Phillip-Michael Scales (formerly of Briar Rabbit) recently a video for the lead single, “Lover, Let Me Be”, from his forthcoming EP, Sinner-Songwriter. Scales, the nephew of the legendary B.B. King, has tapped into his soul and blues influence to take a big departure from the indie rock and folk sounds of Briar Rabbit. Scales is calling this “Dive Bar Soul” and this EP will be released on June 8th.

You can catch Phillip-Michael Scales tomorrow night, May 3rd, as part of One Night Stand at Robey Hall with Mutts and Elisa Latrice.

Nasty Snacks have announced that their self-titled debut album will be released on May 25th. The 9 piece funk band formed 2014 and has thrilling local crowds ever since. Last month the band released two covers to build anticipation for the new album. Below is the groups take on “You Got The Love” by Chaka Khan.

You can help Nasty Snacks celebrate their new album on June 1st at Schubas with Bumpus and Dj Bonita Appleblunt.

Swimsuit Addition announced yesterday that the album they have began working on in 2013 is finally ready for the world. The album is called Dumb Dora and will be released on May 14th via Midwest Action. The lead single, “Oh Tina!”, and two other tracks are available to stream on bandcamp, and they each prove that this album is well worth the wait.

Roommate released a new single today, May 1st, called “Kepler-452B”. The band, fronted by Kent Lambert, will be donating 100% of bandcamp proceeds in May to the Lucy Parson Labs.

You can catch Roommate at Sleeping Village on May 11th with Lightfoils and SiP.

Emily Blue recently released a new single called “Cellophane”. This is the first single from her forthcoming EP, "*69".

You can catch Emily at HVAC Pub on May 11th with Friday Pilots Club (video release!), Capital Soire, and Shi La Rose.

Spaces of Disappearance recently released a new single called “Mr. Nobody”. This is the project of Elaine HD, and this is the first single from her forthcoming EP, The Eye.

You can catch Spaces of Disappearance at Happy Gallery Chicago on May 18th with Lord, The Roalade Dahls, and Flux Corsair.

Rookie released their debut single, “One Way Ticket”, last week. This is a a throwback to ’70’s rock in the purest way, and is a refreshing straightforward approach. Several local musicians are looking to ’70’s for inspiration right now, but Rookie seems to be taking it to a whole new level.

You can catch Rookie at Demma’s Bar & Girl in Oak Lawn with Bad Bad Meow, Family of Geniuses, and Safespace on May 5th. They will be also be performing at Schubas on June 23rd with The Slaps and Jude Shuma.

Evan Ireland, Co-Founder of Kept Collective, has released a new single called “Black Benz”. Ireland has released a series of singles over the last year, including “Homebody” last November, but this new track seems to be a cut above. From production to melody, to style, “Black Benz” shows a tremendous amount of promises for Ireland and Kept Collective.

Joan of Arc has shared a video for their new single “Punk Kid”. The song is taken from their forthcoming LP, 1984, which is due out via Joyful Noise on June 1st. The video was directed by Mike Gibisser and is part live performance, part collaborative art video. The video finds heroism in the everyday lives of the band’s family and friends: real punk kids.

You can catch Joan of Arc at Sleeping Village on August 18th.

Ric Wilson has released the first single, “Split”, from his forthcoming EP, Banba. This is the follow-up to Wilson’s highly acclaimed 2017 EP, Negrow Disco. “Split” features a contribution from Sen Morimoto and was produced by Hirsh. Wilson had this to say about the track, “I wrote ‘Split’ in the middle of a relationship that was going south. The song is about how sometimes the best decisions you’ll make in life are the ugliest and hardest, but the healthiest for you”.

 Banba will be released on May 18th via Innovative Leisure and will feature help from Patrick Pryor, Erica Rene, Deme Truest, and Niko The Great.

Ravyn Lenae has released a video for her song “4 Leaf Clover”. The song features Steve Lacy (The Internet) and is taken from her recently released EP, "Crush".

Lenae will be performing at Pitchfork Music Festival on Sunday, July 22nd. 

Metal band SCIENTIST has released a video for their new single “Magik Mirror”. The track is taken from their recently release LP, Barbelith.

You can catch SCIENTIST at Burlington on April 26th with Cokegoat and Corridore.