Ruff Majik play dead, The Ghost of Vroom is plagued by nostalgia, Bearcraft head west, Moor Mother rages against the machine, The Wilderness lay it out in black and white, Premium Leisure administer some natural medicine and much, much more in your big-ass Friday Roundup. For some reason, there are a cluster of horror-themed videos today. Just in case your day-to-day existence isn’t scary enough already.
1 | Ruff Majik | Lead Pills And Thrills
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Lead Pills And Thrills is the third single to be released from The Devil’s Cattle, the upcoming full-length from South African stoner-rock collective Ruff Majik. It’s the first one to feature long-time producer and new member Evert Snyman plus founding member Johni Holiday front and centre on vocal duties. It’s also the first time the band experimented with piano driven rock ‘n’ roll. Lyrically, the latest single song deals with crippling addiction to both lost love and alcohol. Comments guitarist/vocalist Holiday, “Jimmy [Glass] and I are both out in the wasteland, being pursued by zombies. Evert has been taken hostage by a zombie horde to be the personal piano man for their bar — and we set out to rescue him. Once there, we discover we’ve have fallen right into a clumsily planned trap.”
2 | Ghost of Vroom | 1918
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Mike Doughty isn’t dead — he’s become a ghost. The debut Ghost of Vroom 2 EP from the former Soul Coughing frontman and bassist Andrew “Scrap” Livingston is out today. Legendary Beastie Boys collaborator Mario Caldato Jr. worked with the band to achieve their beat-driven, hip-hop-influenced sound which is significantly present on their latest single 1918. Doughty shares: “The virus is a ghost, wearing a plague doctor’s beak-mask, walking through the aisles of a store, touching things to contaminate them. He leaves and walks into a riot, where he leaps into the mouths of people chanting and singing. Behind him, the store is burned down. Someone in the crowd is struck down by a cop with a billy club, and they’re hauled into a car and driven home. The plague-doctor virus-ghost follows, and waits, in hiding, through the summer, sharpening a knife, plotting to come out again when the winter comes.”
3 | Bearcraft | Where The Sun Sets
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bristol-based collective Bearcraft, led by artist/producer Dicky Moore, release their new single Where The Sun Sets. Taken from Bearcraft’s recently released second LP Fabrefactions, the track has been inspired by Moore’s love of A Sky of Honey by Kate Bush and his sister’s first novel, The Drowning Pool, about the legend of a sea-witch called Sarah Moore who lived in Leigh-on-Sea in the 1800s. Dicky says, “This is one of the few tracks I started writing after I had started working on the album with Joe Reeves. Because of that, I was able to just focus on the lyrical, harmonic and melodic content, and leave it up to Joe to add the rhythmic and synth stuff. A Sky of Honey by Kate Bush has been one of my favourite albums since its release, and I admire the sense of space and she creates within it. When my sister got in touch to ask me to write a song inspired by her first novel, The Drowning Pool, with Kate Bush’s sumptuous and spacious compositions, and Syd Moore’s compelling narrative in mind, the song came easily.”
4 | Moor Mother | Act 1: Working Machine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The new LP from Philadelphia poet, noise musician and activist Moor Mother is Circuit City. It is the soundtrack of a staged-production of the same name, set in a living room in a futurist corporate-owned apartment complex. Part musical, part choreopoem, part play, the work was composed by Moor Mother (aka Camae Ayewa) to address and eliminate systemic problems associated with the injustice of housing rights, public vs. private ownership, and technology. An 11-minute short film is out now, as a visual component to the first track on the album, Act 1: Working Machine.”
5 | The Wilderness | Graveyard
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Indie rockers The Wilderness share the video for Graveyard, the third single from their new album Until Tomorrow. Both the song and video revolve around the theme of feeling trapped in a cyclical, dead-end lifestyle, and that one day you may close your eyes and wake up 20 years later in the same exact place. The video, directed by Céline Klein and starring band members Jonas Lewis-Anthony and Liam Neale, is filmed in black and white and has an old school thriller/horror vibe to it. Since there are parts of Graveyard that have the infectious lightness of a pop song, the band wanted to make sure that the video hammered home the very serious, dark themes of the lyrics. “With this video we wanted to create something that captured both the driving energy and intensity of the music, while still relating to the paranoid self-reflection of the lyrics,” says Liam Neale.”
6 | Premium Leisure | Remedies
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Premium Leisure — the solo project of songwriter/producer and guitarist Chris Barker — is excited to share Remedies, the opening track from his forthcoming EP. Remedies is a comment on the noise that fogs our perceptions of ‘healthy living’. Obsessing over the latest health fad, worrying too much about what we eat, how often to exercise, and ultimately how we think we should live our lives. “Remedies considers a more laid back and outward looking mindset,” Chris explains, “to do what makes you, and people around you, feel good.”
7 | Spirit Adrift | Screaming from Beyond
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With Screaming from Beyond, heavy metal outfit Spirit Adrift release the last single before their new album Enlightened In Eternity drops on Oct. 16. Spirit Adrift comment: “Once again we have joined forces with our close friend and collaborator Guilherme Henriques to bring our shared vision to life. Screaming From Beyond is about death, loss, grief, mourning, and struggling with the concept of an afterlife or lack thereof. Guilherme inherently understands what Spirit Adrift is trying to convey with our music, and this is our most powerful collaboration to date. This video is mysterious, ominous, tragic, and intense … a perfect visual companion for the song.”
8 | I Am Your God | Believe Again
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I Am Your God are hailing from Rovaniemi, Finland’s northernmost province, Lapland, and combine melodies and heavy riffs in a way that is world-famous for Nordic Countries and transfer the melodic death metal of the 2000s into the present. It is the energy as well as the pure ability of this band that makes them stand out from the mass of newcomers and gives hope for a great future of the band. Says Julius Vetämäjärvi: “A few different realities and some creepy voodoo-shit combined to fast & fierce flow — what else would you need for a music video? At the same second, we decided to release this song as a single we got the idea of huge parties because the song is a pure fucking party anthem. A bit later our marvelous director Julius Erkkonen checked out the lyrics and wrote the plot based on them, with a lot of tasty extra events. For example, I’ve never been physically buried alive before shooting this video.”
9 | Hands Like Houses | Dangerous
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Australian rock favorites Hands Like Houses are offering a new cut from the EP with the single and video for Dangerous. It continues in the bold and gritty vein of the of the band’s upcoming self-titled EP, due for release on Oct. 23. On the track, HLH vocalist Trenton Woodley explains: “Something about this song has always been uncomfortable for me — when we started, Dangerous was meant to be playful, confident, even arrogant — but as it came together, it felt like a reflection on frustration and losing control when all your confidence falls apart.”
10 | Let Me In | Right As Rain
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After six years of near-silence, the Brescia-based skate punk outfit Let Me In is back on track. The four-piece return with their new single Right As Rain, a song that brings out the strong points of Let Me In’s sound. The band comment: “Right As Rain represents our return after a forced absence of six years, and we couldn’t be more enthusiastic to share it with anyone who wants to pay attention to it. It’s more urgent and immediate than our standards, perhaps because we’ve poured in it all our desire to get back to composing, sweating and communicating. It’s about the need question our lifestyle, the contrast between the desire to be free and the need to sell our time for material goods and a sense of security. We don’t even dare to give answers with this song, but we ask a few questions. That’s a good starting point.”
11 | Kutiman | Elimi Tut (ft. Melike Sahin)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Following their sublime 2019 collaboration Sakla Beni, production king Kutiman and Turkish songstress Melike Şahin reunite on Anatolian psych anthem Elimi Tut (Hold My Hand). And a simple revival this is not. The Turkish & Middle Eastern psych sound of Erkin Koray, Baris Manco, Selda Bağcan, Omar Khorshid & Aris San is brought bang up to date with swathes of hallucinatory synths, filtered basslines, hard-as-nail drum breaks and Kutiman’s magic touch.”
12 | Hydrogyn | Disappear
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It has been six long years, many twists and turns along the way, yet the spirit of the American Hard Rock / Heavy Metal band Hydrogyn endured, came back from its bruises, ready for yet another fight. Gathering a whole new lineup, consumed by the utmost talent, the band went indoors and after months of constant work, they have reached The Boiling Point on their upcoming album. As for the first token, Hydrogyn unleash a video for the opening track, Disappear. Featuring the new band lineup, along with the new voice of the band in the image of the Holly Hines Freed, the band spare nothing, and no one, and punch right from the get-go, hard and heavy.”
13 | Anna Straker & Gabrielle Aplin | Good Days Bad Days (Chilled Version)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Anna Straker and Gabrielle Aplin revisit their recent collab Good Days, Bad Days by sharing a new Chilled version of the track. The first live performance of the song finds the two artists sharing their creative chemistry and enjoying the moment. Their two-part vocal harmonies and minimal instrumentation give this version a laid-back and spontaneous atmosphere, offering a subtle twist on the original.”
14 | Mikhail Laxton | Cheater
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Cheater, the latest single from Ottawa-based Australian artist Mikhail Laxton, follows this summer’s release of Hold On, continuing to blur the line between genres while highlighting Laxton’s dynamic artistry and vocal abilities. It’s the second track from his forthcoming debut album Real, available next year. Last month, Laxton filmed the companion video for Cheater with fellow artist Rebecca Noelle.”
15 | Solitary | Abominate
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “There’s a consensus that modern thrash metal albums are never as good as those that hit when the genre was at its commercial peak in the ’80s — but that tired old complaint has now been hung, drawn, quartered and burnt at the stake for good measure! Solitary’s fourth album, the monumental The Truth Behind The Lies (out Oct. 23), is armed to the teeth with explosive riffing, razor sharp hooks, thunderous drumming and blazing solos. Together with producer Simon Efemey (Amorphis, Napalm Death, Paradise Lost, etc.), Solitary have pushed themselves to the limit and beyond. Breathtaking performances, immaculate production and simply stunning songs combine to deliver an album of thrash metal than can go head to head with all comers and win. Inspired by the bullshit, the stupidity and cruelty that blights our society, Solitary have never sounded this angry or this fucking heavy before.”
16 | Kaya Stewart | I Hate Falling In Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Indie-pop rising star Kaya Stewart made a big impact with her breakthrough single In Love With A Boy and more recently her single California featuring Childish Major. Today she shares her new single I Hate Falling In Love and the official video. Kaya explains, “I wrote I Hate Falling in Love with my brother and my boyfriend (ironically). Falling in love is such a huge part of growing up and it evokes so many emotions that sometimes it’s overwhelming. I wrote the song about all those awkward and scary moments that come along with it that made me feel like I Hate Falling In Love. I really wanted the video to show on the outside, what a breakup or just struggling in a relationship, feels like on the inside.”
17 | Scorged | Oppressor
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As a young, new metal band you can definitely release your debut album “more unnoticed” than Scorged with almost 50,000 views of their first single Black Crowned Enemy on Youtube. The trade press was impressed by the toughness and uncompromising nature of the young Saarlanders, whose debut album sees the light of the metal world today. At the same time, the metal quintet also released another video from the self-titled album Scorged.”
18 | Big Mother Gig | Past The Sun
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As they near 2 million streams, Milwaukee-bred/Los Angeles-based indie rock outfit Big Mother Gig drop their third single of 2020, the euphoric, introspective Past The Sun. “Lyrically, it’s about addiction,” shared bandleader Richard Jankovich. “The desire to get as far as you can be from this world even if you’re in a room surrounded by people. I chased rocket ships — now, I stay grounded and find fulfillment in the here and now.”
19 | Sodom | Sodom & Gomorrha
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “German thrash metal icons Sodom unleash a lyric video for Sodom & Gomorrha. The track comes by way of the band’s brand-new studio album Genesis XIX, set for release on Nov. 27. “This is definitely one of the toughest and most diverse studio recordings that Sodom have ever released,” notes Tom Angelripper. “Our riff suppliers, Yorck and Frank, are totally different types of musicians. Yorck is a died-in-the-wool metalhead who grew up with thrash music. Frank, on the other hand, also integrates blues and rock elements into his style, including the occasional Frank Marino or Rory Gallagher quotation, and writes songs that could have featured in the same or a similar way on Agent Orange. These are the diverse influences that make Genesis XIX what it is.”
20 | Kaye | Earthrise
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kaye announces her new album Conscious Control due out on Nov. 20. Lead single and album opener Earthrise serves as an origin story that introduces the key themes of the record — change catalyzed by loss, uncomfortable self-confrontation, and choosing oneself even if it inconveniences others. Says Kaye: “In the span of just a couple weeks, I had left my romantic relationship, I had left San Fermin, and I left New York thinking I was going to move to L.A. I felt like I was floating in space, looking at this explosion from afar, grieving intensely but also excited about what was next.”
21 | Mors Subita | Black and White
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Mors Subita from Oulu in Northern Finland launch their third single Black and White from the new album Extinction Era (out Oct. 30). Extinction Era is not only another step in the band’s development but a milestone between modern thrash and melodic death metal. “The album as a whole is quite well-balanced and versatile. Musically it’s the perfect mixture of beauty and brutality,” guitarist Mika Lammassaari says. “The riffs are in the center of the songs,” Mika explains. Adds vocalist Eemeli: “It seems just right that the lyrics are as dark and personal as never before. The topics are all built around the absolute lowest points of depression, mental sickness, and the frustration and hate these two can, and will, generate.”
22 | J Cutta | Fall Thru
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “J Cutta (Scott Adams) is a new, innovative face in hip-hop. A student of music since his childhood, he grew up in Atlanta with Nas and Outkast molding his creative expression. J Cutta believes creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. A lyrical painter with the ability to transport you to a different time and place through his words, J Cutta is a true Atlanta soul with a touch of something different. Gathering fans from America and abroad, J Cutta brings his music to life with collaborations of his past and present experiences and ear-catching tracks that have taken him around the world. The song Fall Thru is a smooth vibrant track that tells a story of love and heartbreak. This is J Cutta’s first release for his upcoming project Dreams Don’t Die.”
23 | Classified | I Love It (ft. Just Chase)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian rapper Classified pairs the release of his new Time EP with a fresh music video for I Love It ft. Just Chase. Co-directed by Classified himself, the music video reflects how he has matured over his two-decade career to find fulfillment in fatherhood and family life. “With this song, I really wanted to write it autobiographically,” reveals Classified. “I wanted to talk about my goals in the game and reaching them. Working with my heroes and how I dealt with the fame and money I earned over the years, the relationships with friends, and what’s important to me. With the video, I wanted to do a rough day in the life of what I do. I see my kids in the morning, I hit the studio, I have family time, I play basketball or skateboard, or motorbike with friends. I like having people over, I enjoy the company.”
24 | Halina Rice | Spheres
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Experimental electronic musician / AV artist Halina Rice has released Spheres, a downtempo ambient track blending melancholic vocal samples, analogue-style synths and cinematic percussion. Rice explains: “I had been experimenting with virtual reality before lockdown so this seemed like a good direction. However, it’s not just about a solution to a practical issue — it’s more the desire to create an immersive experience for the audience and to really produce an experience that transports the viewer. I would see the future of the project to absolutely take this experience into live venues and make it completely immersive for the audience.”
25 | The Brooks | Gameplay
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal’s The Brooks share the animated video for Gameplay, the second single from their forthcoming album Any Day Now, out Oct. 23. Frontman Alan Prater says, “This song is about a boy wanting the girl that’s out of his league, but he has to have her. I’m sure most guys have been there…haha.” In their music you can hear James Brown’s meticulousness, D’Angelo’s delightfulness, Fela Kuti’s radiance, Herbie Hancock’s intergenerational openness, and J. Dilla’s innovative spirit. These heroes of music didn’t let rules and trends dictate their messages, and neither do The Brooks. Just like these history makers, they built their reputation with sweat and rigor, outside of conventional channels.”
26 | Madre Sun | Black River
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Blasting a nostalgic blend of riff-heavy classic rock inspired by greats such as AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith, London-based outfit Madre Sun have unveiled the music video for their EP single Black River. The band — which features second-generation guitarist Tyson Schenker and Brazilian brothers (by both blood and rock ‘n’ roll) Eduardo and Matt Cavina — have drawn once more from their debut EP The Speed Of Light, released earlier this year. Says Schenker: “The inspiration for the video was to say thank you to everyone who has supported the band over the past year.”
27 | Hayden Thorpe | Blue Crow
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hayden Thorpe announces a new EP, Aerial Songs, due for release on Oct. 16. Alongside this news, Hayden has shared the lead track Blue Crow. Where his debut solo album, Diviner, dealt with Hayden’s experience and solace in digital mysticism, Aerial Songs sees an evolution into the “digital pastoral” — an intentionally romantic sonic echo of the heritage and wonder of the natural environment. Hayden notes: “I wouldn’t say I’m any better prepared now, it might just be that I can perhaps more precisely distill the vital affirmation I feel in the mountains. Maybe it is that I am, by now, far enough away from the blast radius of a frustrated rural youth shitshow to get clear headed and attempt it.”
28 | Michael Peter Olsen | Falling Forward
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto songwriter, composer and producer Michael Peter Olsen released his second single of 2020, Falling Forward, along with a gorgeous video from director Jessamine Fok. Olsen states, “Falling Forward is about being disconnected from what is safe and familiar and the grief of that loss of connection. Implicit is the admission that though the fall is uncontrolled, and the future is unknown, it is still progression, leading to what is next. Pining for what just was, while somewhat blindly moving ahead without knowing what is coming. The video was inspired by the Taoist interpretation of water, a visual metaphor on change and fluidity. In Taoist thought, water is a symbol of flexibility, of virtue, of creating new paths — much like many of the new paths that we are forging now in recent events.”
29 | Ocean Hills | Bound
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Zoli Teglas and Ocean Hills release the new single Bound, taken from their debut album Santa Monica, due out on Nov. 27. Teglas has been the voice of melodic hardcore band Ignite and the frontman for Pennywise and Misfits. Now Zoli shows another interesting facet of his personality with Ocean Hills. “These songs come from the heart.” he says. “The songs are great, the musicianship is amazing, the guitar solos are incredible, and the vocals are melodic and hard hitting. Rock anthem stuff!!!”
30 | Your Paris | About Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian pop/R&B duo Your Paris premiere an acoustic video for their song About Love. Singer-songwriters Nick Babcock and Laila Kharouba complement each other perfectly, drawing upon past experiences in their lyrics that will resonate with any listener, and creating a R&B/pop sound that has rarely sounded this good. “About Love,” they say, “is a reminiscent and reflective call out to an ex lover: a dazzling heartbreak anthem disguised as a love song.” About Love captures the energized pop direction the duo is headed towards, showcasing their sharp lyrical literacy amongst lush harmonies and sunny instrumentation.”
31 | Devan | Almost (ft. Corey Harper)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Devan has been pursuing a music career since she was a kid; the brazen 10-year-old dropped off a homemade demo — to no avail — at the iconic Olympic Studio, home to Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder and David Bowie. Now in 2020, the Toronto-born/London-raised singer-songwriter is gearing up to release her debut solo project. The last six years have been spent honing her talents as a songwriter and live performer with Wild Rivers, the folk-pop band that she co-found and co-fronts. Devan’s second solo single Almost is about loving someone, but not trusting yourself enough to dive in, and not being ready to fully commit to the relationship.”
32 | Izzy Heltai | Father
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Massachusetts singer-songwriter Izzy Heltai has unveiled Father, the title track and its accompanying video from his forthcoming debut full-length album, due out Oct. 9. The video features footage of Heltai as a child — innocent, carefree, and unburdened by the hardships of the world. “As a transgender person I have always lived in a world where self-affirmation was necessary for my well being,” Heltai explains. “As a young trans person, I was forced to know myself more than some people ever will. A world that always told me I shouldn’t and couldn’t exist demanded that I have confidence enough in my own identity that I could go out and prove that I knew exactly who I was. Due to my experiences, I was armed with the tools to radically reflect and affirm my identity from a young age. This instilled in me an obsession with knowing myself to the fullest, in any given moment. I am made up of moments. I live in the constant wake of what was.”
33 | Pyramaze | World Foregone
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Danish progressive power metal group Pyramaze will put out their next full-length album Epitaph on Nov. 13. This album being the third one with their current lineup, Pyramaze continues to fuse their signature meld of memorable melodies, powerful riffs and soaring catchy vocals to keep listeners coming back for more — pleasing both old and new Pyramaze fans alike. This upcoming release will prove to be their most melodic and accessible creation to date, featuring guest appearances by Brittney Slayes of Unleash the Archers, and former Pyramaze singers Matt Barlow and Lance King.”
34 | No Mercury | Inertia
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singer/drummer Raphael Mura of London-based French post-punk band Underground Railroad launches solo project No Mercury with self-produced debut single Inertia. He explains that “No Mercury is the sum of all my experiences, influences and aspirations that made me fully formed artist.” Musically inspired by the electronic quiet post punk of HTRK, Billie Eilish and Billy Corgan, Nirvana and Frank Ocean, Inertia is a 1990s vs. 2020 dream/nightmare pop short story about the importance of standing up when you’re being pushed down.”
35 | MacKenzie Porter | Drinkin’ Songs
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Heading into the final months of 2020, Canada’s MacKenzie Porter is looking back on an activity-filled year. Today, the breakout country-pop star releases her next single Drinkin’ Songs, which channels the transporting moment of hearing the soundtrack to an old relationship post breakup. “You know when you’re dating someone, and you have ‘your song.’ The one you pick together to be the theme song of your relationship. The one where every lyric seems to be singing about your love. This is about THAT song … after you breakup,” shares Porter. “It’s the one that now magically seems to come on the radio every single time you get into the car just to remind you what was once yours. The song that used to make you feel so secure and whole — but now it’s just another one of your drinkin’ songs.”
36 | Frozen Soul | Crypt Of Ice
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Blue light. No heat. A glacial wall of denser-than-dense sound. Frozen Soul live up to their name as the sound of death metal at its most cold and classic. Today the quintet from Dallas release their first single Crypt Of Ice, from their upcoming album of the same name (out Jan. 8). The band comment: “This year has been a nightmare-fueled fire and we’re ready to bring in the cold front and finally show everyone the the record we’ve created! Crypt of Ice is everything we could have hoped for and we are really proud of how it’s turned out, we can’t wait for everyone to freeze while listening to it!”
37 | Within The Ruins | Deliverance
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Progressive deathcore unit Within The Ruins will release their long-anticipated sixth full-length Black Heart on Nov. 27. In advance of the release of Black Heart, Within The Ruins is pleased to unveil a video for first single Deliverance. Issues vocalist Steve Tinnon, “We’re extremely excited to finally start sharing this album with everyone! We’ve been working on it for well over a year and really trying to zero in on what the new version of Within The Ruins was going to sound like, and we’re very proud of the new direction. Deliverance is a great representation of the darker, angrier approach we wanted to take.”
38 | Urban Village | Ubaba
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Soweto-based quartet Urban Village have released their new EP Ubaba. Marrying the day-to-day experiences of black South Africans with ebullient elements from traditional Zulu music, Urban Village is the alias of four experimental musicians all born & raised in the township of Soweto at the tail end of Apartheid; singer/flautist Tubatsi Mpho Moloi, guitarist Lerato Lichaba, drummer Xolani Mtshali and bassist Simangaliso Dlamini. The release of Ubaba arrives alongside details for Urban Village’s debut album Udondolo, which is due out on Jan. 22.”
39 | Cellus Hamilton | Beautiful One
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In addition to releasing an R&B album on his wedding day, Cellus Hamilton has also released one of the most romantic music videos of all time. In case you thought that love was cancelled in 2020, guess again. This visual of romantic overload was directed by Rey Aldana and highlights all the phases of love. Hamilton gives us the perfect balance of lyrical poetry as he woos his wife from the house, to the beach, and finally the bedroom. This music video will make you cry, or at least want to settle down. Beautiful One arrives in the midst of a global pandemic but proves to be exactly what we need during this time.”
40 | Amigo The Devil | Waiting Around to Die
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dark folk anomaly Amigo the Devil has released his soul-stirring cover of the Townes Van Zandt classic Waiting Around to Die, the harrowing fictional tale of a wayward soul reflecting on how he slowly spiraled into the arms of addiction. The song is a perfect marriage with Amigo The Devil’s Southern Gothic honesty and sombre atmosphere. The cover is the latest addition to Amigo The Devil’s new “living” album project simply titled Covers, Demos, Live Versions, B-Sides, which compiles covers, unofficial tracks and vulnerable rarities into one continuously growing collection.”
41 | Carlie Hanson | Ego (ft. Iann Dior)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Carlie Hanson has teamed up with Iann Dior for her latest track Ego. It’s an edgy, politically charged anthem that sees the two young artists expressing their frustration with authority. Said Carlie: “I hope that anybody who hears Ego feels empowered. We, as a society, cannot ignore what is happening in our world every. single. day. From police brutality, to corrupt leaders, to the inequality that many people face in their everyday lives. We need to stand up for ourselves and for other people and be loud as fuck as it seems to be the only thing that works! Sit down, so we can speak up for ourselves, so we can be heard.”
42 | Samana | The Glory Of Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Call it experimental, call it art rock, call it alt-folk or folk rock; however you personally classify Samana’s music, it is an unequivocally compelling reflection of humanity. Following the release of earlier singles Harvest and August’s Passing Me By, Welsh duo Samana return with their latest single The Glory Of Love, from their forthcoming The Spirit Moving EP (set for release Oct. 22) The band explain: “The Glory Of Love is a mantra, stripping away the veneer of everything in life that distracts and overwhelms to realign the soul with the importance of what it is to be rooted. This song marks the value of connection, returning one to the fundamental principle that lies at the heart of all things — the profundity of what it is to truly love, and to be loved.”
43 | Gianna Lauren | Spark
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On her upcoming fourth release Vanity Metrics, Halifax singer-songwriter Gianna Lauren is at her art-rockiest, but that also may be in part thanks to the artists she was listening to as she weaved through the fog of Nova Scotia’s south shore to produce this EP: Some of indie-rock’s boldest voices and most insightful perspectives, like the heart-rending Mitski, the dramatics of Weyes Blood, the intimacy of Big Thief. The lead single from Vanity Metrics was conceived in a late-night studio writing session during the recording of the EP, centering around Lauren’s lyrics on social justice and struggling with feelings of helplessness about making real change. The band performance gradually intensifies throughout the song, amplifying the subject matter, but the choruses introduce an offer of hope and reconciliation with the sentiment “before I die, I will tell you, I love you.”
44 | TWRP | On This Rock
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “TWRP release their new album Over The Top, with feature single On This Rock. Originally from Halifax, TWRP is an elite squad of rock stars from the future featuring frontman/synthesist Doctor Sung, guitarist Lord Phobos, bassist Commander Meouch, and drummer Havve Hogan. The band shares about the song: “A decidedly existential offering, On This Rock touches on the rapidly changing times we live in. The song itself exemplifies change with its rapid oscillations between dark disco-funk, densely-layered synth vocal harmonies, and heavy electro-rock riffs. The song equates the relentless of change to that of the Earth’s very orbit around the Sun, and the futility of refusing to embrace the new normal.”
45 | Riches | Eyes Open But Not Looking
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fantasy Chapel, the official debut album from Montreal duo Riches, is out today. A collective effort, the bulk of Fantasy Chapel was developed quickly between the summer and winter of 2019. Riches see Fantasy Chapel as the soundtrack to an imaginary horror film. The ‘horror’ in this case lies in the practice of writing songs as opening a portal to a terrifyingly chaotic, transformative, regenerative and potentially destructive unconscious. It’s an album inspired by the devotion to a creative force, where the act of creation is a kind of summoning.”
46 | Intervals | 5-HTP
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Torchbearers of progressive, instrumental rock Intervals announced the next chapter in their artistic journey via the explosive single 5-HTP. This latest offering finds Aaron Marshall — the creative force behind Intervals — exploring new sonic territory behind a massive wall of guitars, cannonesque percussion, and a meticulous composition sure to excite the band’s longtime following while welcoming new fans into the fold. The unveiling of 5-HTP came alongside news that the band’s fourth full-length Circadian will be out Nov. 13. Says Marshall: “5-HTP is a concise introduction to the world of Circadian, and a quick taste of what this record has in store. As I was nearing the end of the writing process, I felt that the album needed an effective intro, and as a result, 5-HTP was born.”
47 | Dear God | Lovin It
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “19-year-old experimental hip-hop and hardcore artist Dear God (Robert Ortiz) releases a smashing new single titled Lovin’ It. Where his releases to date have explored the interstitial space between hardcore and rap, Lovin’ It notably pulls post-punk instrumentation into the fold and marks a new chapter for the project. “Lovin It is a fun song about winning after years of rejection,” Ortiz shares. “Growing up, I never felt like I could succeed or be happy in an academic setting. I grinded it out after high school busting my ass doing physically exhausting dirty jobs because I wanted to support my music career. I was greeted with a lot of rejection for a long time, but I kept going. This song should serve as inspiration to any kid who feels stupid and worthless because of their academic/career failures. Know your worth and do something sick.”
48 | Keegan Calmes | Birthday
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter Keegan Calmes (Vinyl Theatre) has dropped a new single titled Birthday. Keegan says, “This is my “happy lonely birthday anthem” for everyone right now. Today, in the age of Facetime and Zoom calls, we’re all feeling a little more isolated on our birthdays. Some of the things that make us feel human are now feeling synthesized and far away. This song is my way of saying to everyone we’re all going to feel that extra bit of ‘lonely’ on our birthdays. So drop someone a call, a Facetime, a text. We’re all feeling that loneliness together.”
49 | The Resonaires | Standing With You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Check out the debut single from The Resonaires! A group featuring members that have been a part of some of the pivotal artists of the soul revival movement: Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley, Lee Fields. Now striking out on their own with the powerful vocals of Saundra Williams, The Resonaires hope to strike a chord with their debut single Standing With You!”
50 | The Soul Chance | Who Could It Be? (ft. Wesley Bright)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A cross-country collaboration reaffirms that strong Ohio-California connection everpresent for many Colemine artists. This time, Mr. Wesley Bright (sweet soul singer and professional beekeeper) is stepping out over some heavy reggae with The Soul Chance! Sweetness all around!”
51 | Jesse Markin | Stars In Your Eyes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jesse Markin is a Liberian-born singer-songwriter from Finland. After releasing his debut album Folk in 2019, Markin skyrocketed to the limelight in his home country. Markin was awarded with Newcomer of the Year and Critics’ Choice awards in the annual Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammys). He was also awarded with one of the biggest Nordic music prices, Teosto-palkinto. Following the successful release of his debut album Markin returns with a new single Stars in Your Eyes. He tells us, “the past year has been a struggle. At times it felt like fear, hate and prejudices are the only thing surrounding us but at the same time we’ve been able to witness unprecedented strength and compassion as we’ve been tearing down our old monuments and building new.”
52 | Nada Robot | December (1999)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nada Robot was founded by husband/wife team Addam & Mia Farmer, shortly followed by the addition of brothers Heath & Austin Farmer. Having grown up backstage at Beach Boys concerts, the Farmer brothers gained an affinity for musical innovation at a very early age. Their other band Island Apollo experienced great alternative rock success, and now the Farmer family embarks on a new journey to push the boundaries of music yet again. December (1999) looks back at the “End of the World” during the Y2K days. Sonically, the cut shimmers with ethereal, layered vocals and move-inducing melodies, creating a delightfully infectious track perfect for those summer playlists.”
53 | Kris Ulrich | The Less I Know The Better
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Less I Know The Better is the first single from Kris Ulrich’s debut LP, Pacific Central, out today. Though Kris is a first-rate guitar player and an in demand session musician, you won’t find any flashy chops here. Lush strings and orchestration abound, building deliberately and carefully through this song making generous use of the most confident of musical devices — restraint and space. Ulrich says this about the new track: “I wrote this song while still processing a breakup and was struggling to see her and her new partner around town and online. I ran into her at a bar and she seemed so vibrant and generally doing quite well, which made me happy for her, but in turn made me realize how rough a shape I was still in. She said she wanted to get together for coffee and talk but I just couldn’t bring myself to fake a cordial ‘maybe’ so I flatly told her I didn’t want to and wasn’t ready for that. It made her cry and we stood there uncomfortably in the middle of the room.”
54 | Outer Rooms | Thunder East
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Thunder East came out of the last days my partner and I spent living in a shithole apartment in a house in Toronto’s East End,” said Outer Rooms’ Sean Fitzpatrick. “In the same week, the ceiling of our apartment collapsed in a shower of millipedes and black mold. A day later, lightning struck the tree in front of the house, causing it to jump out of the ground and crash in the street … I kept thinking of Rob Ford’s rotting mouth bragging about the number of ‘cranes in the air.’ Toronto has become a failed construction project built on rock and roll, so we made a pillowy, angsty song that came out of an improvisation in one of our early writing sessions.”
55 | Potatohead People & De La Soul | Baby Got Work
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A dream team connecting schools of hip-hop, Vancouver’s Potatohead People connect with De La Soul for the second single off their new album Mellow Fantasy. Over a typical Potatohead Production with a funky bassline, smooth drums and guitar chops, De La Soul member Posdnuos’s rhymes about getting your head down, putting your boots on and getting to work, truly helping to make the world. better place for all of us. Vancouver collaborator Kapok sings about the shortness of our lives, and the potential in all of us to get the work done that we need to do. It’s an allusion to the desperate times we’re live in, with a hopeful call to action for all of us to roll up our sleeves and get down to the business of change.”
56 | Sam Burton | I Am No Moon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sam Burton has shared a new song, I Am No Moon, along with an official music video. This is the third single ahead of his upcoming album I Can Go With You, to be released Oct. 30. Produced by Jarvis Taverniere (Woods, Whitney, Purple Mountains), I Can Go With You is a moody, melodic, melancholic offering fit for an emotional fall. Burton sings in a brooding, elegant baritone — reminiscent of Tom Rapp, but as though a contemporary of Michael Nau, Daniel Norgren, or Eric D. Johnson. Burton says, “It’s about the inevitability of change, how we must make a choice when we are confronted by it. That we cannot remain in reflection.”
57 | Widower | No Show
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Here’s Widower’s first single No Show, from the upcoming full-length Baby We Were, out Oct. 23. It features a cross-country cast of musicians including members of The Head and the Heart. To describe the song, imagine Jewel’s You Were Meant For Me started listening to The Replacements, grew a beard, and developed a taste for budget bourbon.”
58 | Akkan | Star Sitar
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Barcelona electronic production duo Akkan share Star Sitar, another cut taken from their upcoming debut full-length album due for release on Nov. 30. Written and recorded in India, Star Sitar was inspired by listening to a local Delhi radio and came together thanks to an unexpected improvisation session with local sitar players. The duo explain: “We had so much fun, it was like an unexpected improvisation session with local musicians and our synths and mics on nonstop. We recorded a beat with the TR 8S based on this melody and just added some old synths we had recorded in Ireland with DSI Prophet 8 and that’s it!”
59 | Jack Rose | Better On My Own
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter Jack Rose is aiming to once again enjoy worldwide chart success with his brand-new single Better On My Own, a track which looks to cement him as one of the brightest young talents on the U.K. music scene. A young raw talent and hardworking performer, Jack has clocked up over 250 live shows and has built up a huge loyal following on social media. His stunning new single, Better On My Own, a collaboration with Northeast based production duo SK, is based on a real-life relationship experience and features the unmistakable hook line of Annie Lennox’s iconic song, No More I Love You’s.”
60 | Kruder & Dorfmeister | King Size
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Legendary trip-hop duo Kruder & Dorfmeister have stepped out of the ethereal fog of time to release their latest single King Size, taken from their long-awaited album 1995, which is set to drop on Nov. 13. It’s their first album in 22 years. Kruder & Dorfmeister discovered that time machines really do exist when they uncovered a box of DATs and an old DAT player was prised back into service. Helplessly spun up into the smokey wormhole of 1995, the two found themselves deposited in a world just before The K&D Sessions and the duo’s DJ-Kicks would come to rule the airwaves.”
61 | King Mala | If I Try To Find You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Los Angeles’ King Mala drops new single If I Try To Find You. The track emits an honest perspective of someone who has been taken advantage of by someone they trusted. King Mala is the moniker of El Paso-born alternative soul artist Areli Castro, a bold and brazen artist delivering her own distinct sound, just the way she wants it. Castro shares, “Thats really the inspiration for the name King Mala, king cuz fuck being someone’s queen, and mala literally means “bad bitch” in Spanish.”
62 | Skyler Cocco | The Drive
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “New York artist, songwriter, and producer Skyler Cocco returns with her new single The Drive. Combining dreamy chillwave production with irresistibly catchy lyricism, The Drive arrives as a glistening synth-pop gem that hits in all the right ways. “I wrote The Drive to reflect on a time where I’ve said things I didn’t mean to my partner or lashed out in a way that made them feel insecure in the relationship,” she writes. “It’s the cooldown period after a fight, where you take some space to really let your own words resonate and see where you were wrong in a situation, and realize what you’re putting at stake by not changing those behaviors.”
63 | Imogen Mahdavi | Some Things Are Best Oversaid
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London-based singer-songwriter Imogen Mahdavi is known for her unique and rich vocals, which tell 1,000 stories. Today Imogen is unveiling the incandescent Some Things Are Best Oversaid. The songwriter confides, “Life is short and I am not one to be coy about my love for someone. If you make me happy I want to shout it from the rooftops and show my appreciation. I think we get too fixated on being too much for others, not being cool enough, but there is nothing more dope to me than an honest heart and someone who isn’t afraid of being judged for showing it.”
64 | The Foxies | Demolition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nashville glitter-punk trio The Foxies released their Demolition single. The band share: “2020 by itself seems crazy enough, but this year feels like the explosion of decades of tension, frustration, and suppression. The song highlights the point of view of being single, sexually frustrated, and spending a lot of alone during this strange time. Sometimes it feels like the easiest move is to just blow the whole thing up.”
65 | Lud Foe | YNS
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Chicago rapper and Boochie Gang frontman Lud Foe releases the new track YNS, in advance of his new album Guns Up Funds Up, out on Oct. 2. In March 2017, Lud Foe got into a nearly fatal car accident with an 18-wheeler vehicle which left him with two broken wrists and a broken jaw. Later that year he dropped No Hooks 2, featuring songs he recorded while his mouth was wired shut.”
66 | Harkness | I.D.
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Harkness sound is often massive with a wide variety of sonic colors bombarding the listener but in the case of his first single “I.D.” things are comparatively “stripped down” which follows the whole theme of the song i.e. Who are we without all of our hang ups, desires and petty ambitions? Harkness puts it this way: “These days Everyone is talking about ‘Living in the Moment’ but how closely are we really watching ourselves? As ambiguous as these song lyrics may appear, they are a call to be extremely attentive to our own inner world and maybe through that type of observation we can find the real root and source of our pain.” The song itself sounds like groovy surf rock mixed with a bit of Tame Impala. Warm 3 part vocal harmony, twangy electric guitars and a hypnotic drumbeat evoke the feeling of a weekend drive out of town.”
