Krust Toons: "This Isn’t Ska…" by Tedd Hazard – please feel free to drop him a line at teddandthehazards@gmail.com if you dig or have any funny ideas. You can also check out more of his illustrations and animation shorts HERE.

Lulling us into a dream-like state, Nightlands, a.k.a. Dave Hartley (of The War on Drugs), takes us down the rabbit hole of his fascination with "Simpsonwave" YouTube videos, which match scenes from The Simpsons with vaporwave tracks. He recruited the genre’s originator, Lucien Hughes, to help him with the visuals for his new music video for "Lost Moon," premiering recently over at Interview Magazine. It’s the lead single from his forthcoming LP I Can Feel The Night Around Me, which is slated for release on May 5 via Western Vinyl. Hartley also has plans to hit the road in support of his forthcoming album, and will be taking the stage at Johnny Brenda’s on Saturday, May 27, with tourmates The Building.

This morning – we wanted to get your week started off right with Needle Points‘s new video for "Baby," off the band’s latest release Feel Young. Model/fan Federica Hermann makes us all want her to be our baby in the vintage-y footage. It has us longing for those carefree, summer nights where you ain’t got shit to do but hang, drink beers and wild out to your favorite tunes. We’re definitely ready to leave this winter behind already!

‘Baby’ by Needlepoints from federica hermann

You find a seriously depressed Eric Slick (Dr. Dog, Lithuania) in his new music video for the single, "Dirge," which also stars Natalie Prass. It recently premiered over at Clash, where he had a chance to share a bit of insight into the bleak, black & white world (below).

"The post election trauma has left a lot of people feeling hopelessly glued to their social media. The video for ‘The Dirge’ is an absurdist look into a dystopian living space where Natalie and I try to make the best of our existence while painting our nails, exercising, and singing karaoke on a yoga ball. The computer is watching us and we are watching the computer, ad infinitum."

Slick’s debut solo album is due out on April 21 via Egghunt Records. He’ll be performing tomorrow afternoon at Kebabalicious, as part of the Boomfantasy Showcase of Dreams 2017, and you can welcome him home from the road on Wednesday, March 29 at World Cafe Live, opening for singer-songwriter Tift Merritt.

Evil Sword’s musical progression bears a resemblance to a time-lapse video of fungal growth or of decomposing animals; they both demonstrate within the same frame – bloom and decay – a grotesque beauty that operates slightly askew from what people expect from the art they consume. Evil Sword consists primarily of Kate Ferencz and Ben Furgal, who are sporadically accompanied by a roving cast of musicians and sound artists. An Eerie Fire Eats the Brain is Evil Sword’s first full-length album. Punchy bass, thundering percussion, and pan flute enshrine Ferencz’s vocals like an ill-fitting but well-suited costume. The LP is available as a double cassette box that houses the collection of songs and a full color book of art and writings. The group recently celebrated the album’s release with a show at PhilaMOCA, and they’ll be performing next in Philly on Wednesday, March 29 at LAVA Space.  

Space Pizza just released a five-song self-titled EP. Taking a bite into the infectious, chilled-out grooves and veering into guitar-guided sprints amid the melody, one can’t help but become enthused. These songs are inherently loose and catchy with slight psych-pop stylings and a carefree nature. In the midst of winter’s grip, you can stay in, relax and press play.

“Player 2,” the latest single from Philly singer-songwriter Alexandra Gordon, catches an intimate, exposed, lo-fi thread. Her hushed, softly-spoken narrative hints at nervousness and the potential of an emotional disconnect. The minimal, subtle steadiness of the instrumentation provides a finger-tapping foundation, without pulling back from the personal perspective. And we love the hook!

Soft Flesh, the new cassingle from Pilkington, is now available via Black Rd Records. Its title track splices chiptune with a rolling, surf guitar licks, gliding along in vibrant, cruising fashion, while the B-side, “Elixir,” gathers momentum from backend rhythms and rays of synth, as the lyrics depict an isolated tale of searching for answers. The quartet is slated to appear at Boot & Saddle on Wednesday, March 29 with Spelling Reform and Middle Kids.

Childhood pals Nick Bairatchnyi and Jackson Mansfield, who are now better known as The Obsessives, just made their new self-titled album available for streaming HERE. The LP was recorded with The Superweaks‘s Evan Bernard and Chris Baglivo, and it officially comes out this St. Patty’s Day via Lame-O Records. The band will be heading on tour next month in support of the record, and they are slated to perform on a stacked bill at Union Transfer on Wednesday, June 14 with Sorority Noise, Fort Wanderers, and Shannen Moser.

Hiver En Neuf Morceaux, the new EP from NAH, was recorded at West Philly’s Sex Dungeon. Available digitally as well as on cassette via Ranch and roughly translating to winter in nine pieces, the EP continues NAH’s measured melding of genre and tone. An ominous grey looms, punctuated by heavy omnipresent booming beats; however, a variety of samples offer crystalline, jazz-anchored valleys amid the chaotic/treacherous, interspersing punk/hip-hop/noise climb. Upon returning from a European stint, NAH will appear at the First Unitarian Church on Sunday, April 23 with Wolf Eyes, TRNSGNDR/VHS, and Madam Data. (Photo by Phil Rudich)

Paloma Gil and Lou Hayat’s blissful harmonies are on display with the languid, slow burn of The Dove & The Wolf‘s latest single, "Motion Sickness". It’s one of the two new additions to the band’s EP I Don’t Know What To Feel, which is being reissued on March 24 via Fat Possum. The duo is currently down at SXSW, where the ladies will be performing this afternoon at Hotel San Jose and Saturday evening at Madewell. They’ll also be reconnecting with Jens Lekman soon after for the European leg of their tour.