War Criminal feel trapped, Boy Destroy knows what you want, BruteAllies pack their trunk, James Humprhys passes the time — and the hits keep on coming in the back half of your Thursday Roundup. Let’s bring it home:
19 | War Criminal | No Way Out
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “New England hardcore band War Criminal have shared a new video for their track No Way Out. The song stems from their latest EP God Failed Me, and centers around feeling stuck in your own head while battling depression and anxiety. Now more than ever these struggles are all too common and the video sets out to depict the war in one’s head versus the American plight between authority figures and everyday citizens. The band stated: “We are in times no one ever thought we’d have to face. The world as we know changes by the day in ways we never thought we’d see. We’ve been knocked down with our hands tied and backs turned to us. Even worse we’ve forgotten we’re all in this deep water together. It’s on us to help keep each other afloat.”
20 | Boy Destroy | You Don’t Want Me When I’m Sober
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Boy Destroy released his new single and video You Don’t Want Me When I’m Sober, which juxtaposes vulnerable lyricism with an infectious layering of pop sensibilities, commanding trap beats and punk guitar hooks — proving the Swedish pop prodigy as a true force to be reckoned with in alternative music. Boy Destroy states, “There is a certain type of person I’ve met many times during my dark periods. Sometimes just by looking into the mirror … someone who counts the seven mortal sins on the tips of their fingers and feels no remorse for causing pain. This is for them. We all want to destroy some part of ourselves. I dug myself down into a hole I didn’t think I was going to get out of. I tried to disappear completely. But when I turned away from the path of self-medication, it felt like I had betrayed some sort of code. The code of the living dead perhaps.”
21 | BruteAllies | Mad Elephant
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “BruteAllies are proud to release the music video for the song Mad Elephant, taken from their debut album Ash and Nails. The band stated: “It feels like ages since the last time we played live and as much as we want to be back on the stage, and we anticipate this moment, it moves further into the future. But we wont give up and eagerly we are waiting for the green light so we can unleash our stored up energy and enthusiasm in the first mosh pit after the lock down! It will be amazing getting back this feeling!”
22 | James Humphrys | Three Weeks
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Following a packed year of acclaimed releases in 2020, Bristol’s James Humphrys shares the video for his recent single Three Weeks, an exploration of the vulnerabilities exposed by the U.K. lockdowns. “Let’s be real, lockdown has been bloody tough for us all — particularly those living far away from loved ones. For me, much of the time I tried not to think about how rubbish it felt to feel so distant and disconnected, and for the most part I managed fine and tried to focus on the fact that this would not be forever — but ultimately, sometimes those thoughts felt pretty overwhelming. This song is me being honest about the situation.”
23 | Kaamos Warriors | Tuli
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Finnish dark metal band Kaamos Warriors have released a video for Tuli, a track from their third album Kirous. Bandmemeber Mikko Ojala comments: “The theme of the song is fire but we wanted the video to portray the brutal coldness of the North, the snow and the ice.”
24 | BK Pepper | Alerts
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After a truly amazing reception to his debut album Territories late last year, BK Pepper is kicking on and releasing his second single. Alerts is another stunningly beautiful and melodic work, accompanied by a cinematic video. BK says: “The initial idea of the video spiraled into the sci fi world. We wanted to create some much needed excasism and create a different place for a couple of minutes. We had been filming the video in between lockdowns. The whole project had to keep changing to abide by different restrictions. So we ended up doing it all outside and within Dublin’s perimeters.”
25 | Natalie D-Napoloen | Thunder Rumor
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For an Australian singer-songwriter entrenched in the traditions of folk/rock and Americana music, not only did writing her latest album on the front porch of her 100-year old California cottage give Natalie D-Napoleon the time and space to create You Wanted to Be the Shore but Instead You Were the Sea (due out March 26) but also the passing world served as a poignant muse. “I sat there and wrote and wrote and wrote,” explained Natalie. “Sometimes people stopped and listened to me playing, mainly parents with kids. Guys walked up and asked what guitar I was playing. But mostly folks ignored me and kept walking. I really liked watching the world go by, offering up song ideas, while I plugged away on my instrument and sang.”
26 | Mythic Sunship | Maelstrom
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With five acclaimed releases in as many years, Copenhagen quintet Mythic Sunship have established themselves among Europe’s finest purveyors of psychedelic music, bridging the gap between heavy riff worship and expansive, free-jazz experimentation. With their sixth studio album Wildfire due for release this April, they simultaneously open a new chapter on their journey, while razing the foundations on which their previous albums were built. Recorded over the course of four intense days in Stockholm, the album documents the erratic, visceral, untameable musical singularity that Mythic Sunship become once unleashed in improvisatory interplay.”
27 | Triptides | Alter Echoes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With a sound oscillating between psychedelic pop and space rock, Triptides’ album Alter Echoes channels both The Byrds at their most hallucinogenic and Pink Floyd at their most cosmically composed while creating something immediate and new. A preeminent part of the new wave of L.A. psych music, they pull away from the pack here, thanks to the quality of their songwriting, performance and production. Triptides are led by multi-instrumentalist Glenn Brigman, with drummer Brendan Peleo-Lazar and bassist/guitarist Stephen Burns. Alter Echoes will be released on March 19.”
28 | Myele Manzanza | Portobello Superhero
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Portobello Superhero is the new single from world-renowned drummer/composer and producer/beatmaker Myele Manzanza. Myele dedicates Portobello Superhero to the rag-tag music aficionados who hosted some of the world’s best musicians at a bar on Portobello Rd. He wanted to capture “that energy of a sweaty dance floor with musicians just raging out on some broken beat jazz funk vibes”. It’s taken from his forthcoming EP Crisis & Opportunity: Vol.1 – London, which features a top tier cast of young London based talent including Ashley Henry (piano), James Copus (trumpet), George Crowley (tenor saxophone), Benjamin Muralt (bass) and additional contributions from the legendary Mark de Clive-Lowe (synths), with Myele Manzanza (drums) captaining the ship.”
29 | Emily Kinney | Fifteen Minutes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Actress and singer-songwriter Emily Kinney has announced the April 9 release of her new album The Supporting Character. The single Fifteen Minutes is a love-turned-breakup song Kinney wrote for her boyfriend at the time that explains how she would easily trade the time she spent becoming successful for more time with the person she really loves (him). “He said he didn’t get it. We broke up,” she says. Though some relationships inevitably end, Kinney finds comfort in the fact that each relationship of hers has solidified her sense of independence and has confirmed the aspects of her romantic life that are truly important to her. “I’ve observed people who constantly struggle and who are addicted to ups and downs and conflict, whereas I know that I seek stability.”
30 | Purgatory | Lawless To Grave
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Midwest hardcore band Purgatory have announced that their sophomore full-length Lawless To Grave is due out April 9. To celebrate the announcement the group shared the single No One Gets Out Alive. The highly anticipated followup to their widely lauded debut Cold Side of Reality finds the band at their most adversarial, taking no prisoners while lashing out at systems of oppression and personal relationships mired by distrust, abuse, and religion. Following the release of the album opener Stack ‘Em Up late last year, No One Gets Out Alive shows off the band’s ability to balance groove, crushing tones, and melody within their gritty sound.”
31 | Will Graefe | Coral Court Motel
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Will Graefe is the ideal modern artist — talented as all get out and capable of switching from one musical mood to the next depending on the project or his own creative impulses. That’s what has made him a key member of Okkervil River and made him an in-demand session guitarist, working with the likes of Petra Haden, Larkin Grimm and Sam Amidon. Lately, the Brooklyn musician has been working on his own, crafting a suite of indie-pop songs touched by psychedelia and heavily informed by an experience that shook his entire life up. In the summer of 2019, Graefe and his romantic partner moved in together. A few months later, she announced that she was falling for someone else. Coral Court Motel is fictional location that Graefe uses to paint the portrait of an awkward and ugly coupling.”
32 | Mustan Kuun Lapset | The Dream About A Dying Angel
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Finnish metal band Mustan Kuun Lapset have released the second single from their upcoming acoustic album Kruunu (release date Feb. 26). The song features Mark Kelson from Australian progressive doom metal band The Eternal as lead singer. “The dream of a dying angel is all about what the title says. It’s actually one of MKL’s oldest songs; it was originally recorded as a demo version to the legendary and now very rare demo tape Varjomaa in 1997. So it took almost 24 years to complete the work! And because it’s such a unique song, the unique man had to become its singer as well.”
33 | Stoner Control | Sparkle Endlessly
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On Sparkle Endlessly, Stoner Control sound like themselves. This is a feat achieved by virtue of the trio honing their skills as individual songwriters and musicians and as a working group. Singer/guitarist Charley Williams, singer/bassist Sam Greenspan and drummer Mike Cathcart, are each diligent students of their craft. Doubling down on the creativity that has always been there, their third album features the group’s broadest sonic palette to date, one highlighted by musical guests (hark! a trumpet!), reaching vocals, honesty, and deliberately considered tones, guitar and otherwise. The group has always written with sincerity but here there are moments granting a closer view of the phosphenes seen beneath closed eyelids.”
34 | Tearjerker | Lost
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On March 19, Toronto band Tearjerker will release their new EP Deep End. Today the band present the EP’s first single Lost. Teajerker’s Micah Bonte says, “In the hauntingly upbeat song we reminisce, “it’s been one hell of a ride / I wanna go to heaven, but I can’t decide,” before a hum-along chorus that feels familiar and hopeful. It’s a letter to a friend that you couldn’t be there for, and a reminder to slow down and treat people well.”
35 | Masia One | Not All That Glitters Is Gold
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singapore alt-pop singer-songwriter and producer Masia One has released Not All That Glitters Is Gold. Rooted in reggae, yet drawing on a myriad of influences from hiphop, pop and soul, Not All That Glitters is Gold offers a poignant message, speaking out against gender-based violence and sharing real life experiences that go beyond the song. The lyrics addresses tough themes including grooming, harassment and sexual assault, encouraging people to speak out against these violations. Masia One says: “The song opens with lyrics that describe a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’, setting the scene of this song based on real life experiences during the Australian leg of my tour in 2019.”
36 | Necropanther | Cheers To Seth Davey
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Colorado blackened thrash/doom unit Necropanther continue their ongoing EP series with brilliant four-track offering In Depths We Sleep, set for release on March 12. The band’s third EP was composed by guitarist/vocalist Paul Anop. In advance of the release, Necropanther unveil Cheers To Seth Davey. Anop elaborates, “The story is set in the mid-1800s off the coast of England. Seth Davey is an entertainer and musician. He struggles to make ends meet so he has to join a whaling crew to get some extra money. He loves the ocean and all of the creatures that dwell there. He doesn’t want to kill the whales, but he has to survive. The captain is a drunk and the ship is falling apart. They are running out of supplies and disease runs rampant. Even worse, they can’t find any whales. The crew is fed up, they mutiny and kill the captain. Trying to get back to port they run into a storm. During the storm Seth knows he is going to die. He is at peace and gives himself to the sea, the place he loved so much. The ship sinks and they all die. But Seth Davey’s song lives on.”
