THE DELI

There’s always a calm before the storm, a moment of stillness that precedes the calamity of things falling apart – and New York’s Hideout knows the feeling in a personal capacity. Their new single, “Picture Falling” explores the intrinsic details of the moment before panic sets in – “the thoughts and feelings before the wave of paranoia washes over you,” according to guitarist and songwriter Gabriel Rodriguez (who is also a member of Cults’ live ensemble). That being said, in the spirit of art making lemonade from lemons, “Picture Falling” channels dread into fun, energetic indie rock, the song’s chorus a melodic vocal give-and-take between Rodriguez and Scarlett Stephenson-Connolly over jangle pop riffs and interpolated electronic drums.

As a whole, “Picture” is presented as heartfelt shared catharsis, a sigh of relief for those who have felt their life fall apart yet lived to tell the tale – perhaps presenting an opportunity, according to Rodriguez, to “take hold and laugh along the wild ride.” Hideout maturely recognizes that we cannot control the occasional afflictions of psychosis, but by throwing up our hands and accepting that which we cannot change, we are all able to derive some trace of pleasure from the unpredictability of this crazy thing called life. 

You can see Hideout live at Baby’s All Right on November 25 opening for Montreal’s The Beaches. – Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

There aren’t too many country singers that wax-poetic about the larger than life figures of our world. It seems like the cultural focus of the genre has shifted toward different stories with different motifs. Yet artists like Rodes Rollins are trying to change that with songs like "Mystery Man." Appearing like a country-pop mirage on the horizon, Rollins’ vocals are watery and obscure, detailing a man in a "forsaken land" that cannot be shot dead. The track is less about a character’s arc and more about this legendary figure’s reputation, and it plays out over haunting instrumentals that border on psychedelic with twangy guitars that become surprisingly soothing. With its soft sonic palette, "Mystery Man" could fool listeners into thinking it’s a lullaby, but there’s a sense of unease and tension in the air, like a standoff between two gunslingers is imminent. – Tucker Pennington