SKOPE NEWS FOR APRIL 12, 2018 @ NOON EST

Geographer Shares ‘Alone Time’ EP On Pop Matters

Pop Matters have shared Geographer’s new EP ‘Alone Time’. When talking about the EP Michael Deni says, “Even when we’re together, we’re alone in our own worlds. We send out signals to each other and signals come back, but there’s really only room for one. Despite that we surround ourselves with people, and we try to let them in, try to find ones that will fit well beside us. This EP is the product of 2 years of solitude and over 100 demos, falling in love with someone far away, and watching that relationship crumble from the same distance. And ultimately, it’s an exploration of the solitary nature of a life that I still can’t quite get in front of. It’s a very personal collection of songs. Musically, it represents an obsession with pop music that went to its furthest reaches and boomeranged back again into making not just lyrics, but sounds, that matter. I want to make music for a reason. I want every song I write to have a good reason to exist. I don’t ever want to make a song just because I can. I want it to deserve a place in the world.”

Pain equals gain in ‘Come Thru’

“In the video for “Come Thru,” I wanted to show my unravelling – unhinged yet empowered. I love the idea of losing my shit, singing karaoke at a party, and giving zero fucks. The guitar I break in the video was from my honeymoon. I bought it in Bruges and even then, I knew my marriage was doomed. I was too afraid of being without him, and I felt trapped. He had a bad drinking problem, and I thought I could be the one to help him. I was wrong, and way too young to deal with something like that. That particular guitar was an oasis to me through that time, but it also represented a period that I needed to let go of. I figured if I was going to break and burn a guitar in the video, it should be mine, and it should mean something.” Sophia Danai

The Nightowls Release #selfiequeen

Frontman Ryan Harkrider explains, “We’ve been seeing more and more people at our shows that take out their phones to take a selfie during the concert. Seeing these scenes unfold, sometimes with a big group of people, is kind of a funny thing to watch from the stage. So, we decided that we should join in the fun and wrote a song where the lyrics literally call for the the audience to take a selfie. It’s a great moment on the album and especially at our live shows seeing all these people dancing, laughing and taking selfies.”

WHITE RING announces debut LP ‘Gate of Grief’

“Leprosy” is the first single proper to be taken from the debut album Gate Of Grief by WHITE RING. Dark, brooding, abrasive and ethereal all at once, the track draws from a varied and challenging palette, steeped in existential dread. It was the first song they wrote for the album, as Bryan Kurkimilis explains; “This song was the first time we really wanted to start exploring aggression in our music.”

Brightest Young Things Premieres The Suzan’s “Tokyo” Video

We’re super stoked to be premiering a new video from The Suzan today! “Tokyo”, my personal favorite off the band’s latest EP, Konichiwa, gets brought to life in vibrant color – shot between NYC and Tokyo and produced by produced by Bjorn Yttling, the story centers on two super adorable alien puppets made by Saori and Rie, and takes us on a wild intercity search that ends up being part of a larger interstellar love story. Scope that for the first time right here, and then continue on below to catch a bonus Q+A we did w/ The Suzan – we found out more about the video, whether or not it’s possible to have a pretend Tokyo day in NYC, what the band misses when away from Japan and/or away from NYC and more!

VIDEO PREMIERE: The Suzan’s “Tokyo”

Released Today: Track from Kyle Meadows

“I’ve been playing guitar since i was 13 and started writing and recording my own music when I was 15 or 16, after reading an interview with Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, where his advice to young artists was to buy a $99 tape recorder and put your music online. I started taking it more seriously in 2012 and released my first album in 2015,” Kyle explains.

ePP & Calvin Valentine Free Ep Download | “Chrome Seats”

Calvin Valentine and ePP met in the summer of 2006 at a show in Portland,OR. ePP was hosting/emceeing and Calvin was Djing/playing beats at the event. They clicked instantly and soon started sending songs back and forth (calvin was still living in Eugene). Once Calvin moved to Portland in 2009 they linked up and joined rapper Tope to form TxE. The trio performed and toured for the next 4 years releasing 2 albums and 1 Ep that made waves throughout the north west and got them the attention of Red Bull Sound Select, XXL, Vibe, and Jay-Z’s LIfe + Times. In 2013 Calvin and Lawz Spoken (Green Team) produced ePP’s 1st official solo lp entitled “Chrome Plated Chronicles”. Since then Calvin moved to LA and ePP signed to Eyrst Records up in Portland and started working on his second solo Lp.

Netflix debute single for artist Tsundere

His first release is called “In Reverse”, a stripped down yet strong tune that premiered through the series “Shadowhunters” on Freeform and Netflix.

X Ambassadors Continues JOYFUL Tour This Week

On the heels of announcing the second X Ambassador’s-curated Cayuga Sound Festival and wrapping a highly successful European leg of the JOYFUL tour, the band is excited to continue its run in the US this week. Earlier this year the JOYFUL tour hit select cities across the US, including SOLD OUT shows at The Belasco Theater in Los Angeles and Brooklyn Steel in New York City, and now X Ambassadors will bring its energetic and uplifting show to historic venues like the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, CO and the Ryman Theatre in Nashville, TN. The trio recently released two new Spotify Singles, including a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Stolen Car” and a live version of the band’s latest single “Don’t Stay,” from its forthcoming sophomore album JOYFUL.

S4U Debut New Single “Refrain” On FADER

The first in a run of new releases dropping throughout 2018, “Refrain” is the latest offering from Rosita Bonita & Prinz George’s duo S4U, premiering today on FADER alongside its compelling visuals.

J-Word New Album

JWord is a Las Vegas based, Atlanta raised musician and model. Since his debut single in 2016, J-Word has built a solid following on SoundCloud – racking in over 20K organic streams on every track! Most recently, JWord signed with Las Vegas modeling agency TNG Models with intentions to expand his creative offering beyond music. His new album JONES’N is the most ambitious project he’s released to date.

Jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar making his case for Brazilian music

As a lawyer, Ricardo Bacelar builds airtight cases to make winning arguments to the court in defense of copyrights. As a musician, the pianist-composer-arranger is just as meticulous when it comes to crafting his recordings, making convincing musical statements. To prepare a compelling case to present on his third album, “Sebastiana,” which dropped stateside on March 30 and throughout Europe earlier this month, he gathered a collective of musicians from all over the Latin-American diaspora and granted them the freedom to inject their unique cultural identities into the 15-track contemporary jazz set of freshly-arranged Brazilian standards and poignant piano prose penned by Bacelar.

New Video! Topi Mandela “Mustang”

Born on March 1st of 1998 in Harare, Zimbabwe, Topi Mandela is a 19 (soon to be 20) year old recording artist. Topi moved to the States at the age of 1 and grew up in Detroit, Michigan; he now lives in Dallas, Texas. Topi decided he wanted to seriously pursue a music career in 2017 and spent the year trying to figure out his sound. As for what’s next, Topi is planning on recording a 6-track EP with Eestbound in early March. The release will likely take place during the early phases of summer. Topi has written well over 200 songs that he has no intentions of releasing. His plan is to only put forth his strongest content that will leave people wanting more.

Samsaruh releases new single ‘Gunpowder’

Making her triumphant return, Samsaruh today unleashes ominous new single ‘Gunpowder’. Building on the success of her first two singles, the new single harnesses her commanding vocals with a base of dissonant synths pushing you to run for your life. Produced by Chris Collins (Tigertown), ‘Gunpowder’ demonstrates songwriting maturity beyond her years and is yet another standout from the young artist.

Cardi B Album Release Party Recap

CARDI B – Celebrated her Gold certified “Invasion Of Privacy” album with a release party in NYC last night – Powered by LYFT. Check out a recap video and photos of inside the party above.

Swedish dream-pop trio ViVii release magical video to accompany their debut single ‘Siv (You & I)’

?Siv (You & I)? ? a Lykke Li-flecked escapade pumped plump with harmonies and zither. It’s a bittersweet ode to the pains and joys that real life brings ? you take the good with the bad and it reminds you that you’re still alive ? and it’s dedicated to a special figure in the lives of Emil and Caroline (two thirds of ViVii): ?We had this babysitter called Siv who looked after our kids for quite some while, but she passed away two years ago. She had an old zither she played in the church, and when she passed she left it to us. This is the first song we wrote on that zither ? that’s why it’s called ‘Siv (You & I)’. It’s a hymn for her.?

Dave Covers i-D’s ‘New Fashion Rebels’ Issue

Shot in his hometown of London by iconic photographer Alasdair McLellan, teenage prodigy Dave has been revealed as the cover star of i-D’s ‘New Fashion Rebels’ Issue. You can see the full shoot & interview HERE.

ZAYN Releases ‘Let Me’

‘Let Me’, the new single from ZAYN, is released today globally. Produced by ZAYN and MYKL (the British production duo who worked with ZAYN on Pillowtalk) the track is an upbeat, pop track written and recorded in Jimi Hendrix’s’ legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

The video for the track was creatively developed by ZAYN himself who worked closely with director and producer Jose Padilha (Narcos, Robocop) to see his vision come to life, casting iconic actor Steven Bauer (Scarface, Breaking Bad) to star alongside himself. The video is the sequel to ‘Dusk Til Dawn’ – the smash hit featuring SIA – which won ‘Best Video’ at the 2017 MTV VMA’s.

Kreggo > Introspective Dance Music

Lobster Theremin present another mind-bending LP this time the brainchild of Italian producer and epic talent Kreggo.

Using a newly established moniker for this very special project, Kreggo is better known for his work as G-23, DJ Groov and his cult Secret Rave project.

WILKO JOHNSON ‘BLOW YOUR MIND’ FIRST ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL IN 30 YEARS

‘I’m supposed to be dead!’ Canvey Island’s Dr Feelgood guitar legend Wilko Johnson was diagnosed in late 2012 with terminal pancreatic cancer. However, despite the doctors’ worst predictions, he continued to perform with a new lust for life and even made the most successful album of his career ‘Going Back Home’ with the legendary Roger Daltrey.

Following that album’s remarkable success he announced that thanks to a third opinion from a doctor moonlighting as a rock photographer and life-saving surgery, he was now cancer-free. With customary humour Wilko said of this late-career resurgence “Man, there’s nothing like being told you’re dying to make you feel alive”.

Mina Drops New Video for ‘Make Money’ ft. Bryte

More Time Records present the visual for Mina’s single, ‘Make Money’, featuring Ghanaian vocalist and songwriter Bryte.

The video was shot in Bryte’s hometown of Abeka, Accra with local football team Ideal Ladies F.C. whilst Mina was visiting Ghana to collaborate and record new music.

The Nude Party’s Debut Album Out July 6 on New West

The Nude Party have signed with New West Records and are set to release their self-titled debut album on July 6, 2018. The 11-track set was produced by the band’s mentor and friend, Oakley Munson of Black Lips, and demonstrates their raw and effortless synchronicity that developed from learning how to play their instruments together since their teens. An inseparable gang of blood brothers bonded by a musical mission indistinguishable from their friendship, the band have lived as one unit in house after house for six years, honing their sound and aesthetic. This uncanny chemistry is exhibited throughout the music video for the album’s first single, “Chevrolet Van.”

The Nude Party detail Origins of their new track and video “Chevrolet Van”: Watch