Strange Bones and Calva Louise go catting about, Tankus The Henge offer some musical amusement, Void Vater can dish it out, Grande Royale deliver plenty of bang for the buck, Moon Fever just say yes — and there are nearly 100 more tracks where those came from in another absurdly huge Friday Roundup. What do you get when you combine Bandcamp Friday, the first weekend in December and the dreams of every indie musician from Austria to Australia? Well, if you’re me, you get more than 1,000 emails before noon.
1 | Strange Bones x Calva Louise | Nine Lives
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Two of the U.K.’s most intriguing bands, Strange Bones and Calva Louise, released their first collaborative single Nine Lives — a fast-paced, guitar-heavy track combining elements of alternative rock and pop with a punk attitude, featuring lyrics in both English and Spanish. The track, which is a statement of intent and determination for both bands, was produced in lockdown at the band’s shared creative hub, with Strange Bones frontman Bobby Bentham and Calva Louise’s Jess Allanic splitting songwriting and creative duties. “Bobby and I decided to create a song that represents a source of new energy for us”, explains Allanic. “Nine Lives captures our vision in an impeccable way, to honestly say who we are and what we do.”
2 | Tankus The Henge | Luna Park
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tankus The Henge have released their album Luna Park. In celebration of the record hitting the shelves, the gonzo rock ’n’ roll outfit are pleased to present the official video for its title track. Directed by Jay Enticknap, the video harks back to the band’s fun-fair roots and finds them performing amidst the electrified chaos of the dodgems in full flight. Delivering a carnival of sounds with high octane pace and luminous vision, the cut is a fitting introduction to Tankus the Henge’s third album.”
3 | Void Vator | I Can’t Take It
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hard-hitting, power-packed L.A. metal trio Void Vator announce the release of their new album Great Fear Rising in April, and share the fun-filled post-pandemic video for I Can’t Take It. Shooting captured Hollywood’s post-pandemic landscape of boarded-up businesses and hazy skies obscured by smoke as hundreds of wild fires mercilessly burned surrounding cities up and down the West Coast. I Can’t Take It portrays Void Vator overcoming ridiculous obstacles to perform a rock show while being tracked and attacked by spies sent by an overzealous political figure hell bent on canceling the world.”
https://youtu.be/J5sEPUEfU7Y
4 | Grande Royale | Bang
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Grande Royale are back with a new banger. The aptly titled Bang is the second single from the band’s upcoming fifth studio album Carry On. The single clearly shows the new direction of the band. A rawer, simpler, and more back to basics approach has been applied to the production. The new songs are catchy, straight forward and reek of garage rock energy.”
5 | Moon Fever | Cocaine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The chaos of the current year has broken each of us in unique ways that may take years to mend, but anything is possible as long as we stick together. Thankfully, Moon Fever have the answer: Cocaine. Singer Cody Jasper says: “Cocaine is a song about what you think it is about. As a rock band living in Los Angeles, we’ve had some wild times and crazy stories to tell. Some good, some bad … So we decided as a band we needed that trusty old party rock song on the album. We all know the lie cocaine tells you. This song is about that devil on your shoulder trying to convince you to come into the city ‘like a hurricane ready to blow’ — this song is an anthem about playin’ hard and livin’ fast.”
https://youtu.be/4tdb5F-Qlug
6 | Burning Pools | Woman
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Burning Pools, the new band led by former Smashing Pumpkins bassist Ginger Pooley, has been long in the making. She and husband Kristopher Pooley had been demoing songs showcasing Ginger’s penchant for empowering protest lyrics clothed in pop hooks, when they decided to reach out to guitarist Max Bernstein. He promptly added some tracks with a sub-octave fuzz permanently in the “on” position. Instantly, the three decided that Kris (a keyboard player by trade) would dust off his drum kit as this was not a synth operation —and a band was born. Their latest single Woman is a universal song about the power of women and the daily fight they face for equality.”
7 | The Coathangers | Nestle In My Boobies
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The world’s favorite Atlanta punk trio The Coathangers released a new video for Nestle in My Boobies. The video features long-lost footage of one of their earliest shows, and the single comes off their ground breaking, self-titled debut album — which is finally back in print today.”
8 | Iglu & Hartly | Cooler
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Southern California alternative pop-rockers Iglu & Hartly are back after more than a decade, with a super catchy new single titled Cooler. Originally formed in the foothills of Colorado by college friends Jarvis Anderson (lead vocals, production), Sam Martin (vocals, keyboards) and Simon Katz (guitar), the band moved to Los Angeles after dropping out of school. Of the new single, Anderson explains, “Cooler is told from the perspective of a guy that is set on winning over a girl who rejected him in the past. I love how the throwback synths and guitars rise as his story gathers fun, frenetic momentum.”
9 | Cas Haley | Blue Jeans
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sometimes when one door closes, another one opens. Texas singer-songwriter Cas Haley never imagined that in the year of the pandemic, both doors would belong to a 2020 Lincoln Corsair that would take him on a musical adventure across the country. But maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised. It was just the latest soulful swerve in the musical ebb and flow of a career that’s been both full of challenges and mightily blessed. Roots are everywhere on Cas’s new album, All the Right People, set for an early-2021 release on Jimmy Buffet’s Mailboat Records. The video for the infectious title track features Cas and his family, bandmates, and friends all singing together and celebrating the power of music and love.”
10 | Slowie & $H The Producer | Signs (ft. Komposa)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Slowie & $H The Producer combine to devastating effect on Signs, the third drop on the fledgling Bristol imprint, perfectly encapsulating the label’s dark but soulful grime MO. Signs sees Slowie & featured artist Komposa tell the stories of their growth as men and artists, and stake their claims to a piece of the city’s music pie, warning the industry snakes and clout chasers that they’re “not guaranteed a slice.”
11 | Jake Blount | The Angels Done Bowed Down
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jake Blount just dropped a powerful animated video for The Angels Done Bowed Down. It’s an old spiritual, but definitely the scariest spiritual I’ve ever heard. Talks about Jehovah’s sword, and angels blowing out the sun and turning the moon into blood. It speaks directly to the apocalyptic nature of how America treats Black people. It’s an old spiritual from the folk tradition whose visions of blood and rage somehow snuck past decades and decades of censure. The animator Abigail Pechman crafted this strange animated video that incorporates some of the more spectral images plus turns the image of Christ into a guillotine.”
12 | Dylan Rouda | Dizzyhead
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dylan Rouda’s Dizzyhead is the next video clip from his forthcoming album. By age 17, after moving to Malibu for a few years with his family, Dylan started his professional career in Laguna Beach. After high school, Dylan attended school at Berklee College of Music, where he continued to develop as a musician. Dylan continues to perform, write, and record around Los Angeles, where he currently resides.”
13 | Laila Biali | Silent Night
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With the snow starting to come down and the holiday season in full swing, Juno-winning artist Laila Biali offers a stirring, gospel-infused rendition of the timeless classic carol Silent Night. The song comes alongside a beautiful live performance video, bringing the spirit of Biali’s special arrangement to life. “I think most of us agree that this Christmas will be different from any other,” reflects Biali. “My wish is that Silent Night will bring peace and hope to those who are away from loved ones, and that the spirit of the holiday season, and the spirit of this song, will shine a little light in the dark.”
14 | Night Lights | Revolution
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The multi-continental band Night Lights features vocalist Mau Jimenez (Mexico,) guitarist Yusuke Sato (Japan) and drummer Dag Eirik Hanken (Norway), who use their colorful retro-future rock-pop to address and celebrate the duality of human emotion. In a year that has been turned upside-down by the COVID-19 pandemic, Night Lights have turned the concept of a traditionally shot music video upside-down for their new single Revolution. “With all that’s happening in the world, we wanted to make a music video that fit within our constraints and somehow made us feel connected in quarantine,” said Jimenez. “We wanted to show that the revolution could happen in our rooms.”
15 | Julien Manaud | Save Me From Myself
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Multi-talented musician Julien Manaud announced his new EP Adaptation Vol. 2, will arrive on Jan. 15. It again showcases Manaud performing covers of tracks from varied artists. Manaud says of the record: “When my daughter was born, it was very difficult for her to fall sleep, and I had to relearn how to sing classical children’s songs, but I got tired of traditional nursery rhymes very quickly. So, I started singing songs from the artists I work with to her. One night I started to play the piano to accompany my singing on these songs and I felt the urge to record them with a better pianist. I introduced the project to Alexis Dumais, who a few weeks, later presented some incredible arrangements to me.”
16 | Honeypot | On the B Side
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Indie prog-rock band Honeypot just dropped their latest single On the B Side. “The idea for On the B Side came about when a friend and I were propositioned for what turned out to be a pyramid scheme that got sued for millions. As with most charlatans, he promised all the trappings of wealth. The B Side is the bottom of the pyramid. Consequently, you are locked out of the trappings of fame and wealth that go to the people on the A Side. It never fails to amaze me how people are so easily duped with the promise of success without work. In my experience, you achieve success one step at a time.”
17 | Jet Trash | Los Angeles
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jet Trash are concluding 2020 with a visual ode to the lonely and locked-down city of angels. The video for Los Angeles follows drummer Eric Peters on a melancholic motorcycle joyride through an unusually barren and empty cityscape. Directed by Russell Bailey, the video is poetically washed in a sunset-hinged hue, as Peters revisits and ultimately tries to forget, his postcard memories of a past life in a city that once was. “We wanted the tone of this video to showcase the sort of strange vibe of the city at the moment. With everything that’s happened in 2020, L.A. certainly feels a lot different than usual and in the end, we set out to make the video a love letter to the city as it is now. A little stark, but also turning a hopeful eye to the future,” said lead vocalist Marshall Fassino.”
18 | The Hawkins | Fisherman Blues (Live in a Barn)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With a splendid mix of swing, energy and punk ’n’ roll, The Hawkins deliver music at its finest! Fisherman Blues is an energetic, track originally featured on their latest studio album Silence is a Bomb. Now, the band releases a live version of the track, accompanied by a video recorded in an abandoned barn. Look out for The Hawkins as the band will release the seven-track live EP Live in the Woods in early 2021.”
19 | Eyehategod | High Risk Trigger
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Eyehategod have set a March 12 release date for the band’s first album in seven years, A History of Nomadic Behavior. The news arrives with a visualizer for High Risk Trigger, a taste of what’s to come on the 12-song album. Singer Mike IX Williams says: “We’re not a political band, but it was hard not to be affected by the news from the past year. During this recording, I thought a lot about how stupid humanity has become and how America is now completely divided with these people who don’t believe in science and blindly follow liars and nonsensical ideologies. Some of those feelings may have found their way into these songs, but it is mostly subliminal.”
20 | Matthew Cardinal | Dec. 4th
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Matthew Cardinal is sharing the new video for Dec 4th from his acclaimed debut album Asterisms. The LP is a dazzling collection of ambient electronic audio journal entries that crystallizes moments in his life. “The bed of the track is a bubbling filtered synth sound which is sequenced in a somewhat random way,” says Cardinal. “On top of that I added some more ‘cello’ courtesy of my sampler and my mooshum’s fiddle, Roland organ swells, and descending Moog bass. A sound I made sings on top about halfway through the track. I recorded this in the evening, sitting on my living room floor.”
21 | TruCarr | U Wit It (ft. Bankroll Freddie)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Watts rapper TruCarr teams up with Bankroll Freddie in Up Wit It, a bruising new single off his upcoming debut project Based On a Tru Story, due in 2021. In the music video, the two friends show off their money, cars, and talent as they rap alongside a pounding beat and catchy synths. The video intercuts with clips from the film Boyz n the Hood, getting honest about the struggles Black men face all over the country and specifically in his hometown of Watts. “I did it to turn the city up, to get the city some recognition,” TruCarr explains. “There’s people from our city that’s on, like Jay Rock. But I want to bring more to the city. Like people know Compton, I want them to know Watts.”
22 | Chilly Gonzales | The Banister Bough (ft. Feist)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Chilly Gonzales will give the Christmas variety show a 2020 makeover with A Very Chilly Christmas Special, streaming Dec. 23. The 75-minute program was filmed in an empty Parisian theatre featuring Jarvis Cocker, Feist and other guests. Gonzales also revisits the old carols and new pop standards on his album A Very Chilly Christmas. Here’s The Banister Bough, with vocals by Feist.”
23 | Engelbert Humperdinck & Janet Devlin | Can’t Help Falling In Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bridging continents, decades and audiences, iconic vocalist Engelbert Humperdinck has joined forces with Irish singer-songwriter Janet Devlin for a heartfelt and dazzling duet of the classic Can’t Help Falling In Love. Taken from Engelbert’s recently released EP Sentiments, the original was famously recorded by Elvis Presley for the 1961 film Blue Hawaii. “I have always adored Can’t Help Falling In Love by my good friend Elvis,” says Engelbert. “This year, when the opportunity arrived to record it as a duet with the incredible Janet Devlin, I was intrigued, as there is about the same age difference between us as to when it was first performed by Elvis and his leading lady.”
24 | Black Violin | Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Classical-meets-hip-hop duo Black Violin released their video for Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, taken from their debut holiday album Give Thanks. “Give Thanks employs playful storytelling, whimsical strings, and hard-hitting rhythms to highlight the unifying pillars of the holiday season: Giving back to others and being wholeheartedly thankful.”
25 | Ryal | Thunder (Solo on the Dancefloor)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “When we lose, we create,” says singer Jacque Ryal. And like so many people, she recently found herself grieving a loss. Earlier this year, her friend and college roommate Bebe lost his battle with COVID-19. Bebe was the life of the party. “He had a way of gathering people together,” Jacque says. “He had a laugh that you could hear inside a crazy loud club.”
