Bay Area-based Monophonics have released “Love You Better,” the second single from their upcoming full-length Sage Motel (out May 13th via Colemine Records). The world's premier psychedelic soul band, Monophonics cordially invites you to attend the grand re-opening of the once thriving, once vibrant establishment, the legendary Sage Motel. A place where folks experience the highs and lows of human existence. A place where big dreams and broken hearts live, where people arrive without ever knowing how they got there. It's where individuals find themselves at a crossroads in life.
“The song ‘Love You Better’ is rooted in the spirit of soul music and hip hop,” Monophonics explain. “It’s a braggadocio tune with a clear message to the one you loved that no one will ever be as good to them. It is that feeling of knowing you gave your all to your partner and really tried to love them the right way, only to be hurt and taken for granted. It’s empowering and important to have that self worth and remind somebody that they really missed out on a really good thing.” The Sage Motel album announcement came last month with a video for the first single “Warpaint.”
What started as a quaint motor lodge and a common pitstop for travelers and truckers in the 1940s, Sage Motel morphed into a bohemian’s hang by the 1960s and 1970s. Artists, musicians, and vagabonds of all types would stop there as seedy ownership pumped obnoxious amounts of money into high end renovations, eventually attracting some of the most prominent acts of the era. But when the money ran out, The Sage Motel devolved into a place where you rent by the hour.
Sage Motel, Monophonics' fifth studio album since 2012, tells its story. Once again produced by brilliant bandleader Kelly Finnigan, the album captures a timeless sound that blends heavy soul with psych-rock. With their previous album, It’s Only Us, selling over 10,000 physical units and garnering over 20 million streams, Monophonics have built a reputation over the past decade as one of the most impactful bands in the country. It’s Only Us was praised by Billboard, FLOOD, Cool Hunting, and American Songwriter, who said “Take some Norman Whitfield-era Temptations, add Sly and the Family Stone circa There’s a Riot Goin’ On’s greasy funk, inject early 70s Curtis Mayfield Superfly, Marvin Gaye vocal dynamics and Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul dust, sprinkle in a pinch of Isley Brothers’ silky ballads and you’ve got a reasonable aural idea of the ballpark Monophonics are playing in.”
Drive-By Truckers will release their 14th studio album 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' on 3rd June via ATO Records. Pre-orders are available now. 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' is heralded by today’s premiere of its swinging title track, available for streaming and download. The track, which pays homage to the Muscle Shoals honky-tonk where founding members Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley got their start, is joined by an official music video streaming now via YouTube.
“There were no cool bars in town and Club XIII was the best we had,” says Hood, referring to the two vocalist/guitarists’ former band, Adam’s House Cat, “but it wasn’t all that good, and our band wasn’t particularly liked there. From time to time the owner would throw us a Wednesday night or let us open for a hair-metal band we were a terrible fit for, and everyone would hang out outside until we were done playing. It wasn’t very funny at the time, but it’s funny to us now.”
Arriving as Drive-By Truckers enters its 26th year, 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' marks a sharp departure from the trenchant commentary of 'The Unraveling' and 'The New OK' (both released in 2020). Produced by longtime Drive-By Truckers collaborator David Barbe and mainly recorded at his studio in Athens, GA, 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' took shape over the course of three frenetic days in summer 2021 – a doubly extraordinary feat considering that the band had no prior intentions of making a new album.
Featuring background vocals from the likes of Margo Price, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, and Mississippi-bred singer/songwriter Schaefer Llana, 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' was recorded live with most songs cut in one or two takes, fully harnessing Drive-By Truckers’ freewheeling energy. Songs like epic, darkly thrilling 'The Driver' and the spirited, horn-blasted 'Every Single Storied Flameout' see the band – whose lineup also includes keyboardist/guitarist Jay Gonzalez, bassist Matt Patton, and drummer Brad Morgan – looking back on their formative years with both deadpan pragmatism and profound tenderness, instilling each song with the kind of lived-in detail that invites bittersweet reminiscence of your own misspent youth.
“Cooley and I have been playing together for 37 years now,” Hood says. “That first band might have failed miserably on a commercial level, but I’m really proud of what we did back then. It had a lot to do with who we ended up becoming.”
Oslo, Norway-based indie-rock artist Tuvaband is a critically-acclaimed artist with an impressive international profile that, to date, has earned 40 million cumulative streams on Spotify. Tuvaband is the wildly eclectic brainchild of fearless songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser. Tuva previously earned a Norwegian Grammy nomination. Her song “Irreversible” was remixed by beloved dub icon Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Tuva’s intrepid artistry has garnered favorable comparisons to Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, David Lynch, and CocoRosie. Her songwriting exudes an indie-pop mystique, easing through delicate, piano-led folk, softly-soaring post-rock, and carefully-crafted sound design. Floating over these carefully-composed songs and densely textured soundscapes are Tuva’s fluttery vocals which manage to be both visceral and vulnerable. Tuvaband’s latest album, New Orders, out October 21, 2022 —her fourth overall—is a bold exploration of the many facets of her creativity. It marks the first time she did everything on an album, including playing all the instruments (except trombone and drums, though she programmed these beforehand and additionally kept parts of it), recording, producing, and mixing. It’s a pure transmission of Tuva’s full-bloom artistry.
New Orders’ first single is the album’s opening track, “Rejuvenate,'' a song that is both haunting and hypnotic. Wrapped in shoegaze style textures and propelled by trip-hop drums, it pulls the listener into a warm pulsating womb. “During the height of COVID, I listened to music to feel comforted. I wanted to write something that felt soothing, and as this is a song about a friendship, I decided to write from a more empathic angle.” Tuva shares. The song overflows with grounding affirmations, and one choice lyrical passage reads: Nothing’s in vain - step back and contemplate/I know you’re in pain - take your time - rejuvenate/I think you’ll be fine - breathe in and accumulate/Let’s intertwine - be nothing but compassionate.
Natalie D Napoleon - You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea (Album).
Sometimes in life and music you just have to say 'What-the-hell!’. Having spent 25 years playing music and a decade living and performing in California, Natalie D Napoleon decided to return to her native Western Australia. She had just been awarded a prestigious national poetry prize and was subsequently offered a scholarship to undertake a PhD in poetry. What long-suffering musician could say no to that? After two decades of performing everywhere from grimy Australian pubs to commanding the stage of international music festivals, Natalie had all but given up on music. It didn't seem to love her quite as much as she loved it. But before she said goodbye to her American band, she decided to record her latest collection of songs.
A lot had changed since Natalie recorded her 2012 release - Leaving Me Dry - in a lavish Santa Barbara studio with an all-star cast. Her long-time sidekick Kenny Edwards, who for decades was Linda Ronstadt’s leading man, had passed away while David Piltch was back on the road with k.d. lang. Eight years on and Natalie had an album's worth of songs, most of which were written on the front porch of her 100-year-old Santa Barbara cottage and honed live with her rustically orchestrated fourpiece. So Natalie threw caution the wind, said 'What the hell!' and went into an old wooden chapel nestled in the hills behind Santa Barbara with a single microphone to see what the band could capture. The intent was to record the songs for posterity. With that one mic they recorded 12 songs that Natalie considered worthy of everybody's time.
The aim - to capture the beauty and spontaneity of each song’s performance when it was fresh and new, the joy of four people playing music in a room together and the sonic beauty of the century-old wooden chapel, “I went into the room with Dan Phillips, Jim Connolly, and Doug Pettibone, with faith and trust in each other and, damn, the music gods delivered.”
The result is the 12-song album, You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea - captured live with a single microphone. When Natalie played the recording to friends, they told her she needed to release it. So she did - via Bandcamp. Radio in Australia started playing the first single, "Thunder Rumor" and enthusiastically added it to playlists Australia-wide. When the second single, "Wildflowers" was released the album climbed to the very top of Australia's AIR Independent Albums Chart. With rave reviews from critics and word to mouth support it seemed that the universe was responding in kind. Now, in 2022, with some much-needed help by a grant from the Western Australian government, the album is being released internationally for the first time, on her own imprint - First Blood Recordings.
The Hamilton, Ontario-based trio, Ellevator are today sharing their new single, "Party Trick" which arrives as the final advance track to be lifted from their forthcoming Chris Walla-produced debut album, The Words You Spoke Still Move Me – out May 6 via Arts & Crafts. The new single arrives following earlier tips from NPR, Consequence, The Needle Drop, Exclaim, FLOOD, The Line of Best Fit, Under the Radar, CBC and more. The band, who have just wrapped up a run of US dates including a stint at SXSW will support the release of the new record with Canadian dates this May with support coming from Pleasure Craft (Toronto) and Deanna Petcoff (London, Hamilton).
The band, which is comprised of Nabi Sue Bersche, guitarist, Tyler Bersche and bassist/synth player, Elliott Gwynne, will deliver on the promise of their self-titled 2018 EP with their long-awaited debut album. The record was pieced together across numerous locations but primarily while living together at The Bathouse (a Kingston-area facility owned by Canadian alt-rock legends The Tragically Hip) and comes off the back of earlier dates with Amber Run, BANNERS, Cold War Kids, Arkells and Dear Rouge. Across 12 tracks, it inhabits an emotional landscape that is both breathtakingly intimate and impossibly vast, documenting various experiences to turn universal (existential longing, romantic power struggles, the neverending work of true self-discovery) and highly specific (e.g., one band member’s journey in extracting herself from a cult) storytelling into a truly hypnotic body of work, giving rise to the kind of radiant open-heartedness that radically transforms our own perspective.
Ellevator poses a fantastic ability to sculpt these mammoth, melodramatic post-rock and indie-rock soundscapes, somewhat inspired by the late-aughts sounds of Spoon, Metric, Interpol and Arcade Fire, as well as the stadium-ready sounds of U2, Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel. "Party Trick", the album closer, arrives as one of the album's twinkling, emotive ballads utilising delicate piano and brooding guitar textures.
Two years in the making and almost 6 years since their debut single, producer/writer Luke Hester and singer/writer Lucy Hill bring a new weight sonically with their debut album Overflow, depicting a new kind of freedom for the duo – from managing and coming to terms with mental health problems to experiencing love in all its forms despite them.
With eclectic influences ranging from electronic acts including MOVEMENT, Autechre and Burial to the lyrically poetic works of Florence + the Machine, Radiohead and The National, Dahlia Sleeps shift seamlessly between genres; from dance to electronic to pop.
Across the album's track listing, Dahlia Sleeps have collaborated with Jacob Oak Welsh (drummer/producer from The Hics), cellist/bassist/guitarist/pianist Mat Roberts, and pianist Edward Cross.
Speaking more on the upcoming album, the band said: "The title Overflow was chosen because this is a record that features a lot of struggle, fight, bravery, will, hope, and ultimately, triumph." Early on in the writing process for the album Lucy battled a severe episode of mental ill-health, which strongly influenced the direction of the record. “What we have now is an album about entering the very depths of despair, those who hold us when we’re there, and climbing back out again”, Lucy said of the record.
'Right Back Again' is a heartfelt ballad that refuses to sit quietly: with its piano-rock style, raw, impassioned vocals and a compelling chorus that swells with emotional poignancy. The lyrics grapple with love and loss; as mind over matter proves to be a futile exercise... The sincere emotion is perhaps the most surprising facet of this song from a singer-songwriter that is mostly known for satirical social commentary.
Tavener states that this song in fact came from personal experience: “This song came very naturally to me. I think a lot of people can relate to that feeling of losing someone, and trying to rush your recovery when your heart and mind are continually being taken back to memories shared with them”.
The minimal production by Aron Bicskey really allows the song and Tavener's vocals room to breath. The driving drums and upright piano make the track seem determined to move forward, while there's an emotional fragility put forward by the ethereal sounds and an almost Americana-feel to the sparingly-placed electric guitar.
The single is the second from Tavener's upcoming EP 'Easy Ways To Be Happy'. The ironic title seemingly commenting on society's increasing fixation towards a quest for happiness. The new pop-rock, five-song EP will be released in the middle of this year. Jangly-guitar rock and a biting sense of humour meet in the satirical stylings of Chris Tavener. A deft lyricist with an acerbic wit, Tavener writes his storytelling songs from the perspective of flawed characters that he draws from 21st century life.
His cynical social commentary, dressed in punchy, uplifting pop-rock and acoustic ballads has won him acclaim from BBC 6 Music and multiple BBC Introducing stations. He's popular for his unique and theatrical live performance that has seen him sharing the stage with Super Hans, Emily Capell, Tony Hadley, and Peter Hook of Joy Division, whilst also writing songs for the likes of Sir Ian McKellen
Folk singer-songwriter J. Nicolás has released his latest single, "Lost + Found." The new track reflects on a love he feels is being lost and ponders the possibilities for revival. “Lost + Found” is being released alongside a studio performance music video, which can be viewed on YouTube. The single is available to be streamed on digital music platforms worldwide.
With a combination of picturesque lyricism, layered guitars, and raspy, inviting vocals, J Nicolás skillfully tells the story of losing a love and longing to rediscover it. Nicolás took inspiration from his life, past dreams, and memories to create a compelling song about finding something to hold on to in trying times. "’Lost + Found' was inspired by a couple of things: I've had this recurring dream since childhood, where I fall into a dark hole and encounter a witch," Nicolás explains. "It's a tribute to someone who has helped me find myself & encouraged me to be vulnerable as a means of finding my way out of that hole — often just by merely being in their presence." The accompanying music video displays Nicolás performing his newest track live in an intimate and warm setting. Nicolás produced and mixed the track at The Hallowed Halls & Mission Mountain Recording Co. with Allen Hunter on bass, and Joe Mengis on drums. “Lost + Found” was mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.
J Nicolás has been involved in the indie rock scene for over 20 years, and only recently began his solo career in the folk area, gaining a fanbase in both genres. He has toured all over the U.S. and has played internationally with a copious amount of musicians. Nicolás' first album Wild Oak was released at the end of 2021; with 10-tracks, he dives into his journey of self-discovery and uses poetic lyricism to make a mark on the folk genre. His upcoming sophomore album, A Rosary of Bone, will further tell his story of introspection and focuses more on his darker times, leading to his ability to overcome hardship. "Lost + Found" is a message about finding hope even when there is none to be found.
Strange Neighbors first unleashed their jangly power pop onto the New York scene in 2018. Founded by vocalist Aidan and drummer Tracey, they soon brought guitarist Zach into the mix through a Facebook ad. It remains one of the three all-time positive outcomes of social media.
Their new single and video for "Window Watching," is a nostalgic and vibrant track with Indie vibes steadily laced throughout. The video shows the true essence and nature of the band which further brings the song to life.
After a few early singles and some lineup changes, the band brought along bassist Dana to record their debut album “How to Human” in early 2019. Taking influence from the power pop and pop punk of the band’s youth, the album’s eight songs are characterized by sparkling guitars, intricate bass lines, rock solid beats and impassioned vocals, a mix of the old and new.
The band followed up with the “Illuminasti” EP in 2020 and marked their live comeback as a live act with the single "Mystic Piers" in July of 2021. They have continued recording, writing and performing into 2022. Since their formation, Strange Neighbors have played at popular New York City haunts like Piano’s, The Bitter End, Arlene’s Grocery, Mercury Lounge, Knitting Factory, and more.
London based duo Pet Deaths have announced their second album unhappy ending - out 27th May via Silver Mind Records and release new single "swingtime" alongside a stark, surrealist black and white short film. The announcement follows the band's widely acclaimed debut album To the Top of the Hill and Roll... - released in 2019, described by Huw Stephens as “beautiful, understated and special” - noting it as one of his favourite albums of the year.
Inspired, musically, by the spiritual moments of Alice Coltrane, the freeness of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew with a sprinkling of Talk Talk’s Spirit Of Eden in its colourful unravelling, unhappy ending is an enveloping experience, touching upon universal themes but all shone through the lens of lyricist and vocalist Liam Karima’s signature perspective.
Swirling new single "swingtime" showcases the Pet Deaths' ability to juxtapose this deep dive of discovery with the brightness of the music. A beautiful five minutes, the song feels like a daydream, a memory you can’t quite get a hold of - “Hindsight is true fuckery, it’s our last waltz, and curtains for you and me baby,” Liam sings – while the music paints an almost psychedelic journey, the layering of the instrumentation indicative of the band’s desire to push these songs to their most colourful form.
Speaking on the release of "swingtime", vocalist Liam Karima said: "It’s a bite in the cheek song about irony at its bitter finest, protecting that loved one from the rogues and strapping in for the bumpy ride. When we suddenly see the sun through the clouds and it gets snatched away by a rain cloud; when we buy the milk and it’s sour; just when you think things are about to get better, D:REAM write a song about it - we go back to swingtimes."
American singer-songwriter and actress Alison Sudol shares intimate new single ‘Peaches'. Released ahead of her upcoming support dates with Goldfrapp at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 April, and a day before the UK release of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’, in which Alison reprises her role as Queenie Goldstein, ‘Peaches’ is the first single taken from Alison forthcoming album due later in the year.
Delivered with bare-bones songwriting, hushed vocals, ‘Peaches’ is a deeply personal paean to motherhood. The intricate, yet delicate arrangement - built through sparse guitars, drums, bass and synths - is skilfully constructed around Alison’s vocal harmonies, which carry her autobiographical tales with mature delivery and poetic undertones. The single gives us a first glimpse into Alison's upcoming album, which she wrote, co-produced and recorded with London based multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer Chris Hyson, who is also half of adventurous collective Snowpoet in Wales at Giant Wafer Studios, during Summer 2020.
“We came up with the foundation of ‘Peaches’ in the studio in Wales, sitting in the sun during an insane heat wave, looking out over sheep fields,” says Alison. Opening about the inspiration behind the track, she unveils; “the framework of the song came almost immediately but the words were slow. Several months later, with a nearly finished record, ‘Peaches’ still had no lyrics. My partner and I were talking about trying again for a child after our loss. I kept dreaming of this little baby girl. The dreams were so vivid, so real it was like she was right there, but I had no idea if I could bring a child into the world. The dreams made me long for her so much it was dizzying, but painful too, knowing it might never happen. The lyrics finally came. Three weeks later our daughter was conceived”.
Brooklyn artist Oceanator recently announced her sophomore album Nothing's Ever Fine, co-produced by Bartees Strange, due out tomorrow, April 8th via Big Scary Monsters / Polyvinyl. Today, she shares new track 'The Last Summer', with an accompanying video directed by Baby Pony Food. Talking about the video, Baby Pony Food said: "The Last Summer’s lyrics evoke aimless youthful nights in DC, aimless youthful nights that we lived alongside Elise, so we tried to channel those memories and that energy as much as possible. We thought of this video as a love letter to Washington, DC and tried to cram in as many of our favourite places in the city as possible.:
"The cars break. Everything goes slow motion. There’s disaster and fire,” foretells Elise Okusami, describing her cinematic vision of the end of the world. Apocalypse is a subject she mined in acute detail and to critical acclaim on 2020’s Things I Never Said, her debut full-length as Oceanator. But in her most recent cataclysmic telling, she keeps the camera focused on the people who survive and need to keep on living. A couple escapes the wreckage in a classic pickup truck, their dog riding in the back. They find a new home in the woods and consider how to start over. “It could either be hopeful or negative,” Okusami explains of the tale’s ambiguous ending. “You’re either walking off into a nice sunset or going off into a black hole. For me, it depends on the mood; it can be both ways.
Those speculative vignettes inspired polymathic Okusami to begin writing a short film—one she ultimately scrapped in favour of putting those themes to music. These vividly imagined scenes comprise the sunrise-to-sunset arc of her resplendent new record Nothing’s Ever Fine, the first Oceanator has recorded for Big Scary Monsters/ Polyvinyl and the already-shredding project’s heaviest collection yet. This narrative of doom and hope told over the span of a single day is reinforced by a thrice-recurring leitmotif—appearing on the tracks “Morning,” “Post Meridian,” and “Evening”—composed on Okusami’s newly beloved Reverend baritone guitar.
She used it to write several of the songs’ knottiest riffs, lending a gut-punching low register (perhaps indebted to her past experiences playing in thrash and hardcore bands). But like on previous Oceanator recordings, Okusami’s characteristic ease with bright hooks still shines, and the wide-ranging influences of ‘80s power pop, ‘90s melodic punk, Americana, film scores and Civil Rights-era vocal groups lend textured complexity to the collection. Okusami uses these sounds to explore anxious nightmares, nostalgia for late night adventure, the fog of depression, climate catastrophe and cautious optimism for the future. It’s material ripe for an end-of-days flick, sure; but it’s also the reality of living with the noise in your own brain in America’s 2020s.
Swedish artist Many Voices Speak has announced her second album 'Gestures' will be out on 29th April via Strangers Candy. Having released two previous singles 'Seat for Sadness' and 'Within Reach', she has now shared new track 'Nothing is Gone'. She explains: "Nothing’s Gone is about coping with the physical presence of something that is no longer there."
Many Voices Speak, the project of Swedish musician Matilda Mård, has always found its power in its ability to capture an eternity in an expression. Mård’s elegant, yearning dream-pop makes the world seem to slow down around it, where time stretches out, and you can get lost in the deep pools of memory and emotion. After the success of her 2018 debut 'Tank Town,' her new album 'Gestures' showcases her growth as a songwriter, one more comfortable in her own skin.
Working with longtime producer Petter Nygårdh, the writing process, and how Mård thinks about it, grew into something new on 'Gestures'. She wrote the early versions of the songs on piano, as she always has. But before, she thought as a singer-songwriter, determined to make the songs stand up on their own, in their stripped-back version. Here, she wrote them merely as beginnings, aware of the possibility to evolve them into something more. “I want to capture these things that I can’t really put my finger on”, says Mård. “The lyrics have become more important for me. I’ve put a lot of trust in the text this time. I could explore this darker and more cinematic sound, I didn’t just think about writing a pop song”. That step made for an album that presents a more mature, developed vision of Many Voices Speak.
As well as an artist, the album has seen Mård grow as a person through writing it. Each song represents an issue she has struggled with - they tell a story of unspectacular, but deeply meaningful, transformation. Mård says “What unites the songs is a need for inner change, to handle the things in life that can’t be changed. I’m creating strategies for myself - new ways of thinking, so I can live with certain things. The title comes from that. I’ve figured out that gestures are important because they’re proof of love, and that’s the only power we have against death and separation”. It’s a theme that’s very personal to Mård, but one that resonates with a lot of people – something that could be said about Many Voices Speak itself. The stargazing mood of Gestures makes for an album that’s powerfully moving, one that creates a space apart from the noise of the world around it – a little retreat for Mård, and her listeners, to call their own.
Boston award-winning, songwriting boss Susan Cattaneo has shared "Borrowed Blue," from her forthcoming LP, All Is Quiet, which is also released today.
This spare, beautiful track tackles the complicated relationships we, as women, have with our mothers and our daughters - "What do we, as women, inherit and what do we pass on? What roles do we play and what sacrifices do we make?" Susan asks. "I am the daughter of a mother in her nineties and the mother of a teenage daughter, and I wanted to explore these themes and show how sometimes we are caught between what we’ve been taught and being our true selves."
The most powerful voice in the room isn't always the loudest one. On her new album, All is Quiet, Susan Cattaneo sings softly and carries a big song. Nine big songs, actually. Recorded remotely during the initial months of the pandemic, All is Quiet reflects Susan’s heartache for the world, but also reveals how she rediscovered joy and resiliency through music.
It’s been an extraordinary and challenging time to be a musician and creative person in the world. For many artists and musicians including Susan, those first few months of the pandemic were filled with uncertainty and fear. When the quarantine shut everything down, opportunities were cancelled, collaborations were scrapped and most importantly, momentum was lost. For the first time in her life, Susan felt creatively muted. All is Quiet was the project that helped her process these feelings and in making this album, she found the joy and redemption that only music can bring.
Jesse D’Kora is an indie/dream pop artist based in Salford (UK). His new song - ‘dont fool with a phantom’ - is his 4th single in as many months. Continuing on the one release per month plan for 2022, this latest track is fun, nostalgic, and crammed full of great vibes.
Jesse tells us "I wanted to make a song that made me feel like I was back in the 90s watching cartoons again. Inspired by those early mornings as a child in front of the tv with some sort of ridiculously unhealthy and tasty cereal, the title of this track is taken from an original classic Scooby Doo episode. Looking back I find the idea of chasing and unmasking the bad guys for them to only turn out to be someone you know and don’t expect strangely paralleltek in adult life. Specifically with the new age anonymity that the internet brings, I decided this song is for the trolls. So any internet trolls out there, this ones for you! ;)"
He continues "Musically it's similar to many of my other tracks; it's got the jangling guitars, surfing drums, washed out vocals and to the point structure. On its own, I think it's a track that wants to chase you down a hallway lined with doors, for you to go in one door and come out of another and the chased become the chaser… or something like that!"
Georgia State Line has been on a hot streak since the release of the highly acclaimed and ARIA charting album, ‘In Colour’, released through Cheatin’ Heart Records/Spunk Records.
As one of the most talked about Americana acts in Australia thanks to the refreshingly honest, yet melancholy sounds, that are even parts heartsick and hopeful, Georgia State Line takes the third single from the album to Australian radio, ‘Jackson’.
According to Georgia Delves, ‘Jackson’, is a track inspired by the comfort found in an old worn song.
“Just like good friends, they’re there for us in the best and worst of times, softening the blows and making us all feel a little less alone”.
The Deslondes are set to return with Ways & Means July 8th, 2022 via New West Records. The 14-song set is their first album in five years and follows 2017’s critically acclaimed Hurry Home. Ways & Means was produced by The Deslondes & their longtime collaborator Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes) and was recorded at The Bombshelter in Nashville, TN. The album features Margo Price on the title track, as well as Twain and the multi-instrumentalist Billy Contreras on multiple songs as well.
Long combining elements of early Stax, Sun, and Atlantic Records with the influence of a more raw, stripped-down sound gleaned off field recordings from Alan Lomax and the Mississippi Records catalog, the band also incorporate psychedelic flourishes that bring to mind the sonic experimentation of Joe Meek, Lee Hazlewood and the Velvet Underground. Infusing everything from saxophone, flute, and synth to string arrangements and a full drum kit for the first time, the group naturally progresses and evolves in real-time on their third full-length offering.
Lauded as “burgeoning stars” by The New York Times, The Deslondes’ 2014 self-titled debut was a breakout hit praised by NPR as “energized, elegant, and new,” and their follow-up, Hurry Home, earned similar acclaim with Rolling Stone calling it “a gritty, grimy mix of early rock ‘n’ roll and lo-fi R&B.” Following the band’s hiatus in late 2018, members Sam Doores and Riley Downing each released their debut solo albums to critical acclaim. PopMatters called Doores' eponymous debut “...a deeply poetic and haunting collection that draws upon the musicians’ disparate influences” and “Perhaps not since Los Lobos’ Kiko has an artist so effortlessly married avant-garde and everyman sensibilities, arriving at a place where childlike curiosity meets the fruits of patient practice and ambition.
Deep knowledge and unbound imagination coexist peacefully, happily, throughout. Of Downing’s Start It Over (2021), Uncut Magazine in the U.K. called it a “dusty triumph” and described his voice “...like Johnny Cash with a hangover,” exclaiming “His brain…is abuzz with sounds and ideas, which makes his solo debut a thrill.” The first sampling of Ways & Means is “South Dakota Wild One.”
Indie-rock trailblazer Nice Vice has just released his latest single, “No Ends.” The new song vividly shows his inspiration from ‘90s rock icons and features melodic guitars, heavy undertones, and honest, reflective lyricism. “No Ends” is now available to stream worldwide on digital music platforms.
“No Ends” conveys to listeners the range of talent of which Seth Horst, known musically as Nice Vice, is capable. Being in your twenties is an exhilarating yet confusing time, and “No Ends” displays the personal strife of having to figure that out. Horst explores how to set boundaries, learn and maybe unlearn life habits, and simply understand how to let things be in his newest single.
“‘No Ends’ went through a lot of phases,” says Horst. “The chorus of this song was originally a slower verse from another track, but after some experimenting and switching things around, it somehow turned into this! It ended up being my favorite recording process of all the songs on the EP!” Similar to his previous release, “Bloom,” the new single was also mixed by Zak Van Zeumeren and mastered by Theodore Papadopoulos. Both songs have been a thrilling look into the upcoming EP from Nice Vice, which he has described as having two main themes.
“Half of the tracks deal with different stages of being in love,” explains Horst. “Some good, some bad, and just the general feeling of new love and how great that can be and then also how bad it can be. The other theme is ego death: dealing with your own personality, breaking points, and becoming someone else.” The EP, entitled First Dose, will be released later this year.
