It’s Friday, and you know what that means: Publicists have been dumping press releases into my email like roadkill on the highway — and then high-tailing it for the hills. Well, two can play at that game. So without further fuss, muss or matters to discuss, here’s another fast and loose Friday Roundup. Let’s hit it and quit it:
1 Like everyone else, sometimes the masked marvels of L.A.’s crime fighting supergroup BAT! feel they’ve got to run away — they’ve got to get away. But they can clearly stand the way they’re teased in the provocative video for their cover of the Gloria Jones/Soft Cell standard Tainted Love, from their recent album Bat Music For Bat People. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The powerhouse trio describes their signature batrock as a variety of rockabilly, punk, horrorpunk, surf, and rock and roll reminiscent of The Damned, The Cramps and Stray Cats. Also, their lineup includes members of Nekromantix, The Brains, Rezurez and Stellar Corpses.” And that’s not nearly all:
2 Have Gun, Will Travel reads the card of a man. Not to mention the merch of the Florida indie-rock band of the same name. Watch the knights without armour do their thing in the midst of some savage circumstances in the live video for Against the Grain, the single from their July 12 release Strange Chemistry. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Strange Chemistry is the sound of a band with a renewed sense of purpose and direction. Following in the footsteps of fellow Florida rockers Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, while simultaneously paying tribute to their early indie-rock influences, HGWT set out to make the quintessential American rock album.” Somebody tell Paladin:
3 Beauty can be a pain. Just ask Brianna Conrado, the Dallas singer-songwriter who goes by the musical handle Clover the Girl — and who puts the whole sordid mess in focus in the video for Even If It Hurts, the title track from her July 5 EP. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Even If It Hurts is a song about self inflicted pain and suffering — being addicted to it, dressing it up and rationalizing it. I’m no stranger to toxic relationships with others and with myself. Sticking around for them is something I’d like to do less of, and this song is that first step of calling myself out.” Share her pain:
4 Don’t say Coilguns never gave you anything. Earlier this month, the Swiss noisemakers gave away their entire catalogue for free on Bandcamp. Now they’re doubling your pleasure (or your pain) by unleashing the epic, double-strength live video for Millennials and Blackboxing. They’re the gift that keeps on rocking. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Recording their music live and uncut, generally written and recorded on the spot wherever they were at the moment, sometimes on the other side of the world when touring with their former band, German post-prog-metallers The Ocean, Coilguns sums up a total of four EP’s and one full-length Commuters.” Sharing is caring:
5 Coilguns aren’t the only ones who can bring the noise. Bay Area thrash legends Death Angel also do a pretty respectable job on their just-released album Humanicide — introduced here by the brutal single and live video I Came For Blood. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The first single and title track Humanicide triumphantly represents the entirety of the album, immediately energizing the listener.” Death always wins:
6 North Carolina metal bruisers Lightning Born — featuring bassist Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity), vocalist Brenna Leath (The Hell No), drummer Doza Hawes (Mega Colossus) and guitarist Erik Sugg (Demon Eye) — call upon the natural forces of evil for the witchy single and animated video Shifting Winds, a taste of their self-titled June 21 album. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Taking cues from genre forebears Black Sabbath, the sludgy track ambles through several leaden, downtempo riffs before vocalist Brenna Leath‘s haunting wail enters with a tale of fiery destruction and rebirth.” Feel the winds of change:
7 German thrashmeisters Destruction are set to unleash their 17th studio album Born to Perish on Aug. 9. But not before they unleash the visualizer video for the first single and vicious title track. Don’t say you weren’t sufficiently warned. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The title track was the first song we wrote for the new record and it definitely shows the strength that Destruction has in 2019. It immediately set the bar high for the rest of the album. It features everything that we stand for: speed, picking, variety and punch. Randy came up with some very cool drum patterns and Damir offered up a really crunchy solo part, so both new members are heavily involved here!” Perish the thought:
8 Polish extreme metal vets Vader get the word out on their new EP Thy Messenger by dropping a lyric video for the single Steeler. If that title seems familiar, no wonder; their song is a cover of the Judas Priest classic. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Our version of Steeler from the legendary British Steel record (shows) our huge respect for their heritage in metal … STAY VADERIZED \m/”. And how exactly does one achieve the proper level of Vaderization?
9 Imani Coppola ushers in the summer — and pays tribute to celebrated late graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat — with her sweltering single SAMO. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “SAMO is essentially an imagined friendship with Basquiat throughout the decades,” explains Coppola. “As the world was changing, I imagined how he and his art would’ve been affected had he thrived in a different time. I also managed to use his tag name SAMO, which is a short version of “Same ol’ bullsh**”, to cynically state that nothing ever really changes in American society, it only gets stupider and we’re becoming more accustomed to accepting that as the new normal.” Art it up:
10 You should always listen to Mom. Even when it’s Toronto alt-rock trio Altered By Mom, who definitely want you to hear the sound — and savour the power-pop crunch — of their new little nugget Hear That Sound. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Hear That Sound is about making someone else cry. It’s such a universal yet specific moment – because people cry all the time, but when it happens, nothing feels more deeply personal. In the audio world, we talk about crossfades where one bit of audio blends seamlessly into another, and sometimes relationships end and begin like that too. This song encompasses the sound of artefacts from a previous relationship fading out while a new one begins.” Hear, hear:
11 We’ve all told a few white lies from time to time. But how many of us have turned them into a vibrant, dynamic indie-pop single? Guess that’s just the difference between Vancouver’s Royal Oak and the rest of us. Unless that’s another lie. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Hookup culture is full of highs and lows. Our latest single White Lies was inspired by the absurdity that comes with getting back with an ex.” Live your truth:
12 There are days when we all want to be alone. Today, it’s Treefight for Sunlight singer-songwriter Morten Winther Nielsen’s turn. So, in the guise of his musical alter ego Sunx, the Danish artist makes like Marlene Dietrich with Like a Drive in the Night, Pt 2, his second single. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The song describes in a direct and moving way the chain of moments that led him to realize that he had to let go of his ex-girlfriend and accept the loneliness that followed as a part of his life. Morten Winther Nielsen had been with his teenage girlfriend for 10 years, from still living at home with their parents and through their 20s. Now he was alone for the first time and sought refuge with his friends and in the city in fear of loneliness.” It’s OK, we’re here:
13 To celebrate signing a new deal with Nettwerk Records, Juno-nominated Montreal indie-folk collective The Franklin Electric deliver Made It Up In Your Head, the first single from their Aug. 2 EP In Your Head. Wonder where they made that up? SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The theme of the EP is the balance between vulnerability and holding on,” says Jon Matte. “You can’t be so open-minded you never stand up for anything. This theme sets the stage for a beautiful realization to happen. I just make honest music for everyday ordinary people. This is what I’m feeling and going through. This is how I explore universal truths we all go through. I always want the art to reflect what’s going on with me.” He’s got it made:
