Barcelona's Spanish/Chilean psych-rock quartet, The Zephyr Bones are today sharing "Sparks". The new single marks another spangled nosedive through psych-rock arriving as the final advance installment to be lifted from their forthcoming album, Neon Body – out via La Castanya on October 22, 2021. It arrives produced by Brian Silva and Santi Garcia with the album artwork designed by the Portuguese illustrator/artist, Bráulio Amado who runs NYC's BAD Studio, has illustrated for The New York Times, and works as one of the main artwork designers for Frank Ocean and Róisín Murphy.
The new album, tipped so far by SPIN, NPR's Alt Latino, Remezcla, Beats Per Minute and more finds The Zephyr Bones, made up of Silva (vocals, guitar and synthesizers), Jossip Tkalcic (guitar and vocals), Marc López (drums), and Carlos Ramos (bass), exploring ideas centered around love, self-affirmation, loss, and hope. Musically, it finds the group tapping into their "beach wave" aesthetic once more, a style of music that they helped nurture alongside a few other groups in Barcelona back in 2017. It is sound and approach to music gravitated around spangled psych-rock reminiscent of the radiant, sunkissed environments that surround the scene.
The Zephyr Bones formed when Silva, Tkalcic, López and Ramos met in Barcelona after the former two names arrived from their home country of Chile. In 2015 they released their debut EP, Wishes/Fishes via La Castanya. That first release was then followed by the seven-inch "Black Lips b/w Surrounded by Sunflowers" released by La Castanya and the New York label Other Music Recording Co. Their debut album, Secret Place – a psychedelia and dream pop hybrid – took them on a tour around the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, playing on all types of stages. Neon Body, their second album, expands their sound by exploring the fusion between humanity and machines.
Chris Robley - A Filament in the Wilderness of What Comes Next (Album).
Chris Robley shines on his new album A Filament In The Wilderness of What Comes Next, out last Friday on Cutthroat Pop Records. Taking a close look at the nation, Robley co-produced the album with Jeff Stuart Saltzman (Lowland Hum, Typhoon, EL VY, Deer Tick, Death Cab for Cutie, Stephen Malkmus) and Edwin Paroissien (Little Beirut, Pacific Mean Time).
Vocalists Margaret Gibson Wehr and Anna Tivel, about whom NPR’s Ann Powers said, “Singer-songwriters are often called poets. In truth, only a few deliver the deep insight and sense of the new that breaking through the predictable achieves. Anna Tivel is one.” Robley's cinematic album has scope and breadth, without losing the emotional fidelity of small, moving details. The album concludes with the belief that empathy is "a filament in the wilderness of what comes next," that simply trying to understand someone can be a radical act of love.
Here’s what we’re reading about A Filament In The Wilderness of What Comes Next: “Chris Robley beautifully captures state of the union… Robley’s weighty words — he’s an award-winning poet — are made even more powerful because they’re paired with equally engrossing melodies. It makes for the loveliest kind of blues regarding disparity, hypocrisy, racism and American retreat in a foreign land… Robley’s way with a tune is a giver of goosebumps. The melodies are as effortlessly irresistible as an old folk song, the sort sung when the stakes are high.”
The supremely talented Wild the Coyote has now released his newest single, “Silver Round Bullet.” The song is the first from his upcoming EP, 7 Roses. Following his previous releases, this track continues with Coyote’s unique, gritty style and delivers an electrifying listening experience. “Silver Round Bullet” is available now to stream or download on all platforms.
“Silver Round Bullet” is a fantastic reflection of Wild the Coyote’s riveting, original sound. With grungy guitar and vocals melded with rumbling percussion, this track successfully captures the outlaw country style his music listeners have come to expect. Combining iconic aspects of blues, country, and rock, Coyote skillfully makes listeners feel as though they have been teleported to the old west. Produced by Joseph Holiday, the song has a powerful and catchy melody that gives clear insight into why some have drawn comparisons between Wild the Coyote and the great Johnny Cash.
With an edgier tone than most modern country music, “Silver Round Bullet” conveys Coyote’s difficulties growing up in Templeton, CA and the struggles he faces even now in Los Angeles. “‘Silver Round Bullet’ was written in the woods of the quiet town I grew up in, about the struggles that come with chasing a dream in LA and the daunting question of how long you can survive doing it. Only to be reminded that there could be more to risk than to reap turning around on the road less traveled,” says Coyote. The blend of his bluesy voice with heavy percussion and a rugged electric guitar melody conveys a raw, rocky vibe that characterizes the song.
Last September, Hannah Georgas released her Aaron Dessner-produced LP All That Emotion, on Dessner's label Brassland and Toronto indie stalwart Arts & Crafts. Though long a favorite in her native Canada with a devoted international audience, the album was the most critically-acclaimed release of her career to date, earning a wave of positive attention.
In the spring of 2021 she released an EP of alternate versions of tracks from the album, featuring contributions from friends and collaborators like Bartees Strange, Owen Pallett, The National's Matt Berninger and Kate Stables (leader of acclaimed UK group This Is The Kit), and today Georgas is returning to release a new collection that takes a different approach, a mini album of acoustic versions of songs from the LP.
Georgas' piano and vocals were recorded with Graham Walsh at Palace Sound in Toronto, but these new iterations are not solo performances, as Georgas is accompanied remotely by guitarist Christine Bougie and cellist Ben Whiteley, both of whom played on the recent LP from Georgas' fellow Torontonian The Weather Station, with additional strings from Drew Jureka (Dua Lipa, Bahamas). Though not entirely "stripped down," Georgas sees the mini album as representative of the new life the songs from the LP have taken on as she has performed them in various contexts since recording them with Dessner in 2019.
So what do we know about Sterre Weldring? Only that she has just released a fabulous new song entitled 'Remedy' and that it is gorgeous.
Oh! and we know some of the credits: Producer: Marg van Eenbergen, Music Publisher: Copyright Control, Composer: Sterre Weldring, Lyricist: Sterre Weldring.
18 months in the making, and the start of British alt-rock quartet Our Propaganda's debut album 'Fast Food At Midnight' has just (September 17th) been marked by the release of their title track single and video, blending brit-rock riffs, driving beats and a crescendo of powerful vocals alongside striking live footage.
"'Fast Food At Midnight' is about knowing something is wrong but continuing to support it, about giving into urges over what you may think is right. Something we're all guilty of. We used fast food as the example but it's more a metaphor for buying into agendas even though they're morally questionable. Mass consumerism has quickly become the biggest issue in the world and this song addresses our almost cynical nature towards it.” - Jack Denton, Our Propaganda
Taking influences from the likes of Biffy Clyro, Royal Blood, Twenty One Pilots and numerous iconic British artists, Our Propaganda have since 2016 been taking their striking blend of alt-indie rock to the stage, having previously gigged over half a dozen countries across Europe and played countless shows around London, the South of England and their hometowns of Southampton and Portsmouth, including five years’ consecutive invitation to the stage of Southampton Pride.
The South Hampshire quartet also mark today’s release by taking to the stage at 2021's Isle Of Wight Festival at 6:20pm on 17th September, the River Stage, joining as a part of the long-awaited resurgence of live music across the UK. Though 2021 is coming to an end, September is just the start for Our Propaganda, who after signing a publishing deal with Peermusic, now prepare to release a series of singles and music videos leading up to their debut album release, recorded with renowned producer Steve Lyon (Depeche Mode/The Cure), and mixed by Grammy nominated recording and sound engineer Jonas Westling.
The Vancouver, B.C.-based songwriter, Ashley Shadow is sharing "Caitlin", the final advance track to be taken from her MOJO, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan and Beats Per Minute tipped album, Only the End which is out September 24 (CD/Digital) and October 29 (Vinyl) via Felte. The forthcoming record comes mixed by Joshua Wells (Destroyer, Lightning Dust, ex-Black Mountain) and follows her eponymous self-titled debut which found critical acclaim.
Ashley describes "Caitlin" as "a tribute song to a life lost too soon." It's a remarkably intimate yet stunning highlight from the forthcoming record, accentuated with Paul Rigby's (Neko Case) woozy pedal steel guitar and lightly picked electric guitar. The song smolders, burning gently with Shadow's mesmerizing vocal performance that nestles amongst the instrumentation.
While the songs on Only the End were conceived in contemplative solitude, Ashley invited some very capable collaborators into the studio to assist with the process of recording; alongside the aforementioned Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shadow invited Paul Rigby (Neko Case), Joshua Wells (Black Mountain, Lightning Dust), Colin Cowan (Elastic Stars) and Ryan Beattie (Himalayan Bear). Ashley, the twin sister of Amber Webber (of Lightning Dust, co-founder of Black Mountain), has previously contributed vocals to Bonnie "Prince" Billy's album, Lie Down in the Light, Pink Mountaintop's Outside Love, The Cave Singers' Welcome Joy and more.
Self-care can't be left out of the equation when seeking to achieve your goals. My new song, "Care," was inspired by a period of burnout in 2019.
I spent all summer that year running around trying to get organized, and the time I was supposed to have to recharge slipped away without notice. I missed out on hanging outside and appreciating the things around me because I was too caught up anticipating the next hurdles. As such, I returned to my job in the fall with an empty battery.
When plants' needs aren't meant, they shrivel, become pathetic and wilted, and the longer they remain in that state the more difficult it is to revive them. It's not always as easy to pin-point the signs of an actual human that has been missing out on taking care of themselves.
Hopefully we can be proactive in recognizing when things are happening at a pace that can't be maintained long-term.
Tireless country-folk auteurs Laura Coates and Andrew Wrigglesworth have long made a study of the shadowy fold of Southern American musical tradition – a study that reached a high-water mark with the release of this year’s hauntingly beautiful Southern Gothic EP.
Lifted from that release, the pair’s latest single 'Southern Gothic' finds the celebrated vocal harmonists turning their hands to an original instrumental. 'Southern Gothic' is a brooking study in backwoods fiddle and dreadnought guitar and ripples with portentous feeling like so many live oaks shivering at the urging of a chill and keening wind.
Showcasing Andrew’s celebrated picking on guitar and banjo, ‘Southern Gothic’ also features in-demand multi-instrumentalist Luke Moller (Kasey Chambers, Hayes Carll) on fiddle, and veteran session player David Piltch (Willie Nelson, Mary Gauthier) on upright bass. The single was recorded, engineered and mixed by Roger Bergodaz (Raised by Eagles) at Union Street Studio in Brunswick West and was mastered by Adam Dempsey at Deluxe Mastering, Brunswick.
The Weeping Willows opened the year as winners of the 2021 Golden Guitar for Instrumental of the Year. They’ve been nominated for eight CMAA Golden Guitar Awards and supported Americana greats from Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (USA) to Iris Dement (USA).
Last month, Lily Konigsberg announced her debut solo LP Lily We Need To Talk Now (which will be out October 29th on Wharf Cat).
Following her well-received EP from 2020, It's Just Like All The Clouds, (Pitchfork described it as a collection of left-field pop that sits "at the center of a Venn diagram containing haunted dolls, Arthur Russell, and Ariana Grande" in a Pitchfork Rising feature), and a compilation of her early solo recordings culled mostly from Bandcamp and Soundcloud releases entitled The Best of Lily Konigsberg.
Recorded (like the rest of the album) with producer Nate Amos, whose project Water From Your Eyes recently released their critically-acclaimed LP Structure, "Sweat Forever" departs from the album's guitar-based first single, instead showcasing Konigsberg in a more electronic environment in something closer to her pure pop mode, bringing her unique perspective and melodic sensibility to a song about a moment of transition.
"'Sweat Forever' was the first song successfully recorded for the album," Konigsberg explains. "It's mostly about the bad part of going through a huge change in your life and the confusion surrounding that. But now I'm in the good part, so there's something to celebrate. Sweat on brother!"
When you’ve been a professional musician for over thirty years, you can accumulate a large trunk of songs. The tucked-away tunes that Ireland-born / Los Angeles residing Bren Holmes shares on his solo debut, Everything You Never Wanted, reveal impressive singer/songwriter talents that never got fully displayed during his lengthy tenure as bassist with the Young Dubliners. While old Young Dub fans will connect with Celtic music flourishes that course through this album, they – and all listeners – also will be easily drawn into the spirited rootsy sound that fills Everything You Never Wanted, which arrives September 17, 2021 on his own Bren Holmes Productions label.
The Dublin native and long-time L.A. resident cuts across a range of genres on Everything You Never Wanted. "I don't set out to write a particular song or music," Holmes shares. "Whatever comes out, I just go with it.” Guided by a lovely lap steel guitar, the opening track, and first single, “Sweet Talkin’ Angel” leads listeners into Americana territory, while the delightful roots pop of “You Say” and “Take It All Away” suggest a roughed-up Crowded House. Holmes follows the hooky charmer “Can’t Stop Thinkin’” by taking a darker turn with the brooding rocker, “No Return,” and he mines a spare, bluesy vein - similar to the Stones’ in “Country Honk” mode - on “Love On Your Side – LC Blues.”
While Holmes states that “there’s no particular theme to the record,” he admits that this set of emotionally rich songs is “about loss and heartbreak over a long span of time." This theme might be best exemplified on “Ugly.” Featuring a duet between Holmes and former Donnas frontwoman Brett Anderson, the song ponders a “will-you-still-love-when” question in a “roller coaster ride” of a relationship. Surviving a rocky relationship also is a motif in the album’s sole cover, a catchy reworking of “S.O.S.,” which uses mandolin and guitars to remove some of the gloss from ABBA’s original.
Lafayette, Louisiana musician Renée Reed shares the first single "Tonnerre mes chiens" from a new four-song EP titled J’ai rêvé out November 2, 2021. While this song with a French title is sung in English, the EP also includes two French cover songs and a second English-language original.
Renée says this about "Tonnerre mes chiens": "The title of this song is a colloquial phrase in Cajun French which literally translates to 'thunder my dogs' and is used similarly to 'god dammit.' The song is about listening to someone else’s anger while feeling that my own anger is going unheard. "
These songs were recorded during the same four-track album sessions as her stunning self-titled debut album, released earlier this year. That album garnered early praise from tastemakers Gorilla vs. Bear and Gold Flake Paint and a 7.7 Pitchfork review which describes her music as "full of dreamy, odd notes, and a sense of unreality shimmers around her songs."
After delivering their highly-praised album ‘The Last Exit’ in January this year with standout reviews in NME, DIY, Uncut, The Quietus, Mojo and many more, Still Corners return with the energetic ‘Heavy Days’, along with news of a big US tour and re-scheduled European tour dates.
‘Heavy Days’ continues the band’s journey through the atmospheric side of indie-rock. With rich and soaring guitars layered effortlessly against singer Tessa Murray’s compelling vocals, Heavy Days gallops forth, riding the edge of rock-n-roll and expansive desert-noir twang.
Speaking about the new song, Tessa said, "Sometimes it all can all feel a little overwhelming, there's a lot to take in reading the news all the time. We wanted to write a reminder to put the phone down now and again, get out there and live life to the fullest while you can.”
Still Corners will be heading off on tour in 2022 throughout the US and Europe to support their recent releases.
Big Little Lions continue their monthly releases with 'Didn't I' which is out Thursday, September 16th. 'Didn't I' is about the regret you might face if you've lived your life taking no chances and sticking to the rules of how you think life should go, therby missing out on the magic that happens in the accidents and unknown.
Big Little Lions have been described as ‘a blissful marriage of new folk and sophisticated pop’. Prolific songwriting, infectious folk-pop style, and an offbeat, memorable live show.
This award winning duo consists of Helen Austin and Paul Otten who, despite living thousands of miles apart, have found a way to connect and create music together. Despite being in two different countries, they have found common ground to share their message.
Palmaria are an Alt-Pop duo from a small town in Italy, currently residing in London. Members Giulia and Francesco have been making a name for their distinctive sound, poetically transporting listeners on a journey of dreamy landscapes and uplifting experiences. Think The xx meets Sylvan Esso, meets Little Dragon on a field trip to the Italian coast.
Their latest single “Ocean” is off of their upcoming EP, Crystallize. Co-written and produced with B-CROMA (Yendry, Fia Moon), the single stays true to their sound of delicate, hypnotizing vocals with a mix of organic sounds and utopian guitars. Taking sonic inspiration from the drums on James Blakes’ “You’re Too Precious”, the duo re-interpreted the sound through Francesco’s classical guitar.
The song is inspired by the legend of Colapesce, the magical story of a man that sacrifices his life on earth, turning into a fish to save his island, but also highlights the problem of the pollution of the ocean. “Ocean” is a call for help. The duo confides, “We wanted to give voice to our frustration; it’s been hurtful to see what is happening, especially growing up in a town almost surrounded by the sea. The ocean has always been such an important element in our lives, inspiring and healing us every time we were in need, so it’s now our turn, we have to protect it.”
Ellyn Woods is a multi-disciplinary artist currently based in Montréal. In addition to being a singer and songwriter, Ellyn has a degree in Fine Arts from Concordia and a passion for illustration and tattooing. Her art and music are a direct reflection of her love for nature and all things organic.
Ellyn received her first electric guitar when she was 12. She began learning her favorite songs by artists like Feist and Angus & Julia Stone, building her familiarity with the instrument and developing her own song-writing skills. At age 18, she moved to Toronto. Immersing herself in the city’s diverse music and art scenes, Ellyn began sharing her original material and honing her craft as a performer and artist. Her raw and vulnerable material connected with audiences and fellow artists alike. Her ability to effortlessly weave her personal experiences into her music, combined with her soft voice and songwriting instincts, lead to several collaborative projects and showcases.
In 2015, Ellyn began receiving widespread attention and acclaim for her collaborations with Montréal electronic duo Sterling Grove. The artists released three singles – “Sound of Home,” “La Vigie,” & “In the Backyard” – which have generated nearly 2 million streams. In 2019, Ellyn and Sterling Grove travelled to northern Québec to record an album. Their efforts yielded Cabin Days, a collaborative EP released June 25, 2021.
In addition to Cabin Days, Ellyn plans to release her debut solo album, All At Once, on August 13, 2021. The LP follows its lead single “Tangerine,” which gained airplay on Sportsnet’s live broadcast of the Stanley Cup Finals, CBC’s q with Tom Power, and several official Spotify playlists. Teaming up with producer/songwriter Kyle MacDougall, Ellyn weaves a colorful sonic landscape, incorporating a vast array of genres including electronic dance, indie pop, alternative rock, and R&B. Ellyn explores the complexities of love and spirituality overtop MacDougall’s brimming beats, yielding a fresh soundtrack for all your summer activities. Fans of Jungle, Men I Trust, The xx, and The Marias are sure to gravitate towards the breezy stylings of Ellyn Woods, as she effortlessly channels multiple genres and palettes all at once.
Mike Etten is a songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. One of the founders of the Brooklyn DIY venue and collective Le Wallet, Etten recorded and played in various experimental, chamber, punk and country projects throughout the last decade, including PC Worship, Ashcan Orchestra and Dougie Poole.
Amidst extensive touring and performing, Etten started writing his long-awaited solo debut, Love Wash, a twisted slice of fringe Americana, composed of carefully crafted and self-recorded song experiments that are equally catchy and off-kilter.
Some words directly from Mike himself: "Saints was written early one morning in a bit of a blur, strumming a chord progression in 3/4 time and singing a melody and words that wrote themselves pretty quickly. I built up the arrangement around the guitar and vocal, first adding drums and then synths that play a weaving counter line. Francesca Caruso added a vocal harmony and Adam Markiewicz (LEYA) layered a violin part based on a melody I sang to him, recorded at his home studio in Ridgewood. The bridge goes into a more ecstatic heavy waltz, it comes back around for a final verse, and feels like by the end of this one I’ve communed a little with myself, people from my past, and maybe a spirit or two from some other life."
Jillette Johnson released a new single “Daddy Dopamine” as she embarks on her first national tour in support of her critically acclaimed new album It’s A Beautiful Day And I Love You. The song was co-written and produced by Joe Pisapia, who produced her last album, and marks the first time Jillette has released a collaborative single. The tour with Houndmouth kicks off tomorrow in Oxford, MS and will make stops in Boston, MA, Washington, DC, and more. Find a full list of tour dates below or at her website.
“I wanted to create a spacious sonic landscape where my voice could just be, without having to really ‘perform,’” explains Johnson. It’s about the hamster wheel of dopamine addiction. We all chase highs to fill voids and soothe ourselves to make up for what we’re really after, which is human connection.”
“Speaking of connection, I’m so excited to be putting this song out right as my band and I hit the road with Houndmouth, who I happen to be a big nerdy fan of. I put my third album out in February, and it was such a weird feeling to not be able to play those songs in front of people. Making records to me is all about communication, and I can’t wait to give this body of work the opportunity to be more of a conversation than just a statement. Also, Houndmouth rules, and I’m honored to open for them. Gonna be a blast.”
