Gloo ride back onto the scene, Clustersun clown around, We Hate You Please Die say hello to Barney, Craneium have a secret hiding place, Sweet Teeth cope with acid rain — and since it’s Friday, that means you’re in for a deluge of new music in your latest Weekend Roundup. Let the mayhem and carnage begin:
1 | Gloo | Ride
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “British indie-rockers Gloo have announced How Not To Be Happy — “10 new tracks of escapism that reflect the drudgery of the everyday but seek to shrug it off over the course of a 30-minute blur of post-grunge and punk rock, due out Aug. 27.” Their new single Ride is out today. In the words of singer Thomas: “It couldnʼt be better timing for this song to finally come out. Lockdown is coming to an end, summer is almost here and everyoneʼs ready to get outside again, skate, get fucked up, dance and … Ride!”
2 | Clustersun | Barricades
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “To celebrate the release of their new album Avalanche, Italy’s heavy psych trio Clustersun just premiered the video for Barricades, possibly the most devilish, angular and disturbing from the tracklisting. “How can you cope with a love gone astray?” This is the recurring, paranoid obsession translated into boulders of acid reverb and schizoid drumming, miming the total burnout of a no-way-out and no-way-back emotional setting. The spooky video is not for the faint at heart. The schizoid clown with the red balloon chasing a group of kids — a due homage to It‘s Pennywise — will pop up in your nightmares as a lysergic hallucination.”
3 | We Hate You Please Die | Barney
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “We Hate You Please Die just released a new single from their upcoming second album Can’t Wait To Be Fine. Barney is available today along with a new animated video!”
4 | Craneium | A Secret Garden
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Craneium have dropped A Secret Garden, the first single from their upcoming album. Hailing from Finland, Craneium offer a dynamic take on desert rock, blending dreamy and psychedelic soundscapes with super-thick, heavy riffin’. You probably recognize this four-headed fuzz-machine from gigs together with Mars Red Sky or Skraeckoedlan, appearances at Krökbacken and Skeneraator Festival, or from the two fantastic albums they released back in 2016 and 2018.”
5 | Sweet Teeth | Acid Rain
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sweeth Teeth are releasing the single Acid Rain from their upcoming debut EP of the same name. Sweet Teeth offer the perfect blend of catchy, punky, fuzzy power-pop and alternative rock. You’ll probably recognize many of the faces in this band from other splendid acts such as The Deadbeats, Disfear, Dollhouse, Year Of The Goat, Tortyr and The Dontcares.”
6 | La Fleur Fatale | Skydancer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “La Fleur Fatale are releasing their new single Skydancer to celebrate the 10th anniversary of La Fleur Fatale’s 2011 documentary Share the Love. The doc, filmed during a mini-tour in New York, was premiered at a theater in Linköping, Sweden, in May 2011.”
7 | Talk Show Host | Warmest Condolences
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto punks Talk Show Host release Warmest Condolences, the third and final single from their debut LP Mid-Century Modern, out June 4. On the new record, the band declare their love for ‘90s punk, larger-than-life guitars, catchy pop melodies and indie-rock detours. This is the sound of a band that taught themselves all the tricks in the power-pop playbook and left notes in the margins. They say: “Warmest Condolences is a driving, catchy summer jam about guns that somehow fire themselves and the cops who just can’t seem to figure out why! Bop your head to an indictment of our capitalist police state & the never-ending cycle of grief & misery upon which it feeds!! IT’S A GOOD TIME, I SWEAR.”
8 | San Holo | You’ve Changed, I’ve Changed (ft. Chet Porter)
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “San Holo teams up with fellow artist / producer and friend Chet Porter on the emotive indie-alternative You’ve Changed, I’ve Changed, the final track to be released from San’s forthcoming album bb u ok? (due out on June 4). The track sees the duo move in a new indie-rock direction in which they reflect on and connect over similar personal experiences. “In a relationship over time you grow closer and closer; however, as time passes, people change, feelings change, and sometimes you end up growing apart, wishing you could go back to how it was”, commented Sander when reflecting on the recording process. “Writing this song with Chet felt very natural and the song almost wrote itself. We had both just come out of similar situations so this song really resonated with both of us.”
9 | Tristan Armstrong | It Can’t Be Nashville Every Night
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The May long is traditionally a time when people head out to the cottage to binge on beer and Tragically Hip records. Which makes it a great time for a fresh take on the fan favourite It Can’t Be Nashville Every Night! The concept was to do a version the way Spoon might. My good friend Trevor gave Gord Downie’s son Lou drum lessons for several years. After the lessons he would often chat with Gord for a bit and ask him what he’d been listening to. He talked about being really into Spoon and The National. (We all eventually saw more of his love for them in the track Spoon on Introduce Yerself.) I’m a big fan as well.”
10 | Jenn Grant | 5 Days In May
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With the month nearing a close, Nova Scotia singer-songwriter and producer Jenn Grant takes 5 Days In May in a spirited way. Her immersive and emotive rendition of the Blue Rodeo song unravels as ethereal production, interwoven with haunting chords and heavy keys, are layered by graceful vocals. The track marks Jenn’s fourth release in a collection of self-produced covers of Canadian classics. She says: “This song hovered around me in the ’90s, so it has a nostalgic quality for me. Singing it now and rediscovering it for myself I’ve noticed new images and new feelings as I go through the song. There’s a darkness there that I’m not sure was so obvious before, but that maybe I’m shining a little light on. I’ve always loved this song, and suddenly it feels completely new to me again.”
11 | Hardy | Blurry
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hardy channels his inner rocker with a new cover of the Puddle of Mudd classic Blurry, getting down and dirty with the rowdy 2001 smash. Growing up on grungy anthems by everyone from Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden to Nickelback, it’s no surprise Hardy injects his country songs with a hard-charging swagger. But his latest number takes things to a new level. “I’m a huge rock ’n’ roll fan. That genre has so much to do with the way that I create music, and I wanted to get back to it by putting out a true-blue rock ’n’ roll song. I truly think it will show a new side of me that people haven’t seen before.”
12 | Elliott BROOD | Runaway
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Elliott BROOD present a fresh take on Del Shannon’s 1960s chart-topper Runaway. The reverb-heavy take comes complete with Elliott BROOD’s signature sound and a classic rock ’n’ roll coda. Recorded during sessions for their last album Keeper, Runaway carries forward the vintage rock ’n’ roll of album track No Way Out, along with Elliott BROOD’s affinity for travelogues of all sorts — heart, mind or body.”
13 | Link 80 | Junkie Man
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rancid’s genre-defining 1995 album …And Out Come The Wolves was an unexpected, cataclysmal explosion of punk into the mainstream. Countless bands and musicians since, from Anti-Flag to Worriers, have cited this record as their introduction to the genre and the entire world of punk music and DIY. To honor Wolves’ impact on the music we make today, 19 bands have come together to reimagine the album, connected through the DIY ethos they learned from this record. …And Out Come The Lawsuits! is a 25th-anniversary album running on punk time, releasing June 4.”
14 | Summer Heart | Passionfruit
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Swedish alt-pop troubadour Summer Heart is back to share his take on Drake’s single Passionfruit. Keeping his own distinct flair for smooth and vibrant alt-pop production intact, this new version is a bold and enigmatic effort, filled with sensual soul. Channelling the same lo-fi aesthetic of the original, his rendition creates a fresh and breezy return with his usual passion and vigour. He said, “Passionfruit has been stuck on my mind since the first time I heard it on the radio a couple of years ago. There is something about how understated it is that I really love.”
15 | Finding Elysium | Alone
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Since starting Finding Elysium with Angie, the comparison we most often receive is to the band Heart,” explains singer/guitarist Noel Waters. “Ann and Nancy Wilson have been huge influences on us since we were old enough to make sound out of our vocal cords or hold an instrument. I thought it would be fun to take one of their hits and try to put our own spin on it. I believe that a song contains hooks that aren’t just found in the vocals … I really wanted to honor the rock ballad vibe of the original, while adding some programmed synth layers to break up some of the live instruments. For the solo, I wanted to pay homage to the original, but also bring a little of my own style into it.”
16 | Behind The Horror | Territory
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brazilian-American thrash/death metal band Behind The Horror pay homage to Brazilian thrash legends Sepultura with their blistering rendition of thrash classic Territory. Needless to say, Sepultura have been a major influence on Behind The Horror style and can be heard throughout their own writing extensively. The reinterpretation is a testament to the musical ability of brothers Gabriel (guitar) and Lucas (drums) Alves.”
