Atlanta's Mamalarky released their debut full length on Fire Talk (Dehd, Bnny, Deeper) in 2020. An immediate critical breakthrough, the album saw praise from outlets like NPR, Bandcamp, NYLON, FADER, Billboard, Consequence, Paste and Pitchfork, who highlighted it's "complex instrumental interplay that inspires lean-forward listening."
As soon as they were able the band began hitting the road in earnest, touring with Slow Pulp, Jerry Paper and like-minded label mates PACKS and Wombo, which has only seen the buzz around the band grow in the last few months. Today, the band are returning with track entitled "You Know I Know", that arrives with a video featuring the Mamalarky's trusty tour van.
"'You Know I Know' was never supposed to come out," singer/guitarist Livvy Bennett explains, "but my bandmates told me it would make for a great single. I accidentally wrote a rock banger that sounded like it could have come out in 2007, like MGMT meets Weezer meets Sheryl Crow.
"The song is about growing up in Texas and having really overwhelming dreams of playing music and takin' it on the road. Having those dreams come to fruition recently has been exciting and has further grounded me in appreciating how much Texas, and Austin specifically, gave us the proper nutrients to do what we're doing now.
"It's also a bit about, ya know, death and impermanence. Having all your accomplishments and high notes framed by mortality is a good way to make sure you're taking it all in."
The Toronto-based band, Tallies are today sharing their new single, "Special" which comes as another preview of the band's forthcoming second album, Patina which is out July 29 via Kanine Records (US), Hand Drawn Dracula (Canada) and Bella Union (UK/EU). The latest single arrives following a string of recent tracks which have found support at Stereogum, Paste, Clash, Brooklyn Vegan and more with the new record following their self-titled debut which earned acclaim at, KEXP and BBC 6 Music in 2019.
Speaking about this new single, Sarah of the band says: "'Special' is about longing to be seen and heard by those who matter to you most. Sometimes feeling invisible is particularly painful when the indifference comes from someone whose opinion means a lot to you."
The juxtaposition of light and dark is a strong theme in the music of Tallies and certainly apparent once more with this new single, "Special" – another fine example of their gliding, shoegaze-adjacent jangle-pop reminiscent of The Sundays, Galaxie 500, Ride, etc. While many of their songs are upbeat, with Frankland’s breezy guitar lines drenched in reverb, soaring over Cian O'Neill’s propulsive drumbeats, Sarah’s lyrics can add a hint of shadow to even their most jangly tunes.
Coming produced by Graham Walsh (of Holy Fuck, previously helmed records by METZ and Alvvays) alongside Dylan Frankland of the band at Palace Sound, Baskitball 4 Life and Candle Recording in Toronto, Patina arrives as a true labor of love; one that was delayed due to the pandemic but ultimately marks a truly rewarding collection for the band. Upon sharing the music with labels, it pricked the ears of Cocteau Twins' Simon Raymonde – a hero of the band – who signed Tallies to his Bella Union label, providing "a light at the end of a dark tunnel" according to Sarah Cogan of the band.
Bryde (aka British guitarist and vocalist Sarah Howells) shares a third single ‘Algorithms (cyber)’ from forthcoming album Still which follows 15 July via Easy Life Records.
“How do you write a song about online dating and its familiar combination of hope and disappointment” say BRYDE of ‘Algorithms (cyber)’, “It’s like a real-life social media notification you can't stop checking. How do you write about ice cream, gaslighting, fleeting feelings that can creep out the back door when you're not looking, THE INTERNET!! About the fact we can now research each other before ever meeting IRL?”
As with all the ten songs on Bryde's album Still, ‘Algorithms (cyber)’ is not a simple tale of love, or the search for. Instead, it unpacks deep-rooted societal views on it, the preconceptions, and trappings, explored with prose that is both vulnerable it its honesty and worldly wise, wrapped in a lush soundscape led by Bryde’s dreamy guitar, pulsating drums, and the achingly beautiful vocals.
“An algorithm is a list of rules to follow to solve a problem”, Bryde expands, “The problem of being single? Except being single isn’t a problem until we make it one. In short ‘Algorithms (cyber)’ is an ode to leaving behind the games of the digital word.”
The accompanying video created by Rhys Davies stars Drag Race UK star Scarlett Harlett (aka Harry Luke Mulvey). It captures an intimate moment in time in a couple’s life following an off-screen violent altercation with one of the lovers, a drag artist (played by Mulvey), as he returns home. It’s a beautifully vulnerable and tender portrayal of love in a sometimes-uncontrollable and unfair world.
Bay Area-based Monophonics just released their video for “Sage Motel,” the title track from their new full-length out now 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.
“We decided to make a film that captures the song’s spirit - encompassing all the desperation, lust, and messiness that can often be met when falling for someone; especially at the wrong time,” says Kassy Mahea, director of the “Sage Motel” music video. “The Sage Motel that I envisioned is set in rural nowhere America, and is frequented by characters that are flawed but, at the same time, interesting and beautiful. This video is an ode to the gritty, the passionate, the lost, the hopeful, and is another glimpse into the world within The Sage Motel.“
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.
“‘Sage Motel’ was the second song we wrote for the album and ultimately was the spark that started this whole concept and story,” says Monophonics bandleader Kelly Finnigan. “It’s a song about a complicated relationship created out of incomparable physical chemistry, lust, passion & love. It’s the struggle of chasing something that will never be a reality, no matter how bad you want it. Some things are meant to happen, but not meant to be… and it all goes down at the Sage Motel.”
Following in the footsteps of his Beat Generation heroes, Blue Amber’s frontman Drew set out on a journey that would take him from the bright lights of New York City, through the heartlands of America, finishing up with an excursion down the West Coast highways. The trip, sound tracked by the jazz greats, instrumental hip hop pioneers and lo-fi cult bands such as The Microphones, inspired Drew to create his own new 'Beat Generation'. On his return home, armed with dozens of filled notebooks and completed rolls of film, Blue Amber was born.
Focus track, “Fencing” is an experimental indie rock track that fills you with a beautiful melancholy yearning for more. Speaking on the track, “Fencing” incorporates an element of hope to the final track on the album, but also a sense of foreboding; that mistakes from the past are bound to repeat themselves. The song is exactly three minutes in length, the same length as each period in a bout in fencing, an idea that my partner at the time provided.
The first half of the record was inspired by the seaside town of Aberystwyth, the people who reside there and the artist’s personal soundtrack living there. The song ‘Hinterland Girls’ is about the people who you encounter on a typical night out in the town, while ‘West Coast Renaissance’ is a tribute to the enclosed art scene within the university arts scene. Continuing the theme, the second half of the record focuses on the experiences of returning to your hometown. It explores the feelings of returning to a place from your past, seeing people you haven’t seen in years and your relationship with a place you once knew so well. As a result, the tone of the second half of the record is darker, and more critical of its surroundings.
Initially a solo project based out of Drew's bedroom, Blue Amber quickly grew into a rotating ensemble of like-minded friends and musicians from all around the UK based in Cardiff. The band, now comprised of composer Freyja Elsy (keyboards/samples/vocals), jazz guitarist Kumar Chopra, and Drew Noel (vocals and saxophone), pull together a wide range of influences from instrumental hip hop to post-punk, beat poetry to indie folk, to create sonically diverse musical offerings that capture the experiences of 20-somethings in a post-Brexit Britain.
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 debut solo albums to critical acclaim.
PopMatters called Doore’s 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.”
Nashville-based artist Jillette Johnson has just announced her new EP Normal Kid with the official video for the new song “Cul De Sac.” The four song EP, due out on June 15, was co-written and produced by Joe Pisapia who collaborated with Johnson on her critically acclaimed 2021 album It’s A Beautiful Day And I Love You.
“‘Cul De Sac’ is about wanting to feel special and wanting to belong, all at the same time,” explains Johnson. “Growing up, it often felt like I had to choose between the two, but as I got older I realized that my me-ness was only made more radiant in connection to the world around me. I am no more or less than anyone else, and by freeing myself of those comparisons, my star really has the space to shine.”
The Normal Kid EP draws upon late '70s new wave, early '80s synth-pop, and '90s R&B, finding Johnson turning personal revelations about childhood dreams and adulthood realities into universal pop anthems. The EP will arrive with a trio of music videos directed by Grant Claire that were shot over the course of a single day on a vintage Sony Betamax 88 camera. Last month, Johnson released the official video for the EP’s title track.
Normal Kid follows Johnson’s first full length in more than 4 years, It’s A Beautiful Day And I Love You. The album was praised by American Songwriter, GRAMMY.com, No Depression, NPR Music, Refinery29, Rolling Stone and UNCUT, who called it “a springboard into '60s pop, '70s rock, and Noughties indie...It's an adventurous palette that suits her well.” The Nashville Scene said the album “...offers the kind of songwriting that can make a record feel truly timeless… anchored by floating piano and Johnson’s smooth, flawless vocals.”
Dot Allison - Cue the Tears (Anton Newcombe Remix).
Dot Allison releases the third single from The Entangled Remix EP, a reimagining of the Heart-Shaped Scars album track “Cue The Tears” by The Brian Jonestown Massacre founder and frontman Anton Newcombe. This release follows Lee “Scratch” Perry’s remix of “Love Died In Our Arms,” the final production of his career, and The Anchoress’ remix of the previously unreleased “Murder By Heartbreak.”
Last year during covid lockdowns, Dot met Anton online and they began working together, sharing songs back and forth and forming a relationship that eventually resulted in their collaborative creation of the soundtrack for the TV series “Annika.” With proven artistic chemistry between them, Anton’s remix of “Cue The Tears” showcases his unparalleled musical prowess alongside Dot’s one-of-a-kind songwriting and vocals.
The original version of the song, a sound of sparse, intoxicating dream folk, is here reimagined into a hypnotic, psychedelic soundscape under Anton’s production. Dot’s serene, otherworldly vocals are embraced and elevated by the ethereal sound, becoming an instrument of their own, floating dreamily throughout the song.
“I respect Dot's artistry so much.” Says Anton, “I have worked with a great many people, but she is truly unique and an important artist. I have the utmost respect for her personally, artistically, and for her work ethic, and it is a great honor to be asked to do a remix of sorts. Like much of our work together, I try to work around her ideas, rather than gut them, or change the arrangements too much.”
On working with Anton, Dot says, “I love Anton’s music, his unique sound, his perspective on creativity & his approach and vibe as a collaborator..”
The full Entangled Remix EP, out on May 27, also includes contributions from Saint Etienne and Lomond Campbell. Saint Etienne, who remixes the track “One Love,” have always had close ties to Dot, thanks to their mutual connection to Heavenly and Andrew Weatherall, as well as both having come up in the UK indie dance scene of the early 1990s. Lomond Campbell, a BAFTA-winning songwriter and shortlister for the Scottish Album of the Year Award, combines his ambitious creative spirit with Dot’s poignant lyricism on his remix of “Ghost Orchid.”
Following tours with L.A. Witch and Courtney Barnett, and fresh from being invited to record a session for NPR, Vienna 3-piece DIVES release their first UK single Ego.
DIVES are rock ‘n’ roll time travellers taking you on wild 70s road trips and through Venice beach nostalgia with their earworm blend of surf-pop, garage-rock, and Riot Grrrl attitude, with a message very much for the now: Anti-discrimination and pro-equality and humanity. Ego explores selfishness and narcissism via strange conversations, it’s about people who never listen and just keep talking. "You got to listen and stop, listen and stop,” the lyrics say, “This conversation is too odd, you better shut it up”.
The chords and melodies are the sonic equivalent of road-tripping down the highways in a convertible, tying in with the metaphoric chorus "Ego babe, it's your ego babe, you're on a one-way road and you're driving too fast”. On this one-way street is only room for the ego of the person. "Do you worry at all about someone that's not you? “
DIVES are Dora de Goederen, Viktoria Kirner and Tamara Leichtfried, the 3-piece have previously released one album, their debut Teenage Years Are Over (2019, Siluh Records) which showed them to be profound songwriters, with statements against the patriarchy and toxic macho attitudes wrapped in catchy rock ‘n’ roll songs and sweet melodies. They have played over 150 shows in 13 different countries around Europe, supporting Courtney Barnett and L.A. Witch.
Ego is taken from DIVES second album Wanna Take You There which follows in October 2022 via Siluh Records.
Female fronted Indie/Dreampop quintet Moonpools from Basel, Switzerland have just released their terrific new single ‘Damaged Goods’ via Young and Aspiring! With their newest effort, Moonpools skilfully prove that they are in no way inferior to household names such as Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail and Hatchie.
Moonpools are a five-piece band from Basel, formed in 2016 by Marcie Nyffeler (vocals/ guitar), Jasper Nyffeler (drums), and Francesco Vona (keyboard) and completed in 2017 by Matthias Gusset (guitar) and David Blum (bass). The latter are known from various Basel-based projects such as Sheila She Loves You, Don't Kill The Beast, Brainchild and Mastergrief.
Moonpools released their first EP 'Turbulent Times' in 2019, which was immediately met with positive reactions: For example, the single ‘Brainbug’ was chosen as ‘Song of the Week’ by Swiss national radio station SRF Virus. After a few concerts, including support shows for Oso Oso and Prince Daddy & The Hyena the band started working on new music. The resulting songs will be released in the form of an EP on Young and Aspiring in the late summer of 2022.
The songs became increasingly louder, distorted and straightforward. The sound is inspired by artists like Hatchie, Snail Mail, Ride and Soccer Mommy and moves between Indie Rock and Dream Pop with rousing guitars and anthemic synth parts.
And exactly this mixture can also be heard on the new single 'Damaged Goods', which is also considered the turning point of Moonpools' musical journey. Despite its relaxed mood, the song is to be understood as an ode to the universal lostness and confusion of human existence. This also shows a great strength of singer Marcie Nyffeler (originally from Durham, United Kingdom), who balances between cheerfulness and melancholy with her voice and lyrics seemingly effortlessly, bringing a smile to one's lips while still wiping a tear from one's eye.
Everyone needs some good ol' loving. Especially in these times. The song is a summery soul shuffle with the message "be kind to each other, because there is already enough misery in the world". Recorded the way they did it in the 60's at STAX Records. Covid has had us all in its power. For Marlon Pichel this was no reason to sit still, quite the contrary. He decided to record his first solo album.
Originally a soul guy, Marlon Pichel used the Covid period to unravel the origins of the STAX Records sound. Besides reading articles, books and endless experiments in the studio with his producer and friend Kees Braam (Deersound Studio, Certain Animals), he wanted to get even closer to the source. Soon after, legendary STAX producer Terry Manning, known for his work with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Booker-T and the MG's and Al green, came into the picture. He was so incredibly kind to answer all questions in a long video call. With all this information in their pocket, Marlon and Kees could start making a STAX inspired 60's Southern soul album.
Now a year later, the album has been completed and Good Ol' Loving is the first single to introduce the soulful sounds of Marlon Pichel to the world to let you relive the STAX sound in the most respectful way.
Pittsburgh-based duo The Early Maysannounce their forthcoming EP,Prettiest Blue, which will release on July 1, 2022. Composed of artists Emily Pinkertonand Ellen Gozion, the pair sing Appalachian-inspired songs over a lush accompaniment of fiddle, banjo, guitar, and harmonium. Somewhere on the border between old-time music and modern American songwriting, The EarlyMays have built a band with harmonies that feel like home. It’s a partnership that has shared slow-burning, perfectly paired vocals for ten years—from NPR’s Mountain Stageto house concerts all over the mid-Atlantic.
“I think part of our aesthetic comesfrom being introspective people,” Gozion reflects, “We don’t have a flashy, fast sound, but if you let the music engulf you, there are lots of layers. Our songs give people a place to slow down.” “The Early Mays rehearsals are restorative for me,” adds Pinkerton. “The hours spent in Ellen’s living room, with coffee and dark chocolate, following the harmonies wherever they take us, laughing and just loving that exploration as much as we love singing for other people. I hope you can hear the joy of the process in Prettiest Blue.” From the old-time music community, The Early Mays have absorbed the culture of deep listening that’s central to playing with sensitivity. “Revivalists like us–who didn’t live and breathe Appalachian music growing up–still learn andcreate by ear for the most part,” Pinkerton explains. “Being able to carry hours of tunes in my head was life-changing. And there is new meaning to uncover each time you return to a field recording or slowly build a relationship with a mentor.”
That practice of deep listening–and slow, careful craftsmanship–spills over into every Early Mays performance and production. The duo strives to sculpt a warm, immersive sound. When recording albums, the band has explored everything from a single condensermic in a church sanctuary to analog tape and vintage compressors. ForPrettiest Blue, they were looking for a pared-down “in the room” sound, and recorded at Audible Images in Pittsburgh with Hollis Greathouse, combining live takes with multi-tracked vocals and cello. Drawn by Alex Perialas’ work on Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton’s latest release, The Early Mays decided to mix at Pyramid Sound Studios in Ithaca, NY. Cellist Nicole Myers joins the Mays onPrettiest Blue, lending sweeping melodic lines to support the vocals and old-time textures
Drive-By Truckers have announced today’s premiere of 'The Driver', the latest track from their upcoming 14th studio album, 'Welcome 2 Club XIII'. 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' arrives via ATO Records on Friday, June 3. A hypnotic introduction to the album’s sprawling autobiography, 'The Driver' kicks off 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' with a darkly thrilling epic punctuated with lead-heavy riffs and Mississippi-bred singer-songwriter Schaefer Llana’s unearthly backing vocals.
“Around the same era of Club XIII, I spent a lot of time driving around late at night when I couldn’t sleep,” says founding member/vocalist/guitarist Patterson Hood, “listening to music loud and often having a beer or two. Sometimes during those drives, I’d have these epiphanies about what to do with my life - like listening to Tim by The Replacements not long after it came out and deciding to drop out of school to try and make this whole band thing work.”
Welcome 2 Club XIII also includes the spirited, horn-blasted “Every Single Storied Flameout” and the album’s swinging centrepiece, “Welcome 2 Club XIII,” both available now at all DSPs and streaming services; the latter 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.
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.
The eclectic New Jersey jazz / rock quartet Joy on Fire have shared their new single “Happy Holidays”, another new track from their forthcoming new album States of America. Unlike previous singles “Anger and Decency” and “Selfies” that took their freewheeling jazz punk sound in a proggier direction with longer runtimes and more experimental song structures, “Happy Holidays” is one of the most immediately energizing songs on the album, wasting no time before throwing you into headfirst into the interplay between guitarist / bassist John Paul Carillo and saxophone player Anna Meadors. As usual, frontman Dan Gutstein’s deadpan spoken word vocals tie the track together, with darkly funny observations and turns of phrase like “I hate spending a lot of time in graveyards / we’re all going to spend a lot of time in graveyards”.
The release of “Happy Holidays” is accompanied by a music video, in which the band performs the song on street corners and graveyards, with Gutstein speaking his lyrics into a cell phone and a broken old payphone. Describing the inspiration and process of making the visuals, John writes: “The video for "Happy Holidays" was directed by Anna and me, and we were able to spin off some of Dan's lyrical gambits, especially "A hood-up is not a phone booth / A phone rings inside a hood-up" as well as the repetition of "graveyards."
We also spun off the spinning motion invoked in the main riffs of the tune. So the video, surreal and playful ala Spike Jonze's days working with the Breeders and the Beastie Boys, has a lot of spinning in it -- spinning cameras, spinning musicians (that's us!), and people rolling down a hill in a cemetery (us again!). The video was filmed both outside of Washington DC and in various spots in New Jersey. The busted up payphone that's featured throughout the video is in Trenton, near band headquarters, and, well...what is it doing there?
The thing hasn't worked in at least five years!, and the receiver -- as seen in the video -- is split in two. I guess it was there waiting for us to film it! It’s in front of a church of sorts -- one of those somewhat ungainly urban buildings that calls itself a church -- and as Anna and I were filming, some members of the congregation came out and told us we'd been there too long and that we had better head on out, pronto! No problem, they came out just as we were wrapping up.”
WILDES, the solo project of London-based singer/songwriter Ella Walker, has just released the new single "Lightly". With a sound that never falls short of empowering, "Lightly" and recently released single "Woman In Love" - both produced by St Francis Hotel (Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz) - are the first tastes of her as-yet-unannounced debut album, due for release later this year.
A defining theme of WILDES' new material is the hard-won process of reclaiming her self-esteem. “Lightly”, was an exercise in learning to like herself again - “I’d been totally absorbed by other people, and I never consulted my own emotions,” recalls Walker.
A piano ballad with a rousing string section to tie your heart in knots, it’s an ode to her own resilience. “It was a pivotal moment in my opinion of myself and helped me navigate leaving this bad relationship. I knew I needed a new outlook on life, writing this song helped me believe it.”
Speaking more on the lyrical themes at play on new single "Lightly", she said: "This song symbolises hope. Writing it gave me permission me to imagine how much better my life could be, beyond the fear and worry I had been living in for a number of years. I realised that I was light, and always had been, and I began to separate myself from the sadness and heaviness someone had inflicted upon me. For the first time I sat down and recognised all of the the qualities I loved about myself, and it was these qualities that ended up seeing me through the darkest and most difficult of times. To me, ‘Lightly’ is the feeling of watching the sunrise after the longest night, feeling the warmth on your face - that warmth and light is almost transcendental. I was encouraging myself to listen to my gut and take the terrifying steps towards a better life for myself."
Sonically falling somewhere in a Bermuda Triangle of Angel Olsen, St Vincent and PJ Harvey, WILDES' music sits within an entrancing skeleton of folk songwriting, all the while lifting the listener up on a storm cloud of cinematic electronics and her sharp, honest lyricism. WILDES notes the influence of PJ Harvey, Patti Smith and SASAMI on her new material - "Unapologetically honest women and musicians. They gave me permission to come out of the box I'd been cowering in."
"Ceviche from Kew Gardens" is the last single from Personal Space's new EP, Still Life. It follows "Long Live the New Flesh." According to the band's Sam Rosenthal; "Let me preface this by saying I’m a married man, but I remember there being a slew of pandemic articles and op-eds about dating during Covid times, about all the anxiety and apprehension, etc, so it felt like a good and timely subject for a song.
There’s no explicit references to a pandemic or anything, just this lonely person who’s bored and kinda down on the world, texting and DM-ing with a prospective lover, dreaming about getting to see them in person. It shows the ordinary aspects of any courtship, like the constant questioning insecurity (Are they seeing other people? Do they feel the same way I feel?), but there’s also that added feeling of being stuck indoors and in the digital realm that speaks more directly to these past couple of years."
Brooklyn/DC-based Personal Space are a conundrum: indie without a scene, prog disdaining complexity, a dad band without dads. Their 2021 LP, A Lifetime of Lesuire, found the band fretting over downward mobility, preoccupied with ethically sourcing their groceries, and hoping, against hope, that humanity can still find its way to a very chill, socialist utopia.
Still Life is the natural progression as Personal Space grapples with lost connections in a pandemic, tech-bro hustlers and finding the joy in our whirring 2022 realities.
