Your Highness get born, War Twins get it right (or wrong), Aaron Smith does better and more in today’s Roundup. I’ve been listening to Juliana Hatfield’s upcoming covers album Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police all day, and I have to say: If you’re a fan of either one, you’re in for a real treat when it comes out Nov. 15.
1 | Your Highness | Born Anew
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Belgium’s sludge rock lords Your Highness share their two-wheeled, hop-laden new video for Born Anew. With Born Anew, Your Highness stick to their no hostage policy and deliver a fierce, liberating anthem fueled by stomping riffs and Ben Baert’s trademark growl. A sonic punch-thrower in the foursome’s best tradition, where you’ll find them riding vintage motorcycles and impersonate fictional bands of the funnest order. “For Born Anew, we hooked up with Honda Camino Motorcycle Club The Rambos in Wuustwezel. It’s a typical Flemish town and the clip is very typical Flemish. The landscape, beers, all of it. They were very cool to lend their prized motorcycles for a day to do whatever we wanted. Those bikes were legendary here in the 90’s, everyone had one. We ended up in the motorcycle club bar where we got drunk and started slipping and drifting indoors. That’s were the last shot comes from. Wasn’t originally planned. It suggested we hated our gigs and came depressed at the bar back home.”
2 | War Twins | Right or Wrong
THE PRESS RELEASE: “War Twins are an art rock grunge pop duo based in Los Angeles. Known for their dynamic live set, full of passionate energy, rock n’ roll soul and deep electronics, the band have grown from their small hometowns on the east coast, to a string of successful nationwide tours. War Twins are now releasing their new record American Kids. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer, Sylvia Massy (TOOL, Prince, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty), the release includes the single Right or Wrong. Showcasing haunting melodies, gritty guitars, stomping percussion and passionate vocals, the music narrates a message of empowerment, expressing that anyone can do what they want, even if they had been through hell. Gaetana confides, “To be honest, this project was a way for me to heal. When I began writing for War Twins, I felt a strong desire to give a message of brutal honesty, empowerment and strength. I didn’t know at the time that this was because it was what I needed myself. I am a survivor of rape, domestic violence and abuse, so for me this project has been about reclaiming who I am in a powerful way, even when it makes me uncomfortable.”
3 | Aaron Smith | Better Than You Loved Me
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Hotly tipped Scottish singer songwriter Aaron Smith unveils the highly emotive and incredibleypowerful video for his latest single Better Than You Loved Me. The video, directed by award winning film director/writer Ross Syner, touches on the very sensitive subject of domestic abuse but from the less often documented perspective of the female as the aggressor. Speaking about the video Aaron comments, “With the video for Better Than You Loved Me I wanted to go down the domestic violence route because its an issue I think is very important and has to be addressed. I think traditionally when you hear the term domestic violence you automatically assume that its the man in the relationship that is violent when thats not always the case and I wanted to use this video to highlight that.”
https://youtu.be/vfw5c5dsn_M
4 | Stephen Hamm | Space Sister
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Vancouver’s Stephen Hamm is getting set to release his new album Theremin Man on Nov. 5, and in celebration (and and in anticipation) he has released the brand new hypnotic single Space Sister. A lush and exotic tune, Space Sister is a song that exemplifies the overall vibe of the new record. “It’s a song that was inspired by a woman who lived in El Cajon California, who lead a group of gentle people,” says Hamm. “She taught them about being of service to others and to spread love and creativity throughout the galaxy.”
5 | The Kompressor Experiment | EMP.AI
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Swiss cinematic post-rock/progressive quartet The Kompressor Experiment is about to release a brand new album called 2001 on Oct. 25th. In the meantime, the band just shared an official music video illustrating the track EMP.AI, a precursor to a larger and fully immersive work inspired by concepts of space and time as reflected in Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Kompressor Experiment offer a blend of instrumental progressive rock, metal, stoner rock and post rock. The band adds to this genre-mix some innovative sounds and tries to push the traditionnal boundaries of rock music.”
6 | Sam Weber | Blackout
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Blackout is the second single off of singer-songwriter Sam Weber’s upcoming third full-length, Everything Comes True, out Oct. 25. The track is “a break-up song about feeling divided – between doing what feels right to me or what’s comfortable for someone else,” says Weber. “It’s about watching someone try and change who they are to make you happy. It’s about trying to have a deeper understanding of relationships and investing more – and about being afraid in relationships too.”
7 | Corridor | Pow
THE PRESS RELEASE: “A few days before releasing their third album Junior, Corridor unveils the single Pow. The new track hurtles along with a motorik beat, reverberating with atmosphere and hazy memories. Whereas Corridor’s past work could sometimes seem overstuffed, Junior proposes 10 hypnotic, distilled tracks. “Part of the beauty of the thing is that we didn’t have time to think about it,” explains Dominic Berthiaume. Six of Junior’s 10 tracks were conceived during a single weekend. Fewer jams, fewer overdubs, and no sequestered fortnight in a countryside chalet. Part of the album’s charm is that it is both spontaneous and polished.”
8 | Bon Villan | Wind Up
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Bon Villan are a Toronto-based indie-electronic trio that draws inspiration for their modern sound from artists like Sir Sly, Big Data, San Holo, and Bob Moses. Their latest single, Wind Up, showcases their dive into the darker side of electronic music. “The distorted, bass-heavy music and edgy lyrics are contrasted by haunting vocals and the emotional delivery in Jared’s performance. It really feels like a step forward creatively for us” says Julian. “The song’s title is a double entendre about the two most intense moments in relationships. The tension that builds before people first get together, and how relationships very often leave people in the end. It’s these most intense moments, the ones where we feel most alive and awake, that inspired the song”.
9 | Kinky Friedman | Greater Cincinnati
Press release? Kinky Friedman ain’t got no press release. Kinky Friedman don’t need no press release. Kinky Friedman don’t have to show you any stinkin’ press release! All the legendary Texas Jewboy needs to do to get my attention is to keep dropping new songs like Greater Cincinnati, the latest preview of his Oct. 25 album Resurrection. That seems a pretty fair title coming from the guy who wrote They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore.
10 | Prohibition Dead | Let Me Live Or Die
THE PRESS RELEASE: “French stoner/fuzz/garage power-trio Prohibition Dead just unveiled a brand new song with Let Me Live Or Die, from the band’s new EP called Unless You’re Afraid To Change, coming out on Nov. 1. Prohibition Dead was founded in 2016 by Fab (guitars / vocals), Ben (guitar / vocals) and Phil (drums) all come from rock bands that have been playing on the French scenes for several years.What brought them together? Rock.. But not just any … Powerful, wild, crunchy, fuzzy rock … The rock that comes to your mind when you enter the room … The rock that extends from one musician to another until you touch and invade. Acting by gentle, sweeping waves taking you into the California desert for an erratic stoner trip to meet QOTSA before an electric flurry takes you back to a cymbal shot in a Chicago shed to shake your body off an epileptic song merging the influence of The Black Keys and Jack White.”
11 | Lazybones | Trash Talk
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Formed in late 2017, Brighton-based alt-rock trio Lazybones have released their latest explosive track Trash Talk. Recorded by Ben Hampson of Agricultural Audio (Noel Gallagher, Bloc Party), Trash Talk is about “That moment when you know you’re about to say something you’ll regret, when you’re right on the edge and you just can’t stop it,” vocalist Candi Underwood explains. Inspired by the likes of Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols and Chas & Dave, using a fuzzy bass guitar, an amplified organ and drums, Lazybones create a trashy, unapologetic, to-the-point British sound.”
