New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Pretty Pleased is primarily the indie rock of Josh Kayne. He is preparing to release his latest EP, and first since 2017, “Sounds Good”. The EP’s first single is called "Dodge Durango Unchained” and can be streamed below.
You can catch Pretty Pleased tonight, February 18th, at Downstair at Subt with Bosley Jr., Bottom Bracket and Jazz Cabage.
Photo by Jeff Smudde
Ace of Wands is the music and songwriting of Lee Rose along with Anna Mierniks and Jody Brumell. Their debut LP is set for release on February 22nd and features the single “Lioness”. This intense track features Rose’s powerful vocals as well as her multi-instrumental talents that have her playing guitar, bass and violin. Her classically trained violin skills are mixed with folk and rock n’ roll influences to give Ace of Wands a unique sound. In their words they expand their songwriting “to incorporate facets of cinematic soundscapes, pop melodies and interlocking guitars and vocals”. The “Lioness” Release Party goes down February 22nd with Joan Smith & The Jane Does, Kate Boothman and When Particles Collide at the Horseshoe Tavern. – Kris Gies
Amo Amo wants to look at you, and chances are, you want to look at them too. The dream pop outfit’s third single, “When I Look at You,” stream from my speakers and puts a whole new endearing twist on how a simple look can subdue a person. With their mesmerizing vocals and psychedelic rock, the five piece has me wanting to share genuine (non-creepy) glances with other people, make someone smile, and to try and make the human connection more…human. The sheer beauty and elegance of the accompanying music video is moving in itself. There is a small ‘peeping tom’ aspect to the video, creating a humorous atmosphere that only adds to the originality of the band’s creativeness.
Amo Amo just played a Valentines Show at The Moroccan Lounge, but if you weren’t there, you can find the rest of their tour dates on their website and keep a look out for an album release this spring. Kayla Hay
Psych-Pop Quintet Lucille Furs have released a third single, “All Flowers Before Her”, from their forthcoming LP, Another Land. The album is set to be released on March 15th via Requiem Pour Un Twister.
You can help the band celebrate the release of the album on March 15th at Virgin Hotels (203 N. Wabash Ave).
This past October, dream-pop trio Isla Invisible introduced us to their hypnotic sound through the release of their debut EP. On Thursday, the band gave us another peak into that world with the release of the video for single “Pillow”. Shaped by incandescent, shoegazey melodies and support from atmospheric guitars reminiscent of bands like Beach House and the Cocteau Twins, the track is strikingly complimented by surreal footage from Puerto Rico, where the group first formed before relocating to NYC. Faces warp, sunlight blurs the vision, and everything feels only half-real, like a mirage of a memory remembered in the present. The video captures the melancholic feeling of reminiscing about the past – but here, the “invisible island” conjured by Isla Invisible’s music becomes more than a memory, but a place to return to, and to reconcile with. Check out “Pillow” below. – Sunny Betz
After the “Sky So Blue” single released last month we were excited for Hot Flash Heat Wave’s EP release on February 15th. Praise Prince above we were not disappointed. Tracks are refreshingly varied and full of life, from surfy psych rock to electro pop-rock. Songs have similar feels as Animal Collective but with a touch of Smith Westerns and an Italian pop vibe. Can you picture it? Probably not but listen and discover what we’re putting down here. An EP favorite, “Floating,” starts with a chugging guitar moving with distorted spacey vibrations that gives the same feelings as the song’s title. Hot Flash Heat Wave kicked off their tour last night at The Independent and are about to glide across the states. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor
Bertling Noise Laboratories are the bedroom recordings of Nick Bertling. This week he released a new EP called “…into thin air”, and it really caught us by surprise. This is well-crafted, melodic, indie rock with elements of Ben Folds and Ben Kweller, and probably some other guys named Ben.
Last month Nick posted that he had a total of 12 fans on Spotify and that number should be dramatically higher based on this EP alone.
Julia Rainer crafts a clear cathartic musical vision. A power lies in the open expression of the singer-songwriter’s folk/Americana. Amid the serenity of open natural spaces, a stirring haunt develops. Perhaps, it’s that the lyricism casts vivid imagery into the atmosphere, resonating and reverberating throughout your being. Soulful vocals chronicle earnest narratives, serving as a catalyst to a captivating calm. Tonight at No Face Studios, Rainer will be joined by the duo of Hetepsa and Nu Ra, a.k.a. Camp Candle, whom dispense hypnotically sleek, airy electropop. The sparse, eerie, dimly illuminated yet resounding songs of Weekend Athlete find a way to linger/stay with you, completing this three-pronged local lineup. – Michael Colavita
More places where you can find the locals this weekend…
No Face Studios (5213 Grays Ave.) FRI Camp Candle, Julia Rainer, Weekend Athlete
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Mo Lowda & the Humble
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) SAT Chestnut Grove
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Dear Forbidden, Valentina Janie/DJ Deejay, SAT Ramona, Teenage Bigfoot/DJSC, SUN Grave Blankets, Usti Waya
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI DJ Shearn
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI 21st Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention Afterparty: Nightfall, Asthmatix, SUN Theory of a King, Enigmyst, 100 Men On Mars, Big Handsome, MarsDog
The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SAT DJ Love, Killsing, Yolo Ono
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Upstairs) Jackson Pines, SAT (Upstairs) Kayleigh Goldsworthy, Jesse Barki
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Magnificent Birds of Prey, BEES, Good Morning, Daydreamer, SAT The Prisoners, The Barren Marys, Seeing Snakes, Vixen77
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Deadfellow, Something Like A Monument, Chalk & the Beige Americans, Starterjacket, SAT The Dull Blue Lights, Scantron, SUN Barney Cortez, The Fleeting Ends, Earth Radio
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI Bears Have Hearts, VAS, Firm Taqtics, SAT Tom Mackell, J Solomon, JW Farrell, SUN Mew Kardo, Jiliyah, Buckavali
The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Tigerbeats/Sweat Daddy, SAT TheresDrinkingToBeDone.com
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) SAT DJ Deejay, SUN Jacky Bambam, DJ Deejay
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT The Joe Borsellino Trio, SUN Rusty Cadillac
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Rover Rover, Cubbage, SAT The Robinsons, Wrong Turn
Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Dottie Riot’s Music Revue/Ben Aire, SAT Ed Christof
Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) SAT Goalkeeper/Sad & Boujee
The Tusk (430 South St.) FRI The Haunting, THE END A.D. Voodoo Death Cult
Century (1350 S. 29th St.) FRI Loafass, The Boardwalk Kings, Wrong Turn, SAT Wrists (Tape Release)
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) SAT The Output, Ryan Corcoran, Dom & Jesse, Cookie Rabinowitz
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Splintered Sunlight, Wax Future, SAT Hannah Taylor & Rekardo Lee
Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Beach Bod, SUN Past Life
The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) FRI Fallible Being, Rasan In the Heyday
First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) SUN Alone In A Crowd :a Benefit for Howie: Pagan Babies, Let Down, Nowhere Roads
The Music Ward (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Flux Capacitor, Solar Circuit
Good Morning, Daydreamer, the latest musical vehicle featuring Marc Neibauer, recently shared a new single. “Clarity” captures a swirling, ominous tone, while peering into focused thought. Enhanced by spellbinding strings, a dramatic, sonic vortex is achieved. It taps into a state of meditative menace. The band will be performing tonight at The Fire, along with BEES! and Magnificent Birds of Prey.
Lorelei Dreaming is the dark synth-pop project of Lorelei of St. Griselda. When performing she is also joined by AJ Gapsevic (Echo Haus) and Reuben Chew (Rachel’s Surrender). She is releasing a new single called “Of Stars” on February 19th, but the single edit of the track can be streamed below now.
Lorelei Dreaming will be embarking on a Midwest tour in May, but do not currently have any local shows scheduled.
Photo by Amanda Trumbull Photography
Stress You Out, the new album from the pairing of Rachel Wild and Nathan Avila, a.k.a. Beach Bod, has freshly washed up on our shores. The recording’s melancholy soaks into your skin as the delicate mist of melodic harmony takes over. A soothing/sincere dynamic balances the adrift, surf atmosphere. You can wade in their sonics this evening at Everybody Hits, where they’ll be opening for Oso Oso and Diva Sweetly. (Drawing by Liana Frances)
Celebrate the American Legion Post 134’s centennial anniversary this weekend, starting tomorrow. Over the years the Legion has shown a lot of love to the local scene, and this is a great chance to send some of that love back their way. Local bands Nick Normal, No Aloha, Deathlist, and more will be playing. Each day goes from 5-11. There’s gonna be plenty of grub (vegan food included), and raffle prizes throughout the day. It’s only $7 per day, which is only $21 for the whole weekend. If you bring a canned good donation, the price drops down to $5. Check out the full details and lineup at the Legion’s facebook page here.
-By Avril Carrillo
