King Falcon serve up a shake, Marcelø Deiss enjoys some horseplay, Prohibition Dead unroll a new number, Pete Zen wants to be your everything and more in today’s Roundup. Spring is officially here: My neighbour’s endless garage party has begun!
1 | King Falcon | Shake, Shake, Shake
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Eclectic and genre defying, King Falcon are an NYC duo that are becoming a rock and roll force on the rise. The band is constantly pushing themselves to explore innovative sounds by blending musical styles, and they have released the video of their danceable new single Shake, Shake, Shake. The infectious track with an instantly funky, sticky chorus (think Black Keys meets Cage The Elephant, with a touch of Tame Impala thrown in for good measure) was composed by King Falcon’s Michael Rubin and James Terranova, along with music producers Heavy at NRG Studios in North Hollywood. Rubin explains how the song came together: “James and I flew out to Los Angeles to work on Shake! Shake! Shake! We had never been to LA, and only had three days to write and record the entire song. We didn’t have any prewritten ideas, we just kind of went with the flow of the moment and hoped for the best. The night before tracking, we found out that the studio didn’t have a snare drum or cymbals, or even an engineer available at the time. Luckily our hotel was right next to an instrument rental facility… But unluckily that facility was closed due to a parade on Hollywood Blvd! With a bunch of scrambling and many anxious phone calls, we scrounged up a drum set and James decided to engineer the song himself.”
2 | Marcelø Deiss | Horses Running
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Marcelø Deiss is a Brazilian born, London-based artist whose music dances between indie, blues, folk and rock. His music details themes about social alienation and human condition in subjects like greed, hypocrisy, absurdity and despair. The South American artist feeds off irony, satire and a dose of dark humor to make audiences see the obvious that goes unnoticed in everyday life. In his latest work, he touches on narratives revolving around the constant struggles and injustice we face in our society and how it is affecting us all. Horses Running deals with themes such as greed and social disaffection. Marcelø confides, “I think it’s important to discuss topics about our society and the current problems we face together in the modern world. This to me seems more relevant due to the current situation our society is facing right now.”
https://youtu.be/tSyq4hvIuA4
3 | Prohibition Dead | Corona Girl
THE PRESS RELEASE: “A couple of weeks after the official release of their brand new EP called Unless You’re Afraid To Change, French stoner/fuzz/garage power-trio Prohibition Dead just premiered a brand new, completely DIY music video illustrating the song Corona Girl. 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 Blacks Keys and Jack White.”
4 | Pete Zen | Be My Motherfxcker
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Pete Zen is a solo artist and producer from the outskirts of New York City with a charming new music video for single Be My Motherfxcker. With a light and airy tone, Be My Motherfxcker is a catchy and fun distraction from our current situation, and uses refreshing and joyful guitars to bring forward a romantic sentiment. “Be My Motherfxcker is a song that was written and recorded in one sitting while the entire music industry took a nosedive because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Locked away in my room with all upcoming tour dates canceled, I decided to write a non-traditional love song, not beat around the bush and get straight to the point in a world that is overly confusing and frustrating right now. Let me be your motherfucker.”
https://youtu.be/HWhZ9chYOUc
5 | Red Vienna | Tomhet
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Tomhet is the Norwegian word for emptiness and serves as a token of the overwhelmingly haunting sentiment of Red Vienna’s upcoming release. Red Vienna’s bassist and vocalist Jahmeel Russells explains that, “the song Tomhet deals with depression and hopelessness. A completely raw and honest expression. In order to make music of darkness you have to really live it. If one attempts to write a love song without being in love, the result is most likely to be miserable at best.” Director Adrian Mottram comments on the music video, “I wanted to convey the feeling of isolation and the unknown that resides within ourselves. The video was shot over several early mornings and nights. Joshua Murdock dedicated a ton of time developing the character and we shot so much more than we could use. In order to save time we only used 1 lens, a shot with available light only (apart from the strobing red). I’m so grateful for Red Vienna allowing me to have 100% freedom to create this.”
6 | Kalbells | Mothertime
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Kalbells — the project led by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Kalmia Traver — is sharing Mothertime, the title track (and accompanying lyric video made in quarantine with a microscope) from her forthcoming EP co-produced with Jeremy Malvin (aka Chrome Sparks), releasing April 10. Mothertime is about Traver’s mother and their relationship together. As Traver explains in her own words: “It’s about the bewildering beauty and uncanniness of the fact that we can keep growing & changing so much, cueing off each other across our two mobius-entwined lifetimes.” Lyrically, the Mothertime EP sees Kal processing themes she has been continually chewing on in the 6-year wake of surviving ovarian cancer and transforming a codependent relationship wither her long-time music partner Alex Toth: resilience, yielding, beckoning creativity, self-exploration, and joy.”
7 | Voodoo Bandits | Empty Swimming Pool
THE PRESS RELEASE: “UK-based four-piece indie-rock band Voodoo Bandits are sharing their latest dynamic music video for Empty Swimming Pool. With a focus on upbeat and energetic music, Voodoo Bandits use inspiration from the likes of Circa Waves and Hockey Dad to carve out their own vibrant, full of life sound. In turn, their style takes after some of the indie-rock greats, including The Strokes, Car Seat Headrest and Grouplove. Embracing youthful bright colours, Voodoo Bandits venture into an indoor skatepark for the music video of Empty Swimming Pool. Opening with a cheerful electric guitar riff and slamming drums, the track takes electronic embellishments and pairs them with a solid bassline and tight grooves. The energy in the skatepark meets the same vigorous energy within the song, electrifying its listeners with an exuberant chorus, compact riffs and dripping reverbs. With flashbacks to the 90s lifestyle of hardcore skating, the music video is sure to appeal to all those who are young at heart. Speaking of the concept behind the music video, Voodoo Bandits tell us, “We wanted to create a fun, easy going, video that accompanied the vibe of the song. Expressing our personalities as a band; to us the song sounds like a skateboard on a half-pipe, if that makes any sense! So we went down to our local indoor skatepark, grabbed some B-roll of ourselves and some skaters and got jamming! To top it off we used some 90s video cam aesthetics to fit the theme.”
8 | Jocelyn Alice & Mathew V | Missing Me
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian recording artist Jocelyn Alice recently teamed up with fellow Canadian Mathew V on their brand new song Missing Me, and just released their new video for the tune! The Calgarian singer-songwriter responsible for the monumental 2015 hits Jackpot and Bound to You calls Missing Me her “favourite collaboration yet”. The upbeat, catchy track features Jocelyn and Mathew’s remarkable vocals with lyrics that lament a love lost, and question if the other person feels the same way. The video was directed by Canadian director, Emma Higgins, and beautifully highlights the theme of the song — longing for someone while wondering if the other person might be missing them too.”
9 | Ruthie Foster Big Band | Mack The Knife
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Comfort zones are sweet spots; that’s why they’re so easy to stay in. But Ruthie Foster refuses to get too cozy; she’d rather plot escapes from hers than dwell there. Breaking out wasn’t enough for her latest album, however. This time, she wanted to step out — and on the night of Jan. 26, 2019, she did, right onto the 105-year-old stage of Austin’s grand-dame Paramount Theater, where she fronted a guitarist, keyboardist, bassist and drummer, plus 10 horn players, three backing vocalists and one conductor. And one adorable daughter handling the introduction. The recorded result is Live at the Paramount, featuring the classic Mack The Knife. “Mack The Knife has always been one of my favorites. I had the rare opportunity to catch Ella Fitzgerald perform her rendition with the Louis Bellson Orchestra at Radio City Music Hall shortly before she stopped performing live. It was glorious! I changed a few verses for my Austin audience on this recording, along with a few extra modulations for fun!”
10 | Nite | Hurt No More
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Dallas electronic rock artists Nite unveil their new music video Hurt No More, the newest song to be released from their third studio album Sleepless, which is out April 17. Hurt No More brings a positive message in our current troubling times. Myles Mendes explains in more detail what drove him to write Hurt No More: “I wrote this song deep in winter, sick out of my mind, and quarantined in a basement located in the small town of Steinbach, Manitoba. I wanted to create a summery vibe with this tune by mashing up my influences of INXS and Amii Stewart. It was a great escape from the five feet of snow outside and from the basement that made me feel trapped and claustrophobic. The song is about a new relationship forming, and both people leaving past heartbreaks behind.”
11 | Professor & the Madman | Séance
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Professor & the Madman, a musical group comprised of veterans from both the U.S. and UK rock scenes, begin unveil their forthcoming album’s title track, Séance. The members of Professor & the Madman are vocalist/guitarist Alfie Agnew (Adolescents, D.I.), vocalist/guitarist Sean Elliott (D.I., Mind Over Four), bassist Paul Gray (The Damned, Eddie & the Hot Rods), and drummer Rat Scabies (formerly of The Damned). “A séance typically refers to a ritual used to make contact with a person who has died,” says Agnew. “We see the songs on our new album as attempting to re-establish contact with an era, a way of life, that has died. More specifically, our goal is to evoke the strong connection we felt toward music in our youth — the ritual of bringing home an album from the record store and totally immersing yourself in its journey. We love albums and this group exists to celebrate them. Our new songs tend to be reflective, as we remember former friends and band members who may no longer be along for the ride.”
12 | VAR | Run
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Reykjavík emotional post-rock collective VAR is debuting a new track titled Run off their upcoming album The Never-Ending Year, out April 24. Guitarist Arnór Jónasson says, “Run came together very quickly in the writing process. We had gone through it at rehearsals but weren’t sure if it fit on the record. When we were working with our producer he asked if we had some other ideas. We played him some parts of Run and he said that there was no chance that we were skipping this song.” Vocalist/guitarist Júlíus Óttar adds, “You could say that Run is a bit of a return to our roots. We wrote it when we had just started rehearsing in my dad’s garage again, like me and Egill did when we were young, and that might have had some influence on the songwriting. We played faster and louder. We were not sure about how it would fit in with other songs on the album, as we felt it had a different vibe, more pop than the other songs, but our producer, Eiður, said we should definitely keep it. The song is about being there for your friends. Sticking by them through their difficult times, to go the distance for them, to run if they run.”
13 | Tru Trilla | Word of God
THE PRESS RELEASE: “New Jersey’s Tru Trilla releases his new album God of Barz on May 29. It’s the followup to his EP The Seymour Chronicles which dropped on March 17. Production on the new album is courtesy of Newark native (now resident in LA) Clinton Place aka Jamal Nueve, Chicago’s DNA Beatz, Barcelona’s Sumerio Square and the UK’s Chat One. Fellow 050 Boyz group member Prince Ak is included in the Brick City contingent of featured artists together with Fly Kwa, Middy Murdock and Confucious. This one’s for the heads, raw and uncompromising, the energy is intense as Tru tackles political tensions, corruption, equal opportunities and the current state of hip hop delivered in a series of fierce and passionate rhymes over a raucous soundtrack that will give the neck muscles a serious work out. First single Word of God, produced by DNA Beatz, aims the gloves at state-sponsored oppression and delivers multiple knockout blows.”
14 | Tia Carrera | Layback
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Austin, Texas-based heavy psych/blues rock instrumental trio Tia Carrera will release their long-awaited Tried And True full-length June 12. The band is famously selective about what they release to the public. With each performance unique by virtue of improvisation, they’ve amassed a huge, never-issued collection of recorded material, both live performances and private studio tracks. Tried And True is a sonic voyage culled from their latest studio work and across a 37-minute LP (the compact disc runs 71 minutes with the only-previously-on-vinyl Visitors and Early Purple as CD bonus tracks) the three-piece once again scorches their way into the hearts of the lysergic converted. As veterans, Tia Carrera remains fueled by passion and creative drive, and any time they’ll let us hear what they’ve been up to, we can only consider ourselves lucky.”
15 | Paralysis | Oblivious
THE PRESS RELEASE: “New Jersey-based crossover thrash unit Paralysis will unleash their fiery Mob Justice full-length May 29. While the 2010s coalesced around an ambitious revival of thrash metal, bands in the 2020s boldly forge a new epoch for the genre. A part of the new movement begins with Paralysis’ second full-length. Fusing thrash metal sensibilities with the kinetic, juggernaut brawn of old-school East Coast hardcore and the relentless savagery of Tampa-area death metal, the band’s predecessor to their critically lauded Life Sentence debut spews forth ten ferocious odes of sonic barbarity. In advance of the record’s release, Paralysis is pleased to unveil Oblivious for communal feasting. Notes guitarist Ron Iglesias of the track, “We’re very happy with Oblivious. We think it represents clear growth from the last album, musically, and lyrically. We were more focused with the concept this time around, and everyone was pretty heavily involved in the writing process which is reflected perfectly in the new single.”
16 | KRV | Motherless Abyss
THE PRESS RELEASE: “French black metal project Krv announce the imminent release of their self-titled debut album this April 17, but you can stream cathartic debut single Motherless Abyss right now! “Among humans, some were born and raised on the fringes of mass conformism. It has always been this way, and always will be. The ancestral chi is the black flame that opens our eyes and souls and makes us realize the pointlessness of our existence, our gods, governments, institutions and heroes. All this has been created to give a purpose to an existential void that should be no less than the absolute void. A peaceful void.”
