Radio Days can’t keep it together, Matt Simons doesn’t know who he is anymore, Lacuna Common fall into a routine, Babe Window want you to use your imagination — and we have not yet begun to fight in your latest Thursday Roundup. Put up yer dukes:
18 | Radio Days | Lose Control
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Radio Days are a power-pop trio from Milan who have been on the scene since 2008, playing an ideal mix of ’60s pop and ’70s punk — combining the sounds of early The Beatles, Elvis Costello, The Rubinoos’ vocal harmonies, Big Star’s scratching determination and The Knack’s melodies. Their fourth LP Rave On! is coming in June, but you can watch a video for their new single Lose Control now. It travels at high speed, surfing the waves of the jingle-jangle British invasion with some ’70s punk rock.”
19 | Matt Simons | Identity Crisis
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “L.A. artist Matt Simons has a unique ability to reach a global audience with an accessible sound that still feels personal to each of his fans. Penned with long-time writing partner Sean Myer and Caroline Pennell, Identity Crisis has all the hallmarks of a classic Simons song. Lyrically relatable and 100% honest, it bravely exposes his vulnerability and insecurities, exploring how relationships mold a person’s identity and the uncomfortable process of trying to start afresh after the relationship ends. Says Matt: “Identity Crisis explores co-dependency and how at times we tend to lose our sense of self in a relationship. When it’s over, how do we pick up the pieces and move forward?”
20 | Lacuna Common | Window Pane
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Lacuna Common share their new single Window Pane, taken from upcoming EP It’s All Talk, due in May. Window Pane allows the Oxford four-piece to showcase the collective talents that have seen them praised since their arrival onto the indie-rock landscape in 2020. “It’s a song about the feeling of normal life — cleaning your car on a Sunday, keeping up appearances with your neighbours, doing the same routine week in week out, dreaming about ways your life could be different,” says lead singer and chief lyricist Alfie Frank. “You can see it isn’t for you and that you don’t want to end up like everybody else. There’s also a sense of knowing that the likelihood of this happening is very high and that it’s not at all a bad thing. After all, there’s still something cool in finding the romance in going shopping and locking eyes with a beautiful girl/boy and wondering what would come if you spoke to each other.”
21 | Babe Rainbow | Your Imagination (ft. Jaden Smith)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “From high in the hills of Byron Bay in Australia, Babe Rainbow have been catching the favour of like-minded souls with their music across three albums now. The latest person to feel their music in the wind is activist, actor and musician Jaden Smith. Today, Jaden lends his particular genius to Babe Rainbow’s new single Your Imagination — a beautiful daydream, a thoughtful lullaby, a meditation drawn from the very nature of the band. It comes lifted from the band’s forthcoming fourth album Changing Colours, announced today for release on May 14.”
22+23 | Ben Harper | Joshua Tree + Inland Empire
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ben Harper has revealed B-side versions of the songs Joshua Tree and Inland Empire, which originally appeared on his 2020 album Winter Is For Lovers. While the original tracks are solo instrumental slide guitar performances, these versions feature an ensemble including Robert Glasper, Jimmy Paxson and Mike Valerio. “It is hard to call these B-sides,” Harper explains. “They are another iteration of the album that exists and I am very excited we found a way to release these versions. Going into Capitol Studios with Robert, Mike and Jimmy — three of my all-time favorite musicians in the world — with Niko Bolas engineering was off the chain. Music happened between the laughter and the joy. I hope you can hear that in these sessions.”
24 | Arts Fishing Club | With Us All
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “An alt-rock band with pop hooks, indie sensibilities and indie-folk roots, Arts Fishing Club built its audience the old-school way; by piling its members into a van and hitting the road. That live energy found a permanent home in the band’s music, turning their upcoming EP — appropriately titled The Show — into the band’s most representative work to date. Today, they gave fans a glimpse into The Show with the video premiere for album-closer With Us All, a tune in which the band gives a nod to Bob Dylan with their modern twist on a classic protest song — and a decidedly non-holier-than-thou attitude.”
25 | Summersets | Only You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Only You, the new single from Summersets (the duo of Kalle Mattson and Andrew Sowka) is another chapter of the band’s ongoing narrative concept, following two fictional characters that were chronicled in their debut EP Small Town Saturday. “Since forming Summersets at the beginning of the pandemic last year, Andrew and I have lived in different cities (and provinces) which has made filming music videos extremely difficult,” says Mattson. “Our solution has been to create these Super 8 found footage montages from the ’60s and ’70s. We eventually stumbled upon the phenomenon that is ‘tractor square dancing’ and felt it was perfect to go along with the country tinge of Only You.”
26 | Eli West | Brick in the Road
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Seattle songwriter, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Eli West’s new album Tapered Point of Stone is coming April 23, but his new single and video for the song Brick in the Road are out now. He was inspired by some time spent in a small village in Wales while on tour. The video also features fiddler Christian Sedelmeyer, mandolinist Andrew Marlin and bassist Clint Mullican of Mandolin Orange.”
27 | Matilda Lindell | Dancing Queen
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Swedish singer-songwriter Matilda Lindell just dropped a video for her rendition of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, in honor of Women’s History Month. The Stockholm native puts her twist on the legendary ABBA track by adding vulnerability and a fragile sound. For the video, Lindell recruited some of the strongest women in her own life to dance with her. “My version is about female empowerment and encouragement,” Lindell says. “Through the struggles, we need to believe in ourselves and also support each other. A celebration to women!”
28 | Sergio Sylvestre | Safe (ft. Ivana Lola)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “We’ve all dreamed of one day packing our belongings and heading overseas for a life of adventure – and that’s exactly what singer Sergio Sylvestre did when he was 22. He loved his holiday in Italy so much that he decided to stay, working various jobs until finally getting a lucky break singing in one of the top clubs. Sergio went on to enter one of the country’s top TV talent shows, Amici di Maria De Filippi ( the Italian equivalent of X-Factor), winning it with his incredible voice. His new electro-pop single Safe with Ivana Lola is a robust, rhythmic pop dance song with which focuses on the battle we all have in our life between the pressures of life and loves.”
29 | IMUR | Case Of You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vancouver trio IMUR have a new song and video called Case of You. It’s the first single from the forthcoming album My Molecules, out June 25, and touches on remembering the first moments of falling in love — it’s a snapshot of flirtation, infatuation, and living in the moment. Vocalist Jenny Lea says: “The video for Case of You came together with director Sebastian Hill-Esbrand. There’s a real developed backstory to mine and Maya’s characters. We were from the same town, a few years apart and were troublemakers. We eventually reunite at a party and that ignites an infatuation with one another. Being shit disturbers and one-upping each other is our love language. We keep pushing each other further and further until it reaches a tipping point, where both Maya and I have a close call. Only then do we really understand how much you can get wrapped up in one another.”
30 | Carobae | Talking To Myself
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nashville singer-songwriter Carobae (Caroline Baker) has released Talking to Myself, the third single from her forthcoming EP The Longest Year: Part Two, out April 22. The song captures the raw emotion of Carobae candidly tackling feelings of loneliness and inner demons; “Cause I keep talking to myself / but not very nicely” and “It’s hard to be alone / when I don’t really like me.”
31 | Caleborate | Contact (ft. Kota the Friend)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Today, Bay Area hip-hop artist Caleborate is back with a video for Contact, featuring Brooklyn rapper Kota the Friend. The mellow, lyrically powered banger is off the album Light Hit My Skin, out tomorrow. Mixing ’90s alternative, classic 2000s rap, electro-pop and beyond, to Caleborate “this album is about feeling feelings that black men aren’t usually allowed to feel … it’s about pursuit, within the context of this sort of new American dream.”
32 | Bella Blaq | Booty
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dynamic hip-hop artist Bella Blaq is back with the playful video Booty. Shot as though you’re watching the events unfold through a TikTok lens, Bella chose to incorporate the viewpoint through which most people consume media — through their phones. The fast-paced edits pair seamlessly with her hard-hitting lyrical delivery as Bella tells fans about the trap lifestyle. From one of the most recognized cities for rap, this Atlanta hip-hop artist stays true to herself as she partners up with other content creators to tell her story and most importantly, to have fun with it.”
33 | Paul Alexander Low | Shine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Folk-rock artist Paul Alexander Low shares the video for his single Shine. It was conceived during the first lockdown in 2020 after Paul was left in awe over the risk and sacrifice frontline workers faced in fighting the pandemic. The track aims to recognise and thank frontline workers, as their courage and persistence has been a shining light in an otherwise dark year. Paul says: “I hope I can do a little bit to recognise the efforts of many frontline workers and raise money for a charity that supports the mental health and wellbeing of a widely affected population.”
34 | Natalie McCool | A Sun Going Down
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pop artist Natalie McCool has shared the video for A Sun Going Down. Capturing the same warm and inviting sound that the track projects, the new visuals for A Sun Going Down add a new and textured layer to her brilliant offering. Filmed on Liverpool’s Formby Beach during the sunset, it gives the song an elevated presence throughout and creates a beautiful accompaniment to her much-applauded work. Natalie said, “We wanted to capture the clarity of the sunset over the water, the huge horizon and beautiful colours, translating the song into image … I think the video is so beautiful and perfectly captures the strength and life in the song.”
