Orla Gartland battles an emotional apocalypse, Yola shows off her fancy kicks, For Those I Love offers three for the show, The Escape flex their muscles — and they’re not the only ones showing off in your Thursday Roundup. For some reason, a lot of bands are dishing up two, three or even six songs at a time today. I guess some folks are a little starved for attention.
1 | Orla Gartland | Zombie!
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter-producer Orla Gartland has shared the video for her single Zombie! The cinematic clip sees Orla collecting the tears of zombies — the men she sings about who are repressing their emotions. Orla shares: “The song is about the frustration of being with someone who can’t express their emotions, someone who suppresses everything they feel until one day it all comes to the surface; absolute chaos. In this video I’m a self-appointed Zombie Rescue Ranger, roaming through a quaint English town collecting the (rare) tears of zombie boys — and in a quest to save rounding the zombies up to set them free. Yeah, weird.”
2 | Yola | Diamond Studded Shoes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Yola announced her new album Stand For Myself will be released on July 30. Produced by Dan Auerbach, the album is a sonic shift from her debut album, with a diverse mix of symphonic soul and classic pop, tracing a musical thread to Yola’s most eclectic musical inspirations. Yola stated: “(Diamond Studded Shoes) explores the false divides created to distract us from those few who are in charge of the majority of the world’s wealth and use the divide-and-conquer tactic to keep it. This song calls on us to unite and turn our focus to those with a stranglehold on humanity. The video is in part inspired by The Truman Show and is about being trapped in a false construct. It is supposedly perfect, but you’re trapped in a life that wasn’t meant for you. I wanted to convey the feeling that everything you know to be true is not quite working the way it’s supposed to. The island at the end is a paradigm of mental conditioning — we are all trapped on an island of our own thinking until we change it.”
3-5 | For Those I Love | Holy Trinity: I Have A Love + The Myth / I Don’t + You Live / No One Like You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For Those I Love, the brainchild of Dublin producer and songwriter David Balfe, released his debut album last month.Today, he follows up with a poignant film directed by award-winning Irish director Hugh Mulhern. The 17-minute piece contains both a narrative storyline as well as live performances from David and was shot at the home of Shelbourne FC, Tolka Park. Referenced throughout the album and enshrined on its cover art, the club has played an integral role in the For Those I Love story. The film speaks great truths of friendships, hurt and grief, the power of empathy and community in times of loss, and sees David perform three of the most personal pieces from the record — its beating heart I Have A Love, the searching The Myth / I Don’t and the penultimate track You Live / No One Like You.”
6 | The Escape | Flex
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “South London duo The Escape bring attitude and feel-good vibes in their first offering of the year Flex, following a string of collaborations with fellow Croydoner Sour Sync, Jay Picasso and Ray Stylie. Boasting fiery horns, synths, and vocals that get straight down to business, the track inspires you to put yourself first, cut out all the bullshit, and take control of your own story. “The real flex for us is doing what makes you happy and being true to yourself, regardless of what others think. More time people end up flexing to impress others but they’re miserable themselves … Make life what you want it to be. Have some fun!”
7 | Dree Leer | You Too
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With a few cymbal hits, Want It All — the searing leadoff track from Dree Leer’s debut record Throw Hands — dives headfirst into a dirge of heavily distorted guitars before increasing to a punk-tinged rocker of breakneck speed featuring hauntingly melodic vocals and lyrics about desiring more and not settling for less. Formed in Birmingham, AL by vocalist/guitarist Jackie Lo along, Mandy Graffeo (bass) and Mikey D (drums), Dree Leer deliver an unhinged, heavy alternative pop sound that pays homage to the familiar sounds of the ’90s guitar rock behemoths, but also forges its own path by injecting its songs with relevant social commentary and themes of women empowerment. “Dree Leer was one of my online names going back to ’95,” Lo explained. “Leer means a look or a gaze and Dree is a word that means ‘to endure something unwanted or painful.’ It speaks to what women have to endure on a regular basis. A lot of the songs are pro women having a voice and speaking out and being strong and powerful.”
8 | Totally Slow | Found Factions
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In punk, a genre that prizes burning fast and bright, it can be rare for a band to make it to their third album. Greensboro, N.C.’s Totally Slow have arrived at theirs with renewed energy, a revamped lineup, and an inspired, collaborative songwriting process, resulting in Casual Drag, their sharpest collection of melodic hardcore anthems yet. On its 10 streamlined songs, you’ll hear razor sharp, no-frills melodic hardcore, with angry lyrics that show how the personal is inseparable from the political when the country is on the brink of chaos. For this bracing album, Totally Slow has combined the melodic anthems of 1980s SoCal bands like The Adolescents, Agent Orange and The Faction, with the skewed rawk of ‘90s San Diego bands Drive Like Jehu and Truman’s Water, and the righteous conviction of classic DC hardcore like Dag Nasty, Gray Matter and Fugazi. Not only do Totally Slow burn bright on Casual Drag, they also feed the fire.”
9-14 | Gunslingers | Live In Boston: King Yaya’ s Forty Guns + Stub Of Fortune + Into The Garage + An Eye For A Knife + Condor’s Radiant Spawn + Lighter Slinger Festival
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With their insane combination of proto-punk, garage, psych-rock, Link Wray-ism and Sister Ray-ism, free rock, no wave, space-rock and avant rock, Gunslingers’ approach encompassed as many aspects of rock genealogy as there are reasons to rightfully label the band’s style totally unique and totally its own thing. The synthesis they could release sounds like a wild starved beast howling about being deprived of light for decades. The 2010 video Live In Boston provides further evidence of Gunslingers’ feral power. The subtle frenzy, the magic of the luminous tone inherent in this music, acted as a magnetizing talisman. The band split up in 2012, after seven years of existence pushing boundaries.”
15 | Smerz | Remember
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Smerz share Remember, a hidden track from the physical version of their recent debut album Believer. Out digitally for the first time today, the track is accompanied with a live video from their 2020 Ultima Festival presentation. Remember is a breakup ballad marked with the signature Smerz amalgam production. This time the duo combine R&B and hymn-like vocal iterations. The result is a beautiful song about carrying the memories of your past relationships with you into the future. “Remember is about remembering a past relationship. It’s about trying to carry your past with you into the future, to make it feel like it really happened. A life is arguably a collection of everything you’ve experienced, but sometimes it feels like the present drowns out everything that’s been. That could be a good thing, we’re not sure.”
16 | BSÍ | Vesturbæjar Beach
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In celebration of Sumardagurinn fyrst — the first day of summer in the old Icelandic calendar — Reykjavík’s weird-lofi-cute-pop-punk-surf-riot-indie duo BSÍ release their single Vesturbæjar Beach. Despite the fact that this day often actually resembles a return of winter, accompanied by snowfall and sub-zero temperatures; BSÍ claim that it’s never too early for a summer tune and a decent beach party. The video captures their freezing summer party on roundabouts, grey concrete and the town hall’s dirty pond. Starting off at the infamous BSÍ bus terminal, the song and video are a homage to Vesturbær, a neighbourhood in the west of Reykjavík. Vesturbær is also home to BSÍ’s studio, which is named after the new song.”
17-19 | Jack Dalton & The Cactus Boys | ¡Ten Cuidado¡ + Keephot Scooter Box + New Song
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jack Dalton & The Cactus Boys are back with a new live version of their recent single ¡Ten Cuidado¡, plus the previously unreleased track Keephot Scooter Box, from their upcoming debut EP Milkshake Robbery, out next week. The band from Kiel also play one new song that won’t be on the upcoming EP.”
20 | Loose Cattle | Aunt Avis
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “New Orleans / N.Y.C. Americana band Loose Cattle — formed by Michael Cerveris and Kimberly Kaye — announced their debut album Heavy Lifting (out June 4) with a haunting cover of Vic Chesnutt’s Aunt Avis. As Michael explains: “In the past year, the question of how to continue when you’re not sure how or why you should seems pretty damn vital.” Also a sideman for Bob Mould, he’s shared stages with Pete Townshend, The Breeders, Frank Black, Teenage Fanclub, starred in films with Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, James Gandolfini and John C. Reilly, plus Broadway shows from The Who’s Tommy to Sweeney Todd. Loose Cattle have played everywhere from Lincoln Center to Jazz Fest and NPR’s Mountain Stage.”
21 | IceBeatChillz | Bad and Naughty (ft. Terri)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nigerian artist and producer IceBeatChillz premieres the video for his single Bad & Naughty. IceBeatChillz defines the new genre-bending sound of today: A multifaceted musician Ice is also a self-taught instrumentalist who layers up an Afro base with the sounds of different cultures. IceBeatChillz said, “The energy and tempo of Bad and Naughty feels like summer, but it’s originally about illusive love, so the video indirectly tells that story. You’re watching fun and fireworks, fashion and beauty, but details like the undershot scenes and fireworks pay homage to Alex Prager, a really dope photographer that’s known for artistic illusions. That’s why the little boy is watching this life on TV. It’s all in the details and red herrings. I’m happy how it all came together, so I hope you like it too!”
22 | Neon Empty | Red Lives Don’t
THE EDITED SINGER-SONGWRITER: “Nearly a year in the making, Vancouver rapper Neon Empty’s single Red Lives Don’t is an expression of frustration and disgust with white Canada’s hypocrisy about racial inequality. Neon (aka Bryce Lokken) explains: “In the summer of 2020, it seemed like nearly all Canadians became really excited about ending racism in Canada as a result of George Floyd’s murder and the BLM movement … But as the grandson of a residential school survivor who still feels the effects of colonialism and Canada’s genocide of my people, I found it hard to believe Canada really cared about racism. It felt like they cared about being seen participating. That opinion was solidified when Rodney Levi was murdered 18 days after George Floyd at the hands of the RCMP. No marches. No petitions. No justice. Nobody cares. This song is a callout to Canada’s hypocrisy. You can’t tackle systemic racism in Canada without addressing our deepest-rooted, bloodiest, most vulgar problem: the hatred of Indigenous people and our constant attempt to silence, destroy, and minimize those who look like my grandmother. Where is Rodney Levi’s rally, Canada?”
23 | Jesse Markin | Exodus (ft. Akua Naru)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hailing all the way from Viljakkala — a small all-white community village — Finnish artist Jesse Markin is no stranger to feeling isolated. Having spent many years in the face of hardship, Markin channels his tenacity and perseverance when the odds are stacked against you in latest offering, Exodus. Joined by the outstanding global poet Akua Naru, the track is vehement in its soaring vocals and untouchable rap verse, now accompanied by a sensuous yet noetic visual.”
24 | Los Disidentes Del Sucio Motel | Alpha Ursæ Minoris
THE EDITED SINGER-SONGWRITER: “French heavy rockers Los Disidentes Del Sucio Motel have just revealed a video for Alpha Ursæ Minoris, a song off the band’s critically acclaimed fourth album Polaris, released this month. The video was directed by Ben Auer.”
