Bandicoot get caught by the fuzz, Lucid Sins aim for the heavens, MC Yallah and Scotch Rolex double your pleasure, Slow Down Molasses haunt the streets — and if it’s Friday, that means it’s time for another gargantuan Weekend Roundup. Grab a seat and get ready to meet a few dozen of your new favourite artists.
1 | Bandicoot | Fuzzy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bandicoot’s description of their new single Fuzzy perfectly incapsulates its timeless, joyful energy: “Fuzzy is a deranged attempt at seduction which draws on ’70s Top of the Pops, glam rock and memories of misguided adolescence.” Following hot on the heels of the bands successful debut single Dark Too Long, Fuzzy shares your infatuation with the decade where you cycled to catch your dreams on your trusted chopper bike as glittered teenage anthems filled the airwaves. Bandicoot are Gene Vincent’s lustful, greasy-haired, leather-jacketed rebellion channelled through Marc Bolan and The New York Dolls’ infectious boogie. And since we gave the Welshmen the first word, let’s give them the last: “Fuzzy is a strutting statement of intent, fizzing with energy, rolling relentlessly on. It captures the energy that we’re bursting with, cooped up in our homes, awaiting the return to the stage. And a triumphant, ferocious return it will be.”
2 | Lucid Sins | Sun and The Moon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Scottish ’70s psych and prog rock goldsmiths Lucid Sins offer their gripping and philosophical video for Sun and the Moon, the second single from their album Cursed!, out May 3. Sun and the Moon deals with breaking away from the oppressive man-made idea that time is linear to embrace life as it should be. Multi-instrumentalist Ruaraidh Sanachan gives more insight: “We’ve both been active in the Scottish music scene for a long time, and have met some talented heads along the way. We love Steely Dan and really embraced their studio approach on Cursed!, inviting various shredders in and ruthlessly plundering their talent with vague demands until we got just what we wanted. Stuart Coleman in particular contributed some killer parts on his Hammond on new single Sun and the Moon. He really got what we were trying to do and some of his playing had me laughing my ass off with delight.”
3 | MC Yallah & Scotch Rolex | Omuzira
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Japan’s DJ Scotch Egg x Uganda’s MC Yallah have released their video single Omuzira, off Scotch Egg’s album debut as Scotch Rolex. MC Yallah is the veteran Ugandan rapper who has been spreading a message of integrity and motivation among local youth since late ’90s. Past Scotch Egg collaborations have been included King Midas Sound’s Kiki Hitomi (as WaqWaq Kingdom), electro-shoegaze pioneers Seefeel, avant-MC Sensational, Ove-Naxx, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Mike Paradinas, Bong-Ra and Gooooose.”
4 | Slow Down Molasses | Street Haunting
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Post-punk outfit Slow Down Molasses return with their first material in five years: The single Street Haunting. Hailing from Saskatoon, Slow Down Molasses have transformed through changes in roster into the group that appears before us today. Street Haunting captures the wild and anxious energy of their performances, manifesting the rigid rhythms of Gang of Four with the shrill-guitar-shrieking, orotund bass lines and biting riffs of Sonic Youth. Beneath the cacophony of electric fuzz, there is a perceptive and poetic lyricism that emits from band leader Tyson McShane. Taking some inspiration from Virginia Woolf’s essay of the same name, Street Haunting is a rumination of otherness and acknowledging the greatness of the next person. McShane says: “The song ruminates on the casual, but oft-underappreciated beauty of the urban environment and the predictability of a person’s daily tasks … A place sometimes overflowing with creative energy, but where it often necessary to remind oneself of the casual brilliance of one’s peers and the places we typically tend to haunt.”
5 | Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band | Dirty Hustlin’
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band just dropped the Dirty Hustlin’ video, from their new album Dance Songs for Hard Times. Says the Rev: “At the beginning of the pandemic, no one really knew how bad things might get. Financially we had been 100% shut down, so the situation was grim. When I met Breezy I was 19 years old, and involved in some less-than-legal business, and with panic on my brain during those early pandemic days, I looked her in the eyes and I said, ‘We ain’t losing nothing, you know I ain’t scared of dirty hustlin’.’ Luckily our fans kept me on the straight and narrow by supporting our live streams, and I ended up writing a song instead of working on an illegal side hustle.”
6 | The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer | Father’s Son Pt. 1
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Four years after the release of Apocalipstick, The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer are releasing Post Apocalipstick, which takes disparate elements from the record, puts them in a blender and spits out completely new interpretations. The thought process behind Post Apocalipstick was to create a remix record that didn’t sound like a remix record, but more of an out-of-the-box re-imagining. Many of the tracks reflect the desire to bring a more cinematic style drama to the songs, a sonic adventure with concept album-like flow. With classic psychedelic influences and more modern electronic influences, this record stretches well beyond the blues-rock idiom. The album is out May 7.”
7 | White Hills | Digital Trash
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Avant psych fuzz-rockers White Hills just released a video for their Andy Warhol-inspired song Digital Trash. It nods to the King of Pop Art’s renowned prediction that in the future, everybody would be famous for 15 minutes. Fast-forward to 2021 and now one can barely hope for 15 seconds of notoriety before drowning in a stream of endless content. The addiction of scrolling and relentless documentation have become passive replacements for some of the more iconic rock and roll habits of club culture. Digital Trash is from the band’s recent album Splintered Metal Sky.”
8 | 1st Base Runner | Break Even
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Austin indie electronic artist 1st Base Runner’s debut album Seven Years of Silence is out now. He recently travelled to Los Angeles to shoot an extremely powerful, cryptic video with director Matt Mahurin (Tom Waits’ Hell Broke Luce, Alice in Chains’ No Excuses, videos for Sturgill Simpson, Soundgarden, Metallica, Hole, etc).”
https://youtu.be/bOAZdjLETMc
9 | Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell | Deshta (Forever)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell, best known for their work as part of the legendary band Dead Can Dance, present Deshta (Forever), the second single from their forthcoming studio album Burn, due May 7. “Deshta recalls a dream of eternity, spinning fearlessly into the perpetual Light,” says Gerrard. Maxwell adds: “Deshta has a dark brooding quality. James Chapman’s production has helped draw out a raw earthiness to the piece and Michal Sosna’s accompanying video is brilliantly disquieting and human at the same time.”
10 | Sook-Yin Lee & Adam Litovitz | Wrecking Heart
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sook-Yin Lee just released Jooj Two, her album with late partner Adam Litovitz, along with a video for Wrecking Heart. Directed by Lee and Dylan Gamble, the video is an exploration of conflict, desire and freedom, set to a shivering electronic pulse. “When we were making the song Wrecking Heart, Adam and I looked at each other, blown away by this song that was like nothing we’d ever written,” Lee says. “It began with a supercharged sonic fragment he made that became the foundation of an unapologetic banger of a song that possessed and moved through us. We blasted it on the stereo, danced and air-guitared to it. Unconsciously, our lyrics seemed to telegraph our separation … Though separated, we remained best friends, holding out hope that we would make our way back to each other. But that was not to be. Adam is no longer here. I believe he exists on other planes, in those who love him, and in our music, in his music, drawings and writing.”
11 | Art d’Ecco | Desires
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The hits just keep coming for Art d’Ecco. The glam rocker is back with Desires, the latest track off his highly anticipated upcoming album In Standard Definition, out April 23. Musing on this latest track, Art explains, “Desires is about the entertainer at the end of their career — soon to be phased out by the next wave of rising talent, and shifting audience tastes. For the old guard, this spectre of change is a constant existential threat that will challenge their ability to keep up with the times and to remain relevant in this brutal industry of show business.”
12 | Sunday Riot Club | Where The Wild Things Are
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sunday Riot Club submit their video for Where The Wild Things Are. The followup to their single Light This City, the video was shot at Mavericks venue in Ottawa. SRC’s sound is a mix of many genres and influences such as The Cult, Guns N’ Roses, Billy Idol and many more.”
https://youtu.be/-OMqjBGhy9k
13 | AFI | Dulcería
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “AFI have shared Dulcería, a track from their upcomiing album Bodies, due June 11. The swaggering track — co-written by The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan — is accompanied by a video. “Dulcería suggests, if you spend too much time in the candy store you may end up stuck to the floor,” says vocalist Davey Havok. Adds guitarist Jade Puget: “Billy and I have a great creative connection when we’re writing together. It was inspiring to work with such a talented and legendary songwriter and Dulcería is a testament to that.“
14 | Douran | Inertia
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Multi-talented electronica producer and composer Douran releases his latest single Inertia, accompanied by a live video. The single precedes his upcoming EP Avalanche which will be released in spring. Inertia immediately marks itself as a driving force against inactivity as its quick build and atmospheric composition lead the listener into a world of possibilities. Douran shares: “While creating Inertia I intended to start with a structure and a fairly club type of beat, with organic sounds (marimba, flutes, violins, trombones, voices). In addition, the idea was to tweak these organic sounds as the song evolves so they get a more and more electronic feel so that the song ends on an electronic-orchestral grand finale.”
15 | Cal in Red | Zebra
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Zebra by Cal in Red is a looming, atmospheric, indie pop tune, and the latest single from brothers Connor and Kendall Wright. Throughout, listeners will hear Kendall’s falsetto pleading overtop bright guitars, groovy bass, and punchy drums. The choruses present the full spectrum of Cal in Red’s sound when soaring harmonies, strings, and fuzz come in to give listeners a reason to dance. Kendall had this to say, “As I’ve gotten older, the realization that I’m not the center of the universe has kind of hit me like a brick. A lot of people (myself included) grow into this belief that we’re the most important person on the planet, and that’s a dangerous, privileged spot to be in. Sure, a zebra is unique if you’re contrasting it to a horse but guess what, there are fields and fields full of zebras out there.”
16 | Wrthless | Dislike
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Glasgow’s Wrthless are a five-piece emo/pop punk band formed in 2018. The Scottish band are starting to find their feet within the U.K. scene and look to carry that momentum into 2021 with Dislike. Vocalist Jordan Daly says: “Dislike is one of the first songs we had written before COVID and it was also one of the first songs we had written with Connor (guitarist) after he joined the band. It has a lot more hard-hitting and personal themes that we don’t usually go into. It comes from a place of low self-esteem and just not caring about yourself. Waiting for opportunities to arise rather than going out to create them for yourself. This is something we feel everyone goes through a lot more than people care to admit.”
17 | Azu Tiwaline | Eyes of the Wind
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “One year after the release of her first project Draw Me a Silence, Azu Tiwaline comes back with a final chapter: Eyes of the Wind. This bonus track is made as an outro to conclude Draw Me a Silence (Extended) that unitess Part. I and Part. II in one final album, as it was initially intended by the artist. This ambient track goes with a contemplative video featuring Mellina Boubetra dancing with the warm wind of the Tunisian Djerid, directed by Azu Tiwaline herself.”
18 | Dohny Jep | Fade
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fade is the latest video from Kent alt-rockers Dohny Jep. They describe the video as a visual representation of the meaning behind the song. “We felt that it would be visually interesting to have paint plastered all over our faces throughout the video, so by the end of the song we aren’t recognisable. This symbolises how much people adapt and change themselves when they upload a new photo or update about themselves or their lives to social media. Rarely people show off who they truly are, not just physically but also their true personality.”
19 | Kiberspassk | See Bear
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In the long nights of the Siberian taiga, a band joined forces to reflect the coldness and darkness of their home in hard electro. it also inspired Kiberspassk to enrich Industrial with Russian folklore, creating a unique and angst-ridden sonic sound and perform a completely fresh, atmospheric, and exciting brand of industrial, as heard on their latest single and video See Bear, from the album of the same name. Frontwoman Baby Yaga says: “See Bear was one of the first songs written for this album and in general it was this song that helped me define the overall character and sound of the whole album. This is a song about my homeland, Siberia, a great and beautiful land that has retained its pristine beauty and grandeur, despite the active industrialization and the rather inattentive attitude towards it on the part of modern people.”
20 | Forty Foot | Zeros
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Taking notes from the ’90s grunge that defined their generation, Dublin trio Forty Foot’s new single Zeros is raw and interrupted. Mark Dillon (Guitar) and cousins Sam Coffey (Guitar/Vocals) and Ezra Mullen (Drums), created the band in 2019 following the sudden death of a friend and collaborator. Zeros is a pounding grunge anthem surrounding the group’s reactions to grief. The thundering drumbeats and dramatic vocals sweep you up entirely, mimicking the all-encompassing nature of loss, while creating colossal impact. “We were all in it together and it’s something me and Mark especially have had to deal with since,” tells vocalist Coffey. “So, holding on to whatever we can is more important than just getting through the day.”
21 | Sultans of String | Ojhri Camp (ft. Anwar Khurshid & Ravi Naimpally)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sultans of String release Ojhri Camp to coincide with the anniversary of a disaster that occurred at a military ammunition storage centre in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on April 10, 1988. The camp exploded, killing and injuring more than 1,300 people. Sultans of String collaborator Anwar Khurshid was working and living nearby, and tells his version of the tragedy, followed by the music it inspired. As Anwar recalls: “These were huge bombs, like some were like bigger than this room and they would just fly off and land within the city. They would cause havoc and huge destruction wherever they would fall.” The song was composed by Anwar, violinist and Sultans Of String bandleader Chris McKhool, and bandmates Kevin Laliberté, Drew Birston, and Rosendo “Chendy” Leon.”
22 | Osyron | Viper Queen
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Calgary’s Osyron reintroduce the past to the present with the re-release of their 2017 album Kingsbane in a deluxe edition on May 14. It will feature all original tracks from the 2017 full-length remixed and remastered. In the leadup, the band share the video for the remixed, remastered, and rewritten single Viper Queen. Osyron say: “Viper Queen had actually always felt like the “odd one” out on the album, especially stylistically. All of the other songs have sections that repeat from song to song, or motifs that reprise, and all the other songs have a section that acts as a part of the intro piece (From Ashes). Viper Queen never really fell into that same groove and was never considered as a single on the first release of Kingsbane. However, it immediately did well live. People absolutely loved the song, and even we felt that especially live it captured a certain energy that was maybe missed from the recorded performance.”
