Oscar DeLaughter woke up like this, Meg Web gets all logical, Griff Clawson gives chase, Fickle Friends meet up IRL — and that’s just the second chapter in your Weekend Roundup trilogy. How will it all end? Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion:
21 | Oscar DeLaughter | Just Woke Up
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dallas native Oscar DeLaughter is sure to put a spring in your step with Just Woke Up. A fitting, hopeful song to describe the feelings most have had over the past year, as it tackles the internal struggle of wanting self improvement and accepting you want that during a time you’ve been dealt a crap hand. The single is self-produced and self-released. Oscar explains: “Just Woke Up is about coming to grips with the reality of certain aspects in life but keeping hope that things will get better … I feel like things get easier when you’ve accepted what they are … I refer to summer because summer is a time when we plan on doing all the things you’ve wanted to do all year … but unfortunately it doesn’t always work out. This past summer i think everyone had a taste of that more than ever considering the state our world was in.”
22 | Meg Web | What’s the Logic
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Meg Web is sharing her new video and single What’s the Logic. Meg grew up as a classically trained multi-instrumentalist learning violin, piano, harp, cello, synths, bass, flute, tenor guitar — and recently added marimba. Growing up as a competitive dancer (you can see some of her smooth moves in the video), as well as a softball, basketball and soccer player in Woods Cross, Utah, she fled to Arizona (pretending to be a foreign exchange student from Czechia so she could hang out with her cousin at her school) to escape Mormonism and play shows with her bandmate who lived there. Meg shares: “The inspiration was an anti-inspiration-where all hope and trust flew out a window and I was starting from scratch with everything — ideas about people, the internal and external workings. A question to and about them and myself.”
23 | Griff Clawson | Chasing Highs
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “SoCal singer/songwriter Griff Clawson has released an endearing acoustic version of his debut single Chasing Highs. Griff has gained immense support and recognition for his anthemic voice on tracks with DJ global-stars such as ARTY, Matoma, Devault, Manilla Killa and Boombox Cartel. In moving the focus of his career to releasing his own singles, Griff launched his pop project with the release of Chasing Highs.”
24 | Fickle Friends | IRL
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fickle Friends ended 2020 on a high. They now start 2021 in the same incendiary style by releasing their EP Weird Years (Season 1) alongside a new video for IRL. It demands your attention with the kind of euphoric, escapist alt-pop energy that offers an antidote to the January gloom. As vocalist Natti Shiner explains, it was inspired by her friends who have discovered that lockdown has made app-based dating more uncertain than ever. “Dating in today’s world means a lot of screen time. How are you supposed to know if you have chemistry until you meet them in real life? Are you putting too much time into something virtual that might turn out to be nothing in reality?”
25 | Matt McManamon | Jumpin’ The Gun
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This is the shape of things to come,” chimes Matt McManamon in his solo return, expressing a sentiment that heralds a fresh start for the former The Dead 60s frontman. Jumpin’ The Gun is the first taste of his debut album Scally Folk, due later this year. McManamon says: “Jumpin’ The Gun is a song for all the haters in life. The song is primarily about experiencing negative people and negative thoughts, and responding to them by doing something positive. Some years ago when I took a hiatus from doing music, I’d find certain opinionated people, basically wrote me off, believing I was finished and would never do anything in music again. I always knew I would, I was just taking stock and biding my time and making sure I didn’t “jump the gun”, so the song draws inspiration from turning other people’s negativity into a positive.”
26 | Tommy Newport | Yellow Lines
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Born in Manchester, England, Tommy Newport relocated to the United States with his family at six years old, then bounced around from Dallas to Seattle before settling down in Wichita, Kansas. After picking up the guitar as a teenager, he submerged himself into music and hasn’t looked back since. His latest single Yellow Lines drips with groovy bass and trippy guitars, creating an almost-hallucinogenic result. Paired with sexy dance pop elements, the song brings to mind the likes of the Gorillaz. Newport confides: “My battle, like so many other artists, is the constant evolution of my sound and wanting to always try new things. I prefer to exist in many different worlds sonically at once.”
27 | Sister Psychosis | Beside Myself
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sister Psychosis have dropped the song Beside Myself. Inspired by nights gigging and partying in underground London clubs, Beside Myself is a snapshot of halcyon times, laced with all the promise of their return in 2021. Comprising songwriter and vocal powerhouse Amanda May and guitarist wunderkind Chops, the U.K.-Canadian duo transcend borders to make sparks fly on their first studio outing together. ”
28 | Carolesdaughter | Violent
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alt-pop artist Carolesdaughter, aka Thea Taylor, releases a striking music video for her explosive single Violent. The gothic-styled video was shot in a Victorian house in Los Angeles. Of Violent, Carolesdaughter says: “I was in a toxic relationship when I wrote it. I was just fed up, and I released it. It was a real moment. I guess people recognize it.”
29 | Fougére | Descent
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Shape-shifting London musician and composer Fougére (Jamie Norton) returns with a introspective, melancholic piano composition Descent. Following on from his acclaimed debut Movement, Descent opts for minimalism, with Fougére ruminating on personal loss, offering another consistently paced piece of music that focuses on Norton’s emotive delivery. He says: “The opening chords to Descent came during a period of personal loss last year. It’s maybe why it made it difficult to revisit during the recording process. But since recording the live performance video at Printworks, it has become a piece that really resonates with me again, particularly at the moment.”
30 | The Sad Song Co. | My Saccharine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Sad Song Co. (aka Nigel Powell) reveals My Saccharine, from his new solo album Saudade (Jan. 22). A nugget of joyful chamber-pop on the surface, My Saccharine’s uplifting strings, glacé falsetto and sweeping chorus, sugar-coat a bittersweet song of unrequited love. As Powell says: “I had the sole word ‘saccharine’ written in my lyrics notebook, and that immediately sparked off thoughts of my last relationship, and the happiness it brought me, but how undermining it is to keep thinking about it. Or possibly it’s about being addicted to sherbet lemons. You decide.”
31 | Yester Daze | Backseat Bingo
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Where stadium rock meets underground punk, that’s where you’ll find Montreal’s Yester Daze. Taking inspiration from artists like Foo Fighters, Muse, Royal Blood, Billy Talent, My Chemical Romance, The Pretty Reckless, the band works to build off of the high energy and honest lyricism to create resonating infectious anthems. An ode to the past, present and future, Backseat Bingo combines feel-good-grooves and unforgettable melodies alongside high contrast dynamics. Featuring groovy riffs backed by dancing rhythms, the track is a tongue-in-cheek reference to sex. Combined with falsettos and belted vocals, Backseat Bingo might just be the band’s catchiest tune yet.”
32 | Hailey Whitters | The Ride (ft. Jordan Davis)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hailey Whitters announced that Living The Dream — a deluxe edition of her 2020 album The Dream featuring five new songs — will be released on Feb. 26. Whitters also dropped The Ride (ft. Jordan Davis). “Jordan Davis took me out on his very first headlining tour when I was only an independent artist. I thought that was a bold statement for him to make, and I am very appreciative of him taking a chance on me,” explains Whitters. “He’s one of the key reasons I’ve been able to say I’m ‘living the dream,’ so when thinking about who to collaborate with on this project, he was a no-brainer.”
33 | Sirakh | Tear Me to Shreds
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Treat yourself to another dose of dark hard rock with a new song and lyric video from Sirakh called Tear Me to Shreds. Hailing from the cold and dark city of Oulu in northern Finland, Sirakh defy their hometown’s dress code of extreme metal and indie pop by mixing their love of ’80s hard rock with a dark, gothic image.”
34 | Omnigone | New Way
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “What was it like to tour back in the late ’90s? From the look of the photos in New Way… a LOT of fun. In case you’re not familiar, Omnigone are a ska-punk outfit from the East Bay CA made up of Adam Davis and Barry Kripene of Link 80, featuring a revolving cast of additional members including Jeremy Hunter (Skatune Network), Brent Friedman (We Are The Union), Justin Ammans (Kitty Kat Fan Club), Steve Choi (RX Bandits) and Steve Borth (Satori). You’ll see some familiar faces in the New Way video, including Dan P, Mike Park and a host of early 2000s ska-punk allstars.”
35 | Haviah Mighty | Antisocial (ft. Old Man Saxon)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After a monumental year making numerous strides — even while the world was at a standstill — Polaris Prize-winning Toronto artist Haviah Mighty kicks 2021 off with Antisocial. The track features Denver rapper Old Man Saxon, who Haviah was set to tour with last year. Focused on reflections around self-confidence and deep introspection, the song arrives in a timely manner as society continues to evaluate life from a more independent perspective. Haviah says: “This song focuses on those emotions of self-confidence that we feel inside, the desire to be alone, the desire to sit with one’s thoughts and to validate oneself. Friends don’t validate you. Once you’ve validated yourself, they can reinforce those feelings – but first, you must validate you.”
36 | Welshly Arms | I Will Overcome
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Welshly Arms begin 2021 on a hopeful note with I Will Overcome — a timely song that coincides with the country’s changing political tides and rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. “We wrote I Will Overcome about looking forward and moving past all of the division, polarization, marginalization, and unrest that we had to face over the past year,” said singer Sam Getz. “Though we are still in the midst of this challenging chapter, we know a change is coming and we are ready to turn the page and step into what is next. We believe in the human spirit and the collective ability to rise up together.”
37 | Rough Dreams | Termites Hollow
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Knoxville’s Rough Dreams will release their new covers EP From the Graves of Better Days on Feb. 5. The band just released their take on Grade’s Termites Hollow. Singer-guitarist Jake Jones says, “When we were picking songs to cover for our covers EP, I knew that there needed to be at least one seemingly obscure song on the record. I pitched Termites Hollow by Grade to the band because they are one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to songwriting. The guys weren’t familiar with the band, but I played them the track, and everyone agreed that it’s a killer song and needed a new life in new times.”
38 | Mo Kenney | Hard On You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hard On You, the third release from Mo Kenney‘s upcoming Covers record, is one of the sparser offerings in the series, and for good reason. A staple of and standout in the wildly prolific Daniel Romano’s songwriting quiver, the tune conjures a frustrated snarl, giving hell to someone who’s overstayed their welcome. Covers is set for release on Feb. 26. Says Kenney: “I’ve been a big Daniel Romano fan since I first heard this song. It was so nice to hear a modern country song that was reminiscent of the old stuff. The songwriting is so good, I was excited to strip it down so the lyrics really shine.”
39 | The Effens | Pavement Age
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Effens are an explosive post-grunge group on the rise from Toronto. With fiery vocals, screeching guitar riffs, pulsing synth melodies, and haunting harmonies, the band has been described as a “hyper-strange post-grunge four piece who seem to take in all the vagaries of the internet age.” Ahead of their upcoming EP, The Effens have released Pavement Age. The song encompasses the main ingredients of the band’s sound equally: melody, sonic textures, loudness, and simplicity. Taking cues from artists like Pixies, Nirvana and The Strokes, The Effens aim to keep it simple in the interest of the song, not the songwriters.”
40 | Ryan Dugré | Old Hotel
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn guitarist Ryan Dugré works as a sideman with folks like Cass McCombs and Eleanor Friedberger, but his solo music is composed of cinematic, guitar-led instrumentals. His album Three Rivers is the followup to last year’s The Humors, and expands on that records vision, with guest spots from some of Brooklyn’s most accomplished sidemen and session players. Says Ryan: The inspiration and title for Old Hotel came from the great Irish musician Eamon O’Leary. He told me about a guitar tuning that combined Irish bouzouki tuning with two additional notes (C F C G C D). This opened up some new shapes and chords. The first thing I wrote was the ending, then later came up with a more rhythm-based guitar part which makes up the backbone of the song.”
