Gee Slab works for triple scale, Eli West goes a-wandering, Hanna and Kerttu start their year in December, Zuli Jr. takes two — and as promised, here’s the second part of your Tuesday Roundup. That’s enough for today. I don’t want you to get spoiled.
19 | Gee Slab | Triple Beam
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Gee Slab has released his cinematic visual for Triple Beam, featuring Cashmere CrooL. The smooth single comes off his most recent EP No Signal. Showing off his southern roots, the video highlights the suave flavor of Gee and his artistry, whihc is highly revered by his peers. The new visual displays a true reflection of his constant inspiration from the south, personal experiences, and his will to stay authentic. Gee has been compared to culture influencers such as 2 Chainz, Pimp C, and Big Krit.”
20 | Eli West | I Know Your Wandering Heart
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It’s always illuminating to ask an artist how they understand music, but Eli West’s perspective is nothing short of ground-breaking. A trained designer, he sees music architecturally, visualizing his compositions spatially. On his new album Tapered Point of Stone, due out April 23, West lays out original songs and tunes like houses built by hand, weaving their melodies into the setting of acoustic roots music that first inspired him. Tapered Point of Stone also showcases West’s collaborative nature. “My identity as a musician is as much about collaboration as anything,” West explains. “I’m a second born, that might be part of it? Whether music is about communication or community, the sum is bigger than the parts.”
21 | Hanna & Kerttu | December
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dream-pop / indie-folk duo Hanna & Kerttu are releasing their video for December. It’s the first single from their album Unfold, which they will release as a series of eight videos over the course of 2021. “December is our reflection upon contemporary society’s focus on the inside. A take on the tendency to get lost in analyzing our own thoughts, building beliefs — with no counterpart to answer our hopes and fears in times of isolation.”
22 | Zuli Jr. | Two
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As he gears up for the release of his sophomore full-length album Stop it God next month, indie R&B-pop artist Zuli Jr. has released his new single Two. With its unpredictable soft soundscape, Two documents a broken heart and soul as the New York singer-songwriter-producer proclaims, “pause the world and never resume, hold me whole I’ve broken into two.” Zuli Jr. says: “Two paints a picture of the trials and tribulations of being an artist — how one’s desire to create in a meaningful way can negatively affect the people around them, whether they’re aware of it or not … This inherent need to express yourself is more or less a selfish pursuit and can very easily distort your self-perception. The song comes to terms with this notion in two sections. The first acknowledges this state of mind and tries to make amends, whereas the second is harsher both in content and tone.”
23 | Cirith Ungol | Brutish Manchild
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On May 28, Cirith Ungol will release their new EP Half Past Human. For a first preview, the new single Brutish Manchild is out today. The globe was ravaged by pandemic in the wake of the release of Cirith Ungol’s triumphant reunion album Forever Black in April 2020. As time stood still, the band dug deep into their archival crypts, drawing back the veiled mists of history to expose long-forgotten jewels from their storied past. In so doing, the band exhumed four songs written in a bygone era but never properly included as part of their fabled discography. Cirith Ungol swept the dust off these precious relics, summoning long-dead forces back to life. Each song was reimagined for today, injected with a fresh dose of power and vitality while preserving their trademark mysticism and remaining drenched in sinister, apocalyptic energy.”
24 | Killing Addiction | Prophecy Armageddon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Legendary Florida death metal band Killing Addiction have just released the first song off their long-awaited second album Mind of a New God, coming June 1. Following the death of guitarist and original member Chad Bailey in September 2016 — coinciding with the release of the EP Shores of Oblivion — the rest of the members continued in his memory, and in fact, the title of the new album is the same as the last song they wrote with Chad before his demise.”
25 | Lost Division | Trapped
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Female-fronted Finnish hard rock band Lost Division are set to release their debut album Cuts And Scars on May 28. The decond single Trapped is released today. The band comment: “Trapped is punchy and energetic. To counterbalance the first single, The Queen, Trapped is serving rough and gripping rock ’n’ roll polka. The light melody and gruff lyrics of the chorus are an ironic combination. The song is a declaration of revenge, or a middle finger with a guitar solo to those committing violence!”
26 | The Blips | Same Do
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “What happens when five frontmen form a band? Probably disaster. Or, possibly, collaborative beauty. In the case of Birmingham, Alabama’s The Blips, it’s the latter. The group formed after Will Stewart — an accomplished songwriter and guitar player who has released several acclaimed records under his own name and with the Birmingham-based group Timber — sent a few curious text messages inviting a group of friends and collaborators to convene and write some tunes together. That group included: Taylor Hollingsworth, Wes McDonald, Eric Wallace and Chris McCauley.”
27 | Joseph Shabason | So Long
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Today, saxophonist Joseph Shabason shares So Long, the track that closes out his upcoming album The Fellowship (out April 30). The album follows a chronological arc that spans three generations covering his parents’ early lives, his own spiritual and physical adolescence, and his subsequent struggle to eschew the problematic habituations of such a conflicted past. In the narrative arc of the album, So Long represents “me leaving religion behind,” says Shabason. “I wanted it to feel hopeful and melancholic at the same time … a new chapter free from guilt and fear but also one where I have to leave behind a community of people and beliefs that brought me a lot of joy over the years.”
28 | Sufjan Stevens | Meditation V
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Convocations, a new project from Sufjan Stevens, is out May 6. Comprised of five volumes — Meditations, Lamentations, Revelations, Celebrations and Incantations — the project is a 49-track reflection on present times. Meditation V is out today, part of the 10-track Meditations out this Thursday. Further volumes are to be released weekly. Stevens wrote and recorded Convocations in the fall of 2020 in homage to the life of his father and in response to his death in September, two days after the release of The Ascension. Each volume replicates and reflects a stage of mourning — five sonic cycles exploring loss, isolation and anxiety.”
29 | Broken Fires | Dreamer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “South Wales band Dreamer return with an anthemic cut that heralds a fresh batch of material planned for release throughout 2021. Bearing all the hallmarks of classic Broken Fires whilst packing a beatific indie-rock punch akin to Dinosaur Jr, Manchester Orchestra or The Hold Steady, the new single from the Swansea trio finds them dreaming BIG. Dreamer is a sugar rush of short-and-sweet sonic thrills, and one that reflects on our own short-lived existences. Tom from Broken Fires explains: “Dreamer is a song about being allowed to dream and wanting to do something with your short time on Earth. It was inspired by this feeling that as we grow up, we tend to default to the mundane, normal and let’s be honest — boring. It seemed like a feeling that a lot of our friends were experiencing, that itch you get when you just don’t want to accept that this is it and you want to do something bigger, better, maybe even a little bit crazy and unrealistic with your life.”
30 | Beach Tiger | Where Do We Go From Here?
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alternative rock artist Beach Tiger shares the video for his latest single Where Do We Go From Here? It’s the forerunner of his upcoming album Yenta, which will be released on May 21. Once a collection of musicians, Beach Tiger has become a solo project for Atlanta’s Taylor McCleskey, now based in Greenville, S.C. His sound can be associated with the likes of Passion Pit, Real Estate and Imagine Dragons. Beach Tigers says: “On the surface, Where Do We Go From Here? tells the tale of a relationship on the rocks, but if you dig deeper, you’ll discover a few extra layers. For me, I have always chosen to live my life in a bit of a bubble — ignorance is bliss, if you will — but this year, both globally and personally, has forced me out of my ‘everything’s OK’ shell and shown me that the world is unpredictable, scary, crazy, exciting, and sometimes you have to walk THROUGH the fire rather than around it.”
31 | Void Kandy | Fixated
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Void Kandy is the mind child of one confused Ezra Klitsie. Void Kandy’s Hiding in the attic of a house in Frat Row, next to the University of Nevada in Reno, one man attempts to build a career on sound and color. Every album track is recorded, mixed, and mastered in the attic. Fixated evolves from spacey dreaminess into lush guitars and vocals reminiscent of Deerhunter. The track comes via Void Kandy’s recent Lost in Sound and Color album.”
32 | Aaron Toronto | You Make Me Smile
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “If you like Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Jason Mraz, Bruno Mars, The Beatles, Barenaked Ladies, Paul Simon, Sting or Elton John, you might like my music. It’s fun, melodious pop/rock and a whole lot of storytelling. I’ve fronted the bands Fenderhead, Damn Sexy Man, The Bliss and more. Over the years I’ve written hundreds of songs, including tunes for a musical once. And, I’m a troubadour at heart. Simply put, I sing! As honestly and passionately as I can. That is my gift to the musical world along with my songs.”
33 | Kælan Mikla | Sólstöður
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kælan Mikla exhibit artistic and musical growth with their new single Sólstöður. This is their first song since third album Nótt eftir nótt in 2018, and it’s been worth the wait. The track begins in a sombre register, with a beautiful melodic vocal eventually giving way to a darker side, complete with nightmarish screams, and a droning synth-backed chorus. The band write: “Sólstöður is an ode to the darkest night of the year, when witches summon winter spirits in the frozen vastness of Icelandic landscapes. The song represents the strength of unity, Kælan Mikla in its truest form, fueled by the power of harsh and raw nature.”
34 | Black Friars Social Club | Perdition’s Hill
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Black Friars Social Club show up early for judgment day with their cinematic single Perdition’s Hill. The Friars stumble out of their pandemic Friary to share this epic tale from beyond life’s veil. Sweeping pedal steel lines weave in and around the haunting vocals — a confession and eventually a prayer for redemption. With Perdition’s Hill, the Black Friars Social Club bring this Western gothic adventure to (after)life.”
35 | The Owen Guns | Out Of Time
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Aussie punk rock reprobates The Owen Guns have released their single and video Out of Time. It’s the second song from the upcoming EP 2: Electric Boogaloo and is a pummelling old-school rager spewing frustration at politicians who care more about profits than people. The guitar thrashes and wails, the bass and drums pound and the vocalist rants and raves at everything that annoys him. It’s an EP that shows the band in full flight. No prisoners taken, no fu**s given. It’s raw and raucous — just how punk should be.”
36 | The Vendettas | Guardians
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Melbourne hard rockers The Vendettas are back with Guardians. There’s nothing better than guitar-driven, hook-laden, straight-up rock ’n’ roll — and The Vendettas fit right into that category. They deliver their unique brand of straight-up rock with a bit of a twist. Guardians draws you in right from the onset with its crunchy guitar and thumping drum beat intro, before the bass and vocals come in and set it all off into full swing.”
