New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Rookie has released a second single and the opening track, "Hold on Tight", from their forthcoming self-titled debut album. The album is set to be released on March 13th via Bloodshot Records.
ROOKIE is Joe Bordenaro, Kevin Decker, Christopher Devlin, Max Loebman, Dimitri Panoutsos, and Justin Bell.
You can catch Rookie on March 13th at Empty Bottle with Girl K and Tobacco City.
Nico Renzulli is showing his teeth in the latest single to be spawned by his project Dr. Nocko and Mr. Nicholas. If the charming growls, and even more deadly guitar riffs, seem familiar, that may be because the song titled “Radio” is a cover of a track previously written during Renzulli’s days in Boston’s electro-rock group Jack Romanov. “Radio” lets loose, with gritty power chords and high-impact drums that speed toward tumultuous breakdowns; the slightly softer touch of Renzulli’s current project still lingers in the choruses where his vocals slip and expose a more refined appearance. Renzulli explains the inspiration for the track as follows: “Radio was inspired by Denmark’s National Treasure, Lars Ulrich. In a 2015 interview, Ulrich talked about how Metallica used to fill out their early live shows by playing covers of obscure songs from metal bands that no one had heard of. The crowds never questioned it, they had no reason to.” We can’t question the symbiotic relationship that exists between an artist’s past, present, and future: all is one, and one is all. We are thrilled to premiere this single for you below! – Rene Cobar
Deeper has released a new single, "Lake Song", from their forthcoming album, Auto-Pain, which will be released on March 27th via Fire Talk Records.
You can help Deeper celebrate the release of their album on April 2nd at Lincoln Hall.
It’s rare that a record is able to capture a perfect balance of forward momentum and somber reflection, yet this is precisely what New York avant-pop ensemble Green and Glass have accomplished on their debut full length. Such conflicting feelings are likely a product of the band’s methodical instrumentation, the joining of parts from the old world (harps, horns, and drums) and the new (keys and electric bass), which as set pieces for bandleader Lucia Stavros’ show-stealing, often mysterious lyricism, creates an intergenerational atmosphere — chamber pop that feels as modern as it does baroque. This tone is set early in the record on “Green and Glass” and “14 Hours,” whose march-like tempos, somber brass lines and cool synths serve as distinctive introductory fanfares; while the song’s formats may seem familiar at first, the script is immediately upended by the band’s diverse instrumental offerings. This energy continues throughout standout track “Sand,” where the unison of harp and electric guitar against a stuttering percussive line paves the way for an ethereal overture that perfectly blends woodwind and midi leads. In all, Green and Glass delights and surprises at every turn, a lush, experimental yet accessible record that will feel immediately at home with fans of San Fermin or Hundred Waters — stream our premiere below, and catch the band at Threes Brewing on March 4th for their record release show. Photo by Maura McGee
Pop Punk group Knuckle Puck has released a new single called "Turn You Out" via Rise Records. This is the first new music from the group since their 2018’s "Shapeshifter" album.
This is the work of John Siorek (Drums), Joe Taylor (Vocals), Ryan Rumchaks (Bass), Kevin Maida (Guitar), and Nick Casasanto (Guitar).
Knuckle Puck is performing a sold out show at Beat Kitchen on March 23rd.
Doleful Lions (aka Jonathan Scott) has released the next two singles, "True Blue" and "Carpenter Panaflex", from his forthcoming album True Believers. This is the first new music from Scott since the 2017 album I Wrote Fish Heads. The album is set to be released via In The Lake Records.
Boston’s Gam is a silky smooth group with a short and sweet EP we recommend highly. Moments and Spirals opens up with “Every Second Levitates,” a funky track that unravels elegantly: the guitars range from crisp-clean to wah-tinged and swirl around warm vocals, and snappy beats. “Wait a Little” leans on its slow rhythm and oozes jazziness steady while “Sunkissed Lovers” has a serene ambiance and an R&B groove perfect for a sweet wind-down. The band is just taking flight, but already its path looks promising, and its musical colors splendid. Stream “Every Second Levitates” below to join the journey. – Rene Cobar
Desert Rock Quartet Cloud Cruiser recently released their debut album, I: Capacity. They may be the first Chicago band to take on the Desert Rock label, since there are no Desert in Illinois, but their sound is harder and filled with more Fuzz than traditional Stoner Rock or Psych Rock.
Last month they were featured on Nap House Studio live sessions and you can see them performing "Glow" below.
You can catch Cloud Cruiser on March 21st at Metal Monkey Brewing in Romeoville with Huntsmen and Planetsexploder.
Describing the opening breakdown of “It Isn’t Clean” as earth-shattering is an understatement — in the context of the incubus imagery and foreboding, drop-tuning guitars that characterize this five minute night ride, it’s better described as a hell opening incantation. The debut single by occult-embracing, 70s metal-inspired quartet Castle Rat well demonstrates the bands proclivity towards the old masters, drawing equal parts from the black magic and lyrical subject matters of Sabbath with an eye for the performative panache of KISS. Frontwoman Riley “The Rat Queen” Pinkerton embeds a healthy level of glam into her mic-ripping performance, backed by instrumentation that remains consistently doom-y, yet progressive enough to never get bogged down in sludge. Recommended for fans of hair metal or Ari Aster’s Hereditary, stream our premiere of the track below, and see Castle Rat tonight at Baby’s All Right, supporting Stonefield. Photo by Jessica Gurewitz
Last year Rakunk renamed themselves Sunblood and released a single called "Spin". This month they released their second single, "One of A Kind", and it is a quirky rocker and a great sign of what’s to come from Sunblood.
You can catch Sunblood on March 11th at Sleeping Village with Gentle Heat, Wombo, and Sad Baxter.
Nicky Flowers is back with a the follow-up to their 2018 album The Smynths. On The Smynths Return they tackle five more classics from The Smiths armed with only their Synth and a great contribrution from LA’s Echo Vessel on the EP’s closer "That Joke Isn’t Funney Anymore".
The album was released on February 14th via neo-detritus and is accompanied by the depressing video below.
The chilled 80s synth rock of Lower Dens and front person Jana Hunter creates a unique sort of rock enigma on stage, as evidenced by the gentle “Will you please have my babies” cried out by an audience member during their show at the Barracuda this past Friday.
The opening bands perfectly fit the dynamics at play within Lower Den’s aesthetic. Local jangle pop band, Slideshow, maintained a good energy and experimental sitar player and vocalist Ami Dang was transcendent. Both acts worked well with the crowd’s growing anticipation and made the venue their own.
When Lower Dens took the stage, they did not disappoint. As great as all of the band’s records are, the songs take on an entirely different form when played live. They become more vibrant, and the energy is amped up about a thousand times. The synth packs a deeper punch underneath the drums and bass when played live. Hunter also has a strong stage presence; he held all the attention in the room without demanding it or taking up too much space. New and old songs were played with the same amount of passion. “Drive” and “Ondine” were both played beautifully and received well.
The romantic dystopia that Lower Dens creates in their music is wonderfully replicated on stage, as well. Most of Hunter’s music deals with isolation in confrontation with desire and identity, and in doing so he creates a space for his audience to seek comfort they wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. It was easy to find that comfort on stage, with warmth emanating from each member as they performed. The live performance cuts right through the bones of the loneliness the music speaks of. If this wasn’t obvious alone from their performance, the looks of comfort and quiet rapture on the faces of more committed audience members certainly provides enough evidence for it.
The quieter moments had a very ‘last call at the bar’ vibe. The band held intimate moments within each beat that gave people space to interpret the song however they wanted. “Suckers Shangi-la” was a perfect moment of catharsis. It was the soft, lonely fantasy world everyone needs to escape to once in awhile.
– Avril Carillo
