Atlas : Empire make waves, Lucy & La Mer work blue, Brkn Love air their paper cuts, Rändi Fay goes it alone and more in today’s Roundup. Where the hell did September go?
1 | Atlas : Empire | Our Hands Part The Waves
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Glasgow’s Atlas : Empire are proud to announce their debut album The Stratosphere Beneath Our Feet, released independently during December 2018 will now be reissued on Oct. 25. “For those unfamiliar with our latest release, The Stratosphere Beneath Our Feet is a concept album that explores what would happen to humanity if we became entirely reliant on technology/automation in every aspect of our lives – and more importantly, what happens when that system fails?” The video for the track Our Hands Part The Waves is a continuation of the storyline presented in their previous video for It’s All In The Reflexes.”
2 | Lucy & La Mer | Discover
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Lucy & La Mer is the L.A.-based indie project of singer/songwriter Lucy LaForge. Lucy’s upcoming EP I Feel Better Now, which includes the single Discover, narrates the importance of empowering yourself through positive thoughts and intentional belief. The infectious feel-good folk pop record covers themes such as discovering one’s bisexuality, simplifying complicated feelings as well as self appreciation, confidence and sense of community.”
3 | Brkn Love | Papercuts
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Brkn Love, the brainchild of 21-year-old Toronto native Justin Benlolo, will release their self-titled debut on Spinefarm Records. The album, produced by Joel Hamilton (Highly Suspect, Pretty Lights), was recorded live to tape preserving a raw and real feeling in the riffing tempered by relatable and emotional lyrics. The band dropped the video for Papercuts. Watch it here.”
4 | Rändi Fay | Lone Wolf
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Green Bay’s talented songstress Rändi Fay premieres her new single. Lone Wolf is a stunning example of the ethereal musical style Fay has developed along with her co-writer and producer Aaron Zinsmeister that they have coined “symphonic electronica.” Calling to mind images of swirling autumn leaves, the song is a haunting exploration of the development of trust in romantic relationships and the insecurities we might face when letting someone into our hearts.”
5 | Jaakko Eino Kalevi | Dissolution
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Jaakko Eino Kalevi, the Finnish psych-pop voyager, returns with a new mini-album called Dissolution, set for release on Nov. 22. Never one to repeat himself, these seven songs form a sparkling new constellation in the Kalevi universe as he draws deep for a set that explores the cosmic implications of a life being well lived. On the title track, Jaakko teams up with the Berlin-based Taiwanese singer Yu-Ching Huang; as he sings in his native tongue, she responds: “I won’t make contact / I enter the limit state.”
6 | Lauren Balthrop | Your Time Will Come
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Lauren Balthrop is a singer-songwriter from Nashville (by way of Alabama). She released her debut album, This Time Around, exactly one year ago. Lauren’s extraordinary voice is the first thing you’ll notice about her music; rich in dark sonic beauty, and above all, devilishly playful. Balthrop has shared her first new single in a year. Your Time Will Come is a song that encourages hope — harnessing it and using it to propel you forward into the future.”
7 | Tamino | Intervals
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Tamino is very pleased to share a very special filmed recording of Intervals featuring the Nagham Zirkayat Orchestra. It features on the deluxe version of his debut album, Amir, out Oct. 18. Tamino’s collaboration with the Brussels-based Nagham Zikrayat is almost the dictionary definition of serendipity. Although the majority of the playing heard on Amir is the man himself, he is joined by this collective across a handful of songs. The Firka (orchestra) is predominantly made up of professional musicians from the Middle East, most of which have refugee status having predominantly fled from Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia and Syria.”
8 | Heather Valley | Heather
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The feature track from Ontario singer-songwriter Heather Valley’s debut EP Trauma Bonding, Heather is an unbelievable and harrowing story of obsession, duplicity and betrayal whose stark setting and sonics are every bit as raw as the emotions behind them. “Like every good story, this one starts with a broken heart,” Valley says. “What sets it apart is that it also involves a con man, a demon, and an imposter who took my place.”
9 | Wipeout | This Love Will Not Stay
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Wipeout offer modern club music combined with great songwriting and even bigger melodies. The subculture-electro-pop legends around Tausendsassa Didi Bruckmayr from Austria, Wipeout released their EP Songs for Androids in May. In time for autumn, they are now releasing a grandiose 3D animation video in black and white. The matching song is called This Love Will Not Stay.”
10 | Carys | Some Of You
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Carys unapologetically feels, free from thought and judgment. She believes that all emotions come from love. Longing for it, running from it, diving into it, losing it – Carys believes that everything we do revolves around giving and receiving more love in the end. Carys just released a new single titled Some Of You – a dark, dreamy electro-pop track about the inability to let go of an ex.”
11 | Sights & Sounds | Caught Up
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sights & Sounds recorded their new album No Virtue in Toronto over the past couple of years by bringing ideas hummed in a phone or scratched on a guitar to life in a more involved way than they have ever been able to before. “We were at our band headquarters ‘Little Winnipeg’ in Toronto and fucking around with different moods and timings. We called the song Waltz as it had that 3/4 swing to it. As the song took shape and some of the melodies started to appear we were thinking that it could be a good idea to get a guest vocalist on the track. Our engineer Chris had worked with Nicole Dollanganger before and we asked him to hit her up. She had the perfect elegant voice for the call and response type lyrical pattern we had.”
12 | Tom Ashbrook | Too Soon
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ambient-electronic producer Tom Ashbrook releases his debut single. Too Soon is the first track from the upcoming EP Sines, centred around past experiences and the idea of the elements. Too Soon metaphorically speaks of water, in a perfect passage of pensive piano. The music has a strong narrative quality, permeated by a rich melancholy that is haunting and melodic rather than depressing or morbid. Ashbrook explains: “Too Soon is about remembrance, a personal experience with a family friend’s son tragically drowning at age 3. The idea of someone being taken too soon and not having the chance to live out their lives.”
12 | Hooked Like Helen | Tear This Place Apart (The Lifted Remix)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “U.S. producers The Lifted have been drafted for a remix of L.A. duo Hooked Like Helen’s Tear This Place Apart. Speaking of the track, Hooked Like Helen said: “Being married to your musical partner is a gift that we wholeheartedly embrace, but there are times when the dynamic can get a little intense! We wrote Tear This Place Apart as an artistic reflection of the moments of total chaos between us, and The Lifted took that tension to new heights with the Remix. The line between life and art is blurred for us, and the Tear This Place Apart Remix dives into a tumultuous sea of synths that amplify that feeling of desperation and passion from the original track. We’re humbled to collaborate with such gifted musicians as The Lifted on this song.”
13 | Mirrar | Dead is Disco
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Lock me up for something I’m not,” sing Nuremberg trio Mirrar on new single Dead is Disco. The song’s opening line already gives you the first hint of nihilism which is hidden behind the bombastic sound. While its lyrics contain references to Tarantino movies and classic novels, its infectious rhythm is guaranteed to make you stand up and dance like it’s your last dance. Dead is Disco is the first track from Mirrar’s new album The Sound of Things Falling.”
