Those familiar with the funk-pop of ’80s British band Simply Red may find a welcome reference in the celan, staccato funk guitar permeating ‘QLC,’ by Brooklyn quartet Ludwig (streaming below). The group doesn’t quite play the mainstream card the way Simply Red did, but in their debut album ‘To Be Continued‘ they do offer well crafted songs through a formula that has the potential to intrigue many. You can see them live at the Knitting Factory on April 18th.
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Boundaries” – Clique
“Boundaries” is the latest snapshot from Clique’s forthcoming sophomore album Burden Piece, which will be released via Topshelf Records on May 27. The song captures the core of a setting, with a minimalist guitar pattern, drawing you toward the zoomed-in aesthetic that the layered vocal narrative develops. It’s a short shot that slows down for a few moments to reveal the details. Clique will be playing at Kung Fu Necktie on Saturday, May 7 with Solids and Stove. (Photo by Eric Bishop)
Philadelphia
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Ticket Giveaway: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Saintseneca, and Little Scream at Underground Arts This Saturday
Deli folkies, you do not want to sleep on the talent-filled lineup coming together this Saturday, April 16 at Underground Arts, featuring Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Saintseneca, and Little Scream. It will be chill and beautiful. To enter for a chance to win a pair of tix, just send an email to thedelimagazinephiladelphia@gmail.com with the subject line "Folkin’ A!" Please also include your cell number in the body of the message (in case of an emergency). Good luck!
NYC
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Very Fresh plays Palisades on April 21st
After rewarding singer songwriter Cindy Lou Gooden’s lo-fi project Very Fresh with our Record of the Month back in 2010, we kinda lost touch with them. We are glad to see them they are still at it, with a bunch of releases under their belt. Now a quartet, the group put out a two song single in November 2015 featuring Cindy Lou’s signature quirky lyrics and ’90s influenced melodies. Check them out live at Palisades on April 21st and check out single ‘Clean Touch’ below.
Philadelphia
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New Track: “ACD (Abscessive Compulsive Disorder)” – Nothing
Sustained somber and a smattering of the drum skins dictate the tone of “ACD (Abscessive Compulsive Disorder)”, the new single from Philly’s own Nothing. Featured on their forthcoming album Tired of Tomorrow, which is scheduled for release on May 13 via Relapse Records, the song carries a meditative yet noisy air, with the injection of an anthemic chorus that burrows in your brain. Nothing is currently scheduled to perform next in Philly on Friday, July 8 at Union Transfer, for a belated record release show, which will also includes Culture Abuse and Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler.
NYC
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Bird of Youth unveils single ‘Dad’ from upcoming sophomore LP + tours with Nada Surf
Few people in our life are as controversial as our own parents. Often judged hastily by us as soon as we are old enough to have an opinion, they have time on their side to prove us that – at least – there was more to them (a lot more) than what we originally thought. The end of their time is always a non-welcome opportunity to try and make sense of conflicts, memories and mistakes that shaped our life in often overwhelming ways. These issues are tackled in the new single ‘Dad’ by Brooklyn electric folk quintet Bird of Youth. The song was written after the passing of frontwoman Beth Wawerna’s father. Their five-years-in-the making sophomore album, entitled ‘Get Off,’ will be released on May 17th with a party at Union Pool. The band has also announced a tour in support of Nada Surf.
NYC
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The Mystery Lights unveils single “Follow Me Home” from upcoming LP on Daptone
“Thee in thy panoply” is how Walt Whitman addressed a bi-coastal 19th century freight train, though his words easily apply to NYC’s Mystery Lights as well. Their garage-psych panoply is pure Sixties, albeit a variegated Sixties, which makes sense given their origins in California. Rolling Stone just premiered the first single "Follow Me Home" from their upcoming, self titled debut LP, out on June 24 on Daptone Records. The band is scheduled to tour Europe in the late spring. – Brian Chidester, photo by Emily Quirk
Philadelphia
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New Track: “No Such Thing” – Grubby Little Hands
Grubby Little Hands‘ new record, Garden Party, will be released via Lefse Records on April 29. "No Such Thing," the second single from the album, opens with a haunting stir, before catapulting into a jangly, snap-and-pop psych vibe. It’s the kind of joyful tune that ushers in the warmer temperatures with enough of a twist to keep you on your toes. Grubby Little Hands will be at Johnny Brenda’s on April 30 with Shelf Life and Cold Foamers.
Philadelphia
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New Tangiers/Straw Hats Split EP Available for Streaming & Download
Over the weekend, local outfits Tangiers and Straw Hats issued a split EP, Is This Split. Tangiers occupy the first half of the album the chilled-out groover "Home Invasion," the blistering "Hey Mama," and the casually intense "Marijuana USA," while Straw Hats grab the reins, weaving grunge grit with a fun twist on "Salmon," "Neighborhood Watch," and "Drones." It’s a mesh of light and heavy that meets somewhere in the middle.
Austin
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Preview Austin Slacker Force Hovvdy’s New Album with Single “Try Hard”
With Hovvdy’s newest release Taster, set to come out tomorrow April 15 through Merdurhaus and Sports Days Records, we think it’s safe to say that the current upsurge of on-point slacker rock in Austin has its figurehead act. So far we’ve only got three tracks from the album, but they are strong in the slack, as oxymoronic as that might sound.
Taster is Hovvdy building upon their recent work with last year’s Stay Warm split with Loafer (which we loved), adding to the already-present 90s slacker indie sound, a la Pavement and the like, a further depth to their work that puts us more in mind of the softer 2000s suburban indie pop of bands like Pinback. It’s good, introspective, happy-in-its-melancholy music, full of prettily muted vocals and quiet thoughts on relationships like good slack should be.
Personally, it makes me think of a time when the world you could reach out to was smaller, so you dicked around in the space available in your own town, very often listening to music with a feel just like this and thinking about how weird everything felt all the time. That there are bands making a sound that feels as much of that time as it does of now makes me happy, and thoughtful. Maybe we aren’t that far from that kind of life when the world we could interact with was smaller and so each of our relationships was more complex. Or maybe we just wish we were still there.
Whichever it is, Hovvdy is here to talk about it. Check out track “Try Hard” from Taster below, and be sure that we’ll be giving the full album a look here soon.
Philadelphia
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New Track: “My Mouth Is Skinned Like An Apple” – Thin Lips
The lady and gents of Thin Lips just shared their second offering from the band’s forthcoming LP Riff Hard. "My Mouth Is Skinned Like An Apple" is filled with natural pop vocal melodies, which have always seemed to come effortlessly to Chrissy Tashjian (Dangerous Ponies, The Bee Team); however, the track eventually gets to the business of staying true to the group’s album title. Riff Hard comes out May 20 via Lame-O Records, and Thin Lips will be celebrating its arrival that evening at Everybody Hits.
NYC
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Folk and Rock mingle tonight at O’Brien’s with All Talk and Babydriver
Rock and Folk mingle on stage tonight at O’brien’s Pub with Boston bands All Talk and Babydriver. All Talk, whose new album upstairs/downstairs is set to come out in May, sits at the bluesier folk end of the spectrum with a few songs here and there clearly influenced by heavier guitar rock. Their gem “Locomotive” (streaming below) off their album Juno is one of those songs. It’s a slow burner, searing longing and heartbreak carefully into our minds with every deliberate strum of the guitar, with every wistful stray chord. The song builds up until the end when the guitar erupts into a reverbed solo before fading off. Babydriver on the other hand is more upbeat, with songs shifting from heavier rock to frazzled pop pieces. “I Don’t Want To Be Your Dad” (streaming below) kicks off with franticly melodious guitars and rhythmic shakers in the background. Palmer’s vocals float effortlessly over the track, lending an air of nonchalance to it. It’s a song that would have fit in perfectly in any indie film soundtrack. Catch them tonight at O’Brien’s Pub alongside Painted Zeros and Izzy True. –Adriana S Ballester