New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Back in October we shared the lead single and title track of the forthcoming album, Wanderverse, from the emcee Pseudo Slang and the producer Pawcut. The album is due out May 1st, but this month they have release two "C-Sides" from the project and the latest is called "WhatWeerDealinWit".
The first "C-Side", "Finesseful", dropped back in March and was accompanied by the visuals below.
Boston’s Danny Moffat (The Collect Pond) has been keeping busy alongside his acoustic guitar and soul-merging loops; his latest offering, “Traveling,” is an ode to that which we hope for most at the moment: peace and familiarity. With a combination of gentle strums and relaxed-captivating vocals, Danny slows down the heartbeat, sharpens focus, and suspends you into a better reality. His indie folk track takes on a fun, fast-paced rhythm toward the end that is fitting, so pop-punk of him, a la acoustic that is, of course. Steam Danny’s latest track below for a mid-week mood uplift. – Rene Cobar
Uma Bloo has released a new single called "Coming Home", her second single of 2020. This is a powerful new song that builds in intensity as the song and the singers emotion progresses.
You can hopefully catch Uma Bloo at Hungry Brain on May 23rd with Flora and Daymaker.
Despite the current situation, we are coming up on Song of the Summer territory, and Evan Myall has an early contender with his track "Forever Mine". The sunny single comes from his upcoming self-titled debut LP, which drops on May 8th. Inspired by Glen Campbell and George Harrison, the soft-rock-tinged feel-good song continues to power the modern psych-rock trend with chilled-out guitar solos and Myall’s breathy vocals spouting romantic verse. Should you manage to find some time for a sanity walk, find a nice open field to enjoy on your own and let the sunny vibes of "Forever Mine" wash over you. Take a look at the cinematic video for "Forever Mine" below. – Will Sisskind
None of Your Concern has released two singles this month, "Cinnamon" and "Lied". This is the mysteriously masked duo who report to come from two musical diverse backgrounds to create this dark electronic music. One half is a classically trained musician, performing arts teacher and former dancer, who uses the arts to promote social justice. The other fronts a local LGBTQ+ punk band and has worked for a decade to bring multiple genres of music to the queer community on the west side of Chicago.
You can catch None of Your Concern at Sleeping Village on October 9th with Wingtips, Panic Priest, and Greg Corner.
Mixing a health dose of early 00s alternative and riot grrrl energy (with a raucous electronic bent), Brooklyn’s New Myths return with new track “Bad Connection,” a scorching, take-no-prisoners ride. Lyrically marked by free associative imagery that evokes the general restlessness at the track’s core (descriptions of television static and disease abound), Bad Myths instrumentally charge forward, offsetting their often grunge-y subject matter with sunburnt power chords, dynamic vocal gymnastics, and pervasive synth arpeggios. Such contrast allows the band to truly hone their strengths, primarily their ability to create rock that’s both crusty and glitzy, channeling a punk subject matter in a way that’s more polished than most (while maintaining that indefatigable spirit). Recommended for fans of groups like Sleater Kinney and the B-52s, stream the single below, and keep an eye out for the group’s forthcoming EP “All the Shiny Things” out later this year. Original photo by Andrew Segreti
Moldova born, Chicago-based Jazz Vocalist Ana Everling has been using the quarantine as an opportunity to go back to her childhood and record aseries of Moldovan children songs. These are home recordings that Ana has done perhaps for her own comfort, but also to bring comfort to those who listen. The latest song, the fifth she has released, is called "Ecoul (The Echo)", and was written by Ion Macovei and Grigore Vieru. The song is forty seconds of beautiful call and response, and hopefully bring a smile to any listener this morning.
You can hopefully catch Ana Everling at Jazz Showcase (806 S. Plymouth Ct.) on May 26th.
Ashley Stevenson (aka Slim Freedom) has been a staple of the subways tunnels of our city for the last seven years given a term troubadour a whole new meaning. She caught the eye of many a few years ago when her cover of "Landslide" went viral. She has a strength and a passion in her voice that is truly undeniable. Her debut album was released last week and is called "Freedom".
“No matter where you go you will still feel the same,” croons Brooklyn-based songwriter Allegra Krieger on new single “The Push and the Pull,” a prescient line for a young artist, but one that evokes the century long folk tradition of charting the human condition through emotive, guitar-forward music. Paired with a downtempo shuffle and a winding vocal performance, Krieger unravels a tale of romantic discord, her narrative accented by the odd acoustic arpeggio or electric noodling — such sparse-yet-noticeable instrumentation maintains the track’s forward momentum, without detracting from its central voice. Moreover, this balanced interplay between instrument and voice imparts an atmosphere of Americana, which paired with Krieger’s wistful, bittersweet lyricism evokes comparisons to the crafts of indie folk performers such as Adrianne Lenker and Jason Molina — give it a listen below, via Northern Spy Records. Photo by Liz Maney
Bottomed has released a new experimental ambient piece called "We Sit in Silence as Our World Decays". This is clearly a creation of isolation we all find ourselves in, and Bottomed has found a touch of beauty in that maddness.
This is a solo project of Nicholas Dellacroce of the instrumental doom metal group Bongriper. He did have some help on the creation of the underlying loop of this track from his quarantine partner Caroline Krol.
As the world moves closer and closer to chaos and disarray, Blood’s new EP entitled Why Wait Till ‘55, We Might Not Even Be Alive has the energy to match it. The group meanders through genres as a bundle of nomads looking for the brighter future that they know exist. From dense permeating tension to bare-bone melodic release to swift electric motion, the band seems to drive forward as one entity. Blood strikes the equilibrium between the harsh distortion of a rock band and the glistening horns and dynamics of a big jazz band, tranquil 7th chords and exploding drums, and the poetically vulnerable lyrics of a seasoned folk songwriter and the manic screaming delivery of a post-punk ruffian.
Recorded by Erik Wofford at Cacophony Recorders, the four track EP opens with “Intro”, which is not only the perfect preface to the EP, but to the band as a whole. It’s a slow-building descent into madness with layered, unravelling instrumentation paired with cryptic, culturally relevant lyrics reflecting criticisms of masculinity and class struggle. Tracks two and three each display one half of the group’s aptly self-described genre of “jazz-punk”, “Primitive Priest” being the high energy punk and “Genesis” being the more laid back jazz. The closer “Progeny of the Agency” is the longest track and only leaves the listener wanting more.
The band originated from frontman Tim O’Brien, who fairly quickly was able to amass his team of cohorts. The current lineup consists of bassist Nino Soberon, drummer Tyler Wolff, trumpeter Zach Malett, keyboardist Caleb Parker, guitarist brothers Ben and Julian McCamman-McGinnis, and O’Brien on lead vocals. After a couple of years of local shows, an east coast tour, and opening for some of punk’s biggest names, Blood’s debut surges forward, maintaining their position as one of Austin’s coolest bands.
-Hayden Steckel
