Genghis Tron share the official hypnotic 4K video for “Pyrocene” less than two weeks before the release of Dream Weapon— watch the Yoshi Sodeoka (Tame Impala, Oneohtrix Point Never) created video on YouTube. Guitarist Hamilton Jordan comments, "'Pyrocene' was the first song we finished for Dream Weapon. It all started with a single drumbeat that I wrote during an extended stay in the Arizona desert. I gave that beat to Michael, and within a few weeks he built an entire sinister, pulsating world around it. We knew, well before finishing the album, that this had to be the opening song on the record."
The band’s first new studio outing in over a decade, Genghis Tron’s Hamilton Jordan and Michael Sochynsky are now joined by two new collaborators: vocalist Tony Wolski and Sumac/Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn.
Together, the lineup perfects the unique mix of extreme rock and electronic music Genghis Tron has pioneered over their storied career. A melding of hypnotic rhythms and densely layered synth soundscapes, Dream Weapon was recorded and produced alongside long-time collaborator Kurt Ballou at God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, with additional production and engineering by Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe), JJ Heath (Rain City Recorders), and Zach Weeks (God City Studio) and was mastered by Heba Kadry. Dream Weapon is out March 26, 2021 on CD/LP/Digital.
Imagine Elliot Smith hanging out with Tom Petty in the back of Neil Young’s van while listening to Sparklehorse.
Acid-laced pop Sunfields is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jason Kent. Although the quartet was born in 2009, three quarters of its members have been playing music on and off together since they were teens. Their tunes carry a classy bombast of chamber rock, the intimacy of a singer songwriter, and the easy-breeziness of vintage pop with some psychedelic undertones thrown in.
Since their formation, Sunfields have toured extensively throughout Canada and Europe. Their fourth album, made in isolation, will be out March 12th, 2021 on Elephants on Parade.
PALACE IN THE SUN (2010) was once described as “…full of stunning imagery, coupled with swooping guitars and harmonizing that the Eagles would be proud of…the most overlooked album of 2010.”
Their sophomore, HABITAT (2014) was described as “…blossoming like a field of poppies in a rainy English field.”
MONO MONO (2017) “An album that catches you from the outset and its beauty is that it has many layers that reveal themselves after every listen.”
Some thoughts and words from Elissa including the featured song 'Palace' which is really special: "These songs are really personal for me; it's funny because both of them started out as songs for other people and ended up being things I needed to learn. Songs seem to do that for me (to me? haha).
Trying was a song written out of frustration in a time when I felt like I was constantly failing everyone, and ended up being more so about my own inner critic and the way I criticize myself. The lyric "Can't you see I'm trying?" ended up being a reprimand that my inner voice needed to hear just as much as the people I wrote it for did.
And Palace is about the moment where you meet someone and say "Can you please be who I hope you are?" Turns out that was something I needed to hear too; learning to come through for myself even when others can't or don't, and to love myself with the same fullness I do other people."
Home Counties return today with new single "White Shirt / Clean Shirt". The second of two new self-produced singles, it follows "Modern Yuppies" released in January, and the band's widely praised 2020 debut EP 'Redevelopment'.
The band take a sharp left-turn on "White Shirt / Clean Shirt", upping the tempo and storming forwards with a hip-wriggling, eccentric examination of office work. Building on the playful post-funk hooks present in “Modern Yuppies”, Home Counties continue to show they're a band who are not afraid to colour outside the lines, both sonically and lyrically.
Singer Will Harrison said: "'White Shirt / Clean Shirt' began life as a guitar-orientated number that was a staple of our live set last year at our first shows, but then we had sort of fell out of love with it. Through lockdown, as we started experimenting more heavily with synthesisers and drum machines; we reworked the song with these new influences and it found a new lease of life.
"The two singles are linked lyrically, both looking at working life under contemporary capitalism. ‘Yuppies’ was written about the destructive mentality of middle-class professionals - constantly wanting more success, more money and more consumer goods. ’White Shirt / Clean Shirt’ looks at the less aspirational, and more universal reality of office work. It voices that feeling of losing your sense of self and place as you go into work, dressed uniformly in a Next suit, in an indistinguishable space, staring at another spreadsheet. It’s also got a bit of a ‘how did I get here?’ sentiment, being at work thinking about what more aspirational (or more expensively educated) people might be doing. Ultimately, it voices a feeling of having ‘learnt to fall’, rather than taught to succeed - sinking into the safety net of unfulfilling white collar work."
Since forming in January 2020, Home Counties have cemented themselves as a key act to watch, with radio support from Jack Saunders, Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1), Steve Lamacq, Amy Lame, Tom Robinson (BBC 6Music) and Matt Wilkinson (Beats 1), along with press support from DIY Magazine, Loud & Quiet, NME, Dork Magazine, Clash Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit, So Young Magazine, YUCK, The Rodeo, Gigwise and more.
Both "Modern Yuppies" and "White Shirt / Clean Shirt" are exciting first glimpses of a band evolving beyond their indie roots. Combining their aptness for angular guitar work with a more flamboyant sonic vision, the band's next steps will see them begin work on their second EP, due for release in the autumn.
“Kieran Mercer is no stranger to the Canadian music scene, having opened for the likes of Marianas Trench, Walk off the Earth, Carly Rae Jepsen and Lights.
Looking through the Glass is Kieran’s first independent release. The song was written and performed entirely by the artist, and produced by long-time friend and former band mate, Martin Leather. The song is nostalgic for the glory days of youth and is more acoustic and stripped down than previous releases. Looking through the Glass observes a younger generation through the window of social media at an age where the observer is no longer in on the joke.
Kieran’s songwriting pulls from many musical styles. “My influences are all over the map,” says the 32 year old. “I grew up listening to country music like Hank Williams and British bands like the Kinks. In high school, I got into Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. This mix of influences is my foundation and I let it all flow into my own unique style.”
His 6 song EP Help Me Help You was released in 2016 under 604 Records, charting on the Top 20 Canadian Album chart on iTunes. Anarchy was the first single released from his EP Fools Gold in 2018, to critical acclaim.”
Starting her project in London after being employed in Florida and travelling through the United States, French-born Alternative artist and songwriter Mango In Euphoria quickly found her audience when she dropped her first experimental work at the end of 2020.
The singer is an emerging talent noticeable by her quirky style and her mysterious signature voice, matching her very own unique musical tracks mixing Electronic Rock, Dream Pop and Dark-wave genres.
Creating melodies coming from her mind with virtual instruments and recording with a very basic microphone during the global Coronavirus pandemic, Mango In Euphoria also began to work remotely with Belgian producer Philippe Francq who helped her developing a lot of demos with physical instruments inspired from vintage influences such as the Twin Peaks series soundtracks, The Cure, and Garbage. As Mango was mainly musically influenced by Grimes, Marilyn Manson and Lana Del Rey, there's no doubt that the result would be quiet outstanding.
Today singer, writer, and rapper Dessa has released “Life On Land,” the third installment of her new single series IDES — the project sees Dessa dropping new music on the 15th of each month.
“I started writing ‘Life on Land’ sitting at my Casio keyboard wearing a green sweater and with my hair still wet from the shower,” Dessa explains. “I know because I filmed a little video of myself playing the key line to make sure I didn’t forget it. The first lyrics came easily: ‘Flip a coin, flip a car / I don’t care where we are / the picture and the sound won’t sync / some things time can’t fix’. Almost every other line resisted being written.
I walk a lot to try and solve that problem, muttering for a mile or two and coming home with another viable four bars. Like the other songs in the IDES series, this track is a collaboration between me and producers Lazerbeak and Andy Thompson. All three of us thought the song needed an epic pop chorus…but those are easier to talk about than they are to write. When we finally had words and music for each section, we tried several sequences before landing at the structure on record. In the end, we built with pop bricks, but decided to ditch the pop floorpan and go rogue.”
Alongside this release, Dessa is also announcing a collaboration with Dogwood Coffee Co. on a limited-edition coffee. IDES coffee—available in 12 oz whole bean packages—is a blend of coffees from Mexico and Colombia, lightly roasted to produce a cup with notes of maple syrup and dark chocolate covered almonds. Online orders can be placed via Doomtree’s website, and packages will be available at Dogwood’s three retail locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul later this month. A portion of proceeds from sales at Dogwood’s shops will benefit Second Harvest Heartland, one of the nation’s largest and most effective hunger relief organizations. The custom coffee is Dessa’s latest venture into food and beverage collaborations, joining her two signature ice cream flavors with Izzy’s Ice Cream and limited-edition bourbon and rye from RockFilter Distillery.
Long, swaying grass, the hoofbeats of horses, and infinite blue skies: this is the typical imagery that has long come to mind when someone brings up Americana. But for Toronto-based Nelson Sobral, when you inject Americana with a hard-edged, urban blast of gritty midwest blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and northern soul, Americana adopts an entirely new identity, one of overpasses, subway trains, and the grit of city streets.
“I really don’t care if people think I’m ‘rural’ or not,” Sobral says from within the murky labyrinth of downtown Toronto. Despite being born and raised in the rough-and-tumble Parkdale neighbourhood, Sobral has long been surrounded by an outlaw spirit and lawless, yet valorous, energy. “My uncle loved country music—Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson were always playing at his place—but Otis Redding is my spirit animal for vocals, and growing up, I admired all the guitar players that served the song and meant more to me than just solos, like Jimmy Page and Keith Richards: they had dynamics and song craft. All of it is part of my gumbo, for lack of a better word.”
For Sobral, all that is sacred is the song, and the means by which it is delivered transcends genre. Though clearly inspired by the roots songwriting giants—the Hank Williams and the Gram Parsons of the world—Sobral’s work deserves a wider scope, a wider breadth, and a wider reach. Through the lens of soul, blues, and rock and roll, Sobral’s songwriting, paired with his incomparable voice and monster guitar playing, is fit for any stage, any night of the week, any audience, anywhere.
Nelson Sobral has already defined his road-hardened career by sharing stages with the likes of legends such as David Wilcox, The Trews, and Jeff Healey, and his knuckles-to-the-dirt, workhorse spirit has seen him tour and play relentlessly across Canada and the United States. “You need to do those things as a musician to experience life,” Sobral continues. “Even if you write from that perspective, you can tell if someone’s done it or not. You can tell when someone’s paid their dues.”
Sobral certainly has, like the aforementioned songwriting greats that have come before him. With a career due to be long, enduring, and unconcerned with being pigeonholed and catering to one image, one sound, and one spirit, Nelson Sobral has bigger plans: beneath the wide canopy of his influences and styles, Sobral continues to unite listeners with the impact of his songs and energy, as varied and wide-reaching as car wheels on a gravel road and the barreling rhythm of a Toronto streetcar.
Mirrorball takes two lonely single people, and takes them for a night out in an 80s disco. Surrounded by divorcees and middle-aged drunks, will they be too shy to talk, or will they find some love action? Is this going to be heaven or hell?
This is definitely the most positive and the most romantic duet The Catenary Wires have ever released. With delicate – and not so delicate – musical tributes to the 80s, Mirrorball starts off sceptical, but ends up falling in love with the music of a decade that was pure, unsubtle, tasteless and synthetic. The 80s disco turns out to be heavenly!
To celebrate, there’s a real (virtual) 80s disco in the diary - and everyone is invited. Top indie club How Does It Feel has invited The Catenary Wires (and a lot of guest DJs) to take over for the night on March 27th. The playlist will be mostly heaven, but there will be a bit of hell thrown in...
Rob and Amelia (ex Talulah Gosh, Heavenly) started The Catenary Wires as a duo, but they’re a full band now – and the new recordings have a very different tone, with the inspired contributions of Fay Hallam (keyboard), Ian Button (drums) and Andy Lewis (bass).
The Catenary Wires write songs for grown-up indie kids. They don’t pretend to be 23 any more, but they do remember what it felt like. Their songs are a combination of joy and regret, innocence and experience.
Hunter Moreau believes everyone should strive to be more in touch with the vulnerable parts of themselves. And Hunter Moreau practices what she preaches.
Through her music, the soulful pop songstress frequently steps outside of her comfort zone to express the most vulnerable parts of herself, captivating listeners along the way.
Her newest single, "Hazy," is no exception. Produced by Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Ashe, SHAED), "Hazy" officially dropped on March 12.
"As simple as it may sound, 'Hazy' is about the pure bliss of summer nights," shares Hunter. "Doug and I were reminiscing about stories with friends, both new and old, and the magic that seems to happen on warm nights where nothing seems to really matter. We wrote this song to capture the nostalgia of looking back on those carefree times, and longing for that same feeling again. The feeling that no other moment matters besides right now. The excitement of not caring how exactly you’re going to get home, or where you even are, but just knowing that you want whatever feeling this is to last forever."
Born and raised in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts (population 6,000) – a seaside town near Cape Cod - Hunter began taking voice lessons at eight years old. Though Mattapoisett is both small and distinctly quaint, she will tell you that her hometown has fueled her love for music in a myriad of ways.
Two weeks after the release of their first single "The Huntress Obeyed", the band Laddermen (CH/US) delivers the accompanying video clip.
"The Huntress Obeyed" is a spherical post-punk song about cocaine addiction in Austin, Texas and the dark side of the excessive party scene there.
The video presents this topic very powerful and with strong visuals. The focus is on two dancers who express the allure and tragedy of the relationship between a person and addiction.
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.
Gothenburg’s Sarah Klang, the self-declared “saddest girl in Sweden,” returns to form with the lush, melancholy of new single ‘Anywhere’, a song she describes as “about the constant search for happiness or at least peace or answers within yourself. How I long to feel better.” Warm Americana-tinged guitar reverberates with Klang’s incredible country-hued vocal diving straight to your heart.
‘Anywhere’ is the fourth single to be taken from the Swedish Grammy winning artist’s forthcoming album ‘Virgo’ (following 7th May, Pangur Records) and proceeds the “galloping country-rock” (The Line of Best Fit) of ‘Canyon’, the soulful smokiness of ‘Girls,’ and most recently ‘Fever Dream’ accompanied by the “sexy” Fredrika Eriksson directed video which premiered on i-D.
Sarah Klang has previously released two albums, her debut album ‘Love In The Milky Way’ (2018) which won ‘Best Album’ at the Swedish Grammys and topped the charts and ‘Creamy Blue’ (2019) which was also nominated at the Grammys in both the ‘Best Album’ and ‘Best Alternative Pop’ categories, as well as receiving a nomination for ‘European Album of the Year’ at the IMPALA Award.
Klang’s fun, exuberant live shows have seen her achieve sold-out headline tours in Scandinavia and mainland Europe, a sold-out show at The Lexington, London in 2019, and an arena tour in support of First Aid Kit.
‘Anywhere’ was recorded in Gothenburg, produced by Kevin Andersson, and mastered by Magnus Lindberg. It is released a digital single today, with the long-player ‘Virgo’ following 7th May via Pangur Records.
Swedish artist JÁNA has announced her second EP 'Works'. Due for release later this year, the EP follows standalone single "Green" featuring Nigerian-American duo VanJess, and her widely acclaimed (The Fader, Lyrical Lemonade, COLORS) debut EP 'Flowerworks' – both released in 2020. Accompanying the new EP announcement, today JÁNA is also releasing the EP's first single "Outsider".
Co-produced by Little Dragon drummer Erik Bodin, "Outsider" elevates JÁNA's hybrid of alternative pop and bedroom R&B to exciting new levels. Uniting lucid synths with chugging industrial percussion, the song portrays a scenario of feeling lost, or feeling like an "outsider" amidst the fallout of a relationship.
Speaking on the new single, JÁNA said: "The lyrics and melodies came super quickly to me on 'Outsider'. It’s my first “breakup song”. I’m questioning this person, the relationship and myself after a breakup. I’m basically asking this person lots of questions in a “how could you” type of way. There's a sense of frustration, resentment and some sort of sad hope (referring to the second verse) in this song; addressing the feeling that you don’t belong without that person or maybe you lost who you were before ever meeting them."
JÁNA, (aka Stockholm based Johanna Andrén) was introduced to the world via her collaborations with Swedish heavyweights Little Dragon on her debut solo EP 'Flowerworks'. A mediation on relationships in general – as well as a chronicle of one of her own past relationships – The Fader praised its lead single "Wild Roses" for its "lush guitars and jazzy, minimal beats", whilst Lyrical Lemonade described the release as "a memorable debut that’s sure to put JÁNA on the map on a global level".
Singer-songwriter Jack Conman’s album Seventh Sense Libido is streaming in full below.
Seventh Sense Libido marries the sexual politics of Cigarettes After Sex with the romanticism of Jeff Buckley & Pete Doherty - cited as Jack’s most cohesive body of work yet. It’s an intimate & reflective album about relationships which, through its honesty, affords the listener their own chance of self-reflection.
The album features singles Come Back In The Room which tells of the emotional push & pull experienced in relationships & Before You Love Me with its strikingly intimate vocal performance. They have received support from BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio & many more.
With well over a million streams on Spotify for previous single Oxytocin, Jack has enjoyed airplay on BBC Radio 1 & 6Music, performed at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend festival, featured in Clash's coveted Next Wave & gained a loyal following after showcasing on youtube channel COLORS. His music is now getting much attention, particularly in America, Germany & the UK with strong & encouraging streaming figures.
Sara Watkins of the Grammy-winning groups Nickel Creek and I’m With Her, as well as The Watkins Family Hour will release Under the Pepper Tree on March 26th via New West Records. The 15-song set was produced by Tyler Chester (Sara Bareilles, Margaret Glaspy) and is the follow up to her critically acclaimed 2016 solo album Young In All The Wrong Ways. Created with families in mind, the personal project encompasses songs Sara embraced as a child herself and brings storytelling, solace, and encouragement to the listener, no matter the age. In addition to two stunning original songs, the album includes Sara’s renditions of “Pure Imagination” from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, The Beatles’ “Good Night,” “Moon River” (originally sung by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s), and more.
Under the Pepper Tree also reunites Sara’s Nickel Creek bandmates Chris Thile and her brother Sean on “Blue Shadows on the Trail” (from the 1986 comedy The Three Amigos), Sara’s I’m With Her bandmates Sarah Jarosz & Aoife O’Donovan on “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” (originally performed by Roy Rogers & Sons of the Pioneers), Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes on Harry Nilsson’s “Blanket for a Sail,” David Garza on Roy Orbison’s “Beautiful Dreamer,” and Sara’s now three-year old daughter on her immensely sweet rendition of The Sound of Music’s “Edelweiss.”
Sara admits that she initially felt conflicted about making a children’s record until she realized that perhaps this album could impact a young listener in the same manner as the music from her own childhood affected her. The nostalgic and gentle Under the Pepper Tree offers a comforting record for those moments as daily rhythms fade into nightly rituals — and when a child’s imagination comes to life. “I want this album to be a place of calm, imagination, and relief,” Sara says. “Some days are perfect and things are a dream and make you feel like a superhero. And some days are just… such a challenge. I feel like this record has a place in both of those days, and I really hope that these recordings find a place in kids’ hearts, and become as special as they are to me.”
Sara sequenced the album’s 15 songs with the vinyl listening experience in mind. After forming the track listing of Side A and Side B, she then crafted transitions between the songs, making each half of the album seamlessly glide by. Sara says, “Although this album can certainly be enjoyed by listening all the way through, very early on in the planning I began thinking of it as something to be taken one side at a time. I imagine someone dropping the needle on side A one night, and side B the next.”
Under the Pepper Tree also features a stunning vinyl package so children can interact with the record in a deeper way. The idea stemmed from the vintage vinyl releases she’s collected for her daughter. “You find some that are really beautiful, and there are some Winnie the Pooh albums that we listen to on a daily basis, not just because of what they sound like, but because of what they look like,” she says. “My daughter will look at the book while I put on the record. The pages don’t tell everything that’s in the song, but that doesn’t matter because sometimes she’s more looking and sometimes she’s more listening. It’s all there, it’s all connected. I want kids to experience my record that way, with all of those senses.”
The Swedish psyche-rock wonder is defined as Phogg and the band has returned with a new album. An album that has been forged out of pandemic, 30-year crisis and broken hearts. 2020 has not been an easy year for none and Phogg is no exception:
“What does it mean to be a rock band these days? How does it matter? We are all closing in to the dirty thirties. We have ended relationships and people have ended it with us. We have lost treasured memories and have had our computers and hard drives stolen.
We have lost rehearsing spaces and studios, gigs and opportunities. The glory days of Rock have faded away in this pandemic apocalypse’s fart of the times. There is no fun making songs about an allegorical downfall when you are in the middle of it.”
In September 2019, we saw the release of Phoggs second studio album “Mofeto: Mashine Adamkosh”, an album “about robots seizing world domination”, that was well received by the music media community, both domestic and internationally. After the cries of joy in the wakes of “Mofeto”, Phogg took on the challenge to record two albums at the same time. The goal was to work on these albums parallely and release them simultaneously but as it would turn out, that was an extremely stupid decision and the band were inches from mentally burning themselves out.
This week the release of “Sharkness”, the fourth and the last single before the highly anticipated third album, “The Sharkness”, premiering the 16th of April.
“Sharkness, the title track of our new album, came to be while recording the album. ‘Sharkness’ means to hold a kind of self-destructive self-preservation drive. To navigate through difficulties and hardships. To push down instincts of worries and prance forward in life. This is to hold Sharkness."
The tune is featured by the incredible Indrielle, who was recording with us in our studio at the time. The song is a favourite of ours and we hope that you will love it at least as much as you love us.”
“There’s absolutely no reason why we should be doing this right now, other than the fact that this is who I am and this is what I want to do. So let’s just make a record.”
Such was the theme of the recording sessions for soulful roots musician DL Rossi’s upcoming album Lonesome Kind. Known for his brand of heart-wrenching, deeply personal songwriting that’s been compared to the likes of Isbell, Orbison, and Brooks, Rossi left Nashville for his home state of Michigan last year after his uncle was diagnosed with brain cancer, only to find himself commuting back the Music City to record the follow-up to his critically acclaimed album A Sweet Thing.
After a career spent embracing and feeding comparisons to his aforementioned contemporaries, the aim this time around was to break free from those associations and let his own light shine. Raised on Christian music and spending many years of his adult life as a worship leader, he came to love Springsteen, Petty, and Jackson Browne late in the game. And while you can still hear threads of their influence, Rossi’s latest offering shows a maturity and willingness to stand on his own.
Lonesome Kind is a vibey, ‘70s-inspired album laden with Motown guitar riffs and soulful lyrics with a reoccurring theme of independence while mourning the loss of ideals and energy of youth.
It was produced by Tyler Chester (Madison Cunningham), who also lent his skills to tracking bass, keys, and some guitars. Rossi was joined by his brother Nolan (Audrey Assad) and Juan Solorzano (Molly Parden) on guitars, with Ross McReynolds (Jess Nolan, Katie Pruitt) rounding the group out on drums.
