Bear make out like bandits, Neck Deep get conceptual, Jack Bruno has a stroke of creativity, Slow Dakota build an obelisk and more in today’s Roundup. I’ve had enough. See you tomorrow. But be sure to check out that Nova Twins album. It’s a killer.
1 | Bear | Apollo’s Heist
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Belgian progressive metal/hardcore unit Bear will release their Propaganda full-length May 8. Bear invoke the spirit of great hardcore bands of the ’90s; bands like Catharsis or Gehenna, bands whose raw energy, uncompromising delivery, and relentlessly violent performance was as energizing and invigorating as it was puzzling for the oftentimes baffled audience, who had their teeth caved in by guitars thrown in their direction, and a frontman charging through them like a derailed freight train, coming to a flaming halt at the end of the room, behind the mixing desk. In advance of Propaganda, they unveil the brand-new video for Apollo’s Heist. Issues the band, “Apollo’s Heist is all about fighting a fight you cannot win, and even when you think you’ve won, there will always be some sort of revenge. So, the story continues. This was the first song we wrote for the new album, so it’s only fitting that it kicks off the new chapter for Bear.”
2 | Neck Deep | Lowlife
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Neck Deep have invited fans to join them on their next journey with the announcement of their highly anticipated fourth album All Distortions Are Intentional, due out July 24. No mere collection of songs, All Distortions Are Intentional is conceptually rich, with themes of disconnection, existential confusion, and the search for meaning. The album tells the story of a loner named Jett, who lives in a place dubbed Sonderland, a combination of “Wonderland” and the somewhat obscure word “sonder”: the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own, with their own ambitions and worries. “It’s that strange existential realization that you are not the entire world,” explains singer Ben Barlow. “Everyone around you feels and lives the same way that you do. You’re just an extra in their story.” The concept kicked off after the writing of lead single Lowlife, which welcomes fans into Sonderland along with protagonist Jett and the love of his life, Alice. It is vibrant and visceral and is the perfect invitation into the world of Sonderland.”
3 | Jack Bruno | Someday (Before U Get Bored)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Rising singer, rapper, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jack Bruno, who cooks up his own punked-up and gothed-out style of hip-hop, has dropped his new single Someday (Before U Get Bored) featuring The Strokes. “Last year, I played at the Rolling Loud Festival and the thought of making an authentic mix of early 2000s garage punk and modern hip-hop popped in my mind,” shares Bruno. “I remember wondering, if The Strokes were coming out today, what would they sound like? Or what would it be like if I let go of the idea of genres completely? I mention Rolling Loud because I thought, ‘Wow, I’m probably the only artist here that grew up playing in bands,’ and I felt like who better to make a real mix of the rock world of the 90’s/00’s and modern rap. I played in bands for years of my life and have toured as a rapper for years, too. I feel like this is the sound I was meant to make.”
https://youtu.be/1d6FF5t4cQE
4 | Slow Dakota | Obelisk
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Slow Dakota, the project from Chicago (by way of New York and Indiana) producer and label owner Paul Sauerteig, has released Obelisk, the first single off his upcoming album Tornado Mass for Voice & Synthesizer due out May 1. Obelisk is a very bold choice for the first single. The song contains a minute-plus synthesized pan flute solo, which is hard to justify, but in Obelisk, it represents the whirling, frantic voice of a tornado. A tornado that comes to terrorize a small, countryside village. Sauerteig grew up in the cornfields of Indiana, where tornadoes are an annual fact of life. They’re immensely powerful, yet graceful, nimble and coy. Almost apologetic for the mess they’re making. The Tornado is an intentional ambiguous metaphor throughout the entire album. Is the “tornado” a metaphor for global warming, or God, or both? A question that Sauerteig leaves that up to the listener.”
5 | The Beautiful Mistake | East Of Eden
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Vocalist/guitarist Josh Hagquist says East Of Eden “is about losing yourself and dealing with feelings of abandonment and loss. [Director] Andy Lara really envisioned shooting in the desert with visuals that show decay, loneliness, and a never-ending expanse of emptiness. Beau Burchell really captured the emotional highs and lows on the track with some of the heaviest music we’ve ever made.” Formed in 2000, The Beautiful Mistake are back after a long hiatus, ready to release brand new music. The band released two full-length albums: the 2002 debut album, Light A Match, For I Deserve To Burn, and 2004’s This Is Who You Are. They also released two EPs and had various songs featured on different compilation albums.”
6 | The Night Flight Orchestra | Aeromantic
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Aeromantic is the fifth album by The Night Flight Orchestra, or as we like to think of it ourselves, the fifth installment in the ever ongoing Night Flight Orchestra saga. This time, our heroes have decided to go back to Earth, or at least 10,000 ft above the Earth, with the occasional crash landing in the streets on the darker side of town, exploring the places where the broken hearted people go to numb themselves and drink their sorrows away. Aeromantic is also a street opera, about how everyone, despite their miserable daily lives, can find an escape route that transcends reality, and reinvent themselves to become another being, someone new and exciting. And perhaps one day even find themselves at a Night Flight Orchestra show, where the men are more handsome, the women are stronger, the drugs hit harder and the champagne is even more sparkling.”
7 | Mute Choir | Shadowboxing
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto-based rock trio Mute Choir unveil their debut album Silent Conversations today. It’s a coming-of-age tale through an anxious millennial lens; exploring themes of freedom, entrapment, and the self-reflection of inner conflicts that can pile up as one asks “who am I?” Second single Shadowboxing has an official video directed by Jessamine Folk. Their inspiration was “to create a surreal visual landscape for the music to live in and we found this through a combination of stark contrast and neofuturistic elements. The music video for Shadowboxing gave us an opportunity to bring these elements to life, to reflect the song’s meaning, with two opposing characters fighting for identity as they move in slow motion through a world that is both picturesque and indifferent.” The song is told from the perspective of someone who compromised ambitions in the face of fear and is now looking back on life, contemplating the what ifs. It’s about letting the weight of fear and negativity break one’s spirit over time.”
8 | Big Loser | Pessimist, For Real
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Austin rockers Big Loser have announced their new album Love You, Barely Living will be available on April 3. To coincide with the album announcement, the band as released a music video for the song Pessimist, For Real. Watch singer Chase Spruiell turn from henchman to hero as he battles his throwing star & baseball bat wielding classmates. If you’re a fan of The Menzingers and Spanish Love Songs you’ll definitely want to get familiar with Big Loser. Pairing hard-hitting lyrics with glistening song arrangements the band has quickly earned a seal of approval in the underground scene. Everything about Love You, Barely Living is big. Haunting guitars, roomy drums, and epic sing-along’s set the tone for Chase and the rest of Big Loser to showcase their songwriting skills. Love You, Barely Living plays like a coming of age film where no matter how many times the protagonist falls you just know they are going to be alright in the end.”
9 | Fight The Fight | Triggerfinger
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Norwegian high-octane metallers Fight The Fight drop their new single and music video Triggerfinger! It’s fast, it’s wild, it’s energetic! Bouncy guitar riffing opens up what Fight The Fight call their Triggerfinger. Musically the song lies in between a metalcore influenced version of Devin Townsend Project and crazy mathcore similar to the calm side of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Still, Fight The Fight maintain their unique style of modern, progressive and core-influenced metal. One of the catchiest choruses you’ll hear today follows uncommon rhythmical drum patterns, and makes Triggerfinger a true fun song to listen to. Bouncing heads incoming! The band states: “The song is about being at war with yourself, the mind and the alter ego. Everything gets out of control or maybe it all falls in part? It’s up to you how you see it.” Triggerfinger is the first single off their upcoming sophomore album titled Deliverance, to be released on Sept. 18.”
10 | High Shores | Ready To Fall
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Friendship is at the forefront of North Carolina pop-rock band High Shores’ identity, as well as the mission of making a positive impact with each release. Amanda Timothy, Kayla Wimert, and Carter Harris make up High Shores, a three-piece from Raleigh. They create a fresh new sound blending both synthesizers and distorted guitars with hard-hitting vocals heard in their new track Ready To Fall. Produced by Wes Lauterbach of electro-rock Lowborn, High Shores are determined to dominate the NC scene with track hooks fit for mainstream radio. “Ready to Fall is about forgiving either the person you’re with or forgiving the person who hurt you — being able to forgive and move on from it because you can’t be ready to love until you forgive the pain. I went through so many ups and downs with past relationships, and I got to the point I just wanted to love and be loved. I was ready to fall,” says Amanda Timothy.”
11 | Grizzly Coast | Forever
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Grizzly Coast’s newest single Forever blends her dreamy guitar rock sensibilities with thoughtful lyricism, evoking the feelings of longing and loneliness that you experience when you know you’re on the cusp of the end of a relationship. From the imaginative, yet highly-analytical mind of Alannah Kavanagh comes Grizzly Coast, the Toronto-based indie rock project with heavy-hitting instrumentation that tears up the stage and heavy-lifting lyrical narratives that compel you to think deeper.”
12 | Igorrr | Parpaing
THE PRESS RELEASE: “On March 27th, Igorrr will release their new album, Spirituality And Distortion. For a preview of the record, here’s a video for the new single Parpaing. Igorrr’s Gautier Serre comments: “We are so honored to welcome the final boss of death metal, George Fisher, to sing on one of the most brutal Igorrr tracks we have ever made. I’ve been a huge fan of George since the legendary albums Gallery of Suicide and Bloodthirst from Cannibal Corpse, which had a pretty serious influence on my music. His participation makes a complete sense to me and to this track: who’s got a better voice than George Fisher’s voice and could fit better on chiptune 8-bit music? Heaviness versus its opposite, I found on this track the perfect match, the perfect balance.”
13 | LYRICS x iNTeLL | Work It Out
THE PRESS RELEASE: “LYRICS and iNTeLL have just released the dark yet colorful video for Work It Out. The video was filmed and recorded at Dock Street Studio in Staten Island, home to 2nd Generation Wu artist & Wu Tang Clan members Method Man & Capodonna. This collaboration with iNTeLL was destined to happen and exudes deep emotions, stacked with R&B samples, iNTeLL’s heavy flows and Lyrics’ melodic outro. The video invites you to see iNTeLL and Lyrics’ honest and true selves and visually gives off a mysterious darkness, that counteracts with a rainbow gleam of lights speeding up the mood, and complimenting the fast pace mix of emotions throughout. iNTeLL explains his process, “I hit the studio that night feeling a different kind of creativity flowing through me. Inspired by real life events, I used that motivation to tell a story in what I believed the most interesting & intense way. To me work it out was exactly what the title is made out to be,” adds Lyrics. “We came together we took two different styles and we made it work that’s what you got. In simpler terms, listen to the music.”
https://youtu.be/9IDUD0ZL2xQ
14 | Evrlove Blake | I’m Sorry
THE PRESS RELEASE: “For Edmonton-based reggae/hip hop artist Evrlove Blake, the creative process is all about harnessing, channeling and transmitting emotion through the vehicle of his well-crafted beats, hypnotic production, and effervescent dynamic vocal performances. His most recent single/video, I’m Sorry, is the epitome of his skill in making a song where the instrumentation and rhythms are delightfully infectious, while still being able to approach a subject relating to the complexities of male-female relationships. It’s the process of making yourself vulnerable and humble enough to apologize to the person you love most. “It’s about a situation I was going through and learning that it’s not only okay but good and healthy to say ‘I’m sorry’ and to work your way past the problem to make a relationship stronger. It’s about me overcoming my pride and stubbornness and immaturity to get over that hurdle and that it’s good to be open and vulnerable,” Evrlove explained. “At the same time, I also explore the female side, where she accepts the apology, accepts you and respects you. It’s about not letting your ego get in the way, because it may cost you the best thing you’ve ever had in your life.”
15 | David Haerle | The Free Show
THE PRESS RELEASE: “When my longtime partner Erica sees a sunset or an exquisite cloud formation she’ll say, ‘Look, a free show!’ shares Los Angeles singer/songwriter/guitarist David Haerle. “When we take the time to look around us and really see, we find ourselves surrounded by amazing things.” This idea sparked the inspiration for his latest single and corresponding music video. The Free Show is the latest single to be released from Haerle’s forthcoming sophomore album Death Valley, due out May 8.”
16 | Big Gigantic | Burning Love
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Today, Colorado-based duo Big Gigantic release their highly anticipated album, Free Your Mind, and the debut music video for Burning Love (feat. Kidepo). Known for her ability to fuse distinctly dreamy and atmospheric visuals with honest performances, director Eliza Brownlie reinforces this theme telling the story through the lens of three couples sharing experiences of spontaneous dates, sharing Chinese food after a trivial fight and giving all the kisses after messing up a haircut all while showing the true meaning of unwavering love.”
https://youtu.be/phcvubBTQfA
17 | Victoria K | Forsaken
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Australia’s Victoria K shares her new video Forsaken featuring Sheri Vengeance in support of the forthcoming debut album Essentia, due out April 24. Victoria K adds about the track: “Forsaken is written about when you turn away from your beliefs and you lose your morals and your way in life. Your thoughts become clouded and unclear while you search for guidance and clarity. Feeling lost, angry and unsure of how and what you are before finding your way again which lifts the veil and gives you clear vision and direction again.”
18 | Vanessa Skantze | Writhing Treasure Feast
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Writhing Treasure Feast is a soundtrack for the solo dance exploration by activist and luminary Butoh dancer Vanessa Skantze. Here Skantze explores the sounds of the fierce beauty, pain, resourcefulness, and resurrection of the land, the people, the creatures, and elements of the original Americas, dancing with the gods of Mexico, North America, and Haiti primarily. Writhing Treasure Feast draws from the artist’s travels to Mexico and Haiti, her experience and initiation into a Vodou Sosyete (community) in New Orleans, and her residency in Seattle, the traditional land of the Duwamish People. Skantze produced, directed, choreographed, and performed the live dance elements of the piece as well as conceptualized, co-produced, and commissioned the music, photography, original text, and painting aspects of this magnum opus which incorporates the skills of a host of vanguard sound artists including Masaaki Masao, Erymanthe (Joy Von Spain and Susan Dumett), Pink Void, Greg Campbell and Sioux City Pete, Morher, Noisepoetnobody and Uneasy Chairs, and Noisepoetnobody and Cailleach.”
19 | Sheenah Ko | See You
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sheenah Ko’s new single and video See You, the second single from her forthcoming album Nowhere In Time (releasing March 27, 2020) is an upbeat, dance-y track about rediscovering your inner child (ie: your 7-year-old self) before life/adult expectations came in the picture. “When I wrote See You, I was just coming to the realization that this is a huge step in growing up, or else, you could become way too disconnected with yourself,” said Ko. It’s an incredible feeling when you can see and live life the way you did as a child, knowing this is who you really are with that pure, honest energy and curiosity.”
20 | You, Me, And Everyone We Know | F.I.N.E.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “You, Me, And Everyone We Know are thrilled to share F.I.N.E., the band’s first single of 2020. Recorded by at Kaleidoscope Studios in the group’s hometown of Lancaster, PA, the song marks the first full-band recording since 2015. Vocalist Ben Liebsch explains, “For current fans, F.I.N.E. is the Carolina Heat of the next release, the why and how we got here. For everyone else, F.I.N.E. is about finding the enlightenment we all seek during the healing process after a traumatic experience. Anyone familiar with PTSD knows there is a whole litany of symptoms that are not just mental, but physical, and it all came to a head last December when a broom fell in my bathroom. My body was so overwhelmed by stress and physical activity that it just hit a hard shutdown button. I woke up on the floor five minutes later with blood everywhere, and I quickly realized I was exhibiting the signs of a concussion. That is when things with music picked up again.”
21 | Fat Freddy’s Drop | Six- Eight Instrumental
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Fat Freddy’s Drop recently released their new studio album Special Edition Part 1. Today they unveil the animated video for Six- Eight Instrumental. The music video travels to Audio Cancri 55 in Galaxy SE 68, a distant galaxy inhabited by Blingler fish, I’m-Not-A-Vampire squid, Beam Daddy and big MD. “I was heavily inspired by nature, particularly the deepest of sea creatures who rely on bioluminescence to attract food, or a mate. And also life-forms with six or eight legs, or tentacles, and with intricate symmetry. Then the digital painting and animating began which engendered more six/eight/light/sound characters – Lobsterphonic, the Manteagle, Beam Daddy and the ultimate world of Audio Cancri 55.” Um, OK:
22 | Sad Songs For Happy People | Girl
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from Amsterdam, Sad Songs for Happy People return with EP 02 – a bittersweet tryptic of new wave tunes. The video for the opening track, the gender-agnostic Girl, is lip-synced by a boy and features swaying men in skirts, in a eerie setting that steals from Lynch and Kubrick’s cinema, unapologetically. Add an old fashioned double-bass, 80’s synths and grieving lyrics to the mix et voilà.”
23 | Deborah Holland | Fine, Thank You!
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Deborah Holland releases the title track from her forthcoming album titled Fine, Thank You!, due out March 27. Co-produced and engineered by Winston Hauschild on Bowen Island, BC, Fine, Thank You! features a stellar cast of collaborators like Stewart Copeland of The Police behind the kit on four cuts, Juno-winning backup vocalist Shari Ulrich, and Patterson Barrett on pedal steel. “Since her ‘escape’ from Animal Logic back in the day, Deborah has grown and grown as an artist as her songs go even deeper into a life lived,” Copeland says, adding about the EP’s title track: “Fine, Thank You! is indeed great; very distinctive the way the vocals weave around a really poignant lyric.” Ulrich also offers some deserved praise, saying: “Deborah is one of those rare gems who has it all – exceptional songwriting with bold, insightful, and honest lyrics and a voice with a pure, gorgeous tone to deliver them. She’s the real deal.”
24 | Dr. Fresch | Bon Appétit
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Crunchy midtempo intersects with trapped out hip hop on Dr. Fresch’s glo up anthem Bon Appétit, featuring verses from Chetta. Returning to the spotlight with his first solo vocal single release in nearly two years, Dr. Fresch doubles down on his forward-thinking blend of hip hop, house and trap as he emerges with Bon Appétit. In addition, Dr. Fresch has been in the lab cooking up mixes for his die-hard fans. Earlier this month he dropped the second installment of his annual compilation, The Remedy, which featured 21 songs from his close friends alongside 3 new originals.”
25 | Solothus | Below Black Waters
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Finnish quintet Solothus prepares to issue their third album, Realm Of Ash And Blood, on March 27. The label has dispatched its crushing fifth song Below Black Waters. Solothus’ Realm Of Ash And Blood drops a dripping broadsword of Cimmerian carnage and staggering death-soaked doom delirium on the scorched landscape from which only mounds of skull dust and obsidian shards shall remain. Solothus has stormed the gate, stained it with blood of pretenders, and taken the jeweled throne. Fans of Runemagick, Hooded Menace, Coffins, My Dying Bride, Krypts, Derketa, Ossuarium, Crowbar, and Celtic Frost, do not miss this.”
26 | Sam Doores | Windmills
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sam Doores of The Deslondes (and formerly Hurray for the Riff Raff), is set to release his self-titled solo debut March 13. Written on-and-off over the course of several years, Doores’ captivating solo debut is classic and contemporary all at once. Blending traditional southern roots, New Orleans R&B, and psychedelic landscapes, Sam Doores is a cinematic and infectious collection that reckons with heartache and loss, love and gratitude, fresh starts and, ultimately, a whole lotta change. “I wrote Windmills some years back while touring with friends through Montana and Wyoming. I was inspired by the landscape and the feeling of that part of the world, huge skies and wide-open spaces. It gives the mind plenty of room to reflect and dream. During that trip some childhood stuff came up as I noticed I was beginning to develop a similar relationship to alcohol as many of the men in my family had before me. I always hated seeing my dad drunk as a kid and didn’t want to go down that road myself. Part of why I wrote this song was to remind myself about all that.”
27 | Stefan Alexander | Cry Again
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Cry Again came in the wake of a long battle with chronic pain, a time when I was unable to sing or play music without intense discomfort,” says queer NYC artist Stefan Alexander of the title track to his sophomore EP of the same name (which will be released independently on April 3). Succumbing to a phantom illness that left him in chronic pain for three years, he was diagnosed with a relatively new disease called Central Sensitization Syndrome which led him to a much-needed road to recovery. “During that time and for many months after I had recovered, I felt so emotionally limited, which likely was a coping mechanism for what I was going through. When my family’s dog died, the flood gates finally opened. I felt like a real person again. I’d forgotten the catharsis that comes with shedding tears. There’s nothing else like it!” Cry Again is a celebration of expressing deep thoughts and feelings. “I wanted to make this song the title track of my upcoming EP because the emotional release that inspired it opened me up to tell a lot of the other stories on the EP,” he explains. “I’ve consistently found that the times I can make myself vulnerable are the moments I feel most connected to other people, and that’s really what the EP is all about.”
28 | Luke De-Sciscio | Told You
THE PRESS RELEASE: “British songwriter Luke De-Sciscio will release his debut full-length album Good Bye Folk Boy on March 13. Today, De-Sciscio released the album’s third single Told You, a beautifully lilting, finger-picked, deeply atmospheric song that he describes as a “stream of consciousness outpouring.” De-Sciscio continues: “The darkness, the sum of my actions, the years of self-serving chaos that led to the snap that necessitated this album’s birth – it all sort of takes full flight at this point on the record, in Told You. It’s the tantrum that leaves itself behind. It’s the ultimate forgiveness song. I think a lot of people can maybe get through their life without ever realizing they are the gravity at the center of their own black hole.”
29 | Tru Trilla | 20 to Life feat. Prince Ak
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The new single released today by Newark’s Tru Trilla, 20 to Life features fellow 050 Boyz member Prince Ak. Produced by another New Jersey native Joey Loax, the pair take it in turn to aim their sights and pull the verbal trigger on wack rappers with more dresses in their locker than rhymes. Fierce trademark bars delivered over a classic east coast beat, a street heater taken from The Seymour Chronicles EP out on March 17, the warm up to his God of Barz album dropping in May.”
30 | Samantha Lindo | Underside
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Samantha Lindo is a Bristol-based soul, UK jazz and trip-hop artist of mixed Jamaican heritage making waves both locally and nationally. She has been championed as having ‘a voice that is hauntingly flawless, which has crowds mesmerised within seconds.’ “Underside is crafted from lived experience, the song celebrates the value of speaking from the underside, the place of suffering that we would sometimes prefer to conceal and mask.” Speaking of the writing process, Lindo explains: “The track was written for my friend who was struggling. I wanted to welcome and celebrate her honesty and vulnerability as it is those things that both deepen relationships and also start to heal the hurt and the video, through a simple performance, maps the journey out of this shadowy isolation.”
31 | Son of Dave | Carry On
THE PRESS RELEASE: “This is triple “A” Son of Dave and a hit if ever he made one. As timely as all his tunes, this one tries to give some courage to those feeling knocked down or defeated. Damn if this doesn’t work just like someone grabbing your feel-good gland and wringing it ’til you’re back in the saddle with a vengeance. Over the last couple decades a few artists have dabbled with blues music trying to sell it to a wider audience. Son of Dave has been spitting out unique gems the whole time, With Carry On he’s refined the credo of the Bluesman to a few simple words and infectious riffs. It’s pure blues based euphoria in pop song disguise. He’s teamed up again with Producer & co-writer Tim Gordine (Devil Take My Soul, Bringing It Home, Aint Going To Nike Town) to rev it up for your sophisticated modern tastes. You are being spoiled rotten.”
32 | The Sounds | Things We Do For Love
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Write as many good songs as possible and enjoy it while you’re on a roll. We had a great time writing this one! No pressure just having fun,” explains vocalist Maja Ivarsson for Swedish indie rockers The Sounds about the goal for the new album Things We Do For Love, which is set for release on May 1. Fortuitously, not only did they have a great time working on this record, they delivered 11 songs that rank among the best in their six album oeuvre. Kicking off with the propulsive title track, the innate chemistry among the five band members converge in a melodic synergy. Things We Do For Love strains with Johan Richter’s muscular staccato bassline that highlights Maja’s very distinctive assertive vocals while the guitar work of Felix Rodriguez along with the keyboards and guitar from Jesper Anderberg weave in and out of Fredrik Blond’s focused drums. It’s a seamlessness that carries throughout the album.”
33 | The Prototypes | Shadows
THE PRESS RELEASE: “British Drum and Bass duo The Prototypes release their new single Shadows feat. Lily McKenzie today and confirm their upcoming third album, Ten Thousand Feet & Rising, scheduled for release on May 22. The first offering from the group upcoming new album, Shadows is in their own words; “a throwback to the Hardcore scene from the late 90s. With a piano line influenced by pivotal names through the history of the UK’s rave scene such as Vibes & Wishdokta, DJ Dougal, Slipmatt, and Nookie, to which we added a straight-up banger of a bassline.” Shadows features Lily McKenzie — known for her collaborations with heavyweights including Giggs, Conducta Wiley, as well as providing vocals on Crazy Cousinz’s 2017 smash hit No Way alongside Yxng Bane and Mr Eazi.”
34 | Eden Iris | The Love That Still Lives Here
THE PRESS RELEASE: “New Zealand-native, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Eden Iris has released the single The Love That Still Lives Here, inspired by the terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand on 3/15/19. Two days following the attack last year, Eden was on a flight to visit family in New Zealand: “On the plane ride over, I remember the mood being incredibly somber. There was a women at the back of the plane who couldn’t stop crying. I wrote the lyrics as a poem when we were in our final descent to Auckland (“floating through a bed of cloud, I sit with this grief”) just to process everything, and didn’t put them to music until later on.” Although inspired by tragedy, The Love That Still Lives Here also expresses love and hope Eden felt: “I arrived in sunny Napier, Hastings on Friday morning and attended a memorial service on the waterfront with my family the next day. The love and compassion expressed by everyone was so inspiring — it truly moved me, and I think the rest of the world. At the end of the day, love will win.”
35 | Lex Leosis | Gemini
THE PRESS RELEASE: “An artist well known for her dynamic flows, aggressive stage presence and elaborate story-telling, Lex Leosis is loud, opinionated, constantly fighting for what she believes in and hungry to make something of her family name. Growing up in the West End of Toronto with a single mother who worked around the clock taught her discipline, hard work and survival. It gave Lex the energy to perfect her craft, grow her career and exchange stories with artists from all over the world. Lex’s new single, Gemini, is a downtempo track with a trap-inspired beat and a deeply personal message for every bisexual person who has been asked to choose a side. “The song stemmed from a conversation I had with a woman, who stated that, she ‘didn’t date bisexual woman because they always go back to men’….I had an ex partner who is a Gemini, that had similar feelings, so when she said that, I just held on to this frustration, both past and present, until I got home, and then wrote both verses in like 45 minutes. The analogy of the two sides of a Gemini, and bisexuality just came naturally with the story. This song inspired me to live in my truth. To come out to my family, to the world. For so long I felt like I had to choose. I hope that this song makes someone feel heard, and understood.”
