Oh The Humanity! think you look familiar, Elder Island do some multi-tasking, Aria Sage takes her time, LaPlegua gets better — and believe it or not, that finally brings us to the end of your longest Weekend Roundup ever (or until next week, at least). I have officially run out of words.
121 | Oh The Humanity! | Everyone in Gainesville (Looks like Someone I Know)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Oh The Humanity!’s new single is Everyone in Gainesville (Looks like Someone I Know). Taken from their self-titled debut LP due this April, it’s a love song to a punk rock festival. Listen, if you’ve ever been to a festival, you probably have a ton of fuzzy feelings about seeing your favourite bands with your best friends. It’s very much a punk rock vacation and Everyone in Gainesville (Looks like Someone I Know) captures the spirit perfectly.”
122+123 | Elder Island | Sacred + Endeavour
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Indie electronic trio Elder Island release hypnotic new single Sacred b/w Endeavour, from their upcoming second album Swimming Static due May 28. As anticipation builds for the Bristol band’s sophomore album, Sacred is testament to the trio’s capabilities as they weave infectious melodies with lush synths to leave listeners in a wash of utter captivation. Endeavour finds the trio in a reflective mood. Minimalist and synth-driven, the track highlights the expansive nature of their sound and talents, suggestive of a group gearing up for their long-deserved mainstream breakthrough.”
124 | Aria Sage | Time
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “I am a new musical artist who grew up in an eccentric way on 40 acres of land in the mountains of Colorado and I am currently based in Salt Lake City. I am still in the exciting and curious stages of building my career and finding my voice. I began creating and releasing my own music during the pandemic.”
125 | LaPlegua | I Will Heal
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Andy LaPlegua (Combichrist) reveals his new solo project La Plegua, and drops its debut single I Will Heal. LaPlegua reveals that emotionality can be an incredible strength. He marries dark angular elements and emotionally transports the listener to this heyday of the genre in a way that leaves the existing behind. He states: “LaPlegua is my most personal musical project to date. It gives me the freedom to write exactly what I want, and express exactly how I feel. I Will Heal sits very close to home. We all have gone through massive amounts of problems over the last year, and this song is one of many stories of my own personal mental health.”
126 | Leanna Oki | Sink
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian artist Leanna Oki has just released her single Sink. The up-and-coming artist blends R&B, soul, and pop flawlessly to create her unique and captivating sound. Says Oki: “The song is centered around the imagery of sinking into the sea as a metaphor for giving into my internal conflict. I was compelled to write this song as a way to express my feelings of numbness and pain that I couldn’t put into words. I believe that a lot of people can relate to this feeling, so I hope this song can connect with others going through any sort of personal struggle and help them feel more understood. ”
127 | Onna Lou | Bailar De A Dos
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Winnipeg’s Onna Lou is a Berklee College of Music grad who has shared stages with Latin music legends Alejandro Sanz and Rosana. The multi-instrumentalist has performed at the Latin Grammys and on stages around the world. Her latest single Bailar De A Dos has just been released. She says: “The pandemic has forced us out of our bubbles and we now must make an effort to decide how we are going to connect. It has become obvious worldwide that individualism is unsustainable, and that we all affect each other.”
128 | Vox Rea | Dufferin Ave.
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Oozing with silky vocals and sultry sax, Vancouver group Vox Rea continue creating brilliant soundscapes with their latest offering Dufferin Ave. Singer Kate Kurdyak notes, “Dufferin Ave. was written on a bender in Toronto with our friend Marena on the sax. We drank a Texas Mickey and wrote this song.” Vox Rea was set ablaze from the embers of The Katherines, the cardinal project of vocalists Kate Kurdyak, Lauren Kurdyak and Kaitlyn Hansen-Boucher.”
129 | Cheryl B. Engelhardt | Unwind
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Unwind is the new single from Cheryl B. Engelhardt. It’s a personal empowerment theme with mysterious (almost chilling) undertones. Imagine the ominous vibes of Evanescence mixed with Enya securing a licensing deal with shows like Penny Dreadful or American Horror Story: Coven. Pulling strength from her award-winning New Age compositional skills, the honesty of her emotive songwriting, and her choral background, Unwind is a personal deep dive dripping with sparkling production that demands reflection, acceptance, and understanding.”
130 | FiFi Rong | Only Man
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London’s Fifi Rong, a multi-talented avant-pop songstress, has shared her latest single Only Man. It is taken from her upcoming self-produced solo album There Is A Funeral In My Heart For Every Man I Loved. Unashamed and filled with deep caring, the single touches on the complex nature of love with eloquent and glimmering production. Rong tells us: “Only Man is the epiphany of unrequited love, the saddest and paradoxically the most self-righteous thing to do as my character knows the man she loves doesn’t reciprocate but rather gives her a very small piece attention. So she suffers alone, and sees the love blossom and wither by herself. Eventually, though, this is another funeral the character would hold in her heart before she does it all over again.”
131 | Roy3ls | Destiny
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nashville sisters Destini Rose, Stefanie Lynn and Faith Ann Marie are unveiling their latest single Destiny. Inspired by current events, the song acts as their response to the unforgettable 2020. The trio confide, “After an uncertain year, Destiny is our response to how we are going to move forward in 2021 and how we are going to stay true to who we are no matter what the circumstances are around us.” The song is a much needed pick-me-up for everyone who has suffered the repercussions of the lockdown blues.”
132 | Rob Lutes | That Bird Has My Wings
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Recorded in fall 2020, Come Around is Rob Lutes’ followup to Walk in the Dark (2017) which earned him the Canadian Folk Music Award as Contemporary Singer of the Year. Co-produced with his longtime collaborator Rob MacDonald, Come Around features 11 original songs and a superb cover of the blues classic In My Time of Dyin’. That Bird Has My Wings was inspired by the book of the same title by Buddhist author and death-row inmate Jarvis Jay Masters. In it, hope for freedom is found in the imagination and the natural world.”
133 | Libra | Flakey Town (ft. Elyse Cizek)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brazilian indie-pop artist Libra feels a little lost in his newest single Flakey Town (ft. Elyse Cizek). Zeh Monstro uses spicy melodies to share how overwhelming and disorienting a major city like Los Angeles can feel. “Since I moved to L.A., I have been inspired by the relationships born out of living in a fast-paced city,” explains Monstro. “With Flakey Town,’I am trying to speak to a universal struggle many people in big cities experience, whether that city is Los Angeles, N.Y., Paris, or my home São Paulo.”
134 | Heckyl | Preacher
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fresh pop artist Heckyl, aka the incredibly talented Luke Potter, drops his first track Preacher. As an experienced producer, Potter wrote, produced and recorded the piece himself in his Sweet Factory Studio. Synth-lead with bouncing percussion and vocal samples, the track is a perfectly crafted modern pop song from start to finish. The memorable and sing-a-long chorus is both melodic and meaningful. He states: “Preacher is about living in the moment and appreciating what you have in life, not chasing the things you don’t need.”
135 | Jessy Yasmeen | Holy Water
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Up-and-coming Dutch star Jessy Yasmeen drops Holy Water, the first release off of her upcoming album Formation. Jessy is an extremely talented musician with a story to tell. The song rides on beautiful sweeping backing vocals and a funky and memorable bass part, joined by sparse piano, guitar and a big live drum track. Rising with the building instrumental, the vocals are powerful and sincere. “Holy Water started as a song about my narcissistic ex, but the meaning changed as I figured out it was all about me not loving myself,” explains Jessy. It tells her story of falling in love with him — “he somehow made me forget about me.”
BONUS TRACK: Almost Sex | Lie Heartfelt
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Almost Sex are a Brooklyn duo formed by Nick Louis and Warren LaSota. The two connected on a dating app in 2020. After collaborating remotely for several months, they met in person and released their first two singles. In January 2021, Nick and Warren packed up a few drums and guitars and hid out in an old building in Warren’s hometown. No drum samples, no editing, no vocal effects other than the room’s high ceilings, for the duo’s third single. Almost Sex’s fourth single Lie Heartfelt is out now.”
