Matt Jaffe gets his just desert, Real Friends make an unreal enemy, The Silver Field stay home, Living Hour take the stairs, Balthazar drive on and more in today’s Roundup. Smoke ’em if you got ’em:
1 | San Francisco alt-rocker Matt Jaffe ends up in the desert but still plays it cool in the video for his twangy new single Fever, from his forthcoming album The Spirit Catches You. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sketch a Venn diagram with Morse Code Keyboards on one side and Secret Agent Guitar on the other. In the overlap? That’s Matt Jaffe and his new single, Fever.” Feel the heat above.
2 | Talk about losing your head. Chicago pop-punks Real Friends get in the Halloween spirit — with the help of a maniacal murderess — in the clip for their single Me First, the latest um, cut from their third album Composure. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Have you ever wanted to see our heads cut off?” asks bassist Kyle Fasel. “Well, look no further.” Just don’t look in the basement:
3 | Some people can work at home and some can’t. Carol Rose of The Silver Field clearly can. The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist recorded her upcoming debut Rooms in (yes) her bedroom, using an EVI breath-controlled synth, double bass, cello, guitar, mandolin, harmonium and a bagpipe chanter to form circular loops and hypnotic layers — like the ones that form the suitably haunting preview Gost. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Rooms is focused on leaving a home behind, both physically and emotionally.” We’ll leave a light on for you:
4 | Step right up — Winnipeg dream-pop quintet Living Hour are putting their best foot forward on the single Bottom Step, the first glimpse of their upcoming sophomore album Softer Faces. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “A hazy, hypnotic track with a wistful vibe.” Live for the moment:
5 | Anyone up for a road trip? Belgian popsters Balthazar are on board in the video for their latest single Fever, the title track of their new album. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Opening with a rolling languid bass riff, Fever unfurls into a slinky sunset jam, a swooping string motif adding drama to the funky bustle that fanfares Balthazar into new territory with their fourth album; honest, playful and underpinned with a carefree abandon from two extraordinary songwriters.” Watch the road:
6 | Two’s company — and something more — in the homey video for Montreal singer-songwriter Helena Deland‘s synth-pop offering Claudion, from the elaborately titled album The Series of Songs Altogether Unaccompanied Vol. III & IV. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “The song is overall about the constancy of my relying on and trusting in my cousin Claudia. I marvel at how our relationship has remained essentially similar going through the extremes of childhood and adolescence and into the heavier nuances of adulthood.” Make yourself at home:
7 | Wakey, wakey — Edmonton pop-rockers Altameda pack all the jolt of a double espresso straight to the jugular on their single Losing Sleep, from their upcoming album Time Hasn’t Changed You. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Altameda have evolved into a band with a bold, and unrelenting sound. It’s the culmination of experience, both musical and rawly human, that makes Altameda the band they are.” And part of your balanced breakfast:
