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New artist to check – Elah Hale (INTERSCOPE)
20 year old Elah Hale is an incredibly talented new artist we’re working with, set to release her debut EP on Interscope Records this spring, after she makes her SXSW live debut. She dropped her first new single of 2020 today along with the official video for “One Star Rating” and it’s an all too familiar sentiment for anyone who’s been in love. Shot in Hale’s native Brooklyn, the prodigious singer-songwriter (who started playing guitar when she was 5!) recalls back to fond but bittersweet memories of a romantic relationship from the past that can no longer be rekindled. Wisely she states, One Star Rating is about fuck ups, and making up for them. Love is really difficult, and unfair and sometimes completely out of your control. This is about making up for that”.
NON CANON – Releases new single: ‘Self Untitled’
The latest offering from his long-awaited sequel album: ‘Non Canon II’, finds the alias of Oxygen Thief’s Barry Dolan both ruminating on lost themes, while writing an epilogue to the track ‘Eponymous’; one of the many highlights of his 2016 debut.
Indie darlings LLOVERS release infectious EP lead single ‘Feeling Sound’
Capitalising on their blossoming status as one of the North East’s prime indie prospects, Teesside quintet Llovers announce the arrival of infectious new cut ‘Feeling Sound’, set for release February 27th.
Capturing the band’s immense potential, ‘Feeling Sound’ marks the first offering from their upcoming sophomore EP ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Alone’, expertly combining the group’s irresistible anthemic tendencies with sparkling riffs, sing-along choruses and playful songwriting.
KALEO Reveals “Fight or Flight Tour”
Frontman and songwriter JJ Julius Son has been in the studio allowing a combination of globe-trotting and meticulous tinkering to influence the highly-anticipated follow-up to the Gold-certified A/B, resulting in spectrum of sounds recorded around the world – in North America, South America and across Europe. Refreshingly free of calculation, with Julius Son allowing each tune to dictate its path while simultaneously leaning-in to his blues, folk and rock inclinations.
KALEO – Fight or Flight Tour with special guests Matt Maeson and Belle Mt.
Rufus Wainwright unveils ‘Unfollow The Rules,’ new single “Damsel In Distress” out now
“‘Damsel In Distress’ is an homage to Joni Mitchell in some ways,” says Wainwright, “particularly the structure. My husband and I now live in Laurel Canyon. I wasn’t that familiar with Joni’s music but Jörn became obsessed and took me on a journey into her music. We ended up hanging out with her and I get now why she’s one of the greats. So it’s part Laurel Canyon, part a song about a personal relationship that I’m trying to come to terms with, but mostly my Mitchell virginity being broken.”
Rufus Wainwright announces new album ‘Unfollow The Rules’ and shares ‘Damsel In Distress’
LPX (MS MR + NEON GOLD’S LIZZY PLAPINGER) RELEASES “NEW MOOD”
LPX is the high-octane alternative solo project of Lizzy Plapinger. Co-founder of boutique record label Neon Gold Records (Christine and the Queens, Haim, Charli XCX, Tove Lo, Marina, Ellie Goulding etc) and lead singer of alt pop darlings MS MR.
Watch the video for “Halcion” from slow-core trio Gold Cage
Director Dakota Blue & Priscilla Mars explain the video’s concept. “Presenting: Gold Cage’s acting reel. Three characters swirl around each other in a room with a steady stream of new disguises, identity crisis, and changes in status quo.” The band interjects, “The lyrics reflect that aspect of life – depending on someone or something that isn’t there, the issues caused by the unreliable and the consequences preceding.”
VUNDABAR (FFO Carseat Headrest, The Strokes) share new track + video, ‘Montage Music’
Vundabar are today sharing a new track, ‘Montage Music’ alongside an essay on Talkhouse by guitarist/singer Brandon Hagen, which explores the mythology of American life and culture through the symbology of cars. Hagen explains, “Montage Music is a meditation on the way capitalism takes beautiful cycles of birth, death and rebirth and makes them ugly by making future regenerations impossible. The song uses a car as the primary symbol for this as it exemplifies the unsustainable, though sometimes intoxicating, aspect of modern life. The narrator becomes fully engrossed in the vanities and demands of this life, and only at the end of the song notices a cloud of burning black smoke rising from tea being made without water, now impossible not to notice.”
BLACK FORTUNE RELEASES “NOTHING TO LOSE” SONG & VIDEO
Landover, Maryland’s own Black Fortune is back with a new track and video for “Nothing To Lose.” “The meaning and inspiration behind the track just comes from me growing up not having much,” Black Fortune explains. “I had nine brothers and sisters, my mom was working hard but we were still on welfare, my dad was battling his drug addiction – all of that left me with not very much, and even just wanting some of the basic things I had to go get it on my own… I had the mentality of ‘I have nothing to lose.’ I already didn’t have s**t so what was the worse that was gonna happen, you know? It was either go get it or be left with nothing.”
ARADIA LAUNCHES THE EMOTIONALLY DRIVEN AND DYNAMICALLY STRUCTURED BRAND NEW SINGLE “SELINATE WANDS AND LAVENDER TEA”
Alternative rock quartet Aradia launches the group’s brand new reincarnation with the emotionally driven and dynamically structured “Selinate Wands and Lavender Tea” – a track, which clearly resembles the formation’s undeniable talent to design and perform complex, yet memorable and comprehensive music with its own character and essence. With its myriad of influences, “Selinate Wands and Lavender Tea” is a refreshing, imaginative creative enterprise at its finest, considering the involved contemporary production styles, compelling lyrical content and eclectic instrumental ideas that distance themselves from what’s typical of the generic perceptions when it comes to the alternative genre.
MIDDLE-AGED QUEERS Unveil Latest Single “Theme Song” Off Upcoming Album, Out March 13
Oakland, CA queercore band Middle-Aged Queers have released a new single titled “Theme Song.” The track appears on the band’s upcoming debut album ‘Too Fag For Love’ out March 13 via the band’s own label Outpunx Records, in collaboration with Bay Area indie Sell The Heart Records, run by Andy Pohl of Tsunami Bomb.
Lead crooner Shaun Osburn says, “Our Theme Song is about loving yourself as a seasoned queer person in a culture that prioritizes youth and heteronormativity. The line ‘go fuck yourself’ is actually meant as a positive; masturbation should be sex with someone you love!”
GLASS PEAKS TACKLE THE TOXICITY OF SOCIAL MEDIA WITH POWERFUL NEW SINGLE ‘NEVER REALLY LEFT’
Fresh from selling out their first headline show of the year at St Pancras Old Church, London alternative indie rockers Glass Peaks have announced their debut EP ‘It’s Raining On The Wrong Side Of The Window’ – due out 1st May 2020. Today, sees them releasing their first music of the year with their first single from the EP – ‘Never Really Left’ – a post-grunge anthem tackling the toxicity that social media has on society as a whole.
Explore MIQUI BRGHTSIDE’s ‘Kelly Kapoor (ft. Kenjamin Franklin)’ Visuals
The self shot and directed visuals for ‘Kelly Kapoor’ take a journey through candid glimpses at some of Miqui’s experiences from growing up in Madrid. Featuring his own photographs including some of the much loved Spanish band Hinds, and memories back to his school days and first kiss. The video takes a unique approach for you to get to know more about the multi-talented artist.
MASSIVE new tune ‘Glide’ / Lxandra
Today Finland’s most important new hope, Lxandra, takes a giant step forward in songwriting on her latest single “Glide,” carrying an inspiring yet easy-going message of letting things be. The song is released via Universal Music.
Luke Rathborne Takes You On A Frenetic Ride Through Late Night New York In ‘Ordinary Woes’ Video
“The energy of New York City can be quite addictive, but it can also lead you to become anxious, or feeling like you’re lost in the thick of it all. I remember this sensation looking up one day around myself at all the construction and having this feeling like everything was going to be built up around me and swallow me whole. The concept for the video came out of that sensation,” Luke says.
Australian post-punks LOOSE FIT share new single “Black Water”
When Sydney AUS quartet Loose Fit emerged last month with their debut single Pull The Lever, it was quickly pounced upon and praised for its purposeful, broad-shouldered, looping bass motif, scatter-gun percussion, and singer Anna Langdon’s charismatic, pitch-black vocals. It was a track that starkly painted life as an endless series of risky gambles.
Chris Gardner’s New Music Video “The Rocky Road”
Americana Country artist/songwriter Chris Gardner just released his newest music video titled “The Rocky Road” which has racked up over 8,300 views in its first week. Working with Relaxing Blues Productions the team crafted a video screenplay that viewers are watching, relating to and sharing with others.
Sour Widows Premieres Self-Titled EP via NEW NOISE MAG
“the young band show a great deal of promise as they mix bedroom pop, post-hardcore, and a penchant for big melodies and wayward structures. With influences that range from Angel Olsen and Big Thief to Pile and Duster, you can actually hear each of those make their impact in Sour Widows’ songwriting, pushing it toward pop ease and pulling it back out with tension and delightfully unwieldy guitar progressions.”
-Dan Goldin, POST-TRASH
Lush Puppy releases explicit video for latest single ‘One Eyed Snake’
We already know that groundbreaking genre-defying Lush Puppy is pushing boundaries musically, but with the release of the video for latest single One Eyed Snake they now have outdone themselves visually as well! Of course this is artistic expression at its best, but the question remains whether the YouTube age-restriction will suffice.
ISTA Premieres debut track under new moniker, “Western Sun”
In 2019, West coast psych-rock transplants ‘Ecstatic Union’ teamed up with Brooklyn based producer, Sam Cohen to begin recording what was planned to be their 3rd release under the same name. As the project developed, fresh sounds and styles emerged along with a new cast of characters who began blessing the tracks, ultimately joining forces beyond the studio to birth the electrifying 7 piece psychedelic-disco-soul-punk love child that is ISTA.
Captivating Indie Rock band Voodoo Bandits shares new single ‘Empty Swimming Pool’
UK-based four-piece indie rock band Voodoo Bandits will be sharing their latest single, ‘Empty Swimming Pool’, premiered by Atwood Magazine, on 13 March via Superblue Records. The band has been featured on noteworthy Youtube channels such as Fancy Melancholic and Sounds New Sounds Good and have collected nearly 140 000 plays across streaming platforms. With their debut single being made Track of the Week on Indie Rocks Radio Manchester, Voodoo Bandits have also received heavy rotation on Idobi Radio’s “Anthm” playlist as well as being featured on Spotify’s ‘Hot New Bands’ Editorial Playlist. Their previous single, ‘Ride The Wave’ was premiered via XS Noize and featured in Indie Central Music, Echoes and Dust and Music Injection. ‘Empty Swimming Pool’ was produced by Dave Armstrong (Back Door Slam) and mixed and mastered by Manchester-based producer Jamie McIntyre (The Covasettes and The Flitz).
Rough Grind – ‘Pieces of Resistance’
Finnish heavy rockers Rough Grind will release their debut album “Pieces of Resistance” (Inverse Records) worldwide on all digital platforms on March 4th, 2020.
Rough Grind combine hard rock and heavy metal into a unique blend that is further spiced up with classic rock elements. The band has previously released three EPs: “Son of a Gun” (2014), “Four for the Road” (2017) and “Trouble or Nothing” (2018).
Sarah Siskind’s Long-Awaited Ninth Album, ‘Modern Appalachia’, Out April 17
“This is the first song I wrote when I moved back East after 14 years in Nashville, originally to rural Virginia for three years before settling in North Carolina,” says Siskind. “When writing this song, I let go of all thought process and just channeled what I felt being back in an environment where mountains, water, and nature-based quality of life are paramount. This song has become an anthem for me, for my return to the Southeast, my faith, and my need to discover who I am as a complete human.”
KVAEN: Invisible Oranges debuts Swedish black metal unit’s anticipated ‘The Funeral Pyre’
Swedish one-man black metal unit KVAEN is making waves in the underground upon offering the singles off the upcoming debut The Funeral Pyre which will see its worldwide release tomorrow (28th February 2020) via Black Lion Records on CD and LP. The album features contributions from various musicians, including Sebastian Ramstedt (Necrophobic, ex: Nifelheim) and Perra Karlsson (In Aeternum, Nominon, ex: Destroyer 666).
ren “i drive me mad” NEW SINGLE & VIDEO OUT NOW
Of writing the song ren states, “i drive me mad is a really important song to me because it’s really a look inside my brain and the anxiety and panic I deal with nearly everyday. I wrote this song after having a really bad panic attack and it made it so honest and easy to write. It’s the first song I’m putting out that I feel like has a really important relatable message and I’m super excited about this one!”
