Julian Taylor gets real, Lydia Persaud stays positive, TANDM look inward and more in today’s Roundup. Only 364 days until next year’s Grammys! Catch the fever!
1 Julian Taylor is keeping it real. Maybe a little too real. The Toronto singer-songwriter’s video for his breezy new single Back Again pictures him walking in the snow, shovelling the steps, playing pool on the world’s tiniest table and doing shows for tips. Granted, it’s more believable than a clip of him guzzling champagne in a hot tub with supermodels. But he could make it seem like his life is just a little more exciting than that. Oh well, at least it doesn’t show him driving an Uber or pulling shifts at a telemarketing firm to pay the rent. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “This song was inspired by the unconditional love that I had for my grandparents out west in Maple Ridge;” shares Julian. “They taught me about the importance of being with nature and really helped raise me.” And presumably, taught him to play mini-pool:
2 Honey Child sounds like the name of an old Pam Grier movie. It’s actually the title of Toronto singer-songwriter Lydia Persaud’s new single. Fittingly, the song moves to an old-school R&B/soul groove straight from the ’70s. But it’s got a far more positive and uplifting message than some of those old movies — and the accompanying video follows suit. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Honey Child started as a self-affirming letter to myself and grew into a message celebrating the journey through self-acceptance for all women of colour.” Right on:
3 We could all use a little support now and then. And Toronto indie-pop / ambient-rock duo TANDM are here to help. Their new single Girl in the Bathroom Mirror — the second preview of their imminent debut EP Reflections, Vol. 1 — has a few things to say about self-regard, societal pressure and the need to cut everyone (including ourselves) some slack. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Girl in the Bathroom Mirror is a reflection of feeling the need to disappear. The story visualizes internal struggles of discomfort, insecurity, unhappiness, and anxiety in varying scenarios. TANDM hopes this song will encourage empathy and compassion as every individual has sensitivities that are not always obvious to the eye. Mental or physical, it is important to understand that people suffer everyday due to society’s standards.” Take a closer look:
4 Good things take time. Unless you’re Damien Jurado, apparently. The veteran Seattle singer-songwriter reportedly recorded his 14th album In the Shape of a Storm in a mere two hours one afternoon. Granted, it’s mostly just him an an acoustic guitar, according to the press release. But still, when you can make an album in the time it takes some artists to pick a pedal setting — and release it less than a year after your last album — you’re clearly in the zone. One listen to sparse first single South should only cement that notion. And take you to that zone with him. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “South, like most songs that I write, is a collage of sorts, or collection of snapshots, that center around two characters. One could even presume me, or me as an alternate self. Dark, isolated, and slightly menacing in tone for a waltz number.” Clearly, he’s headed in the right direction:
5 Adir L.C. gets around. The uniquely named singer-songwriter supposedly grew up in the N.J. scene that birthed Titus Andronicus, went to college in New Paltz, N.Y. scene that gave us Porches, and lived in Brooklyn with members of LVL UP. Oddly enough, his rich, mellow folk-rock single Big Bad — a glimpse of his upcoming May album Basket Star — sounds a lot like Beck in one of his more sincere moments. Go figure. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “A savvy folk-pop craftsman with a track record, Adir coaxed Basket Star to life as he moved from one ad-hoc studio to another: Brooklyn apartments and practice spaces, an aunt’s house in Vermont, a studio outside Binghamton, New York, and more.” See what I mean? Dude can’t keep still:
