Omnigone have digestion problems, The Aislers Set find this Yule particularly cool, 2nd Generation Wu are right here, right now, Serena Ryder and Junia-T feel the glove, French Cassettes stay in their lane — and there’s still more to come before the curtain falls on another gargantuan Friday Roundup. Fa la la la la — please share these posts. Thanks and enjoy your weekend.
47 | Omnigone | Swallow Poison
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Omnigone hail from the East Bay of California and contains Link 80 members Adam Davis and Barry Kripene, plus a revolving door of ska-punk all-stars including Brent Friedman (We Are The Union), Booty Pook (Beat The Red Light), Justin Amans (Kitty Kat Fan Club), and even Jeremy Hunter (Jer). An instant pit-inducing classic, the high-energy ska-punk track Swallow Poison is a call to action for you to “make the change today” and try to be a bright spot in this ever-declining world. The cherry on top are the juicy organ leads from Steve Choi (RX Bandits) that bring this track to the next level. A must-listen.”
48 | The Aislers Set | Cold Christmas
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The holidays are here, and The Aislers Set have the perfect song to keep you warm with Cold Christmas. The standalone duet was recorded in 2010 and has a timeless sound that nods to the holiday classics of the ’60s, and to their own take on jangle-pop that made them famous. Cold Christmas contains all the seasonal magic of A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, filtered through the scrappy charm of indie-rock. The songwriting duo trade verses against a backdrop of electric guitars and trumpet calls, with Wyatt Cusick offering up a warm hearth and Amy Linton opting to enjoy the winter landscape.”
49 | 2nd Generation Wu | We Here Now
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “2nd Generation Wu are back and ready to close out the year with, We Here Now. Having started the single back in 2016, their latest release was a precursor to their breakout 7.O.D., and has been sitting in the stash waiting for the perfect moment to drop. iNTeLL says, “We first met the producer DLP at a Chris Rivers & Young Dirty Bastard show. After about a week Pxwer, Supreme and I all ended up in the studio for the first. Pxwer and I laid down verses and the record was finalized at Brooklyn’s Dragons Lair in Bushwick!”
50 | Serena Ryder | Kid Gloves (Junia-T Remix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Serena Ryder’s new track Kid Gloves, from her forthcoming album The Art of Falling Apart, has received the remix treatment from the renowned Junia-T. Best known as Jessie Reyez’s DJ and Polaris short lister for his solo album Studio Monk, Junia reimagined Kid Gloves, shifting it from an upbeat alternative/rock/ track to a more mellow indie/R&B/pop sound. The production features electronic percussion, a riffing guitar, and soothing sax solo. The only thing Junia didn’t touch was Serena’s voice, giving her room to hit her expansive notes and showcase her incredibly powerful voice in this new style. ”
51 | French Cassettes | Dixie Lane
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “San Francisco Bay Area quartet French Cassettes released their sophomore album Rolodex today. Vocalist Scott Huerta stated, “Writing Rolodex was sincerely the best time of my life so far. Maybe that’s why it took five years, who knows. I tend to just talk about myself a lot when answering questions about that time period, but the truth is I’m mostly proud of Rolodex because it honestly took every single person in the band to finish it. I’m lucky to have that. Also, it’s the kind of album I wish my grandma could hear. After questioning a number of the lyrics, she would have loved it.”
52 | Jer | A Message to My Future Self
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jer (Jeremy Hunter) is back with a new single. A Message to My Future Self is a wild ride through Jer’s mind as they deal with the realities of insecurity and depression, while also trying to stay optimistic for a better tomorrow. On top of that the track seamlessly sways between midwest emo, trad ska, and full on pop-punk … all said, it’s an extremely satisfying listen.”
53 | Jakob Mind | Rock’n’Roll’s Got Me All Messed Up
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jakob Arvidsson, mostly known as the Jakob Mind, singer and vocalist of punk outfit Rotten Mind, will release his solo debut album The One Who Got Away in April. Today, Jakob shares the second single from the album, a standout track entitled Rock’n’Roll’s Got Me All Messed Up. The new single almost has a ’50s surf-rock feel to it, combined with simple yet effective lyrics. All instruments are played by Jakob himself, an arrangement that neatly highlights his musical influences on all layers of the track.”
54 | Slugs | Super Sane
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Slugs are a four-piece alt-rock outfit out of Los Angeles, fronted by singer-guitarist Marissa Longstreet. Their latest single Super Sane features high voltage expression along with a calmer wash, showcasing restrained strums of electric guitar which is both divinely gripping and atmospheric. Longstreet confides, “A friend of ours died in a motorcycle accident on St Patrick’s day. Another friend of mine had just had a baby. At the time, I was celebrating the birth of a new life and mourning the loss of someone who didn’t feel gone yet. I wrote this while processing that conflict — trying to convince myself and others ‘I feel fine’ while unravelling.”
55 | Remington Super 60 | I Won’t Change My Mind
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I Won’t Change My Mind is the second single from Norwegian band Remington Super 60’s EP due in February. The theme of the EP as well as this song is very personal to the band, due to the breakup between Remington Super 60’s producer Christoffer and singer Elisabeth. They are still good friends and have continued to work together. Remington Super 60 was founded by Christoffer Schou in 1999 as a bedroom DIY project. Their early music was very inspired by ’60s artists like The Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach but with the addition of Casio keyboards.”
56 | The Ghost of Helags | Mary
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sweden-born, Berlin-based duo The Ghost of Helags unveil their latest cut of euphoric dream-pop, Mary. Written in the sad undertone of a claustrophobic night in the city of Berlin in the midst of another lockdown, Mary details the craziness which exists in the head and mind. “Mary was written and recorded during a writing session in a cottage in the Giant Mountains district, a wild national park area on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. Traveling was still allowed but a lockdown was looming so everything was very deserted and empty, the border town almost felt like a ghost town. Everything felt surreal.”
57 | Mr. Robski | Raindance
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It is another one of these grey and rainy days, where you aimlessly sipping on bourbon and gambling time away, when suddenly the door flies open and sunrays cut through the smoke. As you turn around and look into the warm light you see this silhouette entering the room. You hear driving drums appear and harmoniously combine with laidback guitar chords and a bassline that let the raindrops look like they are dancing. It is this mood of things finally brighten up and appear in another, more positive light that is captured by Mr. Robski in their new song titled Raindance, an uplifting indie-pop crossover.”
58 | Ex En Provence | Counting Down The Suns
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Indie-pop duo Ex En Provence have released Counting Down The Suns. Channeling ’90s nostalgia, Counting Down The Suns provides a stark, timely message, laced with storming indie-pop power. They say: “The idea was born reading about Hou Yi (后 羿), a Chinese mythological archer who shot down nine of the 10 suns in the sky so the Earth wouldn’t get scorched. Counting Down the Suns became a metaphor for dealing with all the fears of whatever is coming our way.”
59 | Just Jackson | Grateful
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Camden neo-soul artist Just Jackson is back with his second EP Heart From A Line, which highlights his abilities not only as a songwriter but also as a hugely talented guitarist. Opening track Grateful opens with a laid-back groove and a shuffling beat, underpinning swelling keys and a syncopated bassline before Jackson’s vocals lift the track to airy heights. Just Jackson said: “If I can express myself I’ll be happy; music feels like home.”
60 | Pat Absent | Nothing
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pat Absent is just happy to be here. An independent artist living in his hometown of Richmond, VA, Pat Absent is defining his own sound influenced by indie rock, dream pop, ’90s alternative, synth pop, shoegaze, video game soundtracks, post punk, ambient music, new wave, experimental pop, garage rock, bedroom pop, and whatever else catches his ear. His music is the essential outlet of an anxious mind living in these times. Working with producer Benjamin Schurr, Pat Absent composed his debut album Tangible Absence in the midst of a rising global pandemic and a country on the brink. An eclectic selection of sounds drawn from a decade of musical sketches, Tangible Absence speaks to the palpable feeling of something missing that drives people to create, and the sense of loss that filled so much of 2020. Listen to his single Nothing.”
61 | The Gertrudes | Emergency To Emergency
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Stepping up to help, Kingston, Ont.’s The Gertrudes are sharing a song specifically penned for these challenging times. Emergency To Emergency is out now, with all proceeds going to the Kingston Street Health Centre. Says bandmember Greg Tilson: “Emergency To Emergency is an attempt to express and reflect on some of the anxiety and profound sense of isolation so many people are experiencing at this time.”
62 | Tigers On Opium | Dark Electric
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tigers On Opium are a Portland stoner-rock band formed out of a magical mix of scene veterans jamming and sheer happenstance. From their origins in 2015, ideas germinated for three years as the band crafted the perfect lineup. Now hard at it, they have produced a stoner-rock sound that hints at a love for psychedelics and hip-hop, as well as a passion for literature and philosophy. This has given them a unique aesthetic that stays classy while incorporating a nice touch of grit. It sets them head and shoulders above their peers.”
63 | Lethe | Gamma
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Gamma is a new single from Lethe, a Norwegian and Swiss band pushing the boundaries for experimental rock/metal/electronic sounds. Lethe featuries Tor-Helge Skei (Manes/Manii) and Anna Murphy (Cellar Darling), as well as a long list of external contributors.”
64 | Corey Pavlosky | Out Of My Head
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “What’s on the other side of rejection? For punk-pop artist/producer Corey Pavlosky, it sounds like a direct line between self-inflicted gaslighting and processing what happened, musically. In the same way someone might turn on an upbeat song to cheer up a friend, Pavlosky’s latest track could be described as a fun song about being shot down. Out Of My Head brings listeners into the grappling that precedes letting go. “(The rejection) was obnoxiously painful,” Corey admits, “but I’m gonna force myself to be happy.”
65 | Jael | Catching Feels (ft. Foolie $urfin)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rising artist Jael just dropped his smooth and soulful single Catching Feels, featuring fellow celebrated R&B/soul vocalist Foolie $urfin. The Netherlands-raised multi-talented artist and producer returns to the studio following a vast performance schedule of approximately 100 shows at Magnetic Field Festival in India, Rocking the Daisies in South Africa, Melbourne Music Festival and more — and the result is a funk-filled heater with fiery production.”
66 | Hotline | Lovesick
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hotline are not your usual pop trio. Hailing from France and being involved in multiple groups growing up, the goal resulted in a harmonic blend between pop and hip-hop. Their sophomore release Lovesick immediately draws you in with a familiar synth melody which is carried throughout the track. Hotline explain the meaning: “Lovesick is about past lovers and the awkward feeling of not knowing what to do with yourself. Wondering if you will ever find someone like them.”
67 | Snowk | I’m Lost (ft. J.O.Y.)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rising DJ and production duo Snowk have shared their latest single I’m Lost (ft. J.O.Y.). The single is one of a series from their album Powder, to be released on Jan. 22. Say Snowk: “We first started the track as a remix of another song but later on, we found that the rhythm and the overall mood of the track was embodying every aspect of our project. We decided to keep the instrumental and in a hurry sent it to a vocalist J.O.Y. We really like the final version of the track.”
68 | Pete | Best Time Of The Year (Jingle Jangle)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Just like Santa in the sky, Pete is very excited to be bringing the Best Time Of The Year right to your front door. His first Christmas single is a holiday treat! Over two years in the making, this wonderful wonderland was co-written by Nova Scotia’s own Nathan Simmons. Pete’s vocals are as gripping and powerful as a winter blizzard, the instrumentation is colourful and the vocal harmonies add that little candy cane drizzle. Best Time Of The Year (Jingle Jangle) is one of the best new Christmas songs of this year.”
69 | Soulwax | Empty Dancefloor
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The desire to return to the dance floor is so huge that we’re convinced it’ll bounce back with a vengeance. In the meantime, we’ve made this track. Originally created as a piece of music to score a product video, we have reworked it into this love letter to the clubs and clubbers who are all suffering with us right now.”
70 | Heathersett | Wick to Handle
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The fall of 2019 was met with much optimism for the members of Heathersett. Little did anyone in the world know what 2020 had in store. Fast-forward a year later, and Heathersett are ready to debut their first single Wick to Handle, off their self-titled LP due out in 2021. “Wick to Handle is just a love song about waiting for your future significant other to become available.”
