AZITA has emerged with a new single, the first new music from her in eight years, via Drag City called "Shooting Birds Out of The Sky". The single is a relaxed, head nodding, R&B influenced track with a bubbling undercurrent of anxiety and stress making it a perfect song for the times we find ourselves in.
The line "Guess I’m/In a rough frame of mind/Can feel it crumbling about my eyes" unfortunately describes the mindset of many people at this time. The is ultimately about a relationship that is breaking apart, but clearly can be applied to the world at the same time.
Conventional wisdom dictating the world will end not with a bang, but with a whimper, seems to be playing out famously, but at the very least we’ll get some good music out of it. New video “Shells” by New York “pre-apocalyptic electro indie rock” project Thurlowood is the latest to cover Armageddon in a quiet, dignified, and incredibly catchy manner. With the cool keys of a Nord Electro 6 and a rudimentary drum machine backing, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Thurlow Wood sings Cold War-era instructions to schoolchildren on what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. Against a music video incorporating archive footage of a 1951 educational film, Wood’s haunting vocal delivery simultaneously emphasizes the futility of such directions were an actual tactical strike ordered on the United States, in addition to the fragility of our continued existence as a human species. Reminiscent of the Postal Service’s similarly depressive earworms and Ra Ra Riot circa 2013’s Beta Love, it’s a beautiful, harrowing single that’s a perfect soundtrack for our increasingly precarious times — give it a watch below, and stream new LP Discontinue Normal Program, out now. Photo by David Yang
Synthpop outfit Bottler describe their sound as music “full of electronic vitamin C,” an apt description of their uplifting new track “Nobody Likes Me.” Bolstered by a chilled downtempo beat and a healthy mix of piano keys and speaker-shaking bass, the Brooklyn-based duo employ a repeating sample of a children’s choir as the song’s centerpiece, creating a joyful, bright atmosphere over its succinct three minute run time. Moreover, Bottler’s approach to production, which incorporates maximalist, shimmering synth arpeggios alongside analogue components, evokes the late 00s / early 10s indietronic sound of groups like Passion Pit and Discovery sans vocals. Stream this sunny listen below, and keep an eye out for their upcoming EP Clementine, out May 8th.
M. Sage has release a collection of reworkings of pieces from his 2019 album Catch A Blessing. "Blessing Redux (vivo relief)" is an attempt to celebrate the album’s anniversary and offer a little moment of peace and relief to our city in this time of crisis. All money raised by the sale of this album will be donated to the Chicago Covid-19 Response Fund, but the quiet beauty of Matthew’s music may also bring some comfort to the listener.
TGIF! For many reasons, but of the oh so many perhaps there is none as cheerful as the release of The Q-Tip Bandits’ debut EP Ain’t It Great. This sonic triple-threat is as sophisticated as we have come to expect from previous Q-Tip Bandits singles, but the jazz mousse is heavy atop the group’s upbeat indie rock/pop hybrid. The title track opens up with the brass instrumentation that characterizes the group, flowing slowly past the assertive electric guitar riff at the heart of the song, the build-ups bursting to reveal cheery choruses and festive breakdowns. “What’s Your Drug” lets the full bassline of Claire Davis lead the way as Leo Son’s vocals cleave with emotion, and then you know who you are listening to. Dakota Maykrantz’ chic drums provide a rhythmic foundation that adapts and delivers though each hit of the snare the passion the music demands. “The Wolf” finishes an indie rock/pop delicacy of an EP that is a glossy calling card for the talented band. Listen to Maclin Tucker (trumpet), and Stephan Tenney (trombone) make their instruments howl in “The Wolf” streaming below. – Rene Cobar, photo by Sophie Park
It’s fair to say most of us are cycling through a lot of moods right now during quarantine; anger, fear, boredom, and occasionally hope. While our anxiety runs rampant and the apocalypse looms, Billy King & the Bad Bad Bad have a new single being released to help everyone process what a shit show the world is right now.
The band’s upcoming single, “Tiger’s Den,” takes the band’s signature ‘surf-rock from hell’ style, and gives it a rougher, country-style twist.The track’s greatest strength lies in the narrative it lays out, creating a compelling and interactive story within a song. Through the song’s non-linear lyrical setting and immersive soundscape, the single taps into Billy King’s signature sound.
The winding and anticipatory track begins to build and crest before vocalist, Will Reynolds, launches right into a twangy howl filled with bravado. Reynolds speaks in a cinematic but commanding manner, regailing of past days spent in the Tiger’s Den with an old flame. His voice provides a brief exploration into the story the band is telling, without commandeering the narrative.
In many ways the song reads as a love ballad, but the band replaces the typical lust and loneliness found in love songs with a sense of urgency. Guitarist, Cameron Wren, and bassist, Mike Sellman, really help set this tone in place. The guitar interludes add in a nice call to action, giving the listener space to take in the music and decide where exactly they would place themselves within the world the song presents them with.
“Tiger’s Den" helps make those weird, frantic trips to the grocery store, a rebellious adventure in a post-apocalyptic spaghetti western. Tie that bandanna around your face and let the music take you over in your search for paper towels and oat milk.
Red Cent recently released their first new album, Parallels, since 2015’s Slow To Settle. The group has really picked up where they left off and continue to pull the listener to the more Pop influenced side of Garage Rock.
Ryan Burns (of Distant Brothers) recently released a new single called "Mistakes Were Made". This is his first single since rebranding to include his live band, The Vocal Ghosts, in all marketing. This is the first new music from Burns since last year’s EP "The Institute", and the first single single from the band’s forthcoming album.
You can hopefully catch Ryan as part of the Distant Brothers on May 11th at Montrose Saloon and as Ryan Burns & The Vocal Ghost on June 11th at Cole’s Bar.
Self-isolation-bred productivity can come in many forms, and whether it’s reading a good book or posting on Instagram about your sourdough starter, there’s really no wrong way to do it. Erring on the side of the creative is Brooklyn indie outfit Onesie’s new video for “Unsolved Mysteries,” which, through iMovie magic and a photo scanner, lovingly displays the mid-80s childhood drawings of bandleader Ben Haberland. Scoring these high resolution scans of Mortal Kombat (or G.I. Joe?) inspired illustrations is Onesie’s power pop inclined sound, albeit on the scuzzier side; Haberland’s winding vocal delivery modulates between the bright melodic quality heard on the band’s 2019 effort Umpteenth, breaking on the chorus to deliver some frothy sing-speak disharmony. Bolstered by driving, interlocking guitar work and lyricism drawing parallels between mental subjugation and sheltering-in-place, it’s a progressive bop for fans of 90s / early 00s alternative, or those seeking to enliven the feeling of being trapped — either way, watch and listen below.
Wons Phreely + The Horses have created a breathtaking new piece of music for these claustrophobic times called "Restless To Run". The new single, with its crashing synths and singer Justin Wonsly’s soaring voice, makes for a great wake-up track, a song to blast during a sanity walk down the block, or music for any occasion that needs a little brightness. The Australian singer-songwriter has come up in the LA scene over the past few years, sharing bills with Gotye and Bright Eyes; the band’s videos have earned them spots on year-end best-of lists alongside Beyonce and Childish Gambino. The video for "Restless To Run" keeps things simple, consisting mostly of shots of Wonsly singing while playing the drums, but it does show off his musical prowess. Take a look for yourself down below. – Will Sisskind
It’s been an engaging (and exciting) experience to see the through-line developing on Capsules, the forthcoming debut record by New York-based folk soothsayer Hayfitz, something one could liken to reading sections from a diary non-linearly. New track “Kitchen” maintains a similar environment to previous single “Daylight,” as Brandon Hafetz’s quiet, impressionistic recollections of the past drift over evenhanded guitar chords and lush analogue synths, but while Hafetz’s last single detailed the harsh truth of being honest and having “sober conversations,” “Kitchen” feels like a fresh start. A repeating chorus of questions (“What’s your name? What’s your story?”) emphasizes the different kind of intimacy the single details, the terrifying prospect of knowing someone else and being known yourself. Once more, Hafetz’s focus on the vulnerable nature of the human condition, the pain inherent to our interconnecting lives, is rendered brightly, beautifully, and softly, through trembling falsetto and an intrepid blend of acoustic and electronic sounds. Give it a listen below ahead of his LP’s release on May 29th. —Connor Beckett McInerney
Hausu Mountain is preparing to release a new 80 minute mixtape on April 24th. Back in 2018 the label heads Doug Kaplan and Maxwell Allison released Mixtape I recapping the label’s first five years of existence. For this collection they take the listener from 2018 to current and future releases and include tracks from Bonnie Baxter, Tiger Village, RXM Reality, Lockbox, and Khaki Blazer, Wobbly, Quicksails, Mondo Lava, and so many more.
The mixtape’s preview track, "Rainbow ∞ Bridge", is taken for the forthcoming album, Rainbow Bridge, from Fire-Toolz.
