“The Weight of Water” is featured on Mother Moses‘s new EP Bowling Shoes, which is available via Before the World Ends Tapes. The song strolls along in a folk familiarity as Sadurn bandmates Jon Cox and Genevieve DeGroot share vocal duties, curating innately intimate harmonies. The song taps into the isolating escape of creating a personal facade while pointing out its shortcomings. The cabin-esque feel is amplified by the fire-kindling warmth of Pete Gill’s (Friendship, Hour) pedal steel playing.
Toronto
Posted on:
Wine Lips – Garage Trio New Video “Fly Swatter”
One of the top bands in Toronto’s booming garage scene has been on a roll lately releasing a new album and touring all across Canada. Wine Lips are on fire and have just released a video for their latest single “Fly Swatter”. The video features the band rockin’ out at a wild basement party all while being very disappointed in their friends high jump skills. This track comes from their album “Stressor” which was released earlier this year. You can see Wine Lips perform a highly anticipated set this weekend at the Crystal Lake Festival and they’ll be back here in Toronto opening for Shonen Knife on September 25th at Hard Luck Bar. – Kris Gies
New England
Posted on:
Pretty Saro celebrates latest record with show at Club Passim 07.23
The music of Boston’s Pretty Saro has a shimmer to it, a softness that soothes the listener while eliciting from the same a smile or two. It is the storytelling in each song that makes this folk group so intriguing: stories of love found and lost out west and of towns long disremembered all come to life among the myriad of string instrument harmonies and fine vocal melodies. Racing Back to You is the band’s latest record, perfectly encapsulating the spirit of New England folk music. Each track offers a story seemingly unconnected that finds a way to weave itself into a larger tale throughout the record. The themes of friendship, love, and home longing all help to make Racing Back to You a relatable album that deserves a good listen. Pretty Saro is celebrating the release of the record with a performance at Club Passim in Cambridge on July 23rd. We are streaming “Hindsight” for you below. – Rene Cobar
Austin
Posted on:
The Head and The Heart Shine as Lyrical Storytellers at ACL Live
Hippo Campus opened the show for The Head and the Heart at ACL Live on Wednesday night. Their charisma and emotive performance stirred the crowd into dance, readying them for the headlining act. The penultimate song of their set, South, is inspired by Texas, they said. A great set, great presence; visiting from St.Paul, Minnesota, the band brought electric energy for the Austin crowd.
The Head and the Heart have toured through Austin numerous times earning them a warm reception. They opened the show with “All We Ever Knew,” and immediately hooked the room with the hit song from their 2016 album, Signs of Light. The band played a balanced mix of tunes from their old and new albums; their newest album, Living Mirage, released earlier this year. The all-ages crowd indiscriminately bopped to the acoustic chords from their earlier music and the synthy sounds from on the newest record.
Admittedly, the most cheesy moment of the performance was when the lead singer, Josiah Johnson, paused in the middle of the beloved “Let’s Be Still,” with a call for flashlights: “Everyone, take out your phone flashlights and let’s fill this room with fireflies.” Somehow it seems less romantic when the musician makes this request, compared to the days past of music loving audiences spontaneously breaking out their lighters.
Although their sound is evolving, they’ve maintained a deep sense of lyricism. The album’s single, “Honeybee,” sings of a relationship sticking it out through hard times, and is not at all about bees: “Such a fool, I took your love and I bent all the rules…stuck around to let me know, built a family of our own.” Frontwoman and violinist, Charity Thielen explains that “‘Honeybee’ really captures the idea of realizing you may have been living a life complacent with the familiar. Maybe even taking the person closest to you for granted and regretting not expressing your love towards them until it’s too late.”
They closed the evening with the song everyone was waiting for, Rivers and Roads, reminding us of why we fell in love with them in the first place. Released in 2011, the song’s sentiments grow more relatable each year contributing to it being a timeless favorite in the neo-folk canon. They sing, “a year from now we’ll all be gone, all our friends will move away.” Imagine now all the change you’ve experienced in the last 8 years. Do you relate? Does this song resonate? Do Charity’s haunting vocals still move you like the first time you heard it?
-Melissa Green
Philadelphia
Posted on:
Weekend Warrior – July 19 – 21
Taiwan Housing Project have released another lethal LP Sub-Language Trustees, which is now available via ever/never records. The band generates a jarring intensity, shaking up the status quo. Kilynn Lunsford’s vocals demand one’s attention, in a mesmerizing fashion as the experimental instrumentation swirls in a chaotic, post-apocalyptic fashion. Unlikely combinations create unsettling sonic surroundings in the aftermath. Thrown into a cacophony of chaos that rumbles and roars, the band leads you through the fiery force of the unknown. This Saturday night, Cousin Danny’s will be hosting the Taiwan Housing Project’s record release celebration, with support from The Doilies and Eat (who were just added to the bill due to Chronic Anxiety’s Mitch Esparza being injured during a strong-arm robbery – we are certainly wishing him well and hoping for a speedy recovery). Stay cool & hydrated out there! (Photo by Rich Wexler) – Michael Colavita
Other places where you can hit this weekend before global warming really ends it all…
Cousin Danny’s (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Taiwan Housing Project (Record Release), Eat
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Call To ACCTion (Dance Party to Benefit ACCT Philly): John D, Elijvh Vrms, Baby Berlin, SAT Goodnight Lights, Spelling Reform, La Palma, SUN I Think Like Midnight
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) SAT Cheerleader
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Botis/DJ Deejay, SAT DJSC, SUN Seismic
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) SAT Blushed, Trash Boy, Dear Forbidden, SUN Curtis Cooper
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SAT Moros
TLA (334 South St.) SAT Tailgunner, Looks That Kill
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Upstairs) Beta Hi-Fi Emerging Artist Festival/(Downstairs) C.R.E.W Love Showcase, SAT (Upstairs) Dukes of Destiny, Deb Callahan, SUN Brewhouse Rock
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Irv The Villain (EP Release), Spazz Black, The Hailstones, SAT The Fall of Chernobyl, Duress, Infinity/The Philly DJ: A Tribute to Scratching & the Art of Turntablism
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI American Trappist, SAT The Good Mess (Album Release), Peace and the City Grease
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St) FRI Legion 76, Duffy’s Cut, SAT Yikes the Zero, Grand Mantis, Zilla Rocca, Teef, Flote, ialive, Grand Mantis
The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) Bad Habits Fest FRI Alright Junior, Cassettes, American Dinosaur, Jesse Gimbel/Naps Past Noon, Summer Scouts, Kennel Club, Sitting in Cars, SAT Jamie and the Guarded Heart, Local Smokes, The Tisburys/Andorra, Knightlife
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Bo Bliz, SAT DJ Deejay
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) FRI Live Band Karaoke, SUN Rusty Cadillac
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) SAT Doug Wartman (Record Release), Starterjacket, CaveWomen, SUN Don Casilono
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Gibby Haynes with Paul Green Rock Academy, Gibbous Moon, Los Bambinos, SAT Gibby Haynes with Paul Green Rock Academy, YDI, 7th Victim
Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) FRI Korine
Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) SAT DJ Pfeffer, SUN Frank Daly
Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI DJ Ben Aire, SAT Crabaret: an All-Cancer Sign Show/DJ Ed Cristof
Century (1350 S. 29th St.) FRI Atomic Cretins, Josh Alvarez, SAT Destroying Angel (Release Show), Kiss of the Whip
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Civil Holdup, Nyla Fairway, Synergetix, SAT EDO
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Steal Your Peach, SAT Marah, Pawnshop Roses
The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) FRI Primitive Heart, Panophonic, Under The Wire, SAT Countdown from Ten, Black Dirty, Palmlines, SUN Suburban Living, So Totally, Blood Sound
Creep Records (1050 N. Hancock St.) FRI Endless Taile, Line Leader
Warehouse on Watts (923 N. Watts St.) FRI Pink Party: Astro 8000/Elvin T, Shang, DJ Matpat
Planet Phitness (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Dignity Act Benefit: Pinkwash, Greg Electric, Big Heet
Anthorna Gallery (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Lenny Ranallo, Noera, Scyphozoan
The Tide Pool (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI goodnight/goodluck, Chill Dad
NYC
Posted on:
Resounding No wields noise perfectly, play In the West 8.22
Weird noise plays opposite scorched guitars on Gross Dominance, the new EP from New Jersey’s Resounding No. Whether this noise adds to a dramatic, calamitous conclusion on opener “Hexed Pet” or adds a gritty depth of sound to vocals on tracks like “Hunter’s Moon,” Resounding No understands how to wield reverb and dissonance to their advantage. This, paired with the Garden State trio’s command of songwriting and precise percussive licks helps to deliver a tight extended play that rips from start to finish, providing a rust-laden, engaging listen for fans of melodic punk and garage rock. Get a good pair of earphones before you let Gross Dominance wash over you, and catch Resounding No at In the West on August 22nd alongside Didi and Magic Ghrelin. -Connor Beckett McInerney
L.A.
Posted on:
Adam Melchor’s “Joyride” is a lesson in letting go
Adam Melchor’s songs are stories about family—and how the experiences he’s acquired with time gain a deeper meaning as he grows up. On his latest single, "Joyride," the LA-via-New Jersey singer-songwriter writes about the challenge of letting go when it’s the best course of action to take, using his parents’ stolen childhood truck as a symbol that mirrors their eventual divorce—a lesson in perspective that taught him to value those valuable moments before they’re gone. The clamor of a trumpet only augments his reflection, an instrument that brings clarity of thought to his otherwise acoustic rumination.
"Joyride" follows the release of his sophomore EP, Plan on You, which was released earlier this year. Melchor will join Rodrigo and Gabriella on a string of tour dates, including a hometown show at the Greek Theater on July 23. Watch the accompanying video below. Juan Rodríguez
Chicago
Posted on:
Sean Green @ The Whistler (7/28)
Sean Green dropped his latest single, “Driver”, last month, and now is planning to release the next single, “Thinking’ Bout U”, from his forthcoming EP, “Perfume Hill”, on July 28th.
Green performs a brand of music he has dubbed Millennial Jazz, but it lands somewhere on the Yacht Rock spectrum.
You can help Green celebrate the release of the new single on July 28th at The Whistler with Late Nite Laundry.
Chicago
Posted on:
Gorilla Social on Sofar Sounds
Sofar Sounds Chicago recently posted their session with Gorilla Social. For this live performance the group performed their 2018 single “Mr. Literal”.
Their latest single is called “Clockwise” and was released back in April.
You can catch Gorilla Social at Burlington Bar on Sept. 21st with Oakmen and Slow Haste.
Philadelphia
Posted on:
New Track: “Hereditary Trauma Dream Sprinting (Oxford Circle)” – Nina Keith
“Hereditary Trauma Dream Sprinting (Oxford Circle)” is the lead single from MARANASATI 19111, the forthcoming debut full-length from Nina Keith. The LP is slated to arrive on August 30 via Grind Select. From its bird-chirping opening through the elegant expansive piano and flourishes of flute, etc., Keith creates a vivid, sonic landscape that also includes vocal assistance from Becki Freiberg. A graceful, weightless atmosphere thrives within an inherently complex, classical setting. It feels as though all your senses have been finely tuned to fully appreciate the nuanced layers. (Photo by Madeleine Bishop)
New England
Posted on:
Bent Knee’s Courtney Swain intrigues with solo record “Between Blood and Ocean”
Courtney Swain, the ever-active lead singer of the Boston-based group Bent Knee, released a solo record back in May and it takes a bite out of the New England music scene. Between Blood and Ocean is existential therapy via ethereal songs like “Snowflakes” and hard-charging alternative tracks like “I’d Kill.” Bleeding out the avant-indie influences that have helped shape Bent Knee, Swain deploys gritty guitar riffs, syncopated drum patterns, crushing electronic percussion, and tender piano melodies for a sound unlike anything else in music today. The songs were written during Swain’s stay in Martha’s Vineyard for a residency awarded by the Turkey Land Cove Foundation. The singer/songwriter thanks Asher Kurtz, Jed Lingat, Kyle Harris, and Tim Doherty for helping bring the album to life. Swain, the Providence local, has further stoked the fires of curiosity, intrigued, and innovated with this new entry. We are streaming the worldly-sounding “Sweet Snow” below. – Rene Cobar
Chicago
Posted on:
Discoverer @ Uncommon Ground Edgewater (7/31)
Folk trio Discoverer, Tariq Shihadah, Laura Shihadah, and Jon Reeg, released their debut album, I Am in Love, back in 2016. They blend gentle, peaceful ambient music with more traditional elements for Folk to create a sound that is beautifully meditative.
You can catch Discoverer at Uncommon Ground Edgewater on July 31st with Bittersweet Drive and Kasondra Drive.