Nashville

Nikki’s Wives has released the most savage break-up song

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 Nikki’s Wives’ new EP Motor Court is actually so savage you might have to stop to catch your breath. In a good way. "Stop giving ultimatums if you trust me" and "too close, Romeo" are some of the very clever, tongue-in-cheek lyrics from their song "Breaking Up." The arrangement is the ultimate anthemic rock middle-finger to whomever hurt frontwoman Nikki- let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be that guy. But Nikki (and her band) won’t let any boys bring them down, so if you’re feeling a little hurt by an SO in your life, be sure to listen to this EP. You won’t feel bad for long. Nikki’s Wives plays High Watt on 7/26. –Geena Kloeppel

 

Chicago

Breether

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Breether is the Indie Pop sounds of Zac Bron. Over the last two months he has been releasing a series of singles that will be lead up to next full-length release, Take a Breether, on January 1st. The latest single was released on July 5th and is called “Dreams Of You, Pt 2”.

Austin

Rival Waves Embraces Technological Rock

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 Rival Waves is an Austin-based rock band fusing propulsive, distortion-soaked anthems with sweeping personal and political themes. Armed with arena-ready songs reminiscent of Pearl Jam and U2, the band is driven to create a more meaningful connection between art and audience. With a DIY ethos focused on the convergence of music and tech, an inclination towards consistent musical experimentation, and an earnest commitment to topics ranging from the intimately personal to the sociopolitical, Rival Waves take their cues from Fugazi as much as they do Foo Fighters. As Rival Waves continues to focus on leveraging technology to disrupt a fragmented musical landscape and establish a more engaged audience, the band is gearing up to release a debut album and launch a super-served digital fan community known as theCollective – partnering with companies in Austin’s thriving tech sector to help turn these ideas into realities. In the meantime, Rival Waves is focused on writing new material, using digital technology to grow their live show into an even more memorable and experiential event, and finding ways to serve an engaged and impassioned audience.

 

Philadelphia

New Track: “Too Much Time” – Stoops

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Stoops recently shared a new track, “Too Much Time,” off their EP Singles. After a brief moment to find its sonic footing, the song rolls forward in joyous oddity. Pairing the bounce of percussion and keys with vocal harmonies, there’s a pleasant looseness to the recording. That head-in-the-clouds, daydream quality is temporarily interrupted by an audio interlude of hostility, provided by a Joe Pesci sample, before returning to its exuberant, brighter tones. Keep a look out for the band’s debut full-length, The Syrup of Ipecac, and catch the quintet this Sunday, July 15 at The Barbary, supporting Sweet Moves and Cave Mode Shakes!

Philadelphia

New Track: “Slick” – Rosie Thorne

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Below is the debut single from Rosie Thorne, the new project from Mannequin Pussy‘s Marisa Dabice, Zach Sewall (Grave Goods, Vexxed), and Max Steen (Cold Fronts, Vexxed). "Slick" is the first of what will be a series of songs that the trio plans to release each month for the next year. Fleshing out the pop moments that are sometimes hinted in the Mannequin Pussy catalogue, Sewall and Steen once again team up to build an infectious, downtempo groove that perfectly complements the seductive lilt and thoughtful, shadowy prose that exudes from Dabice, creating an unexpectedly irresistible, electro-dance jam. We are already looking forward to Rosie Thorne’s next installment, which really can’t come soon enough for us.

NYC

Sean Henry premieres creepy single “The Ants”, performs at Alphaville on 07.22

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There’s a general feeling of creeping unease in Sean Henry’s first single “The Ants,” off his upcoming album Fink. The way his voice worms around your ear as he describes the murder of insects on a mass scale is vivid and unsettling. The rustic production only amplifies this eerie feeling; whereas other lo-fi artists use the aesthetic to communicate intimacy, Henry’s crumpled vocals and the slight effects draped over the single create the feeling of being trapped in the traumatized dreams of a child. The chorus, however, breaks into an assured incantation that repeats the line “Goodbye, all of my problems”, and the guitars pick up to create a quiet catharsis. “The Ants” is self-described as “soft grunge”, and this carries over into the tone and sound in a multitude of ways. The dynamic crescendos are muted without losing their potency. The warbled verses that are anxious and freaky shed their childlike persona for a matured reawakening each time the chorus hits. It makes sense that Henry would take advantage of Friday the 13 to release his debut album; his sound is unnerving and captivating, balancing the lo-fi sounds that border on ugly and vulnerable. You can watch the music video for "The Ants" below and see him live on July 22 at Alphaville. – Tucker Pennington

L.A.

Memory Bells change their course on new single “Day at a Time”

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A little patience always comes a long way. It’s not the most novel mantra for a song, but sometimes it’s about how much conviction you put into it. And in the case of indie rock quartet Memory Bells, formerly known as Watch for Horses, they take that confidence to towering heights with an open-hearted embrace. Sporting an infectious jangle hook, their latest single, "Day at a Time," reaches anthemic territory with a tuneful, richly melodic sound. But the band keep it simple, opting to level its passionate chorus without succumbing into any cloying, heart-on-sleeve trappings.

 Memory Bells plan to release a series of singles, leading up to the release of their debut EP later this summer. Catch them at The Slidebar Rock N Roll Kitchen on July 10. Juan Rodríguez

Chicago

Seasalt “Kool Girl”

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Indie Pop quartet Seasalt released their debut EP, “Tea Party for Teens”, back in May, and are currently participating in the Suburban Chicago’s Got Talent Contest. The EP’s lead single is the extremely catching “Kool Girl”, which I had the pleasure of seeing them perform live in St. Charles this past weekend. The song is an instant summer classic and the band had the crowd invovled from the first note. They should be moving to Top 15 and performing for the judges again on July 29th. 

Seasalt is the work of Jon O’Brien, Becky Sargeant, Kayla Seeber and Drew Zaremba.

You can also catch Seasalt opening for Sponge (Yes, that Sponge!) on August 24th at RocHaus in West Dundee.

Philadelphia

Ticket Giveaway: Vacationer & Sego at Union Transfer This Friday

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Vacationer is back with a new album, Mindset. Mastermind Kenny Vasoli calculated that he has spent over 8% of his life working on its completion, and if you and a companion would like to experience his mindset live this Friday, July 13 at Union Transfer with Sego, we’d be glad to make that happen. To enter for a chance to win a pair of tix, just send an email to thedelimagazinephiladelphia@gmail.com with the subject line "Ready for My Summer Vacay". Please also include your cell number in the body of the message (in case of an emergency). Good luck!