Bala are sorry but it’s not your day, Prism Bitch are ready for the sequel, Ali Barter imagines life without you, Belowsky and Danny Saber float like a butterfly and sting like a bee — and if it’s Friday, you know what that means: It’s time for another gigantic Weekend Roundup. Hope you brought snacks; we’re going to be here for awhile.
1 | Bala | Hoy No
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bala have released their second single and video for Hoy No. Bala are a two-piece powerhorse from Galicia, Spain. Their influences range from the different faces of grunge to the big names of punk or stoner rock. This unique blend of musical landscapes and pan-generational inspirations helped shaping the bands outstanding heavy sound and pays tribute to legends like Nirvana, Melvins, Fu Manchu and L7. After receiving international high praises for their first single Agitar, Bala prove with their new track and video that they are not just another typical rock-outfit.”
2 | Prism B!tch | II
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Emerging rock quartet Prism B!tch just released their debut full-length studio album Perla. The 11-track independent collection was produced by Toshi Kasai (Foo Fighters, The Melvins) and recorded at Sound of Sirens Studio in L.A. Prism B!tch have also issued the video for II, directed and edited by Brendan McKnight. “This album is a diverse collection of personal songs about our lives these past few intense years. Subjects range from death and breakups to new romance and exciting opportunities, and above all, friendship. We want it to help ease loneliness and possibly give listeners a chance to forget their worries and have a good time with us. Music is the universal way to feel better, and we hope Perla is like your companion in this strange world. Also, we want you to have a good time!”
3 | Ali Barter | You Get In My Way
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ali Barter has returned to announce that her Chocolate Cake EP will see release on April 30. She has also shared its second single You Get In My Way, which maps the claustrophobia felt in serious relationships, exacerbated by Barter’s restless nature. Ali explains: “I wrote You Get In My Way in Nashville in 2019. I was traveling without my husband and had this feeling of freedom to do all the silly things I did when I was single, like eat lolly snakes for dinner, stay up really late watching the Real Housewives or plan an impromptu trip to Brazil. I often have funny conversations with my friends in long-term relationships about the dumb things we would do if our partner wasn’t around. Ultimately I don’t want to do these things, but it was fun to explore the feeling of rebelling from the security of a long term relationship.”
4 | Belowsky vs. Danny Saber | Hooks, Jabs, Words
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hooks, Jabs, Words is a guaranteed knock-out by Belowsky, remixed by the inimitable Danny Saber. It was written in dedication to Muhammad Ali, a man Belowsky cites as his “inspiration and all-time hero. I’ve been writing boxing poems for years. I have a love for the heavyweights and the history of boxing which takes you on a journey through time, fashion and politics of the day. As a poet I feel I have a unique perspective on the fight game. I always remember being with my grandfather, huddled around a radio listening to Muhammad Ali fights from the States, and most of all I remember the fight of the century — Ali vs. Frazier from Madison Square Garden. It all felt so magical as the radio crackled and Ali got knocked down then rose back onto his dancing feet.”
5 | Intrinzik | Dinosaurs
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hawaiian hip-hop transplant Intrinzik has released his video for Dinosaurs, featuring stop-motion animation and set design by Hans Voegeli. The film depicts the world being saved from a cosmic catastrophe by protagonist dinosaur with a homemade meteor destroyer. Watch this epic video as our hero saves his species despite ridicule from his fellow dinos. It comes from Intrinzik’s recent album Lasers & Poison, which features guest appearances by Jason Cruz from Strung Out, Jason Devore from Authority Zero, Twiztid, Boondox and others.”
6 | The Casual Sexists | My Heartbeat Keeps Me Awake
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Casual Sexists are willing constituents of the emerging wave of satirical, frenetic avant-pop. The first single from their upcoming record is My Heartbeat Keeps Me Awake and doubles up with a retro-futurist video. As potent as they are danceable, The Casual Sexists know how to make satire and social commentary fun, supplying a punchy 808, skulking bass and airy synths. Inspired by the shackles of time, the track is a nonchalant middle-finger. Frontwoman Varrick says it’s “a hymn to the anxiety of aging. Also, a slap in the face to that very same anxiety.”
7 | Andrew Farriss | Run Baby Run
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Andrew Farriss, the songwriter behind INXS’s legendary songs, releases his new single and video Run Baby Run. “I had this idea that there are people who are happy to fly under the radar, and there are some people who want to be the movers and sharkers in the world,” said Farriss. “If you are going to be a mover and shaker, you have to run baby run. I knew those two phrases I had to have in a song. Singing a song for the lost and disillusioned in the world, I think there are a lot — people need to feel like they have a purpose. Why are we here? We have to have a good code to live by and that is what the song is all about.”
8 | Alexandra Zerner | Perspectives (ft. Maja Shining)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alexandra Zerner has released a video feat. Maja Shining of Forever Still. Zerner’s new album Silhouette is a conceptual work based on a personal story about conquering inner demons. It consists of 12 tracks divided into three scenes, containing four parts each, as the total length is 47:17.”
9 | John Moods | So Sweet So Nice
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “John Moods shares the video for So Sweet So Nice. It’s part of his new EP So Sweet, out April 16. The next EP So Nice will be out Aug. 6.”
10 | Trucker Diablo | Rock Kids Of The 80s
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Trucker Diablo have released their fabulous new single Rock Kids Of The ’80s. As the opening track of the new album Tail End of a Hurricane (May 7) proclaims, nothing can keep Trucker Diablo down! Rock Kids was recorded late 2019, with a view to getting the album out early 2020 … but as we know, the world changed!”
11 | Killing Kenny | We Stand Together
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Glasgow singer-songwriter Killing Kenny is to release a suitably poignant and uplifting anthem. We Stand Together — from his forthcoming album Exactly Different (March 26) — reflects on the hurt and devastation of COVID-19 and looks to the future with hope, celebrating the kindness and dedication of people who have helped those who have been directly affected. “This tune was written as a song of hope following an unprecedented chapter in everyone’s lives, dealing with the fallout from a Global Pandemic. The sentiment is one of appreciating your family, loved ones and friends and things in daily life that you took for granted as normal.”
https://youtu.be/IQ2oXFmtBfs
12 | Pentral | Silent Trees
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pentral share the first single from their forthcoming album What Lies Ahead, an incendiary mix of the rhythms and melodies of their homeland of Brazil and the power and aggression of classic rock bands of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s with a contemporary flavour. Victor Lima says: “Pentral use a lot of uncommon and odd time signatures and harmonies, so it was pretty hard to record the final version of the tracks. Atmosphere, harmony, melody, groove and a strong message to make people think. For the band, this is what music is all about.”
13 | Trope | Pareidolia
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Progressive alt-rock band Trope announced that their debut album Eleutheromania comes out on March 31. It features tracks combining odd-time signature polyrhythms, heavy guitars and delicate to angst-ridden vocals, fronted by vocalist Diana Studenberg, who gives the band their recognizable sound. Trope have concocted an intoxicating and distinct style that fuses both progressive rock and alternative rock genres in a unique way.”
14 | Ålesund | Lightning
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bristol atmospheric Alt-Pop quartet Ålesund return with Lightning, the first single taken from their upcoming EP A Thread In The Dark, due for release in spring. The increasingly expansive, hauntingly cinematic track is accompanied by a video. Alba Torriset states: “Lightning was written about that feeling you have before making a big life decision, or waiting for another to make that decision which will in turn impact your own life. When you just need to pluck up the courage and take the plunge into the unknown; However, if you truly trust and believe in something, good things will come out of it.”
15 | Girlhouse | Loaded Gun
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Having already established herself through a series of sublime singles, fast-rising bedroom pop artist Girlhouse (aka Lauren Luiz) has announced her May 14 debut The Girlhouse EP, previewed by the vibrant new cut Loaded Gun. Taking her cues from the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacas and Snail Mail, her debut EP gives us a raw and intimate insight into the world of the Portland-born, Nashville-based artist, spinning tales of her time in L.A. and the relationships she nurtured along the way. She says: “Loaded Gun is about inherited trauma and the bummer of becoming everything you said you never would. I feel like forgiving people from your past for abuse or neglect that happened to you when you were young and vulnerable is SO important to start forgiving yourself, this song is a moment when I recognized inherited bad behavior and wanting to take control of my future.”
16 | Lee O’Brien | This Is Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Lee O’Brien has returned to deliver the title track to his new album This Is Me. Produced and co-written by the legendary Francis Rossi of Status Quo, This Is Me marks the frontman’s long-awaited comeback, and the record’s title track shows exactly what we have been missing all these years. On the new single, he said, “This Is Me is about my journey as a musician — finding out what I was destined to do.”
17 | Penfriend | Cancel Your Hopes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Cancel Your Hopes is about doing everything you were told was right and then realising the world’s going to end despite your best efforts. Left stranded by those who were once the grownups, our mission is to keep trying to appreciate the incredible fact of simply existing in this beautiful world, while attempting to navigate the toxic parts of technology, live a meaningful life of use to others, love deeply and learn to accept love while leaving as little negative trace on the planet as possible while doing so.”
18 | Gabo | Corre Rua
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Corre Rua is the debut single and video from Gabo (aka Gabriel Islaz). The Brazilian artist will release his upcoming EP Bicicleta Sem Rodinha on April 9. Its songs recall the trepidation and eagerness of ascending into adulthood; pages of a memory book flipping through shots of summer evenings tainted by personal insecurities and uncertainty. With looking back also comes a sudden jolt of one’s surroundings; the reality of a world in unrest that cares little for your need to adjust.”
19 | The A.V. Club | Mistakes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Warrington indie-pop band The A.V. Club have entered a new phase with their single Mistakes. The single’s hooky synth melodies and catchy chorus pair to create a bittersweet, soaringly cinematic listen. Dubbed as an anthem for reckless young lovers, Mistakes follows the story of a person living with regret over a past relationship, reflecting on their heartache and the resulting emotions of letting someone they loved go for no real reason other than being young and reckless. It’s a relatable story; something more people will have experienced than they care to admit.”
20 | 1st Base Runner | Rabbit In Your Headlights
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Austin indie electronic musician 1st Base Runner has been keeping busy lately, having recently released two singles and videos from upcoming album Seven Years of Silence, out April 8. He’s also a music lover himself, made evident by his superb cover song choices. After covering Hymn by Idles last month, 1st Base Runner is releasing his own version of the classic Rabbit In Your Headlights, originally released in 1997 by Unkle, featuring the memorable vocals of Thom Yorke.”
https://youtu.be/Ep4jzYewvw0
