Miesha & The Spanks bring the fire, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band enlist some famous friends, Pressgang Mutiny pull out the sea shanties, Los Straitjackets feel fab, Steep Canyon Rangers are cheap drunks — and that will do it for this week’s epic Weekend Roundup. Now, here’s the punch line: (5) The mathematician is last. After giving the problem a little thought, he builds a fence around himself and defines himself to be on the outside. Get it?
77 | Miesha & The Spanks | I Want Fire
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Miesha & The Spanks offer a dynamic mixture of punk, garage and hard rock embellished with straightforward lyrics, gritty production and hard hitting performances. I Want Fire is the third single coming in hot ahead of the duo’s forthcoming Singles EP, boasting a catchy-as-hell chorus and conjuring the urge to explode we’re all feeling after nearly a year of restrictions and lockdowns. For those who want to burn it all down or light it up, I Want Fire is open to interpretation. This song rocks hard, and serves as a strong representation of what’s to come. The Singles EP is out April 16.”
78 | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | The Times They Are A-Changin’ (ft. Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle, Jason Isbell, The War & Treaty)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In the 57 years since Bob Dylan released his career-altering folksong The Times They Are A-Changin’, the times he sang of did seem to change. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s new star-studded version of Dylan’s classic sounds more poignant and insistent than ever before. “I’ve been a fan of Bob Dylan’s since I was a teenager, living in California,” says NGDB’s Jeff Hanna. “I was fortunate enough to see him sing The Times They Are A-Changing in concert the year the song was released: 1964.” Amid the compounding, pleading verses of Scottish ballad by way of Greenwich Village, the guests — Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash, The War And Treaty, and Steve Earle, all of whom are no strangers to writing and singing their beliefs on record — carry the same tone and energy in their voices as the song’s writer did almost six decades ago; an unfortunate but earnest reaction to the all too evident parallels between now and then.”
79 | Pressgang Mutiny | Roll Away
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The sea shanty craze of early 2021 caught everyone by surprise — except the members of Pressgang Mutiny. The Toronto quartet have actually been keeping the tradition alive since 2013, performing both traditional material and putting a sea shanty spin on a range of contemporary songs. Across the Western Ocean balances the tight harmonies and ruggedness that has made Pressgang Mutiny a festival favourite across North America and Europe. The album’s 13 tracks offer a fresh and relevant take on sea music, combining traditional shanty work songs with contemporary pieces by Jonathan Byrd, Martin Green, and Anais Mitchell.”
80 | Los Straitjackets | I Feel Fine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Los Straitjackets take on a new challenge: Los Beatles! The masked musicians put their signature surf rock spin on The Fab Four’s I Feel Fine, showing that no song is out of reach for Los Straitjackets. The track is available exclusively at Bandcamp.”
81 | Steep Canyon Rangers | $4 Bottle of Wine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Steep Canyon Rangers look forward to loading up the tour bus and performing hundreds of shows every year. When COVID-19 took away live performances, the Rangers reflected on the opportunities they had when everything was normal and looked ahead towards what the future could hold during these strange times. $4 Bottle of Wine is about taking care of the ones you love during times like these and recognizing what you’re thankful for when you have a little bit less.”
82 | The Solars | Thanks For The Gifts, But Those Groves Are Now Myths
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Solars’ single Thanks For the Gifts, But Those Groves Are Now Myths, is a quarantine track through and through, murky and restless. RIYL D’Angelo, Spoon, early White Stripes, Plastic Ono Band. An unrepentantly homespun kiss-off of quarantine blues, Thanks For the Gifts… was conceptualized and recorded at home here in Brooklyn over a few autumnal days. Lo-fi, droll, and righteously pissed, Thanks For the Gifts… marks a new chapter in the evolution of The Solars.”
83 | Livia & The Rosebuds | Guess Ur Right
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Guess Ur Right is the new single from Livia & The Rosebuds. Livia is a seasoned performer and a musician who has studied guitar, bass, keys, and drums. Her music has been playfully irreverently described as “Barbie rock,” and that’s become a description she devilishly embraces. Her songwriting doesn’t adhere to genres or formulas—she brazenly follows her muses. Her songs have swagger, big emotions, and exude both sass and sensitivity. They’re a culmination of all the rock, pop, soul, and blues she’s soaked up in her musical household and beyond, including her immersion in Memphis’s rich music heritage.”
84 | Wolfe Hybrid | Mass Manipulation
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Wolfe Hybrid are the musical collaboration of songwriter/producers Jeff Wolfe (vocals) & James P. Noon (guitars). Wolfe Hybrid formed in Los Angeles in 2019, and plan to release a full-length LP of original songs in spring. The group say: “Our new single Mass Manipulation is an idea that had been percolating on a back burner for a few years. As we started plotting Wolfe Hybrid’s course, we initially neglected Mass Manipulation as we had prioritized other material, but over the course of 2020, the song commanded our attention. It demanded to be heard.”
85 | Varro Vivyds | Adrenaline
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Varro Vivyds is a Santa Cruz native who creatively captures her emotions and writes them in such a way where the audience will feel like they’re experiencing them too. Her melody work will have her songs playing in your head during the day, and keeping you up at night. Varro has the ability to stay fresh in a world where the listener feels they’ve heard it all before. Adrenaline is a nostalgic track that will hit in all the right places. Vivyds will draw you in with her pop flare, EDM sensibilities, and harmonious instrumentation. As 2021 is off to a start, let Varro Vivyds be your soundtrack.”
86 | Maggie Szabo | Choose Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pop singer Maggie Szabo has just released her latest single Choose Me. Filled to the brim with harmonious and poptastic vocals, layered instrumentation and waves of synths, the song makes it clear Szabo shows no sign of slowing down.”
87 | Ryanhood | The Fight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Award-winning Tucson duo Ryanhood announced that their latest album Under The Leaves is set for release on April 16, preceded by lead single The Fight. “The more we fight, the more we invigorate the thing we’re fighting against. And without knowing it, the more we as people eventually become the kind of thing we’re fighting against,” says vocalist and lyricist Cameron Hood. “It’s not about telling another person or group how they should be processing their fears or hurts differently. It’s about noticing how you do it. It has to start with you… with me.”
88 | Hanalei | Screen Echoes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Screen Echoes is the debut single from the upcoming Hanalei album Black Snow, out March 12. The brainchild of Brian Moss, Hanalei has been a vehicle used to explore indie and folk-tinged soundscapes through a punk lens. The project has the flexibility to shift from full-blown band to a stripped-down solo endeavor, and each release tends to showcase a different manifestation. “I keep pinching myself to make sure I’m alive. Have we all been unknowingly transported into some cruel alternate universe where what was once confined to imagination has become reality? … This can’t be real.”
89 | Felix Cartal + Kiiara | Happy Hour
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Producer/DJ Taelor Deitcher aka Felix Cartal has teamed up with pop sensation Kiiara on the single Happy Hour. Kiiara tells us about the collaboration: “Felix and I have been meaning to work together on an original song of our own for years. I’ve always been a fan of his work. I’m really excited about our new song Happy Hour. It’s a melodramatic emo anthem (lol that’s both of our specialities).”
90 | Danny McGuire | A Scottish Meditation on Feeling Better
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Scottish alt-pop artist Danny McGuire offers A Scottish Meditation on Feeling Better. This release sees the artist creating a space for listeners to pause, reflect and heal amidst the current chaos of the world. As McGuire says: “A Scottish Meditation on Feeling Better is a gentle pop song about having hope and never giving up. Written in the weirdest of times, the song is a gentle reminder to those closest to me to hang in there and keep being themselves.”
91 | J Carlyle | Intruder Alert
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Multi-faceted, multi-talented rapper J Carlyle returns with his new single Intruder Alert, a statement of intent of the year ahead as J looks to build upon the praise he’s already gained. A rapper and poet, J Carlyle introduces a range of styles into the new single — it’s a track which will definitely set alarm bells ringing. He adds: “I consider myself an advocate for Mental Health because it’s a topic which is extremely close to me. Over the last 10 years I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum from working in one of the largest mental health institutions in East Midlands, looking after people from all walks of life whose mental health has deemed them a risk to society or/and their own well-being.”
92 | Abi Rose Kelly | Kill The Waitress
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kill The Waitress is the third self-released track by Liverpool musician Abi Rose Kelly. Kill The Waitress is rough around the edges with a fiery moodiness running through. Switching from breathy vocals to a fierce, gritty roar in the chorus, Abi firmly sets herself up as an electrifying no-nonsense musician, while also laying bare her undeniable songwriting skills and crystallising an incredibly accomplished sound for a musician so new. Abi says: “Kill the Waitress is a song about how angry I am with facing the same angry people every day, and how I view my life in general, coming to terms with being miserable and getting on with it. No self pity here, we’re all human.”
93 | Soleil | Whose Side?
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Soleil is kicking off the month of love with a brand new song titled Whose Side? It embraces the U.K. dance scene and blends that sound with Soul vocals and harmonic vocal production. The juxtaposition creates a sonically impressive jam. Whose Side? is the first of many songs Soleil produced. It can be understood in many ways — choosing whether to move forward in a relationship to make it work, choosing to embrace all layers and versions of a person, and/or the common self vs. self battle, as we are the only ones who can hold ourselves back.”
94 | Jay Naylor | Roger That
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I’m Jay Naylor, a musician from Nottingham and my new single Roger That is about the state of our shared world and how anyone can see that things need to change. My first single Little Orange Men has been featured on BBC Introducing East Midlands and I have performed at multiple Nottingham venues.”
95 | ØPALS | Middle of the Night
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alternative pop artist ØPALS have released their new single Middle of the Night. It reflects their battle with bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. The upbeat track offers fresh production, countering the song’s dark upbringing. About the single, they state: “I wanted to write this song with the intention of becoming the best version of yourself. I personally have bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.”
