ViVii make your day, Drew Jodi gets lost, Stella and The Very Messed share their feelings, Hollow Bar of Gold spills the goods — and they’re not the only ones baring their souls in your Tuesday Roundup. Hope you’re a good listener:
16 | ViVii | One Day
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With their sophomore album Mondays arriving on May 21, Swedish dream-pop outfit ViVii have returned to unveil a beautifully sweet and sweeping live rendition of their vibrant single One Day. Stripping back much of the original’s bright and uplifting production, this new version of One Day showcases the wondrous sound within their songwriting. Recorded in the corridor just outside their recording studio, this intimate and tender performance creates a blissfully warm and entrancing texture, perfectly elevating the illuminative direction we can expect on their next full-length release. They say: “We were gonna record an acoustic session in our studio, but the door to our studio got jammed and we couldn’t get in. So we decided to record the song in our corridor instead. Limitations turn on the creativity sometimes.”
17 | Drew Jodi | Lost
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Off the back of his debut Coward — which saw him compared to artists such as James Blake and Bon Iver — Drew Jodi returns with new single Lost. The juxtaposition in tone between Lost and Coward is stark, yet lyrically both tracks centre on mental health and the theme of breathing. Jodi says :“I was finishing Lost around the same time I wrote Coward during the first lockdown last year. Both tracks were written in a stream of consciousness, with most of the lyrics coming out in one improv take. I only realised later that I was almost talking about the same thing from an alternate perspective. On bad days I’d pull up Coward, while on good days I’d pull up Lost.”
18 | Stella And The Very Messed | The Feeling
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Austin’s Stella And The Very Messed will release their latest EP Marigold May 7. Frontwoman Stella Maxwell says, “We were excited to create a song that combines an upbeat groove with sad lyrics. Think Stuck in the Middle With You but the lyrics are more Nothing Compares 2 U.”
19 | Hollow Bar Of Gold | Ink To Spill
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Americana / alt-rock band Ink to Spill’s single Hollow Bar of Gold tells a story about what happens when greed gets the best of a person. When he was growing up, lead songwriter Bob’s uncle took advantage of his father’s alcoholism and snuck his way back into his father’s will even though he was originally left out of the majority of the funds. The messy family drama proves that money can bring out the worst in people.”
20 | Schismopathic | Time Of History
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Polish grindcore act Schismopathic are back on the map with their first full-length since 1988! With 12 new songs recorded with two original members, The Human Legacy is old-school grindcore frenzy at its best. The album arrives on May 28, but today they unleash the video for Time Of History.”
21 | Sullen | The Mounder
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Portuguese prog metallers Sullen unveiled The Mounder, the final clip in a series of studio videos shot last summer. While the track appears on the band’s Post Human debut, released in 2015, it was captured live at Stone Sound Studio on Aug 9, 2020 after the Nodus Tollens – Act 1: Oblivion recording sessions and displays the band’s growth as performers. Comments drummer Marcelo Aires: “The Mounder tells the tale of a lost soul that has been consumed by darkness and toxicity, and its journey to be reborn again as a godlike figure, demolishing the old world in all its frailties and conventions, rebuilding it anew, becoming higher and stronger than all with a new sense of purpose.”
22 | Celtic Hills | Aliteratio
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Italian legendary speed/thrash metallers Celtic Hills have revealed the song Alliteratio, taken from their album Mystai Keltoy, coming out on May 15. Says frontman Jonathan Vanderbilt: “Alliteratio is a song written in Italian, thinking about the San Remo Italian Song Festival! The text uses the grammatical rule of alliteration resulting very poetic and melodic on the notes of the song. Inserting it on the record was a gamble, but it is very pleasing to the audience that listens to us.”
23 | Ludovico Technique | Becoming Numb
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ludovico Technique have just released the video for their single Becoming Numb. This is the fourth single released from their forthcoming album Haunted People. Bringing his dark mystique to goth industrial metal, Ben V- and Ludovico Technique showcase a thoughtful depth and complexity unmatched by many bands. Originally, the band drew inspiration from goth industrial bands such as Skinny Puppy — yet now Ludovico Technique have added glimpses of Type O Negative and Rob Zombie to their unique take on goth music.”
24 | Crowne | Perceval
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kings In The North is the debut album from Crowne, a new Swedish melodic hard rock group. The album is due June 18. Their third single and second video Perceval is out today. This is a melodic hard rock barnburner with enormous melodies, delivering rock ‘n’ roll like there is no tomorrow.”
25 | Wytch | You
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Swedish heavy rock unit Wytch unveil the third single from their debut album Exordium, which comes out May 21. Darkness-bound, catchy as can be, Exordium hits the bullseye from start to finish, with thick commanding riffs, a razor-sharp rhythm section and Johanna Lundberg’s sultry and fiery vocals wrapping the whole album like a fireball. About new single You, the band say: “The song is about society with all its norms and standards keeping you from being your true self. Everything is fine and dandy, as long as you fit the mould.”
26 | Fiddlehead | Down University
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Fiddlehead, the punk powerhouse featuring members of Have Heart, Basement and more, are releasing their second full-length Between The Richness on May 21. Today, the band have shared another early single, the anthemic Down University. Between The Richness finds Fiddlehead expanding on their dynamic blend of hardcore energy and undeniable melody, and crafting their most immediate set of songs to date. Every song on the album bursts with grit, massive hooks, and vocalist Pat Flynn’s deeply thoughtful and open-hearted lyrics, and Down University is no different. The song captures Fiddlehead’s knack for crafting sing-along-ready moments without losing an ounce of intensity.”
27 | Infamous Stiffs | Shakedown
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “SoCal punk rockers Infamous Stiffs are back with their single and video Shakedown. Frontman Scott Wilkins’ gravely vocals continue to coax and cajole you to participate in what Infamous Stiffs call “the dance craze for the crazies, and the true meaning of tooth-chipping music! Now grab your girl and go for a whirl.”
https://youtu.be/XQGlMZQ-lQc
28 | Neckscars | Jarring
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Neckscars are a new outfit from downstate New York that play a blend of rock and melodic punk with a gravelly vocal delivery. The band spent 2020 recording 10 fiery, anthemic tracks that make up their debut album, Don’t Panic, out June 18. Without any specific stylistic direction in mind, they were determined to write a diverse collection of songs which proved to be an enjoyable process. The result was a classic punk rock ’n’ roll sound that doesn’t lean too hard on nostalgia and standard formulas. You can hear influences ranging from Seaweed to Dead Boys as they embrace their unbridled enthusiasm. Your first glimpse into the album is a track titled Jarring, a fist-pumping number about improving your health.”
29 | Descendents | Baby Doncha Know
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Legendary punk band Descendents announce their upcoming album 9th & Walnut, due out July 23. Recorded in 2002, the original four-piece lineup — bassist Tony Lombardo, drummer Bill Stevenson, guitarist Frank Navetta (d. 2008) and vocalist Milo Aukerman — entered the studio to finally record the songs with which they first forged their genre-defining sound. Named for their Long Beach practice space back in the day, the 18-track collection features the band’s earliest material from 1977 through 1980. “Baby Doncha Know was maybe the fifth song we learned,” recalls Stevenson. “We would go out to 9th & Walnut every weekend and practice all day. I mainly just remember being in awe of how a kid my age, who goes to my high school could have written all these cool songs. Frank seemed to have a maturity beyond his years.”
30 | Only The Strong | Picking Up The Pieces
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Calgary pop-punk band Only The Strong released their single Picking Up The Pieces and its lyric video. While written about recovering from a toxic situation, this track shines bright with catchy lyrics, just enough 2000s angsty easycore harshness, and a bounce that screams pop-punk gold. Says singer Mason Brooks: “Picking Up The Pieces is about recovering from a toxic situation. I reached a point in my life where I realized that the people I cared deeply about did not feel the same way towards me and I had two choices. I could try and fight back against the people that were causing me pain knowing full well that it wouldn’t affect them, or I could say what I want to say, whether they listen or not, and walk away and take back the pieces of me that they stole.”
