Convulsif are slaves to the grind, Papi Shiitake plays with puppets, Seamus Fogarty goes by the book, Concrete starve the serpent, Stephen Becker gets clean and more in your Midweek Roundup. Is it just me, or are there a lot of extra-weird videos in today’s lineup? Not like that’s a bad thing. Speaking of good and weird, be sure to give that Deadletter track a spin. You’ll be glad you did.
ON REPEAT
1 | Convulsif | Torn From The Stone
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Four years following the release of their fourth album IV, Swiss jazz grindcore collective Convulsif are back with a new full-length album titled Extinct, which is set for release on Oct. 23. Extinct sees Jamasp Jhabvala (violin/electronics), Christian Muller (clarinet/electronic s), Loïc Grobéty (bass) and Maxime Hänsenberger (drums) pushing the boundaries of extreme and alternative music by fusing the intricacies of jazz music, the eerie textures of noise and the brutality of grindcore. Today, Convulsif have revealed a music video for a bonus track Torn From The Stone.”
2 | Papi Shiitake | Enjoy The View
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alex Gruenburg, aka Young Tuxx, and his writing partner Ryan Sieloff introduce their brand new project Papi Shiitake with the release of their debut single Enjoy The View — a hazy piece of surf rock perfect to soundtrack your end of summer adventures. It carries a mood enhancing vibe anchored by an earworm of a chorus and a melody that begs to be hummed along to. Quote from Young Tuxx: “I never thought this song would be our first single so I was really just having fun with it. Living in NYC can be such a grind and it’s really not my style. Enjoy The View is about living life on your own terms and appreciating the little things that most people take for granted.”
3 | Seamus Fogarty | Johnny K
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Seamus Fogarty will release his new album A Bag Of Eyes on Nov. 6. This is Fogarty’s third album — a wholly different sonic prospect to the “gritty, poetic electronic folk” of 2017’s The Curious Hand. Alongside the announcement, Fogarty has shared the first single from the album Johnny K, which nods to the sometimes-uneasy state of an Irishman living in London with its lyric: “His brother died in England building tunnels for the liars and the Cavaliers.” Fogarty explains: “So that’s the Tories. And also, the fact that some people in England, they forget how much foreign people have built the country.”
4 | Concrete | Starving Serpent
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Albany, New York-based metallic hardcore practitioners Concrete unveil their ominous video for Starving Serpent, off the Free Us From Existence full-length. Elaborates the band, “Starving Serpent is about coming to terms with what’s inside of you. The aggressor and the victim are the same. The man in the chair is the inability to escape the pain and suffering that is also just as much a part of you.”
5 | Stephen Becker | Clean
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Stephen Becker has announced the release of a new EP — the first under his own name — out Oct. 30. Nothing Sun Under the New expresses exactly the kind of poetic sleights-of-hand we encounter throughout this short, brilliant offering. This compact record is filled with aphorisms flipped on their heads, reversals of logic and intuition, dislocations of causality and expectation. Alongside the announcement, Becker shared an entrancing music video for the album’s lead single Clean, which was directed by Johnny Frohman & Gerard Marcus, and stars a charming Marley McDonald. Becker explains: “Clean is about escaping technology, cell phones, social media — the way we clean ourselves with water, and how doing the same with technology would destroy it (i.e. submerging your phone in a bathtub). So cleaning is also destruction, and maybe it takes a little destruction to really get clean.”
ALSO ON THE PLAYLIST
6 | Gold Record | Dance Where I Want
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Gold Record is the musical brainchild of Bay Area, California & New Mexico-based musicians Noah Clark, Ryan McKone, and Evan Michalski. Gold Record formed in March 2020 with the intent to infuse positivity, hooks, and a strong love for one another into a tantalizing pop package. Gold Record is heavily inspired by creative projects with heavy output and adventurous, can-do attitudes including Vulfpeck, Ricky Reed’s NiceDotLife weekly livestreams, & Carly Rae Jepsen. Energized by the project and free spirit of FIBI (“first idea, best idea”) collaboration, the band set off and started recording 12 EPs that will be released through 2021. Gold Record’s latest EP Volume Four, due this fall, includes the single Dance Where I Want.”
7 | Mishko | Changing
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Known for spreading education and resources through his visual art, Mishko’s new experimental pop single Changing was written & filmed around the George Floyd Black Lives Matter protests in L.A. — urging people to not give up the fight against police brutality and BIPOC oppression. Produced by Calvin Valentine (De La Soul, Nas, Juicy J) & mastered by Randy Merrill (Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Beck), the track ushers the artist (who has made merch for BTS and Janet Jackson) into the music world — navigating relationships, bipolar disorder, growing up as a gay person in a small Oregon logging town.”
8 | Mxmtoon | OK On Your Own ft. Carly Rae Jepsen
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn-based Mxmtoon (Maia) will release her highly anticipated Dusk EP Oct. 1. It’s the companion piece to her Dawn EP released this spring. A highlight of the new EP is OK On Your Own, a gorgeous collaboration with the revered and critically acclaimed Carly Rae Jepsen. Mxmtoon tells us “I was beyond excited to work on this track and have it be graced by Carly Rae Jepsen, someone who stands for empowerment and knows the themes of love and loneliness all too well. My hope for the song is that OK On Your Own can let people know that vulnerability is never something to be afraid of, and admitting you need time for yourself and support from a friend is sometimes a necessary step.”
9 | Kaylee Elizabeth | Passing Through
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kaylee Elizabeth released her soaring, dynamic debut single Passing Through, produced by Andy D. Park (Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro The Lion, Deep Sea Diver). She has also shared the song’s stirring video, directed by May Xiong. “Passing Through was inspired by looking out a car window on a long drive — the glimpses of the physical structures that are being built, lived in, or are slowly falling down, and wondering who the people are that have come and gone in those places. It is realizing that our time here is a breath, but that there are many things which can be passed down from generation to generation that are beautiful.”
10 | Action Bronson | Golden Eye
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On White Bronco, Action Bronson’s 2018 release, he rapped, “my next album’s only for dolphins,” and the principled MC is nothing if not true to his word. Today, he announced his long-awaited new album Only For Dolphins, to be released Sept. 25. Additionally, he has shared a new single, Golden Eye, a slow-burn reggae send-up produced by Budgie, with a title that, in typical fashion, name checks both the classic video game and the resort. He raps: “Twenty Kawasakis looking like wild horses on stampede / I look like a character that was drawn by Stan Lee / All around the world I’m known by different names / But never the real one, because motherf*in sh*t done changed.”
11 | Spencer Burton | Further
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Country-folk artist Spencer Burton has released the single Further, branching into indie and rock aesthetics while staying rooted in Burton’s folky sound. The former Attack in Black and Grey Kingdom musician states that the new song “was written with the world’s downward spiral in mind. We’ve lost focus. Forgotten what matters. We are the world? But the world isn’t us. I think we need to find out how to become equal parts earth and humanity without causing damage to one another. There’s a balance in there somewhere.”
12 | Ten Foot Pole | Sarcasm Decoder
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For the new album Simmer Down, Ten Foot Pole have taken it back a step with an acoustic-led album featuring six new songs and eight re-imagined versions of previously released Ten Foot Pole favourites from across their career. The first single Sarcasm Decoder is out now and should give you a good idea of what to expect from the release! Check out this fun video.”
13 | Winning Streak | Stop Screaming
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Winning Streak release their brand new album We Need A Plan on Nov. 3. The album is full front to back with melodic skate punk rock gems. Check out the video for the first single Stop Screaming below.”
https://youtu.be/JFsuRAX8M78
14 | Ty Trehern | Better Off
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Mississippi musician Ty Trehern has announced an Oct. 23 release date for his new 10-track LP Dear Dichotomy. Says Ty: “Sometimes, we find ourselves in relationships that hold us back from things we want in our lives, whether it be a dream, a personal goal, a break from routine, or a sense of self. This can be hard for someone to realize and deal with, especially when you still care about the other person and have to accept the fact that while you may still love them and want to be with them, there is a difference between wants and needs. Better Off is a song that explores that difference by talking about coming to terms with the need to be alone and the process of communicating that with a significant other.”
15 | Tommy Marz | Summer Bummer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singer/songwriter Tommy Marz has released his new single Summer Bummer, marking the first original song to be released off his forthcoming EP Chasing Light, due out Sept. 23. “This song started off as me wanting a John Mayer-type love song (or anti-love song) of my own,” shares Marz. “But the song started to take on a new meaning during this quarantine summer. I started wondering how people were spending their summers. So, I asked fans and followers on the socials to send in video clips and photos of how they spent their time during all of this. As I went through the submissions, I was amazed and intrigued by everyone’s experiences. Even though the summer of 2020 may not be remembered as one of the greatest of all time, I will fondly remember watching the footage of people around the world sharing a piece of their lives with me.”
16 | Attic Salt | Undiscovered
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Attic Salt (Springfield, IL) are back with another single from their upcoming album, Get Wise. While Alyssa Currie took the reigns on Mud, Andy Harmon steps up front on Undiscovered. The song finds the sweet spot between pop-punk and alt-rock and is all about hiding out from the rest of the world. While the character in this song might want to go undiscovered, this song should certainly not. Get Wise will release on Sept. 25.”
17 | Sameer Cash | Stay In Touch
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This Friday, Sameer Cash will release his new LP This City. Today, he’s sharing the music video for one more song in advance of the release. “Stay In Touch is a song “about male friendship, and about how we as boys are not given the language to articulate pain or loss,” says Cash. “Like when our friend lost his dad. Or when our form of a high school reunion was a funeral for one of our own. For those of us mourning the loss of innocence and the realization that the world was not made of us, for sensitive people who want the best for those around us. When we feel like we are not enough. When it gets too much, and when the money dries up, stay in touch with your mother, stay in touch with your high school band, stay in touch with me.”
18 | Stats | Naturalise Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Stats is the brainchild of Ed Seed, who is also the touring guitarist with Dua Lipa and La Roux. London-based Stats are sharing the new single Naturalise Me, alongside announcing their second record Powys 1999, out Nov. 12. Thematically the new record and this first single, Naturalise Me gets to grips with Seed’s childhood but not necessarily in a saccharine or overly-nostalgic manner. It draws on memories, but it also draws on the growing pains of being brought up in rural Wales as very much an outsider. Similarly, it looks at the socio-political discourse as to why his parents decided to relocate from Manchester to the countryside.”
19 | Petit Biscuit | Drivin Thru The Night
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “French producer, composer, and songwriter Petit Biscuit steps into the role of assured frontman on his project with the lead single off his forthcoming LP: Drivin Thru The Night. Featuring whimsical vocals that document a night of intense longing and soul-searching, Petit Biscuit complements the sung tone with shimmering electro-pop production that highlights his maturation from teen wunderkind to bonafide auteur. Petit Biscuit explains his newest “is first about freedom. A lonely man is wandering through the streets, living how he wants and going where he wants until he finds his lonely alter-ego. They are sharing what most people would call the beginning of a love story…I would simply call it complicity.”
20 | The Casket Lottery | Born Lonely
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Short Songs For End Times is the new LP from influential Kansas City indie rock band The Casket Lottery, out on Nov. 6. It’s the band’s first new album since 2012’s Real Fear. A new track titled Born Lonely will hit streaming platforms on Friday. The music video for the song is out now. Short Songs for End Times seems to comment on a turbulent year as it unfolds, attempting to make sense of that which we wish we could forget. But it’s clear in this context that The Casket Lottery, who shaped midwestern emo’s transition into post-hardcore two decades ago, have improved with age.”
21 | Andrée Burelli | Cuore Di Piume
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Andrée Burelli shared the single and video Cuore De Piume from her upcoming album Di Sidera, out Oct. 16. Cuore Di Piume means Heart of Feathers. Burelli calls it “a soundscape behind a kiss.” The track is a tight, fully-instrumental affair, and though it’s one of the shortest songs on De Sidera, Cuore Di Piume fully realizes Burelli’s mesmerizing looping keyboard work style, beginning simply before adding sections, each additional layer carrying additional alluring, captivating emotional weight.”
22 | Matthew Cardinal | May 24th
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Matthew Cardinal has announced his debut solo album, Asterisms – a dazzling collection of ambient electronic music that crystallizes moments in the amiskwaciy (Edmonton) based musician’s life. Known for his work in nêhiyawak — the moccasingaze trio whose debut album nipiy was nominated for a 2020 Juno Award for Indigenous Album of the Year — Cardinal’s first solo full-length is an audio journal that explores “captured moments of experimentation and expression” in 11 entries: “asterisms drawing attention to where I was musically, mentally and emotionally at very brief passages of my life,” says Cardinal. “May 24th is the result of experimenting with generative synthesis and syncing external equipment, playing around and having multiple sound sources playing the same melody. I slowed everything down significantly and built on top of that.”
23 | Caloncho | Luna Completa
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Latin Grammy-nominated Mexican singer-songwriter Caloncho has shared the video for new single Luna Completa (Full Moon). The video is directed by Alexis Gómez and was filmed in El Ganzo in Baja California. “The song is about a conflict that is cyclical and the people that appear in the video are ones that I admire a lot,” says Caloncho. “Clara, the protagonist in the video, is a Spanish painter and everything ended up being improvised because the contracted actress canceled at the last minute.”
24 | Scintii | Times New Roman
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Shanghai-based Taiwanese singer and producer Scintii (aka Stella Chung) shares Times New Roman, from her EP of the same name out Oct. 2. Times New Roman was co-written and produced by Danny L Harle (PC Music, Charli XCX) and the striking accompanying video, directed by Kynan Puru Watt (Arca’s Mequetrefe), invites us into Scintii’s deeply-hued world. “Times New Roman is one of the main languages used in graphic design and this song is about finding that language for myself as an artist,” Scintii explains. After initially coming up with the main melody and then collaborating with Harle on a beat he was making, “Times New Roman really started to become about me feeling sure of myself as a musician and producer, going in a new direction and really being able to maximize my own voice.”
25 | Falcon | Young Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Falcon has released Young Love, the second track to her forthcoming debut album Nova, out Oct. 16. The video captures the giddy rush of infatuation while Cook’s breathless vocals express the hopeful emotions of new love. As Falcon, Amanda Lindsey Cook is crafting a poetic pop sound, influenced by her classical roots, informed by her life experiences, and enlightened by imaginative melodies. Last month, she debuted with the single I’ll Admit It.”
26 | Elvira | Envious
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I’m an artist/writer from Sweden & I just released my debut single Envious. It’s a song I wrote with the American writer Cate Downey, where we describe the frustration in having a friend who is so self involved that they can never give someone else attention or credit. It’s masked in an old style disco groove with influences from Charlie Puth, Chic, and Dua Lipa.”
27 | Suzzy Roche & Lucy Wainwright Roche | I Can Still Hear You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This past spring, Suzzy Roche and her daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche headed down to Nashville to make their third album I Can Still Hear You. The 11 thought-provoking tracks explore themes of good and evil, youth and mortality, the absurd and the serious, the real and the imagined, and the connection between what is present and what is gone. Each of their albums together have documented a specific time and this one, according to Suzzy, “probably is the darkest, but at the same time, it’s the most fanciful too. This time, there seemed an extra urgency about it.” The title track is the one song that was wholly written during the quarantine. The track, Lucy’s only solo composition here, is composed of thoughts that came to her during this strange, unsettling time. “I was thinking a lot about the veil between what used to be and what is and about links that still exist, even when circumstances have drastically changed or when people have died.”
28 | Bedouine, Waxahatchee & Hurray For The Riff Raff | Thirteen
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bedouine, Waxahatchee and Hurray for the Riff Raff release their cover of Big Star’s Thirteen. The idea for the cover came about while Azniv Korkejian of Bedouine, Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee, and Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Segarra were all on tour together three years ago. Korkejian explains: “We threw the idea around of doing a song together but weren’t sure what. I was backstage in Columbia, MO when I realized it was the anniversary of Big Star’s ‘93 reunion show that had also taken place in Columbia. I was fiddling around with the song in my dressing room when Katie and Alynda walked in. Suddenly I remembered there were three verses to split up. We played it as an homage that night and every night after. After the tour wrapped up, I think it was Kevin Morby that insisted we track and share it.”
29 | Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band & Dom Flemons | Shake Your Money Maker (ft. Steve Cropper)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Grammy-winning American roots musician/musicologist Dom Flemons and acclaimed country blues guitarist Reverend Peyton, both lauded for their knowledge of roots music’s past and the exciting ways they bring the music into the present day, have combined their passionate expertise into a riveting new rendition of Elmore James’ slide-guitar blues classic Shake Your Money Maker. The impetus behind their version occurred at the grand finale of the 2019 Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tenn. The two were part of a star-studded ensemble — which also included Booker T. and the MGs guitarist Steve Cropper — performing an encore jam of the song, which had been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame the day before by Flemons himself. He recalls: “I looked back at the stage and saw magic electric sparks flying from the dueling guitars of Rev. and Col. Cropper. At that moment I saw the potential for an amazing record that would commemorate Elmore James as well as electrify a classic into a modern masterpiece.”
30 | Okey Dokey | It’s Just You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Indie-pop band-turned-community Okey Dokey share the newest single from their upcoming album Once Upon One Time — out Oct. 23. It features behind-the-boards work from behind-the-boards work on the record from Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, Darkside’s Dave Harrington, The Shins’ Yuuki Matthews, Filip Nikolic (founding member of Poolside) — and My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel for latest track It’s Just You.”
31 | Sen Miromoto | The Things I Thought About You Started To Rhyme
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sen Morimoto released a new track called The Things I Thought About You Started To Rhyme. It’s the third single from the forthcoming Sen Morimoto LP, and has one of our favorite Senmo lyrics ever: “I believe in god like my dog believes I’m dead ’til I come home from work.”
32 | Autocatalytica | Zippler
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Autocatalytica is a bubbling cauldron of scatter-brained prog-metal insanity helmed by guitarist/vocalist Eric Thorfinnson. The newest release for the band is Powerclashing Maximalism, which is coming out on Oct. 16. In anticipation of the release, Autocatalytica is releasing the single Zippler. A mix, pretty much right down the middle, of Protest the Hero and the Mars Volta, it’s zippy, groovy, and it has got some chaos thrown in for good measure, written about the illusion of free will. It was a last-minute addition to the rehearsals and decided upon due to the need for something super fast to fill out the record. It features clean vocals from Parliament Owl’s and Telomere’s Devlin Flynn and screams from Plethora’s Gary Walsh.”
33 | Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu | Worst Comes to Worst
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu release Worst Comes To Worst, a new single that embraces their love of classic disco. The track’s sound is a nod to Daft Punk and the French Touch, thanks to the chopped-up metal guitars throughout the pre-chorus. This new single follows the announcement of the upcoming album Renegade Breakdown. A bold move forward, Renegade Breakdown draws on some truly diverse inspirations, including Fleetwood Mac, Kraftwerk, Billie Holiday, and the iconic French singer Mylène Farmer. They also looked to the struggles of Karen Carpenter , particularly in relation to the intense psychological abuse she suffered behind the duo’s smiling all-American façade. As always, this is an intensely personal record complete with Marie’s dark humor, acerbic observations and raw emotion.”
34 | Snowy White & The White Flames | I Wish I Could
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Snowy White & The White Flames release new single I Wish I Could, the first track to be taken from upcoming album Something On Me, due out Oct. 9. Snowy White is one of a handful of classic blues-orientated British electric guitar players — musicians whose sound, technique and style has echoed the originality of the blues with the excitement of contemporary rock. He has developed his own style of ‘English’ blues, a combination of clear, clean blues phrases and harder-edged riffs that are a recognisable feature of his very personal songs.”
35 | Jesse Kivel | William
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jesse Kivel announces the new album Infinite Jess, out Nov. 13, and shares lead single William, a pulsing, expansive meditation on Maine, missed opportunities and infinity. Infinite Jess puts more of him — the real Jesse, as man, father, son, brother — into the open world than ever seen, or heard, before. The whole album reads like an autobiography. The music and pitch perfect arrangements — moody, playful, atmospheric, and unpredictable — are the vehicle for time travel and producer Joey Genetti, along with an immensely talented cast of some of the most dynamic technicians and stylists in L.A.’s contemporary music scene, help infuse a rich, deeply felt sense of purpose and shape to every moment.”
36 | Dave Specter & Billy Branch | The Ballad of George Floyd
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Horrified by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, Chicago blues guitarist Dave Specter turned to his guitar and his longtime friend, harmonica great Billy Branch. Branch sings and plays harp, Specter sings and plays electric guitar, John Kattke plays keyboards, while Danny Shaffer contributes acoustic guitar. Specter recalls, “I wrote the song a few days after George Floyd was murdered and the lyrics pretty much wrote themselves. Injustice’s toll from an endless cycle of racist violence and police brutality. And it just happened again with Jacob Blake … But George Floyd didn’t die in vain. He helped spark a worldwide movement for justice and change. I am proud to collaborate with the great Chicago bluesman Billy Branch on this tune. We share the same vision and are inspired by the words of John Lewis: ‘If it hadn’t been for music, the civil rights movement would’ve been like a bird without wings.’ ”
37 | Juanita Stein | L.O.T.F
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Juanita Stein has released a new song, L.O.T.F, from her upcoming third album Snapshot, which is set for release on Oct.. 23. The song taps into the theme that runs throughout the album, which was recorded following the sudden loss of Stein’s father in 2019. As Juanita explains, it is “an ode to growing up in Australia, tinged with a sad bitterness.” It is a devilish intersection of a song, with introspective lyrics swimming through snarling guitars.”
38 | Airliners | Copenhagen
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The brainchild of Tyler Boyd and Noah Monckton, Airliners has its origins on the sleepy and wet west coast of Canada. Hailing from Victoria, the duo met at a back-yard jam, which quickly led to the birth of what would become the stratospheric hit-making partnership. Initially releasing their debut EP Liftoff in 2016, these two have followed separate paths until June of 2020. Driven by their mutual desire to never have a real job, Airliners have decided to lift off again with a new single. Copenhagen is an upbeat indie pop track with contrasting melancholic lyrics, capturing the complicated emotions of a long distance relationship.”
39 | Rob Williams | Nameless
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A natural storyteller who crafts melodies and narratives with intelligence and ease, singer-songwriter Rob Williams is known for his compelling, character-driven songs. With the recent release of his fourth solo album Weathering the Storm, Vol. 1, Williams shares his most moving and intimate work yet. There is a common misconception that people who write songs and play music have a deep seated desire to be famous. It’s as if “making it” in music is somehow connected with celebrity. Nameless, the first single to be shared from the full-length, is about doing what you love even if it contradicts convention.”
40 | Deadletter | Fit For Work
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing from Yorkshire though now South London rooted, Deadletter channel the droll fury of The Fall and the lopsided rhythm of Gang of Four into a strain of vehement post-punk, exploring the darker side of existence through a lens of narrative-driven levity. Today the band release their potent second single Fit For Work, offering an acute, angered study into bureaucracy, and loss of personal identity. Frontman Zac Woolley writes: “The declaration of someone as Fit For Work is symptomatic of the apathy and bureaucratic cruelty prevalent in society, where being unable to meet a certain ticked number of boxes (either literally or metaphorically), equates to the surrender of personal autonomy, and by extension, individual identity.”
41 | Joey Molland | Rainy Day Man
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Be True to Yourself is a tour de force pop album by Badfinger’s Joey Molland, co-written with producer Mark Hudson (producer of last year’s Losst And Founnd by Harry Nilsson). The Oct. 16. release is filled with delicious pop hooks and features musical contributions from Joey’s friends (Julian Lennon, Micky Dolenz, Jason Scheff and Steve Holley). With front and back cover photography by Julian Lennon, this album is a veritable feast for the eyes and ears! So sit back and “take it all” in from one of the genre’s progenitors.”
42 | Romasa | Insufferable Cave Of Rotting Aspiration
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Louisiana sludge/crust/death trio Romasa, featuring current and former members of Ossacrux, Torture Garden and Witch Burial, will release the sordid sounds of their Insufferable Cave Of Rotting Aspiration EP next month. In advance, Romasa offer up the title track for public consumption noting, “Insufferable Cave Of Rotting Aspiration is an exercise in clinging to a main esoteric riff as if it were one’s only light while charging forth into the depths of the insufferable cave that surrounds them, occasionally taking sudden turns further into the abyssal unknown.”
43 | Hablot Brown | GO (Detroit Swindle Remix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The genre-bending trio Hablot Brown tap in legendary Dutch house duo Detroit Swindle for a remix of GO, a single off their most recent EP Opaque. Hablot Brown is composed of twin brothers Austin Brown (production, keys, bass, guitar) and John Brown (drums, co-writing), who hail from Franklin, MA, and Linus Lester-Hodges (vocals, songwriting) who grew up in Singapore. Bringing an interesting blend of vastly contrasting genres, the band borrows from musical influences such as Ned Doheny, Nick Hakim, J.Dilla and Tom Misch, creating their own unique sound that is difficult not to fall in love with.”
