Alias are ready to howl, Island can’t see the difference, Magon busts out some shackles, Us go underground — and the stage is set for another swanky Tuesday Roundup. Let’s get it on:
1 | Alias | The Wolf Man
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The story is only beginning. After catching the attention of the blogosphere with the singles King and Lady Friend in 2020, Alias give us a hint of what’s to come while remaining enigmatic. Singer-songwriter and guitar player Emmanuel Alias has always been fond of scary tales and now, his creation is directly tacking the terrifying werewolf curse. The result is blood-chilling. The clever direction of Guillaume Gagnon Lortie highlights the cinematic quality of the new single, as the marriage of visuals and sounds delivers a thrilling experience. Under a strobe light, we witness the transformation of the singer. His gaze turns west as humanity slowly leaves his body, a metamorphosis that he seems to wickedly enjoy. Classic horror imagery and immaculate snow alternately fill the frame. Halfway between man and beast, The Wolf Man calls to mind a mysterious full moon and a savage forced mutation.”
2 | Island | Everyone’s The Same
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “London’s Island have shared the video for their recent single Everyone’s The Same. The grungy slow jam begins with a deceivingly simple statement proposed softly by frontman Rollo Doherty. For the next two and half minutes, distorted bass lines and chunky, to-the-point drums ooze into your psyche while the reverb-drenched lead guitar hooks you in and perfectly complements the raspy and catchy cacophony. “Everyone’s The Same is a song for anyone who’s angry at being told they can’t make any sort of difference or can’t be a positive force for change,” says Doherty. “I’d been getting really frustrated with this idea that as individuals our actions aren’t able to make a difference on the collective impact we’re having on the world, the idea that we’re all destined to have a negative influence on the environment just by existing, and that everyone is equally guilty. But the song is intended to be broader than that, and to capture that feeling of frustration at being told what you’re worth.”
3 | Magon | Shackles Of The Wretched
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Check out the live session for the song Shackles Of The Wretched from my latest album Hour After Hour. Filmed in January at Basement Studios, Paris.”
4 | Us | Paisley Underground
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Finnish rock band Us unveil the video for Paisley Underground, a burst of neo-psychedelia complemented by trippy visuals. “Paisley Underground was written last February after a concert in Manchester,” said vocalist/guitarist Teo Hirvonen. “We were sitting in a hostel lobby reading about the bushfires in Australia and the outbreak of the pandemic in China. The Bangles’ Walk Like an Egyptian came on the radio, and while I certainly don’t consider that song to be an anthem for the Paisley Underground, it did remind me how much I loved that music. We spent the morning working out the arrangement, and the lyrics address not being able to go anywhere or to see anybody.”
5 | Results Of Adults | Kittens Touch The Sky
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Results Of Adults are based in Birmingham, Alabama, and consist of Tym Cornell on vocals, guitar, piano, and an endless assemblage of noise-making devices; his creative partner and wife Merry Bee Cornell on bass; and Mark Beasley on drums and percussion. Formed in 2006, they have spent the last decade and a half concocting their own alternative history of psychedelic pop where altered states of consciousness, a Southern outsider folk art tradition, and well-crafted, irresistible songwriting lay happily side by side. Their exemplary new piece of underground psychedelia, Interstellar Peach Delight, is a more focused and mature work, and the band’s sound feels more cohesive. As is apparent on stand-out tracks like Kittens Touch the Sky, the record’s hallucinogenic infectiousness connects musical building blocks that effortlessly pass through music genres, as well as space and time.”
6 | Oh The Humanity! | Never Worse
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Here’s your last sneak peek at the upcoming Oh the Humanity! LP before it releases April 16. Never Worse might be a bpm or two slower than their previous two singles but it still packs a lot of punch. The clean guitar work in the verses instantly stands out and makes each chorus pop even more. Oh and there’s a gang-vocal section. Stay for the gang vocals. “Never Worse is a song about bad habits and not being able to get out of your own way. In the video, our protagonist (or antagonist depending on how you look at it) represents this both in their actions and in their physical form. The worse their behavior gets, the more their form changes into something unrecognizable and negatively impacts those around them.”
7 | Working Men’s Club | X
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “U.K. act Working Men’s Club have shared new track X and its accompanying video. X is the first new music from Working Men’s Club since their self-titled debut was released in 2020. The album was the band’s perfect statement of intent and X functions as the delivery, the message, the action. X rides on a sustained attack and gives way to a glorious synth-heavy release of a chorus that’s just biding its time for a summer of discontent and dancing. This is the sound of your new favorite band hitting their stride. Bandmember Steve comments: “The video is a visual exploration of the line “there’s no start to this end.”
8 | Girl Skin | You’re A Freak
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn indie-rock band Girl Skin present the video for You’re A Freak, the latest single from their debut album Shade Is On The Other Side. A song deemed “a celebration of all of the beautiful freaks and the gorgeous outsiders” by frontman Sid Simons, and recalling the moody and atmospheric nature of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Darklands era, You’re A Freak was beautifully shot in an abandoned gymnasium in the basement of an old church. “I wanted these songs to give listeners a layered experience,” Simons says. “There’s the first intuitive reaction which I wanted to be joyful and optimistic. But then, as they listened further, other emotions would come to the fore: Darker, more complex emotions that give the songs breadth and depth. And I’m excited by the different interpretations people are having to the same song, some feeling the darker shades, others feeling the lighter ones.”
9 | Wild Powwers | Decades
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Wild Powwers recently announced that their upcoming LP What You Wanted will be out on April 23. You can check out the Ron Harrell-directed video for their new single now. Wild Powwers are a dynamic trio who come from the dark, dank corners of a basement in Seattle. Throughout their years relentlessly writing and touring as a band, they have grown their sound using the vastly different influences in their lives. They are often challenging themselves to write something completely different from the song before, and their upcoming album What You Wanted is the best representation of who they are and what they bring to the table yet.”
10 | Var | Live At Orgelsmidjan
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Iceland’s Var are debuting a new four-song live session. The performance consists of tracks featured on their recent Live at Orgelsmidjan EP (studio versions appear on the band’s critically acclaimed 2020 LP The Never-Ending Year) and was filmed at Orgelsmidjan, Iceland’s only pipe organ workshop, which also serves as the band’s practice space. “After releasing an album and having no chance to play it live, we felt like we had to do something to give people at least a little taste of us playing these songs live,” says Júlíus Björgvinsson (vocals/guitar/keys). “We decided to make these live videos of us playing the songs at the organ workshop where we practise … It’s powerful, it’s raw and it’s honest. And that is Var.”
11 | Poté | Young Lies (ft. Damon Albarn)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A Tenuous Tale of Her is the debut album from Poté (aka Sylvern Mathurin), arriving June 4. A record that’s tough, tender and grand all at once, the connections he’s built along the way speaks to the variety of his influences. Poté’s music has always balanced contrasting impulses. On the one hand, there’s the rhythmic, celebratory music of his Caribbean upbringing, and on the other, there’s his interest in exploratory, emotive songwriting. On this record, he takes that approach in a bolder direction: immersive and atmospheric, it’s a platform for those two sides of his music to strike a fresh dialogue. Damon Albarn features on Young Lies, a collaboration which came about through Gorillaz producer Remi Kabaka Jr. Says Albarn: “I love it when tunes evolve like this one.”
12 | SDI | Violence
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On April 30, German veterans SDI will re-release their 1989 album Mistreated in remastered form. Their new video for the track Violence is now available and includes original video footage from ’89. This remastered edition of Mistreated has a new booklet with previously unpublished pictures and liner notes.”
13 | There Were Wires | His Talk, Her Teeth
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “His Talk, Her Teeth is a fan favorite from Boston Y2k-era hardcore/doom outfit There Were Wires. The band’s celebrated 2003 release Somnambulists album will see release on vinyl for the first time this month The new video for His Talk, Her Teeth was created from live footage filmed by Matt Spearin and Ben Sisto, and recently edited by Michael Quartulli. The members of the band offer, “This video perfectly captures the feral intensity of There Were Wires’ live shows from 1999 to 2004. Whether they were playing a big stage or a tiny basement, there was always a wild, unpredictable energy and that’s part of what made it so fun.”
14 | Slamdinistas | Little Troublemaker
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Slamdinistas’ Little Troublemaker is a cover of the killer tune made famous by Ian McLagan of The Faces on his 1979 solo LP. This blistering live version burns hot with Slamdinistas’ love for all things Faces and Stones — the sparks fly high off this rock ’n’ roll gem, thanks to its in-your-face 1970s swagger!”
15 | Disout | Lullaby
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After the release of their debut album Mien, Disout have decided to share a live music video from their rehearsal room for the track Lullaby. Nothing can replace real concerts but, this is an alternative to allow Disout to share their musicianship.”
16 | Cole Quest & The City Pickers | The Bitcoin Gambler
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Cole Quest and the City Pickers are a group of New York City musicians connected by friendship and a love of bluegrass. Quest, grandson of the folk icon Woody Guthrie, has brought together a collection of eclectic pickers who have gained recognition on the local scene. The Bitcoin Gambler is the latest preview of their album Self [En]Titled, arriving April 16. Says Quest: “As a software engineer by day, a folk musician by night, and someone who lost a chunk of money in the Bitcoin crash of 2018, I felt I had a unique connection to this modern-day dilemma. I wanted to write a song that would show the parallels of this moment to the gambling sagas folks have been telling for hundreds of years.”
17 | Jade Jackson | 6FT Changes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “California singer-songwriter Jade Jackson has shared 6FT Changes today, a new song detailing the adjustments that have been made to daily life due to the pandemic. One night in 2020 Jackson had a dream about playing a show, sweaty and crowded. She posted about the dream on social media and got a great response from fans. “Reading through the comments I felt the oh-so-familiar nudge that a song was on its way,” she explained. “Later that evening staring up at the ceiling, the song — starting as a faint echo of my subconscious mind — grew louder until I quietly slipped out of bed and found myself in the dark of my living room holding my guitar. As soon as it was written I knew I wanted to share it with those who’d helped inspire it. Theaters sitting somewhere in the dark, tour vans parked, and people like me who see live music to escape, connect and be, I wrote this for you.”
18 | Will Stratton | When I’ve Been Born (I’ll Love You)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With his new album The Changing Wilderness due for release on May 7, Will Stratton has shared new single When I’ve Been Born (I’ll Love You) and its accompanying video. Stratton comments: “Unlike in some of my songs, I try to say exactly what I mean in this one, and not to leave it too open for interpretation or ambiguity through imagery. It’s a song about what it can feel like to care for someone when the world is atomized and full of confusion and fear. I try not to give in to the impulse to pretend like this is a radical act. On the contrary, I think it’s one of the most basic things about being human.”
19 | Hear ’N Now | Let’s Rock The Stage
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Last year, during the initial lockdown stages of the COVID pandemic, Hear ‘N Now was born. The multi-artist coalition was formed in April to create awareness for the growing global crisis. The song No Road to Ruin was written, recorded and released to help raise relief funds for those who were initially impacted in the early part of the pandemic, was made available as a free download and people were encouraged to donate. Monies collected went to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s Global Recovery Fund.”
20 | Paranormales | Doctrina
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Paranormales is the uniquely creative project of J. Carlos Delgado (bass, synths, vocals), Ana Ruiz (vocals, keys), David Toro (guitar) and Diogo Santos (drums). The quartet first came together in 2016 and issued their first album Belona a year later, followed by the 2019 remix EP Juno. 2020 marked the beginning of a new chapter for the band.”
