NYC

Electronic noisepop Meishi Smile announces tour dates with Chrome Sparks

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Like a black hole, digital punk Garrett Yim distorts the boundaries of pop and noise; their binary opposition has always been a subject of interest to the California native. Raised in Anaheim Hills, Yim fashioned harsh sounds under the moniker Yuko Imada, taken previously by a late-’80s Japanese serial killer. Following Yuko Imada’s cacophonic denouement Roppongi Nightlife, Yim reappeared in 2014 as Meishi Smile, and has pervaded the digital space with a musical aesthetic that mixes shibuya-kei and shoegaze.

While Meishi Smile’s album debut LUST flickered pink noise with overcast picopop, 2015’s fall follow-up …Belong erodes saccharine gestures with a downpour of static. Ten provocative songs explore youth, death, dysphoria, and identity through the eyes and ears of a digital native.

Catch Meishi Smile supporting the Western tail of Chrome Sparks tour this week, and listen to "Belong". You can still win tickets to the sold-out Echo show; follow @MeishiSmile on Twitter for more details. – Ryan Mo, photo credit: Anthony Thompson

1/20 Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club

1/21 Seattle, WA @ Barboza

1/22 Los Angeles @ The Echo (Sold Out)

1/23 San Francisco @ Monarch

Chicago

The Rubs

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The Rubs have released a new single, "Too Young For Me", which is their homage to David Bowie. The band also announced last week that their next LP, The Rise and Fall of Joey Rubbish, will be released via Chicago’s Hozac Records. The band also released the first single from their album, "Wrap My Life".

NYC

Market Hotel returns with edgy DIY bill on 01.23: Guerrilla Toss, PC Worship, Pill

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Well, in case anybody doubted it, the Brooklyn DIY movement is alive an well, and the news of the reopening of Market Hotel hopefully will allow it to flourish for many more years. The Bushwick venue that became somewhat legendary in the late aughts under Todd P‘s curatorial activity (and which we partly captured in this 2008 Deli NYC cover of Crystal Stilts playing a show there), will reopen its doors on January 22 with a two day party. The second night, on January 22nd, will host a bill featuring three of the most authentically DIY bands currently based in Brooklyn: Guerrilla Toss, PC Worship, and Pill. Enjoy their noise below, and congrats to Todd P who persevered to make this dream of his a reality – we interviewed him about this (and other things) back in 2014.

Chicago

Snow Burial

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Post-Metal trio Snow Burial has released the first single, "Buried In Ash", from their forthcoming debut full-length, Victory In Ruin. The self-released album is due out Feb. 1st and can be preordered here.

Chicago

My Gold Mask “Dissipate”

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My Gold Mask has released a video for the single "Dissipate" which appears on their new album, Anxious Utopia, due out via Moon Sounds Records on March 4th. The band has also released the new track "Connect" from their forthcoming album.

My Gold Mask will be celebrating the release of Anxious Utopia with a show at Lincoln Hall on March 5th.

L.A.

Banta releases new single “Someday”, new album due out 2.12

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It’s been a over a year since modern soft-rockers Banta released their promising debut EP, an assured first statement that featured a strong reliance on tuneful arrangements. One of those tracks, "Someday", is getting a bit of a rework for the release of their debut full-length Dark Charms, which is due out on February 12th via eOne Music. The Echo Park residents have also provided us with some background into the titular track, which implies the acknowledgement of one’s independence when making life’s crucial decisions, whatever that may be. In Banta’s current standing as a flourishing act, however, it sounds like their moment to break through is about to change from someday to now. 

 

NYC

Boston rapper Jay Minor plays AS220 in Providence tomorrow (1/19)

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Conveying a gritty minimalism, Boston-based emcee Jay Minor‘s downtempo tracks compel with their refusal to be merry. While the gospel-swirled "Liquid.Screens" from last year seemingly portrays a lovesick soul’s search for solace in television, the jazzy "The Peter Piper Theory" (streaming below) from New Year’s Eve harshly yet vitally depicts post-violence duress. Perhaps taking cues from Earl Sweatshirt’s great sophomore album ‘I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside,’ these tracks aren’t light but definitely intriguing. Jay Minor plays at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island tomorrow (1/19). – Zach Weg 

Chicago

Into It. Over It. “No EQ”

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Into It. Over It. released the first single from their forthcoming LP, Standards. The first single is called "No EQ" and the entire album was recorded and produced by John Vanderslice. The album is due out via Triple Crown Records on March 11th.

Into It. Over It. will be touring through out the Spring with a stop at SXSW in March. Their next local performance will be on April 30th at Lincoln Hall. 

 

Philadelphia

New Track: “American Fool” – Work Drugs & Announce New Album

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"Smooth-fi" outfit Work Drugs just announced that the group will be releasing a new record later this year, titled False Highs and True Lows. The band also revealed the album’s first single, which you can stream and download for free below. "The song is called ‘American Fool’ though it bears little resemblance to anything on the 1982 John Cougar record." It sounds like classic Work Drugs to us! (Photo by Kate Bracaglia)

Nashville

Charlie & The Evil Mothers invite you to be real with them tonight (01.18) at the East Room

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The debut EP from Charlie & The Evil Mothers is a warbly, shimmering treat. But don’t let those shaky-sounding descriptors fool you, as the foundation here is rock-solid. The EP is mighty bluesy at points but doesn’t wallow; the band’s bedroom pop sensibilities make certain of that. It’s the experimental streak showcased most clearly on tracks like “Tin Roof,” a drum-machine-centered easy rider, that sets this release apart from every other garage revival album of the past couple years while still showing proper respect to the same influences.

Bundle up and catch Charlie & The Evil Mothers tonight (01.18) at the East Room with The Ron Gallo III, Coin Purse, and the Minks. -Austin Phy

Philadelphia

New Music Video: “Freedom1313” – Cayetana

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Through moody projections, tour footage, and a performance inside an isolated warehouse space, Cayetana captivates in their new video (below) for the single, "Freedom1313," which was directed by Adam Peditto. The band’s two-song Tired Eyes EP is now available via Asian Man Records. You can also grab your own copy at their release show this Saturday, January 23 at PhilaMOCA. (Photo by Jess Flynn)