Andrew W.K. raises a holy racket, Tooth and Claw do the math, Stöner come up empty, Highway Queen give you a warning — but there’s no danger ahead in your Thursday Roundup. Trust me:
20 | Andrew W.K. | I’m In Heaven
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hark, disciples of partying — the long wait is finally over! Andrew W.K. announces the impending release of the iconic party bod’s fifth studio rock album God Is Partying. The long-awaited nine-track opus of maximalist rock grandeur is set for release on Sept. 10. Emotive yet steadfast, ominous yet invigorating, God Is Partying embraces both the breakups and breakdowns of life, and Andrew W.K. once again provides his audience with the perfect soundtrack to celebrate life in all its perplexing and euphoric intensity. Today, audiences can experience another early serving from the album, in the form of Andrew W.K.’s latest single, the structurally unconventional and atmospherically unnerving, I’m In Heaven, alongside an equally idiosyncratic video. I’m In Heaven offers a refreshingly dissonant and weighty dose of what’s to come on God Is Partying.”
21 | Tooth and Claw | Seventy Times Seven
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Metallic hardcore group Tooth and Claw shared their haunting single Seventy Times Seven, taken from the band’s upcoming debut full-length Dream of Ascension, out May 21. Vocalist Daniel Austin says: “So Scott sends me the song and warns me there is a spooky clean part in it, and I laughed, but I immediately thought I have to do something different here, that there was a lot of potential in this song to strike some deep, uncomfortable chords in myself, and listeners, too. I didn’t think it would be appropriate to scream over the clean part. I don’t consider myself someone with a knack for singing (to speak of myself kindly), so I tried to channel my inner Leonard Cohen. I figured if I could hold two notes like Leonard while delivering some hard-hitting, heavy lyrics, I might be able to make this work!”
22 | Stöner | Nothin’
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Are you ready to groove? With their new project Stöner, Brant Bjork, Nick Oliveri and Ryan Güt are all set to make those hips sway with new single Nothin’, the first track from their debut album Stoners Rule, due out June 25. The sound is mellow, yet these are the same guys who created the legend of Kyuss as well as the desert and stoner-rock movements, which are alive now more than ever. Stoners Rule is a celebration of the sound of the desert, the perfect soundtrack for a ride across the dusty roads of the Mojave Desert where it has all begun.”
23 | Highway Queen | You Better Run
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Finnish melodic hard rock band Highway Queen released the new single You Better Run. Guitarist Teemu Kääriäinen comments: “You Better Run is a melodic rock song. It has a mystic and melodic verse, but the song has a strong and powerful chorus. The solo part has a real groove in it. The song has a darker sound than our previous song Hellfire. We love old-school music. Besides ’80s metal you can hear influences from Pink Floyd, The Doors and southern rock.”
24 | The Last Martyr | Hindsight
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Melbourne heavy outfit The Last Martyr have released the video for their song Hindsight. An early demo of Hindsight was written by newcomer to the band Ricky Andres (bass), bringing a modern electronic and nu-metal influence to TLM’s heavy rock sound. The lyrics were largely downloaded straight to paper in the studio as vocalist Monica processed a friendship breakdown. Hindsight is The Last Martyr’s first single since releasing Like A Ghost in late 2019.”
25 | Invicta | The Hellion / Electric Eye
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kitchener metal band Invicta teamed up with some friends to cover Electric Eye by Judas Priest. The song is from the upcoming Kitchener-Waterloo Metal Cover Compilation, which will be released on streaming platforms tomorrow. Jonah Kay of Invicta commented “We are definitely excited to be releasing this cover. Not only is it a great classic metal song but the lyrics hit home more now then when the song was released! I’m really happy with how it turned out considering it was the most ambitious recordings I’ve ever done, including five vocalists and five lead guitar parts. Be sure to check out the video so you can see who is performing each part.”
26 | Rise Against | The Numbers
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On the heels of May Day, coupled with sample of the (Russian translated) French anthem L’Internationale, Rise Against release The Numbers, the leadoff track from the band’s upcoming album Nowhere Generation, due out June 4. Accompanying the release is a defiant visual encapsulating the spirit of L’Internationale, a song that has been an anthem for working people since the late 19th century. The visual for The Numbers was conceived and directed by Indecline, the American activist collective comprised of graffiti writers, filmmakers, photographers, full-time rebels, and activists. Indecline’s projects focus on social, ecological and economical injustices carried out by International governments, corporations, and law enforcement agencies.”
27 | Misgivings | Loyal Souls
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Misgivings have decided to celebrate their 10th anniversary by releasing Dream Neighbour, an album that is deeply reflective and has added poignancy due to the pandemic. Frontman Will Pearce says “Loyal Souls is a tribute to that camaraderie of having a great, fresh, new idea, or project to work on and the commitment to sharing that moment again and again, but also the inevitable sadness that it may not last forever. It’s inspired by that idea in bands that you might bond over the music more than you bond with each other.”
28 | Calling All Captains | Tailspin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Originating from small towns outside of Edmonton, pop-punk/post-hardcore band Calling All Captains just shared their new song Tailspin. The band’s unique sound allows them to dip their toes in both the pop-punk and post-hardcore realms using poppy instrumental elements with a punk-like, aggressive vocal style. Tailspin is an energetic and emotional track that highlights the seamless collaboration of all of the members.”
29 | Kenny Mason | Strays 02
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kenny Mason, one of Atlanta’s most promising and talented new rappers, has just released Strays 02, a 12-minute live performance video featuring back-to-back verses from his recent project Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut. The visual is a one-of-one performance recorded in a single take, unedited and uncut, featuring some of Kenny’s hardest-hitting bars and rapid-fire verses. The title Strays has the implied double meaning of stray verses from his recent project as well as stray dogs, a common theme within the Angelic Hoodrat universe.”
30 | Trey Twizz | Nobody Knows (ft. Lil Zay Osama)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “From the bottom to the top, that is the path that East coast rapper Trey Twizz is focused on. Today he released the video for his new single Nobody Knows featuring Lil Zay Osama. The song finds both artists reflecting on life’s uncertainty, but the vivacious video directed by Picture Perfect captures their mutual respect and admiration for one another. Says Trey Twizz: “This track is about growing up in my community, how we didn’t have anything and became products of our environment. There ain’t no hoop dreams, no lawyers — we’re in the streets and this path was chosen for us.”
https://youtu.be/duMyUoqDlcQ
31 | Azure Ray | Bad Dream
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Azure Ray are excited to present the video for Bad Dream, the latest preview from their album Remedy, out June 18. The video features appearances by friends Tim Kasher, Ben Lee, Nik Freitas, Josh Radnor, Morgan Nagler of Whispertown, Nick White and more dancing to the band’s single. The band say: “Bad Dream is our summer jam. It is more of an exhale; a drive with the windows down song. All of the songs on Remedy were written during the pandemic, so they all have elements of the struggles we faced this past year. Bad Dream combines these anxieties but traces them through our past, questioning how our subconscious state of mind dictates our decisions.”
32 | Debra-Jean Creelman | Muse Needs A Wife
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Debra-Jean Creelman has figured out her own perfect recipe for music. “When I’m giving voice to my vulnerability, that’s when the magic arrives,” she says. “I’ve been re-learning how to trust my instincts, and so far I’m being shown that they’re good.” On Threshold, her newest album out July 16, Debra-Jean has surrounded herself with a supportive cast of creatives who make her feel her most free. Today, Creelman shares the first single Muse Needs A Wife, which finds her questioning whether or not she’s meant to live a conventional life. Can she remain her most powerful self within a domestic partnership, or is she someone who’s meant to live for their art? “I have yet to answer that question,” she explains. “It feels like there’s a ’50s housewife and a road-dog warring it out inside of me.”
33 | Adna | November
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Following on from the release of her 2017 full-length Closure, Swedish-born but Berlin-based singer-songwriter Adna has returned to deliver November. Much like her work to date, November looks to capture a warm and sensual aesthetic throughout with its rich and uplifting tones. Blending a smooth and tranquil atmosphere with her own otherworldly voice gives this return a unique and powerful edge that very few come close to generating. She said, “It’s really just a song about why the process of accepting love can be a bit difficult sometimes.”
34 | Alyson McNamara | Waiting
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With one month to go before Alyson McNamara releases her third LP Let Me Sleep, the acclaimed songwriter is sharing the video for the album’s second track Waiting. The song “really sits in that feeling of being alone that we’ve all experienced,” says McNamara. “It’s about wanting someone you can’t have and being haunted by their misleading presence. The verses of this song came so easily, as they are fairly observational, but I was stuck on the chorus for months. I kept coming back to it, and finally in the studio I realized what I wanted to say, and it was really cathartic. This song is about coming to a place of bittersweet acceptance and moving on.”
35 | Elunia | Pressure Points
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “When reality became too much, Elunia created an alternative existence. A singer-songwriter-producer executing all of her own visuals, the New Hampshire artist captures the endless meaning of human interaction as an immersive experience. Her music delves beneath the surface, with striking electronic textures, soaring melodies, and observant, probing lyrics. Her latest release Pressure Points speaks of idolizing someone through a struggle with mental health and the fear of losing them. Elunia describes, “It’s not like someone is outright saving you, but more that they’re just existing in the right places and the right ways, and it’s really subtle, but that makes it all the more powerful.”
36 | Pennies By The Pound | Indigo Screams
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Finnish indie-rockers Pennies By The Pound will release their album Heat Death of the Universe on May 21. Ahead of this, they present Indigo Screams, along with a lyric video. Mastered by Ride frontman Mark Gardener at his OX4Sound Studio near Oxford, this long-player was produced, recorded and mixed by Rauli ‘Rake’ Eskolin. Says Johannes Susitaival: “Lyrically, there is a loose theme on the album about the way people continue to actually socially distance themselves from others (even without or before the pandemic) due to the influence of social media and maybe the internet in general. The album title is a nod to that, the ‘heat death of the universe’ being the lack of and eventual end of real-life social connections between people.”
37 | Modern Modern Life | How Ya Been?
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Written during the first lockdown in 2020, How Ya Been? is the third track to drop from London producer Modern Modern Life’s debut EP Hard Copy. “For me it encapsulates the feeling of missing someone you care deeply for and not being able to see them, set against the craziness of the world at the time,” the artist muses. Modern Modern Life is the moniker of multi-disciplinary artist Frank Colucci. With nods to Maribou State, Caribou and Bonobo, he has found himself with a body of work that needs its own room to breathe. Tracks that don’t quite sit with the artists he works with, he had the tools to develop his own sound and put them together to form a new identity. “It’s the first and only thing where I can be completely self-indulgent.”
38 | Yoke Lore | Seeds
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn’s Yoke Lore present his new single Seeds, which can be heard in the film Pink Skies Ahead premiering May 14 in Canada. The Kelly Oxford film sheds light on the challenges of living with anxiety. Seeds evokes an exploratory voyage inward and reflects the themes presented throughout the film. Yoke Lore’s Adrian Galvin says, “Seeds is about trying to love someone who is going through a crisis.” He adds, “It’s about the struggle of trying to be there for someone who can’t be there for themselves and how that makes love complicated.”
