Dead Poet Society are ready to blow this town (until Monday, anyway), Jo Below want to get something off their chest, Disout cut a wide swath, Janet Simpson owns up to her mistakes — and the show is far from over in your Thursday Roundup. Raise the curtain:
19 | Dead Poet Society | .getawayfortheweekend.
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “L.A. alt-rock band Dead Poet Society will release their debut full-length -!- (The Exclamation Album) on March 12. The band just shared the new song .getawayfortheweekend. Listen to the brooding yet thunderously riffy track, which is anchored by soaring vocals. The band cryptically shares about the meaning of the track: “Hit me up any time you want and we’ll just leave this fucking monotonous life behind.” The four-piece formed while attending college in Boston and have already amassed a dedicated following with millions of streams. With fretless guitars and the extraordinary vocals of lead singer Jack Underkofler at the forefront, they have cultivated a signature sound that’s unique as a fingerprint.”
20 | Jo Below | I Confess
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Helsinki rockers Jo Below have released a new single from their upcoming second EP No Control, which is set to be released on April 16. Like its predecessor Ms. Death (released in January), I Confess combines heavy low-tuned guitar riffs with catchy vocal hooks in a style similar to Stone Sour, Halestorm and Paramore.”
21 | Disout | All Of Them
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Disout have released a lyric video for the track All of Them, taken from their latest album Mien. All of Them sees the dark side of humanity, feelings and emotions of the main character. Mien features nine tracks with heavy riffs, powerful drums, atmospheric guitars and unique vocals from singer Darek. Disout’s debut album is about people and society. Disout’s sound is a tribute to the heavy rock, combined with solid riffs that go hand in hand with modern metal.”
22 | Janet Simpson | I’m Wrong
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “There are few things that are more healing than getting the hell out of town. Maybe it’s a solo trip. Maybe you bring a friend. Definitely a lot of music. Don’t say a thing to anybody. Just get in the car and go. Work it out on the road. Safe Distance — the new album from singer, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Janet Simpson — isn’t a concept record, but it does take a journey. From Nashville to Reno (well, almost), to running away from demons, retreating from your troubles, hiding in plain sight, and returning liberated — ready to skip away again while your past looks on with a dropped jaw. It arrives on March 19, but the country-rockin’ new single I’m Wrong is out now.”
23 | Permafrost | Femme Fatale
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Permafrost are a post-punk band, originally from Molde in Norway, formed in 1982 by school friends Frode Heggdal Larsen & Kåre Steinsbu. Robert Heggdal & Trond Tornes joined in 2001 and Daryl Bamonte in 2016. They take their name from a song by Magazine and other influences are Joy Division, The Cure, Talking Heads, Pere Ubu, Yello, Fad Gadget, The Residents, Wire and Wolfgang Press. Their latest single Femme Fatale was mixed by Paul Corkett (The Cure, Placebo) and mastered at Abbey Road. More singles and the debut album will follow later in the year.”
24 | Djakarta | Any Open Door (Acoustic)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ahead of their new EP dropping in 2021, French-Australian duo of brothers Djakarta unveil a stripped-back, ethereal acoustic version of their single Any Open Door. For this new rendition, the band wanted to focus on the essentials of the song — chords, melody and vocal harmony — forming a perfect balance for meditative and chill moments.”
25 | Aziola Cry | Hollow Reflections
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Chicago instrumental metal trio Aziola Cry are preparing to release their third album The Ironic Divide in March. The first single is Hollow Reflections. Looking into a mirror, the protagonist begins to appear unrecognizable, as only a fragment of who they once were. The good that once existed is now fading and being replaced with hatred. This is the basis of Hollow Reflections. Reveals Mike Milaniak: “This song reminds me of a ghostly spirit outside a window, communicating to someone inside. The heavy part reminds me of a very militaristic march and the parading of weaponry.”
26 | Tessa Kaye | Smile More
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tessa Kaye is a Philadelphia-born, L.A.-based pop artist. Armed with vibrant individuality and a fresh approach, the effervescent artist delivers infectious pop soundscapes, with raw and relatable themes. Her latest release is the alt-R&B anthem Smile More, which “speaks to the double standard of how men and women have been allowed to express themselves in society. It’s a weird, ridiculous expectation people place on women, to look pleasant 100% of the time,” confides Kaye. Featuring colorful warm beats and Kaye’s signature soulful vocals, Smile radiates confidence.”
27 | Moon Fever | Cheap Thrills
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Keeping rock alive with a steady stream of upbeat and fun songs, Moon Fever continue to demand an audience with their new release Cheap Thrills. The driving stomper of a song touches on a wide array of events, moments, and things that can give you that temporary high, and in doing so, provides a perfect soundtrack for your next adventure. Moon Fever guitarist Mitch Micoley says, “Cheap Thrills is a song about the kind of thrills that happen and then are gone in a flash, leaving you wanting some more. It’s open to interpretation — the thrill of a certain person you meet, a drug, your favorite libation, a comfort food — or a song.”
28 | Nicole Marxen | Bones/Dust
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dallas musician and visual artist Nicole Marxen shares Bones/Dust, the latest single from her debut solo EP Tether, out Feb. 26. Marxen says: “Bones/Dust was the first song I wrote for the EP. The chords and lyrics came together in less than an hour, almost as if led by an invisible hand. My mom was one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. When she passed, I used to say that she’d probably haunt me for a good laugh. There were countless nights where I’d be lying in bed, waiting for a presence to reveal itself.”
29 | Unknown Me | Open The Sense
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The inaugural LP by Tokyo electronica entity Unknown Me, Bishintai (April 30), is a sublime synthetic suite of cosmic wellness transmissions exploring “the unknown beauty of your mind and body,” appropriately named for a kanji compound meaning “beauty, mind, body.” Crafted with software, synthesizer, steel drum, rhythm boxes, and robotic voice by the core quartet of Yakenohara, P-RUFF, H. Takahashi and Osawa Yudai, the album unfolds like a holographic guided meditation, soothing but cybernetic, framed by subways and sky malls. Latticework electronics flicker with texture, glitch, wobble, and mirage, themed around sensory perception and body parts. Sample Open the Sense.”
30 | Marchesi | Body Conversation
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Marchesi is a jack of all instruments making drop-dead tunes in Milan, Italy. Highly triggered to write music by all-time heroes such as John Lennon, Velvet Underground, early Pink Floyd and modern smashers like Tame Impala, King Krule and Mac DeMarco, it was only natural for him to experiment with cutting edge lo-fi and ambient tracks. Making a comeback from a time steeped with personal transition, with his first single Body Conversation, Marchesi glimpses the light at the end of the tunnel. The best in ’70s production, modern lo-fi and pop ballads played on the piano all add up to the birth of this indisputably ace lo-fi beat.”
31 | 5lowers | Answers
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Produced by Nobu Sounds, the atmospheric Answers floats in with 5lowers’ voice central. Synth chords and pads echo over a halftime beat, with the super-memorable melody coming from the vocals. “Answers is about a real world experience where I felt failure in not understanding what a girl wanted in a man,” explains 5lowers. “I think this song explains how people feel a lot of times when they think a romantic situation is going well but it turns out it isn’t, and you are trying to figure out what you did ‘wrong’, when in reality sometimes things just don’t work out.”
32+33 | Dan Croll | So Dark (Live at Spacebomb / Live In An Uber)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Following the release of his third album Grand Plan, Dan Croll has announced a new live album due out on April 2. Grand Plan Live will be split into two parts, much like a double album release, with Disc 1 being Live at Spacebomb and Disc 2 featuring the audio from a live video series. Previewing the record are the two versions of his standout single So Dark, from both sides of the release.”
34 | Oceans | Come So Far
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Introducing Melbourne artist Oceans and their explosive debut Come So Far. Congruous to the dreamy sonic tides he delivers, Oceans is the aptly chosen moniker of multi-instrumentalist and producer Thomas Lee (Grazer), who launches his solo project with Come So Far. Says Lee: “Come So Far was one of the first tracks I wrote in the style that would eventually become Oceans (scrolling through my Ableton files takes it back to late 2015) so it’s been a long time coming for its release. I was still finding my feet as a songwriter in those early days and experimented with a lot of different themes. Come So Far’s chorus represents the internal progress I’ve made from where I started and is a celebration of overcoming hardship and the people who helped me get through it.”
35 | Astral Bazaar | The Y10K Problem
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Astral Bazaar’s new single combines dreamy modern indie psychedelia and classic progressive rock. The song sets the scene for the new concept album A Sudden Realization, due in March. It tells the story of a person living in an imaginary future world where all is seemingly perfect, yet the protagonist feels that something is wrong. Musically the song combines the dreamy sounds of modern indie psychedelia with the feel and style of a classic progressive rock piece. The band comment: “On this album we wanted to really focus on the interplay between the lyrics and the music. Throughout the album we tried to make our experimental sounds play a certain role in the storyline and let the different musical choices reflect the varying moods of the narrator. The Y10K Problem certainly is no exception here.”
36 | Mystic Seers | Patterns
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pop-rock avant-garde project Mystic Seers announced the forthcoming release of his debut album on May 14. Along with this, the artist released an infectious track reminiscent of Beatles-era psychedelic rock titled Patterns. It’s a hypnotic loop of kaleidoscopic guitars met with echoes of ’60s mod rock & Bossanova jazz grooves; all mixed thoughtfully in this off-kilter, colorful psychedelic tune. Songwriter Derek White manages to translate his personal flaws into something that feels uplifting and nostalgic. The bridge of the song moves you through the walls of Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliffs, with a stunning Blue Note-esque sax solo performed by Pittsburgh’s own Mark Jackovic.”
