This upcoming Valentines Day, Cry Babe is releasing their EP Be Cool. Until you can hear the full thing, you can listen to the pre-released song “Johnny.” Do you remember the pointless car rides you and your friends would go on when you first started driving? Anxious and impatient, going 10 miles above the speed limit with the wind whipping your face and the setting sun gracing your brow. This is the emotion at the heart of “Johnny.” It’s clever because the song isn’t about being wild for the sake of it. It’s about being impulsive because you’re more afraid of what will happen if you don’t get in that car. Vocalist Anaïs Genevieve combines the anger and ethereality in her voice into something radically new. She sings with a style that I’m tempted to deem operatic punk. Her wild shrieks make Janet from Rocky Horror look tame in comparison. In “Johnny” she becomes both the devil and the angel on your shoulder. If you don’t find yourself thrashing and twirling around while “Johnny” is playing, you’re doing something wrong.

Cry Babe’s release show will be on Thursday, February 14th at the High Water Mark Lounge. Mr. Wrong and Sea Moss will also be playing. You can find out more information here. 

-By Avril Carrillo

Teulu’s music is a soft place to lay your head at night. It’s quietly but powerfully hopeful, the sort of music we need to get by in today’s world. “For The Learner” has a damp, earthy feel to it. It’s similar to the sensation of digging your fingers through damp grass, or the taste of a sweet, yet tannic tea. The soft, lilting tones take you gently by the hand and lead you into the best scenery the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Each song infuses the listener with the gentle gray skies we wake up to most days. It’s hard to capture the beauty of sunshine melting into cloudy skies, but Teulu does a wonderful job. 

-By Avril Carrillo

Bryson Cone dropped his song “Destination Nightmare,” and it’s every bit as dreamy and jazzy as it sounds. This song takes you waltzing on the moon while a full band, complete with holographic keytars, plays in the background. The distortion of Cone’s voice is romantic and dreamy, but also has some more serious notes. He keeps the track, and thus the audience, focused. This in turn allows for a fuller appreciation of the song’s artistry. It is an intricately layered song, which makes sense given Cone’s background in mixed media and sound collage. Cone’s talent is made perfectly clear with “Destination Nightmare.” We can’t wait to see where he heads next.

By Avril Carrillo

Next Saturday, January 26th at Speck’s, Arbor Daze, Sunbaby, and Juracán will be playing an all-ages show. Juracán is fresh off his release of Niño, so you should take advantage of any opportunity to see it performed live as soon as you can. It’s a guaranteed night of soft, moody music. If you have some old friends you want to catch up with, or just want to nod off to some calming tunes, make sure to pop in. Doors are at 6, and you can find more info on the facebook page here. 

-By Avril Carrillo

-By Avril Carrillo

By Avril Carrillo 

Plastic Weather just dropped a music video for their song "Doppelgänger." Filmed entirely on an iPhone, the video is fast and chaotic. It shows the members wandering around the Enchanted Forest theme park, wearing a variety of crazy, menacing, ridiculous masks. It’s enchantingly creepy. If Alice in Wonderland was a synth-based musical, it would look a lot like this music video. The goofy, gothic aesthetic fits the mood of the song quite well. As the band dances around the park, their playfulness not only highlights the chemistry the members have with each other, but with their audience as well. Watching them makes you feel like you’re one of the gang, in on whatever prank it is they’re playing. Give it a watch below!

  By Avril Carrillo, Photo by Corbin Corbiin

Dolphin Midwives and Mordecai are teaming up for what’s sure to be an emotional and synth-driven night. The bands will be playing at the White Owl Social Club, Thursday December 27th. Listening to Dolphins Midwives puts you smack dab in the middle of a dark, calm night with the rays from a full moon kissing your brow. The sensitivity and depth present in the delicate strumming of the harp creates an intuitive and self-aware atmosphere. It puts you in touch with both the artist and yourself. Mordecai is known for their unique infusion of early 2000’s emo-ballads and electro-synth sensibilities. The band sounds like a more mature version of the songs you listened to in your bedroom as an angry teenager.

The sets start at 9, and the show is 21+. Tickets are free, so make sure to stop by!

-By Avril Carrillo 

Kayela J’s latest album Homage (Thank you) came out this fall, and you really need to listen to it. As the album title suggests, it pays tribute to her inspirations, with each song on the album dedicated to a different artist. Known for her own clever lyrical style and fast beats, Kayela brings a new twist to iconic styles such as Salt-N-Pepa and Lil Kim. With this album, Kayela J is well on her way to becoming one of the greats. 

Give Homage (Thank you) a listen below!

-By Nick Hartman

Kurt Foster and Michael Carothers are teaming up to form Sunday State, and they’re playing their debut show tomorrow, November 29th at The Fixin’ To. To get yourself ready for the show, check out their song “Slide". The song’s dark, jazzy undertones provide an excellent base for the warm and moody vocals. It feels like an alt-rock 90’s song that’s time-traveled to 2018. The time skip has done the song justice. It’s mature and well-seasoned. Dependable may not seem like the ideal descriptor for rock, but this song makes the argument that “dependable” is just what we need. The song hits all the right notes and beats, making it a smooth, easy listen. Foster and Carothers managed to create a song that is both new and creative, and an excellent classic rock song. It’s a difficult task, one they accomplished well.

The show starts at 8. Tickets are $7, and it’s 21+. Pacific Mean Time and The Curb & The Spurs will also be playing sets.

-By Nick Hartman

Juracán, the newest project from Pierre Carbuccia, has his debut album Niño coming out December 7th. Together with High Clouds, the single “Moraleja” was released November 16th. The song is oddly evocative of the small, lazy clouds you come across on a sad plane ride home. Carbuccia’s voice is layered with a tenderness born from a place of pain and healing. He cites bolero and merengue as inspirations behind his soundscape. Together, the styles produce a calming, but still infectious, rhythm. It’s a complicated, nuanced song that speaks well of the work Carbuccia has put into this album.

Juracán will be playing a small set as part of the Autonomous Series at the Bit House Saloon, along with Amy Bleu, Arbor Daze, and Omar Cripps tonight, November 21st. 

-By Avril Carrillo

If Courtney Love had decided she wanted to make psychedelic music instead of punk, I imagine it would have been quite similar to the music Mad Honey produces. The band has a number of songs up on their SoundCloudloud, each one full of grungey, trippy, angsty noise. Without a doubt, the band’s strongest song is “Don’t Forget to Smile.” Maybe I’m just a sucker for some good surf guitar, but those quick, tricky riffs really got to me. The swirling notes of resentment and disquiet dance circles around the fast, almost cheeky guitar solos. Mad Honey also has an unexpectedly potent sweetness underlying much of their music. This is true especially in “10th and Burnside.” The synth notes fall into the subdued cymbals like water droplets hitting your bedroom window. Given that we have a lot of wet weather heading our way this week, I’ll make sure to keep Mad Honey in mind for my rainy days playlist.

-By Avril Carrillo