Grant-Lee Phllips shows up, Kataklysm shoot to kill, Snoh Aalegra has a bad case of loving you, Serpent Servant Slave think you’ve had enough, Blue Pills share a goodbye kiss and plenty more in a typically massive Friday Roundup. Today’s roster includes covers of Bonnie Raitt, The Grateful Dead, T. Rex, Patsy Cline (sorta), Howlin’ Wolf, Randy Newman and more — along with a couple of tunes that sound like they should be covers but aren’t. (I’m looking at you, Tedy & Zella Day.)
1 | Grant-Lee Phillips | Gather Up
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Critically lauded Nashville-based singer/songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips shares Gather Up, the third track unveiled from his forthcoming tenth solo album, Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff, out Sept. 4. “When I was kid, I was forever being dragged off with my grandparents to some little country church,” says Phillips. “The folks were always friendly as the long cars pulled up into the gravel driveway. Everyone in their Sunday best — my grandpa in a suit, grandma in a flowered dress. Once in the pews, the mood would sometimes darken with the threat of some cataclysm. There was also music. A guttural kind of music that comes out of the mouth of an old man and an overdriven amplifier. Those things stuck with me.”
2 | Kataklysm | The Killshot
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian melodic death metal heavyweights Kataklysm are proud to reveal their 14th studio album, Unconquered, which will be unleashed on Sept. 25. Today, the band release the first single entitled The Killshot. Watch the video directed by Scott Hansen of Digital Thunderdome. The band comments, “The Killshot is very Machiavellian at its base meaning. The song deals with revenge and planning it out, I wrote the song in an open interpretation because everyone has their own story that they can attach to it. In general, the album deals with pain or setbacks, overcoming them and fighting back especially in today’s situation, the timing is on point. In February, we flew to Atlanta, Georgia and worked with director Scott Hanson. We saw some of his creations and wanted to try his style. The experience was awesome and we won’t forget it anytime soon. Everything went great but it was there, sitting at the airport that we first started seeing on all the screens that Covid-19 was about to shutdown the country.”
3 | Snoh Aalegra | Dying 4 Your Love
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Snoh Aalegra (born Shahrzad Fooladi) makes her return with her new song Dying 4 Your Love and its striking companion video directed by I.P.W. The sultry new effort ushers in a new era for the songstress showcasing her sonic and personal evolution, all while staying true to her highly emotive signature sound that has received global acclaim. In a deeply confessional moment, the video brings to life the opulence and sensuality that lines her captivating sound and sees Snoh ravishing with dazzling ensembles and choreography by the renowned Parris Goebel.”
4 | Serpent Servant Slave | Whatchu Doin’ Wanting More?
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Headless is the debut album from Serpent Servant Slave, the newest group assembled by Jesse Smith (Zao, Gods, Jesse Smith & The Holy Ghost). Formed near the end of the line for The Holy Ghost, Smith began to explore different instrumentation and took on a collaboration with Breyer White…and Serpent Servant Slave was born. SaysSmith: “I like to leave the interpretation to the listener, but for me personally the song has dual meaning: It’s about the power of will & intention, as well as accepting the present moment and maintaining presence; whatever the situation. I wrote it at a time where I was pushing for a lot of change, but at the same time losing sight of what was already in front of me. It’s easy to forget the simple gifts of existence … our vibratory energetics craft our reality.”
5 | Blues Pills | Kiss My Past Goodbye
THE PRESS RELEASE: “With a jolt of Janis Joplin/Led Zeppelin/etc, Blues Pills’ previous albums shot to the top of the German charts. New LP Holy Moly! is out Aug. 21 — recorded with some help from The Hives’ Nicholaus Arson and Johan Gustafsson + mixed by Grammy Award winner Andrew Scheps (Black Sabbath, Adele, Iggy Pop, Red Hot Chili Peppers).”
6 | Sizzy Rocket | Rollerskating
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sizzy Rocket is releasing her dreamy new single Rollerskating. In contrast to her recent heavy-hitting releases, Rollerskating sees Sizzy Rocket tapping into a softer side of herself. Inspired by her own love story with her current partner, Sizzy chronicles the giddy yet terrifying experience of falling in love on Rollerskating. Guided by sun-soaked indie-pop production, Sizzy’s vocals shine; she is raw and untempered, finding power in her own vulnerability. “I’ve never even heard my own voice sound like it does on this record,” Sizzy remarks. “I’m proud of myself for going there. It’s a new, softer, lighter side of me that I’ve gained access to through writing my new album, and I’m excited to share it with the world.”
7 | Saint Mars | Ocean Blues
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Saint Mars have shared the music video for their single Ocean Blues, which was released July 10. Produced by London producer Aubrey Whitfield, the single is a fully reworked version of the band’s first-ever track, released on their eponymous EP of 2016. Speaking of the music video, Marc Darcange tells us: “Ocean Blues is the first song I wrote about bullying and it was a turning point for me… To be honest, I never decided to write about bullying. The melody, idea of the song, the story behind it came to me naturally, spontaneously: the story of a young boy bullied because of his overweight, called “Piggy the Whale” by his classmates and ending up turning into a real whale… I think the video develops this strong image further: the young boy gets more and more stigmata through the bullying, to the point he becomes what other people say he is; if they constantly call you an idiot, you will become that idiot. In psychology, this is called the Pygmalion effect.”
8 | Enslaved | Jettegryta
THE PRESS RELEASE: “It is not about avoiding fear of the pitch-black darkness, but to go into the darkness itself… Norway’s premier progressive black metallers Enslaved have released the second single Jettegryta from their upcoming studio album Utgard. The single is accompanied by a frost-bitten video, in which an Icelandic pristine glacial landscape is darkened by sinister events. Grutle Kjellson commented on the video: “Iceland was the perfect place to shoot the video for Jettegryta. Jettegryta translates to Giant´s Cauldron and refers to a phenomenon in nature, where rivers/running water — over a long period — create an often cylindrical hole in solid rock. In ancient Norse folklore, the Jette/Jotun (giants) made these cauldrons to cook in. The lyrics of the song deal with entering such a mythological and esoteric place; deep within your own mind and imagination, a gateway into the dreams, the unconscious and the realm of chaos.”
9 | Aquihayaquihay | Ya No Es Igual
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Steve Aoki announces his latest endeavor, Dim Mak En Fuego, a Latin imprint dedicated to releasing hybrid sounds from the global underground alongside contemporary hitmakers. Dim Mak En Fuego kicks things off with a sensual R&B single from Mexico-based anti-boyband and M-pop trailblazers Aquihayaquihay titled Ya No Es Igual. Aquihayaquihay is a collective of five musicians in their late-teens to mid-20s who formed out of Mexico’s changing sonic tides. With main influences deriving from Pop and R&B, Aquihayaquihay (Jay Lee, Neqer, Phynx, Zizzy y Nehly) are pioneering the M-Pop genre. Ya No Es Igual, which translates to No Longer The Same, is an exploration of a relationship that has lost its spark.”
10 | Adeline | Just Another Day
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Today, Adeline releases her brand new EP: Intérimes. Seven songs of future facing, genre-transcending pop of the highest calibre, the EP arrives as the much anticipated follow-up to her 2018’s s/t debut album. Adeline is pleased to mark the EP’s release with another self-directed video for the EP’s sultry and soulful center-piece, Just Another Day. “Just Another Day is about questioning your place in the world, not feeling accepted, pretending to be in someone else’s shoes, so I wanted to show characters that exude confidence and self-acceptance as a message of hope for the LGBTQ people out there who feel rejected and misunderstood” notes Adeline.”
11 | Zella Day | Purple Haze
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Maverick singer-songwriter Zella Day has officially debuted her new single, Purple Haze, today in conjunction with a music video directed by famed artist, Neil Krug (Tame Impala, Lana Del Rey). Featuring technicolour visions of Zella that warp and melt together like vivid hallucinations, the piece truly makes you feel as though you can taste outer space. Preceded by the sun-soaked ballad, People Are Strangers, and the dazzling disco track, My Game, Purple Haze channels sultry psychedelia and marks yet another imaginative sonic direction from the forthcoming EP, Where Does The Devil Hide, out Aug. 28. “Purple Haze is summer love for simple pleasures,” said Zella. “When I lived in downtown LA I would hum this melody while strolling to the market in the mood for something sweet. All of those perfect Saturdays with nothing to do but eat oranges and daydream.”
12 | The Beths | Jump Rope Gazers
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The Beths’ new album, Jump Rope Gazers, is out today, and they’re sharing a new video for the title track, which they also performed on the final instalment of their Live From House series. Elizabeth Stokes says about the mellow and expressive love song, “I’ve always dabbled in extreme sincerity, but always self consciously. I think there’s nothing scarier than just using the words ‘I love you’ in a song. In a love song. I didn’t manage it on our first album, but I guess I was ready for this one. The bass drum Tristan used for this one was a huge old modified marching bass drum. It’s the slowest tempo we have played, which gives us space to do things we wouldn’t normally be able to.”
13 | Sacre | 05:00AM Jungle Chase
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Electro-pop duo Sacre have released the album, Love Revolution, which is part of their exciting project that harnesses music, photography and storytelling. Along with the album came the music video for 05:00AM Jungle Chase, one of the featured singles. “It’s a song about freedom, about the idea that the predator is no freer than its prey in its need to hunt. This music video follows the same idea. A prey is chased on the road. But who exactly is chasing her? We are in Los Angeles and we are following a girl. Tired of the predators that touch her buttocks in the metro and tired of burning her neurons with other predators in traffic, she decides to live the city differently, freely.”
14 | Overgrass | Feel Alive
THE PRESS RELEASE: “A couple of months after the official release of their their brand new album Killing Time, Swiss alternative-garage indie-rock trio Overgrass just unveiled a new official music video illustrating the song My Life, a single extracted from the effort. Heavy riffs contrasted with atmospheric panoramas and powerful melodies, while keeping a certain lightness: these are the musical ingredients distilled by Overgrass.”
15 | Lewis Knaggs | Hold On
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Emerging British singer Lewis Knaggs shares Hold On – the punchy first single from his upcoming debut EP. Lewis explains: “I record all of my tunes in a little studio in North London, it’s a bit of a hidden gem, built in some hollowed out old garages. It has a great rickety old piano, which sounds like it belongs in Jack White’s garage… Those big four chords for Hold On have been knocking around the voice note realm for some time, so when I sat at the piano, it felt only right for it to give birth to something, so this was the tune that was officially born.”
16 | Molly Tuttle | Standing On The Moon
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Molly Tuttle has released her cover of Grateful Dead’s Standing On The Moon. The new song, which features Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes on backing vocals, features a fanciful lunar-themed visual. The song appears on Tuttle’s forthcoming record, …but i’d rather be with you, available Aug. 28. “I didn’t grow up listening to a lot of Grateful Dead music,” says Tuttle, “but being raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Dead was part of the mythology of my family and the area I grew up in (kind of how I imagine people who grew up in Tennessee where I live now might feel about Dolly Parton). Our specific family lore was that Jerry Garcia had gone to my high school (Palo Alto High) and my mom’s older sister, my Aunt Titia, knew them and used to take guitar lessons from Bob Weir in Menlo Park. That’s a roundabout way of explaining that this song means so much to me because it brings me back to my roots.”
17 | Cidny Bullens | The Gender Line
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Cidny Bullens will release the album Walkin’ Through this World on Aug. 21. Although this is the first album by Cidny Bullens, you may remember him from his previous name, Cindy Bullens. Cindy recorded many albums ranging from rock albums in the ‘70s and ‘80s to more singer-songwriterly albums in the ‘90s and aughts. This is his first album as a transgender man. Here’s the video for the song The Gender Line. “No one who isn’t transgender understands it. How can you? People who aren’t don’t ever have to ask the question: what am I? You just are. Well, we just aren’t. We aren’t the body we were born into. We aren’t what you see, what you hear, what you think. Some of us figure it out early, some later, some have carried it to their grave. Others have been killed because of it. Sometimes the gender line is hard, for others it is fluid. But it exists. It is very real. “Are you a boy or are you a girl? It’s an easy answer in a binary world.”
https://youtu.be/eT6FjlJViOo
18 | Kill Lincoln | Ignorance Is Bliss
THE PRESS RELEASE: “DC ska-punks Kill Lincoln will release Can’t Complain, their long-awaited new album on Aug. 7. The new track Ignorance Is Bliss follows on the heels of Confession Obsession, which served as the album’s first single. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Sosinski says: “I always pictured the video for Ignorance Is Bliss being a giant dance party with all our friends… but because of quarantine our options for getting together and filming were obviously a bit limited. We wanted to make sure if we filmed ourselves it didn’t look like every other quarantine video, so we tried recording ourselves dancing and singing to the song at half speed… which was WAY harder than it seemed with such a fast song. Either way the, the raw results had us laughing our asses off so we knew the idea would stick. We had a blast making this video, and can’t wait for the inevitable dance party the next time we get to play the song live.”
19 | Elvis Costello | Hetty O’Hara Confidential
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Today marks the release of Hetty O’Hara Confidential by Elvis Costello — the tale of a tattler who outlives her time. The recording and new moving picture clip by Eamon Singer and Arlo McFurlow are both available now. Produced by Costello at Suomenlinnan Studio in Helsinki, Finland, the song was recorded and engineered by Eetü Seppälä and mixed in Los Angeles by Sebastian Krys. Costello is credited with: Mouth, Hammond Organ, Fender Jazzmaster, Upright Piano, Rhythm Ace & All Other Noises. Look out for the next instalment on Aug. 14.”
20 | Bombay Bicycle Club | Two Lives
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Bombay Bicycle Club are very pleased to share the next track from their forthcoming EP, a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s Two Lives. The cover sits alongside a cluster of acoustic reworkings of songs from their recent Everything Else Has Gone Wrong LP, and the EP title shares the same name as the Bonnie Raitt song, Two Lives. Singer and guitarist Jack Steadman explains: “My dad introduced me to this beautiful Bonnie Raitt song on one of our long car journeys, and I instantly fell in love with the harmonies. We also felt it was a fitting title for our EP where we showcase the two lives of our songs, one that is layered and one stripped back.”
21 | Christian French | Make Or Break Up
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Christian French, one of 2020’s fastest-rising stars, is back today with Make Or Break Up, an entrancing track that finds him at the pivotal crossroads of a rocky relationship. The enrapturing, introspective track is the newest entry from the staggeringly successful star’s hotly anticipated, good things take time, EP, which drops later this summer. “Make Or Break Up is about miscommunication and misunderstanding within a relationship,” Christian says. “I wrote this song from an experience I had with someone where we were in a big fight, and neither of us were willing to budge. In the end, we decided that we’d always be transparent with each other no matter how badly it hurt, because honesty is synonymous with love and respect in a relationship. It’s the only way a couple can continue to grow, and can make or break any relationship.”
22 | X Lovers | Fuck What People Say
THE PRESS RELEASE: “X Lovers is a pop duo/band from Northern California. After forming their first punk band at age 10 together, London and Jacob (both 22) have been collaborating as a team since their teenage years. London, who is the vocalist and drives most of the songwriting works in conjunction with Jacob who produces all the records. After creating a highly dedicated fan base across their hometown of Nevada City and Northern California, the two best friends moved to Los Angeles, to master their craft. Citing Green Day and Kanye West as their biggest influences, their latest single is Fuck What People Say.”
23 | Akkan | El Mutal
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Barcelona electronic production duo Akkan tease more new music with El Mutal, the title track from their upcoming EP set for release on July 24. The compelling visual accompanying the track Directed by Paul Mahon and Marc Fernandez with editing, VFX, cinematography by Paul Mahon is a journey into woozy states of mind – explains the director – perfectly depicting the songs chromatic nature and mind-bending sounds.”
24 | DJDS x Tory Lanez x Rema | Simple Things
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Production duo DJDS, connect with Tory Lanez and Rema for a new single that bridges Los Angeles, Toronto and Lagos. Simple Things is quintessential DJDS; the duo seamlessly unites three worlds for a euphoric anthem that feels as unexpected as it is infectious. The track arrives on the heels of their recent No Trust / Feel Nice EP, which was conceived in Jamaica, and following DJDS spending much of 2019 collaborating with Nigerian superstar Burna Boy on the collaborative EP Steel & Copper and Grammy-nominated African Giant. Speaking about the new single, DJDS says: “To us, Simple Things sort of feels like the ultimate DJDS song because it sounds like what we’ve done and where we’re going all at once. You hear the sample chops and that’s old-school DJDS but the collaborations represent the future. The work we put in with Burna Boy directly lead us to linking with Rema, and Tory is somebody we’ve been waiting years to get in the studio with. These guys are upper echelon so we really had to draw upon all our experience to give them something that felt undeniable.”
25 | Allegra Krieger | Forgot
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn singer/songwriter Allegra Kreiger shared her new single Forgot from her upcoming album, The Joys of Forgetting, releasing Aug. 7. On the track, Krieger explains: “Forgot is the realization of losing one’s self in a relationship, and becoming completely beholden to the will of another.” Building from softly strummed guitars to a crescendo of distortion, Allegra discovers that in her effort to please, she “forgot” all about herself. One of the most sophisticated tracks on Krieger’s upcoming LP, Forgot represents Allegra at the peak of her creativity.”
26 | Donovan Woods | Clean Slate
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Donovan Woods paints themes of heartache and joy, connection and redemption in such vivid hues that, even if you don’t know the characters in his songs, we all see ourselves in his narratives. It’s a skill that’s earned him critical acclaim around the world and high-profile credits including Tim McGraw (Portland, Maine), Charles Kelley of Lady A (Leaving Nashville) and Billy Currington (Sweet Love). Woods is now ready for an even wider international discovery, which begins with the release of his new single Clean Slate. “This is a love song about falling in love and how it makes you feel like you’re a new person,” says Woods. “But slowly you realise you’re still the same person with all the hang-ups you’ve always had, and it’s a drag. It feels like the narrator will hear this song five years from now and feel embarrassed. What I love about it is that it feels like a very pure expression by someone with the best intentions.”
27 | Tim Easton | When I See You Again
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Nashville singer-songwriter Tim Easton released When I See You Again, a song about the painful forced separations in the pandemic. He explains, “It seems the the world has gone insane and everything is upside down. This moment in our lives is unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced and sometimes it feels like isolation and darkness go hand in hand and it feels like there is no end in sight. Sometimes when things get so stressful it’s important for me to focus on what’s going on right in front of me. A few months ago when the whole craziness started, a dear friend’s daughter had to stay at my family’s home in Nashville for a few weeks due to her mother being very sick from Covid-19, with no immediate family close enough to help. Just thinking about how hard the separation must have been for her, this song was born. When I See You Again was written and produced with help from my pal Jeremy Lister, for her. Knowing that she needed, that we all needed some hope.”
28 | Michael Des Barres & The Mistakes | Get It On (Bang A Gong)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Michael Des Barres needs no introduction. From movies such as To Sir With Love and playing Murdoc on MacGyver to fronting Power Station at Live Aid and bands such as Silverhead, Chequered Past and Detective, his career is littered with highlights. Today Michael Des Barres and The Mistakes release a new single, a live version of the T.Rex classic Get It On (Bang A Gong), which Michael also performed with at Live Aid. It is delivered with the suave swagger that Des Barres is known for.”
29 | Lotus | Catacombs
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Long-running instrumental-electronic quintet Lotus has announced the details for their new studio album Free Swim and released their new single Catacombs. Named for the Catacombs of Paris, which are explored by people looking for adventure and thrills underground, Catacombs opens Free Swim and invites listeners to descend into the depths of groovy-funky jazz. “Two groups that steered me into electronic dance music in college were Daft Punk and St. Germain,” shares Luke Miller (keyboards, guitar). “Daft Punk utilized a sample-centric, loop style while St. Germain combined four-on-the-floor beats with jazz harmony and solos. For Catacombs, I wanted to combine these two vibes.”
30 | Fast Friends | Everybody Will Be Forgotten
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles-based trio Fast Friends released their debut EP HI T LO IQ today. New single Everybody Will Be Forgotten captures their love of apocalypse movies, such as Armageddon and Book of Eli. “In the long, long, long run, it is guaranteed we aren’t going to make it. We all won a lottery with one in one in one billion odds that humans exist at all, and then each individual person won another lottery to be born in the first place. At some point there won’t be anybody around to remember anybody else.”
31 | Liza Anne | Change My Mind
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Liza Anne released Change My Mind from her forthcoming album Bad Vacation, out July 24. Bad Vacation marks a new sonic direction for Liza and is a hybrid of new wave, art rock and 90s indie grunge-pop and is set to establish Liza as a breakthrough independent artist and a bold young voice in mental health self awareness. Discussing the new song, Liza stated, “Change My Mind is a chaotic puzzle of emotions of all the places I tend to go when I am angry and feel my back to the wall. I have a really hard time letting my guard down in conflict — I tend to get defensive and sensitive and throw my walls up. Where there is inflamed ego, there’s hardly room for understanding. This song holds hope of wanting the person on the other side to be there while you soften up, someone to challenge you to a place of connection, someone who is safe to grow in front of and with. I am so sad that I ever learned conflicts in relationships are something to be won — you’re on the same team. Winning is connection.”
32 | Tedy | Boys Don’t Cry
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Tedy releases a new emotionally charged single Boys Don’t Cry. The powerful track from the soulful Montreal singer-songwriter rides an expressive journey through feelings of fear, sadness, acceptance, and finally empowerment. Boys Don’t Cry tells the tale of always having your guard up, showing no weakness, only to realize the strength in your own vulnerability. The track was produced by Mike Sonier (Noah Cyrus, The Weeknd, Julia Michaels, ABRA, Maggie Rogers) and co-written with David Charles Fischer (Bülow, renforshort, SHAED and Cheat Codes).”
33 | Oneiric Celephais | The Aeon Of Death
THE PRESS RELEASE: “As the Aug. 7 release date for Oneiric Celephaïs’ debut EP The Obscure Sibyl draws ever closer, the band are now ready to unveil a second track from this cornucopia of technical dexterity, mellifluous melody and staggering heaviness. Today they present one of the EP’s most ambitious and challenging tracks, The Aeon Of Death. The band have offered these words of explanation regarding the new track: “The Aeon of Death is inspired by Lovecraft’s horror story, The Nameless City. The descent of the narrator into the unreverberate blackness of the abyss of the catacombs is an allegory for the katabasis of every Sibyl’s follower, a descent which leads to obscurity, depression and ultimately to death. The Aeon of Death represents the central part of the triptych of the EP: the sinking of man into the abyssic gulfs, serving only to discover sights of woe and doleful shades.”
34 | Glades | Blonde
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Australian pop outfit Glades share their latest pop anthem Blonde, the second taste from the trio’s forthcoming new album Planetarium, out later this year. “Blonde is about helping a friend through a breakup. Sometimes you have to allow yourself to feel the full extent of your emotions to get through something. The song’s about being carefree and allowing yourself to do crazy shit to get over somebody,” multi-instrumentalist/co-producer Joey Wenceslao notes.”
35 | Mo Kenney | You Belong to Me
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Just like a mask — that so-called disguise which, in fact, often reveals something profound and otherwise secret about the individual who wears it — cover songs offer a glimpse into the molecular musical composition of the artist interpreting them. With her lonesome take on the legendary Patsy Cline’s You Belong To Me, Mo Kenney hints at her own longing, and asserts the universality of the song; to consider the distance between us and our loved ones, to miss them with all our heart, is as natural as breathing. “Old country songs always remind me of hanging out with my grandfather Ozzy in West Gore,” Kenney says about the song. “The radio was always on and those tunes were always playing. I’ve been a fan of Patsy Cline since I was a kid, and this is my favourite song of hers.”
36 | Toots & The Maytals | Warning Warning
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Legendary Jamaican artist Frederick “Toots” Hibbert unveils a new single Warning Warning, the second offering from his highly anticipated first studio album in a decade Got To Be Tough, set for global release on Aug. 28. Toots has gained insight into the corrupt systems that try to dominate our bravest endeavours, and it is in his new resistance music, that his anger at and sensitivity to injustice in 2020 is clearer than ever. Warning Warning encapsulates this in a clear message for the world, with no apology – a warning. “I want to ask everyone to keep their focus in this time of wonders. Make such focus be of good faith, Love each other take it as a warning and exercise brotherly and sisterly care for each other of all race, religion and creed,” says Toots.”
37 | Tim Baker | Texas Girl At The Funeral Of Her Father
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Songwriter Tim Baker has released his new EP, Survivors, a five-song testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Survivors features four original songs, combined with a cover of Randy Newman’s Texas Girl At The Funeral Of Her Father to convey a consistent message of the everyday strength and courage it takes just to make it to that place where you can see all that is good around you. “All the songs center around loss and hope and I hope you connect,” says Tim. “The Randy Newman song was originally commissioned by a film director friend of mine (Jordan Canning) for her film which has since (of course) been Covid-stalled. But the song is so good, so succinctly, poignantly, heart-crackingly good, and in such a heart-cracking predicament here (I wish it was succinct) I thought it fit the EP well.”
38 | Greg Lisher | Three Kings
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Guitarist Greg Lisher joined the pioneering indie-rock band Camper Van Beethoven in 1985, before becoming a founding member of the CVB spinoff indie-prog group Monks of Doom in 1987. 30-plus years later and both bands are still going strong with tours and recent albums over the last few years (most recently with Monks of Doom’s 2018 studio LP The Brontë Pin). In addition to playing in these eclectic and revered bands he’s also released two solo records as a singer-songwriter and is currently preparing to release his third — an instrumental album entitled Songs From The Imperial Garden this summer. Greg brings together his love for a broad range of sounds and genres for this inventive, explorative collection. From Celtic folk and ambient soundscapes to classical guitar ruminations, country-folk, upbeat bluegrass and angular art-rock, there’s little left off the table on this immersive instrumental effort.”
39 | Bobby Rush | Shake It For Me
THE PRESS RELEASE: “A new acoustic album by 86-year-old Mississippi blues legend Bobby Rush titled Rawer Than Raw is due out on Aug. 28, 2020. This is a stripped-to-the-basics downhome blues album from this Louisiana native currently based in Jackson, Miss. The song Shake It For Me is out now. “I was in the studio doing some recording with Howlin Wolf in the mid-‘60s. It was myself and Cash McCall, Hubert, and the other musicians. The Chess Brothers were trying to get Howlin’ Wolf to howl, and he said “I’m not howling”, and we all laughed about it. I said to him “Why won’t you howl?”.He said, “I’m not going to howl and bust my gizzard. If I howl, the walls will be shaking, like the leaves shake on a tree.” On the bandstand he’d say, “Shake it baby, shake for me, you shake like a leaf shake on a tree.” We all laughed about it. I always liked that song. He’d sing it on the stage. “Shake it baby, shake one time for me. Howl baby, howl one time for me.” He used it for a joke. He’d also joke with me about that song. I liked that song so well, I decided I’d record it.”
40 | Michael Bernard Fitzgerald | I Love That Sound
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is a Canadian singer/songwriter who has collected an audience of fans across North America drawn to simple honest words and a genuine smile. Having released four full-length albums to date, MBF has spent his career since 2006 creating music, touring, developing as a songwriter, and connecting with audiences. MBF’s unique and innovative ideas coupled with his inherent warmth allow him to engage with people in a way that always leaves them meaningfully connected. his new song, I Love That Sound, is a reflection of the rural dream he has for his own life.”
41 | Shelly Peiken | Human ft. Chrissie Hynde
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Hit Songwriter Shelly Peiken has released her stunning version of Human, a song she co-wrote with Mark McEntee from Divinyls. The song was released by The Divinyls in 1996 under the title Human On The Inside, and by The Pretenders in 1999, which was titled Human, which went on to become a chart hit in the U.S., U.K. and New Zealand. “To have a legend who writes mega-hits of her own, record YOUR song, is something that doesn’t happen for a songwriter every day … if ever,” Peiken says. “I saw Chrissie backstage at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this year, and she confessed that the reason she cut Human is that it sounded more like The Pretenders than the material she was writing at the time. Now I’m excited to be releasing a version of my own. AND the icing on the cake is that CHRISSIE IS SINGING BACKING VOCALS WITH ME!”
42 | Makeout | Home
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Pop-punk phenoms Makeout have debuted Home, their first single with new frontman Kyle Dee (formerly an American Idol contestant, and lead singer of Chicago mainstays The Frantic) and bassist AJ Khah (previously a member of Sleep On It). Dee and Khah join founding members Tyler Young (Lead Guitar) and Scott Eckel (Drums) for a more mature sounding yet still super melodic new version of Makeout which should make longtime fans super stoked. Says Kyle Dee: “Home is about being completely drained from giving your all to a dead end relationship. It’s about wanting to build a life with somebody and being fed false promises of a picture-perfect future.”
43 | Madison Olds | Best Part Of Me
THE PRESS RELEASE: “I remember sitting in the studio, starting to write this song and had been tired of pretending to hide bad days,” explains Kamloops, B.C.’s pop-infused singer-songwriter Madison Olds about her effervescent new single Best Part of Me. She adds, “I think my exact words were, ‘It feels really good to just sit on the floor, cry and give into an anxiety attack.’ This song is meant to make the listeners feel reassured with taking a moment to just feel sad. You don’t always have to be happy or even okay all the time.”
44 | Toya Delazy | Find Di Boy
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Rich in deep African rhythms and a House essence, Find Di Boy leans more towards the sensual side of her repertoire, as a mid-tempo serenade she proudly dedicates to her lover. Toya Delazy finds a sweet spot with this release as she mixes her knack for lyrics with a refined ear for melody. Speaking on the track Toya said: “This song is about love being non-binary and the expectations society places on us as opposed to reality — without these things we would be closer to a peaceful world. We can’t march together for equality and then still be discriminated against when we are being authentic. These are the things that hold us all back.”
45 | Lucas Nord | (Can’t Be Myself) Without You Ft. Melo
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Pop meets Indie-dance producer Lucas Nord releases his latest single, (Can’t Be Myself) Without You Ft. Melo. The single is the second to be lifted from his upcoming EP, Boy Restless, which will be released on Sept. 18. Lucas Nord shares about single: “With this song, I wanted to make something a bit less moody and something a bit warmer, funky and fun production-wise. Melo played these chords and the title and hook kinda just popped up in my mind straight away. It was one of those songs that just writes itself. Think we wrote the entire thing in like an hour and the same with the production — everything just happened very fast and felt very natural that day. The whole concept of the song just stemmed from the title and about how even if you’re in a bad relationship or situation you don’t feel like you’re complete without this other person. Which is kinda cute and tragic at the same time haha.”
46 | Alex McArtor | House On The Bay
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Alex McArtor brings a Laurel Canyon vibe to her new track House On The Bay. It’s the second in a trio of summer singles from the young chanteuse. “It’s about this house in Manchester by the Sea that my friends and I used to escape to,” says McArtor of the track. “We packed into cars, windows down, the freezing wind hitting our faces as we stuck our heads out the windows enjoying the roaring tunes that accompanied us to our freedom… We were the definition of youthful, reckless abandon.”
47 | Harry Jay-Steele | Wish For One Night
THE PRESS RELEASE: “East London songwriter, guitarist and producer Harry Jay-Steele returns with Wish For One Night, the first single taken from his forthcoming debut album, due for release this fall. Talking about the meaning behind the song he reveals it was written in a time of personal turmoil. “I was reckoning with a deteriorating mental state and questioning whether I was losing my sense of self in the process,” says Steele with a voice capable of expressing a diverse range of feelings, from anguish and self-doubt to hope and optimism.”
48 | Mali-Koa | Me Before You
THE PRESS RELEASE: “London-via-Sydney artist Mali-Koa delivers her latest beautiful effort Me Before You — the third from her highly anticipated forthcoming debut album. A deeply personal affair with lyrics that speak right to the heart, the story of Me Before You is one of reconciliation as Mali seeks to overcome the pitfalls of heartbreak, returning to her former, greater self. Speaking on Me Before You, Mali-Koa explained: “It’s an all too familiar feeling post-heart break, when you’re longing for what was before. Me Before You is about the journey back to myself, pre-someone or something. It pays homage to what was, with a message of hope for the difficult journeys ahead and the road to healing and new beginnings.”
49 | Karolina | Runaway Angels
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Rising alt-pop artist Karolina Rose finally emerges from her hiatus with new single Runaway Angels — her first release of 2020. Runaway Angels is the latest instalment of Karolina’s versatile brand of ‘noir rose pop’ (alluring, seductive and layered – but with a prick of danger) which has seen international acclaim. Karolina explained: “Runaway Angels is more ballet-inspired with a graceful, haunting feeling. It balances between this place of healing and a place of hell — running from a dark, painful abyss of memories that mostly only come up while you’re dreaming. ”
50 | PHNTMS | Honesty
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sitting somewhere between arena rock and the classic sound of 1960’s soul singers, Philadelphia’s PHNTMS creates music bursting with vast soundscapes and colliding instrumentation. Together, Alyssa Gambino, Adam Jessamine, Mikal Smith, and Gene Murphy are bringing back rock music while simultaneously putting their own unique stamp on it. PHNTMS’ highly anticipated six-track self titled EP soaks up the band’s amalgam of influences, ranging from movie soundtracks and bands such as U2, Biffy Clyro, Kings of Leon and Deaf Havana, to powerhouse soul singers such as Amy Winehouse. Inspired by everyday situations, relationships, and growing up, the band aims to create a feeling with which listeners can easily identify. Gambino reveals, “I think as songwriters, we try to capture these moments and make them as detailed as possible. We’ll always be fascinated by the fact we can freeze these moments…”
