NYC

American Actor’s debut single proves unique and gritty, plays The Broadway 1.27

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New York indie outfit American Actor’s debut singles Chaos Creator / Cold Hands showcases an upstart alternative group with a penchant for gritty, growling rock and graphic (and sometimes salacious) lyricism. The release’s A Side (“Chaos Creator”) flexes frothy vocals and a sliding, siren-esque guitar, culminating in a no-holds-barred chorus with a heavy crunch, before transitioning to a distinctly chiller B-Side (“Cold Hands”), replete with lewd wordage and a self-effacing perspective. Between the band’s reliance on space-filling electric guitars and the forthcoming nature of their central vox, American Actor’s sound falls squarely between the instrumental stylings of alt giants like The National and the tongue-in-cheek lyrics of Alex Cameron, simultaneously bringing their own uniquely grimy songwriting to the forefront while never pulling punches. Listen to them below, and catch the band’s debut performance at The Broadway on January 27th. —Connor Beckett McInerney

Chicago

Sy Somebody “Idle Minds”

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Sy Somebody has released a new single, "Idle Minds", from their forthcoming album Life Is Cruel, Let’s Be Friends. This single, the third from the album which is set to be released on January 31st, finds the band teaming up Maceo Vidal-Haymes of The O’My’s for a song that details the ups and mostly downs of boredom.

You can catch Sy Somebody on February 22nd at The Hideout.

L.A.

01.17: Cheekface open for NYC’s Patio at The Hi Hat

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The incorrigible trio known in adoring circles as Cheekface will open for NYC’s Patio on January 17th at The Hi Hat. Cheekface spent all of 2019 dropping catchy singles as well as their album Therapy Island, the latter of which they released that March. Now the band have kicked off the year with a song-a-day project, recording new work for future release, and announcing upcoming shows of their own. They’ll take to Chicago and Brooklyn in February to spread their music across the country’s other major cities. But for now, they’ll take the stage at The Hi Hat along with First Ever Boys, a band making their debut at this very show. Check it out, and take a listen to Cheekface’s "No Connection" before you do. – Will Sisskind

Chicago

Bad Ambassadors “Saturday”

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Rich Jones and Walkingshoe (aka Bad Ambassadors) have released a second single, “Saturday”, from their forthcoming debut album which is due out this Friday, January 10th.

When asked, Jones had this to say of the track; “‘Saturday’ was the only song I wrote Summer 2015 before we really got cooking in the Fall. Had been feeling particularly low as I dealt with a multitude of things – the murder of a dear friend, the growing pains of a new relationship, a lack of trust of those around me who I’d previously felt iron clad about – that by that point in the year had crescendoed into a wave that felt like it would be tough to make it over. All the good things indeed felt so very far away from me and I desperately needed that to change”.

You can catch Bad Ambassadors at Hideout Inn on January 10th.

Chicago

Jeff Parker “Go Away”

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Composer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Parker has announced that his next album, Suite for Max Brown, will be released by the local label International Anthem in partnership with Nonesuch on January 24th.

The project is named for and dedicated to Parker’s mother, features nine original songs as well as “Gnarciss,” an interpretation of Joe Henderson’s “Black Narcissus,” and John Coltrane’s “After the Rain.” Below is the album’s first single, “Go Away”.

You can catch Jeff Parker at Dorian’s on March 8th and 9th.

NYC

Unknown Sender’s debut is thrasy fun, plays Union Pool 1.14

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New York punk rock group Unknown Sender spring into action with their debut, self-titled record, incorporating elements surfy, psychy, and thrashy into an ambitious first full length. From the beach-friendly fills in “On Trial,” to the death march drums of “No Use,” to the doom of standout “Engine Failure,” the band keeps their energy upbeat, consistently driving, and melodic throughout the album’s ten tracks. Perfect for fans of Minor Threat and the Menzingers, it’s worth its weight in the sweat and blood expected at their upcoming January 14th Union Pool show — listen below. 

 

Chicago

Cairns “Bleak Midwinter”

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Guitarist Cairns has released a new single called “Bleak Midwinter”. This is ambient, atmospheric, and chaotic in all the best and most dreary ways.

He also released an improvised track last month called “No Sun”. It seems like this gray Chicago winter is hitting Cairns hard.

Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis

New England

The Burning Sensations ignite in debut self-titled record

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Igniting with no apologies, the Connecticut collective known as The Burning Sensations debut with a self-titled album that does not take itself all that seriously, and that is its appeal. The opening track “Wanting More” has a bite to it, why with its sharp-lingering guitar chords, slithery bassline, and playful vocal delivery, it is wide open to listener interpretation: funky, alternative, retro—take your pick. Tracks like “Murky Water” have a tinge of that same theatricality and over-the-top vocal delivery that shot Modest Mouse to fame at the start of the new millennium. “Sensitive Guys” is as hilarious as it is tragic, and “Do Me” is upbeat and tough with its rock edge. Overall the album introduces the band with clarity because the group’s sound is well-established, and that is a great selling point. Listen to the cool and groovy guitar in “Sweat Wiper” from the new record below. – Rene Cobar

L.A.

01.17: The Dales drop new EP “Easy Times” at The Troubadour

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The Dales will take the stage at The Troubadour on Friday, January 17th to mark the release of their new EP Easy Times, a follow-up to their 2018 debut album Marie. Having introduced themselves as a folk rock tour-de-force near the end of last decade, The Dales enter the 2020s with a decided sense of optimism and a relaxed nature despite the constant goings-on so far this year. At just five tracks long, the positive vibe of Easy Times provides an uplifting thrist-quencher for anyone who finds themselves gasping for some serotonin these days. Easy Times drops on all streaming services on January 10th; you can stream the first single, the title track, below. – Will Sisskind

Chicago

Brigid Broderick ” To All The Boys I’ve Regretted Hooking Up With Before”

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Singer and Actress Brigid Broderick has released a hilarious song called “To All The Boys I’ve Regretter Hooking Up With Before”. The song lands somewhere between parody, pure comedy, and inventive pop. In the lyrics Broderick references Lorde and it is clear that this is inspired by and nearly a parody of the earnest lyrics of Lorde. We hope this isn’t just a one off, but a hint at what may be to come. 

NYC

Laura Wolf’s “Good Veins” is a glitched orchestra, plays Sultan Room 1.10

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At the core of Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist Laura Wolf’s sound is the congruence of tones eclectic and electronic. Her new single “Good Veins” exists at a point wherein the acoustic becomes synthetic, where strings are modified and altered insofar as they become a new instrument altogether, a sound Wolf aptly describes as “cello glitch pop.” Despite the vast change Laura Wolf’s string performance undergoes, it resonates with the listener as orchestral regardless; samplers, keys and vox congeal in a symphonic manner, each individual part brought in to build the track’s dramatic climax, fashioning music that wouldn’t be out of place in a chapel or a concert hall. Listen to the song below, and catch Laura Wolf at the Sultan Room on January 10th, alongside Katie Glasgow, Powerlines, and Foxanne. —Connor Beckett McInerney, Image by Anna Azarov