Today I’m thrilled to share with everyone a teaser for a new single from talented pop artist, JJ Braves, called “The High Dive.” With breathtaking vocals paired with lush musical arrangements, JJ Braves has crafted a track ready for any playlist.
Read More “JJ Braves – “The High Dive” (Song Premiere)”
Today is a great day to share the self-titled debut LP from The Clamor, that comes from the mind of Aaron Louis. This new punk rock project channels musicians like Joe Strummer and Billie Joe Armstrong into a crowd-pleasing package. Louis shared this about the record:
The album is not me trying to recreate that atmosphere but a place to begin where I left off. Even if that just means having fun – like not being too precious, finding ways to be vulnerable, and embracing the collision of styles, all of which I hope you feel in this album. I like this moment in my life and feel like this album was a way to create a sort of sonic snapshot of what I’ve been thinking about and what’s important to me. And thinking of how fast it goes.
Get ready to fall in love with The Clamor.
Read More “The Clamor – ‘The Clamor’ (Album Stream)”
Today I’m thrilled to share with everyone the new single and music video from rock band, Iguana Death Cult, called “Pushermen.” With a sound that strays somewhere between the indie rock of The Strokes and the craftsmanship of pub rock bands like Catfish and the Bottlemen, this band checks all the right boxes. On their video, the band shared, “‘Pushermen.’ It kind of sounds like an action movie doesn’t it? Sadly we came a couple of million short, so Hache came with the idea to do a casting video for a fictional film called: ‘Pushermen.’ The scenes we did were loosely based on the movie ‘Superfly.’ If you know, you know.” The track comes from their new LP, Echo Palace, out everywhere music is sold on May 12th, and I was also able to catch up with Iguana Death Cult for a brief interview below.
Read More “Iguana Death Cult – “Pushermen” (Video Premiere)”
This week’s newsletter has thoughts on music out this week, first impressions of the new album from Hot Mulligan, and some other music finds from the week. Plus, a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed 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 (March 11th, 2023)”
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the new single from indie rock solo project, Charlie & Margot, called “Sleeping.” The artist recently announced their debut LP, entitled Joyride, that will be out everywhere music is sold on April 7th. With a style that strays somewhere between Dr. Dog and Jason Isbell, Charlie & Margot are right on the cusp of greatness. Matteo DeBenedetti shared, “‘Sleeping’ is written about facing up to the idea that sometimes putting your trust in other people can ultimately end up being a bad thing for you, and sometimes it’s best to take matters into your own hands. In this instance, it’s very specifically regarding being a musician, being involved with other people as a touring musician (as a grown adult) at a DIY level, and navigating all the nuances that come with that.” Charlie & Margot may just be the next great musical discovery.
Read More “Charlie and Margot – “Sleeping” (Song Premiere)”
Today I’m thrilled to share with everyone the premiere of the latest single and music video from VOLK, called “I Fed Animals.” VOLK is Nashville indie-rock duo Eleot Reich (drums, vocals) and Christopher Lowe (guitar, vocals). For those unfamiliar with the artist, VOLK fits somewhere within the same style of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The White Stripes. The song comes from VOLK’s new EP Stand The Test, out everywhere music is sold on April 28th. Reich shared this about the single, “I originally wrote ‘I Fed Animals’ in the makeshift living room of a traditional East Berlin apartment, coal heater and all. It was located in a ‘hinterhof’ so damaged by water, the only tenants were me and my raging alcoholic neighbor who loved to blast techno at four in the morning. I was an inspired twenty-four year old falling in love with the blues as my gateway to songwriting, celebrating my own independence and sexual freedom.” The director of the video, Patrick Pierson, also shared, “’I Fed Animals’ is a mix of every beloved genre that you accidentally rented and loved at a video store. It’s punk, it’s country, it’s cyberpunk, Kung-Fu and anime. It’s a Willy Wonka concoction that can’t be defined, yet it doesn’t want to be anything else. Just like the band, VOLK.” Welcome to the world of VOLK.
Read More “VOLK – “I Fed Animals” (Video Premiere)”
Today I’m thrilled to share with everyone the latest single from Hooray For Earth, called “Jatevee C.” On this sprawling cover, Hooray For Earth makes their mark on the music scene in a big way. I was also able to catch up with this artist to chat about his upcoming music.
Read More “Hooray For Earth – “Jatevee C” (Song Premiere)”
This week’s newsletter has first impressions of the new albums from Dave Hause and Story of the Year as well as other random thoughts on music I enjoyed over the past week. 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 (March 5th, 2023)”
Today I’m excited to share with everyone the new single and lyric video from SWIMM, called “Talk To Me.” This psych-pop artist does a nice job of re-capturing the spirit of the 80’s, all paired with anthemic moments in the chorus. SWIMM shared:
I made a promo video for this song where I dressed as Jesus–getting a spray tan. I’m still figuring out why I did that, but I felt the inspiration for the song–being my ponderings about the polyamorous nature of nuns marrying Jesus–fit with modern LA dating styles and thus, Jesus would probably get his hair cut high n’ tight, get some flash tattoos, and make sure he had regularly scheduled spray tans. I hear Raya is awfully competitive, so our anointed one wouldn’t be playing games with these nuns–or maybe he would be? Or he would just identify as poly-something-or-other and it would all work out just fab.
The song comes from the band’s upcoming LP, Best Comedown Ever, out everywhere music is sold on August 10th.
Read More “SWIMM – “Talk To Me” (Song Premiere)”
Today is a great day to share the new single from independent artist, Homeschool, called “Bound To Be.” Homeschool is the solo project of NYC-based singer/songwriter and actor Tom D’Agustino. On this great-sounding single, Homeschool blends pop elements with thrilling anthemic moments in a crowd-pleasing track. Homeschool shared that this single, “Blends all these different genres like electronic music, salsa beats, and indie rock, to show me that my music can be more than one thing – that it can be unfixed and fluid.” I was also able to catch up with this artist for a brief interview below.
Read More “Homeschool – “Bound To Be” (Song Premiere)”
This week’s newsletter has thoughts on new music from Andrew McMahon, Ruston Kelly, City and Colour, Real Friends, and a bunch of other things I checked out and enjoyed this week. 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 (February 25th, 2023)”
Today is a great day to share the latest album from Mothlights called Walking the World With A Leaky Umbrella. Mothlights come from the mind of Rishi Gupta, who also owns the label Strawberry Moon Records. This DC-based artist would be perfect for fans of Julien Baker and Low. Gupta shared:
More than once was a guitar take on this record interrupted by the sound of an armored police vehicle rolling past my window in mid 2020, and more than once did I give up recording a vocal take after yet another news buzz on my phone left me exhausted. I feel like we all feel it, seeing it on our screens, before our eyes and in the way it’s affecting our personal behaviors. Rising global fascism, rising tides: we’re in the end stage now. I’m still reckoning with the fact that we will never get the pre-COVID world back and how this new world was born from that one. Being terminally stuck in my 700 sq ft apartment for two years in downtown DC amidst all of that was pretty rough as I was writing and recording this album, so I retreated heavily into fantasy. Almost all of the songs are informed by what was going on around me contextually but set in this surreal other place I had retreated to. I tried to let the quarantine, the Floyd uprising, the loss and declining health of loved ones and the wave of reaction bleed into this completely hypothetical folk music from some place I made up in my head.
Welcome to the world of Mothlights.
Read More “Mothlights – “Walking The World With A Leaky Umbrella” (Album Stream)”
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the new single and music video from indie rock band Poe The Passenger, called “Hologram.” On this thrilling track that sways somewhere between the stylings of Linkin Park, From Ashes to New, and Panic! At the Disco, Poe The Passenger arrive on the Alt Rock scene with passion and purpose. Lead vocalist Jeff Pridgen shared, “Hologram is about a person suffering from imposter syndrome and bogged down by failure in the modern age.”
Read More “Poe The Passenger – “Hologram” (Video Premiere)”
This week’s newsletter discovers some fun acoustic emo covers, looks at other music I enjoyed this week, and teaches me lessons I, apparently, need to keep learning about movie selection. As always, there’s a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, 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 (February 19th, 2023)”
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the new single from Camp Bedford called “2 AM.” This folk-pop trio finds beauty in the form of complex musical arrangements packed with substance. The band has been described as:
Melding their unique voices and styles of instrumentation, Camp Bedford is a folk-pop-rock band spinning tales of adventure, self-discovery, life’s journeys and the stumbles along the way. Nostalgic forward-thinkers, Camp Bedford’s music is infused with the magic of possibility. Compared to the likes of Joseph, First Aid Kit, and Wye Oak, the group finds inspiration in poetry, nature, and musical genres ranging from bluegrass to hyper pop.
Comparisons aside, Camp Bedford appear poised and ready for their musical moment.
Read More “Camp Bedford – “2 AM” (Song Premiere)”