January Jane drop the second great Hall & Oates cover I’ve heard today, Tones And I take flight, Meer make honey, The Hold Steady spice things up — and we’re just rounding third in your latest jam-packed Indie Roundup. Hang in there!
37 | January Jane | I Can’t Go For That
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “N.Y.C. alt-pop trio January Jane have released a spirited rendition of the Hall & Oates classic I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do). It precedes their forthcoming EP, which will come out later this spring. Says guitarist Mitch C. Mitchell: “We’re all fans of Hall & Oates, so we had an absolute blast doing what we do with one of their songs.”
38 | Tones And I | Fly Away (Jonas Blue Remix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Australian artist Tones And I has shared a Jonas Blue remix of her international hit Fly Away. Elaborating on the track, Tones And I shared, “Fly Away is about chasing your dreams, reaching your goals and the realities that come with it. Being a busker, I obviously had bigger dreams. However, this song is inspired by the way I thought I would feel versus the way I actually feel. I think that’s very powerful, at least to me. It’s about genuine happiness and what we think we need to have happiness versus what we actually want. The truth is we only ever want anything because we think it will make us happy, but it’s never that simple.”
39 | Meer | Beehive
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Today sees the release of Meer’s new album Playing House, and the alternative rock orchestra has celebrated in style, revealing a video for the track Beehive. The video, which features an animated series of paintings, was filmed, edited and produced by Beth Madeley. It is a stunning animation, about which the band had this to say: “The Beehive video is made by the amazing animator and illustrator Beth Madeley. We gave Beth full artistic freedom to make her visual interpretation of the song, and we are awestruck with what she came up with.”
40 | The Hold Steady | Spices
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Hold Steady have released their new song Spices. It’s the third preview of the band’s eighth studio album Open Door Policy, arriving Feb. 19. “Spices began with the intro riff that guitarist Tad Kubler brought in,” says singer Craig Finn, “and it unfurled quickly when the band got together. It’s probably one of the heaviest songs on the record, but it achieves some levity with the horn section that arrives at the chorus. Like a number of others on the record, ‘Spices’ speaks of technology — the way texts, social media, DMs, etc. allow acquaintances to pop up into our lives and potentially disappear again just as quickly.”
41 | Black Suit Youth | Survivor’s Guilt
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “New York’s Black Suit Youth have released an acoustic single titled Survivor’s Guilt, off their new album The World Is Almost Over, due out this spring. The group began working on their followup to 2017’s False South in late 2019, before the global pandemic. TheLP navigates the harsh reality that the worst may be yet to come. “Everyone around the world has something to be deeply concerned about,” says Bryan Maher, vocalist and guitarist. “It’s a song about two buddies of mine, Mark and Mike (who was Black Suit Youth’s original bassist). I miss Mark and Mike the most out all of those I’ve lost. The first verse is a reflection about Mark when we were teenagers, and the second verse is about Mike and I growing apart before his untimely death and the total shock of it.”
42 | Smith & Burrows | I Want You Back In My Life
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ahead of the release of their forthcoming album Only Smith & Burrows Is Good Enough (out Feb. 19), Smith & Burrows are pleased to share new track I Want You Back In My Life. The track encapsulates the pair’s long-term friendship and methodology behind the album. Smith recalls being on the road with Editors and receiving a part-finished track as he explains: “With this tune the heavy lifting was done by Andy, it was his pretty complete song I added some finishing touches on … I knew as soon as I heard his idea it was a stone-cold Bee Gees-meets-Backstreet Boys classic, just needed a little happy sad chorus from me. What else are we here for, other than to love somebody, anybody … ??”
43 | Andrew Gabbard | Wake Up, Brother
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Andrew Gabbard’s new single Wake Up, Brother is out today. “I wrote the first verse of this song on a plane about a year ago (can’t believe it’s been that long) when I was on tour playing shows. I came back to it and recorded it this Christmas Eve. The more it went on, lyrically, the more it became this kind of New Year’s tune. I think we all can agree 2020 was a real drag. But here we are in 2021. “Wake up, Brother / Sister / Change the world” Let’s put on our shoes and kick the fu**ing door open to tomorrow. Happy NY!”
44 | Sara Bug | Rosebank
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nashville songwriter Sara Bug (the name is an old family nickname due to her diminutive stature) describes herself this way, with her usual wry humor: World’s finest southern-kitsch artist — born in Mississippi, raised in Louisiana, stuck in Nashville. Her songs balance that humor with deep feeling, which lets them hit hard and stay light at the same time. Add in her distinctive and fantastic vocals (occasionally sounding quite a bit like Dolly Parton) and you have a terrific new artist to watch. Debut single Rosebank is an ode to time spent on her motorcycle: “Rosebank was written about the joy and calm I feel when I’m on my motorcycle. Everything else in the world disappears and I can think clearly when I’m taking time to myself, cruising around. The song was written when I was still a beginner. Every night I would drive down this long, curvy road in Nashville called Rosebank for practice. During a hard emotional time in my life, the nightly rides ended up being really therapeutic for me.”
45+46 | Caveboy | Dirty Hands + Good In You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Montreal’s Caveboy celebrate the one-year anniversary of their debut album Night in the Park, Kiss in the Dark, with a digital Deluxe Edition. It includes two new singles: Dirty Hands and Good In You. With a fresh yet nostalgic perspective on alternative pop, Caveboy root themselves in the timeless music of their parent’s generation and build to unforgettable chaos during their live performances.”
47 | Mr. Williamz | Well Excellent (ft. Junior Demus)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “West London reggae veteran Mr. Williamz announces shares the new track Well Excellent (ft. Junior Demus), taken from his upcoming album Soundkilla Mindset, a reggae and dancehall an opus which takes Mr. Williamz (real name: Michah Williams) back to his roots as a sound system native and draws on inspiration from the OG Nicodemus. A respected statesman of the Portobello dancehall-soaked streets, Mr. Williamz injects an element of modernity, whilst borrowing heavily from the reggae greats to create a record only someone as proficient and knowledgeable in the scene as he could.”
48 | Insect Inside | Revival Of Ungodly Deformity (ft. Kirill Nazarov)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With just three weeks to go before the release of their debut album The First Shining Of New Genus, Russian death-beasts Insect Inside have unveiled a third song of slamming brutality from its track list of terrors. Hear the crawling horror of Revival Of Ungodly Deformity, featuring a throat-shredding guest vocal performance from Kirill Nazarov of Decomposition of Entrails and Disfigurement Of Flesh.”
49 | Rudy Touzet | Fatal Attraction
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rising pop singer/songwriter Rudy Touzet has released his sultry new single Fatal Attraction. Inspired by an experience of spending the night with a woman twice his age, the pulsating track details his attraction to someone who knows their worth, what they want, and will make sure they get it. “My Fatal Attraction was at a 4th of July party and it was a cool experience that I expanded on in this track,” Rudy shared. “This song sounds a lot more like the songs I have coming out next. Fatal Attraction is up-tempo with a storyline I hope the listener can envision.”
50 | Darling Boy | Tea Drinkers Of The World
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tackling 2021 with a no-nonsense approach, Darling Boy, the alias of actor, writer and musician Alexander Gold, has released Tea Drinkers of the World. “I love that notion that once a song is out there it’s everyone else’s to make sense of. And why waste all that energy writing four verses, two bridges and a chorus when one line will do perfectly if you do it right? You can let the music do the talking. The meaning is always between the lines, anyway. I don’t know any other band that’s written a one-line song. It’s a world first as far as I can tell! I’m pushing music forward, in my own little way. Every other guitar band is looking backwards. Fifty years down the line there’ll be a shrine to me as the Father of Teaism.”
51 | Paper Anthem | Sign Language
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Paper Anthem, fronted by singer-songwriter Joseph Hitchcock, have released their first single of 2021, Sign Language, a bouncy, driving track with a tone of sombre and aggression. It’s also the first release from Paper Anthem’s third studio album which is aptly named The Year You’ll Never Get Back and is due for release in March. Many of the songs written for the album date back to 2016, when Hitchcock was going through a difficult time emotionally and personally: “My life had fallen apart… I had to move back home and get a job at Walmart. I got a little too into conspiracy theories. I became totally isolated to everything that keeps someone human.”
52 | Leahy | Little Moon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian group Leahy have secured a place as one of the country’s most highly regarded progressive folk-roots groups. Ahead of the February 2021 release of their album Good Water, the platinum-selling group share Little Moon.” It offers an excellent example of Leahy’s progressive sensibilities, as they bring their roots-based instrumental prowess into modern-day focus. Co-written by siblings Erin and Angus Leahy and, originally arranged for violin and piano, Leahy introduce the electric guitar of Nick Johnston. The passionate duet between violin and guitar highlights the exquisite features that make both of these the “first instruments” in their respective orbits of Celtic roots on one hand, and rock ‘n’ roll on the other.”
53 | Kean Farrar | Always Come Around
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kean Farrar’s alternative R&B casts a magnetic allure on listeners. The 21-year-old has become an insider tip following a handful of underground tracks, earning praise from tastemakers and attention from the fashion world. The emergence of the Persian-American artist is set to accelerate with the release of his new single Always Come Around. Produced by hitmaker Stickle, Always Come Around pulsates with the irresistible sensuality that defines Kean’s music. The result is forward-thinking R&B for 2021, with some nostalgic, old school touches.”
54 | Lauren Haze | Hotel
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Award-winning Toronto singer-songwriter Lauren Haze is best known for her smoky voice, emotive tone, and powerful delivery. She was named a 2019 winner of the International Songwriting Contest, garnered two back-to-back wins in The UK Songwriting Contest, and racked up three nominations in the coveted Toronto Indie Music Awards. Her new single Hotel is about taking your power back — loving yourself enough to leave whatever relationship or situation isn’t serving your highest purpose. It’s the recognition that this chapter is over, but in leaving, you’re stepping into your power and remembering who you are.”
