Braids buck the trend, Lord Dying make time, Hop Chip stay positive and more in today’s Roundup. In the immortal words of Marvin Gaye, let’s get it on.
1 | Braids | Young Buck
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal-based indie art rock band Braids announced today their new album Shadow Offering will be released on April 24. Produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie), the new album finds the band at their most personal, unabashedly flexing a new sense of confidence through songs that reach a higher level of artistry and collaboration. Today they shared their lead single and video Young Buck, an effervescent ode to impossible love that exudes an undeniable magnetism. “We wrote this song to capture the nervous anticipation of desire, the delicate chase of seduction, the highs and lows of obsession, and the humour in between,” stated singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston. “To want to possess someone, make them desire you, fall for you, only to learn that to lust is not to love.”
2 | Lord Dying | Freed From The Pressures Of Time
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Portland-based progressive sludge metal unit Lord Dying unveil their captivating new video for Freed From The Pressures Of Time. The powerful track comes off the band’s Mysterium Tremendum full-length, released last spring. Comments guitarist/vocalist Erik Olson of the Brett Roberts-directed clip, “The video was filmed on location in the countries that made up former Yugoslavia. It highlights both the beauty and strangeness of Spomenik (WW2) monuments, some of which have been forgotten by the sands of time. Enjoy!”
3 | Hot Chip | Positive
THE PRESS RELEASE: “In 2019, Hot Chip released their dazzling seventh album, A Bath Full Of Ecstasy. Today, Hot Chip share a new video for Positive, directed by Sebastian Strasser. Sebastian said of the video, “This film is about love and the lack of it; about the tension between the natural flow of energy versus our social constructs. The free soul is rare.” Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor chose to write from another person’s perspective for Positive – the song attempts to understand how someone copes with illness, sadness, and living a lonely life on the streets. The song tackles a dark subject matter while offering the protagonist a moment of respite through music: a juxtaposition between the frenetic euphoria of the sound and the melancholy of one human being, just hoping that someone, somewhere, cares.”
4 | Eclipser | Cruel Is The Light To Thee
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Cruel Is The Light To Thee, from Canadian blackened death unit Eclipser, comes courtesy of the band’s full-length released last fall. Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Topon Das’ (Fuck The Facts) Apartment 2 Studio and engineered by Scott Burniston, Pathos delivers an emotionally disturbing sonic landscape comprised of dense and transcendent atmospheres interrupted by frantic, anxiety-inducing riffs, blastbeats, and a multi-dimensional barrage of ravenous screams, blood curdling shrieks, and harsh guttural lows. Conceptually, Pathos is a cryptic and abysmal collection of bleak philosophies, exploring esoteric theologies such as hermeticism and alchemy. Laden with contrast between religious and blasphemous connotations and the overall notion that the human condition is something to overcome, the record is as pulverizing as it is thought-provoking.”
5 | Psychonaut | Kabuddah
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Psychedelic post-metal trio Psychonaut will release their debut full-length, Unfold The God Man, on March 6. Psychonaut literally came from out of nowhere — Mechelen, Belgium, to be precise — but their debut album showcases truly world class musicianship and songwriting abilities, heavily influenced by ’70s bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, but also drawing inspiration from contemporary heavy artists like Tool or Amenra. Unfold The God Man is an intricate concept album tackling philosophical and existential themes, and ultimately exploring mankind’s re-ascension to a higher level of consciousness. The nearly seventy-minute-long album contains material from over three years of incessant writing, arranging, and recording. “We’ve always been interested in religion, spirituality, and philosophy,” comments Stefan DeGraef, who oversees all guitars and half the vocals in Psychonaut. “We’ve meditated together, had long discussions about the nature of life, the origin of consciousness, the purpose of existing etc. for as long as we’ve known each other. We share a common vision and have a connection. We were blessed with some experiences in the past which fundamentally changed the way we look at the universe and ourselves.”
6 | Lilly Hiatt | P-Town
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Lilly Hiatt is set to release Walking Proof on March 27. The 11-song set was produced by former Cage The Elephant member Lincoln Parish (Lucinda Williams, Lissie) and features guest appearances by Amanda Shires, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Luke Schneider, and Lilly’s father, the legendary singer-songwriter John Hiatt. Today, she shares album highlight P-Town.”
7 | Loveblind | War Planets
THE PRESS RELEASE: “While ‘international synthwave supergroup’ is enough of a descriptor to turn some heads, Loveblind are all the more impressive for making music since 2017 without ever having been in the same room. Spearheaded by Saint Marie Records owner Wyatt Parkins, the Texas-based label head initially joined forces with Joshua Garman of Florida’s Crash City Saints. The duo soon tapped Germany-based vocalist and songwriter Dorian Electrique of Seasurfer fame for her strikingly icy vocals, followed closely by fellow Seasurfer member Mikel Wegener on bass. Rounding things out, Neil Burkdoll of Florida’s Whimsical came aboard on guitar. Opening on the abrasively industrial War Planets, Loveblind aim and succeed in creating an album completely alien up against their previous bands.”
8 | Trauma | Inside The Devil’s Heart
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Polish death metal icons Trauma have issued Inside The Devil’s Heart, the lead single to their impending eighth studio full-length, Ominous Black. The Trauma crew offers, “Here you have the opening song from Ominous Black. After a short, tension-building intro, a real slaughter for ears begins. This song from the musical point of view is very varied, once you can feel the tension, which is like a destructive tornado rolling through the city. In the middle of the song, it transforms into a tar dripping ram, crushing everything that goes under it. Lyrics are also connected with all the emotions coming out from music. The song tells about senseless violence and hatred growing in a man in the face of a world that is devastated by war. The overwhelming gibberish of information, provoking for battle and religious extremism turns us into an army of stressed slaves, who are permanently in danger. Only a moment separates us from madness, which spreads like a deadly virus. Chaos, death, and destruction!”
9+10 | Luke De-Sciscio | R.O.B.Y.N. & I’m A Dream Fighting Out Of A Man
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Songwriter Luke De-Scisicio creates timeless music, emerging from the Southwest of England having seemingly been writing songs all his life. A special and striking young talent, Luke’s lyrics read like poetry, set to music that disarms in its simplicity. Today, De-Sciscio has announced his debut full-length album, Good Bye Folk Boy, will arrive March 13, along with the album’s first single, I’m A Dream Fighting Out Of Man, and its follow-up R.O.B.Y.N., is an ode to his partner. “It just wouldn’t have been the same if she wasn’t in the room,” Luke says. “It’s like having a mirror, and music isn’t a solitary thing. People share external spaces and internal spaces. Robyn and I reflect each other. That’s what love is.”
11 | Mister Nobu | Best of Me
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Mister Nobu is the solo project of Nobu Adilman, co-founder/director of Toronto’s Choir! Choir! Choir! Today, he shares the first new single, Best Of Me, from his upcoming LP Tavie, out March 27. “Tavie is all about the highs, lows, and ultimate breakup of a 20-year marriage but, the record begins with Best Of Me, a song about my father who died over 10 years ago,” says Adilman. “Working through the grief, I developed a stronger relationship with the dead, realizing that these bonds can continue to develop despite the absence of physical presence. That shift in perspective has made me feel less alone.”
12 | Volumes | Holywater
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Volumes have dropped the new song Holywater. The track arrives ahead of the band’s next full length. Volumes have also confirmed that vocalist Michael Barr has returned to the lineup after a five-year absence — much to the delight of fans. “Holywater is a new chapter. We’re cleansing any bad vibes from the situation and the scene as well. It felt perfect for where we’re at. Of course, it’s about me coming back to a degree, but it’s also about us returning as a unit. We want to make genuine art. This is a taste of what we can do together. It’s the next era for the band, so you get Holywater. It’s everything we want Volumes to be in 2020.”
13 | Evan Uhlmann | Dying Again
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Chicago based singer / songwriter Evan Uhlmann’s new single, Dying Again, is his first piece of music released in 9 years — and the first single off his upcoming new album Tea Lady, out March 27. Dying Again is a sad track about past lives and experiencing the same moment over again. The slightly twangy guitar in the background helps set a sad mood over the track. It’s hard not to imagine a sad moment of a time where things don’t work out in a positive manner while listening to this track. But, if one reads into the chorus they might find a different meaning. “It’s alright now, I think I’m dying again” (one of Uhlmann’s favorite lyrics from the album) is described by Uhlmann as not the end of things, but more so the transition into something else. Bringing a more positive light on a sad track.”
