Thanks to the inexplicable popularity of my Submit Music page, I always have albums, EPs, singles and videos stacked up like virtual cordwood, awaiting my perusal. Here are some of the latest submissions that caught my ear — including a slice of synth-rock gamesmanship, some top-shelf down-home blues, a double handful of Canadian electronica and more. At least one of them oughta float your boat. To that end, I’ve included Bandcamp links wherever possible so you can buy the music straight from the source. Tell ’em I sent ya. And if you’ve got something I need to hear, send it my way. If I think you’re half as good as you think you are, I just might include you next time.
Alpha Chrome Yayo
19th Hole
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The hard drivin’, hole-in-one of a golf-themed album you didn’t know you needed so badly! 19th Hole is the latest irresistible release from acclaimed Belfast-based retromancer, Alpha Chrome Yayo. Raw power on the fairway! Romance on the green! After-hours shenanigans in the clubhouse! Just another day at the 19th Hole. This explosive album is fuelled by white-hot funk, robot-rap, wild guitar solos, crunchy chiptune grooves, catwalk cool and lazy chillwave; a hypnagogic soundtrack to the virtual golf club of your dreams. It’s Caddyshack meets Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge, wrapped in a cashmere sweater and jauntily tied around the shoulders. Ferociously good fun while seriously groove-inducing, 19th Hole is another addictive release from an utterly insatiable producer. Don’t miss your tee time! Your club membership is pre-approved.”
Spencer Kilpatrick
Four Big Water Blueses
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Recorded at home after losing my weekly gigs to COVID-19, these are 4 introspective, wandering, and lo-fi original blues songs.”
DSTRK
The Couture EP
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Kansas City native DSTRK (pronounced “District”) has released The Couture EP. DSTRK is showcasing his versatility as he flips through a number of styles from bedroom raps to avant-garde soul with his pensive lyrics, woozy beats and heavy reverb. You may not have known who DSTRK is but it’s quite possible that he’s already a part of your life musically in one way or another. Whether performing at the Grammys with such heavy hitters as DJ Khaled, Meek Mill or John Legend or working behind the boards with the likes of DaniLeigh or Janelle Monae, DSTRK is that artist you never knew you needed until you heard him and now you can’t live without him. He has a unique way of identifying with everyone without committing to one style. He is one of the few artists that never tries to fit a specific mode, yet has the unique ability to incorporate every mood. DSTRK hails from Kansas City, KS, and is an artist that reps his city strongly. He gets his name from his hometown school district, District 500. “I go by DSTRK to honor every school teacher, pastor, parent, aunt, uncle, and mentor that has helped mold me into the person I am today. I took out the letter “I” because “I” could have never made it on my own. The K at the end is for Kansas City Kansas.”
Clash Contrast
Left-Right EP
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Active since 2007, distributing independent digital and physical releases since that time in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Clash Contrast has compiled more than thirty-five tracks, and has participated in live performance and radio airplay. Clash Contrast has worked in collaboration with other musical artists, both acoustic and electronic.”
Maurice James
Rare View
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Rare View is a three-song EP (similar in sound to John Legend, Bon Iver) that is comprised of the first 3 songs that I wrote after I moved from my hometown, Chicago, to Los Angeles in 2018. I had literally just graduated from Northwestern University a couple of days prior, and I loaded up my car, and drove for 30 hours from Chicago to Los Angeles. The transition not only marked my leaving family and friends, but also signified a departure from a version of myself that I had known for a really long time. The songs speak on this departure from the familiar and arrival into the foreign and is primarily written from the perspective of my former self. They also highlight the struggles I encountered while reconstructing my support system, both internally and externally.”
