If soothing space-age synths with a percussive bounce that teleports to a futuristic place is what you’re looking for, Skydive Dubai has got you covered with their EP SOFAR. It’s relaxed yet refuses to stand still, finding electronic frequencies that you’ll naturally sync up with. Breathe in that calming atmosphere, and you’ll quickly adjust to these exploratory surroundings.
New Track: “Song for Ari” – Cyberbully Mom Club & Announce a “Temporary Hiatus”
Unfortunately, Cyberbully Mom Club are having "some hard times," and have announced that they are going on a "temporary hiatus." However, the group has left us with the single, “Song for Ari,” once again demonstrating the band’s ability to encapsulate a zoomed-in personal sound that soaks in a beautiful, descriptive, lyrical honesty, laid out over minimal instrumentation. Ugh…we are obviously sadden about the latest news from one of our recent favorite Philly acts. And yes, Cyberbully Mom Club have also dropped off the bill on July 15 at The Mothership with Radiator Hospital, Adult Mom, and Lady Queen Paradise.
Conversations Opening for Little Tybee at Bourbon & Branch July 14
Conversations may have dropped the discussions with their "enemies" and directed their energy towards the much-needed after-school music program, Rock to the Future. However, husband and wife combo, Josh and Jessica Craft, still enjoy churning out feel-good, indie-pop ditties, like the ones found on their latest project’s debut release Totally Redeem Yourself, which was recorded with Joe Reinhart at Headroom Studios. They’ll be opening for Atlanta folk outfit Little Tybee this evening at Bourbon & Branch. Also helping to bring a bit of sunshine on this cloudy day will be whimsical folk-pop trio The Extraordinaires. Bourbon & Branch, 705 N. 2nd St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
New Track: “Tropical Depression” – Steady Hands
Modern Baseball drummer Sean Huber is back with his folk-punk project Steady Hands. You can check out the title track to his forthcoming EP Tropical Depression below. Huber’s new record will be released on July 28 via Lame-O Records. He’ll be celebrating its arrival with a solo acoustic performance on Saturday, August 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Alternative Reality Comics for Punks in Vegas’s anniversary party. (Photo by Jessica Flynn)
Krust Toons: “Foreign Exchange” by Teddy Hazard
Krust Toons: "Foreign Exchange" by Teddy Hazard – please feel free to drop him a line at teddandthehazards@gmail.com if you dig or have any funny ideas. You can also check out more of his illustrations and animation shorts HERE.
Kississippi Opening for Hurry at Michael Jordan July 13
Vivid imagery that places your auditory senses on an airy pillow, balancing the simplicity of acoustic with a hallowing echo, Kississippi lifts and captures you in a web of poetic lyricism and soft intimate vocal tones that hint vulnerability. Co-mingling minimal acoustic guitar instrumentation with intricate descriptions that serve as a magnetizing force, drawing listeners close, while not weighing them down. Tonight at Michael Jordan house, Kississippi opens as the power-pop trio of Hurry begins their run of summer dates, inflecting varying, personal, snapshot lyrics into a steady jangle-and-pop riff and percussive scenario, invitingly suggesting for you to jump on board. The sludgy grunge of Virginia’s Mockingbird, who recently released a new EP Morning After, the emotive rock of Sinai Vessel, and the acoustics of the evocatively named Israeli outfit One-sided Friendships complete a bill that makes you feel things in a polished yet personal manner. Michael Jordan, (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.), 7pm, $5, All Ages – Michael Colavita
New The Spirit of the Beehive EP Available for Streaming & Announces Summer Tour w/Amanda X
The Spirit of the Beehive’s new EP You Are Arrived (But You’ve Been Cheated) is currently streaming via the A.V. Club, and is available for pre-order via both Ice Age and Ranch. Take a listen and sink deeper into that alluring dark haze. You can also catch the band live when its summer tour with Amanda X hits PhilaMOCA on Friday, July 25 as part of OK Fest.
Modern Baseball Opening for Say Anything at the E Factory July 12
The crew at Modern Baseball has found a way to tap into the universal doubt and insecurities that pile up in the back (or front) of one’s mind. The band expresses those locked away emotions in a brutally honest and refreshingly open manner, converting that anxious energy into exuberantly cathartic anthem-esque songs transforming the internal “I” into a rejoicing collective "WE." Tonight at the Electric Factory, the resilient, resonating melodic rock of Cymbals Eat Guitars and the emotive, instrumentally aggressive post-punk of San Jose trio Hard Girls will join Modern Baseball in setting the table for the rousing pop-punk of headliners Say Anything. Electric Factory 421 N. 7th St., 7pm, $30, All Ages – Michael Colavita
Lapses EP Release Show at The Nut Hut Saloon July 11
"Pink Oscillator is the story of four young women in the year 2099, alienated against a backdrop of adolescence, adapting to an ever expanding form of technology that controls our every way of comfort and conformity." And there is certainly more to the tale that Lapses, a.k.a. Matt Cannon, weaves through his electronic compositions, which you can learn about HERE. You can also stream and download his new EP Pink Oscillator (below) that has been released by the UK’s 30th Floor Records. Lapses will be celebrating its arrival this evening at Fishtown’s Nut Hut Saloon, which will also feature QQQ, Blood Sound, and Skydive Dubai. The Nut Hut Saloon, 1873 Frankford Ave., 8:30pm, Free, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
The Swollen Fox 5th Anniversary Celebration w/The Lawsuits, Commonwealth Choir & Lou at JB’s July 11
The Swollen Fox celebrates its fifth anniversary with an evening showcasing three of their local favorites. Led by Tess Emma’s gripping blend of smooth yet gut-tearing vocals, the quintet known as Lou opens the proceedings with their rousing, on-the-trail take of folk as one gets roped in by the traveling lyrical tales with close cutting personal ties. The casually contagious burst of power pop, otherwise known as Commonwealth Choir, reinforces strong vocals with that steady rolling instrumentation that quickly jumpstarts the process, and since they’re working on new material, it may be on display. Pulling from a pile of genres with a sound that’s part folky-Americana, with a bluesy bite and a soulful spirit, The Lawsuits, who recently announced that their next project will be released via Randm Records this fall, will culminate the night of celebration. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $12, 21+ – Michael Colavita
Weekend Warrior, July 10 – 12
New Video: Tiny Desk Concerts – Girlpool
Girlpool, the duo of Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad, made a visit to NPR’s Tiny Desk crew in DC for one of their intimate performances. The mini-setlist consisted of "Cherry Picking," "Ideal World, and the title track from their latest album Before The World Was Big. You can view the footage below, and download the audio recordings for free HERE. (Photo by Alyssa Yohana)