Prism Bitch serve up some fine spaghetti, Bones Owens has a good day, Joe Ghatt goes for the gold, Venus Furs find their inspiration, Pools walk it off — and we’ve barely scratched the surface of your Tuesday Roundup. Ever have one of those days when you can’t get anything done without being interrupted three times — and then getting interrupted two more times before you can deal with the first interruptions? Welcome to my …
ON REPEAT
1 | Prism Bitch | One Shot
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Emerging rock quartet Prism Bitch have released their new single One Shot, a preview of their debut album Perla due out March 5. One Shot is an upbeat, fantastical song with a hint of classic rock about pushing through a hardship and demanding strength. The video was directed by Rebekah Wiggins and filmed near the band’s Albuquerque homebase. “This song is about the perspective of being a female musician and being taken seriously. There was a measure of uncertainty surrounding our band as we had just left our label and were reestablishing ourselves as an autonomous collective. With an exciting tour looming at the time, we wanted to come out swinging with a confident personal statement. The music video for One Shot is an irreverent punk ode to our Southwest upbringing and love for cinema and theater. We were inspired by the visuals of Spaghetti Westerns and old-school music videos that feel like short films. The story follows a humble family trying to avenge the death of their father by striking out into a dark world. It’s the hero’s journey and a reimagining of the myth of the Old West as we’d like to see it.”
2 | Bones Owens | Good Day
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bones Owens will release his self-titled garage-swamp debut album on Feb. 26. Today, he released the video for Good Day, a fiery ode of self-assurance. “I wrote Good Day as this sort of straightforward ’60s garage rock thing in the vein of The Kinks or The Troggs,” says Owens. “It’s just meant to be a feel-good moment — a snapshot of someone who’s having their day in the sun.”
3 | Joe Ghatt | Mammon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Auckland’s Joe Ghatt drops a new video for one of his most loved tracks: Mammon, from his debut album Banana Sludge. For Ghatt, Mammon describes the idea of an evil influence or money demon — “I actually heard a guy preach a sermon on Mammon.” Inspired by these esoteric themes, Joe and his kiwi friends got together to create a visual feast for the song. The resulting video is a strange trip that pays perfect tribute to the song. While the video comes with a grainy Super 8 aesthetic, it’s clear that Joe and his team put a lot of thought into the production. The video was directed by Thamas Barker and Jamie Smith, with incredible costuming, makeup and set design by Courtney Harper. “There’s Mammon, desire and me. I’m turning into a glutton from the overwhelming evil influence of Mammon. My self control is rapidly diminishing and it snowballs until I eat an overload of his golden food and cark it. Mammon is cunning.”
ALSO ON THE PLAYLIST
4 | Venus Furs | New Inspiration
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Following his self-titled debut album last year, Venus Furs has shared a video for New Inspiration. The moody, late-night song has an encompassing psych-rock sound, with lyrics inspired by classic literature. The video reflects both the lyrical and musical tone of the song — a lushness created by heavily affected visuals layered onto dark footage. Venus Furs is the moniker of Montreal’s Paul Kasner, a multi-instrumentalist, writer, and producer.”
5 | Pools | Walk
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Swedish duo Pools’ debut record is a collection of affecting, haunting lullabies. The band is the collective vision of multi-instrumentalist Fredrik Forell and singer Arvid Hällagård. Reminiscent of bands like The National and The Tallest Man On Earth, the pair combine Americana, folk and even gospel to create something unique. Arvid was going through a divorce as the theme of the album took shape. This theme of loss and rumination is evident on upcoming single Walk. He explains the track is “a reflection of the emotions I’ve gone through and how I’m trying to move on. All the ache described in pictures and a cry for help. How you sometimes need something higher to hold your hand when it feels like your life is over.”
6 | Anna Elizabeth Laube | Jardim da Estrela
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Folk singer-songwriter Anna Elizabeth Laube has released her new single Jardim da Estrela, with a lyric video. Jardim da Estrela is featured on Laube’s upcoming collection Annamania, due Friday. Discussing the track, Laube said, “It’s a love song about healing and feeling your actual feelings and being real, and the kind of instant connections that we are sometimes lucky to make with people where it feels like we may have known them in other lifetimes.”
7 | Sow Discord | When It Has Finally Come To Pass
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Quiet Earth is the first full-length offering from David Coen aka Sow Discord. It’s scheduled for release on Feb. 26. A member of doom band Whitehorse, Coen has been making music and touring nationally and internationally for over 20 years. Recorded, produced and mixed by Sow Discord, Quiet Earth features Ethan McCarthy of Primitive Man / Manny Blessings, Chip King, Lee Buford of The Body and Ben Andrews of My Disco / Agents Of Abhorrence, who is also a prominent collaborator of Sow Discord’s live shows.”
8 | Beverly Glenn-Copeland | Let Us Dance
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Composer Beverly Glenn-Copeland announces the reissue of his 1986 masterpiece Keyboard Fantasies on April 9, marking the 35th anniversary of its original release. The artist is also sharing a new live performance video of Let Us Dance. “Though written over 30 years ago, I have listened to your recent musings about the hope the music inspires and the calm it brings, finally understanding that the transmissions sent through me from what I call the Universal Broadcasting System are helping to accomplish the UBS’s purpose, namely that of bringing us together as a single human family at last. For this I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Blessings.”
9 | Tenant From Zero | This Can’t Wait Til Later
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tenant From Zero premieres This Can’t Wait Til Later, a lyric video in the tradition of indie-pop greats The Smiths and The Go-Betweens. This Can’t Wait Til Later appears on Tenant From Zero’s debut album Flight, out this Friday. Tenant From Zero is the recording persona of Brooklyn singer-songwriter Paul Darrah. Darrah sees the project as a continuation of the proud British pop lineage of artists he has loved since his youth. “I’m drawn to singers with a sense of melancholy, romance, intelligence, and style,” he says. “The lyric evolved out of a relationship that a friend of mine was having with someone who had a drinking problem. It’s not exactly an ‘up’ topic but all the elements came together in a satisfying way.”
10 | Adult Mom | Sober
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Adult Mom will release their third studio album Driver on March 5. In celebration of the announcement, they have shared the new single Sober. The track examines how people’s perceptions of each other change and deteriorate over time, especially in the wake of a relationship gone sour. On Driver, co-produced by Stevie Knipe and Kyle Pulley (Shamir, Diet Cig, Kississippi), Knipe delves into the emotional space just beyond a coming-of-age, where the bills start to pile up and memories of college dorms are closer than those of high school parking lots. Ultimately seeking the answer to the age-old question posed by every twenty-something; what now?”
11 | The Brother Brothers | On The Road Again
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn’s The Brother Brothers have announced that their sophomore album Calla Lilly will be out on April 16. Lead single On the Road Again sets the stage for the record and shows that their many comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel are apt, due to the immediate warmth of their immaculate harmonies. David Moss says of the track: ”There’s no denying that life in motion can leave a person lonesome or aimless, but so can sitting still. The same part of our beings that gets homesick aches for life on the road. This song’s an exploration of that duality — a celebration and a lamentation in one.”
12 | Cameron Knowler & Eli Winter | Strawberry Milk
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Unlike our current existence during the pandemic, Cameron Knowler & Eli Winter’s collaborative debut is neither monotonous nor boring. It’s got way too many notes to be monotonous, and the music is too beautiful to be boring. The forthcoming album Anticipation is a ravishing collection of instrumental folk duets. Inspired by a trip through the desert on the Texas-Mexico border, two young-gun guitarists deliver a gorgeous collection of acoustic folk duets. Album opener Strawberry Milk, which emerged fully formed, sets the tone: sweet, inquisitive, daring.”
13 | Uncle Walt’s Band | Honest Papas Love Their Mamas Better
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The best band in town was Uncle Walt’s Band.” That’s what Jimmie Dale Gilmore remembers about the trio of Walter Hyatt, Champ Hood and David Ball circa 1980. Originally released as a private pressing in 1982 on the band’s own label, Recorded Live was a document of their legendary shows at Waterloo Ice House in Austin, Texas. Now, after releasing the anthology and expanded versions of their self-titled debut and its follow-up An American in Texas, they present a re-imagined version of Recorded Live — now titled Recorded Live at Waterloo Ice House — on Jan. 29. The collection has been expanded to 21 tracks, with seven songs from the original release, four previously unissued alternate takes, and a whopping 10 previously unissued performances. This rare video captures the band at 1990 reunion performing a Fats Domino favorite.”
14 | Nilüfer Yanya | Day 7.5093
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya released her acclaimed new EP Feeling Lucky? last month, and today she shares a new video for Day 7.5093. The video was shot by Molly Daniel and features touring and live footage. “I don’t have a habit of writing much when touring but with Day 7.5093 I can remember starting to write the first couple lines in a hotel bathroom so it made sense to use some of the footage from that year,” says Yanya. “It’s hard to know what you’ve got until it’s gone which is why I’m trying to enjoy this moment too, but travelling and playing shows is something I’ll never take for granted again! I’ll be back touring new music as soon as it’s possible, and next time we’ll film more.”
15 | Missy D | Paint
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Missy D has dropped a music video for Paint, which is a single from her EP Yes Mama. The 2020 EP follows her journey through grief. Missy D chose to make a video to reflect another form of expression — visual art. Several visual artists responded to the song with their interpretation, including Kimmortal, Matt Hans, Michele Jubilee, Samaneh, Kafiya Mudey and Corrina Keeling. Paint describes how creativity, rap, and paint can illustrate an artist’s journey with pain. Missy D explains “All in all, this past year has been full of pain, grief, creativity and healing and I am grateful to sometimes express that through friendly conversations, counseling or through this art I call hip-hop or rap & soul.”
16 | Bernice | It’s Me, Robin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bernice, the experimental pop vessel of musician/songwriter Robin Dann and her longtime collaborators Thom Gill (keyboards, guitar), Philippe Melanson (e-percussion and drums), Daniel Fortin (bass) and Felicity Williams (voice), are sharing another new track from their upcoming LP Eau de Bonjourno. Simply put, It’s Me, Robin is Robin talking to herself. “How to be? How to live?” says Dann. “A small metal bowl floats away into the lake and sinks — but below the waves she sits on her cool bottom, her shape shifting self not full of water but of the water, edges dissolving as her identity reforms, grows, reforms, grows, reforms, like the fascia of a body reinventing itself with each twist and bend. A sign, a cross, a road, a potato — who are you?”
17 | Bradford | My Wet Face
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “My Wet Face is the new single from indie-scene veterans Bradford. One of the many highlights of Bright Hours, it is the latest tantalising glimpse of what will be the band’s first album for over 30 years when released on Feb. 19. Recalling the golden-gilded works of Teenage Fanclub or Doves, My Wet Face is an uplifting piece of Northern power-pop that knowingly nods to Bradford’s past and present. Frontman Ian H. says of the track: “My Wet Face is an up song dealing with a down subject — the essential existential dilemma that absolutely nothing material can be held onto in any meaningful way. It’s about the pain of life where essentially our memory is the only thing that can comfort us with recollections of beautiful moments, or even painful ones which have been somewhat assuaged by the passing of time.”
18 | Hand Habits | 4th of July
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hand Habits’ Feb. 19 EP Dirt finds Meg Duffy exploring themes of growth and finding ways to let go of the parts of their past that no longer serve them. It illuminates Duffy’s attempts to evolve beyond the confines of their past. Of their latest song and video, Duffy said “4th of July feels like trying again, rolling around in the wreckage of the past and finding new ways out of the maze of memory. For the video, I went to V and Adam and said I wanted to ‘just dig a hole’ and they turned that idea into a cinematic version of what it looks like to try and get to the bottom of a feeling.”
19 | Lazer Beam | Sink Or Swim
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Raised under the scorching Arizona sun, Lazer Beam, the solo desert pop project of multi-instrumentalist Lucust French, is heavy, somewhat demented but never anything less than original. Much like his work with former outfit Burn Thee Insects (formed by French and his father Mitch in 2015), Lazer Beam’s music is practically built on industry and ingenuity. Choosing to record his music outside and on the move, for his self-titled debut we’re treated to songs cut in the heart of Prescott National Forest, East Maricopa County, and countless other locations thanks to a generator, and close friend and producer Chris Hughes. Lazer Beam’s self-titled debut will be released on April 9; his single Sink or Swim is out today.”
20 | Alfa Mist | Run Outs
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London producer, pianist, bandleader and MC Alfa Mist has announced his fourth full-length Bring Backs, out April 23. The news is accompanied by the single Run Outs, a skittering jazz exploration centred on Rhodes piano lines. “Run Outs is a street game I remember playing when I was younger” says Alfa. “I used to think of making beats and playing with a band as separate worlds until I realised I was always trying to achieve the same thing. Making the music I want to make. With the song Run Outs I’m bringing together the vibe of my earliest beats with where I’m at today.”
21 | The Besnard Lakes | Our Heads, Our Hearts on Fire Again
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Besnard Lakes have shared a new taste of their forthcoming album The Besnard Lakes Are The Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings (out Jan. 29) by way of new single Our Heads, Our Hearts on Fire Again. They say: “A skeletal version of the song had been in the Besnard vault for several years after we initially rejected it for a film soundtrack. It went through a couple drafts before we tore it apart, rejiggered some parts and resurrected it to its new form. The song is an ode to logic and intuition and being able to learn from the past.”
22 | Goat Girl | Badibaba
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Goat Girl share the track Badibaba from their upcoming album On All Fours, which will be released on Jan. 29. Guitarist/vocalist L.E.D. says “Badibaba is a song about environmental catastrophe and the pessimism and self-destruction that this causes to the human spirit.” Lottie Cream adds, “it touches on how the earth’s existence is controlled by exploitative systems, and the feeling of existential helplessness this induces.” On All Fours was produced by Dan Carey (Kae Tempest, black midi & Franz Ferdinand) in South London in late 2019. It sees the band delve deeper into unexplored lyrical and melodic territory whilst retaining their critical lens on the worlds injustices and social prejudices.”
23 | Gemini Syndrome | IDK
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “L.A. alt-metal band Gemini Syndrome have just released their track and music video IDK. “IDK plays with the double entendre, ‘I decay’ and ‘IDK’ (I don’t know) to illustrate the Voltaire quote, ‘The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing,'” states vocalist Aaron Nordstrom. Drummer Brian Steele Medina adds, “IDK opens the door to the idea that we have to be willing to discard our old ideas and identity to give space for new ideas to grow and allow a more evolved identity to flourish. The last thing we want to do is to get stuck in old patterns of thought and behavior. This is an essential principal as we progress through the various degrees of the initiatory traditions.”
24 | Mike Watt + The Black Gang | Rebel Girl
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kill Rock Stars is 30 years old! We’ll be celebrating all year in a number of ways, like releasing covers from our catalogue. Rebel Girl is the second of the series, recorded live Oct 16, 1998 at The Knitting Factory in New York City, N.Y. by Mike Watt + The Black Gang. KRS founder Slim Moon says, “To whatever degree I believe in the “great women and men” theory of human history, Mike Watt is one of the towering figures in the history of punk rock — so is Nels Cline — and Bikini Kill is the greatest punk rock band in the history of the world. Knowing I got to work with these amazing people means I can die happy.”
25 | Dozer | Vultures EP
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Swedish stoner-rock kings Dozer unveil one more track from their Vultures EP, out on Feb. 12. Enjoy the unequalled firepower of Dozer’s Vinegar Fly. After forming in 1995, Dozer quickly progressed beyond their early influences and created a style of their own incorporating modern elements into their classic heavy rock sound. A sound that always has been intensely heavy but yet also strongly song and melody driven by the distinctive vocals of singer Fredrik Nordin.”
26 | Mint Julep | Black Maps
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Created slowly over a years-long span that encompassed the recording of 2019’s Stray Fantasies, wife and husband duo Hollie and Keith Kenniff are set to deliver In a Deep & Dreamless Sleep on March 19. The new album is a distinctly hazier chapter of their technicolor pop venture Mint Julep, which new single Black Maps makes clear from the outset. “Our previous material tended to be structured largely in a verse/chorus setting,” Keith explains, “but these songs are more free flowing and through-composed with a focus on mood and texture. A lot of the songs are more stream-of-consciousness than premeditated; we went with first ideas and let them guide the composition rather than planning a definitive road map — which hopefully lends itself to creating a specific and unique emotional connection.”
27 | Blanketman | Leave The South
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Blanketman are sharing their first new music of the year. Leave The South is the latest single from the upcoming debut EP National Trust, produced by Luke Smith (Foals). In a year that has seen much made about the divide between the north and south of England, Leave The South seeks not to pit the regions against one another, but offers a far more nuanced look at the way the grass can always appear greener on the other side. It also acts as something of a love-letter of absent friends and an admission that nothing is perfect. Lead vocalist and guitarist Adam Hopper elaborates: “The song harks back to five years ago when I was living in Reading while at uni. While not a bad place, I found my final year tough and was becoming disillusioned with what I was doing and where I was. I was in a rut mentally and my friends had stayed up north and I found myself feeling increasingly isolated and skint. I managed to convince myself that moving back up North would solve all my problems like it was some kind of utopia and started blaming where I was for said problems. I laugh at that now and that’s what the song is about. Although the water really does taste better up North…”
28 | Eulene | Working On A Train
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Electro-pop songstress Eulene has released a lyric video for Working On A Train, from her self-titled debut EP. Eulene’s powerful, feminine attitude radiates throughout the EP. Unrestrained in her sonic capabilities and using edgy production styles to lure fans in, the singer takes songwriting to the next level. The EP manages to take a variety of genres and intertwine them, providing a continuous flow of unexpected magic and seduction. Denying any expectations and rising above all hopes, Eulene is an entrancing pleasure to listen to as it invariably draws listeners into a dramatic and self-revealing world.”
29 | Volvopenta | Simulacrum
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Simulacrum, the new album from German post-rock quartet Volvopenta, comes out in February. Volvopenta thrives on the contrast and friction that arises from the interplay between the two guitarists Marcus Kreyhan and Stefan Claudius. André David’s unobtrusively refined work on the bass and Kai Spriestersbach’s stoic drumming turn their harmonious coexistence into unity.”
30 | Max Foreman | State of Decay
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Max Foreman has announced the March 5 release of his debut solo EP Underground, and shared lead single State of Decay. Of the meaning behind the lead single, Max stated: “State of Decay is about that feeling of metamorphosis — part fatigue, part reawakening to the world around us. The lyrics depict nature gently reclaiming its territory, clawing away at the edifices of city life. The song observes a sense of beauty in experiencing nature and reaching for love amidst a time of unprecedented wreckage and upheaval. Curious non-sequiturs about silent street parades and doorstep dogs bring a feeling of light surrealism to the song, mirrored by the subtly warped instrumentation.”
