Charm of Finches are a force of nature, Kris Rodgers experiences muscle memory, Lucas DiPasquale goes for a swim, Andrei Lucas is a fool for the city, Fabian Secon would like to get your attention — but he’ll have to compete with the rest of the artists in today’s mighty Weekend Roundup. Look, listen and learn:
66 | Charm Of Finches | Gravity
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Melbourne sister duo Charm of Finches sing haunted folk tunes about love, grief and whispering trees with their signature tight sibling harmonies and chamber-folk sound. Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes emerge from an eclectic musical childhood of Celtic strings and busking old-time tunes. Their debut album Staring At The Starry Ceiling featured the duo’s signature angelic vocal harmonies and captivating chamber sound. Their sophomore album Your Company arrived in 2019. Gravity is their latest single and video.”
67 | Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems | I Can Still Feel It
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Summer: It’s a time to get dirty and a time to shine. It’s only natural, then, that summertime 2021 will see the release of a collection of new songs capturing both sides of that spectrum: Still Dirty, the rollicking debut from Portland, Maine’s Kris Rodgers & The Dirty Gems, which drops on July 23. Known as “rock ’n’ roll’s secret weapon,” bandleader and frontman Kris ‘Fingers’ Rodgers has been a recording and touring sideman in top touring garage-rock and power-pop acts for years. The fast-paced, horn-accented I Can Still Feel It is the band’s new single, with the feel of a rave-up a la ’70s-era J. Geils Band. “It’s got that classic sound but it’s new and fresh,” Kris remarks. He adds, “I Can Still Feel It is about that initial excitement you experience discovering what you’re passionate about: The ‘Wow’ moment.”
68 | Lucas DiPasquale | Begging For The Tide
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian singer-songwriter Lucas DiPasquale draws on his love for hip-hop and alternative music to produce a unique style of bedroom pop. His notable collaborations include Popcaan and Assassin, and now he has teamed up with Dalton “D10” Tennant (Drake). When writing his new song Begging For The Tide, DiPasquale envisioned the object of his affection as a “warm wave of ocean water.” Picture yourself on the beach at dusk, gazing at the setting sun and sky filled with that dark yellow and blood orange colour… lamenting the fact that you aren’t with the person that you like.”
69 | Andrei Lucas | London Baby
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Electro-pop newcomer Andrei Lucas returns with his single London Baby, released alongside his debut EP Paradise Passé. London Baby, a love letter to Andrei’s favourite city, brings together a driving four-on-the-floor beat, bright airy synths and a quacking ’80s bassline to create a danceable pop soundscape under Andrei’s breathy, melancholic vocals. Andrei said: “London Baby stands for inclusivity in a city that is built on diversity and dreams that find a way towards reality. The song was recorded during the first quarantine throughout the pandemic. I wrote the song melody and lyrics before the pandemic happened. I felt that this can be a London anthem for young people striving for success.”
https://youtu.be/AqZDvP1lEmo
70 | Fabian Secon | Hey Girl
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “U.K. artist Fabian Secon has returned with the single Hey Girl. The self-written and produced track is another impressive addition to Fabian’s growing discography. Fabian looks set to continue his remarkable trajectory with this latest release, which arrives with accompanying visuals directed by Theo Batterham. Fabian says, “I’ve always wanted to expand more into the punk/pop-punk world, as this comes very naturally to me. The melodies in my music have always been inspired by alternative, pop and rock music, so it was an obvious progression. A typical Fabian Secon track has generally been slower in tempo and chilled, so it feels great to be able to keep evolving and explore new sounds.”
71 | Julian Daniel | Anxiety
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Growing up in suburbia just north of Toronto, Julian Daniel always wanted more than the white picket fences he was surrounded by. Looking up to music legends such as Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, Shania Twain and Dolly Parton, he began writing music at 17. When the pandemic hit, Daniel decided to go off the grid and focus on himself: he left social media, didn’t listen to anyone else’s music, and started journaling every day. The result of this isolation and self-reflection is his newest single, Anxiety, which is a vulnerable indie-pop track about Julian’s own experience. The song sounds like the soundtrack of a coming-of-age film and has been paired with a similar visual.”
72 | Regent | She Rocks My Soul
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Southampton rock ’n’ roll staples Regent return with their single She Rocks My Soul. Jam-packed with a grungy, unstoppable guitar hook and unfiltered vocals, the track invites all who listen into the band’s whirlwind sound. Throughout, lead singer Ben Rooke sings lyrics bursting with emotion, rooted back to the muse in his life he attributes for his re-immersion into the music scene. “The track is a song written about my fiance who I had to fight hard for to get her over here from India, after her returning to see her parents in September last year,” says Rooke. “We’ve been together a couple of years now, and she’s the reason I got back into music. The song is about the enormous positive effect she’s had on my life the last couple of years, how I’ve changed and become more dedicated and focused on music. It’s an upbeat, in-your-face rock ’n’ roll love song dedicated to my beautiful fiance.”
73 | Between The Jars | All In Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Between The Jars released their new song All In Me. The second single from their sophomore album What’s To Come reflects upon the societal challenges that we face and how, as individuals, the band members struggle to find a place in this. The speed of the news has skyrocketed through the internet, but we have to be continuously alert for misleading information. As some might downplay and others might exaggerate issues, the cause of the problems and the solutions are all within our power. All In Me reflects upon the continuous struggle of what we can do as individuals to make the world a better place.”
74 | Light By The Sea | Crimson Sugar
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Light By The Sea premiere their second single and video Crimson Sugar. It takes us back to the early ’80s Soviet TV disco scene, set to catchy riffs and cheesy melodies paired with retro visuals. Anna and Davy’s music is a nostalgic reminder of those times when everybody put a record on and let the music take them away. They say: “Our aim is to widen the range of our musical spectrum with each single we’re gonna release. Yet, one thing is common by every song: we want to bring back the forgotten sound that would certainly evoke some distant memories of times gone and cherished.”
75 | Josephine Philip | Call My Name
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Darkness Falls and former JaConfetti, Favelachic and Dullen & Dyken member Josephine Philip has released her debut solo single. Call My Name is a song about love and longing. The longing to be together, to be important, to be held, to be adored, to be missed and ultimately, the burning longing for somebody ready to make sacrifices to save you. The insisting and mesmerizing vocal — equally strong and fragile — is accompanied by a sparse and dreamy composition with trippy drums. It pushes and pulls with the raw strength of the tide. Immersive and confident, the song engulfs you and carries you away.”
76 | Tuvaband | Irreversible
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Norway artist Tuvaband’s new album and “greatest body of work” Growing Pains & Pleasures is fuelled by change — changes in Tuva’s life, changes happening around her, and changes she realised she was going through herself. The album’s title describes her journey through those changes, the stress of the ground moving underneath your feet and the world shaking as you realise you’re not the same person you always were. Tuvaband has a vision and is clearly not afraid to use it. She says: “Irreversible is about our irreversible actions and absence of actions, when it comes to environmental issues. We wanted to portray this in the video by sitting inside an (seemingly) idling car, shutting out the world and the harsh reality, while contributing to the degradation of planet Earth. Inside the car I’m dreaming about solving our problem by leaving; going to Mars, instead of getting out of the car to take action so that we could actually rather just stay here. This is kind of how I feel like we’re dealing with our problem.”
77 | Fionn | Hold Off
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Showcasing their new wave pop evolution, Vancouver duo Fionn release their fiercely captivating EP Candid Constellations. Featuring eight shimmering, danceable tracks, Fionn’s sisters accompany the release with a nostalgic Y2K- video for the latest single Hold Off. The duo note: “Candid Constellations is the first fully pop record we have written and recorded. When the pandemic hit we were inspired to write more upbeat songs in order to lift ourselves out of the collective lull that Covid caused. We were really inspired to explore this new sound and have had so much fun with making it our own.”
78 | 4 Minutes Later | Grace
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The curious case of 4 Minutes Later began in 2018, when the account Tweeted “music coming soon.” No band members, no band images, no shows, no location given, just the promise of music. Over the course of the following year, 4 Minutes Later delivered a series of singles before releasing their self-titled debut EP, all while remaining anonymous. With the cancellation of their 2020 USA headline tour due to COVID-19, 4ML decided to record their debut album. Haunting and tragic, the emotional first single Grace portrays the difficult realities of watching your loved one disappear while battling dementia and Alzheimer’s. The band will finally break anonymity following the release of Grace.”
79 | Slim & The Beast | Tongue-Tied
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Slim & The Beast explore the colourful and complex bubble of emotions a foreigner experiences when we are unable to speak the local language in their latest single. “Tongue-Tied is an ode to nights out in foreign lands, to making eye contact with a stranger in hopes of a connection.” Aurelien and twins Samuel and Aaron have become inseparable since they first bonded over their love of folk, ’70s rock, psych-pop, electronic, modern alternative and indie. From blending their original songs with uniquely personal covers, the indie-pop band have carefully crafted nostalgic harmonies and catchy hooks into odes to freedom and breaths of optimism. “This song is about navigating that undiscovered space between what we’d like to say and what we’re unable to communicate when we’re tongue-tied.”
80 | Fxrrvst | Floorboards
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto indie-rock duo Fxrrvst have just released their new EP Dear Friend; Part 2, the followup to their 2020 release Dear Friend; Part 1, which included the singles Bad Things and This Rough Patch. Along with the EP, Fxrrvst released a video for the song Floorboards. “Floorboards was a pretty interesting video for us to shoot” said guitarist Matthew Fuentes. “The most nerve-wracking part was Holly making her debut as a lead actor. In all our previous music videos we have only made short cameos, so this was a big deal! With COVID restrictions tightening up again, we decided that the safest way to proceed with filming was to limit our crew to only ourselves, our videographer, and our director.”
