Dätcha Mandala put it down in black and white, Imaginary People party like it’s election day, Muck & The Mires know what time it is, Bald Man sees perfectly, Tafari Anthony is up to no good and more in today’s Indie Roundup. And don’t forget to scroll down for new goodness from Pylon, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, A.J. Croce, Louis Jucker and more. If that doesn’t make your Wednesday better, nothing will.
1 | Dätcha Mandala | Mother God
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bordeaux-based hard rock purveyors Dätcha Mandala unveil the video for the brisky heavy blues track Mother God, from their latest album Hara. Say the band: “We wanted to get a more modern sound, and stir analog and digital technologies together. On top of our will to root our blues rock, folk and tribal sound ever further, Hara points out our desire to raise awareness about ecological matters, something strongly topical these days.”
2 | Imaginary People | 1999 – Just Vote
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Imaginary People wanted to get out a public service message to encourage fans to get out and vote. So the New York City rockers present their their new single 1999 – Just Vote. It’s a cover of Prince’s classic, and the accompanying video stars Leila Rita as the reluctant and uninspired voter. Imaginary People’s Dylan Von Wagner says: “I thought this song might be appropriate for the moment for election day in the current climate of shit show theater that we live in. I cast a family member’s niece who seems born for showbiz … After one take, she said ‘I got it, I’m done with show business,’ and walked off.”
3 | Muck and the Mires | Six O’Clock Baby
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Muck and the Mires just released a new EP called Take Me Back To Planet Earth. Now they are back with a Halloween-themed video for Six O’Clock Baby. Take the 1964 Beatles and put them in CBGB’s circa 1977 and you’ve got Muck and the Mires, Boston’s garage-rock ambassadors. The group achieved worldwide recognition after they were crowned #1 US Garage Rock Band by Little Steven Van Zandt. Muck and the Mires have performed coast-to-coast in the U.S.A., U.K., EU, South America, Canada and Japan. They have shared bills with many of their heroes including The Sonics, The New York Dolls, Ray Davies of The Kinks, The Flamin’ Groovies, The Stooges and even a Beatle — Pete Best!”
4 | Bald Man | 2020 Vision
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Emerging rock artist Bald Man released the music video for his latest track 2020 Vision. The music video features lead guitarist Phil X (Bon Jovi), bassist Dan Spree (Phil X and The Drills), drummer Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake), and keyboardist and musical director Steve Ferlazzo (Avril Lavigne, Nuno Bettencourt). “It has been an honor recording with Bald Man. I’ve been having a blast, too, as I really get to stretch my legs as a guitar player,” said Phil X. “This is exactly what people need right now, especially after being stuck at home for the last seven months. In the end, I believe it’s music that will bring us all back together and get us through this.”
https://youtu.be/Qz8_5y6JZoM
5 | Tafari Anthony | No Good
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tafari Anthony is a Toronto artist whose music blends pop, R&B and soul. He unveils the emotional No Good, produced by Alexander Flockhart. The impassioned song narrates how some relationships are just no good for us, yet we somehow still end up pursuing them for whatever reason. Tafari confides, “It takes a lot of self-reflection to be able to realize these patterns in ourselves and even more to get out of them once we are aware … Realizing that you crave the unhealthiness of the relationship. Personally, I often let people treat me like shit for way longer than I should — but once I’m done, I’m done.”
6 | Brian Lisik | Cheboygan, Sheboygan
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Over the course of five albums filled with guitar-driven power pop and pensive neo-folk, Brian Lisik fans have continually called for an all-acoustic album from the consummate rocker. With Gudbye Stoopid Whirled, Lisik and his longtime songwriting partner Steve Norgrove finally oblige. Sort of. The 10-song collection boasts a decidedly early-rockabilly/’60s garage punk/Stax soul vibe throughout. Lisik has tiptoed into such compositional waters on past efforts. Here, he cannonballs from the high dive, all while avoiding the corny pantomime of many of today’s mainstream roots artists.”
7 | Juliana | Burn
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Following her debut last month, emerging pop singer and songwriter Juliana has released her new single Burn. Written after a bout of depression, it served as a breakthrough moment in both her mental health and her songwriting. “Burn holds a lot of meaningful weight for me,” shares Juliana. “When I wrote this song a few years back, I was in the midst of an extremely difficult moment in my life. I was going through a depression due to my physical health being compromised as well as ending a long-term relationship with the first love of my life. I wrote this song as a breakthrough moment for me to symbolically ‘burn’ down any negativity I had harbored in the past and learn to grow into a more loving and positive-minded person who, in turn, became stronger from these difficult experiences.”
8 | Son Little | Goddess Wine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Son Little has released the new track Goddess Wine. His third album Aloha came out earlier this year. Goddess Wine sees a spin on his soulful R&B sound, with AutoTuned vocals, gritty guitar licks, and spacious percussion on this psych-tinged track — showcasing Son Little at his most creative yet.”
9 | Zilched | Sixteen
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Detroit noise-pop artist Zilched (Chloë Drallos) released the high-powered Sixteen, her latest single and video from her debut album Doompop, arriving this Friday. Over wall-of-sound grunge guitars inspired by Nirvana’s Nevermind and The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Psychocandy, the album is full of headbanging earworms that find Drallos tackling what it means to grow up — and the effect that has on one’s mental health. Drallos also continues to self-direct all of her music videos, including the one for Sixteen.”
10 | Middle Part | Heartbeat
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Heartbeat is the new single and video from Brooklyn-based Middle Part. The single is an upbeat indie-pop affair soundtracked with sparkly synths, vintage drum machines and driving basslines. Middle Part confides, “It’s supposed to paint a picture of me watching myself fall apart. The song is centered around that chaotic feeling somebody in their 20s can feel when they’re learning to navigate life or what “the point of it all” is.”
11 | Jakob Kupferberg | It’s (Never) Too Late For Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It’s (Never) Too Late for Love is a stirring track from Jakob Kupferberg’s new EP Sweet Surrender. Spirited guitars and strings provide It’s (Never) Too Late for Love with an alluring intro. Suave vocals emerge shortly thereafter with an entrancing charm, as the chorus hits around 01:20. The song is seamlessly guided by Jakob’s signature acoustic guitar tunings and his partner-in-crime Marius Ungureanu’s majestic string arrangements.”
12 | Tejon Street Corner Thieves | .44
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Colorado Springs outlaw blues and trash-grass pioneers Tejon Street Corner Thieves have released their acoustic album Monarch Sessions. To celebrate, they share video for .44. TSCT’s Connor O’Neal said, “.44 is the first original song our band ever played together. It’s been a staple in TSCT since the beginning and we’re so pumped on the way it’s evolved and grown throughout the life of this project. The song itself is about coming to terms with adulthood and the need to drink your way through it.”
13 | Pimpton | ML Pimp
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “While the COVID-19 pandemic forced most musicians to a grinding halt, Regina rapper Pimpton has ramped up his output with a new animated music video for ML Pimp from his upcoming album Tunnelz. The project took its title from the tunnels of Moose Jaw, notoriously used by the mob to smuggle alcohol during Prohibition. The album title also pays homage to Pimpton’s relentless drive to attain goals by any means necessary, including digging tunnels beneath all obstacles.”
14 | Nader Sadek | The Searpeum: Polluted Waters
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Egyptian-American artist, director, and death metal musician Nader Sadek undrapes the video for The Serapeum: Polluted Waters. The track — which features vocals recorded inside the pyramid of Snefru in Egypt — comes by way of the his Serapeum EP, set for release Nov. 20. Comments Sadek, “Every time I think about this project, I literally have to pinch myself. Layers and layers of seeming impossibilities and events only dared conjured by dreams, have manifested themselves into physical reality. I managed to sneak audio equipment into the pyramid of Snefru, one of the greatest and first pyramids, and recorded my vocals for an entire song for the very first time there, due to its intentional sound frequency-manipulating properties.”
15 | Antonioni | Malcomer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Seattle’s Antonioni are back with a new single entitled Malcomer. Sarah Pasillas wrote the progression and lyrics in one sitting, though the parts were crafted and workshopped for over two years to make this final piece. “I wrote Malcolmer to celebrate vulnerability and the things women go through that I feel we are taught to suppress or keep quiet about. A Malcolmer is the man who is never questioned, who gets to be who he is by default — no one is trying to control him. (He’s) the man who tells you you can’t be who you are. Fuck that. I would hope the listener thinks this: I am here and I am enough.”
16 | Boulevards | Luv n Pain
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jamil Rashad, who performs under the name Boulevards, is set to release the Brother! EP on Dec. 18. Rashad loves the word brother. For him it’s a greeting, a spoken handshake, a verbal high five with his listener.That word inspired the EP’s title track, a slow-motion funk groove with the gravity of the blues, the ebullience of gospel, and the socially conscious sentiments of Sly Stone singing Stand! or James Brown saying it loud, “I’m black and I’m proud.” It’s a song that draws on pop history but speaks to our troubled present. “It’s smooth,” says Rashad, “but it’s rough around the edges. Smooth but raw — that’s what Boulevards is.”
17 | Odette | Dwell
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sydney pop artist Odette has announced her upcoming album Herald, out Feb, 5. Today, she shares the video for the latest single Dwell. Odette ruminates on the production-heavy track, while she sings, “I convince myself it’s just a temporary heartache / Say I’m doing fine / But you can tell / I can’t help but dwell.”
18 | Anthony Lazaro | Hello
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter Anthony Lazaro has released his third album The Guest List, an antidote to isolation amidst the world shutting down. Lazaro delves into various genres, from indie-folk and jazz to electronic pop with acoustic R&B features. For his new album, he collaborated with artists all over the world from places such as Germany, Canada, U.K., Ukraine, Italy, Slovakia and Nigeria. He has also released a new video for his song Hello.”
19 | Selci | Live Your Light
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On the heels of her A Soft Place EP, Calgary alt-pop artist Selci invites us deeper into her surrealist vision with the video for Live Your Light. This latest offering revolves around the concept of future nostalgia. With childhood photos scattered on the ground and shots of home videos, Selci brings her adolescence into a hypnotic, neon-lit future. “The driving narrative of A Soft Place is about finding places of comfort and solace,” she says. “This song follows in line with that message. It asks us to live in the present, celebrate self-acceptance, and embrace our true selves.”
20 | Affect Display | Until The Light Hits The Door
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On his upcoming album Animal Drift Animal, Damien Smith builds enveloping soundscapes that explore all sides of human emotion, an eclectic soundtrack to his life that’s split between the hectic bustle of Toronto and the picturesque beauty of Prince Edward County. A lover of all music and a really talented producer, Damien takes some obvious cues from techno and house and of course other ambient projects, but he also showcases his indie pop roots. Until The Light Hits The Door is the textured and tense opening track from Animal Drift Animal, the tension replicated in the increasingly frantic animation as the track builds to a crescendo that never quite hits, leaving you bristling with energy.”
21 | Valley Maker | Mockingbird
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Valley Maker (Austin Crane) has released his latest single Mockingbird, his first new music since last year. He notes, “I wrote Mockingbird within a week of moving to Columbia, SC, having just left my home of seven years in Seattle to return to the area and community I grew up in. It’s a song about trying to settle in while feeling quite unsettled … Both the song and video meditate on memory, time and aging; they both try to embrace the uncertainty, absurdity and beauty of life; and they reflect a feeling of being in-between places and communities.”
22 | Healthy Junkies | Something In The Way
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Healthy Junkies are everything that epitomizes the indie punk spirit — driven, authentic, and capable of causing a riot at any moment. Following the release of their album Forever on the Road, Pt.1, the band have unveiled a haunting cover of Nirvana’s Something in the Way, inspired by the time they met Krist Novoselic in Seattle during their U.S. tour in 2018. Guitarist Phil Honey Jones had this to say: “We took a trip to Seattle, Olympia, and Aberdeen playing shows along the way. We visited under the bridge which Kurt used to hang out at — and references in the song — in an attempt to capture his spirit in our version.”
23 | Celestial Season | Lunar Child
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dutch cult doom-metal group Celestial Season have just revealed music video for Lunar Child, a track from their forthcoming album The Secret Teachings, out this Friday. Formed in the early ’90s, the Dutch group attained international acclaim with their first two full-length albums, Forever Scarlet Passion from 1993 and Solar Lovers from 1995, both still regarded as seminal doom-metal releases.”
24 | Chiminyo | Breathin’
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Chiminyo’s debut I Am Panda is out now. It includes his single Breathin with Clara Serra López. The drummer and composer’s inventive music, consisting of sounds triggered live from his drum kit, has been described as a brain-burrowing fusion of shimmering electronic chords and driving synth bass undertones, all underpinned by a hailstorm of constantly-varying rhythmic patterns. With eight tracks, Chiminyo creates a euphoric, multi-genre listen that traverses future pop, jazz, electronic, and time itself.”
25 | CNJR | Putrid Things
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “CNJR shares a new video for Putrid Things, from the album I Can See The Church Burning Through The Binoculars. CNJR comments: “The music video centers around a character who is struggling with this. He is battling his insecurities with being queer, with wearing makeup, he is confronted by a number of other characters who have been ‘infected’ by the system, each who represent a different part of the system, like work for example is represented by a businesman with a briefcase. The main character is trying to escape the system as it progressively gets closer to swallowing him.”
26 | Blessed | Bonnie Killed Clyde
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Self-professed rock star Blessed swiftly follows up last month’s BLM-inspired track with another strong release in Bonnie Killed Clyde. Re-imagining the classic story of Bonnie and Clyde, but re-positioning Clyde as a young, modern Black man in rural Australia, and depicting a story set against the back drop of beautiful Australian settings near Byron Bay, makes for a captivating watch.”
27 | For Those I Love | Top Scheme
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Irish songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist For Those I Love, born David Balfe, shares the new song Top Scheme. Self-directed by Balfe, Top Scheme is a powerful and poignant visual essay that uninhibitedly tackles various social issues in Ireland, such as sexism, classism, and the prison industrial complex. Dave said: “I wrote Top Scheme to directly spit in the face of the state, the banks, and those that continue to socially cripple the less fortunate without ever looking at the world we have been forced to live and grow within. It sits within a wider group of songs that look at the social alienation of the working class and how that continues to haunt us as we grow older.”
28 | Panda Lux | Optimist
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Panda Lux’s new album Fun Fun Fun came out in September. Today he delivers the video to the song Optimist. What is it actually about? Silvan, the singer of the band, explains: “It’s a song about this ambivalent relationship to myself and to the two faces I have to live with: the vital and the lonely isolated self. It is about the longing not to have to fight with it. I would just like to be an optimist all the time.”
29 | King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard | Evil Death Roll
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A month after delivering their award-winning 2016 album Nonagon Infinity, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard took the stage in San Francisco for a set both wildly frenetic and meticulously executed. In one of their final club gigs before bursting onto the international scene, the Melbourne septet laid down a breakneck performance. Multi-tracked and impeccably mixed, Live in San Francisco ’16, out Nov. 20, simultaneously channels the massive energy of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s set while echoing the sweaty intimacy of the 500-capacity venue.”
30 | Louis Jucker | To The Origin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Something Went Wrong Wrong Wrong (out Oct. 30) is Louis Jucker’s most extensive work to date. Simple and direct folk and rock songs, played with an unchanged love for lo-fi sounds, by an artist who over the years has become one of the unique and productive figures of the Swiss alternative music scene. Today, he offers the song To The Origin, explaining: “This song was originally written for Filippo Filliger’s movie To the Origin. it goes out to him and his family. This song is a shelter to face love, death, time and the end of things.”
31 | Ill Peach | American Pie
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The political and social protest compilation Sound The Alarm, Vol. 1: Louder Feelings is out today, along with the lyric video for Ill Peach’s American Pie. Discussing the origin, Jess Corazza of Ill Peach states, “We co-wrote this song with Trey Campbell. Before writing it we spoke candidly together about everything that has been going on here in America. The title is of course a nod to Don McLean’s American Pie. While he never really spoke about what his song meant, he was quoted saying, ‘basically in American Pie things are heading in the wrong direction.’ It felt appropriate to title it the same.”
32 | Steve Barton | Freedom’s Not Free
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Steve Barton could have been a translator for diplomats or caught up in the dubious ways of life insurance. But he chose music instead. Or music chose him. Thank goodness. Because Barton has the gift. He writes great songs and plays great guitar, and has the comic’s or poet’s sense. He made his first single at 11. He wrote songs for $25 a week at 14. He’s been in a hit band — Translator — on a major label. And latterly he’s worked at a music publisher. “I tend to move sideways,” Steve says, “But I usually get there.” “I started writing Freedom’s Not Free as protests around George Floyd were beginning. During the writing of the song, the American civil rights icon John Lewis died. The tributes to his extraordinary life were moving and heartfelt. I thought of him a lot as I finished it up.”
33 | A.J. Croce | Ooh Child
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Over the past three decades, A.J. Croce has established his reputation as a piano player and serious vocal stylist who pulls from a host of musical traditions and anti-heroes — part New Orleans, part juke joint, part soul. His new album By Request features 12 personally curated covers that traverse decades and genres, propelled by his spirited, loose-and-easy piano mastery and emotive vocals. Today, A.J. shares a soulful, timely version of the 1970 hit Ooh Child by The Five Stairsteps.”
34 | Pylon | Cool
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Seminal art-rock legends Pylon will release Pylon Box on Nov. 6. The comprehensive box includes studio albums Gyrate (1980) and Chomp (1983), which have been remastered from their original tapes. Pylon Box includes 47 total tracks, 18 of which are previously unreleased recordings, including an early version of Cool. Recorded with three microphones on a tape deck, the recording will be heard in its entirety for the first time in 41 years. Bassist Michael Lachowski said, “I like this airy, plucky version of Cool, recorded so raw and live that you can feel how close everything is to the mics. It clips along pretty fast, but not rushed, and makes the single version feel almost stately by comparison — part of what makes that version so confident.”
35 | Andy Mineo | Jackson Pollock
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Atlanta hip-hop artist Andy Mineo shared a new remix of his latest single Jackson Pollock, featuring verses taken from a recent online challenge that garnered over 400 submissions. A remix was never on Mineo’s mind when he set up the challenge, but the outpouring of excitement and interest led him back to what this project is all about. “I knew something cool was happening when I saw Tech N9ne and Andy Grammer reposting the challenge.”
36 | Fleece | Upside Down
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal quartet Fleece released Upside Down, the third single in their three-part 2020 single series. It’s a fun, Motown-inspired song about lead singer/songwriter Matt Rogers crushing on strangers. It’s about that little second of mutual romance when two boys smile as they pass by each other on the street. Rogers says, “Moments like these used to bring on feelings of shame and confusion. I guess because I was still feeling weird about being gay. But now I’m comfy in my skin and take moments like these as a little jolt of espresso to keep me chugging along. There’s nothing like the feeling of mutual attraction.”
