The Redhill Valleys head for home, Cat and Jeremie ponder the meaning of it all, Catbells are feeling a little fuzzy, An Early Bird annoys you, The Record Breakers stand tall — and as usual, your giant Weekend Roundup is head and shoulders above the competition. Step right up:
50 | The Redhill Valleys | Finish Line
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With powerful harmonies, rootsy guitar licks and timeless songwriting, The Redhill Valleys are re-writing the Americana playbook. The Hamilton band are getting set to release their sophomore album this fall, and they’ve fired up their engines with the single Finish Line. The Redhill Valleys’ harder rocking side is definitely showcased on Finish Line, along with Chelsea McWilliams’ soulful vocals and clever lyrics. She says, “The song really grew from the lyric ‘Get me to the finish line.’ It felt very rock and roll in the sense that the female perspective, when it comes to desire and sexuality, is oftentimes a very taboo topic to write about. This song is our own anthem that uplifts female sexuality in a powerful, playful and confident way. It’s really about a woman taking charge of her own desire and attraction, and isn’t afraid to call the shots and demand satisfaction.”
51 | Cat Clyde & Jeremie Albino | What Am I Living For
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Critically acclaimed singer-songwriters Cat Clyde and Jeremie Albino’s album Blue Blue Blue is out now. Jeremie says, “I think the seeds of collaboration were planted early on for me and Cat. We first met at a gig in Toronto and as we got to know each other we realized we were cut from the same musical cloth. We both admired so many of the same musicians and we both grew up listening to so many of the same records: Lightnin’ Hopkins, Elizabeth Cotten, Micheal Hurley, Lonnie Johnson — the list goes on and on.” Cat says, “This project was sparked from a moment in time when the both of us were at Jeremie’s country house playing music and letting loose. We set up in the living room and after the sun would go down we would jam, record, and play songs into the night. The song You Were Born To Die was actually recorded in that session and was the song that really pushed us to create this entire record of songs we love by artists we admire.”
52 | Catbells | Fade
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Dreamy melancholic shoegaze meets alt-pop singer/songwriter Catbells engages her listeners with soft hypnotic vocals, lush soundscapes, and moody melodies that capture her deep, heartfelt emotions in the most intimate of ways. Gifted with a voice like an angel, Catbells gently immerses her listeners into a world of sweet nostalgia and velvety sentiments. Her deeply personal and introspective single Fade, is an intimate and open-hearted reflection of lost love. Confides Catbells: “The song really wrote itself and the music needed to match the feeling of how the words felt. There are few people who are lucky enough to escape the feeling of a completely broken heart, and feeling like the person you loved so much just moved on like it was nothing, leaving you left there with a hole where your heart once was.”
53 | An Early Bird | Under My Skin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Self-taught multi-instrumentalist An Early Bird releases his new single Under My Skin, a fantastic indie-folk anthem about the power of love. “Love grows underneath the skin just like a flower coming out from the ground. Love is so powerful that it creates a bond even between those who apparently living on different planets,” says Stefano De Stefano. Under My Skin is the third single and a captivating foretaste of the artist’s third studio album Diviner, produced by Stefano Bruno in Naples, Italy.”
54 | The Record Breakers | Sunflower
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Record Breakers are back to offer a song that highlights a different season: Spring. Sunflower captures the feeling of growing up and finding the beauty and simplicity of life, neatly wrapped in a catchy country-pop tune. A quintet from Montreal, The Record Breakers offer a unique take on country music with Nashville-style instrumentation and modern pop sounds. The theme of Sunflower hits home for Bella Galasso, and most likely will for many other 20-somethings. “When I wrote this song, I really wanted to capture what it feels like to be navigating life, especially in such a crazy time,” she recounts, “and what I came to realize was that the little things are what make it easy and I’ve learnt to appreciate those things.”
55 | Kyle McKearney | Keepin’ It Simple
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kyle McKearney continues to offer tantalizing previews of his forthcoming debut solo album. Today he releases Keepin’ It Simple, a lowdown funky ode to living life as the title suggests. The song is another fine showcase of the Albertan McKearney’s soulful pipes. Kyle says, “Keepin’ It Simple is the first song I wrote after a six-month run across North America. It describes my dream of how I want to live my life with my family. Out in the middle of nowhere, off grid, connected to nothing but other people and nature.”
56 | The Wandering Hearts | Dreams
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Wandering Hearts had already enjoyed the phenomenal experience of recording their second album deep in the Catskills with producers Simone Felice and David Baron, but their adventure would be extended with another remarkable chapter. They met up with the legendary Marty Stuart, who offered them Dreams, a song he had written with his wife, the country star Connie Smith. They then headed to the iconic Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, where he joined the band, playing mandolin and guitar on the record. It was fortunate timing, as COVID-19 halted all international travel just a few days later. Dreams timeless ‘60s Americana with contemporary production. As ever, the band’s exquisite vocals are remarkable as AJ Dean-Revington’s velvet baritone is enveloped by luscious harmonies from Chess Whiffin and Tara Wilcox. Dreams is the latest preview of their self-titled album, which follows on July 30.”
57 | Queeva | Do Better
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rising teen country artist Queeva has released her new song Do Better. The 17-year-old singer-songwriter and guitarist co-wrote the country love song with Brandon Darcy, Ben Trudeau and Payton Taylor. Queeva sharess: “I am so excited for everyone to hear ‘Do Better’ and I hope people love it as much as I do. It’s a song that talks about young love and I’m so grateful that it’s finally out!”
58 | Satsang | From And I Go
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “From And I Go is a love song. It’s a flashback through my life and a bow of gratitude to all its facets. The travel, the routine, the show … but ultimately always coming back home. Home to me is not just Montana, it’s the people that live here. I am always accepted back into this home with such grace and welcoming, especially by my family. This song is in reverence to all things home. Huge shout out to Tim Snider for cracking this song wide open. I hope that everyone can listen to this extremely loud and fly down a dirt road toward the mountains.”
59 | Driftwood | 4:45
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Driftwood boys are back — after the enforced hibernation period, they have wiped the sleepy dust from their eyes and emerged blinking into the sunlight of 2021. The Preston trio of Hugh, Nathan and Marcus release their single 4:45, an infectious indie pop anthem produced and mixed by Michael Smith. This is a song that would make you lose your shit at a festival and afterwards hope that no one one was live streaming you across social media. In fact, in the video, Hugh also shows you how to dance in case you need assistance, while Marcus and Nathan can be seen checking out the moves (and probably taking notes).”
60 | Nathaniel Rateliff | Mavis
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Red Rocks 2020, the forthcoming live album from Nathaniel Rateliff, is set for release on July 16. The 18-track live record was recorded in a virtually empty Red Rocks Amphitheatre during Rateliff’s mid-September run of socially distanced shows. In celebration of the upcoming record, Rateliff is debuting a live rendition of his track Mavis, which appears on his acclaimed 2020 solo album, And It’s Still Alright. Unintentionally, the song speaks to lack of in-person interaction that occurred last year; Rateliff opens the song by singing, “In other worlds, in other worlds I would be with you / And other nights, and other nights I think I’ve seen you.”
61 | Nick Jaina | Reverse Consciousness
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Between writing novels, teaching writing, and getting married in 2020, Nick Jaina found the time to write and record the new album Credo. Today, the third single Reverse Consciousness was released. It’s a song that came out of a song-a-day challenge with friends Stelth Ulvang of The Lumineers and Aviva LeFey. Says Nick: “A random-word generator came up with the title, and the song had to justify it. I pictured a complete reversal of everything a person has ever held to be true, reversing even the fabric of their consciousness as a way to get out of the complicated trauma of living in this world. I’m interested in how simple a song can be, how much space can be left inside it, and still have it contain a signature that makes it unique.”
62 | Andy Leftwich | Over Cincinnati
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Though Andy Leftwich is best known for his years-long stint as the fiddle player in Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder, insiders have known him as a ferociously talented mandolin player, too — and with the release of his second single for Mountain Home, the word is sure to spread among bluegrass and acoustic music fans of every stripe. “This is a song that I wrote a few years back while playing with Ricky Skaggs and the Cincinnati Orchestra,” recalls Leftwich. “The hotel I stayed in that night overlooked the beautiful skyline of Cincinnati, Ohio, so I decided to name the song after it. A lot of the songs I write usually get named after towns or cities that I have visited, and this one seemed to capture the exciting feeling you get when you come to the city.”
63 | The Stars Of Disaster | One Woman Man
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Stars of Disaster started playing together in 2019, in Pittsburgh, but the songs started coming in 2014. Anthony Schiappa had made a go of it as an airline baggage handler in upstate New York, an academic in NYC, and an exile in Scandinavia. After returning to his Steubenville, OH, basement, trying to stave off the terrors of clock-punching and memory, he rediscovered his childhood love of making loud music. One Woman Man is a story about a couple that aren’t going to make it. A lack of trust leads to isolation and heartbreak, despite caring for each other deeply. They go through scary times together, and while that can bring some people closer together, it isn’t always enough.”
64 | Mark Perry | Golden Spruce
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Singer-songwriter Mark Perry has been writing songs about life in rural northwestern B.C. since he recorded his first album with Roy Forbes and Shari Ulrich back in the mid-’90s. His 13th album Northwest is set for release later this year and the first single Golden Spruce is about the legendary story of Grant Hadwin, who felled Kiidk’yaas (also known as “the Golden Spruce”), a Sitka Spruce tree located on the Haida Gwaii archipelago and considered sacred by the Haida people. Explains Perry: “Grant did it to bring attention to the decimation of the massive old-growth forests. It provoked a lot of mixed emotions, far and wide. On February 13th (1997), he left from Prince Rupert in his kayak, headed towards Masset for his court appearance. During the 100 km trip over, he disappeared. In the early 2000’s, Alaskan coast patrol still considered him a missing person of interest.”
65 | Love Crumbs | Ellipses
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Love Crumbs’ Ellipses showcases the Massachusetts band’s soaring blend of folk, rock, and Americana, building to an emotive hook around the one-minute turn. Known for blending poignant lyrics with evocative vocal storytelling, their nostalgic, timeless, heart-on-sleeve sound harkens to a bygone era. “Ellipses is about trying to connect with someone and not being able to despite the best of intentions,” says guitarist and songwriter Michael Dubuque. “It’s about the things that aren’t said or are left unsaid. I had a relationship that ended kind of suddenly, and I kind of didn’t know why. It was a meaningful relationship to me. The person was typing to me (as evidenced by the “…”) but I never got to hear their response.”
