Pancho Morris combines Waitsian lyrics with Lynchian visuals in the folky-funny new music video for “Strangetown USA.” Though the song itself doesn’t have huge lyrical variation, its music video is so completely packed with symbols and statements (and a huge cast) that one really must watch it several times to see all the sights. The video starts off with its star, a young man in an all-white outfit whispering in Russian into a red telephone perched inside a hanging bird cage. If that’s not an illusion to Trump and his Russian buddies, well. The star then walks through a factory full of depressing laborers, where everyone–including himself–is clothed in orange jumpsuits and manufacturing rubbish of some sort. We’re then in a slaughterhouse, where a laughing, blood-splattered man hacks away at a carcass. Ah, animal cruelty.

Speaking of the food industry. The star then marches his way toward a diner–first taking a stroll through some sex-kittens that may or may not be alluding to Trumpy’s sexual escapades in Russia and beyond–and up to the counter, where a disgruntled cook slaps a burger bun on a cell phone. Our star slams a shot and in our next scene he’s in a white suit, carelessly strutting by a protest to which he does not seem to give a fuck. We’ll let you watch the rest for yourselves, and tell us what you think! God bless the USA?

This video was shot with an insanely massive and talented crew of folks based in Oakland and was recorded at Zoolabs. Produced by James “Skyway Man” Wallace. Check out Pancho Morris’ work and stay tuned for more. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

This past October, dream-pop trio Isla Invisible introduced us to their hypnotic sound through the release of their debut EP. On Thursday, the band gave us another peak into that world with the release of the video for single “Pillow”. Shaped by incandescent, shoegazey melodies and support from atmospheric guitars reminiscent of bands like Beach House and the Cocteau Twins, the track is strikingly complimented by surreal footage from Puerto Rico, where the group first formed before relocating to NYC. Faces warp, sunlight blurs the vision, and everything feels only half-real, like a mirage of a memory remembered in the present. The video captures the melancholic feeling of reminiscing about the past – but here, the “invisible island” conjured by Isla Invisible’s music becomes more than a memory, but a place to return to, and to reconcile with. Check out “Pillow” below. – Sunny Betz

After the “Sky So Blue” single released last month we were excited for Hot Flash Heat Wave’s EP release on February 15th. Praise Prince above we were not disappointed. Tracks are refreshingly varied and full of life, from surfy psych rock to electro pop-rock. Songs have similar feels as Animal Collective but with a touch of Smith Westerns and an Italian pop vibe. Can you picture it? Probably not but listen and discover what we’re putting down here. An EP favorite, “Floating,” starts with a chugging guitar moving with distorted spacey vibrations that gives the same feelings as the song’s title. Hot Flash Heat Wave kicked off their tour last night at The Independent and are about to glide across the states. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

On the short, sweet "Leawood Street," Lady Chops & The Goddamn Jam paints a rich picture of a childhood summer day about town. Lead singer Bethony Nichole’s lyrics are an idyllic series of vignettes: descriptions abound of magnolia trees, gravel underneath one’s feet, pressing one’s hands into wet concrete and wearing overalls. For the most part, the song is refreshingly devoid of overt angst, instead focusing on the images and sensations that comprise a child’s experience of her world. The song brings the listener back to a place of innocence and simplicity. The only moment of mature reflection is the refrain: "I want to be a someone some day." It’s a feeling most of us can relate to, one that catches up with us into adulthood before we’re ready to realize that that someday is now. The song is still a heady, delightful portrait, and the instrumental prowess of Lady Chops’ full band serves to enhance this sensory experience without calling much attention to itself. 

Lady Chops is playing at Whip In on February 15th, with support from the folk stylings of Much 2 Much and the debut of the new indie-rock band Tish. – Ethan Ames 

NYC synth music makers (and huge lovers of anything synth) Holy Ghost! just announced the upcoming release of their first album since 2013 "Dynamics." Preview single "Epton On Broadway (Part I & Part II)" keeps faith to the uplifting, ’80s influenced synth-soulpop sound of previous releases. The album represents the culmination of a transactional period, and preview single "Epton on Broadway" underlines this, as explained by frontman Alex Frankel: “Lyrically, ‘Epton On Broadway’ is a bit of a choose your own adventure. But to me: The verses are lamenting the end of a really fun era: “All my favorite places closed” – “nostalgia for the laughs and the afterglow.” 

New York’s Harrison Lipton lays down some heavy alternative R&B vibes on “Cannonball,” with help from friends Quelle Rox and Huck. Accompanied by smooth, jazzy seventh chords and shuffling percussion, the song is a testament to the experience of becoming singularly fixated on a romantic interest, wherein all other thoughts fall by the wayside as paltry in comparison. Lipton’s first verse sets the mood with images of sultry baths and popping pills, enabling Huck to wax poetically on taking tequila shots and the passage of time as the track winds to a close, becoming increasingly more ethereal and echoing as it all fades to black. It’s a suave single, best enjoyed under the haze of cigar smoke and whisky, and guarantees a good time when Harrison takes to Zone One at Elsewhere on February 15th for its release party, supported by Melt the Band and Walker Landgraf. Stream Cannonball below. – Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

You’ll find a sloppy, lipstick-stained world in the video for “John / Candy,” the newest psych-rock vamp by New York songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Fox. Born from the intention of writing a track about actor and comedian John Candy, Fox’s single ended up detailing the two sides of the human condition (the facade and the impulse-ridden inner part), with Candy-inspired lurid lyrics about being a “one time call girl,” sung against acidic backdrop of garage guitars and chorus-laden vocals. The video itself – shot all around Portland, OR – showcases Andrew Fox and friends as they don makeup and wigs, hang out at the playground and eat (you guessed it) candy under the shaky lens of an iPhone 6. The whole production is rough around the edges in the best way, and promises more loose fun when Fox releases Shock By Shock on March 22nd. Until then, check out the video below. – Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Tonje Thilesen

Olivia Reid’s new single “Norfolk Drive” begins recalling a specific memory – “I met you on the first day of August so many years ago.” As an invocation of people and places past, it endows her soft-spoken folk with a wistful tone before quickly transitioning into the present tense as Reid sings of “riding the train to the end of the line,” of moving forward in both a physical and metaphorical sense, just as the track picks up steam with soft percussive claps of distant synth accents. While “Norfolk Drive” may be a track mired by a painful past, its lyrical and instrumental elements showcase Reid as a powerful, driven songwriter, able to learn from experience while charting her own distinct destiny. Stream it below, together with 2018 single "Organic Bloom," which gathered close to half a million plays on Spotify. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

Is it a paradox for playfulness and gravity to exist in the same breath? It might be easy to jump to that conclusion, but if we’ve learned anything from Kate Bush, it’s that whimsy can often be a great vessel for complexity. If anyone has taken that message to heart, it would be Natasha Jacobs, the brain behind Brooklyn based musical project Thelma. Her debut self titled album, an alt-folk meditation on chronic illness and loss, brimmed with unconventionality, whether it be from a surprising electronic breakdown or a yelping vocal performance. Jacobs writes songs that practically do dances around your mind, distracting you with baroque glitter for just a moment before pulling you back to reality again with a masterful lyric. Thelma is poised to release her second album The Only Thing on February 22nd (with release party at Secret Project Robot the day after) Below you can have a listen to single “The Only Thing”, a lyrical exploration of identity that practically saunters into your ears. – Sunny Betz

The folks in Catch Prichard just can’t get away with doing anything less than epic. Like their prior EP, Eskota, tracks off Utter Disbelief maintain an undercurrent of Americana, this time with heightened, richer pedals and strings, dark synths and the occasional sax guest. Single “You’re the Worst” is one of the strongest off the upcoming release, though quite frankly, it’s hard to choose. Frontman Sawyer Gebauer has one of the most unique vocal stylings around. He’s a Johnny Cash meets a Leonard Cohen twisted with some Bill Callahan and a touch of Springsteen. Gebauer’s deep, guttural baritone radiates through “You’re the Worst,” bringing life and tough emotion to the song. Pre-purchase the first six tracks off Utter Disbelief here, and be sure to check out their upcoming shows. Lovely. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Photo credit Jack Song

Way back in April of 2016, we picked Ghost King’s album “Bones” as our NYC Record of the Month. A lot of things have changed since 2016 (not just in the music world…) but we are still just as excited to hear new music from this band. Their new album, titled “Dunbar Swamp”, is a distillation of everything we love about Ghost King: the sludgy guitars bouncing between dissonance and melody, the ability to compensate dark moments with playful chords and lyric, the edgy but controlled psychedelic production. Ghost King proclaims this to be a “record about self discovery”, but it feels more like one of self actualization, one made by a band at the height of their powers. We hope they keep it up. Stream “Dunbar Swamp” below. – Sunny Betz

Songwriters working in Americana have to find a tough balance between influence and innovation, and Dark Tea’s Gary Canino does just that on his self titled debut LP. It’s almost impossible not to conjure Paul Simon and Elliott Smith (or the Lemonhead cover of "Mrs. Robinson") when listening to the album’s first single “Rolling Back The Dial”, but Canino is blessed with an ear for the unconventional, which allows him to forge melodies that are never banal in their deceptive simplicity. This is songwriting at its finest, and a fitting introduction to a truly versatile artist. Dark Tea will be celebrating the release of their forthcoming album at Union Pool on March 22nd – listen to “Rolling Back The Dial” below. – Sunny Betz