, and Dallas natives Medicine Man Revival playing consistently for the past five years.

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