New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Shawnee Dez has released her latest double single, "Roller/Sticky Beez". This is second single of 2021 from the highly talented vocalist, following up "Icey" which was released back in February.
Both new tracks blend elements of R&B with soul, pop, and Jazz to create a downtempo, relaxed vibe.
Pop-Punk Group Wolf Rd released their latest EP, "Counterpoint", back in June which featured the lead single, "As Good As It Gets".
You can catch Wolf Rd at Bottom Lounge on August 27th with Guardrail, The Weekend Run Club, and Cleveland Avenue.
photo credit: Isabel Damberg
L.A.-raised artist Jordi Up Late (aka Jordan Tager) grew up around filmmaking and music production, picking things up here and there as the years passed. Eventually, her passion for visual art took her to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to earn her BA. With a unique visual style and musical influences ranging from Daft Punk to Little Dragon and James Blake, Jordi seems to be cresting at the right time, as the video for her song “Back in LA” demonstrates.
The track opens with piercing, club-ready synth pianos banging out syncopated chords, while Jordi confidently belts her vocals in between the empty spaces. Soon after, tight electronic drums and a gooey synth bass come tumbling in, laying down a funky, instantly catchy dance groove, reminiscent of some of the 80s-90s best dance-pop tracks, but with a 2020s vibe of her own. The choruses, though, when she delivers an assertive kiss-off to the lover whose spell she’s finally broken free of (“two is for you/ and three for me/ fuck you / ‘cause I love me”) offers an ethereal, muted oasis from the previous electronic cacophony. They seem to represent, in music, the relief and freedom she feels upon regaining her sense of agency after an emotionally-trying romance.
The video itself is a pastel, Day-Glo, multi-textured, Memphis Group-inspired moving tableau of simple, looping animations that provide both evocative and humorous counterpoint to the track. It’s an impressive feat that Jordi is able to do so much with so little, and demonstrates her confidence as a modern animator. Both track and video seem to co-exist with each other, and one should experience both to understand Jordi’s full talents. Gabe Hernandez
Adia has enlisted the talents of Ifeanyi Elswith for her latest single and video, "Off Grid". The video was filmed on location in Jamaica and looks like it was a dream to film.
This is a beautifully breezy summer jam with hints of flings, vacations, and secret getaways.
Andrew Krull has released the lead single, "Magnolia", from their forthcoming debut EP, "It All Goes", which is due out on August 27th.
For this project Krull enlisted an array of talented local musicians including Nick Levine of Pinegrove/Jodi, Seth Engel of Options, Aaron Smith, Jess McIntosh, and Alayne May.
When asked about the EP’s lead single they had this to say; "I wrote “Magnolia” following a conversation with a couple of people I love very much. It was one of those very powerful moments of emotional connection in which you’re willing to be scared of vulnerability, willing to have your voice shake while you say something meaningful to you. The song itself is partially about how scary it can be to show your authentic self to people, especially when that “authentic self” is something you’re not even sure you have a great grasp on. But ultimately the message of the song is that it can be immensely rewarding letting your guard down around people who you trust to be loving and supportive – something I’m working on all the time. I wrote this song and got the magnolia branch tattooed on my arm as a reminder of how special vulnerability can be."
Sound Artist Norman W. Long has released the first single, "Reeds", from his forthcoming album, Black Brown Gray Green, which is set to be released via Hausu Mountain on September 10th.
This will be Long’s debut for Hausu after a string of outstanding album’s for Reserve Matinee. The album is the culmination for two years of recording soundscapes from the post-industrial sites and urban areas of Chicago’s southeast side.
photo credit @jeralddjohnson
L.A.-based singer-songwriter Angelnumber 8 today releases “Habit,” the first single from his upcoming project Digital Tribal, along with an accompanying music video, released via CashApp Studios.
The track begins with Angelnumber 8’s crisp, double-tracked vocals accompanied for a couple measures by echoing synth keyboards, until the beat (complete with itchy-sounding snare) enters, alongside delicately arpeggiated, tropical-sounding electric guitar and deep, rounded synth bass. At points, Angelnumber 8’s voice is transformed with clever use of tremolo, lending a hypnotic quality to his voice and blurring the lines between vocal and instrument. When he chooses to bypass the effect, it’s in favor of double-tracking his vocals using the low bass range of his voice, which lends an additional pleasant depth to the soundscape. The track ends just as quickly as it starts, with mischievous vocal hiccups and gentle yelps seeing the drums and bass out until, at last, all that’s left is the electric guitar.
Lyrically, Angelnumber 8 seems to address some unnamed romantic interest in terms of his addiction to them, but also laments their neglect of him in favor of other distractions, including those that earn them money, but not artistic or creative output. “Breathless/I am again,/Like jeans ripped from the hem/Holding on to a thread/Bending,/Twisting,/With limbs,” he sings, describing his strung-out state of mind after bing neglected by the person he’s addressing.
The ingenious music video (directed by the artist and with visual effects by Zach Beech) finds Angelnumber 8 in an idyllic romance with a glitch-ridden, technicolor digital moth. They cavort together in the wilderness, they have dinner at a “fancy” restaurant (although she goes unnoticed, at first, by the waiter), but their time together takes an unfortunate turn toward the morbid, as well as the surreal. The final sequence is startlingly Lynchian in both its banality and its chilling effect. This writer expects bigger and better work to come soon from this artist on the rise. Gabe Hernandez
I remember seeing Darkbird live for the first time earlier this year at The Far Out Lounge, and their song “Heartbeat” really grabbing my attention. The song has an upbeat, disco-ish vibe that causes involuntary dancing with every listen. Simply put, the track is groovy as hell. Considering that Darkbird is more than capable of channeling a heavy-rock sound also, releasing “Heartbeat” further showcases their versatility and talent in a new light.
Though they can most easily be described as a straightforward rock n’ roll band, the diversity of influences and sounds heard within their music makes them undeniably unique in their own right. The lead singer, Kelly, elaborates on the many inspirations behind them. “The band has a ton of individual influences. Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, Randy Travis, The Pixies, Dr. Dog, George Jones…. I mean, the list goes on. Depression is probably our actual biggest influence.” Darkbird covers a wide spectrum within the rock genre. I certainly pick up on some of the classic rock influences, contemporary rock, and everything in between. That being said, they have an uncanny ability to make all of their ideas mesh to form their own musical identity.
I think that even the members of the band would admit “Heartbeat” is different from the rest of their previous releases. However, the decision to try something new didn’t seem to be a super thought out decision. For Darkbird, crafting this song was just a spontaneous and spur of the moment thing that just seemed to happen. Kelly explains, “The song had no prior intention. Brian wrote a part, I wrote some parts and it just became a poppy, dance jam. And it’s really about just needing to feel alive, whether it’s love, a substance or even an actual heart attack that wakes you up and gets you out of the hamster wheel that life can become, something needs to give sometimes.” The fact that this process was so effortless for the band members makes the song even more impressive.
This latest release proves that Darkbird has no barriers or creative limitations. They don’t allow genre or outside expectations to weigh them down. They simply make music that feels right to them and I think it’s safe to say that it’s working out for the five piece band from Austin. Though they already have plenty of great songs for fans to listen to, “Heartbeat” might be their awe-inspiring track to date.
– Quinn Donoghue
Avery Springer made her Lauren Records debut this week with the release of the single "Bored Man with a Knife". Springer, who is also the lead singer for the group Retirement Party, began releasing music as a solo artist just last year with the singles "Jackson" and "Early Bird".
Safety Town (aka Jackson Davis) has released the lead single from his forthcoming debut album, Fake It, which is due out November 12th via Earth Libraries.
Dorian Huff (aka DJ D9-3) has released visuals for a track called "Too T’d". For this track he has brought together seven very talented artists from around the city including Sprado, LaJé, Kidd Pryde, Saneit, Chanelle Tru, Quis J & A-Train.
The single is taken from D9-3’s 2020 mixtape called "Damn Near" and the video was directed by LAKESHOREHY, RoyalT Media, D9-3 himself.
Emily Franke has released he second single, "Pretty Pissed", in as many months. For this new track she enlisted the help of trumpeter Sammy Haig to help highlight what she is calling her response to the heightened emotions found in songs like "Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo.
This follow-up the track she released back in June, "Supernova".
