Gaye Su Akyol issues her manifesto, Starified go loco, System Restore offer some hands-on advice, Namir Blade cuts like a knife and more in your Monday Roundup. Tuesday’s lucky number: 8645031120.
1 | Gaye Su Akyol | Yort Suval: Isyan Manifestosu
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Yort Suval: Isyan Manifestosu (Get Out of the Way: Rebellion Manifesto) contains three trailblazing and stylistically diverse new songs. The composition, lyrics and production on the album all belong to Gaye Su Akyol herself and in that sense, it is a first for her. The hooky, amped-up single Yort Suval: Isyan Manifestosu is possibly her most rock ’n’ roll moment yet. It is a song that defends and celebrates the liberating nature of rebellious acts. This is a timeless musical journey that melds the firm and sporadically melting infrastructure of ’70s psychedelia, acid rock and progressive music with Anatolian music, classical Turkish music scales and vocal techniques and beats that bear a futuristic touch. In other words: forward-looking and uncompromised.”
2 | Starified | Don Loco
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Moscow heavy rock trio Starified debut their rip-roaring Don Loco video from their Fat Hits album out Jan. 15. The band gives more details: “Don Loco is our perverted interpretation of Miguel de Cervantes’ most prominent novel and Spanish literature masterpiece Don Quixote. The video depicts a dialogue of two personalities imprisoned in one body. The main character (vocalist and drummer Vadim Ambartsumian) finds himself in a hostile reality where he doesn’t know whom to trust and stumble upon various obstacles on his way to nowhere … Don Loco almost cost us our health, if not more. On the second day of filming, we got stuck in the forest, destroyed our car and almost fell from a seven-meter cliff!”
3 | System Restore | Wash Your Hands
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Wyoming punks System Restore urge you to Wash Your Hands. The track appears on the band’s upcoming 7-inch EP User Friendly Fire, due in Dec. The band says, “Wash Your Hands was written by our former lead guitar player Mike Toups. He is a wicked germaphobe. When he would tour with us, he would take a gallon of hand sanitizer to every location. This song was written and recorded pre-Covid … We hope you all enjoy it. And remember to always wash your hands!”
4 | Namir Blade | Patlabor
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Namir Blade has had projects and collaborations that extend to multiple genres from House to hip-hop. He has worked with some of Nashville’s most renowned artists, and is widely known for his unique sound. It is as if he is giving the listener a window to look into the mind of a modern Afro-American. Surrealism, Afro-futurism, nerd culture, and Black culture bleeds through his sound as primary influencers so that anyone lending an ear is immediately ejected from their seat. His debut album Aphelion’s Traveling Circus is out now! “Patlabor is a high energy and youthful track about being young and carefree. It is reminiscent of a childhood filled with songs from Timbaland, Missy Elliot and The Neptunes. I really wanted to give the people the banger they deserved so, here you go!”
5 | In Parallel | Threat Of Heaven
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The seeds of In Parallel were planted late at night five years ago in the back room of a picture frame shop. It took multiple recordings for the band to get all the sounds on their debut EP Broken Codes correct — so much so that they scrapped the first two versions entirely. The band was inspired by their love of dark ’80s pop and ’90s shoegaze and post-hardcore, creating a sound that aims to balance contrastingly melodic, expansive and ambient moments. The band recorded the EP in Nashville with the help of a crowdfunding campaign. Bypassing the traditional structure of the music industry gave the three-piece group the freedom to lean into technology, ultimately treading new territory both sonically and lyrically.”
6 | Espresso | Bottles
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Espresso stick out like a beautiful sore thumb in the ever-monotonous music scene in Los Angeles. Binding together aspects of funk and punk music, Espresso provide nothing but raw energy and pure fun. Grooves are never shortcoming, thus the urge to dance takes control of the body, propelling the crowd together to form a sea of unity in motion. Each band member provides top-tier musicianship and presence to the music that will make you think, and smile with rhythm.”
7 | Code Noir | Supersonic
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Heavy metal/rock pair Code Noir’s upcoming five-song EP Jack of All Spades explores the darkness of the human psyche, drawing from principal songwriter Michael T’s experiences and insight as a professional psychologist. As the final and the second single of the mini-album, the Greek/Swedish group shares the track Supersonic. Michael (vocals, guitars, and bass) informs: “Supersonic tells the story of a man who is a slave to his own vanity and narcissism, who had hopes and dreams but not quite enough potential to fulfill them. Through the passage of time, this truth becomes painfully clear to him, so he waits and waits for the liberation that death will bring, striking fast.”
8 | Sound Of Memories | Altered
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sound of Memories is a band from the Parisian suburbs created in 2010. Their style can be described as a mix of heavy/thrash metal riffs with a base of old-school melodic death music. A few weeks after sharing a first excerpt of their forthcoming effort with the song The Mirror Behind, they just premiered another track from their new album with Altered, from The Sand Within album coming out this fall.”
9 | Radio Rejects | Monsters
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In a world where punk rock seems to change definition more times than most people change their minds, Australia’s Radio Rejects stick to the true definition of the genre. Influenced by old school ’90s skate punk, the Rejects push the true ideology that punk rock is all about fun and dare we say rad times — but sometimes music can be used to address a darker side. Their new single Monsters was written as an anti-bullying song by Radio Rejects singer Smith. At a young age he was bullied and picked on a lot, which over the years ended up with him developing some inner demons and mental health issues.”
10 | Abertooth Lincoln | Hell House
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fronted by the charismatic Edith Coleslaw aka Ashley Pooler, Abertooth Lincoln recently dropped Hell House and the accompanying music video. Hailing from Dayton, Ohio Abertooth Lincoln are an aggressive, spacey hardcore progressive punk band. Their music is heavy, weird, complicated and can flip genres within seconds. But the bottom line is they are unique and refreshing. “This is the story of two naive but rebellious teenagers that magically get transported to a world within a comic book, in which they are subjected to the horrors of an evangelical hell house attraction.”
11 | Amberlake | Gold Dust
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Amberlake is the alias for Hong Kong producer and musician Nick Tsang, who creates sparkling, offbeat chill-pop gems as evident in his new track Gold Dust, featuring Emma Lauren. Nick says: ”I always like to start writing songs organically on a piano or a guitar. I feel songs need to be strong without any production to stand the test of time. I want to show Gold Dust in its purest form to highlight the romantic story of the song.”
12 | Kayla Williams | Stealing From My Youth
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kayla Williams is a Central Alberta singer-songwriter whose sound is characterized by catchy melodies and full harmonies, layered over a backdrop reminiscent of decades past, pulling from the ’60s to the ’80s. Her love of oldies music is represented by her soulful vocals and thoughtful lyrics, while modern influences are clear in her songwriting. Her new single Stealing From My Youth was recorded with Juno-winning producer Spencer Cheyne. “I wrote this song in the midst of the chaos when we were mostly housebound,” says Williams. “In many ways, not being able to live life ‘normally’ felt like there were days being taken from me, like the pandemic was stealing from my youth.”
13 | Motorbike James | Enamored
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer Michael Werbicki left Canadian rock band Royal Tusk in 2017 to pursue his solo aspirations under the alias Motorbike James. Enamored is about the inexplicable experience of life. How we choose to interact with the universe and our surroundings. How we interpret what is happening, and how that influences us while we map our course.
14 | Cassa Jackson | He’s No You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London soul-pop singer-songwriter Cassa Jackson has released He’s No You, lifted from the debut EP of the same name. She says: “This EP is a sassy rallying call for the female empowerment movement. It’s all about relationships and the ups and downs of young love and life. I’m so excited to be releasing my first EP.”
15 | Kharma | Guilty By Association
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Chicago’s beloved hardcore up-and-comers Kharma shared Guilty By Association from their forthcoming EP Most Dangerous Game. The track comes out swinging with one of the band’s catchiest intros to date before devolving into crushing chaos with a subsequent breakdown hook that will be sure to be a pit opener at the first opportunity. Featuring Davey Chaos on the vocal guest spot, Guilty By Association is further proof that the band’s label debut is shaping up to be one of hardcore’s most vital and anticipated releases of the fall. Most Dangerous Game is due out Nov. 20.”
16 | Trent Woods | Warm Winter Collision
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Warm Winter Collision is my most accomplished song that I’m proud of and it goes back to six years ago! It also features two of my childhood idols, so it’s very sentimental to me. My goal is to relate and connect with other people that have encountered similar experiences like the one I’ve had. I had one that made me write this song when I was finishing up High School. I hope this song can reach many individuals’ hearts and emotions.”
17 | Pat Reilly | Act of Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pat Reilly releases Act of Love from his forthcoming EP Prince of the Night, out on Nov. 13. Inspired by the Yung Pueblo quote, “being honest with yourself is an act of love,” the new single sees Reilly talking directly to his anxiety, engaging with it, and, ultimately, leaving it behind. “Though it doesn’t need to hold power over me, anxiety is a very real experience, it feels very real in my body. When I acknowledge that, and I’m honest with how I’m feeling, I can dispel the power it has over me. I hope this track gives rise to a culture of acknowledgment and release because I believe that’s the first step in curing emotional pain, which every one has experienced during this time.”
18 | No Escape | Insomniac
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After more than 27 years, legendary New Jersey hardcore unit No Escape return in early February with Selective Punches: A Collection of Ballads & Battle Hymns, six crushing new songs that will appear on a limited edition 12″ EP. Steven Crudello clues us in: “We reconnected a few years back with the exception of our old bass player because there was some talk about maybe re-releasing the Just Accept It record. I suggested recording the song Search from our demo for fun to maybe add to it. We started jamming and it was a blast … I started throwing out some new song ideas whenever we could get together and things just started to click from there. We ended up getting stoked on the new music!”
19 | Kilfeather | Beneath The Silence
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Beneath the Silence is the new single from Kilfeather and the followup to the recently released Never Stop and King Creep. Beneath the Silence is a barreling punk anthem that like a Molotov cocktail. With a catchy hook, screaming guitars, and a runaway-trainrhythm section, this track is poised to get heads banging and bodies moving. The lyrics feel like a shot of adrenaline and its musical sneer amplifies the rebellious attitude. Kilfeather has written and released over 30 records and counting since 2006. His music has been referred to as Psych Garage Punk.”
20 | The Kids | Go Back To Canberra
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Australia’s hottest up-and-coming punk act The Kids have dropped Go Back To Canberra — a furious, angst and frustration ridden punk anthem. It shows a huge growth in maturity, and lyrically it dives into the real social issues of Australia’s capital city. “The tragic tale of Australia’s national broken home. Discussing the dysfunctional ins and outs of its community. No disturbing details spared, all brutal truth and no filter. An evil tune that can mean anything to anybody.”
21 | Cicadastone | Out of Sight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Melbourne rockers Cicadastone have released Out of Sight from their upcoming album Cold Chamber. “Out of Sight is a song about self-discovery and challenging yourself to know who you really are. To admit your faults and be ok with it. We are who we are even if we wanna be something else. Look within yourself and ask that question. Are you happy with who you are? You should be, but It’s easy to lose sight of a vision and hard to stay focused on your goal. We’re always cascading out of sight….’’
22 | Obylx | Another Life
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bristol producer Obylx has released his latest single Another Life. Parallels can be drawn to the likes of Kygo, MGMT and Years & Years. Take a step back into the ’80s, where flashing arcade games ruled the weekend and cheerful 8-bit tunes staked their claim on the airwaves. Here, you’ll find Obylx, emerging once more with his monthly release and filling fans with unearned memories and nostalgia. Another Life embraces the escapism of games whilst maintaining upbeat, pop elements that will drive all listeners to the dance floor.”
