Helena Debono brings some life to the proceedings, SOM reopen old wounds, Kat Meoz is looking for a reason, Ashrr take you to the other side — and they’re all taking you one step closer to the end of another epic Weekend Roundup. Get ready to push:
61 | Helena Debono | Little Life
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Little Life, the new single from jazz/soul/pop singer Helena Debono, is an upbeat performance with an overshadowing sense of sadness. Inspired by reading Hana Yanagihara’s award-winning book Little Life, the song talks about how much suffering people can endure in love. Helena explains “I started to reflect on both my own and my friends’ experiences of suffering in love. From the outside everything looks great but only the people involved know the truth and how quickly things can change from being perfect to toxic.”
62 | SOM | Open Wounds (U Dye Remix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “SOM — the dream pop-rock collective of current and former members of Constants, Junius and Caspian — unveiled a visualizer for the track Open Wounds, remixed by U Dye, otherwise known as Marshall Gallagher of Teenage Wrist. It comes by way of the band’s Awake EP, released last week. Comments Gallagher: “U DYE is my outlet for anything electronic, usually a graveyard for shitty, vaporwave beats. I like trying to do fun things with stems from my friends’ bands, and Open Wounds lent itself so well to the style I’ve been trying to hone in on. It’s such a rad song and produced really well to begin with, I didn’t have to tweak much to make it a lo-fi dance track.”
63 | Kat Meoz | Reason
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kat Meoz is a Venezuelan-American songwriter who has been under a growing spotlight the past few years. Originally hailing from Las Vegas but holding court in Los Angeles since the early ’00s, Kat’s impressive vocal technique is often compared to Joan Jett, Janis Joplin and Alanis Morissette. Says Kat: “This song is my heart’s cry. It’s a call out to the universe, to send a greater purpose; a reason to live. Having written this song halfway through 2020 I felt very strong that others would identify with the message; whether yearning for a shred of authenticity in relationship, or trying to find new inspiration in a career. It’s a siren call to conjure new doors opening, it is my double dare to the universe to step up and create with me a life filled with deeper meaning.”
64 | Ashrr | Otherside
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rising Los Angeles darkwave band Ashrr released ther single Otherside. Ashrr have been on a steady, upward trajectory lately. Since their inception a few years ago they’ve released a self-titled EP, a live EP, the album Oscilator and a single in December called Dark Eyes.”
65 | Dragon Welding | Lights Behind The Eyes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Lights Behind The Eyes is the title track and first single from Dragon Welding’s second solo LP, out May 7. Dragon Welding is the anagrammatical moniker of Andy Golding, the guitarist of post-rock outliers Wolfhounds. On Lights Behind The Eyes, he has created a wondrous tapestry of ambient guitar instrumentals and sonic manipulations. This is music that channels the cosmic experimentations of ’70s German avant-garde rock with a dark Essex twist that somehow has glorious poptones. Andy notes: “I wanted to make music that you can relax to while keeping your guard up. Like Neil Young waltzing with Laurie Anderson at the Chigley Six o’Clock Whistle while The Durutti Column watches over Brian Eno as he turns the handle on the fairground organ.”
66 | Hideous Divinity | Acheron, Stream Of Woe
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Italian technical death metal force Hideous Divinity have released Acheron, Stream of Woe, the first track from their upcoming EP LV-426 on April 23. The EP includes two new tracks (including Acheron, Stream of Woe) and a smashing cover version of Coheed and Cambria’s Delirium Trigger. Like its predecessor Simulacrum, the EP has been produced by Stefan Morabito, who refined the band’s signature sound, consisting of bone-crushing riffs, superb drumming, and frightful vocals.”
67 | Sarah Cicero | At Arm’s Length
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn’s Sarah Cicero has released her stunning single At Arm’s Length, from her forthcoming EP Cold Immaculate Opposite, due on April 9. At Arm’s Length holds a special place in Cicero’s heart being that it is the first song she wrote about real adult love. “We put a lot of care into this arrangement because I really wanted it to be dynamic and dramatic, with these explosive choruses and a huge, lush, almost cinematic outro.”
68 | Twin XL | Slow Heart
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alt-pop band Twin XL release their single Slow Heart. States Cameron Walker-Wright: “Slow Heart is about the internal dialogue between your head and your heart and the idea that it’s impossible to love if you are unable to love yourself. The verses are like a confession. I’m spilling all my biggest regrets out on the table and owning up to my worst mistakes. I’ve never felt totally secure in my own skin and I have a habit of letting my emotions and insecurities get the best of me … I want people to be able to feel my desire for love not only from others but also for myself. I want someone to figure out what’s wrong with my heart and make it work better.”
69 | Tara Williamson | Almost (ft. The Northwest Kid)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tara Williamson has been described as a poet and provocateur — the spark that ignites the flame. A First Nations singer-songwriter from Manitoba, her music is an unflinching document of self: The truth that hurts before it heals. “This song is about being at a crossroads in a relationship where you have to decide if almost is good enough,” she says. “It’s about the pain and frustration of knowing that even if there’s love, sometimes it simply isn’t enough. It was a song I wrote and left alone for a long time as I processed the pain of a relationship that was deeply affected by gendered and colonial violence. It wasn’t until The Northwest Kid offered his perspective and talent to the track that I felt inspired to work on it more. His insights shifted the conversation away from my specific, personal experience to a bigger, universal theme of relationship.”
70 | Ryanhood | Wide Awake In A Dream
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Award-winning Tucson acoustic duo Ryanhood have released Wide Awake In A Dream, a poignant new track from their forthcoming album Under The Leaves, set for release on April 16.”
71 | Vaines | Stay Gold
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vaines is here to shatter genre boundaries and break the traditional recording model (recording albums in studios with producers). Vaines not only writes his own music but also plays all of the instruments, records all of the mixes, and produces all of his own songs — right in his own bedroom. Vaines soon discovered that he did not find comfort in just being a “band guy” but wanted to make more of an impact through songwriting as a solo artist. He cites “one-man generational” artists like Joji, Blackbear and Post Malone as inspirations, but as he envisions his future, does not want to be pigeonholed to that genre only.”
72 | Nick Jaina | Impossible
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Between writing novels, teaching writing, and getting married in 2020, Nick Jaina found the time to write and record a new album, Credo, to be released on May 21. This morning, he released the first single. “Impossible is a song about the technological devices that promise you fulfillment, whose makers know that they are designed to only ever get you 95% of the way,” he says. “And I’m not talking about planned obsolescence, I mean that they pretend to offer solutions that cannot ever be solved this way, because what we need is a holistic solution, and holistic solutions are often not marketable. The electric guitar is meant to be the blast of ass-kicking glory that wakes you from this constant pining for something that will never happen.”
73 | Jakob Mind | 7 Days
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jakob Arvidsson, mostly known as the singer and vocalist of punk outfit Rotten Mind, has teamed up with Lövely for the release of his solo debut album The One Who Got Away. The fourth and final single leading up to the album is called 7 Days. The track was originally released as a roughly mixed demo back in spring 2020, which marked the starting point of Jakob’s new solo project. Jakob describes the meaning behind the track: “7 Days is about touring. I have a hate/love relationship to touring. It’s hard to be away from loved ones but at the same time it’s the one thing I want to do.”
74 | GoGo Penguin | F Maj Pixie (Squarepusher Remix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A GoGo Penguin remix album feels like a natural progression, but in this group’s true spirit, it never sounds like a predictable move. Since their emergence a decade ago, the Manchester trio (pianist Chris Illingworth, drummer Rob Turner and bassist Nick Blacka) have been internationally hailed as electrifying live performers, innovative soundtrack composers, and as a collective who channel electronic and club culture atmospheres as much as minimalist influences or jazz legacy. Listen to the second single F Maj Pixie (Squarepusher Remix).”
75 | Extra Credit | Drive Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Extra Credit, the project of Justin Strauss, Marcus Marr and Joe Goddard, share the new track Drive Me, the B-side of the single It’s Over. Says Strauss: “After Joe, Marcus and I finished the track, it was time to start thinking of some ideas for the lyrics and the feeling I got from the music we did was something very cinematic. The way the track kept building and building. While in the studio listening to the music, I made a little movie up in my head about someone driving alone on a dark, dark road with no end in sight. Then at once a break in the darkness and things started to become clearer and brighter.”
76 | Communions | Cupid
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Copenhagen’s Communions announced their sophomore album Pure Fabrication last month as a reverse coming-of-age story of Odyssian size and scope, dealing with themes of change, instability, freedom, love and identity. Cupid, the album’s third single, shows us Communions’ vision of naïve love and freedom from which the story begins. Lead singer and guitarist Martin Rehof elaborates: “The album’s preoccupation with change and instability … is mirrored in the progression of the songs themselves, as themes shapeshift and take on new points of departure from one story to the next.”
77 | Callie Reiff | Crash Into Me (ft. Madison Daniel)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “From musical prodigy to industry trendsetter, Callie Reiff is unlike any other. Her newest single Crash Into Me (ft. Madison Daniel) puts her electrifying indie-in-the-club production on full display, her emotional and energetic production fusing effortlessly with the airy, timeless vocals of singer-songwriter Daniel. “Crash Into Me is about wanting to let your guard down with someone and not hold back anymore … being who you are is enough for that person,” Callie writes. “Most importantly I wanted this song to make people feel strong. I want people to be able to dance to this one and feel really really good.”
78 | Losers | Lost In Translation
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “U.K. alt-rock band Losers just released their new single about reconnecting to oneself and the world around us. The initial idea of Lost in Translation came about a few years ago after a “huge outpouring of words” from a “reaction to feeling overwhelmed and disconnected to the world” around them. Multi-instrumentalist Tom Bellamy adds, “It’s a song about not feeling at home, no matter where you are or who you’re with, but then realizing that home is within. Life can feel so lonely when we see other people and things as separate to ourselves, trying to escape from something that didn’t exist until we created it. It’s not until we step back and see ourselves as not separate to the world, but in union with it, in love with it, that we can really see beauty. It’s so important to remember to pause and not to dwell on the negative narratives we all tell ourselves.”
79 | My Name Is Ian | For Love
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “My Name Is Ian will release their album Fantastic Company on June 4. For Love offers the first taste of the band’s new sound. Their standard ‘prolific-and-terrific’ approach, culminating in no less than 18 releases since 2010, has been put to one side, with their latest being written and recorded over two years, with time spent in four different locales in Cardiff, Wells and Italy. The resultant LP takes a substantive shift from the garage-pop of previous records and leaps double-footed into a charmingly wonky, indie-dance parallel universe where almost anything seems possible.”
80 | Lzyby | Take My Time
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Oxford-based indie pop musician Lzyby dropped his latest single Take My Time. It is an interesting release, fusing many sounds into one and it arrives just that little bit different. Doing what he does best, Lzyby smashes it with potentially his most influential expression yet. He blends a futuristic soundscape with nostalgic hooks, and he combines exquisite music with infectious vocal melodies. Harmonically rich in tone, Lzyby delves deep lyrically, and he rises out with treasure like wordplay. His nail-biting synths serenade and his wonderful violin performance grips with golden flavour. Also, the danceable rhythm flows with a multitude of zests which catapult out of the exciting mix.
