Of Mice & Men have regrets, Adera are uneasy, Souvarof are comatose, Young Clancy levels up, Basement Revolver have hot wax and more in today’s Roundup. Let there be weekend!
1 We’ve all had a taste of our own medicine from time to time. But American metalcore outfit Of Mice & Men give you a Taste of Regret in the video for the next single from their Sept. 27 album Earth & Sky. Check it out below. You won’t regret it. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Taste of Regret is a song about knowing when to pick your battles, and also knowing when to shut your mouth and bite your tongue. “Loose lips sink ships,” as the age-old cliché goes. There’s a lot of truth in that though. One’s loud mouth can ruin their life.” states singer Aaron Pauley.”
2 The #metoo movement has made a lot of people anxious. Including the members of Vancouver duo Adera. But not for the reason you might think. Hit the road in search of answers in the video for their latest single Uneasy. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “It’s a bit of a touchy subject but very important. It was the #metoo movement that brought about this song. It was and is such an intense time in history. When it first started, it was very disheartening to find out that certain people were involved. This song was kind of a way to meditate on the subject. We hope that the takeaway is that we all need each other. This movement felt like it really polarized men and women more than was anticipated. It needed to happen but we still need to work together on things like this. We hope that this songs helps to focus on what we have in common, not what makes us different.”
3 Wakey, wakey. Swiss alt-rockers Souvarof follow up their recent self-titled debut EP with a stylish video for the track Coma. Seems like you have only one option: Rock out until you lose consciousness. SAY THE PRESS RELEASE: “Souvarof unleashes an organic energy, fueled with a heavy rhythm section, wild guitars and a hoarse voice. The six tunes blend raw elegance and full-power which set the band off to propose furious, dynamic and thoroughly entertaining live shows.”
4 It isn’t every day that you come across an artist who claims to be inspired by both the thoughtful lyricism of Neil Young and the gritty, inventive production of Kanye West. But that’s the line Toronto’s Young Clancy is selling (though really, shouldn’t he be calling himself Young Yeezy?). See if you buy his shtik in the video for his latest track Level. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Level draws inspiration from rawer, more aggressive 70s soul – The Four Tops, The Ruffin Brothers, Gene Williams. “Those wild vocal performances, how saturated and beautifully messy some of those records sound.”
https://youtu.be/Da2oW0eCAbM
5 Gavin Haley is doing his bit for cross-border diplomacy. The American singer-songwriter (and former pro cyclist) joins forces with Canadian counterpart Sara Diamond in this intimated acoustic version of his track Show Me. I didn’t know he was from Missouri. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Show Me is a resounding reflection on love, and the stripped-back version brings the poignant lyricism into focus through the duo’s mesmerizing harmonies.”
6 Intriguing band name of the day: Basement Revolver. What is that? Some sort of gun you keep downstairs? One of several copies of the classic Beatles album that you have distributed throughout your house? I guess we’ll never know. But you can get to know the Hamilton indie outfit via their new video for Wax and Digital, the title cut from their Oct. 18 EP. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Singer Chrisy Hurn says of the song: “Wax and Digital is about me and my husband, the music that we love together, and how that music has shaped our relationship. In a broader sense it is about how culture informs our lives – even though culture changes rapidly and is temporary, we will always have certain things to hold on to, like music, to look back on and feel sentimental about. I hope that people take away a sense of nostalgia within their own lives, from the things that have helped them to fall in love, or that people think about the things that they have lost, but with thankfulness. Life is a crazy mess, but it’s beautiful and confusing and poetic, may we never forget the things that help us to make some sense of it.”
7 You really have to wonder what some people are thinking. Case in point: Victoria singer-songwriter Jaya, whose latest single arrived with a press release bearing the headline: Jaya Releases Summer Single Learn to Swim September 6.’ Um, OK. I look forward to getting your Christmas single on New Year’s Day. Anyway, I guess you can pretend it’s still summer — and look at some kitties. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Learn To Swim is driven by quirky synthesizers, sparkling guitar and lush vocals that are contrasted by weighted lyrics: “It is bitter-sweet in the realization that something has to change in a relationship while simultaneously celebrating coming to terms with your limits and recognizing you can’t keep carrying the weight alone. It’s an attempt to forgive someone that pulled you into their own mess, and forgiving yourself for getting involved and thinking you could fix things.”
8 Need a short, sharp shot of garage-rock power and propulsion to kick off your Friday night? You got it, courtesy of new Toronto outfit Queens & Kings. That might seems like a weird name, considering there’s only two of them — drummer Alissa Klug and guitarist Brendan Albert, both of whom also sing. Then again, their sound is clearly bigger than both of them. See for yourself in the video for their debut single You Got Me. If they’ve got more like this in the bag, they’ve definitely got me where they want me. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Queens & Kings is a post-punk garage rock duo from Toronto and is very much a product of fight, a symbol of resilience and an emblem of victory. For eight years, Brendan and Alissa struggled, with each of their own musical and artistic projects, with their health, with themselves and with each other. From that struggle, Queens & Kings was born, like a big middle finger rising from the ashes.”
9 We can’t all be winners. In fact, if everyone’s a winner, than nobody’s a winner. So everybody’s a loser. Though I guess some people are bigger losers than other. Which brings us to Finnish melodic-metal titans Sonata Arctica and their new video for the song Who Failed the Most, from their Talvyiö album. Well, if you have to ask … SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Who Failed The Most is one of the more approachable songs on the album and we worked with Patric Ullaeus once again to create the video. We took advantage of the nice Finnish summer and shot our performance outside for a change, which turned out quite cool. You’ll probably hear this song throughout the Talviyö World Tour that’s starting right now in North America and from there we’ll continue to Europe and the rest of the world. Cheers!”
10 The sky is the limit for baking soda-loving L.A. duo Armnhmr — and guest vocalists Rick & Miella — in the animated lyric video for their single Save You Now, a sneak peek at their forthcoming album The Free World. Just watch out for the big giant head. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The soaring production takes listeners on an emotive journey through expectant build-ups, melodic interludes and ecstatic drops. Save has a storyline that follows the struggles and unison of two characters through intimacy and togetherness, the duo introduce listeners to The Free World through a love song in its purest form.”
11 Thin Lizzy offshoot Black Star Riders — led by Phil Lynott-soundalike Ricky Warwick and longtime Lizzy lead guitarist Scott Gorham — are back in town with their fourth album Another State of Grace. And here’s the lyric video for third single Tonight The Moonlight Let Me Down, featuring a sax solo by none other than Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe. No letdown there. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “A wonderful Scott Gorham guitar riff, a killer saxophone solo from Michael Monroe and a lyric about that first heartbreak and sense of loss but the memories are always there to keep you warm, all signed, sealed and delivered with a big sloppy kiss from Black Star Riders.”
12 Most metal bands want to drag you to hell. Montreal deathcore outfit Despised Icon will settle for Purgatory in their latest single and video for the title cut from their Nov. 15 album. And they’ll probably apologize for inconveniencing you, like any good Canadian. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “At long last, we finally have new music for you! This is the most time we’ve ever spent writing and recording. We could go on and on about how this is our heaviest, fastest and most diverse album yet but we’ll let the music do the talking. We’ve been a band for 17 years and are thankful to have such a loyal and supportive fan base. Prepare for Purgatory.”
13 Melodic-rock Swedes Amaranthe let their vocalists lie down on the job — until it’s time to bust some modern dance moves, that it — in the video for their latest single The Helix, the title cut from their latest album. Get out the road flares and fire up the for machine! SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “The Helix’ is the title track of the album, and in many ways, it’s the quintessential Amaranthe song, as well as very representative of the entire album musically and lyrically,” said guitarist Olof Mörck. “We teamed up with director wizard Patric Ullaeus once more to create something perfectly fitting to the song, and obviously Ullaeus never disappoints.”
14 German power-metal outfit Blind Guardian eye their most ambitious disc yet — the Nov. 8 orchestral epic album The Legacy of The Dark Lands, based on the bestselling German novel Die Dunklen Lande by Markus Heitz. Go along for the ride with their new lyric video for Point of No Return. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Finally, after ages of talking about it, it is time to unleash the beast. We have heard your pleas and here it is, a first glimpse of what Legacy Of The Dark Lands is about. We have reached the Point Of No Return and there for sure will be no taking back. Point Of No Return is a very vivid song and already gives you a very good insight of what to expect from the upcoming release. The song has it all, it is intense, very melodious and epic at the same time. Don’t forget to check out the lyric video for Point Of No Return. But now enjoy this first short trip to the Dark Lands. Still, this is just the beginning.”
15 Technical death-metal Egyptologists Nile gear up for another vulgar display of pyramid power with their ninth album Vile Nilotic Rites, coming Nov. 1. While you wait for the sands of time to shift in the right direction, feast your eyes on the lyric video for their first single Long Shadows of Dread. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Long Shadows was chosen as the first song we want people to hear from this upcoming album as this crushing track should leave NO DOUBT In anyone’s mind concerning the uncompromising, brutal, destructive Intent evident throughout the entirety of the Vile Nilotic Rites album.“
16 We’re all waiting for something. Albany indie-surfers Pony in the Pancake are Waiting For Love, according to the latest single from their Sept. 20 album Summer Sun. Presumably, they’re also waiting for one of them to come up with a better band name. And for a second person to check out this song on YouTube. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Everyday I wake up and leave my apartment I have one goal, and one goal only: To find Love. Everywhere I go, every walk I take, every pond I sit by, I go with the hopes of finding love. I know that love is out there. It is just a matter of time until until my destiny is realized. In the meantime, I just wait. And wait. And wait. I will continue to wait. Under the moon. Under the stars. Under the Sun. This song goes out to everyone. Everyone who is waiting for love. If you are waiting, this song is for you. It is your song.”
17 Thunder Bay indie outfit The Honest Heart Collective claim that the word fine has two meanings. Actually, I can think of at least three right off the top of my head. Hopefully they put more thought into their latest single — the modestly titled Fine. Or is that Fine? SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “You can say you’re fine while simultaneously being the opposite of that. We tell ourselves we’re fine all the time when in reality, we’re far from it. Lying to yourself and others only fuels the fire. The more you say that you’re fine, the less I believe it.”
https://youtu.be/w65LcWMxDXA
18 Full Body aren’t kidding with that name, apparently. The Rochester quartet play what they call “a robust breed of gangly rock music that lurches in the intersection between impatient slowcore, gnarled shoegaze, and noisy post-hardcore.” Hear for yourself on the track Looked At the Picture, a glimpse of their Oct. 19 full-length Always There. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Looked at the Picture is a song that Jake (our guitarist) wrote. Its quick, pretty and punchy. I wrote the lyrics about seeing something that completely throws you off guard and fucks with you for a sec, but obviously after awhile you get over it. I think the song exemplifies that emotional process.”
19 I’m well over six feet tall, so the title of Julia Bhatt‘s debut single Tall is certainly something I can identify with. Something I can’t identify with: Being a Miami teenager like the genre-jumping Bhatt. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “It’s just a combination of words that somehow make sense, fused with my subconscious issue regarding my height,” explains Bhatt about her debut single Tall. Fusing indie pop and rapidfire tongue-twisting vocals with a fierce bossa nova backbone, the single finds the 17 year-old Miami native playfully experimenting with rhythms, melodies and musical time signatures. Julia’s fresh and uniquely signature vocals (reminiscent of a youthful Amy Winehouse and Macy Gray) duck in and out of acoustic guitars, a heavy bass drum and an infectious Latin-inspired beat.”
20 Being an electro-pop singer-songwriter in Eastern Europe can’t be an easy gig. But is it better to stay and be a big fish in a small pond, — or to head to North America, where there’s more opportunity AND more competition? Tough call? Not for Asmik, apparently. The Armenian native is based in L.A. these days — and things are Nice, according to her latest single. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “My life looks like a roller coaster, it took me high and at one point can threw me down. I am writing about it today because I feel differently about myself. I now know who I am and what I am capable of. I am also much stronger than I was before and I feel that I have something meaningful to say”.
