The Go! Team sock it to you, Jef Maarawi take his cues from Bob, Chet Faker gets a wax job, J Smith turns tragedy into triumph, The Real Shade are waiting for good news — and given the way things are going lately, they could be waiting a while. But since we’re all cooling our heels, why not sample some great new tunes in your latest Weekend Roundup? What could it hurt?
36 | The Go! Team | Pow
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Go! Team’s new album Get Up Sequences Part One arrives on July 2. On the album, Ian, Ninja, Nia, Simone, Sam and Adam take you to a musical world distinctly of their own making. A place where routine is outlawed and perfection is the enemy. Where Ennio Morricone meets The Monkees armed with flutes, glockenspiels, steel drums and a bad-ass analogue attitude. We’re talking widescreen, four-track, channel-hopping sounds that are instantly recognisable. The new single Pow channels Curtis Mayfield and — enter stage centre — the inimitable Ninja in full flow. You don’t stop, you won’t stop to this flute-driven free for all.”
37 | Jef Maarawi | Terra Papagalli
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jef Maarawi, a singer-songwriter from Greece, Brazil and Syria, has released his long-awaited Terra Papagalli LP, along with a video for the title track. “Terra Papagalli is about Brazil, seen from a distance,” he says. “It’s a protest song made fragile by misguided irony. The music video is inspired by Bob Dylan, the mythos of popular culture, and a troubling sensation that no matter how convincing, the smoke and the mirrors, the Entertainment, the generously ample breeding grounds for our Brands, there’s always a growling coming from outside. There’s just something not right.”
38 | Chet Faker | Whatever Tomorrow (Soulwax Remix)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After a year of uncertainty, Nick Murphy addresses the future’s ambivalence head-on with his highly acclaimed single Whatever Tomorrow. In support on the emphatic return of the Chet Faker project comes a remix of the highest calibre. Soulwax take hold of Whatever Tomorrow and run it into a downtempo exploration. Murphy says: “I think I like it better than mine.” Soulwax counter: “We agree, we think our version is better ;).”
39 | J Smith | In The Death Of Something Beautiful
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In The Death Of Something Beautiful is the third single from J Smith’s debut album (…) And you chose not to laugh. It speaks of a tragedy faced by Smith and his wife, who suffered a pregnancy loss in 2018. The singer states, “It’s something so many people face, with 1 in 4 pregnancies resulting in miscarriage. I learned of this after the fact. At the time, I thought I knew nobody who had gone through it, but friends and family came out and shared their stories. All of a sudden we didn’t feel so alone. I hope that’s what this song does for people.”
40 | The Real Shade | Waiting For Good News
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Real Shade (previously Shade) is a Toronto indie-pop band fronted by Vancouver musician/songwriter Jane Gowan (Spygirl, Belinda Bruce, Neins Circa). They are known for their no-nonsense style, sweet harmonies, and well-crafted songs. Featuring the lead vocals of long-time collaborator, producer and bandmate Tim Vesely (Rheostatics), Waiting For Good News is a tribute to love, family, friendship and loss. Inspired by the Miriam Toews novel All My Puny Sorrows, the song pays tribute to the bond between the novel’s characters. Waiting for Good News also reflects how most of us are feeling right now, in the midst of a global pandemic.”
41 | Neumatic Parlo | Lake Perris State Recreation Area
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Right in time for the release of their new EP Random Toaster, your favorite five neo-psychers Neumatic Parlo are here to thrill you with another gem of a single and video: Lake Perris State Recreation Area.”
42 | Horsey | Seahorse (ft. King Krule)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “South London’s unclassifiable four-piece curio Horsey have announced their debut LP Debonair and released the single Seahorse, which features the band’s long-time friend Archy Marshall (aka King Krule) on vocals. Seahorse marks the first piece of new original material from King Krule since his 2020 album Man Alive, which featured Horsey’s own George Bass on drums.”
43 | Jaws | Untitled
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jaws unveil a previously unheard and currently Untitled track recorded during sessions for their latest album The Ceiling. Frontman Connor Schofield explains the song “just didn’t make the final track listing. It’s a track I’ve always loved, it reminds me a lot of our earlier stuff and I guess it’s a nod to that.”
44 | Sean Hassard | Lemonade
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “At 20, gritty, soulful singer-songwriter Sean Hassard moved to Montreal, where his artistry blossomed as he found the voice that defines his unique style of singing and lyricism. His new single Lemonade is about unrequited love. The emotional weight of falling for someone, who despite admitting feeling deeply about you, purposefully distances themself out of the fear of heartbreak. The message echoed in the chorus — you’ve got none if you give all that you’ve got — puts an interesting twist on the old adage of giving it your all.”
45 | Signal Hill | Celadon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Instrumental rock band Signal Hill announce the forthcoming collection The EPs (Expanded and Remastered), out July 9. Today the band share the advance single Celadon. The EPs (Expanded and Remastered) combines the band’s highly acclaimed debut release Self Titled EP with the Distance EP release, and adds a collection of rare B-sides. Tracks on The EPs feature meticulously updated mixes by Kevin Dye (of the band Gates) and were remastered by award-winning engineer Dax Liniere at Puzzle Factory Sound Studios (London, UK).”
46 | Corbu & Jimi Goodwin | Lost & Found
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brooklyn dream-psych duo Corbu have teamed up with Doves frontman Jimi Goodwin to create Lost & Found, which they share today alongside a video. The track is an upbeat, danceable slice of electronic indie pop, produced by Goodwin as a dubbed-out, reggae-tinged trip to the sun. It serves as the lead for Corbu’s upcoming Lost & Found EP, out June 4, which features the song reimagined in four different ways. Lyrically, Lost & Found was inspired by Jonathan Graves of Corbu’s troubled youth. He states: “I wrote the chorus to myself, based on my experience of being adopted at four months old. I was kind of messed up and couldn’t calm myself down, and I realized a lot of it had to do with the first four months of my life. Your brain is still forming, and it’s an eternity for a baby when you don’t have anyone to connect with. I think the song applies to everyone, to some extent — you have to learn to be your own parent and be your own friend.”
47 | Charity Children | Kills Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Berlin alt-pop duo Charity Children share their new single/video Kills Me. This is the second preview of their third album Almost Young, dropping in summer. Kills Me is a gorgeous and heartbreaking plea to a friend in trouble. Written as a last resort for a deeply depressed friend, the single sounds like a forgotten ’70s piano-based classic whose enchanting melody and poignant lyrics encourage the listener to reach out and call someone they care about.”
48 | Talking Violet | Superego
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Talking Violet have spent the last three years perfecting their ability to create music that transports the listener to a sonic dreamland. The Ontario quartet meld the best elements of shoegaze, grunge, alternative rock and dream-pop into a sound that is equal parts an homage to the greats of each genre and an original statement that highlights the bands mature approach to songwriting. Superego features guitarist Jay Turnbull stepping up as lead vocalist. ’90s alternative is a clear influence — you’ll hear shades of Smashing Pumpkins, Swervedriver and My Bloody Valentine throughout. The production on the track is huge, maximizing the band’s ability to create a lush wall of sound without losing any of the intensity or edge of their punk roots. Fans of modern acts like Citizen, Title Fight and Tigers Jaw will all find something to love on this song, while discovering a group with a sound very much their own.”
49 | Glass Dove | Just A Conversation
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The tinier the pieces, the bigger the puzzle. As if sonically gluing together a mosaic, Nashville’s Glass Dove assemble sweeping alternative pop anthems D.I.Y. from shards of live guitar, MIDI, and synths. Those pieces also mirror two distinct halves of founder Josh Benus’s personality. Combining artistic seriousness with clever intuition, the lifelong musician will dissect a turning point in his life by sharing a granular detail — whether he likens old friends to “a pack of cigarettes we smoked just yesterday” or compares arguments to “long-winded games of chess that you never win.” In 2021, the vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer explores the push and pull of personal and universal dichotomies on his independent full-length debut Half Life Wilderness. Just A Conversation, a garage-rock synth-fueled track, details the back and forth of fighting and arguing that can become exhausting and unproductive.”
50 | Gabriella Smith / Gabriel Cabezas | Bard of a Wasteland
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bard Of A Wasteland comes from Lost Coast, the debut album from Gabriella Smith and Gabriel Cabezas. “I spent November 2019 in my childhood home in the San Francisco Bay Area, wildfires raging like they never had during the years I spent growing up there. I remember pacing around my room one particularly smoky night in sadness, frustration, and anger, not knowing where my future lay — or if I even had one. Furiously jotting down lyrics and recording melodic fragments on my voice memo app, Bard of a Wasteland began to take shape. As the only track with lyrics, I began to see it almost like a prologue or the album’s self-contained liner notes. It sets the scene for the rest of the album, whose remaining tracks are a wordless, raw emotional expression of the grief, loss, rage, fear, and hopelessness experienced as a result of climate change — as well as the joy, beauty, and wonder I have felt in the world’s last wild places.”
51 | Busty & The Bass | Time Don’t Make Me A Stranger
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Last year, the octet of Nick Ferraro (vocals, alto sax), Evan Crofton aka Alistair Blu (vocals, keys, synths), Scott Bevins (trumpet), Chris Vincent (trombone), Louis Stein (guitar), Milo Johnson (bass), Eric Haynes (keys, piano) and Julian Trivers (drums) recorded their acclaimed new record Eddie over three uninterrupted weeks in Montreal with Grammy-nominated producer and sonic guide Neal Pogue (Tyler The Creator, OutKast, Anderson .Paak).Today, the group announce the upcoming release of the instrumental version of Eddie, out June 11. “We wanted to give our audience a moment to just sit with the music,” says Vincent. “Being such a large ensemble, every instrument and note you hear was carefully crafted and cared for, and by sharing the instrumental version with you, we feel we get to bring you one step closer into our world, and let each part of the dish speak for itself.”
