Livingmore make their point, Audri Nix goes numb, Laurence Murray Project go over to the dark side, Skydeck play by their own rules, Tapeworms bring the magic — and they’re not the only folks with some tricks up their sleeve in your latest Weekend Roundup. Pick a card, any card:
34 | Livingmore | Sharp
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Today, rising L.A. alt-rock band Livingmore released their sophomore studio album Take Me. Coinciding with the album’s release, Livingmore just released a live, in-studio video of lead single and opening track Sharp, filmed at the band’s Los Angeles studio.”
35 | Audri Nix | No Siento Na
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Puerto Rican songstress Audri Nix is taking this year by storm. The Latin-pop singer-songwriter isn’t mincing any words in this suave new single No Siento Na. It’s an unapologetic call-out to unreliable men that she has experienced in her past. The song opens with Audri’s silken vocals over a tantalizing, plucking guitar riff before breaking into an anthemic chorus with moody synths and a horn-laden production.”
36 | Laurence Murray Project | NPD
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Laurence Murray Project recorded their sophomore release NPD at the U.K.s most remote recording studio: Black Bay Studio on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. This setting helped create the sense of intrigue and mystery to this stunning psychedelic and rock infused single. Featuring swirling 12-string guitar parts, vibraphone and audacious drums reminiscent of late ’60s and ’70s psychedelia, NPD is both pleasing on the ear and edgy with Laurence Murray’s gritty vocal summoning smoky emotions. Murray explains, “NPD is ultimately a track about duplicity and how we are all susceptible to manipulation at any given time. It’s about having a light bulb moment where many seemingly small & insignificant red flag moments come together at once to create a much larger picture.”
37 | Skydeck | Dogshot
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Naarm/Melbourne-based duo Skydeck (aka Dominic Kearton and Mitchum Clemens) return with the new song and video Dogshot. The single comes alongside the announcement of the indie outfit’s sophomore album Coupon, set for release on Aug. 27 Featuring wiry synths, snappy electronic drums, an angular bassline and distorted guitars with Kearton’s vocals at the forefront, Dogshot (an Australian sports term describing a late tackle or punch when one is distracted/not looking) reflects on exploitation in the gig economy. Kearton says: “Worker exploitation is nothing new. Every so often it just morphs into a new form. These days, you have to make a pretty concerted effort to avoid relying on the services of the gig economy. It’s a pretty uncomfortable feeling knowing you are helping these companies (Uber et al.) make loads of money by exploiting their workers, commoditising their spare time and offering no form of security or protection back.”
38 | Tapeworms | Magic Pierrot
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Magic Pierrot was originally featured on the Japanese edition of their debut album Funtastic. It is now available everywhere.”
39 | Larissa Tandy | Sirens
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Australian expatriate singer-songwriter Larissa Tandy now calls Vancouver home — and after moving to the city six years ago, she tuned in to the sounds of her new neighbourhood to write her single. “I wrote Sirens while living on the Downtown Eastside during the opioid crisis with sirens constantly blaring around me,” says Larissa. “It’s in the key of E, which kinda works for most sirens in Vancouver and makes them a kind of background harmony. I started writing a lot about emergencies, drawing on my experiences with them back in my hometown in Australia. It has a population of 600 or so, a rural environment, so there’s a lot of what I think of as ‘natural drama’. As in, nobody seems to die peacefully in their sleep. It’s always some tragic, violent accident, or people just head out to work one day and don’t come home at night.”
40 | Ducks Ltd. | Oblivion
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The expanded reissue of our EP Get Bleak is out today. It was extremely far from our wildest imaginings that something like this would have happened when we first made the EP. It’s been a series of enormous surprises that anyone has cared about it at all. We wrote half of these songs in 2018 and the other half in 2019, which feels like a very long time ago now.”
41 | Nathan Harrington | Sleeping On Your Side
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Emerging reggae pop-rock artist Nathan Harrington returns with the upbeat and captivating track Sleeping On Your Side. Written by Harrington and produced by Jim Kaufman, Sleeping On Your Side tells the story of a toxic relationship where one often makes excuses for their partner without realizing the negative impact it is having on their own wellbeing. Despite the hardships that relationships and breakups come with, Harrington is able to let go of the past and learn how to move on with a sense of new understanding. The video, directed by Cory Ingram, follows Harrington through a struggling relationship before finally walking away. Says Harrington: “This has been a song concept in my head for years. And finally everything connected and the song was finished. We’ve all had those toxic relationships where you make excuses for your other, not realizing the drain and fatigue it puts on your mind, body and spirit until it’s too late. SOYS is a song that takes you through one of these relationships, the highs and lows of a breakup. But ends with clarity being restored. It’s never easy going through a breakup, especially when there was so much love. But you can’t hang on to a feeling that has faded.”
https://youtu.be/sXzmaxBBLrU
42 | Samantha Margret | The Party
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alt-pop artist Samantha Margret has released her spirited and carefree new single The Party. Mirroring old Hollywood glamour with a flirtatious demeanor, the track rings of seductive musicality. The Party” is a song about finding your own power and enjoying it even in the face of the judgment of others. Says Margret: “I don’t have to go to the party; I AM the party.”
43 | Dan Potter Sings | Not
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dan Potter Sings has released another track filled with complex guitar work and thought provoking lyrics. This industrial-tinged alt-rocker is built to rattle the cage of mediocrity that has ensnared the rock genre for many years. Right from the very beginning rock music was meant to be about … nothing at all, just great rhythms and an interesting choice in words. “This new song puts together some feelings I detect in the world today. Making music out of contemporary circumstances is the focus of my art and Not was composed to pull at those subconscious thought strings. It was also written just to bash out some cool guitar riffs and sinister beats because at the end of the day that’s really all that matters isn’t it?”
44 | Okonkolo | Oru Cantando
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In a world where chaos seems to be in control more often than not, music can occasionally be a temporary respite; and at best, a form of salvation. This is the transcendent realm of Okonkolo: Yoruban Santeria music like you have never heard before. Okonkolo transport listeners to another realm; a spiritual dance with gods beyond our grasp, held together by rhythm, passion, and musical virtuosity. The group is the life’s work of Newyorican percussionist and Yoruba priest Abraham “Aby” Rodriguez.”
45 | Oliver Francis | Star
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Oliver Francis is giving the world something it has never heard before — perfectly meshing together melodic hip-hop, trap, and pop. Written in Missouri in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Francis self-produced, self-engineered, and self-recorded the track, as well as directed, shot, and starred in the video, with assistance from his creative partner Aaron James Simpson. Sonically, Francis brings together ’80s synthesizers and Atlanta trap piano loops, pushing boundaries in new and creative ways. “In my opinion the song is super upbeat and fun but also a bit dark and twisted,” Francis shares. Throughout the song, Star lyrically explores themes of boastfulness, followed by introspection, as well as more spiritual themes such as heaven, hell, and temptation. The track rounds out nicely by giving a big “f*** you” to those critical of Francis’ work, and those who attempt to diminish his growth. “I wanted to break out of the box and try new things sonically and lyrically.”
46 | SaintAhmad | It’s Just Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “SaintAhmad is a Brooklyn rapper, singer, dancer, and songwriter who creates soulful, innovative R&B songs mixed with throwback hip-hop aesthetics. Being somewhat of a hopeless romantic, his music has undertone themes of love and sex, where he explores the fantasies that ruminate in his head. SaintAhmad’s single It’s Just Me is a svelte-smooth record that leaves the listener hanging on every word and note. “I really wanted to highlight myself with this record, feel good being myself, and just enjoy life. It’s a feel-good record that is about young love, being free, and enjoying your time together with that person. This record is meant to show the confidence in myself to just be me.”
47 | Maliibu Miitch | I Like What I Like
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “New York rapper Maliibu Miitch is not afraid to speak her mind, and in her single I Like What I Like, she lets it all hang out. Produced by Hellberg, Malii comes with her signature gritty New York sound and represents in the accompanying video directed by Off Jimmer. I Like What I Like is the first single off her highly anticipated EP and is just a taste of what fans can expect when it comes out this summer.”
48 | Ruth B. | Die Fast
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “25-year-old Ethiopian-Canadian singer and songwriter Ruth B. unveils R&B-pop fusion Die Fast, the second single from her forthcoming album Moments In Between, out June 11. Die Fast is diaristic pop that rides pizzicato strings and a skeletal beat as Ruth B. unspools a warm vocal that tries unsuccessfully to shed unrequited romantic longing.”
49 | NWG Suave | Netway
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “South Florida native Damon Arnette is set to release his debut album this summer as NWG Suave. Today he released the single Netway. So far, NWG Suave has released four singles Free Smoke, Why You, Sliding and On The Rise in the buildup to his album Misunderstood.”
