Today I’m so excited to share with everyone an exclusive track-by-track feature from post-punk band You Said Strange for their latest LP called Thousand Shadows Vol. 2. The album just released, and is already garnering praise for its bold steps taken in the genre.
Read More “You Said Strange – “Thousand Shadows Vol. 2” Track-By-Track”
Today is a great day to share the latest single from actor turned pop singer/songwriter, Nicholas Hamilton, called “Alone.” The song comes from his forthcoming EP, FATE, that will be out this summer. Hamilton shared, “Growing up, and even as I moved into my 20’s, I loved the independence of being on my own. No one to report to or rely on, just me, myself and I. The moment I moved to NYC at the end of 2021, after almost a year of floating around the world, sleeping on couches and shooting movies with barely a cent in my bank account, I felt different. I wanted to experience life with someone. I found myself calling my parents more often, making plans to hang out with friends, just to escape the suddenly dreaded feeling of being alone. ‘Alone’ was born out of this sensation, which was as foreign to me as the city I’d just moved to. ‘Alone’ is not what it once was. Remember when it was nice?'” I was also able to catch up with Nicholas for a brief interview below.
Read More “Nicholas Hamilton – “Alone” (Song Premiere)”
Today I’m excited to bring everyone an early listen from Connecticut emo band, Mighty Tortuga, called “Rearview.” The song comes from their forthcoming EP The Plague Inside Your Head, that was produced by Fred Mascherino (The Color Fred, Taking Back Sunday) and will be released everywhere music is sold on June 8th. You can pre-order the EP here. I was also able to catch up with guitarist Jacob Berberich for a brief interview below.
Read More “Mighty Tortuga – “Rearview” (Song Premiere)”
Recently I was able to hop on a call with Girlfriends (Travis Mills & Nick Gross) to discuss their upcoming EP, Over My Dead Body. In this interview, I asked the band about their current tour overseas, plus the opportunity to play the states with artists like The Used, Pierce the Veil and Avril Lavigne. Over My Dead Body hits streaming services on May 12th via Big Noise.
Read More “Girlfriends”
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the latest single and music video from Zoon, called “Dodem.” On this great-sounding track, Zoon channels their love for lush string arrangements paired with breathtaking pop sensibilities in a crowd-pleasing song. While speaking on the latest single, Zoon shared:
Read More “Zoon – “Dodem” (Video Premiere)”In Ojibway, ‘dodem’ means the clan you’re from. I’m from the Ma’iingan clan, wolf clan. I wanted to honour that word because I learnt a lot about where I come from. I wrote ‘dodem’ while living on the reservation with my father. He had taken me in during one of my worst relapses and I felt very vulnerable but used my time there to write. I remember clearly my uncle saying ‘that’s a hit!,’ I remember thinking maybe a rez hit.
Today I’m excited to share with everyone the new single and music video from LOVEBREAKERS, that comes from their forthcoming album Wonder, called “Attracted To Your Fashion.” The band recently toured Europe with punk veterans Social Distortion and appear poised for their musical moment. The band shared:
”‘Attracted To Your Fashion” is about the first time I met my girlfriend. We were chatting online, and I was instantly hooked by the way she dressed. She wore vintage clothes with no labels and did her hair and makeup like she was from LA. I remember being obsessed with her fashion sense before we got to know each other on a personal level. I wrote the song with her in mind, and I added in aspects like the pin badges and all the other girls being jealous. I wanted the song to be a celebration of being attracted to somebody before you meet them. It has a sense of excitement and anticipation, which was how I felt the first time I saw her. After we got chatting, we instantly had chemistry. We are now 9 years into our relationship, and I’m still attracted to her dress sense and many other things!
If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider purchasing their music here.
Read More “LOVEBREAKERS – “Attracted To Your Fashion””
Record Store Day is the annual celebration of indie record stores that is paired with special vinyl releases across all genres that get fans of the music format excited to join in the party in hopes of obtaining the release(s) they absolutely need for their collection. In this article, I’ll be outlining some of the special releases that brought music fans to the stores in droves, what I was noticing from the in-person and online feedback from attendees of the event, what was working well as well as a few recommendations for future years, and the aftermath of purchasing RSD leftovers online from various indie record stores.
Read More “Record Store Day Roundup: 2023 Edition”
A quick little newsletter this week as I check in on a few things I’ve been listening to and enjoying. There’s also a playlist of ten songs worth your time, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (April 23rd, 2023)”
Today is a great day to share a Gin Blossoms cover of “Follow You Down” by Connecticut band, American Thrills. On this 8-bit stylized video, American Thrills offer a unique take on a 90’s Alt-Rock classic. The band shared, “Growing up in the 90’s the Gin Blossoms got heavy rotation on my boom-box. The records they put out during that time are timeless and still have an incredible influence on the music we are making today. We also had trouble finding the right DJ to finish off our Limp Bizkit cover, so we had to roll with the Blossoms banger.” American Thrills’ debut LP still has a few vinyl copies available left here.
Read More “American Thrills – “Follow You Down” (Video Premiere)”
Today I’m excited to share with everyone a listen to the new LP from synth-pop trio, Ghost Love, called Mourners Disco. On this 80’s-inspired LP, Ghost Love channel their adoration for haunting synths, breathtaking vocals, and unique beats for a great listening experience. David Rancourt shared:
Read More “Ghost Love – “Mourners Disco” (Album Stream)”As band members we all love the tension between writing simple pop songs, but including more left field and more free form influences as well – which I think is what defines Ghost Love in terms of songwriting.Thematically, it is a dark record about loss and grief but there’s also a sort of ecstatic and escapist mood that combines with that darkness where we also wanted that tension to shine through. My own personal favorite albums tend to straddle those lines in terms of pop and experimentation as well as light and dark emotionally.
A blistering guitar riff filled my ears. Pummeling drums echoed throughout my head. Sultry baritone vocals singing about a love that ached like death took the song home. My friend sat in front of me with a goofy grin waiting for my reaction. “I love this song,” he said. “It’s good, right? They’re a Finnish band called HIM.” We typically spent mornings before 10th-grade history ranking our favorite Green Day songs and debating if they or Blink-182 were the true kings of pop punk. Then one day, it was all about HIM. He started wearing their shirts every day. He obsessed over their music videos. His notebook was slowly taken over by poorly drawn Heartagrams. He spent days taking me through their discography in a desperate attempt to convert me. Nothing really clicked. It’s not that I didn’t like them. They were just okay in my book. But, he didn’t give up convinced he would find the song that would turn me into a fan.
Another morning before history. By now we had the routine down: he’d scroll through his iPod searching for the perfect song, hand me the headphones, and hit play. But this time, something changed. A serene swirling piano greeted me followed by energetic percussion and gentle acoustic guitars that took the song to a different level. The crooning baritone I’ve heard many times before came in sounding sweet and gentle. It was unlike anything I’d heard before. I looked at my friend. He grinned. “The Sacrament” was my introduction to Love Metal and the song that made me a fan. 20 years later, it remains my favorite HIM song.
Read More “Love Metal at 20: The Album That Awakened My Love for HIM”
This week’s newsletter has thoughts on last night’s Blink-182 performance at Coachella as well as some other random comments on music and entertainment I consumed over the past week. As always, there’s also a playlist of ten songs worth your time, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (April 15th, 2023)”
Today I’m excited to share with everyone the latest single from punk band, Broadway Calls, called “A Little Shake.” On this electric single, Broadway Calls channel their love for slick harmonies and breakneck hooks into a crowd-pleasing song. I was also able to catch up with lead vocalist and guitarist Ty Vaughn for a brief interview below.
Read More “Broadway Calls – “A Little Shake” (Song Premiere)”
Today is a great day to share the latest LP from electronic band Occurrence, called Slow Violence. On this expansive double album from the NYC-based band, it tackles themes from the blissful feeling of love all the way to lowest of lows of failure. Occurrence is Ken Urban (electronics, synths & beats), Cat Hollyer (vocals, flute) and Johnny Hager (vocals), and the album is out everywhere music is sold today.
Read More “Occurrence – “Slow Violence” (Album Stream)”
Today I’m thrilled to share with everyone the latest single from Between The Echoes called “Night Diving (Reimagined)” On this Thrice cover, Between The Echoes do the original song justice by adding their unique take on the instrumental song by adding their own vocals and personality directly back into the music. Katie Jean (vocals) shared:
As a band, we are huge fans of Thrice and their instrumental version of ‘Night Diving.’ We thought it would be an incredible opportunity to take a song we loved so dearly and reimagine it with not only vocals, but also through lots of added ear candy sprinkled about. Not only lyrically but also musically, it was very important to us that we pay homage to Thrice’s Alchemy Index and simply add our magical touch to the song!
Between The Echoes are onto something truly magical here.
Read More “Between The Echoes – “Night Diving (Reimagined)” (Song Premiere)”