They say the best things come in small packages, that could not be more true for Pet Fox’s new single “Swerving.” The Boston-based trio packs a lot of surprises into the one minute and twenty-three-second song: a somewhat disjointed compilation of acoustic and electric guitar strains are held together by a solid drum rhythm as they rage beside warm vocal harmonies. The summery vibe of the single comes from the group’s tendency to permeate its indie rock with ‘60s pop overtones, but the edge comes from its math-rock understanding. “Swerving” is a preview of the group’s upcoming record Rare Occasion out everywhere July 19th. The band will be playing ONCE in Somerville on July 24th, and we are streaming “Swerving” to keep its sizzle going. – Rene Cobar
Aan’s Grief is Palpable on Losing My Shadow
Aan released their latest album, Losing My Shadow, last month via Fresh Selects. Losing Shadow is frontman Bud Wilson’s way of recreating the mental and emotional spaces created by grief, and what purposes these new spaces can serve. The album has clean percussive hits, accented by syncopations that throw the song off just enough to make you really appreciate the way the music shapes itself. The album’s first single, "Truly Massive" is the sort of mournful, space-cowboy ballad that could only be made by a psych band. It’s hard to explain the feelings that the song evokes, a shadowy combination of pain, longing, and the hope for a reunion. Wilson’s voice carries all of these emotions and more. It is touching and sentimental but retains the sort of wistful aloofness that leaves you feeling like something important is just barely out of your reach. The album is an incredibly impressive emotional project, one for which Wilson should be commended.
-By Avril Carrillo
New Track: “Bloom” – Heatmap
Thank, the forthcoming EP from Heatmap, was recorded by Jeff Zeigler at Uniform Recording, and is scheduled to arrive on July 26. As a precursor, its lead single, “Bloom,” is out now. A gritty groove serves as the core to a track that grows, with clean, calculated, guitar lines branching outward. On Saturday, July 27, Ortlieb’s will be hosting Heatmap’s record release show, where the band will be supported by Goldenaire and Desperate Living.
Lemon Knife “Thunder Owed”
DIY rock duo Lemon Knife recently released a new single called “Thunder Owed”. This is the work of Mia Blixt-Shehan (Bass, guitar, vocals) and John Retterer-Moore (Drums, lyrics, backing vocals). This is the first new music from the duo since their 2018 EP, “In Our Darkest Sour”.
A Bunch of Dead People make alternate dimension funk, play Baby’s 7.31
Brooklyn’s A Bunch of Dead People is the experimental funk solo project of Ruben Sindo Acosta that “has since become a cult,” in their own words. Listening to debut Your Eternal Reward helps illuminate why the band chose this self-descriptor. Over the course of seven, fuzzed out tracks, Acosta lays down groovy vintage bops, accentuatedby a preference for time signature changes, discordantly off-kilter synths, and enormous sax lines. His eccentric take on funk music challenges the listener’s expectations, delivering a full length effort that feels like what funk music would sound like in an alternate David Lynch-inspired dimension. Stream the delightfully freaky LP below, and catch A Bunch of Dead People at Baby’s All Right on July 31st, alongside Irrevery, Francie Moon, and Wooter. -Connor Beckett McInerney
Lonas releases debut EP “Youth”, releases video for “Doesn’t Feel Right”
Louis Johnson has released his debut EP Youth under his relatively new moniker, Lonas. Though he’s lived and played in Nashville for the better part of the decade, Johnson created Lonas after his duo The Saint Johns signed with Dr. Luke’s Prescription Songs to release their latest album. Needing a change of direction from that toxicity, Johnson spent time reconnecting with old musician friends, writing his own songs, and creating the framework for what has become Lonas and Youth. The melodic and folk-adjacent tracks of Lonas come from Johnson’s experiences alone; a blend of millennial ennui, grief over lost friends and embattled families, and anxiety stemming from financial and spiritual discord power the lyrics and create some of the most raw music Johnson’s ever put out.
Along with the release, Johnson has released a music video for a live acoustic jam version of "Doesn’t Feel Right", showcasing his Nashville-based musician friend circle; take a look at it below. – Will Sisskind
Peaer’s “Don’t” is effortlessly cool math rock, new record out 9.27
Brooklyn’s Peaer hits their stride on new single “Don’t,” utilizing patent stumbling math rock rhythms alongside major-minor chord modulations to create a track that is as engaging as it is disorienting. Regardless of vocalist/guitarist Peter Katz’s biting, occasionally sardonic lyrics (“why do you treat others like objects? / man, i’d hate to see how you treat objects”), there’s an inherent playfulness to Peaer’s craft, due in large part to the band’s tight instrumental synergy, their ability to interweave guitar, drums, and vox in ways unexpected and impressive. Better yet, Katz’s nonchalant vocal delivery occurring the midst of their well-choreographed performance endows “Don’t” with an effortlessly cool atmosphere. It promises more experimentation on forthcoming LP A Healthy Earth, out August 16th on Tiny Engines; listen below, and catch them at Elsewhere on September 27th. -Connor Beckett McInerney
frogi makes a blissful plea on new single, “Time”
"Time," the new single by singer/songwriter frogi, begins slow and steady. "Baby let’s just give it time," she beckons, a song she wrote during a period of emotional relationship turmoil. She uses nothing more than her soft, enrapturing voice, hitting each note with striking precision over a droning ambient backdrop until she builds things up to a soaring finish. Her denouement is simple, yet sublime, letting us in into her most vulnerable state with a freeing sense of resolution.
Listen to "Time," alongside frogi’s debut single, "peace of mind," via her official Soundcloud page. – Juan Rodríguez
Big Spirit carries the specter of punk forward, plays The Broadway 7.25
Big Spirit is New York’s answer to disingenuous baby boomer gripes that there’s no good rock bands anymore, embodying the, well, “big spirit” of the Big Apple’s longstanding rock legacy. New single “Black Angel” employs sloppy fun Ramones-like guitar progressions against the sing-speak stream of conscious lyrics of frontman Sed Pepper, a visceral diatribe of dream imagery that includes being “born in an ocean” and “making love to a video.” While it might be a fool’s errand to offer deeper analysis of Pepper’s more esoteric quips, his abilities as a songwriter endow Big Spirit’s music with a restless energy, a constant sense of movement, that makes for an enjoyably vintage listening experience. Jam it below, and catch the band the band at The Broadway on July 25th, supporting Nice Knife and Haute Tension. –Connor Beckett McInerney
Alex Wiley & Mick Jenkins “F.Y.I.”
Alex Wiley has teamed up Mick Jenkins on his latest single, "F.Y.I". This comes on the heels of his mixtape "Tangerine Dreams II" which dropped just a few months ago. "F.Y.I", this just might be our song of the summer!
The Million Reasons “Secrets”
Alt Rockers The Million Reasons have released a new single called “Secrets”. This is the work of Scott Nadeau (Vocals), Ken Ugel (Guitars), Mike Nichols (Guitars), Jason Cillo (Bass), and Colin Dill (Drums).
This is the groups third single since the release on their debut album, The Runaround, back in 2017.
You can catch The Millions Reasons on July 19th with Tiny Kingdoms, Old Sol, and Polarizer at Beat Kitchen.
Weekend Warrior – July 12 – 14
Dreamswell will be celebrating its debut full-length LP SPOILED with a performance this evening at Boot & Saddle. Haunting, weighted ambiance quakes and shudders throughout the album. The songs sonically realize ominous, brutal, bombarding tones that melodically shred within treacherous terrains. Somehow during those nightmarish, ominous sequences, as the percussion pulverizes, one finds a peaceful, placid, shoegazing perspective. Dreamswell will be supported by the raw, raucous, mesmerizing metal of Witching and the rhythmically rolling, synth-fueled darkwave of SOLD, as well as NYC’s Stay at Home Dads. – Michael Colavita
More places to be at this weekend…
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Dreamswell (Record Release), Witching, Sold, SAT Palmas
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Hurry, SAT The Classic Hunt, Hand Me Downs, Afloat / Fame Lust, SUN Low Dose, Yarrow, Mute Host
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) FRI Fabergégé, SUN Thin Lips
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Emo-Palooza: Revolutions Radio, SAT Stranger Things Dance Party: Wassup Gina, DJ Shearn
TLA (334 South St.) FRI High Noon
The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) FRI So Far Gone: Dirty South Joe, Magglezzz, SUN Simply Christopher
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SUN Nuevo Fest: Lady HD
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI The Wordsmith Experience: Eli Capella, MC Knowledge, Seraiah Nicole, Jazz Fresh, Blessa, A.T. Eaze, Kae Hock, SAT Chalk & The Beige Americans, SUN October Black, Dawns Divide, The Climaxers
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) SAT Hayduke, Wexler & the Better Humans, SUN Kenty Love
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Soul Glo, Drowse, Penetrode, Bandit, SAT TIOGA, Tiny Hueman
The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI No Gods, Hyve, SAT The Shakedown/Pat Keo, Josh Holiday, SUN Imprint: Very J, Lucas Lee, Keen
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI DJ Sylo, Astro 8000, SAT DJ Deejay
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) FRI Live Band Karaoke, SUN Rusty Cadillac
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Earth7, Rally Point, Kinda Alright
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI Tate (Record Release), Fast Car Slow Car, Babe Grenade, SAT Love Fest: Breakfast for Turtles, The Smoking Lightbulb, The Missing Frets, Sonny Knockout, Ntive Flora, SUN Seraiah Nicole, Séana The Solstice
Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) FRI DJ Beatstreet, SAT Menace Cartel, SUN Michael Thompson
Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI DJ Royale, SAT DJ Ian St Laurent
Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) FRI DJ Stampone, SAT HPUSA Killadelphia Slasherfest: Wolves Attack, Voodoo Death Cult, The Mad Splatter
The Tusk (430 South St.) FRI Frost Giant
Century (1350 S. 29th St.) FRI Dustin Awesomes, LunaVex, 3xiLe, SAT Gross, Toxic Malt
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Perlin Noise, Moonroof, Chiseled Lilies, SAT The Barker Brothers, Jac with No K, Hootsie, Creem Circus
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Vertical Current, SAT Nik Greeley & The Operators, SUN Fundraiser for Children’s Hospital: Osler Circle
Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) SUN Big Nothing
Warehouse on Watts (923 N. Watts St.) FRI Rob Paine & Francisco Collazo, SAT DJ Cousin Mike
Lizard Lounge (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Beach Fuzz (Album Release), Daydrunks, Earthboy, Family Volleyball
Haus of Yarga (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Under 95
Anthorna Gallery (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN Love Fest: Alex Deems, Rabbit Heart, Lost Thirds, Emmanuel Ohemeng III and Perpetual Motion, Sunchoke, Midfield, Vague Advice
The Waiting Room (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN Nic Sanderson, FLNG, Little Stray
Free Candy (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Sam Jackson