A trio of songs recently arrived from Roya. Packaged as Voice Memos, a looming, haunting atmosphere reverberates. Hidden in the shadows, lo-fi solitude emerges, engaging in unifying harmony, while simultaneously stirring up personal demons. It’ll shake you at your core.
NYC
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Nation of Language brings the dark synthpop of the ’80s to Elsewhere, 02.06
Nation of Language’s vision of the New Wave aesthetic feels seamlessly natural, a continuation of 1980’s synthpop instead of just an experiment in nostalgia. The band has an advantage of hindsight that their musical inspirations did not, a position that allows Nation of Language to freely experiment in the nuanced area between New Wave and post-punk. Yet, the real delight that sets apart this group are Ian Devaney’s vocals. Devaney’s wistful crooning comes with a romantic dark side that cannot be ignored. Check out Nation of Language at Elsewhere (Zone One), 02.06. —Amanda Ogea
New England
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Blue Ray goes insane on “GrubHub”
Blue Ray is the frenetic, kooky outlet of musician Johnny Steines, the lone creative mind behind BR’s ninth release, GrubHub. Grubhub is an amalgamation of abstract indie weirdness, a collection of lofi tunes that presumably rattled around in Steines’ brain minutes before being recorded and bounced. It’s part Guided by Voices, part Wire, and part Pavement, exhibiting Steines’ unique relationship with each band’s niche, whether it be GBV’s touch-and-go recording approach, Wire’s arty sensibilities, or Pavement’s juvenile hyperactiveness. It’s these types of releases that can reveal raw creative intuition from its creator, where more often than not, the album serves as a real time transcript of the process. GrubHub is both insane and clever, and it deserves a listen or two. Stream it below. -Charley Ruddell
Toronto
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The Crowleys – “Pink Rainbows” and rockin’ The Baby G in February
Hamilton psych rockers The Crowleys have dropped a new single “Pink Rainbows”. This tune takes a softer approach than what these fellas have done in the past. An acoustic guitar strums away in the background as a groovy bassline gets you lost in lazy vocals. Reverby lead guitar strums and picks away in its own world as the tune comes together near the end with a trippy solo when the drums kick in. All this before an even newer phase of the song kicks in and a happy piano plays you away. Very cool tune. The Crowleys will be opening for Spaceface at The Baby G on Friday February 2nd. – Kris Gies
Philadelphia
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New Track: “How Simple” – Hop Along
Philly indie darlings Hop Along just announced that they will be releasing a new album on April 6 via Saddle Creek Records, entitled Bark Your Head Off, Dog. Its lead single, “How Simple,” taps into ongoing progress of personal growth. Continuing the knack to impose heartfelt imagery with universal appeal, the song plants a seed of independence. There’s a catchy through-line as the song advances through waves of polished melody. Hop Along will be performing next in Philly on Saturday, May 19 at Union Transfer.
Chicago
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Radiant Devices “unheeded”
Radiant Devices is the work of Mojdeh, Fyodor Sakhnovski, and Thomas Wells. Their new EP, unheeded, will be released on February 18th. Below is the first single, “Dirty”, from the EP and it displays the trio’s eclectic mix of rock, electronic, and industrial sounds.
The record release event for Unheeded will take place on March 9th at Constellation Chicago. You can also catch Radiant Devices at Heartland Cafe on Feb. 17th with Aftersound and Damn Witch Siren.
Chicago
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Gal Gun
Gal Gun recently released their debut full-length album called Special Music of Emotion. The album features previously released singles, “Heartbleed” and “La Nina Winter”, but also contains a ton of great new music.
You can catch Gal Gun on January 27th with Beach Bunny, Girl K, and Jimmy Floortom for a house show in Edgewater. They will also be performing at Record Breakers (2935 N. Milwaukee) on Feb. 3rd with Kevin and Hell and Cherry Cherry Bomb.
Philadelphia
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New Torito Album Available Streaming & Purchase
Fabric Scraps, the latest album from Torito, was newly released via U Don’t Deserve This Beautiful Art. Threading a quick-witted, unrelenting delivery with an affinity for layered lyricism, the bull takes the reins. Featuring contributions from Quelle Chris, E. Grizzly, Zilla Rocca, and The Hell Hole Store (ialive and Darko The Super), this collection of tracks continues to embrace a relaxed, humor-forward tone, within a nonstop, thoughtful mind that seems to cruise within a stream of consciousness. Press play, and then spin it again.
Nashville
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Singer-songwriter C. Stewart McKee tries to “Move On” with new single
Nashville’s (via Baton Rouge) C. Stewart McKee is beginning 2018 by trying to "Move On" with his newest self-released single. "I know it’s far too late to negotiate," McKee sings on the Americana-tinged track with just a little touch of early Ed Sheeran. The beautifully shot video featured below displays vast mountain landscapes and rocky terrain, mirroring the uncertainty of the future but the determination to move. Check out the video below! – Chris Thiessen
NYC
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Freezing Cold releases video for “Shape of Escape” from debut EP
In August, The Deli wrote about Freezing Cold‘s debut EP, a three-track untitled demo which introduced the world to their post-hardcore sound. Just last week, the band released the music video — their first ever — for "Shape of Escape", the EP’s second track. The song builds and falls in the post-rock style of This Will Destroy You; Jeff Cunningham’s and Angie Boylan’s raw voices harmonize over the sparse yet powerful guitar-bass-drums arrangement. The color swirls and exterior shots move in time to the music, creating a subtle piece of art that feels massive. You’ll have to wait until March to see Freezing Cold at Silent Barn, so for now, watch the video for "Shape of Escape" below. – Will Sisskind
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Hesitation” – Eric Slick
Eric Slick tackles break-up for the first time in song with his latest single, "Hesitation". It can be found on Amazon’s Valentine’s Day playlist, Love Me Not, which is due out February 9. He doesn’t currently have any Philly solo dates on his calendar, but you can catch him keeping the beat with Dr. Dog at The Festival Pier, where they’ll also be joined by (Sandy) Alex G.
NYC
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Producer Elbows plays Baby’s All Right on 01.31 to release Sycamore EP
Brooklyn-based electronic producer Max Schieble, also known as Elbows, blends a handful of genres into his work, creating his signature, rich hip hop and jazz-infused backing tracks. He’ll release more of that sound on his upcoming Sycamore EP, his sophomore record, which he compiled from recording sessions in both New York and San Francisco. The songs on Sycamore chronicle Schieble’s Bay Area roots, shifting genres with the moods of the songs, going from old-school hip-hop to smooth synth-heavy jazz to lounge music. The EP drops on January 26th, but Schieble will mark the release with a show at Baby’s All Right on January 31st; Space Captain and Zenizen will open.
Schieble has released the most recent single from Sycamore, a harmony-laden chill track of wistful nostalgia called "Windowpane". Stream it below. – Will Sisskind