New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
We are proud to be able to premiere the lead track, “Bad Feelings”, from the forthcoming album, Life As Surplus, from WAGE. This is the work of duo of Ana Raba (vocals/drums) and Daniel Luedtke (keyboard/vocals), and the follow-up to their 2015 debut EP, “Sex and Risk”. This EP is one of three being released this weekend, August 26th, by Fine Prints.
You can catch WAGE at Empty Bottle on August 26th with Mayor Daley and Desert Liminal.
Faux Furrs released a new single and video earlier this month called “Timmy’s Vacation”. This is the band’s first release since their 2017 LP, Taxonomy, and a precursor to their forthcoming EP due out later this year. The single is the perfect end of summer vacation song filled with swilling Psych Pop.
You can catch Faux Furrs at Empty Bottle on August 28th with The Molochs and Smokescreens.
Being interrogated under the threat of force in a basement, transported in a trunk, and forced to dig one’s own grave doesn’t sound like the ideal adventure. However, when that scenario comes to fruition as the playful plot of Dominy’s “Mary Don’t Bury Me” video (directed by Bob Sweeney), it’s a reminder that everything doesn’t have to be taken so seriously. The song’s loose, catchy melody and humorous, laidback lyrics put one in a surprisingly pleasant mood. Sometimes, when surrounded by the grimness of the outside world, it’s important to remember that you can always make your own fun. "Mary Don’t Bury Me" can be found on the band’s new four-song EP Dry Pleather.
Decoy Dungeons released his debut LP, Dripping With Death, last week. This is the inventive hip hop of Shannon Pounds. The album is a complex journey through life, death, illness, and morbidity of it all. Pounds began writing the album several years ago after the loss of his parents. He has since been diagnosed with Lupus and had delayed the production several times.
The resulting album is filled with passion, bombast, and heavy hitting beats and lyrics.
Grove Cafe has put together an epic three-plus hour, 40 songs compilation to help raise money for ISER Caribe, an organization helping rebuild a more sustainable Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. The compilation features contributions from musicians across genres and from all over the city including ONO, Forest Management, Blacker Face, Fran, Courtesy, and so many more.
The compilation is called "Aftermaths: Chicago United for Puerto Rico" and is only $10 with everything thing going to support a great cause.
The self-titled album from post-punk quartet Full Bush recently hit our sonic doorstep. Calm confidence, humor, and aggression come together while the record spins. The narratives seem to take shape and play out in real time, providing an interactive avenue within a polished production. It’s direct, infectious and in your face when it wants to be. Full Bush will be headlining Bourbon & Branch this Sunday, August 26, supported by Video Futur and Daisy/Violet.
XTincT is the genre defying sound of Alejandro Estrella. Late last year he released his second single “Calling”. It blends downtempo beats with acoustic guitar and elements of hip hop to create a sound that would make Twenty One Pilots proud.
This week XTincT released the video for “Calling”, and is promising new music coming soon.
It seems to be a truism that the artists hardest to pin down to a prescribed genre are the ones we work hardest to find a slot to add them to. New Zealand artist Siena Stone isn’t making this job any easier. With a nod to lush summer jams (Beach House, Cocteau Twins), Stone delivers her latest single "Freewheeler" seemingly relaxed and carefree, but listen a bit more closely, and now you’re hearing a voice wrapped in mystery and intrigue, closer in spirit to evocative ’60s/70s singer-songwriters like Warren Zevon and Richard Thompson (the song’s title is itself a nod to early Dylan album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan). ‘Freewheeler’ appears soothing on the surface, but just as often gets lost under a flurry of reverb-soaked, synth-fueled waves, like you’re playing in the ocean, but perhaps have wandered a bit too far from the beach. Stone’s work will live on long past the summer, and we’re excited about whatever she’ll be doing next. Check out ‘Freewheeler’ below. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)
Fall and the cold weather that follows are beginning to loom over the city, but don’t worry, summer isn’t over quite yet. For anyone in need of a power-up to boot and rally into the final round of warm weather, Frills has something valuable. The Brooklyn duo’s latest single “Drunk Girls, Drunk Boys” is a towering electro-pop track wearing its intentions on its sleeves. If the title doesn’t make it clear, the sing-a-long chorus and night-out verses will: this is music for letting loose and not caring. "Drunk Girls, Drunk Boys" follows a similarly excellent summer single "She’s Got Love" which the group released in May with an accompanying music video. – Cameron Carr
Lala Lala has released a wonderful Matthew James-Wilson and Linette Lapalm directed stop-motion video for their single new “Water Over Sex”. The track is taken from their forthcoming album, The Lamb, which due out Sept. 28th via Hardly Art.
You can help Lala Lala celebrate the release of their new album on Sept 28th at Empty Bottle with Choral Reefr.
Acceptor released their debut album, Cheers For Fears, last week. This is the charming pop punk of Justin Martin (Guitar/Vocals), Mike Myers (Guitar/Vocals), Drew Birdo (Bass), and Adam Balasco (Drums). What jumps out across the six song collection is the groups ability to combine addictive melodies with a raw DIY sound.
You can catch Acceptor at MCM Pub & Grill on August 23rd for a Guitar Betty Benefit show with The Just Luckies and Bernie & the Wolf. They will also be performing at Subterranean on Sept. 4th with Baked, Bethlehem Steel, Modern Cults, and Graham Hunt.
The duo of Chris Caulder & Patrick Norris, a.k.a. Seldom Family, recently shared a new EP Society (Vol. 1). A lush, dreamy sensibility creates an intimate, soothing, lullaby ambiance. The gentle sway of the instrumentation and the the echo of the vocals brings you back to those summer evening walks by the lake shore. The natural melodies ripple with a gentle breeze, creating an ideal isolation.
