Back in March, The Deli Nashville featured The Prescriptions and remarked on the imminent release of their album Hollywood Gold, a bluesy, folk-rock album of tracks with sounds channeling classic artists like Neil Young and more recent acts like Wilco. The album is out now, and along with it, The Prescriptions have released their music video for "She Is Waiting". The video has a dreamy VHS-like quality to it, giving the simple visuals of the band a vintage look that adds a pop of color and charm. The Prescriptions take off on a month-long tour with John Paul White starting in Texas on June 6th; stay tuned for their return to Nashville on June 29th. Take a look at the video for "She Is Waiting" below. – Will Sisskind
New England
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Paper Citizen releases evocative new single “Hands Dirty”
The new single from Boston-based indie-rock project Paper Citizen is a sonic kaleidoscope worth revisiting. The instruments in "Hands Dirty" have a luminous quality to them: the guitars are bright, the bass pristine, the drums easy on the beat, and the reverb-dipped vocals of Claire Gohst beaming with confidence. Gohst, a Singapore-born artist now in Boston started her musical journey at a young age, playing classical music, then folk, and currently penning the evocative tunes of Paper Citizen. The music has an atmospheric vibe to it, an Explosions in the Sky type of instrumentation that elicits a dreamy and upbeat feeling that borders on hope. The music carries Gohst’s influences and travels and is a tell-tale sign that in Boston, she feels right at home. – Rene Cobar
Philadelphia
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New Curtis Cooper LP Available for Streaming & Purchase
Graceful, the new full-length album from Curtis Cooper, exhibits an honest, emotive vulnerability – one that reveals a vast, genre-traversing elegance. While touching on turbulent times, Cooper also exudes perseverance and positivity. The album holds one’s attention with compelling narratives and a charming, calm/intense dynamic. Along with Lucky Cat, they are scheduled to support Mal Blum on Sunday, July 21 at PhilaMOCA.
Chicago
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Dia.L “Injera”
Dia.L is the collaboration between Vocialist Lailah Reich and producer Radius. The duo is preparing to release their sophomore album, the follow-up to 2016’s self-titled release, on June 28th. The album is called Injera and takes its name from the Ethiopian flatbread.
This is Neo Soul with strong elements of Hip Hop and EDM. You can currently stream three of the album 9 tracks below while on your way to hitting that Pre-order button.
Chicago
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Tree & Parallel Thought
Last week local veteran emcee Tree released a new project called The Wild End with the New Jersey production duo Parallel Thought (aka Jeff Blacker & Adam Calman).
This project comes on the heels of his most recent album, We Grown Now, which just dropped back in April.
Tree has come to be known for a sound he calls Soultrap and that sound is alive and well on this album. Tree’s music is always personal, but this album seems to take that intimacy to a whole new level. The album takes its title, The Wild End, from the place Tree spent his childhood, Cabrini-Green. The cover photo was taken of Tree in 1988 at the housing project by Marc PoKempner.
NYC
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Premiere: UV Rays’ new music video for “Existential Dread”
Brooklyn’s UV Rays are debuting the music video for their song “Existential Dread.” The track is from the band’s recently released debut EP Try and Begin and features beautifully intertwined electric guitars parts that play to the rhythm of a poised drum beat, and accent borderline jazzy pop choruses. The video is filled with extreme wide shots that show the band members playing their instruments, seemingly miniature to the huge backgrounds. The video’s simplicity is eye-catching and suits the track’s avant-pop vibe. The female/male vocal chemistry and the vibrant guitars that accompany it are in the vein of groups like The Pastels, with an added mathy element. Ever the hard-working group, UV Rays are already working on a second EP, and if it is anything like the first, we will be glad to premiere it too.
Philadelphia
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New The Barren Marys LP Available for Streaming & Purchase
Wired Wrong is the new LP from punk quartet The Barren Marys, and is available via Violated Records/Suicide Bong Records. Sprinting out of the gates, the album meshes an innate, adrenaline-fueled intensity with a light-hearted (at times) lyrical approach. Mirroring daily life, it addresses serious issues, while still finding time to have some fun. The Barren Marys are slated to perform next in Philly on Saturday, July 27 at Connie’s Ric Rac, with The Lot, Conmen, and Mala Vista.
NYC
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Êmia gets the pop formula right, will headline Knitting Factory 07.05
Êmia offers listeners a pure and potent brand of pop that gets the heart fluttering. The Brooklyn-based artist’s music explores the universal themes of broken relationships, almost-was romances, and identity struggles, but it does so with an opulent elegance. In “Teleprompter” (streaming) the acoustic guitar notes, robust bass, and echoing vocals all help create a song embroidered with messages that resonate, and hooks that captivate. Êmia’s confident delivery and commitment to pop music’s fundamental elements puts her right in the middle of the female pop star resurgence that Ariana Grande has championed. Êmia will be headlining Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on July 5th, with support from Illicit Ghost and Caroline Lazar.
Portland
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Childspeak Explores Reality
Post-math rock band Childspeak released their latest album Indulgent Endeavors last March, and it’s dreamy instrumentalist really speaks to the ways the band has grown. The album is mature and thoughtful. Indulgent is an apt name, as the band really takes the time to steep in every emotion instrumentals can produce. The band also plays around with the subjectivity that controls these emotions. As guitarist Bri Haber explains, “Reality is sculpted by a person’s individual experience and is intrinsically subjective.” Childspeak makes room in its music, not only for their own individual realities but for the realities of their listeners as well.
Childspeak is playing a show this Friday, June 7th at Sessions Music Lounge. Long Hallways and Gazelle(s) will also be playing.
-By Nick Hartman, photo by Sam Gehrke
Nashville
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Lucy Isabel plays record release show 06.13 at True Music Room
Jersey-born and Nashville-based singer-songwriter Lucy Isabel will release her new LP Rambling Stranger on June 14th, with a performance marking the occasion on June 13th at True Music Room at the Cambria Hotel. Isabel’s lived in many places throughout her life — the Jersey Shore, the Pacific Northwest, and now in the South — and all of her experiences throughout her travels have led her to write the songs on Rambling Stranger. The album has hints of Americana, blues rock, and soul, all molding together to form a powerful heartland sound that channels the feeling of endless exploration, both physical and spiritual. Take a listen to the opener from Rambling Stranger, "How It Goes", below. – Will Sisskind
Chicago
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The Alibis “Bloom”
The folk duo of Daniel Robbins & Eric Quigley, asa known as The Alibis, recently released their debut album Bloom. This is album is gentle, beautiful, and filled with warm harmonies.
The duo received some help from a few friends in recording the album including the talented Nikki Morgan on Nikki Morgan on two of the songs, “To Stay” and “Day To Rise”.
NYC
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Boy Scouts plays Phono del Sol June 15th
Phono del Sol is a free festival at Potrero del Sol park. This year’s lineup features an Oakland favorite, Boy Scouts, whose folksy bedroom pop-rock is relaxing, charming and damn good. Taylor Vick’s vocals are sweet and pitch perfect, a fine complement to the keys and strums. Boy Scouts’ last release, Spiritual Pickle, is a 2-song sampler. Tracks “Kite” and “My Idiot Brain” are lofi, low pressure and highly pleasing. Catch Boy Scouts at Phono del Sol and wherever else they’re playing comin’ up soon! Stay tuned. – Lucille Faulkner