New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Psych Pop group Spun Out has released the lead single, "Another House", from the debut album, Touch The Sound, which is due out on August 21st via Shuga Record and Spin Out Productions.
This is the new project from 3/4’s of the sadly defunct NE-Hi, Mikey Wells, James Weir, and Alex Otake.
It’s not uncommon during periods of stress or uncertainty to regress, or at the very least, imagine some sort of hypothetical bygone age viewed through rose-tinted goggles. Such feverish daydreams are the center of Local Nomad’s new single “Summertime,” a sweltering electro-pop jam that recalls the childlike joys of playing baseball during the warmer months. With synth leads evocative of 80s new wave paired with contemporary, progressive songwriting, multi-instrumentalist Michael Desmond is certainly looking towards the past — though the groove is never overwhelmed by a perverse sense of nostalgia. Rather, Local Nomad’s recollections stay grounded and realistic, letting the track’s vivid memories play off its colorful keys and dynamic vocal performances, in the end crafting a misty, escapist banger for what feels like a ‘lost’ summer — give it a listen below, and be sure to stream the project’s self-titled EP, out tomorrow.
Dehd has released the fourth single, "Month", from their forthcoming sophomore album Flower of Devotion which is due out July 17th via Fire Talk.
The single is accompanied by a Cal Fish directed video that was made entirely in quarantine and features animated drawings appear over ambiguous video clips.
Ifeanyi Elswith recently released the first single, "XO", from her forthcoming album Everything Festyle which is set to be released on July 24th.
At 21, she has already firmly planted herself in the local music scene through her work with Wyatt Waddell as a member of his band and her work with the local non-profit Notes for Notes.
Tobi Lou has released a new three-song EP called "Lingo Starr". The EP is accompanied by a Glassface directed video that cohesively weaves together the songs.
Lou has released a series of highly acclaimed singles over the last year including "Skin Care Tutorial 2020", "hot tub TIME Machine", "hot tub DREAM Machine", and "Waterboy".
Pool Holograph has released a collection of demos, B-Sides, and outtakes from the last five years of the band’s catalog called Walking Down the Spiral Stairs. All proceeds from the bandcamp sales of this collection will be donated to Assata’s Daughters, a local grassroots intergenerational collective of radical Black women.
Connecticut outfit Farmertan returns with the second act of its sonic play Muse of Fire, which enters a new chapter revved up and hot for noise. While the first act surely had its gritty rock moments, this second act kicks off with tracks like “Man of the Hour,” which sprints across its nearly four minutes of lingering-distorted chords, spirited drum fills, and oh-so subtle bassline with the velocity alternative rock demands. “The Storm” slows down some but is still powered by fuzzy guitar riffs and reverberated vocals that match the characteristics of the music; the guitar solo in the track is killer. “After” is the most melodic of the songs, gritty and fueled up still but with a cool strut to it that closes the act splendidly. Overall this continuation makes evident that this sonic play is well underway and that the last act is worth sticking around for; stream the second act below for a solid Tuesday playlist. – Rene Cobar
James Elkington has released a new single which is highlighted by a cover of The Zombie’s song "Beechwood Park". Elkington chose this song to cover because of it’s sense of nostalgia for the past mixed with an underlying tone of otherworldliness.
The single also includes a studio outtake from the recording sessions for his 2020 album, Ever-Roving Eye, called "Corridor Country".
Alt Rock trio The Sinclair Express have released their debut album All Aboard. This is the work of Chris Sinclair, John Lawrence, and Mark Knapp, and the group blends Alt Rock, Blues, and Psych into a sound all their own.
The album’s lead single is a fun and funky track called "It Never Ends" and is accompanied by the video below. The is donating all proceeds from the first month of album sales will go to the Chicago Community Bond Fund as well as MI Liberation.
Jazz Musician Quin Kirchner has released his sophomore album, The Shadows and The Light, via Astral Spirits. This is the first new music from Kirchner since 2018’s The Other Side of Time.
The album features contribution from Nick Broste, Nick Mazzarella, Greg Ward, Matt Ulery, Nate Lepine, and more.
Back in April, Kirchner participated in Experimental Sound Studio’s Quarantine Concert Series and you watch the performance below.
While partially rooted in past trauma, “Horrible Person” by Brooklyn-based avant-pop performer Caitlin Pasko resonates as a step onto new ground — a “reconfiguration [of an] internal compass” in the artist’s own words, wherein from a minimalist soundscape and untethered vox she constructs a path forward. Building from an abiding minimalist vibration that underlies the track’s nearly six minute runtime, Pasko (in collaboration with ex-Zula polymath Henry Grant) draws in sharp filtered strings, crafting tense synthetic elements which counteract a dulcet-yet-raw vocal line, one that with steely resolve serves as a lyrical takedown of psychological abuse. Such an approach serves as the foundation of Pasko’s forthcoming LP Greenhouse — the idea that such pain can serve as a centerpiece around which a musical safe space is created, one that fosters healing, regrowth, and personal transformation. Give it a listen below, and be sure to keep an eye out for the full album out August 28th on Whatever’s Clever.
