Sam Doores hits the town, The Run Around bomb, Mikano makes it rain again, Before Sunday go to the devil and more in today’s Roundup. With tours, concerts and even album releases being postponed and cancelled left and right, the music industry is quite rightly on hold for the moment. But here’s one thing to keep in mind: Listening to music in the safety of your home isn’t going to be cancelled anytime soon. Hang in there and stay safe.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
1 | Sam Doores | Other Side Of Town
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sam Doores of The Deslondes (and formerly Hurray for the Riff Raff), is set to release his self-titled solo debut on Friday 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. Today he shares the video for the single Other Side of Town featuring Alynda Lee Segarra of Hurray For the Riff Raff.”
ALSO ON THE PLAYLIST
2 | The Run Around | Bombs Away
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Chicago party-punks The Run Around are preparing to release their upcoming EP Bombs Away and have unveiled the new single which is also the title track. While the five-piece is never one to shy away from a good time, they also aren’t afraid to comment on the state of the country and the world. With influences that include bands like Hot Water Music, Dropkick, Flatfoot 56, Alkaline Trio, Bouncing Souls, Rancid, Pennywise, Authority Zero, Zebrahead and Rise Against, its safe to say The Run Around is in-your-face, gang vocal- stuffed punk rock that pulls no punches. Bombs Away is an honest take on the state of the country and the world. Lyrically, the EP is blunt, fearless and unapologetic. After all, isn’t that that punk rock in its truest form?”
3 | Mikano | When It Rains Glitter Part 2
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Rising French-Cameroonian hip hop artist Mikano shares the second part of the video for When It Rains Glitter, taken from his recently released debut mixtape Melting Balloons. The two-part video, directed by visionary, up-and-coming Parisian director and photographer Lokmane, contemplates the nature of human life, which as Mikano explains is “full of highs and lows, beautiful surprises, deceptions, tears of joy and sadness. I think this song pictures that well”. Each part features six shots in which the cinematography evolves around the characters’ arc, playing with both utopian and dystopian fiction, Lokmane directs the video like an art gallery in which the viewers can walk through the different scenes as if they were paintings with different colour palettes telling the story.”
4 | Before Sunday | Devil
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Before Sunday is a band with a raw, energetic and personal attitude. Their sound blurs the lines between different genres, including pop, EDM, hard rock, funk, and alternative, revealing a rather eclectic approach to songwriting and a very impressive musicianship across the board. There is so much more to the band’s sound. They also have a more melodic side, which explores many nuances and different stylistic directions. In April, Before Sunday will release their first full-length album titled Anticipation, including the song Devil.”
5 | Claire Coupland | Leave Me Alone
THE PRESS RELEASE: “A Vancouver Islander at heart, now a Toronto-dwelling folk/roots singer songwriter, Claire Coupland effortlessly pulls her audience into her personal world of love and life experiences, but always with a touch of her wicked sense of humour. Claire’s newest single, Leave Me Alone, blends her style of intricate guitar playing and jazz influenced melodies, progressions and arrangements. The track has been paired with a visual highlighting Claire’s natural charisma with a dash of humorous narrative.”
6+7 | Tenci | Earthquake + Serpent
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Tenci is the project of Chicago musician Jess Shoman. Today, she offers her first single Earthquake and new song/video Serpent. Tenci began as Shoman’s bedroom-folk project in December 2018. The band name comes from Shoman’s grandmother’s name Hortencia, who she feels is her kindred spirit. Earthquake is about that ache when you recognize a feeling or a person starting to fade as you desperately grasp to keep it close. Serpent was one of the first songs Shoman wrote. It’s about the dizzying pain of lying to yourself and the journey of shedding old skin to find your truth. “The guitar solo bends and whines as the poison continues to seep in. As I move through the tunnel you can see the intoxicating effect it has, but it is one step closer to relief,” says Shoman. “It’s not until you finally speak your truth and become vulnerable that you can have resolution, even if that means the death of something.”
8 | Sasami | Mess
THE PRESS RELEASE: “In March 2019, Los Angeles songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sasami released her self-titled debut album. Its 10 tautly melodic rock tracks originated as a string of demos recorded straight to her iPad while on tour, and described the surprising ways that one’s relationships — with lovers, with friends, with oneself — can shift in a single year. Today, a full year since the release of her debut, Sasami shares a new track, Mess. Sasami said, “I started making my self-titled album almost three years ago. Since then I’ve fucked other people, healed bad relationships, broken new good ones, found more joy, more anger and everything in between. Mess is where I’m at now. I wanted to end the year of my first album campaign with one last sentence before I crack into the stone slab of my next album. This time I didn’t want to provide any visual counterparts. I just want people to listen.”
9 | Snotty Nose Rez Kids | Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!!
THE PRESS RELEASE: “British Columbia hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids have released their latest single Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!! in support of the Wet’suwet’en pipeline protests currently taking place across Canada. Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!! will appear on SNRK’s upcoming EP, Born Deadly, set to arrive April 3. Discussing Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!! and the anti-pipeline movement, Yung Trybez and Young D stated, “People close to us have been on the ground day in and day out putting their lives on the line to protect all our futures. We’re obviously frustrated by the lack of respect for Indigenous land rights and ownership, but watching the RCMP arresting our people for defending their land and protecting their territory, we felt rage. There’s such a long history of RCMP inflicting violence on our people and that rage boiled over into this song. Cops With Guns Are The Worst!!! is a rager, and for us this was the only way to tell that story. We see the Indigenous youth leading the current blockades. They’re fighting not just for the future of tomorrow, but for the future of today. This song was made specifically for them.”
10 | Steven Wilson | Personal Shopper
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Groundbreaking musician/songwriter/producer Steven Wilson has announced today’s premiere of a truly epic new track. Personal Shopper – which was inspired in part by acclaimed French director Olivier Assayas’ 2016 film of the same name – heralds Wilson’s eagerly awaited sixth solo album, The Future Bites, due to arrive everywhere on June 12. A striking trailer previewing the album’s provocative themes of high concept consumerism and post-internet evolution is streaming now. Co-produced in London by Wilson with David Kosten (Bat For Lashes, Everything Everything), The Future Bites sees Wilson exploring contemporary addiction and the lasting effect of ever-increasing technology on our daily lives. The album marks his most inventive and far-reaching musical construction to date, spanning soaring acoustics, lush electronica, relentless bass-driven grooves, murky funk, and so much more, all linked through powerfully focused songcraft and this one-of-a-kind artist’s always unique creative vision.”
11 | Argesk | Lord of the Boundless Void
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Combining exhilarating fury with an atmosphere of the most ancient of days, speeding through the howling darkness and a cascading rain of golden melody, Argesk return from the depths with that overwhelming elixir of reverence and horror bound in song. Riding upon the galloping drumming of Bob Kendrick, who served with Hecate Enthroned for over a decade, playing on lauded albums such as Redimus, Kings Of Chaos, Dark Requiems… and The Slaughter Of Innocence…, swathed in the cold mist of Leth’s keyboards, driven past madness by the howling vocals and icy riffs of Matt IH and bolstered by the underlying power of Dillon’s bass, Argesk are a new force in British black metal, built upon its revered foundations. On April 17, Realm Of Eternal Night will be unleashed and sent screaming across the skies like the wild hunt in full cry. The elemental force of Argesk will ride free with the war-torn standard of British black metal held high, its silver sigils of power gleaming in the night. Be ready to ride!”
12 | Alkymist | Draugr
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Danish progressive doom metal act Alkymist enter the void between heaven and hell with the release of their new album Sanctuary, set for release May 1. The first single from the forthcoming album, Draugr, is now streaming. A figure in Norse mythology, a Draugr is a member of the restless dead, who haunts the living in search for redemption. Alkymist on the song’s thematic concept: “On Draugr, Alkymist take the listener into a setting where time stands still, and conscience is lost. The soul cries out to get it back, but remorse has taken its place. Draugr is an old Norse wraith who guards its treasure, or torment those who wronged them in life. Its lonely spirit will never rest and has a great yearning for deliverance.”
13 | ACxDC | Satan Is King
THE PRESS RELEASE: “ACxDC are coming out swinging. Five years after their last full-length and four years after their last EP, ACxDC has seemingly stored up enough bile to fill several records. For now, they’ve squeezed what powerviolence they can onto their upcoming album, Satan Is King, due for release on May 15. For a band whose full moniker is Antichrist Demoncore, it may come as no surprise that Satan plays a prominent role across the record. However, Satan here serves as a motif; a motif for rebellion, for self-discovery, and for rejecting authority rather than as a literal figure of praise. Satan Is King is the antidote to excess, greed, and mindless indulgence. Notes vocalist Sergio Amalfitano of the latest bruiser. “The song is a sort of fuck you to Kanye West and any evangelical type. His whole album is praising Jesus as king and this title track is sort of a ‘so what? Satan is king, too.’ But in the lyrics, I see Satan as a rebellious liberator that’s king of his own domain and Jesus is an authoritarian demanding submission over all.”
14 | Grist Mil | Sea Of Trees
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Derrick Sherman (Sainthood Reps) announced his solo project Grist Mil with the release of his mesmerizing new single Sea Of Trees. Lyrically, Sea Of Trees is centered around a death fantasy, echoing some of the struggles that Sherman was facing in real life during the time the track was written. The song marks the first taste of music from Grist Mil’s upcoming EP, Young Dudley, out April 17. On writing the track, Sherman stated: “I started to write this song one morning in the back of the van outside of a hotel while on tour somewhere in Texas. The tour wasn’t going well, a few of us (in the band) were really tired of each other by that point. I just wanted to go home and get away from everyone for a while. We were stuck together for another couple of weeks and I couldn’t bare the thought of having to stick it out. I just wanted to die or be left behind. To be somewhere quiet and alone, seemed like luxury I wouldn’t be able to afford.”
15 | Ayla Brook & The Sound Men | Lift You Up
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Edmonton roots-rockers Ayla Brook & The Sound Men will release their new album Desolation Sounds on March 13, and have shared the third single Lift You Up. Ayla Brook (pronounced Ey–Lah) makes music as raw and vast as the Canadian Prairies. From his beginnings in Lily Plain, Sask., to successful records recorded with AA Sound System, to now his solo work, Ayla has never wavered from his original vision of honest roots rock. That vision is brilliantly captured on Desolation Sounds, produced by Terra Lightfoot and mixed by Jon Auer of The Posies and Big Star fame. It’s a collection of songs and stories about friends and family, bursting with rock and soul and the western charm that has become the band’s trademark.”
