Tunic go into the darkness, Aweful are oh-oh-so-good, Valerie June plays the fool, BRP strut their stuff, Electric Looking Glass share their true colours — and that’s just the opening salvo in today’s epic Weekend Roundup. Crack open a bottle, crank the volume and get ready to rock.
1 | Tunic | Face Out
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Winnipeg’s Tunic explore the darkness of their hometown on Exhaling, a three-track effort due on April 9. The trio of David Schellenberg (guitar/vocals), Rory Ellis (bass) and Dan Unger (drums) use their visceral art-punk to explore themes related to coping with the illness of a loved one, the dark side of creativity and dealing with toxic friendships. New single Fade Out is about watching someone you love and care about go blind. About four years ago, one of Schellenberg’s co-owners at a venue he operates was diagnosed with MS. Over time, his business partner started to lose sight in one of his eyes then eventually the other. He became legally blind and had to leave his position at the venue. It was heartbreaking for Schellenberg to watch happen. Fade Out is an attempt at coping.”
2 | Aweful | Oh Oh
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Since their inception in 2018, Aweful have been a rambunctious and explosively powerful band. With the recent pandemic taking the wind out of the sails of many bands, Aweful haven’t lost one bit of their commitment to intensity with their latest powerhouse single Oh Oh, which is equal parts thrilling and liberating. This song is an emphatic gut-punch of grooves full of saucy, kinetic, infectious riffs and hooks that would prove irresistible to even the most stoic and detached listeners. Very few outfits have ever so deftly and capably blended rock and punk with such memorable, melodic passages. And the accompanying fully animated and uniquely immersive video, directed by Wendy Norton, is emblematic of their restless lust for advanced levels of creativity. They say: “We thought people could use some good rock ‘n’ roll energy during these dark times.”
3 | Valerie June | Call Me A Fool (ft. Carla Thomas)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Valerie June announced her first new album in four years, The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers, out March 12. The album’s first official single, Call Me A Fool, is a marvelous preview of her upcoming LP, a delicious slice of Memphis soul that features Stax legend Carla Thomas on background vocals. Valerie says: “Have you ever been a fool for a dream? It might have been a little dream like a kiss from a lover or a big one like the dream of peace that Dr. King, John Lennon, and so many others have had for humanity. No matter how big or how small your dream may be, keep believing, and let the world call you a fool!”
4 | Barry Paquin Roberge | BPR Strut (Join Us & You’ll Be Fine)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Barry Paquin Roberge just announced their new album Exordium To Extasy, out on Feb 26. The neo-disco sextet from Montreal are also sharing their BPR Strut (Join Us & You’ll Be Fine), an impossibly heady and funky track offering a glimpse into the satin-clad and fringe-laced world of BPR — and a toe-tapping, head-bopping anthem to usher you through these cold winter days. Etienne Barry explains: “We invite the populace to strengthen their core and test their mental fortitude. Directed by longtime collaborator Ariel Poupart, who also plays the role of a mastermind known only as The Vision, the video shows us in skin-tight spandex, filming a straight-to-VHS home-workout tape destined to fortify the masses … and control them!”
5 | Electric Looking Glass | Purple, Red, Green, Blue & Yellow
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Electric Looking Glass are a baroque-pop group from Los Angeles. Electric Looking Glass unabashedly create sugar-coated whimsical pop with all the bells and whistles; chiming guitars, dreamy mellotron, bouncy harpsichord and three part harmonies. You might mistake them at first for an obscure Apple Records signing but Electric Looking Glass insist they are forward thinking tomorrow-people making music for NOW! Self-producing in their own analog wonderland, the lads pay loving homage to the kaleidoscope pop of yesteryear with impressive attention to detail in both their records and smile-inducing Monkees-esque music videos. ELG released four singles in their first year. These four far out dandies now cordially invite you into their technicolor world with their first full-length LP Somewhere Flowers Grow, due out in spring.”
https://youtu.be/kYqDEwPWRVI
6 | Good Bison | Lunatic
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “One week before the release of their new EP Scattered Storms, Los Angeles indie band Good Bison premiere their new, skateboarding-influenced video for Lunatic. “The lyrics for Lunatic are about the concept of ‘home’ and how to find it, and since skateboarding was my home for such a long time, it made perfect sense to feature it in the music video,” says Pablo Alvarez. “We shot everything in an abandoned water reservoir hidden in the hills. We had to walk like 20 minutes, and then go in through a hole in the fence. It reminded me of the type of spots we would skate as teenagers in Miami. I was always sneaking into places and getting chased out by security. Running away from the cops.”
7 | Abstrakt | Etherstorms
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Finnish symphonic death/black metal band Abstrakt released their second single Etherstorms, from their second studio album Uncreation (out Feb. 25). Abstrakt was formed by Nightderanger and Azul Corax in 2008. Progress was slow but steady. Their first album Obsidian was released in 2013. In January 2019 the final recordings for teir second album had begun slowly but surely, and the recordings were completed in October 2020. Now Uncreation is finished and Abstrakt are in their best shape ever: Hungrier, angrier and better than before.”
8 | Crazy Arm | Fear Up
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With their first album in seven years just around the corner, Crazy Arm come together as one in a rousing new video for Fear Up. It’s the third single from Dark Hands, Thunderbolts (out Jan. 29). The sees the collective defying the odds and pushing the limits to unite in one digital space. Featuring virtually all of the extended Crazy Arm family (13 of them!), the footage was filmed on location from their disparate bases in Devon, Dorset, West Yorkshire and Swansea and woven together here. Darren Johns of Crazy Arm says: “The moral of the story is ‘socially distant, mentally united’.”
9 | Love Machine | The Animal
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I’m a miserable violent man. The new Love Machine single The Animal is an angry and self-critical reflection of toxic masculinity. Men are in crisis. The consequences of destructive ideals of masculinity can be felt on a daily basis. Before men run amok or breach the Capitol, they first make life hell for one another. More and more, becoming increasingly tougher & no room for one’s own vulnerability: In their video for The Animal, Love Machine show which excesses of toxic role models simmer beneath the surface of bourgeois order and go on a search for clues. Director Lisa C. Heldmann and the Düsseldorf band symbolically locate the evil in the limbo of the German allotment gardens. Singer Marcel Maurice Rösche meets his own father in a tranquil ambience and things take their disastrous course. The Animal is the third single from the upcoming album Düsseldorf – Tokyo, out Feb. 26.”
10 | Pupil Slicer | Wounds Upon My Skin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Give a warm welcome to Pupil Slicer, who have just announced their debut album Mirrors. Due for release on March 12, the London mathcore trio are celebrating the announcement with the release of Wounds Upon My Skin and an accompanying video.”
11 | Grande Royale | Just as Bad as You (ft. Dregen)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dregen have joined forces with Grande Royale for Just as Bad as You. It’s the third single leading up to Grande Royale’s album Carry On. The band has created a highly energetic piece, delivering garage rock to a new generation. Grande Royale have a history of working together with prominent names of the Swedish rock scene, including Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters, Imperial State Electric) and Ola Ersfjord (Dead Lord, Honeymoon Disease, Lucifer).”
12 | Plainride | Shepherd
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Earth rockin’ drums, a beard growth-inducing bass, fuzzomental guitars, the roar of a wolfman and a whole lotta beer: these are the elements that make Plainride’s muscular brand of rock ‘n’ roll so addictive. On their new single Shepherd, the band — recently joined by guitarist Bob Vogston to go more rifftastic than ever before — take a leap forward by using mellower-than-usual vocals as well as Greek baglamas, while channeling the sinister trippiness of Monster Magnet and the adolescent fury of early Clutch.”
13 | Django Django | Free From Gravity
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As we get closer to the release of Django Django’s fourth album Glowing in the Dark (Feb. 12), they release Free From Gravity, the third single. Free From Gravity represents an arresting turn for the band – a beautiful anthem about escape and perhaps the most complete expression of the album’s central themes coming together. Beautiful cascading bleep melodies and strings wrap around the funkiest stop-start drum machine and a relentlessly infectious bassline to perfectly embody the bittersweet theme of yearning to “escape everything that’s weighing you down.” The band explain: “it’s really about the planet being in such a mess that we eventually have to leave.”
14 | Noprism | Pantherbeat
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Noprism is the stage name for Newcastle indie innovators Andrew Young and Mark Nelson. Channeling electronica-infused pop with hints of ’80s new wave, the pair return with Pantherbeat. The duo are already ahead of the game — their previous release Happiness was championed by Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon, and featured on Made in Chelsea.”
15 | Jesse Markin | Smokestack
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Finnish rapper-turned-singer-songwriter Jesse Markin has nurtured a reputation for universal excursions through indie-pop, rap, R&B, and African folk — a soundscape beyond any genre limitations. New slice Smokestack — an ode to a vibe — is the perfect example of Markin’s flexibility, as he demonstrates a nostalgic-saturated production with mechanical guitar riffs, while dipping in and out of rapping and melodic vocal displays.”
16 | Melissa Carper | Makin’ Memories
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singer/songwriter and upright bassist Melissa Carper has unveiled Makin’ Memories, the first single from her forthcoming album Daddy’s Country Gold, set for March 19. Carper’s refreshingly unique style calls to mind greats like Kitty Wells, Billie Holiday, and Loretta Lynn, beautifully conveyed in the grooves of the album’s 12 sparkling gems. As a child, Carper — who acquired the nickname “Daddy” years ago from her bandmates for always knowing how to “take care of ‘bidness’ ” — would lay her head underneath the family record player as she listened to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, and other greats from her parents’ collection.”
17 | Comatose | Circle
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Minnesota atmospheric rock/grungegaze unit Comatose just released their debut full-length A Way Back. It’s the sound of the existential dread of musicians in 2020 who’ve had their way of life quite literally torn apart by the chaos of the year. Thankfully, one can easily melt into the lush melody and reverb or fall into the despair of the delay laden vocals through the diverse, yet familiar album that will likely bring listeners back to the mid-1990s without sounding dated or derivative. Says bandmember James Benson: “Comatose was chosen as the name of the band as a result of being a part of ‘the lost generation.’ Faced with multiple major global economic crises, domestic racism and terrorism, a pandemic, and climate change, it only felt right to choose something that reflected the mental health of an entire generation.”
18 | Falcon Jane | Heaven (Romshii Remix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Falcon Jane and Romshii are back with another creative collaboration / rivalry for the ages. Album standout Heaven has been transformed into a club-ready banger, and people are divided on how to respond. Some are claiming the new song is better than the original, others are demanding that Romshii destroy his abomination. Vote now and make your voice heard.”
19 | Joey Walker & Stone Irr | What You Want
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “2012 feels like a lifetime ago. Back then Joey Walker and Stone Irr were both students in Bloomington, Indiana and good friends. They wrote and recorded a song called What You Want together, and, well, that’s about as far as they got. The track gathered dust, or whatever the equivalent is for files stored deep in a hard drive. In the intermediate period they both graduated, released solo albums, and then second solo albums, Stone moved to Los Angeles with Joey splitting the driving, and they remained great friends. Then, in the fall of 2020, Joey decided the time was right to revisit their earlier musical collaboration.Joey and Stone put a fresh coat of paint on a beautiful old track.”
20 | Max | Blueberry Eyes (ft. Lil Mosey, Suga & Olivia O’Brien)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Multiplatinum recording artist Max has released a remix of Blueberry Eyes ft. Suga of BTS with Lil Mosey and Olivia O’Brien. “Having Lil Mosey, the mastermind behind Blueberry Faygo, add his story to Blueberry Eyes felt too iconic not to create the ultimate blueberry hit song,” said Max. “The cherry on top is getting to add the legendary voice of my friend Olivia O’Brien. I’m so excited for this final chapter of Blueberry Eyes with my brother Suga and honored to work with all of these incredible artists on this new version of the song.”
21 | Beyond Grace | Fearmonger
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London’s Beyond Grace just released their single Fearmonger, along with their politically charged music video. Fearmonger’s cerebral and crushing take on technical death metal lays the foundations for an album later this year — so, if you’re not already on board with Beyond Grace, the time is now.”
22 | Rebel Wizard | Real Happiness In Killing Enjoyment
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The king of negative wizard metal, Rebel Wizard, has conjured up a bewitching live video of Real Happiness In Killing Enjoyment, the first in a series of live videos filmed at The Wizard’s Crypt. Taken from his 2018 EP Great Addictions to Blindingly Dark, Worldly Life, the performance is just a taste of what else the mage has up his sleeve.”
23 | Nova Rose | Need Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Born in the city of Montreal, Nova Rose was first introduced to music by her Egyptian-born father who would play the guitar as she sang along every night before bed. This routine quickly developed into a passion leading her to learn the violin, guitar and piano. By the time she graduated university, Nova was writing songs with artists from around the world, performing at different venues throughout Canada. Her new single Need Me is about realizing that it’s okay not to be okay and knowing that sometimes loving yourself without needing anybody else is enough. Expressing our emotions in a non-destructive way is part of becoming and growing into who we are; it begins with acknowledging them and having the courage to be imperfect.”
24 | Angelus Apatrida | The Age Of Disinformation
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Spain’s leading thrash-metal band Angelus Apatrida drop their lyric video for The Age Of Disinformation. The track is off the band’s forthcoming self-titled album, set for release on Feb. 5. They say: “Back to the roots with The Age Of Disinformation, a fresh and catchy old-school thrash metal song. Musically, it will bring you back to the golden age of the genre … it’s a galloping piece of gold with crazy solos, riffs and drumming, and those classic frenetic high-pitch insane vocals! Lyrically, well, the story tells itself: We are living the times where we have more information in our pockets, in our smartphones, on the internet … and ironically we’re more misinformed, slaves to the fake new. The more information we have, the less we verify or contrast.”
25 | Pinhdar | Parallel
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Since exploding onto the music scene in 2019 with their self-titled debut Pinhdar have further refined their brand of psychedelic dark pop on this latest album Parallel. Recorded during lockdown in their Milan based studio alongside Scottish producer Howie B (U2, Bjork, Tricky, Massive Attack and many others). The bewilderment felt during the months of lockdown while recording and writing led Pinhdar to seek refuge in a parallel reality, a universe of surreal and alien sounds and concepts encapsulated by the album’s cover; a house miraculously floating on the water’s surface.”
