Sofar Sounds has released EZI‘s performance of "Anxious", a track from her debut EP Afraid of the Dark. The songstress — whose real name is Esther Zynn — released the EP at the beginning of the year, having written the songs during what she calls the lowest point in her life. However, with her powerful voice and catchy synthpop arrangements rife with gripping and vulnerable lyrics, things are looking up for EZI; she’s the first signee to Steve Madden’s 5Towns Records, and she’s played shows all across the country over the last few months. In a recent Facebook post, she says she’s the happiest she’s been "in forever." Take a listen to her recent video for single ‘Redemption" and to the Sofar performance of "Anxious" below. – Will Sisskind
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Harsh Reality” – Luxe
“Harsh Reality,” the new single from hardcore outfit Luxe, can be found on the Fresh! Volume One compilation, which is now available via New York imprint Teeny Tiny Records. A rumbling rush pushes out the gates, spilling over with a raw release of intensity. Those hard-driving tones momentarily give way to a percussive breakdown and demented power chords and licks, before the final blitzkrieg unfolds. Be the last one standing when Luxe joins Open City, Red Hare, and Greg Electric (featuring members of Loose Tooth and Nine of Swords) on Saturday, June 2 at Everybody Hits.
Toronto
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Rooftop Love Club – “Kill It (If You Want It) Video Premiere
Toronto garage rock duo Rooftop Love Club are back with some brand new music videos from their latest album “Jejune”. Part 2 of 3 has just been released and features the track “Kill It (If You Want It)”. The video follows the main character from Part 1 (which can be seen here) to an empty parking lot where he practices all his new moves however trouble ensues when his skills are put to the test! The track is a bluesy 2 piece rocker that has a next level of heaviness added to it which really helps it rip….or helps YOU rip if you’re the guy in the video. Stay tuned for Part 3 and make sure to check out Rooftop Love Club on June 2nd at the Horseshoe Tavern when they open up for Teenage Head. – Kris Gies
NYC
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Duendita releases Soundcloud tracks; plays C’mon Everybody 06.06
Fans of Half Waif or SZA will enjoy the nu-soul of duendita, whose mesmerizing voice and beats will take the stage at C’mon Everybody on June 6th. Anyone who follows Princess Nokia’s work might have already heard duendita’s tracks; for the uninitiated, the artist has three new songs on her Soundcloud available for streaming now. The songs — titled "i’ma get you", "pray", and "yikes!" — all deliver intoxicating harmonies and instrumentation which blend the organic with the electronic. The three provoking tracks give a taste of what’s to come on duendita’s upcoming debut EP, titled direct line to My Creator. At C’mon Everybody, duendita will share the stage with fellow soul artists Zenizen and Cherubim. Listen to "pray" below. – Will Sisskind
NYC
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Lola Pistola brings sardonic post-punk to Northside on 06.09 at The Knit
Lola Pistola – real name Arvelisse Ruby – is a force to be reckoned with. On her most recent release, 2017’s Curfew, Lola’s songs are brash, ballsy and seething, with abounding post-punk vibes. In her video for "Carroll St.," she paints a bleak picture of life in New York through a series of disjointed, vignette-like images of herself in various city locales: a dimly-lit music venue, the docks, a stark apartment inhabited by barely-clad sleeping men, outside a storefront gate. Her knowing smirk and unsettling visage, complete with death-like makeup and hypothermia-blue eyeshadow, pops through each mundane setting like blood seeping from pale skin. However, for all her brash tongue-waggling, Lola Pistola also dabbles in the subtly sardonic. On "Wild, Rich and Loose," she takes aim at idly wealthy lifestyles, croaking, "We’ve come to feed on open wounds/Take all you want/I’m wild, rich and loose." Lola Pistola is playing at Northside Festival on June 9th at The Knit. Watch the video for "Carroll St." below! – Ethan Ames
Philadelphia
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Weekend Warrior, May 11 – 13
The tandem of Lauren DeLucca and Rachel Dispenza, a.k.a. Coping Skills, will be celebrating the release of its sophomore album Worst New Music (Citywide Records), with a show tomorrow night at Everybody Hits. The duo delves into the daily ups and downs via episodic songs, providing peeks into the songwriters’ psyches. Unobstructed, personal insights create a genuine connection of shared experience. Whether exploring points of doubt or frustration or finding moments of contagious euphoria, there’s a gritty, unpolished closeness that simultaneously bubbles over into jubilation. On this showcase (which will benefit No More Dysphoria), they’ll be joined by the dreary-romantic, shoegazing daydream of So Totally (whom have a new record in the works), the acoustic-driven, emo-crashing waves of Vivian K., and the raw, riff-rockin’ Big Quig. Also, hailing from Venezuela, the experimental-punk of Zeta completes this billing. – Michael Colavita
Other places to hit this weekend…
Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Past Life, Whine Moms, Punk Hands, SAT Coping Skills (Record Release), So Totally, Vivian K, Big Quig
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Straw Hats, SAT Grandchildren
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) SAT Goodnight/Goodluck (Record Release), Secret American, Wax Wav
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Sparrow Steeple, Yuzo Iwata/Brother JT, Jo Kusy/Night Drive/OneSixty, SAT Timothy Tebordo, The Bells/Fame Lust, SUN Loafass, Fucksake/Saint Wilde
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) FRI FV, Rich People, Moses Mosima, SAT Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SAT Dean & Company, Whiskeyhickon Boys
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI (Balcony) Black Panther Burlesque, SAT Cosmo Baker
TLA (334 South St.) FRI Varial
The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SAT Mo Lowda & The Humble, Kirby & The Vibe Tribe
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT Monnette Sudler, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Diane Monroe, Lee Smith, Sonny Troy, V. Shayne Frederick, Byron Landham, SUN Minas Mother’s Day Brunch
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Dysphoria, Vicious Embrace/Jacopo & The Late Saints. Zap Goes Pop!, This Way to the Egress
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnust St.) FRI Mike Pinto, Jay D Clark, SAT Stella Ruze, NorthEast Corners
The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Hetz, Berdmajik, Night Bloom, DCTC/Tiger Castle, Dear Forbidden, I Am Not The Universe, SAT Hallowed Bells, The Russian White, Argyle Rings
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI DJ Sylo, Astro 800, SAT DJ Deejay
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT Johnny Moskal, SUN Rusty Cadillac
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2ndSt.) FRI Mike Matteson & The Sketchy Freaks, Line Leader, Slomo Sapiens, SAT Tucker Hill Band (Album Release), Miss Cantaloupe, Sitting In Cars, SUN The Ones Group Mixer
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) SAT BrainFest: Stinking Lizaveta, Alright Junior, Camera Thief, The Good Mess, Resilient, Dirty Dollhouse, School of Rock Philadelphia, The Sea Tease, The Cozy
Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) FRI DJ Beatstreet, SAT DJ Pierson
Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI DJ Royale, SAT Ian Saint Laurent
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) SAT Alexis Cunningham
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) SAT Catullus
The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) FRI In Different Sounds, Kate Dressed Up, Wallace / Grimace Federation, Nakama, Gorgeous Porch, SAT Of The Archive, Echo Lad, Countdown From Ten, SUN Echo Lad
LAVA Space (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Leadrs, Buster, Spring Onion, SUN Knifeplay, Spellbinder
Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Good How Are You Fest: Ntive Flora, Yeenar, Elissa Janelle Velveteen, Honeytiger, Busy Bee Project, Secret Nudist Friends, Mavis the Dog, Overwinter,StateSchoolGirl
Slime Time Live (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Good How Are You Fest:Puppy Angst, Kat Hamilton, Elaine Rasnake, Erik Kramer, Kelsey Cork & the Swigs, Trash Boy
Planet Phitness (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more information.) FRI Eliza Edens, Brian Hamilton, Sudden Forever
JJ’s Diner (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more information.) SAT Blueroom, James Barrett
The Sound Hole (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Arthur, Buddie, SAT Dialer, The Invasive Species, Aphid Daughters
Hole Foods (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Earth Telephone, Party Muscles
Chicago
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William Covert “Nova Express” (Live Session)
Yesterday, Puddle Splashers released an amazing new video of William Covert of Space Blood performing a track, “Nova Express”, from his forthcoming solo album.
William will be performing his first solo show at Burlington Bar tonight, May 11th, with Imelda Marcos and Parlour.
Chicago
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Judson Clairborne’s New Single
Chris Salveter (aka Judson Claiborne) surprisingly released a new single, “I Want My Undeveloped Pre Frontal Cortex Back”, last month. This is the first new music from the band since 2013’s We Have Not Doors You Need Not Keys.
Salveter did form a new band back in 2016, The Electric Breastpumps, and released a single, but has been silent since.
It’s unclear if this will lead to more music or not. Judson Claiborne was one of my personal favorites of last decade and it is just great to hear Chris’ voice again.
Philadelphia
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The Deli Philly’s Featured Artist Poll Winner: Kate Dressed Up
Philly singer-songwriter Katie Miller, a.k.a. Kate Dressed Up, first caught our attention when she released a music video for “I Wish” (below), a transatlantic folk-fusion collaboration with London-based Ganda Boys. The wistful nature of the song and its mellifluous harmonies and melodies transported us away from the abrasive sounds of the city, if only for a moment. Miller has been quite active, of late – recently winning our Featured Artist Poll and wrapping up an April residency (hosted by Lost Compass). She’ll also be kicking off her Midwest Tour with Elaine Rasnake this evening at The Pharmacy, backed by a full band. However, before all this takes place, take a moment to get to know Kate Dressed Up HERE.
Philadelphia
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New Track: “The Problem Is Us” – Gladie
Pairing partners Augusta Koch (Cayetana) and Matt Schimelfenig (Three Man Cannon), a new project, Gladie, has emerged. Sean Hallock (Rozwell Kid) and Candice Martello (Hemming) currently round the band into form. With a debut EP Everyone is Talking About You due out on May 17, the band’s first single “The Problem Is Us” has just arrived. Akin to the reverberating buzz of traffic, the song sets an ambient beginning. Then, Koch delivers personal observations, which gather momentum as the instrumentation (keys, percussion, etc.) is further fleshed out, joined vocally by Schimelfenig to create an emotive yet calming discourse. The band is slated to perform at Everybody Hits on Wednesday, May 23, alongside Doll Baby, Bat Boy, and Big Nothing.
Chicago
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The Cool Kids “Ripple”
The Cool Kids dropped a new single called “Ripple” today. It’s a song about the future of the Strip Club economy if Cryptocurrency does take over as the world’s perferred method of payment. “Takin’ BitCoin in the Strip Club” is just a great line, but who hasn’t wanted to make "noise with the Litecoin"?
You can catch The Cool Kids at Temperance Beer in Evanston with Slick Rick on July 21st.
Chicago
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Jean Deaux “Energy”
Jean Deaux released a new single this week called “Energy”. This is the first single from her upcoming debut EP which is due out later this summer. “Energy” was produced by UK’s ROMderful and follows last month’s single “SSN (They Say)”. Jean is currently on tour with SABA.