Zebadiah Crowe invite you to dance, Short Sharp Scratch have just one question, James Yorkston and The Second Hand Orchestra embrace the struggle, Eyes take a swim and more in today’s Indie Roundup. Dear America: No matter which way the chips fall, it would seem you are well and truly fucked. Deepest condolences. But hey, you had a nice run.
1 | Zebadiah Crowe | Wormhavens Dance
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Zebadiah Crowe have returned once more to poison our dreams of a picturesque, snow-shrouded winter. Purveyors of feverish darkness, Forrrthen and The Horrid will be releasing two EPs in the coming months, starting now with the unnerving, twitching sickness of The Cloven Hand. Always searching for new ways to disturb and distress, Zebadiah Crowe formed a perverse pact with two bands of electronic noise terrorists, Seething Akira and Gods Of Ruin and set them to work dismantling three songs from the Host Rider album. Having dissected and destroyed, these new accomplices then reconstructed these songs as freakish Frankenstein’s monsters, horrifying reimaginings of already fiercely threatening sonic entities.”
2 | Short Sharp Scratch | Do You Like It?
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Short Sharp Scratch bring their newest pop-funk zinger Do You Like It? This Brighton collective is led by Jak Chantler, a former alt-rock guitarist whose next musical adventure has a soul-inspired twist. Do You Like It? features lead vocals from songstress Aimee Montague, accompanied by Bobby Lamont and synthesizer legend Mo Pleasure, known for his work with Earth Wind and Fire, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles and Christine Aguilera. Its lustful groove is an instant earworm with Jak’s songwriting showcasing influences from Prince and Chaka Khan.”
3 | James Yorkston & The Second Hand Orchestra | Struggle
THE PRESS RELEASE: “James Yorkston and The Second Hand Orchestra will release The Wide, Wide River on Jan. 22. Alongside the announcement, they share a video for new track Struggle, a tender and beautiful love song to Yorkston’s children. He adds, “It’s me telling my kids that it’s OK to not be OK, and that indeed, sometimes I struggle. The band were sat by in the studio by themselves, looping the verses over and over. I was in the control room, drinking sweet tea. I just had to wait for the right moment and jump on board, like when I’m pushing my kids round on a roundabout in the local park.”
4 | Eyes | Swim
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Denmark’s twisted hardcore mongers Eyes released their debut album Underperformer in September, scorching everything in earshot with their unique fusion of punk and metallic hardcore, leaving no confronted soul unstirred through their fantastically entertaining music videos — including Swim. Vocalist Victor Kaas offers, “We were hesitant to do a live session — everyone and their mother does one these days (for obvious reasons). In the end we decided to do one, since it’s the only way we can showcase our live sound outside of Denmark at the moment. We hope to tour as soon as possible, when it’s deemed safe again, but for now, we hope you’ll enjoy this.”
5 | Justine Tyrell | Worthy
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Calgary singer-songwriter Justine Tyrell is back with Worthy. With its dreamy R&B melody, anthemic chorus, and sultry vocals, it pays homage to the traditional R&B sound and adds a modern twist. “Worthy is about discovering and honouring self-worth in the midst of uncovering a partner’s deceit and dishonesty. I was inspired to create something that can empower the listener to know that it is better to let go of someone, than to lose yourself, and most importantly — that it’s critical to determine your worth, rather than let someone else decide for you. Part personal recounts of toxicity, and people trying to tear down my self-worth, and largely born from being a fly on the wall when people close to me were moving through the seasons of their own relationships.”
6 | Molly Annelle | All In
THE PRESS RELEASE: “At just 17 years old, the celebrated Vancouver singer/songwriter Molly Annelle continues to take the musical world by storm with the release of her new single and video All In. With her music combining the essence of dream pop and R&B, it results in a tone all her own. Molly explains: “The song is supposed to represent that walking all over someone only makes your shoes dirty. The video shows how we must not mistake kindness and lightness for weakness. Kind people can stop being nice as quickly as a small spark can turn into a raging wildfire.”
7 | The Offspring | Baby Please Come Home
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Best-selling SoCal punk rock band The Offspring have released their first holiday track, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), produced by Bob Rock. Originally released by Darlene Love, The Offspring put their unique stamp on this holiday classic. Dexter Holland says, “It just seemed like the world could use a nice holiday song right now. We’ve always been huge fans of Darlene Love, so when the idea came up to do a Christmas song, we jumped at the chance to record that one … and tried not to wreck it!”
8 | Moon Taxi & Jimmie Allen | Hometown Heroes
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Moon Taxi and Jimmie Allen have just teamed up for a new version of Moon Taxi’s Hometown Heroes. The track was originally released in March of this year and has become an anthem of appreciation for frontline workers in 2020. With the addition of platinum-selling recording artist and songwriter and CMA Best New Artist nominee Allen, Hometown Heroes bends across the country and alternative genres. Says Trevor Terndrup of Moon Taxi: “Doing a collaboration in this crazy year seemed like a far-fetched idea, but somehow it worked out. Jimmie brings a fresh, lively spirit to one of our most personal songs and we are so honored to put this song out with him.”
9 | Hellraizerr | Slasher Within
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Hellraizerr is the speed/thrash band led by Sal Hellraizerr. Mastered by Joel Grind and featuring a handful of underground guests, their latest album Life After Death has an interesting blend of horror-themed songs. The first single is Slasher Within, with three more single releases to follow each week. The album is set to release Nov. 24.”
10 | Sonic Flower | Super Witch
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Japan’s psychedelic rockers Sonic Flower — with members of Church Of Misery — will release of their new album Rides Again in January. Get a boogie-fueled taster with first single Super Witch. Rides Again is a collection of unreleased studio material recorded after their self-titled debut album in 2005 — these tracks were sleeping in the vault for more than 15 years! Rides Again is a stunning blend of psychedelic groove, boogie rock’n’roll, funk, and doom metal. It gathers original tracks as well as two covers: Earthquake from Graham Central Station and Stay Away from The Meters.”
11 | Little Winter | Julia
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Rising star on the Scandi indie scene, Danish quintet Little Winter just released Julia, their newest single and the first track from the upcoming album Wonderlost, due in March. Their music is an homage to the sun-kissed beach vibes of the space age, mixed with the DIY sounds of today’s indie scene. Julia is an ode to the first love and the jumble of feelings that it entails, lead singer Nikolai explains — and it’s fascinating how this new, warmth-infused track allows Little Winter to shine through the cold, Nordic clouds.”
12 | Skaar | The Scientist
THE PRESS RELEASE: “For her latest release, Skaar pays tribute to Coldplay with her take on their classic hit The Scientist. The result is a nuanced revamp of one of the band’s most beloved songs. Stripping the song back to the core elements of its instrumentation offers something different to Skaar’s multi-layered alt-pop. Nonetheless her tender vocals evoke the emotions of the song: heartbreak, yearning and resignation for something that’s irredeemably lost. It makes for an atmosphere entirely in tune with the autumnal mood. “I’ve been thinking about covering Coldplay for a long time as they are one of my favourite bands, because they influenced me so much growing up and my music. I remember listening to The Scientist every time I was sad or heartbroken, and it was one of the most important songs that inspired me to make my own music.”
13 | Cadet Carter | The Best Part
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Indie-rock British-Bavarian quartet Cadet Carter have announced the release of their latest single The Best Part. The band reveal a little more about the positive message behind the single: “The world is full of pessimists, especially since the start of the pandemic. And I’ll admit, I‘m a pessimist myself pretty much most of the time. But right now, nobody seems to keep the light on at the end of the tunnel, no one seems to be willing to fly the flag of optimism. So we decided to write a song about not losing hope and staying positive, just for a change. That is how The Best Part came about.”
14 | His His | Matador
THE PRESS RELEASE: “His His is the project of Toronto artist Aidan Belo. Combining delicate guitar lines with simple yet thoughtful vocals, Belo created this project as an outlet after relocating to his family’s hobby farm outside of the city, in an attempt to evoke something rural and honest. Most easily defined by the Portuguese word saudade, a feeling of longing and melancholy, Matador, the debut single from His His, captures the mood that Belo felt in the barn where he recorded it one afternoon: feelings of melancholy, relative passivity, and low-spiritedness.”
15 | Ballaké Sissoko | Frotter Les Mains (ft. Oxmo Puccino)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Malian kora player Ballaké Sissoko announced that his 11th album Djourou is due out Feb. 19. The new album draws together solo compositions alongside thoughtful collaborations with Nouvelle Vague’s Camille, African legend Salif Keita, leading female kora player Sona Jobarteh and French cellist Vincent Segal (with whom Sissoko has released two albums) amongst others. Djourou’s first single is Frotter Les Mains, featuring French rapper Oxmo Puccino.”
