Accursed Years get the socially distanced party started, Dawnwalker spin the wheel, Sami Nathan feels her age, Cassi Stephan sees the light — but none of them can stop the out-of-control clown car that is your Thursday Roundup. Keep your eyes on the road:
14 | Accursed Years | Drunken Revelry
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Gothic folk metallers Accursed Years just released the video for their single Drunken Revelry. The video also features a improved remix of the track (by Thamnos Records), which will be included on their upcoming debut album. Drunken Revelry is a folk-metal singalong drinking song, intended to get you headbanging and dancing, beer in hand.”
15 | Dawnwalker | The Wheel, Pt. I
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London progressive-metal collective Dawnwalker have just revealed a video for the song The Wheel Pt. I, which is taken from the band’s critically acclaimed third album Ages released last December.”
16 | Sami Nathan | Older With You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London pop-soul artist Sami Nathan has just released a haunting ballad entitled Older With You. Sami wrote the track on the piano during lockdown, with Samuel T. Lowen on production duties and pianist and composer Okiem (Leona Lewis, Tinie Tempah) enhancing the magic on what emerges as a huge spine-tingling pop ballad. Sami’s voice is soaring with soulful emotion and lets her contagious personality shine.”
17 | Casii Stephan | Here Comes The Light
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Casii Stephan is a soul pop-rock artist from Minnesota. Now based in Tulsa, the impassioned songstress evokes subtle vibrato notes and roller-coaster-like melodies, which immediately grab the listener, while her emotional lyrics share intimate stories. She has been compared to the likes of Florence Welch, Fiona Apple and Carole King, as her vocal timbre possesses a full and warm quality.”
18 | Conchúr White | Vocation Vacation
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Northern Irish artist Conchúr White has announced the release of his second EP Dreamers, and is sharing his first single. “Vocation Vacation is many thoughts and feelings thrown together,” says Conchúr. “It’s part commentary of influencer culture and the disingenuous image we present (I’m guilty as anyone). It’s also about getting older and feeling insecure about who you are and what you have to offer. There’s a degree of nihilism in the title — Vocation Vacation — like life can be summed up into two things: Being in work and not being in work. I just hope people can laugh and relate to some of the observations.”
19+20 | David Shaw | Heavy Soul + Shivers
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “David Shaw — artist, producer, and frontman of The Revivalists — just released the singles Heavy Soul and Shivers. While stirring track Heavy Soul elevates Shaw’s signature sound, fusing classic guitar licks with an infectious riff as he sings about fighting for what you feel is right, regardless of the consequences, Shivers is a tender reminder that love can save us from the chaos around us over piano and a warm melody. The new solo music, off his forthcoming album due out later this year, sees David open up like never before as a lyricist, poet, and storyteller, riling up his raw rock ’n’ roll impulses as he takes the initiative to evolve as a singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and all-around creative.”
21 | Steel Bearing Hand | Command Of The Infernal Exarch
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Texas death thrash war bringers Steel Bearing Hand will release their Slay In Hell full-length April 2. As a precursor, they offer up opening track Command Of The Infernal Exarch for communal devouring. Issues the band: “Command Of The Infernal Exarch depicts a descent into Hell to become a knight in Lucifer’s force in order to kill God and usurp the throne of Heaven. The process of transformation from mortal to demon is described, along with the arsenal at hand and the tactics employed in the war on Heaven, God, all his Earthly servants, and the heavenly host.”
22 | Out Of Nowhere | Blind Crow
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Iranian djent/metalcore band Out of Nowhere have been releasing music and playing shows since 2010 regardless of the risk of being arrested by the oppressive regime. Their newest single Blind Crow is well supplied with suspense, apocalyptic surroundings, violent breakdowns, glass-shattering screams, and syncopated riffs. Crossing the borders of metalcore, djent, alternative rock, and prog, the track upholds the Iranian revolutionists’ ever-evolving sonic dexterity. Out of Nowhere say: “Being a metal musician in Iran is a big risk. Starting from the overpriced rare instruments to the risk of being arrested each second. We played some sold-out shows but the risk of being arrested is with us even right now when I’m writing this. It’s a big crime and if they arrest you, there will be years of prison or even in some cases execution for us. But we are born to do this, so we accept the risk and do what we love to do.”
23 | Patrick Watson | Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours?
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Patrick Watson unveils a cover of the classic French song Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours? by Charles Trenet. He shares what inspired him: “I was watching an old French film, Baisers Volés [François Truffaut, 1968], in which I heard the song, whose lyrics made me think of the pandemic. I instantly knew I had to cover it. This song is a good summary of what people are feeling right now, which is what I wanted to share.”
24 | Aasiva | Namu
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Aasiva shares her single Namu, a song that sets the stage for exciting new music from this Inuk indie-pop artist originally from Nunavut. Produced by Jace Lasek, Namu shimmers with an electro sound that incorporates lo-fi guitars, beatboxing courtesy of FxckMr, and a nod to ’90s production. “I wrote this song while I was in Nunavik for a festival,” says Aasiva. “This was at the very beginning of my independent artist career and I had many shows lined up. I was very excited to be an artist full time, and I just kept wondering, where will my music take me? Also, I feel like this is a question that we often ask ourselves: ‘Where are we going? What are we going to do next?’ That was my inspiration for this song.”
25 | Justin Rutledge | Nautical Disaster
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Acclaimed songwriter Justin Rutledge shares a haunting cover of The Tragically Hip’s song Nautical Disaster. The single is the newest track from his forthcoming album Islands, due out on March 26. “In many ways, I owe my life as a songwriter to The Hip,” says Rutledge. “As a teenager, their songs empowered me to pick up the guitar and instilled in me the strength of the written (and sung) word. I did not record Nautical Disaster for my 2014 Hip cover album Daredevil, but I perform it at nearly all of my live shows, so I’m glad to finally have it on a physical album. To me it is a bulldog of a song that illustrates the power of a band in their prime — I am always blinded by the song’s headlights.”
26 | Mint Julep | Pulse
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Created slowly over a years-long span that encompassed the recording of 2019’s Stray Fantasies, wife and husband duo Hollie and Keith Kenniff are set to deliver In a Deep & Dreamless Sleep on March 19. The new album, which can be pre-ordered here, is a distinctly hazier chapter of their technicolor pop venture Mint Julep. Today they share third single Pulse, which finds Keith and Hollie weaving a dreamy atmosphere as the backdrop for Hollie’s lump-in-throat vocals and delicate finger picked guitar work.”
