@skopemag news – tuesday – june 23, 2020 @ 1 pm est

@skopemag HQ – http://smarturl.it/skope

Art Rock Supergroup MANDOKI SOULMATES Release Full-Length Album Feat. Ian Anderson, Jack Bruce, Al Di Meola and Others In Partnership With U.S. Label CLEOPATRA RECORDS!

L.A.-based indie label Cleopatra Records and Hungarian-born songwriter/producer/musician Leslie Mandoki, the mastermind behind the living, breathing art rock project Mandoki Soulmates, are proud to announce the release of the first full-length album since the two entities joined forces earlier this year. Coming out on Cleopatra’s venerated progressive rock imprint, Purple Pyramid, home to such artists as Nektar, Tangerine Dream, Hawkwind-alumni project Hawkestrel, and Rick Wakeman, the album entitled Living In The Gap + Hungarian Pictures is actually a double album adding the 45-minute Prog Rock suite Hungarian Pictures, based on a musical concept by Deep Purple’s Jon Lord & ELP’s Greg Lake, to the original Living In The Gap album. Having already topped the Amazon Classic Rock Charts in Germany, Living In The Gap + Hungarian Pictures is poised to bring a whole new audience in North America, South America, the UK and beyond into the Soulmates’ family of fanatics.

DAVIE Releases His Funk-Laden Debut for Classic Music Company With New Single ‘Testify’ (Out Today)

Falling on the day of Juneteenth, a day that marks independence for the Black community in the US and around the world, Brooklyn artist DAVIE is proud to present ‘Testify’. Speaking on his gospel-infused, joyous record and the significance of its release DAVIE waxes lyrical “For me, it’s beautiful that a very celebratory song like ‘Testify’ is coming out on the day (Juneteenth). I am black, and I have so much work to do to fight systemic oppression, but we also have so much to celebrate. It’s the perfect song to dance, clap, jump and let go!”

LIMOUSINE BEACH Release Debut EP “Stealin’ Wine +2” EP on Tee Pee Records

Pittsburgh PA’s triple lead guitar outfit Limousine Beach combine concentrated songwriting and nimble fretwork with soaring vocal harmonies to become the world’s first “sizzle rock” band.

Limousine Beach has released their first recorded material on Tee Pee Records June 19, 2020 in the form of an EP entitled “Stealin’ Wine +2.”. Each composition is a compact blast of expertly crafted songwriting, none of which sacrifice complexity or power for brevity. So knock off work early, crank up the Limousine Beach, and if anyone asks where you are, tell ‘em you’re gone sizzlin’.

GUERRILLA GHOST RELEASE BRAND NEW SINGLE “WESLEY SNIPES IN DEMOLITION MAN”

On the heels of their debut album, 2018’s Perpetually Sad Motion Machine, Milwaukee hip hop outfit Guerrilla Ghost have wasted no time in delivering a follow up. Exhibiting growth on multiple levels, the group presents the listener with “Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man”, a first look at the upcoming album, We Get What We Deserve.

For Skope: Nicky Romero’s ’80s inspired new club single “Burning” ft. Jordan Grace (out now)

Nicky Romero teams up with Nashville-based singer/songwriter Jordan Grace for his newest single “Burning,” an energetic anthem perfect for warm summer weather. The track delivers Nicky’s prolific melodic and uplifting style, topped off with driving basslines and a catchy vocal riff. Listeners will recognize “Burning” as being in the “Redefine” sound design vein from the namesake EP, released earlier this year. This is the Protocol Recordings boss’s first collaboration with Jordan Grace, who has already worked with Timmo Hendriks on “By Your Side,” as well as Maximals & Faderx’s “Free.” Press play on “Burning” and let Nicky Romero and Jordan Grace take you away.

Hawaiian born Emcee/Producer Nohokai Releases New Single “Catch the Wave” featuring Gift of Gab

With his upcoming new album “Mixed Emotions” looming on the horizon, Hawaiian born Emcee/Producer Nohokai has released the second single “Catch the Wave” featuring Gift of Gab across all digital platforms today. “Mixed Emotions” is set for a July 17th, 2020 release via Perfect Time Music Group and is slated to feature guest appearances by R.A. The Rugged Man Man, Chino XL, Slaine, Locksmith, Apathy, ILL Bill and a host of other heavy hitters.

SPOOK THE HORSES: New Zealand Sextet To Release Empty Body LP Via Pelagic Records

After the calm and sublime People Used To Live Here, SPOOK THE HORSES, hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, deliver their ferocious new album, Empty Body. With distortion levels cranked up, tempos sped up and songs condensed and stripped down to the bare, ugly essentials, Empty Body comes as a brutal wake-up call within the rampant COVID-19 fatigue, and an unexpected surprise in almost every regard. “We’ve always been both a heavy and a quiet band. An entire album of our prettier, more bittersweet inclinations demands a reply of our most aggressive and confrontational. The pendulum must swing back the other way,” comments multi-instrumentalist Callum Gay.

For Skope: GRAVEDGR drops “6 FEET UNDER” remix album and a livestream from a cemetery [out on Heavyweight Rec.]

GRAVEDGR is back to his hellish ways with the release of a brand new remix album of his debut LP “6 FEET UNDER,” and an exceptional treat for his equally nefarious fans: an album-themed live stream from, you guessed it, a cemetery. Featuring seventeen heavy-hitting variations of hit tracks like “KAMIKAZE,” “WARDOGZ” and “JESSE JAMES,” listeners will delight in the serrating synths, bone-shaking bass and gut-wrenching drops of the remix version of “6 FEET UNDER.” GRAVEDGR called upon some of bass music’s most prominent players to place their own dark touches on his music, such as Riot Ten, SLUDGE, NCRYPTA, Lil Texas, KRISCHVN, DITHER, WARFACE, SICKMODE, SLUDGE, to name a few, including GRAVEDGR’s own VIP Remix of “Maria” with Junkie Kid. Tune in to Twitch for a nightmarish live stream of GRAVEDGR premiering the album from a cemetery on the LP’s release date, June 19.

French thrash/groove metallers Divine Side unveiled new song “Leaders & Followers”

About six years after the release of their debut album ‘Entity’ (2014), French thrash/groove metallers Divine Side are about to give birth to a new record with ‘System Failure’ coming out at the end of the month for the digital edition and in July for the physical one.

In the meantime, the band just premiered a first excerpt from this upcoming effort with the song “Leaders & Followers” available right now on YouTube.

POINTS’ NEW SINGLE “FREE MAN” MAKES A STATEMENT

POINTS—the artist name of GRAMMY® Award-nominated multiplatinum producer and songwriter Al Sherrod Lambert [Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez] — delivers an important statement today with his debut single “Free Man.”

Appropriately arriving on JUNETEENTH, the song makes a very important statement with its jarring one-two punch of neo-soul spirit, hip-hop aggression, R&B eloquence, and universal ambition. Additionally, the music video brings these elements to life with a story that’s impossible to turn away from. You need to see it, and you will believe it.

Darkwave Artist DISSONANCE Announces New Maxi Single “Precipice”

Darkwave artist Cat Hall (aka DISSONANCE) proudly reveals the new single & visualizer clip for “Precipice.” Says Cat Hall regarding the struggle that inspired the song:

“When I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and told I could not have children, I was devastated. I was angry. I wrestled with the emotional pain for years after the physical scars healed. “Precipice” is me addressing this loss and the cause of it.”

NYC’s Revenge of the truence break out their long awaited EP “H1N1”

Revenge of the Truence’s MuGGz and Tay Dayne waste no time getting to the point on their hard hitting new EP, H1N1, produced entirely by frequent collaborator Endemic Emerald. They kick things off by landing a massive uppercut with the lead single, “The Outbreak,” and they never take a moment to rest until the closing track fades. It’s a signal of immediacy that coincides with the New York duo’s mission statement of keeping it moving with a steady stream of quality releases.

Watch the Video for Aretha Franklin’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith”

Clive Davis, Sony Music’s Chief Creative Officer and longtime friend/producer of Ms. Franklin states, “The world is very different now. Change is everywhere and each of us, hopefully, is doing the best he or she can to move forward and make change as positive as possible. Music can play a major role here and Aretha’s performance is chilling. When you read the song’s lyric, and its relevance to what is happening today, it will shake every fiber in your body. Everyone should hear this record. It deserves to be an anthem.”

Summer Payton continues on “The Road To 25” campaign with new single, No Emotions

24-year-old Summer Payton is set to turn 25 on December 25th of this year. Over the years, Summer has continued to record great music and not release it. But with the current state of the world and the realization that tomorrow is not promised, Summer has decided to wait no more. She has embarked on the #Road To 25″ campaign, where she is releasing a previously unreleased single on the 25th of every month to give her fans and supporters the chance to see her growth over the years, before she drops her Golden Hour EP on Dec. 25th.

Sloth Fist – ‘Mothman is Real’ LP released today

Hailing from Dallas, TX, Sloth Fist are a 5 piece punk / rock ‘n’ roll band that combine the melodic sense of The Descendents and Teenage Bottlerocket with the fierceness of bands like Motorhead and Turbonegro. The result is an eclectic mix of songs that will satisfy anyone who likes their music hard and heavy, but still catchy with hooks galore.

The band features Eric Daniels (Bullet Machine, Black Habits, Responsible Johnny) on vocals, Matt Thomas (Slave One, Neighborhood Villain, Bullet Machine) on guitar, Alex Casanova (Regretfully, I) on guitar, Marc Maxey (Justice League, The Killing Flame) on bass, and Rafael Genovez (Responsible Johnny) on drums.

Playya 1000 & The Deeksta “My Heart Hurts” New Movement

FERGUS releases ‘Young Tonight’ 20.06.20 via Goldun Egg Records

London based alt-pop artist FERGUS shares ‘Young Tonight’ on Summer Solstice 2020 as the artist celebrates new beginnings. ‘Young Tonight’ continues the artists deeply personal story and follows directly on from previous singles ‘Concave’ and ‘All You’re Not’. Each release date is symbolic, designed to embody and emphasise the mood of each track.

One Final Boss releases new EP ‘It’s COVID’s World, We’re Just Living In It’

On the 19th of June, One Final Boss released his Covid-19 inspired EP ‘It’s COVID’s World, We’re Just Living In It’. It’s got everything the Covid-19 lock down included, tiger king, existential crisis thoughts and longing for human intimacy.

The EP is a melancholic, folkotronic, oxymoronic collection of songs, that’s unmistakably lo-fi. The improvised nature of the recording is a testament to the creativity that can emerge when artists have to work within a restrictive space.

The lead single is titled Don’t Be A Loner, Party Through Corona and deals with a musician struggling to come to terms with live music and the tragic realisation that the world doesn’t revolve around him.

Israel Nkeki – ‘Moonlight’

Israel Nkeki has already lived a life which could be made into 100 films but he has chosen music to tell his story, which sees his journey from leaving his polygamous father in Nigeria to a life on the streets and a term in prison to his eventual redemption as an emerging singer and songwriter. His debut single is Moonlight, a song in which he tells of how a decision made in a split second can have a profound and lasting effect on those around you. With an emphasis on hard-hitting lyrics which tell his real-life stories with a contemporary urban soul backdrop, Israel Nkeki has a voice which needs to be heard.

GHOST IN DECAY UNVEILS VIDEO FOR BRAND NEW HORROR-ESQUE SINGLE “BROKEN HOME”

Commenting on the foundations that “Broken Home” is based on, Ghost In Decay collectively explains: “The essence of the song is that no family is perfect and sometimes things fall apart, but you can always build a new home. There’s always someone to put the blame on for trauma, but not letting yourself become a victim to the trauma helps you to heal. Healing helps you to understand and forgive.”