Blah blah blah another Friday afternoon blah blah blah another flood of videos and tracks blah blah blah publicists clearing off their desks blah blah blah cram them in like cordwood blah blah blah no-frills Friday Roundump. Blah.
1 I’ve never been to therapy. Though I think it’s horrifying obvious to all concerned that I desperately need it. Thing is, I’m pretty sure I would not tell the truth. Looks like I’m not the only one, based on Imani Coppola’s new single and video Lying to My Therapist. Oh well, at least I’m in good company. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Fueled with fiery punk ethos and uninhibited by mainstream social standards, Imani Coppola’s newest track, the frenzied and raucous, Lying To My Therapist, ushers viewers through the darkest regions of her mind for a video evoking a cultlike exorcism of her psychological demons with a Charleston-inspired soundtrack, mixed with a clash-esque chorus, 50’s mod vocals, and an LES punk spirit. In the track she divulges self-destruction habits like not taking her meds and isolating herself from the outside world, where feared if she told to her therapist she’d likely be committed.” TMI, Imani:
2 Post-punk indie-rockers Grand Vapids return July 12 with their new album Eat the Shadow. But first an appetizer: The video for the song Glassing Out. If you like to live dangerously, now’s your chance: The flashing clip may induce seizures. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Singer Austin Harris offers, “This track is about watching your relationship fail and being unable to stop it because you are preoccupied and maxed out on distraction. It’s about avoiding confronting the things that are affecting you on a personal level.” The video for Glassing Out was produced by bassist Patrick Morales who added, “I thought back on my own experiences with the aftermath of a relationship and how it mostly consisted of surfing the internet, smoking weed, and watching cat videos.” That must be the vapid half of the whole affair:
3 Today would seem to be the right day for L.A. female foursome Girl Friday to release their EP Fashion Conman. And to share the home-movie birthday-party video for their latest track Headstones, which may or may not be a musical tribute to the Can-Rock band fronted by Hugh Dillon (spoiler alert: It’s not). (Another spoiler alert: Avert your eyes if you have a thing about clowns. Or cheap fake moustaches.) SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Headstones points not just to a nightmarish present but to the possibility of escape, of finding safety with one another.” Not with that clown around:
4 If you go into the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise in Saskatoon indie trio Close Talker’s video for their latest single Pace. But unless you have cell coverage, you won’t be able to see what it is. So maybe it’s for the best if you just stay home and watch from the comfort of your couch. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Close Talker videos are often slow paced, serious, and ambiguous, “For this one, we threw all of that out the window and made something completely spontaneous,” the band says. “Taking a step back, we think it captures a lot of what this song is trying to say, which is to still remember the times when you didn’t care about having it all together. Pace is about fearing your friends will grow up long before you are ready to. It’s about people in your inner circle boldly striving toward adulthood without your consent and it evokes a question of allegiance; ‘whose side are you on?’ It gives a voice to the growing pains of those wanting to remain bliss. Pace is about the moment you start to see your friendships, like everything else, fall victim to time.” Pace yourself:
5 War may be hell. But for the heavy metal heroes of Sweden’s Sabaton, it’s also the inspiration for their July 19 concept album The Great War — and for the anthemic, epic title track being previewed with this fittingly hellish live video. That’s fine, coming from a bunch of Swedes. As long as no German bands start to get any funny ideas. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “This is not the first time we have sung about stories from this period in time, but now we felt the timing was right to make a full concept album about this war,” explain the band. “This is the biggest album we have taken on so far.There is more depth and story around the songs that we have ever had before”, Pär Sundström announces.” Well, it wasn’t called The Mediocre War:
6 California metal extremists Suicide Silence just announced that their next album will be a live recording of a benefit they did a few years back for Mental Health America of Los Angeles. The title of the July 12 release? Live & Mental. Um, that seems questionable. Also questionable: They’re previewing it with a cover of a Korn track. Maybe they’re the ones who need some therapy. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Although this benefit show was recorded way back in 2015, with mental health issues as relevant as ever in society today, we felt the desire to further propel the conversation throughout the metal scene, while also allowing fans to share in this special night of unreleased material with us.” Sure, but Korn?
7 If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing overdoing. Or at least doing over. Hamilton troublemakers The Dirty Nil put that into practise with the second instalment in their cover-tune series You’re Welcome. This time they’re delivering spot-on renditions of April Wine’s Oowatanite, and Van Halen’s Unchained. You can watch their bootlegged video for the first one below, but the VH clip has already been blocked, so you’ll have to head over to their Spotify page for the audio. Perhaps they overdid it. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The You’re Welcome music series will continue all summer long. The series showcases the band’s love for everything rock n roll, the first edition in the series included covers of their contemporaries Culture Abuse, and proto-shoegaze legends Jesus and Mary Chain.” Everything will be all right:
8 For many, a garden is a productive hobby. For the dudes of Chicago skate-punk outfit Much the Same, it’s a metaphor for the state of your family and home. And the inspiration behind their reality-based single You Used to Have a Garden, the second preview of their July 26 release Everything is Fine. Though it clearly is not. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “I grew up with a dad who was a good dad and a mom who did a lot to drag us down,” says bass player and composer Franky Tsoukalas. “Without getting into it, I watched our modest home turn into something that would be on a reality TV show for being filthy. It completely fell apart and so did our relationships to a degree.” Plant the seed:
9 Nobody can keep up with all the preview singles band fling into the marketplace to preview their album. But honestly, you’d practically have to be oblivious not to have caught at least one of the instantly catchy pop-punk cuts The Dollyrots have delivered to hype their July 12 release Daydream Explosion. Here’s one more chance to get on board: The fittingly titled firecracker Oblivious. Not to put too fine a point on it. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The band’s signature charm and a raw vitality courses through each of the tracks on the new album. With production by the band and longtime producer John Fields, The Dollyrots’ signature style shines through in snappy guitar riffs, irresistible hooks, and punked-out percussion.” Hello again, Dollys:
10 Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Or Away, the latest track from DJ Niko the Kid and singer Bipolar Sunshine. Take the trip via their animated lyric video. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Seamlessly mixing worldly house beats and airy sensibilities, Atlanta’s Niko The Kid and British singer Bipolar Sunshine bridge the Atlantic on their soulful collaboration Away. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, the 24-year-old Niko creates soulful electronic music, often pulling elements from hip-hop and R&B. Collaborating is Bipolar Sunshine, one of the hottest vocal talents to come out of Manchester, England. Responsible for voicing massive singles like DJ Snake’s multiplatinum Middle, Gryffin’s Whole Heart, and San Holo’s brighter days, Bipolar Sunshine adds that special layer of depth to today’s top crossover hits.” They kid you not, sunshine:
11 If two heads are better than one, four heads must be twice as good, right? Especially when they’re attached to the bodies of EDM titans Steve Aoki, Dutch duo Showtek and DJ MAKJ, who join forces in the name of Rave on their new single. Everybody into the dance truck. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Kicking off with a party-starting call to arms from London-based Kris Kiss (“It’s time to start the party / it’s time to misbehave…”), Rave is a full on banger. Big buildups and euphoric electro drops serve as the backbone to the all-star collaboration set to soundtrack festival stages this summer.” Keep on truckin’:
12 Stella Emmett knows how to get your attention. The New York electro-pop singer-songwriter calls her sleepy sound IkeaCore. And the latest single from her Aug. 23 album Admirer takes a symbolic swipe at titular designer Calvin Klein (or at least his brand). Fingers crossed she doesn’t get the attention of copyright and trademark lawyers. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “This wasn’t necessarily my intention, but listening back to Admirer now, I feel like I made it to serve as a daily life soundtrack for people. I wanted to create an album that was at once deeply personal and about my actual life but also a sort of sound palette people could put on at parties, or listen to on the train, or listen to while cooking dinner or even while shopping at IKEA, thus the descriptor IkeaCore. It’s an easy listening album that comes from moments in my life that weren’t always easy.” Attention, shoppers:
13 Indie-pop duo The Parlor have a strange idea of what constitutes romantic fun: “Down at the cemetery, I picked an elderberry,” they sing on their latest single Dream. “And I showed you what happens when you crush one on your shirt.” Well, that just seems kinda weird, morbid and childish. But hey, what do I know? Judge for yourself. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Dream held in it the realization of the couple’s tight bond, a glimpse of a blissful moment in an otherwise dark epoch. “This is a love song from two perspectives. Lovers in a cemetery. Partners forced to deal intimately with death while continually choosing to live and laugh and love. Both recognizing the acuteness of their own mortality and the impermanence of their partnership.” That’s a lot to read into an elderberry:
14 Some people see life’s glass as half-empty. The men of Toronto’s Wildlife see it as half-full — if not positively brimming with anthemic indie-rock, based on the sound and lyrical content of their latest single Wasted. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Wasted is a song about trying to look at life differently when things basically suck. It’s so easy to be negative. Sometimes you’ve got to do a little mental karate to get back on track, and actually be productive or helpful to another person. When there are outside forces acting upon you that you don’t like, simply acknowledging them can drain their power.” I prefer mental yoga:
15 Alexander MacNeil has clearly spent plenty of quality time at the movies. And the frontman of Halfax indie-popsters Alexander and The Great Ones puts his cinematic knowledge to good use in their latest single A Love Letter to Alan Smithee. Thankfully, you can still enjoy it even if you don’t have to know that Alan Smithee is the fake name directors use when they don’t want their real name on a crappy movie. Two can play at the cinephile game, bub. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The first offering from their Sept. 27 album Super Turbo, single A Love Letter To Alan Smithee neatly weds MacNeil’s stylized ’50s R&B and ’70s rock sounds. Alexander & The Great Ones explore the sounds of the last century not as they were, but as they are: heart still pumping, freckled with rust.” And celluloid:
16 You just can’t stop some guys from playing by the rules. And enjoying it. Case in point: Halfax roots-rockers The Stanfields, who make it clear they’re game for anything with their latest single Rules Have All the Fun. Something else The Stanfields enjoying playing: The kazoo. As if you didn’t already know how odd they were. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “A dizzying and zany shuffle, Rules Have All The Fun sees the band maintain their “predictably unpredictable” musical style with unique spin on the sounds from the golden age of entertainment – with nods to Tom Waits, Seeger Sessions Bruce Springsteen and of course, a lyrical social discourse that remains deeply embedded in the fabric of the band.” They came to play:
17 You can tell a lot about a band by the names they drop. Take Southsea garage-rockers Colour of the Jungle. They say they take their inspiration from artists like Kings of Leon, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Growlers — all of which is apparent from their latest single Steel Tray. But to their credit, their sound is far more than a sum of those parts. Because name-dropping will only get you so far. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Steel Tray narrates pushing through tough times, when you feel the world is against you. Evans’ gritty vocals sing about the current status of societal issues and how life can often feel like you’re swimming upstream. Strutting with confidence, the single features jangly guitars and stomping percussion, all underpinned by an infectious and sun-soaked melody.” Welcome to the jungle:
