Ric Robertson shares his strange worldview, The OBGMs dare you to meet them outsah, D.A. Stern urges you to drink up, Mise en Scene go back to schooldays, Mobley heads straight as the crow flies, Will Butler visits Bethlehem and more in your absurdly busy Wednesday Roundup. If you can’t find something here to love, that’s totally on you.
ON REPEAT
1 | Ric Robertson | Strange World
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, upending the New Orleans-based bandleader’s touring plans, Ric Robertson (Lucius, Rhiannon Giddens, The Woods Brothers) hunkered down to learn a new art form: stop-motion animation. The result is Robertson’s new music video Strange World. It’s an 11-minute pyschedelic, sci-fi epic in three acts, narrating the thrust of the themes on Robertson’s new electro-funk EP, Strange World (out Sept. 25). Directed and animated by Robertson and Nick Miceli, with characters designed by celebrated New Orleans artist Nick Shoulders, the short film brings the songs to life in a technicolor sci-fi New Orleans inhabited by robots and monsters as they fight for freedom from an overbearing industrialist force seeking to dismantle their creativity and keeping them on its profitable assembly line.”
2 | The OBGMs | Outsah
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The OBGMs have released a new single from forthcoming album The Ends, set for release Oct. 30. The opening track of the record, Outsah serves as a dizzying, percussion-strafed statement of intent. Vocalist and guitarist Densil McFarlane directed and produced the hard-hitting music video that accompanies the track himself: “We make movies over here. Outsah is a joint collaboration with Clairmont The Second and Beee and we really wanted to do something gritty. I wanted to tell a story in a cinematic continuous shot and really make a statement. This song, and this video, speak to what we are willing to do. We are going to run up in your house, give us what we want.”
3 | D.A. Stern | 2 Drink Minimum
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles musician D.A. Stern is excited to present his new single 2 Drink Minimum featuring Fat Tony and Collen Green. The track is the latest single to be lifted from Mmxxtape out Sept. 25. Stern had the following to share: “I called [director] Thaddeus Ruzicka because I was excited by the idea of a noir detective finding hot dogs at a crime scene and we just started spitballing the classic tropes and calling cards of the genre. The idea was to make a sort guerrilla-style Sabotage-meets-Raymond Chandler video, but Thad took it up a notch. And even more amazing than Fat Tony and Colleen Green agreeing to do the song was that they were down to be in the video. I’m really proud of this one and I haven’t eaten a hot dog since.”
4 | Mise En Scene | High School Feeling
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canada’s emotive grunge-pop duo Mise en Scene takes us back in time with a new single/video High School Feeling. The lighthearted track is off their forthcoming LP Winnipeg, California, out Oct. 9. Accompanying visuals feature the duo humorously traipsing the halls of their old high school in the town of Gimli, Manitoba while reminiscing on the days of carefree and all-consuming crushes. Wearing homemade fake braces & oversized scrunchies to further set the scene, the multi-talented band conceptualized, shot, and edited the video themselves.”
5 | Mobley | James Crow
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Genre-bending musician and multimedia artist Mobley is known for creating catchy hooks and melodic pop songs that never leave your head. With his newest single James Crow, he’s created a shout-along ’60s rock band sound (assisted by Spoon’s Jim Eno on the mix) with thought-provoking lyrics that may take a second to sink in. Allusions to segregation and the minstrel song Jump Jim Crow set up a takedown of the unjust systems and revanchist politics of current times. “I want to draw people in with that serotonin hit you get from a catchy, well-crafted song,” explains Mobley. “But once they’re in, I want to implicate them in all of the grim, unsightly realities of what’s going on in our country. As they’re singing along, it’s like ‘What did he say? What am I chanting right now?’ ”
6 | Will Butler | Bethlehem
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On Bethlehem, the third single from Will Butler’s imminent new solo album Generations, fevered energy arrives at the song’s onset and never relents, providing what might be the most cathartic three and a half minutes you’ll hear all year. Today, Butler presents the video, which, like a nightmare of a Flemish still life, shows the anxious preparation of a symbolic feast (co-directed by Adrienne Anderson). Says Butler: “This song partly springs from The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats: “What rough beast, its hour come round at last, / Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” Like a lot of folks, I woke up after the election in 2016 mad and sad and scared and exhausted. This song is born of that emotion.”
7 | Kurt Baker | Over You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “American musician, songwriter, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist Kurt Baker has dropped a vintage ’80s-inspired music video for Over You, the lead single off his upcoming solo album After Party set for release on Oct. 23. Kurt says, “The first single and video from my new album is the track Over You, and I’m really excited about how it came out. I worked with a very talented director here in Madrid named Trash Diamond, who is well known for his great visual aesthetic, which in this case fits the song perfectly. It’s a vintage 1980s telethon that reaches chaotic proportions when an anti-rock n’ roller wants to see it all go haywire. Big rock ’n’ roll riffs with lots of explosions! Woohoo!”
8 | Rise Against | Broken Dreams, Inc.
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Punk-rock stalwarts Rise Against release Broken Dreams, Inc., their first new song in three years. Produced by Bill Stevenson, Jason Livermore, Andrew Berlin and Chris Beeble, Broken Dreams, Inc. is angry, fast and furious punk rock, with ruthless drums, pounding bass, blazing guitar and impassioned vocals. Also released today is the animated/motion comic video for the song that features art from DC’s Dark Nights: Death Metal, drawn by the series’ artist Greg Capullo. Said vocalist/lyricist Tim McIIlrath: “One word, ‘disruption.’ You have to put power into the hands of the people, not business, you have to value people and community over profit. You can’t have a shareholder-run country or a shareholder-run world, a world that values profit above all else, because profit above all else can result in dangerous repercussions for humankind.”
9 | Rafael Vigilanitcs | My Anchor
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles-via-New Mexico songwriter Rafael Vigilanitcs announces his upcoming album Blue River, Grey Sky, due Nov. 13. Today, Rafael shares the video to My Anchor. The song was recorded in the New Mexico wilderness and features indie-punk elements. In discussing the song, he shares, “the song is about the disappointment of empty promises and how we must find our own meaning to the disasters we face in life. The things that keep us grounded are the same things we often try to betray in our search for glory. The video shot by 20-year-old Escher Bowers of Silver City NM, shows that even in the shipwrecks of our own making we are never without guidance or hope. Sometimes the way home just means the willingness to ask for help and the resolve to keep going regardless if it answers.”
ALSO ON THE PLAYLIST
10 | Suzi Ragsdale | Live Until You Die
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “If there were resumés for musicians, Suzi Ragsdale’s would certainly end up on the top of the stack. Ragsdale has written songs for the likes of Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert, sang background on recordings for everyone from Loretta Lynn to Hank Williams Jr., and toured as a member in the bands of iconic songwriters Guy Clark and Darrell Scott; and that’s not even mentioning Ragsdale’s own albums she’s released. Now, in 2020, it’s been a decade since Ragsdale has released her own music, but that only magnifies the refreshing and reassuring wisdom, compassion, and humor of her new EP, Ghost Town, out Oct. 9.”
11 | Sick Of It All | Alone
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “New York City hardcore legends Sick Of It All dearly miss playing live, so the band decided to film a series of live clips — straight in their living rooms! First is a real classic: Alone. The band comments: “Quarantine gave us a reason (and an excuse) to dust off some of our favorite songs that haven’t been featured in our live set either in a while, or ever. We wanted to rekindle their fire, and share them with our fans worldwide. So for the next months, we’re going to release one song every fortnight to try to keep the torch of hardcore lit through this drought of live music that’s driving us all crazy!”
12 | Briqueville | Akte XV
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Belgium-based enigmatic post-metal collective Briqueville unveil their visual accompaniment to Akte XV. Following 2017’s dazzling instrumental opus II, the Flemish five-piece returns with their third studio album. The band members completed the album in separation, which worked out better than initially expected. They were forced to take distance not only from each other, but also towards their own song material. Some pieces grew larger than originally intended; others were stripped down to the essentials and reinvented. The end result is a staggering album that is sophisticated and smothering at the same time, made up of altogether shorter songs as compared to the previous release.”
13 | Bottled Up | Crystal
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Washington, D.C. band Bottled Up share the official video for their latest single Crystal. The song is the title track from the band’s debut album out Oct. 16. On the song Bottled Up’s Nikhil Rao says: “Crystal is a song about the multifaceted nature of intimacy, and how insecurity and fear can hold us back from embracing relationships with people. I grew up watching MTV religiously, and I miss the vulnerability of those music videos, so I wanted to try to re-create that vibe in a modern psychedelic way. Watching those old music videos as a kid really helped me feel like I could relate to everyone, especially as an Indian-American who constantly felt alienated by the rampant racism in every part of this country I lived in. It gave me hope that music could help me escape that feeling of isolation, and I’m very grateful for it.”
14 | Mad Sin | Moon Over Berlin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After a decade on the lam, Germany’s foremost psycho/punkabilly/rock’n’roll outfit Mad Sin are thrilled to release the video clip for their new album Unbreakable. Unbreakable finds founding member Köfte “The Big Chief” DeVille and St. Valle returning to the fore, and they’re going all-in. Indeed, Mad Sin are embroiled in a new decade, and times have certainly changed, but the hard-bitten group remain solidly in the thick of things, their hard-won genre-blurring — punk to country, blues to hardcore, metal to ska and garage to pop — romp is as poignant as ever.”
15 | Alaina Castillo | Tonight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Critically acclaimed artist Alaina Castillo dropped the music video for her latest release, the unapologetically antisocial party track Tonight. Alaina’s solo rollerskate dance party under neon lights in the video embraces her e-girl, antisocial influence as well as the tracks infectious melody, reflecting its message of the power of solitude. Tonight sets the scene for what’s in store for Alaina and shows the breadth and ambition of her artistry. She wrote the track as an anti-social party anthem, re-emphasizing her own anti-social lifestyle and encouraging her listeners to embrace their solitude, especially in these uncertain times.”
https://youtu.be/ki2QhRMlNAc
16 | The Troops of Doom | The Confessional
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brazilian death metal unit The Troops of Doom are pleased to unleash their newest single The Confessional. The track comes off the band’s The Rise Of Heresy debut EP, set for release Oct. 9. Notes guitarist Jairo “Tormentor” Guedz of The Confessional, “This song is definitely my favorite on the EP! It means a lot to me because it was something I always wanted to do during the early days of Sepultura. It highlights a denser and heavier approach, influenced by one of my favorite metal bands — the legendary Celtic Frost — with more ponderous vocals, mid-tempo riffs … it’s all mixed with other old inspirations that come from bands like Slayer, Voivod and Kreator, not to mention our very own and peculiar way of playing, created by Sepultura itself. It is a track that synthesizes a very interesting balance in our debut work, along with other more speed and aggressive songs. That’s why we chosen The Confessional as our second single. I hope people can dig it as much as we do.”
17 | Drew Citron | Kiss Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn indie-rock stalwart Drew Citron has released new single/video Kiss Me. The track is the latest offering from her debut solo effort, Free Now, due Oct. 9. Free Now is the riotous sonic deliverance of an artist reborn following the breakup of her long-term relationship with ex-Beverly bandmate Scott Rosenthal. Backed by gritty guitar riffs, the song is a deep, sonically swooning plea for sparks and excitement in a serious relationship when it is slipping away. Citron says it is “about when you’ve been in a relationship so long, you don’t really see the other person and the spark is hard to come by. ‘Kiss me like you’ve never met me,’ is somewhat of a motto for me. If it’s not romance, sparks, excitement, surprise, it’s tough to stick around. As, this was an excuse for me to let the power chords fly on this record. I love a pop-rock behemoth.”
18 | Puma Blue | Velvet Leaves
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Over the course of two EPs, two singles and a stripped-back live album, Puma Blue has established himself as one of the UK’s most vital new talents. Now he’s set to build upon his growing underground acclaim by releasing his debut album In Praise of Shadows on Jan. 29. First up: The personal Velvet Leaves. “In the summer of 2015, my sister attempted suicide. It was a lot to process personally and for us as a family. I always wanted to deal with it in song but I never had the language, lyrically or musically, to grapple with such a complex issue. Then last year, I realised I finally had a way of dealing with that.” says Allen. “I’d like to think it ended up being a hopeful song, about the beauty of the way she got through it, and we all got through it. But there are definitely elements of the song which are just about how dark that veil is.”
19 | Ghostly Kisses | Never Let Me Go
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Three months and million streams after the release of her EP Never Let Me Go, Ghostly Kisses unveils an intimate acoustic version of the title track. Never Let Me Go is a re-imagined version of the original piece in its simplest expression, in an irresistible piano-voice arrangement. The video captures all the complicity of the duo and plunges us into the intimacy of Ghostly Kisses project.”
20 | CrowJane | The Pharmacy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “L.A. experimental post-punk artist CrowJane has released her debut album Mater Dolorosa (The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows). Produced by L.A. punk legend Paul Roessler (Screamers, Nina Hagen, 45 Grave, Deadbeats), CrowJane has made a deeply personal, expansive, and unearthly experience. “Part of the reason why I chose The Pharmacy to be a single is because I had this idea come into my mind for a music video. I didn’t want to portray pharmaceuticals in a literal sense. Instead, I wanted to portray the act of trying to heal someone’s ‘demons’ through mysticism. Some of my favorite subject matters are the occult, voodoo, and demons,” says CrowJane of the creeptastic and sinister video. “I liked it just being a montage of sorts of this imagery that informs the viewer but still leaves them guessing. It was fun to shoot this with my friends and to put demon makeup and goop on myself.”
21 | Haviah Mighty | Bag Up
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It has been one year since Toronto hip-hop artist Haviah Mighty won the Polaris Music Prize for her 2019 album 13th Floor. Today, Haviah celebrates with a new video for Bag Up, a song she produced with her brother, Mighty Prynce. “Bag Up is the last piece of content from the album, 13th Floor. It’s amazing that we’ve had over a year of fun with this project! We collaborated with Rack & Pinion on this visual, depicting a selection of resilient women on different paths, dealing with different life hindrances, but bonding over and connecting with the go-getter energy that lies in all of us.”
22 | Corlyx | White Wolf
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Darkwave/Post-Punk artists Corlyx tread a dark dreamscape in their new music video White Wolf. White Wolf is a fairytale where the hunter becomes the hunted. Shot in the haunting English woods, White Wolf begins with a innocent portrayal of vocalist Caitlin Stokes, but it slowly takes a deceptive turn. The song deals with how power can corrupt and turn what was light, to dark. Caitlin provides more personal details on what inspired the song: “This video is the fairytale version of my journey as a woman in the world, from once being preyed upon transforming into the hunter not only did I become stronger from my experiences maybe I was always the White Wolf deep down.”
23 | Judson Claiborne | Conditionals
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Judson Claiborne are a Chicago-based project fronted by primary songwriter Christopher Salveter, who is previously known for his work as a founding member and frontperson of apocalyptic desert rock band Low Skies. Judson Claiborne are sharing their new single Conditionals in tandem with announcing their new EP When a Man Loves an Omen. Conditionals mines this storytelling nature of Chris once more with him turning attention to the climate crisis. Chris’s wife co-founded the organization Conceivable Future that collects testimonies on how the crisis is shaping people’s reproductive lives. Conditionals was written as a submission for the organization’s website (he plans to post it here following its release).”
24 | Pete Muller | God and Democracy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter Pete Muller releases the new video for his single God and Democracy. With lyrics that pay homage to the uncertain times that we are living in, God and Democracy is the first track from Muller’s forthcoming album to be released in 2022. “There are relatively calm periods in American history, and somewhat turbulent ones,” Muller explains, “let’s face it — we’re in a turbulent one, with a pandemic and a large amount of divisiveness and mistrust throughout the country … God and Democracy is about how hopeless that might feel, but it is at its heart an optimistic song. I believe in this country, and we will find our way, as we have in the past.”
25 | Yellow Lazarus | Quarantine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Trapped in their studios and taken away from the stages, many bands didn’t have a choice but to channel their lost time into creativity. Yellow Lazarus were one of them, and they took that matter very serious: “After months of isolation in a Europe under lockdown we began to slowly lose our minds,” Slender Owl describes. “Our new single captures the sound of our various stages of acceptance and denial, of lucidity and insanity. There was a feverish party of shadows and deafening silence in our heads. This is the song they played, again and again.” So after their colourful first EP The Mark Inside, Quarantine shows a new facet of this extraordinary band.”
26 | Homecamp | Thoughts of You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Homecamp is the side project of U.K. musician Adam Binder, frontman of indie/emo band Dearist, and his friend, bassist Will Jones. The duo’s debut mini-album Did We Return As Something Else will be released on Nov. 13. The first single Thoughts Of You is out now. Of the new single, Adam says, “This was the last song written and recorded for the mini-album. I was listening back to what I already had for the release and I felt like it needed another song that leaned towards the rockier side of our sound. Something with drums. The songs on the mini-album stretch from floaty ambient arrangements to more mainstream indie rock jams and Thoughts Of You definitely sits in the latter camp. As with most of the songs, this one started on the piano. I am by no means a pianist but I use the trial and error method of hitting random chord shapes in random rhythms until something sparks a feeling, and then I’m away.”
27 | Faye Webster | Better Distractions
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Atlanta-based musician Faye Webster releases her luscious new single Better Distractions. It follows a previously released standalone single In a Good Way and her 2019 album Atlanta Millionaires Club, which appeared on many year-end lists. “I wrote this song kinda without knowing I was writing it,” says Faye. “It’s a kind of free association, just thoughts running straight from my head onto paper untouched. I also think it’s best my band has ever sounded on record.” The accompanying video was shot around Atlanta and co-directed and shot by cinematographer Matt Swinsky and Faye’s regular visual collaborator Eat Humans.”
28 | Oliver Coates | Honey
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Oliver Coates’ Skins N Slime is a caliginous anatomy concealed by a drone-metal membrane, feeding upon mechanized strand distortions and thriving amidst its harmonic waste. In his followup album to 2018’s Shelley’s on Zenn-La, the British cellist and producer leads an impassioned performance of string through viscous, synthetic modulation, triggering a darker side of his compositional sensibilities. Shelley’s experimental dance hybrids are substituted here for scorching color palettes and brutal, howling tones to embody the mess of uninhibited creativity. Watch the video for second single Honey here.”
29 | Keaton Henson | Husk
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Keaton Henson shares Husk, the latest track to be lifted from his new album Monument, to be released on Oct. 23. It will be Keaton’s first album since 2016’s Kindly Now LP. Evaluating the meaning of the song, Keaton explains: “Husk is about waking up and realising that you’ve aged. That time, the traitor, has taken from you your best years, the ones where your bones didn’t ache and you could make it through the day without questioning existence.”
30 | Firewoodisland | Forever Young
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Bristol-based indie-pop duo Firewoodisland released their cover version of Forever Young, a reworked version of the well-known song by Alphaville. Firewoodisland tells us the reason behind reworking the iconic song, “We’ve always wanted to do our own take on a well-known song. Forever Young was one of the most played road trips tunes from childhood memories. Talking about a time of real uncertainty, the Cold War, it mirrors the time we are going through in 2020. Our hope was to make a beautiful and heartfelt Firewoodisland rendition, while still respecting the original melodies and lyrics. Hopefully, we’ve done it justice.”
31 | Qoniak | Baobob
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “One month from today, Mutatio, the new album by Qoniak, will be released. Now the duo adds another single: “Boabob is the story of a spaceship cruising through interstellar space and encountering all kind of odd cosmic beauties. It is a suite of driving backbeats à la RATM, odd meters grooves, dreamy improvs and catchy lunar soundscapes delivered by layers of analog synths.”
32 | Problem Child | Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Now with a new home on the Potent Funk channel, the video for Problem Child’s cocky anthem Me is here. It sees Dabbla, Illaman and Dubbledge tearing up a photoshoot. Rapping all about ‘me’, three egos unite over Sumgii’s dirty production. The visuals come courtesy of My Creative Guru and the don Geroge Telis.”
33 | Lonely The Brave | Open Door
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After their much-heralded return earlier this year, Lonely The Brave announce their third album The Hope List would be coming Jan. 22. The band also share a video for the third single from that record, Open Door, full of stark, human imagery and a sense of moving towards better things — a beam of positivity in contrast to the ongoing insecurities of the here and now in 2020. Guitarist and founding member Mark Trotter says: “This song felt like a hark back to earlier Lonely The Brave. It has an escalation that mirrors some of The Days War tracks — I love tracks that do that; start in one place and keep rising till they spill over. For us, the video has an element of nostalgia whilst also feeling incredibly current. Whatever may be, hopefully we’re building to something brighter.”
34 | Naipia | Tightropes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “UK’s Naipia unveil the official video clip for the track Tightropes, a track about being aware of your centre-point, noticing the light and the dark inside of you and maintaining the balance for personal growth. Naipia commented: “This shoot, for us, is the pinnacle of what you can achieve with a great team of people around you and a lot of love/favours. Naipia were introduced to the amazing videographers Bullet Media at another shoot where we were filming an acoustic rendition of our previous single Another.”
35 | Vogures | YH4M
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London-based artist Vogues releases his debut single YH4M. A woozy, alt-pop number written during a bout of insomnia due to a bedbug infestation whilst studying acting in rural France. Vogues said: “It was the summer time, so my remedy was to spend the long nights drinking 1-Euro bottles of red wine and getting stoned in the woods until I could traipse home and sink into oblivion, before inevitably waking a few hours later scratching myself frantically. When I couldn’t sleep I’d go down to the basement which was filled with stuff, she [the lawyer] was a bit of a hoarder, old rocking horses and paintings of her dead relatives, where there was a pretty decrepit nicely out of tune upright piano, that’s how the song began.”
36 | Blessed | Something To Believe In
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Australia’s unique and prolific artist Blessed just unveiled his new single marking the next chapter in his musical journey, complete with genre bending sounds of Hip-Hop, Punk “and everything in between. Taking inspiration from music greats Jimi Hendrix, Kanye West, and Kid Cudi, the Ghana-born, Western Sydney-raised rapper, singer and producer created his latest offering as events unfolded during the latest BLM protests. Prompted by a global movement, the result encourages all to continue the conversations started, whilst he pleads for hope.”
37 | Suuns | Pray
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal-based band Suuns, comprised of Ben Shemie, Joe Yarmush and Liam O’Neill, announce their new Fiction EP out Oct. 30, and share the lead single. Pray was recorded during a hot Dallas summer in 2015 with John Congleton, originally for the band’s 2016 album Hold/Still. “It didn’t make the cut, probably because we loved it so much and thought we had an even better version of it in us,” says O’Neill. “We subsequently tried to record multiple versions of this song, none of which captured the unhinged energy of this live-off-the-floor performance. Discovering this lost jam and its power felt like a reminder to keep in the moment and to trust ourselves — you just have to keep moving forward.”
38 | Eels | Are We Alright Again
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Eels have announced details of the release of their highly anticipated new album Earth to Dora, due Oct. 30. In celebration, the band have revealed a new single titled Are We Alright Again. Speaking about the new record, E says: “These songs came about just before the pandemic hit and changed everything. I’m hoping they can be, maybe kind of soothing or something. To hear songs dealing with things we are dreaming about getting back to. Or maybe people are dealing with some of the topics right now as well. Just one song was done in the thick of the early pandemic days, Are We Alright Again, which is kind of a quarantine daydream I desperately needed to have.”
39 | Carolina East | Hunger
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “East Coast musician Carolina East is excited to announce the release of her new track Hunger, the third single from her new album Soaked in Whisky, which will be out in May 2021. Hunger is a driving, pop-tinged country track that is all about the insatiable desire that happens in a romance with extended periods of separation. “Hunger is about the trials and tribulations of a long distance relationship,” says Carolina East. “It’s about putting in the work to make the relationship work.”
40 | The Wake | Hammer Hall
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Post-punk outfit The Wake have announced they will release a new long-play, entitled Perfumes and Fripperies. A fixture in the ’90s goth rock scene, The Wake are re-emerging with a new offering, almost 25 years since their last full-length album. Ahead of that, they present the lead track Hammer Hall, a lushly layered, powerful, dark soundscape laced with infectious hooks and driven by signature vocals. Hailing from Columbus, OH, The Wake critical accolades as part of the “second wave” of goth. Through their releases, appearances on a myriad of complications and extensive touring with peers such as Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails, The Wake secured their place in goth ’n’ roll history.”
41 | Hot Flash Heat Wave | Grudge
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hot Flash Heat Wave are here to take you away — to put your head in the clouds for a few minutes, if only to enjoy the view. The San Francisco trio of Adam Abildgaard, Nick Duffy, and Ted Davis have built a loyal following and constant buzz over the last several years, with the 2019 EP Mood Ring standing as their most kaleidoscopic work to date. Merging the quintessential melodies of pop’s past with contemporary touches to forge something truly unique, Hot Flash Heat Wave are just starting to create their own sonic world. And with a new LP coming in 2021, Hot Flash Heat Wave are preparing for the next step up the staircase in their absolute blast of a sonic trip, with determination to elevate their craft in the process.”
42 | Rowlette | Cucumber & Ice
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Mayo indie pop artist Rowlette is releasing her new single Cucumber & Ice, a pop anthem that celebrates friendship and the unique relationship and bond a group of girls can forge. Rowlette says “I was with Graham and Rob in the studio and we were writing a very serious/sad song when we decided to just switch it up. Graham started messing with a riff on guitar and I had the Cucumber and Ice idea in my notepad and we went from there. It was a lot of fun writing it.”
43 | Fruit Bats | Stunned One
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fruit Bats release the single Stunned One and announce the digital release of The Glory of Fruit Bats on Oct. 2. Previously a limited-edition vinyl exclusive for Record Store Day Black Friday 2016, The Glory of Fruit Bats is a collection of originals (like fan favorite “The Rock Doc”), select covers, and cinematic instrumentals performed, produced, engineered and mixed by Eric D. Johnson over the course of one week in Portland, OR. The album will be available digitally on Oct. 2. Listen to Stunned One.”
44 | Tim Heidecker | Property
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tim Heidecker will release his biggest-sounding album yet, Fear Of Death, next Friday, Sept. 25. Today, he presents the album’s third single Property, which sees Heidecker pondering the possibility of cemeteries becoming part of a capitalistic, real-estate driven world: “They buried those bodies with the best intent, yes they did // But those boxes could be turned into rent, and you know that they will.” Heidecker and Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering’s voices glide over hushed, relaxed percussion and floating keys. As Heidecker’s voice becomes more urgent, the instrumentation billows with brass and pronounced strings.”
45 | HMS Morris | Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “HMS Morris are back with single Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol, which translates as International Students. HMS Morris HQ is nestled on the edge of one of the most multicultural streets in Cardiff, City Road. It’s a noisy, colourful cosmopolitan crush of restaurants, shisha bars and barbers, which have recently been invaded by posh student accommodation projects. But while this may have been the initial impetus behind Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol, by the time it had solidified into a definite sound and feel it was no longer a rant about fancy student halls. Rather it had become an assertion that the world be a better place if we were all International Students.”
46 | Wynonna | Angel From Montgomery
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Wynonna has shared a stirring cover of the classic John Prine song Angel From Montgomery from her upcoming EP Recollections. “I was sitting in the kitchen when I got the news that John had flown,” Wynonna explained. “I told Cactus I needed to sing Angel From Montgomery that night because I needed to honor how much John had meant to me. I learned that song when I was a teenager, and now, 40 years later, I’m still singing it, and hopefully passing it on to the next generation who will keep on singing it, too.”
47+48 | Kasbo | Staying In Love / Skogsrå
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Swedish producer and electronic artist Kasbo returns with the third teaser and double single drop ahead of his eagerly awaited sophomore album The Making of a Paracosm, set to release on Oct. 23. Staying In Love and Skogsrå demonstrate Kasbo’s versatility as a musician, constantly reimagining his signature sound with fresh collaborations and complex, textured melody swells that demand attention. Staying In Love’ combines heartfelt lyrics about the inevitability of fading love, and the even stronger desire to hold onto passion within a relationship, complemented by varied high-energy beats, genre-blending riffs, and strong vocal support from fellow Swedish singer-songwriter Nea. Skogsrå is a reference to the symbolic forest spirit widely found within Scandinavian folklore.”
49 | Fuller | Change My Mind
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles-based alternative artist Fuller presents Change My Mind, the latest single to be lifted from his debut EP Crush Me, out Sept. 25. Fuller is the single vision of John Patrick Welsh. On his forthcoming release, he merges a lifelong diet of post-punk, alt pop, and indie rock. The result is clever songs packed with tongue-in-cheek musings on love, loss, and the condition of the modern millennial — all in a decisively addicting package.”
50 | Margot | Slow Down
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London-based singer-songwriter Margot is releasing her new single Slow Down, taken from her debut EP, Make It Last, which will be released on Oct. 9. Margot reveals a little about the creation of the single, “This song actually went through a long writing process. Frank Slimm and I started this one in April 2019 while I was still living in Berlin and it got shelved for months while we were working on other projects. When we dug it out again, I couldn’t believe we left it for so long! I drafted up a new set of lyrics and it all fell together in about two days. The song itself is about self-care and self-love, taking time out of the day to look after yourself and enjoy the little things, and to remind myself that the time I spend working on myself is just as important as the time I spend working on my career.”
51 | Mary Lattimore | Silver Ladders
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles-based harpist Mary Lattimore has shared the title track from new album Silver Ladders, due for release on Oct. 9. Lattimore shares the album’s title track, commenting: “Silver Ladders was written about this place in Croatia on the island of Hvar, where the sea was deep greeny-blue and you could float with all of the people from the town. There were all of these ladders from the stone path right into the water. I thought it was the most beautiful place on Earth, as a person who loves to swim. I was hired to play a wedding in Big Sur, another breathtaking spot, and the rugged coast reminded me of my time in Croatia, so this melody came to me as I was warming up for the wedding. I recorded it on my phone and that’s where the song came from.”
52 | Ocean Child | Moonlight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The music emanating from 18-year-old Chicago-based musician Marco Landaverde pulls from his childhood musical influences and his intimate journey through introspection. The result is a nostalgic amalgamation of indie and ’60s rock. Marco says: “Moonlight can be interpreted in many different ways, but I wanted to depict this struggle of maturing to adulthood and having to pack away a lot of your old self in order to grow as a person … I see the song as sort of a confrontation between the person you are, and the person you once were. That slow part you hear around two minutes in is actually a snippet from one of my other songs.”
53 | Patient Hands | There Are No Graves Here
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Patient Hands, the solo project of Saskatchewan ambient songwriter Alexander Stooshinoff, shares the track Wash My Hands from his sophomore album There Are No Graves Here, set for release on Nov. 18. Alex says, “Wash My Hands is the closing track of No Graves. The title comes from my visits to the bone marrow transplant unit while my mom was sick. The patients in there were all immunocompromised, so we visitors had to be very rigorous with our hygiene, and there was a heavy-duty handwashing station posted just outside the entrance.”
54+55 | Adulkt Life | Stevie K + Taking Hits
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Adulkt Life, made of Huggy Bear’s Chris Rowley, Male Bonding’s John Arthur Webb and Kevin Hendrick, and drummer Sonny Barrett, announce their debut album Book Of Curses, out Nov. 6. Today, they offer two new singles, Stevie K and Taking Hits. “Taking Hits …I wanted to forge a battle hymn that would corral our beat down and punch drunk living situations into something transcendent ,stronger of knees and able to stare out the haters … Stevie K was recorded in starvation conditions/prison yard style under the working title Nation of Ulysses Ruined My Life.”
