Bones Owens goes on strike, Devil’s Witches share some filthy pictures, Knifey show their savage side, Deafkids and Petbrick force the issue and more in today’s Roundup. I can’t believe this fucking year is still only halfway done.
VIDEOS OF THE DAY
1 | Bones Owens | Lightning Strike
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Nashville-based Bones Owens has released the music video for Lightning Strike, his new single. Written with Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra), Lightning Strike was born from a four-string guitar built from a cigar box, in an unfamiliar open tuning. “The song has this barroom boogie to it that feels like a smoky dance hall,” Owens said. The video, shot by Emmy-nominated Keith Leman, in the middle of a nationwide quarantine, required a drastically scaled downcast and features Owens in the role of 10 different characters, swirling around a 1960’s vintage roadside motel known as The Dive.”
2 | Devil’s Witches | Guns, Drugs and Filthy Pictures
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Guns, Drugs and Filthy Pictures is the latest track from one of cult rock’s most enigmatic superpowers, Devil’s Witches. Marking the three-year anniversary of the band’s debut album, Velvet Magic, Devil’s Witches may have started out life as a one-man band but has since gone on to build a following and fanbase as incredible as their sold-out back catalogue of unique vinyl releases. Never one to play by the rules, the band was originally founded by the mysterious multi-instrumentalist Witchdoctor General, but has since gone on to welcome a number of honorary members into the fold. For this special two-track release the ’General is joined once again by The King’s Pistol’s bassist Andy Shardlow, along with latest recruit in lead guitarist Daniel Jones, known online as East London Blues.”
3 | Knifey | Savage
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from Toronto, Knifey combines twangy guitars, energetic drumming, and clear honest vocals. Forming in 2015, the band played frequently in and around Toronto before releasing their debut LP, Beached, in October 2017. Knifey’s music has since evolved into a more varied sound, combining elements of power pop, introspective ballads, surf rock, and punk. Their new single Savage was inspired by Point Break. The song is driven by a bouncy bassline with complementing reverb-drenched guitar leads — a nod to the movie’s surf themes.”
ALSO ON THE PLAYLIST
4 | Deafkids & Petfbrick | Força Bruta
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Deafbrick is a caustic collaborative album between Brazil’s Deafkids and the U.K.’s Petbrick, the latter featuring Iggor Cavalera of Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy, and more. A psychedelic video accompaniment to the album’s opening track Força Bruta arrives today. The project first came to light by way of a collaboration at Roadburn Festival, which was the result of the friendship between Deafkids and Petbrick’s Cavalera, who had met the band in Brazil. “We had so much fun doing the collab and there was a real chemistry between the five of us, so it seemed like a natural progression to actually get into a studio together and write a record,” offers Petbrick’s Wayne Adams (Big Lad, Death Pedals).”
5 | The Dears | Is This What You Really Want? Acoustic
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The Dears, led by husband & wife duo Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak, released their latest grand opus Lovers Rock last month. Today the Montréal quintet share a stripped back, acoustic video of Is This What You Really Want? “There’s a direct line between the sort of doominess of No Cities Left and this album,” Lightburn says. “You could go straight from Lovers Rock to No Cities Left and it’s like they’re interlocked. But it’s a different kind of doom. Around 2001, it felt like, ‘We have no control. We don’t know what’s going to happen next.’ Now it’s a doom that’s within our grasp. It’s in the air. It’s between us. But we do nothing about it.”
6 | Evil (fka Babeo Baggins) | A Child Shamed
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Evil (fka Babeo Baggins) just released a new single/video below from an upcoming project tackling the effects of God + religion on their life as a queer non-binary Black person born in a rural community. They also just launched The Queer Black Musicians Fund via Orville Peck’s Instagram. A founding member of Drake-approved internet rap group Barf Troop in 2014, Evil went on to release solo music melding together country, contemporary pop, hip hop and more. Following their POSI+IVE mixtape (featuring production by Childish Gambino) and debut self-titled Evil EP, Evil is preparing to release another new project this year.”
7 | Dan Owen | Boys Don’t Cry
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Acclaimed singer-songwriter Dan Owen continues to captivate listeners, taking his pensive soulful sound to new heights with his powerful new single Boys Don’t Cry. A moving pop ballad with electronic subtleties, Boys Don’t Cry grows in strength to be a marching anthem of real emotion. Owen has a definitive raw grit that can command any song and his presence alone is an awe-inspiring centrepiece. With a powerful new visual, the message behind Boys Don’t Cry becomes clear — normalising emotions and challenging the mental health stereotypes in men. Our protagonist is at war with his own thoughts, desperately seeking a sense of release and resolution that is an unspoken yet familiar trend with many of us.”
8 | Death Bells | New Signs of Life
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Australian outfit Death Bells return Sept. 25 with their sophomore album, New Signs of Life. Nine captivating tracks for fans of eighties indie, classic antipodean new wave, and turn of the century post-punk. The first track for New Signs of Life, Heavenly Bodies, signals Death Bells’ point-blank delivery of a laconic truth: “We all vanish, anyway.” Somber and cool, it eases into hushed staccato hypnosis while still finding the tenets of guitar-driven rock. As a new statement of purpose, New Signs of Life subverts the band’s moniker, offering breath during suffocation; optimism in chaos with sound over sinking.”
9 | Le Ren | If I Had Wings
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Le Ren, the moniker of 26-year-old Montreal-based musician Lauren Spear, announces her debut EP, Morning & Melancholia, out July 31. Today, she presents a new single/video If I Had Wings. The song sways with pedal steel and Le Ren’s stirring voice as she sings of wishing to be able to see a loved one again: “If I had wings // I’d fly away, oh lord // Ya, I’d be heaven bound // So I could see your face once more.” The accompanying video, directed by Ali Vanderkruyk, is spectral. “This video lives somewhere in the distance between Tkaronto (Toronto) and Nexwlélexm (Bowen Island). It was shot with an iPhone and on 16mm film and was processed, printed and scanned at Niagara Custom Lab in Toronto (where the director works as a technician).”
10 | Mike Shabb | Hesitate
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Mike Shabb returns with Hesitate, a new single and music video set at a house party, filmed right before the pandemic. This new track is the first single off the Montreal-based rapper’s upcoming album Life is Short, due out July 31. This song is a classic, catchy, good-vibes summer joint, perfect for a hot summer day or a car ride into the sunset. Mike himself produced Hesitate, describing its sound as “drill-wave”: a combination of drill-type drums with wavy synth loops. The young artist created the song around his 22nd birthday, reminiscing about the years growing up and the path that led him to where he is today. Mike Shabb is very engaged with his fans and Hesitate’s chorus came from one of his freestyles on an Instagram Live session that got great traction from his followers.”
11 | Dizzy | Roman Candles
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from Oshawa, Dizzy are today sharing latest single Roman Candles, alongside a new video. Directed by Michael Pugacewicz (Parliament Pictures Co.), the video features vocalist Katie Munshaw’s unique choreography alongside some impressive pyrotechnics. The track will appear on the band’s forthcoming album, The Sun and Her Scorch, set for release on July 31. “Roman Candles is about how insecure I feel being someone who’s pursued music as a job. I’ve often felt jealous of friends who’ve taken more traditional paths in life. Some have gone to university and have 9-to-5 jobs already and have to buy funny things like lawnmowers and cutlery. I know that sounds silly, but I have a real fear I’ll never own a home or be able to support a family because of the decision I’ve made, so of course that’s scary. I think I’ve quit the band a dozen times since we started and then wind up taking it back an hour later because I know it’s just fear talking,” says Munshaw.”
12 | Jack The Radio | Getting Good ft. Lydia Loveless
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Raleigh, NC roots-rockers Jack the Radio are premiering their lyric video for Getting Good ft. Lydia Loveless. The video for the song, a country tongue-in-cheek tale about the bright side of failure, features behind the scenes footage from the recording studio. Creatures blends rock and blues sensibility with Americana, folk, and country to create a tapestry of swampy southern-tinged sounds. All of the songs on the album were written by George Hage with a common thread that weaves its way through telling us to stand strong as we ride out the highs and lows of what life throws at us. And with the state of the world today, it’s even more poignant to relay this message and to remind us that we are all creatures of this earth and we can overcome anything.”
13 | Destroyed in Seconds | The Badge
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles hardcore punk faction Destroyed in Seconds have unveiled their timely lyric video for The Badge. Comments vocalist Jon Tomala of the clip, “I remember writing the lyrics a few years ago around the time of Philando Castile’s murder. It rang so many familiar tragic bells. Countless names like Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown … This list unfortunately continues to grow and has been a subject I have always felt strongly about addressing. When the murder of George Floyd occurred a month after our album was released, it was only a matter of time for all the words I wrote on The Badge to come to fruition. Sooner or later revenge is on the tip of everybody’s tongue. The entire world exploded with anger. The uprisings over the past few weeks have shown this, not only in our country but worldwide. The video showcases less than 34 seconds of the terror and brutality law enforcement agencies were dishing out during the first few days of protests. We felt it was important to not glorify or showcase their abuse of power any further. Instead we included scenes of protesters and other oppressed voices standing up and fighting back. Some in very violent and chaotic ways.”
14 | Beverly Glenn-Copeland | River Dreams
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Composer Beverly Glenn-Copeland releases his first new piece of music in over 15 years. The new single River Dreams will appear on his forthcoming album, Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland out on Sept. 25. Glenn explains, “I feel that music originates from the Universe itself, and it comes to me via something I call the UBS i.e. The Universal Broadcasting System. This song River Dreams came to me through the UBS. The song has a feeling to it. It is both calming and interesting because of the unusual time signature which is 17 eighth notes to every bar. Musically that is expressed as 17/8 instead of time signatures with which we are more familiar like 4/4 or 3/4. I recorded it in my home studio sometime in 2019.”
15 | Sheyi | Stronger
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sheyi is a soul singer-songwriter based in London. Her debut single Stronger is accompanied by a heartwarming music video that reminds us to stay connected even amidst isolation and uncertainty. “Stronger is my conversation with fear. It is me saying what I want to say to fear and finding a way to not let it control me. The idea for the video came from my me and my husband! I wanted people to show me their fears as well, so I asked my friends to send me a 10 second video of their written down fears. The video editor put them all together really well, and so that first image you see is really powerful It was amazing having all the support from friends and getting them involved. I then decided to sing in front of a wall of fears which also worked really well in the video.”
16 | Bebel Gilberto | Na Cara
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The latest single from iconic ground-breaking, Brazilian artist Bebel Gilberto is Na Cara. Gilberto invited acclaimed Brazilian samba singer/songwriter and fellow carioca Mart’nália, daughter of samba legend Martinho da Vila, to perform with her as a special guest vocalist on the standout track that showcases Gilberto’s trademark downtempo Brazilian electronica vibes. “I was in New York when I started writing the melody for Na Cara and coincidently I heard that Mart’nalia was in town,” recalls Gilberto. “I’ve always wanted to do a song with her so when the melody came to my head I had her in my mind singing it and the timing was perfect — it was such a joy to be able to record with her!” The single is one of 11 tracks from Agora (Now), Gilberto’s forthcoming new studio album to be released Aug. 21.”
17 | Bronson | Dawn ft. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Following widespread acclaim for their new joint project Bronson, Grammy-nominated duo Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight of Odesza, and ARIA-platinum selling Australian producer Tom Stell of Golden Features, released their next single, Dawn ft. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. Dawn appears as the final track on Bronson’s self-titled debut album, due out in full Aug. 7. Bronson share how Dawn came together: “When we started the writing process for Dawn, it was with the intent to fill in the gap of what was missing on the record. We came to (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs) with an initial idea for the track, and in turn, he listened to parts of the record, made sense of its themes both sonically and conceptually and started to write over what became what Dawn is now. Not only do the lyrics provide this renewed sense of hope, but his vocals compliment the tone and energy of the song perfectly — Dawn is a song meant to take you on a journey and explore various concepts and emotions of the record. We couldn’t think of a more fitting song to end the album with.”
18 | Planningtorock | Jam Fam
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Planningtorock — celebrated gender-queer song writer, composer, producer and director Jam Rostron — is pleased to announce that they have teamed up with Chanel for an EP PlanningtoChanel, that is due for release on July 22. Alongside this news they have shared sleek and magnetic first cut Jam Fam. “With Jam Fam I wanted to create an authentic 1980s sound so no big kick or bass and plenty of high swimming synths,” Jam says of the track. “I recorded my voice and sung lots of ‘Ohs’ and ‘Ahs’ and then pitched them each individually create a vocal melody. I wanted the track to be super up in feeling and fun and classic sounding.”
19 | Godcaster | Serpantine Carcass Crux Birth
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Spit and jitter in a revelatory stance. Profundicate your masticators and whisper “so longs” into the deepest dearths. Out of the spout, out of the flash, out of the gnash and fleeting cry comes Godcaster with Long Haired Locusts. Rising from the underground river of primordial goo that runs between New York City and Philadelphia and ascending toward some unknown ethereal plane beyond our comprehension, comes to us the revelatory debut of music and mythos from Godcaster, Long Haired Locusts. Godcaster creates their own kind of protean piety based on the exaltation of movement and sound and Long Haired Locusts is the first of their sacred texts. It is a statement of purpose and acknowledgment of future growth beyond the limits of these sounds or any others. Whether you praise be or shutter in fear, we must all bear witness to the mythic rise of the music and the movement that is Godcaster.”
20 | Courtney Marie Andrews | How You Get Hurt
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Courtney Marie Andrews’ new song, How You Get Hurt, is debuting today. The song is the latest unveiled from Andrews’ highly anticipated new album, Old Flowers, which will be released July 24. Created in the aftermath of a long-term relationship, Old Flowers features Andrews’ most vulnerable writing to date on ten new songs that chronicle her journey through heartbreak, loneliness and finding herself again after it all. Andrews shares, “Old Flowers is about heartbreak. There are a million records and songs about that, but I did not lie when writing these songs. This album is about loving and caring for the person you know you can’t be with. It’s about being afraid to be vulnerable after you’ve been hurt. It’s about a woman who is alone, but okay with that, if it means truth. This was my truth this year — my nine-year relationship ended and I’m a woman alone in the world, but happy to know herself.”
21+22 | Caribou | Never Come Back + Sister (Floating Points Remixes)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Following the recently shared Four Tet and Morgan Geist remixes of Never Come Back — a highlight from recent album Suddenly — Dan Snaith aka Caribou has followed up with remixes by Floating Points of Never Come Back and Sister, two very different sides of the album. Snaith says: “At first Sam asked for the parts for Sister — the most intimate and personal track off my album Suddenly — and reworked it using the voices of my mother and my sister that I sampled from an old cassette for my childhood — but having turned that into a hypnotic, meditative beautiful thing, he came back and asked for the parts for Never Come Back and sent me a whatsapp of him working on the track in his studio with the caption ‘Bass drum Making my lights dim!’ and turned in a certified banger of a remix. Was I surprised Sam did two great remixes instead of one? No — anyone who knows Sam will tell you he does everything at a standard that surpasses all expectations. I was definitely happy though!'”
23 | Caitlin Pasko | Horrible Person
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Caitlin Pasko — the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, piano player, and weaver of dreamy, elegiac meditations — has announced the impending release of her new album Greenhouse, out Aug. 28. Along with the announcement, Pasko has shared the album’s centerpiece, Horrible Person. Created in collaboration with producer Henry Terepka (Zula), Horrible Person is a soundscape from deep inside an underwater chasm filled with neon diatoms. Of the song, Pasko says: I wrote Horrible Person a cappella, alone in my bed, in the dark. It’s the first song Henry and I made that paved the way for Greenhouse. I remember meeting up with him at Pinch just to see if we could make something (anything), and after catching up, Henry asked me what I’d been working on. I told him I was trying a new thing — writing songs a cappella, away from my piano, as a way to bypass my usual songwriting hang ups. I remember describing Horrible Person to him as being “pretty direct,” and laughing nervously.”
24 | Beach Lab | Sleep
THE PRESS RELEASE: “South London daydreamers Beach Lab are pleased to release their latest single Sleep. It finds the four-piece return with a release of true and mesmeric form. Drifting somewhere between the pastel-tinted indie pop of Alvvays to the rippling, reverb-dipped wonders of the Cocteau Twins, Sleep is at once familiar and fresh, subtle yet spectacular; a song to seep into your subconscious. “At its core, Sleep tells a story about the breakdown of a long term relationship and the thought processes that you may follow as you begin to emotionally remove yourself from it.” says Bleach Lab vocalist Jenna Kyle. “It’s based around the idea that although you can put everything you have into someone, ultimately the outcome will never change if it isn’t meant to be.”
25 | Hurtwave | Sever
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Dayseeker vocalist Rory Rodriguez and drummer Mike Karle have announced their new project Hurtwave. For this endeavour, the pair traffic in synths and the output is decidedly different than that of their main band. The duo have shared the brand new song Sever, which will appear on the band’s debut EP, Night Therapy I. The EP will be released as seven separate instalments over the coming months. “Sever is the first song Mike and I ever wrote together for this project and we feel it will set the tone for our particular sound as a group,” Rodriguez explains.”It tells the story of a person you’ve been wanting to be with romantically who consistently strings you along and is never willing to commit or to cut ties entirely, either.”
26 | Deza | June
THE PRESS RELEASE: “A champion of expressive lyricism, emotional vulnerability, and simply good pop music, Deza is the best and boldest she’s ever been. Now, with June, she unfolds one more side to her sound and begins a new sonic chapter. The track feels expansive and sacred, yet wrought with a familiar tension. It details Deza’s ticking-time bomb of a love story with a Norwegian boy, knowing full well she has to leave both him and Lillehammer in June. “June feels wildly bittersweet for me. While in Norway for a year, I fell pretty damn hard for the kindest Norwegian boy. Our love had this atomic ending in sight — me, on a plane in June, heading back to the states, and him, remaining in Norway. In the lyrics, I try to focus on the present moment, but I keep asking “Where is the life I get to keep you?” You can feel the confusion and desperation throughout the whole track, singing “When it’s done and it’s been said, will you find me again?” It’s all so romantic, so Romeo and Juliet, so dramatic & personal to me. It’s thrilling to let people into my little world so deeply with June like no one has ever seen before. You’re in the deepest trenches with me: in the pain, in the love, in the ached goodbye.”
