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Hey Thanks! – “The Part I Call Myself” (Song Premiere)

Hey Thanks
Adam Grundy

Today I’m excited to bring you the latest single from the New Orleans indie-pop band, Hey Thanks!, called “The Part I Call Myself.” The band worked on their new album, Start/Living, with veteran producer Gary Cioni (Hot Mulligan, Free Throw), and he really helped this artist put their best foot forward. Hey Thanks! shared this about the new single:

’The Part I Call Myself’ was a song about me overcoming a point in my life where I was belittling my personality to fit the mold of the person I was trying to make happy by slowly sinking myself into their personality/lifestyle. It’s special to me because it marks that I’m in a point of my life where I no longer feel the urge to be someone I’m not. We feel really lucky to have worked with producer Gary Cioni on this, and ‘The Part I Call Myself’ was one of the highlights of recording. We are really proud of this record ‘Start/Living’ and excited to have this song finally available. It’s been an incredible experience working with Iodine Recordings getting the album together and being part of a label with so much history.

If you’re enjoying what you hear on this latest taste of new music, please consider pre-ordering Start/Living here.

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Liner Notes (April 3rd, 2022)

Jason Tate

This week’s newsletter has thoughts on the 6th anniversary of Chorus, some commentary on music I listened to throughout the week (Taking Back Sunday, Elway, Hit Like a Girl), and a few other articles and things I found interesting this week. As always, there’s also 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.

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Nick Leng – “Morning / Midnight” and “My Mind Is A Mess In the Morning”

Nick Leng
Adam Grundy

Today I’m thrilled to share the new double single of “Morning / Midnight” as well as “My Mind is a Mess in the Morning” by a talented singer-songwriter named Nick Leng. Leng is currently supporting the artist, LP, on their Spring North American tour, and the interest in this artist couldn’t be higher with expansive songs like these two. Leng shared this about each song:

I’ve always had trouble writing quotes that summarize songs. It feels like the words can put songs in boxes, and possibly snuff out any personal interpretation a listener might have. In a similar way, when I was finished with ‘My Mind is a Mess in the Morning,’ and was thinking about releasing it as a single, it really excited me to pair it with ‘Morning / Midnight.’ They’re equally important to me, and, one might say, quite different. together, I felt like they painted a better picture of what I’m trying to say. 

’My Mind is a Mess in the Morning’ was written while I was living in Topanga in a trailer park which, subsequently, (and arguably hilariously) became rat infested prompting a hasty departure. ‘Morning / Midnight’ was started there as well one late night when I was chopping up a classical piano improvisational piece I had recorded, on a sampler. There’s a video on my Instagram of me playing the melodica in the intro in the morning and the sun peeked through that ended up in the final version. I had considered dividing that intro, with the chopped piano and the ‘second part’ when the beat comes in, into two songs, but the journey of the intro, and duality and sensation of when the bass and kick comes in, had a real story to it that it cemented the conviction that it’s one idea.

If you’re enjoying the two singles, please consider purchasing them from your favorite streaming service via SOTA Records.

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Interview: Craig Mabbitt of The Dead Rabbitts

Dead Rabbitts
Adam Grundy

Recently I was able to catch up with the lead vocalist of Escape the Fate and The Dead Rabbitts, Craig Mabbitt, before the release of the latter band’s third studio album called Rumination. In this interview I asked Craig about the differences between writing music for both bands, the touring plans for each project, working with veteran producer John Feldman, and he also shared about his recent sobriety that allowed him to see his career path in a much better light. I enjoyed my conversation with Craig as he shared insight on the writing behind both bands, and The Dead Rabbitts’ latest album, Rumination, hits the streets this Friday (April 1).

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Liner Notes (March 26th, 2022)

Jason Tate

This week’s newsletter has thoughts on the Gaslight Anthem reunion, the passing of Taylor Hawkins, my love letter to The Ataris, and commentary on music I’ve been listening to (Caracara, Sigrid’s new one, Josh Ramsay’s solo album, Relient K, and more). Plus, there’s a playlist of ten songs I liked this week, and the 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.

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One Armed Joey – “Numbstruck” (Video Premiere)

One Armed Joey
Adam Grundy

Today I’m excited to bring you the latest taste of new music from the Bay Area’s own punk rock band, One Armed Joey. The new single is called “Numbstruck,” and is taken from their upcoming new album called Happiness, To Me out on May 27th via Sell The Heart Records. One Armed Joey is perfect for fans of melodic punk rock bands like MxPx, Goldfinger, and The Ataris. The band shared this about the new track:

”Numbstruck” is about the anxiety brought on by watching the world and everything around you continuously change, but getting to the point where you’re numb to it all and would rather feel something rather than nothing. I feel like whenever I’m overwhelmed, I look back on simpler times and wish for that naivety, but then realize how selfish that can be. Dealing with significant life changes is a challenge, but accepting and embracing those life changes is even harder.

There couldn’t be a better time to discover another great punk band to add to your collection. If you’re enjoying what you hear, please consider pre-ordering Happiness, To Me here.

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Audio Karate – ‘¡OTRA!’ (Album Premiere)

Audio Karate
Adam Grundy

Today I’m really excited to bring everyone an exclusive early listen of the new Audio Karate album called ¡OTRA!. The set of songs was produced by Bill Stevenson (The Descendents) and Trever Keith (Face to Face), and it includes rare and unreleased music from the band in a career-spanning set. Jason Camacho shared this about the new record:

While working with Mike Jimenez on the remixes and such on Malo, there were three songs (“Care Carelessly,” “Black Covering,” and “Lovely Residence”) that didn’t fit and that we were generous with overdubs, which was something we did not want for Malo. We had “Do You Miss Meaning Everything to Me” from Space Camp that never saw the light of day, and “Segway,” a Lady Melody outtake that never was released. Seemed fitting to put it out, sort of a like The Smiths Louder than Bombs…not really an album but an album never the less and an essential listen for fans. ¡OTRA! is essential listening for AK fans in my humble opinion, and something that I like quite well.

If you’re enjoying the early album stream, please consider pre-ordering the record here.

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Warren Franklin – January (feat. Max Bemis) (Song Premiere)

Warren Franklin
Drew Beringer

Warren Franklin is back with their new song “January,” which features vocals from Max Bemis. The song is from the band’s upcoming EP, Second April, which will be available digitally and physically on April 1st (pre-order here). The band described the song as:

”January” was the song that sparked the whole record. We wrote the song with Max in mind and he brought so much life to it. It was inspired by songs like Dancing in The Dark, Kyoto by Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski’s Nobody. Songs that sound so infectious and fun on the surface, but carry a deep sadness in them once you dig beyond that. That’s January for me.

Check out the song below.

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Animal Sun – “Chasing Shadows” (Song Premiere)

Animal Sun
Adam Grundy

Today, I’m excited to bring you the latest single from LA’s Alternative/Pop band, Animal Sun, for their song “Chasing Shadows.” The track comes from their sophomore album called Generation Waiting, that will be released this Summer. The song was produced by Kenny Carkeet and Aaron “Zeus” Zepeda, and it has a nice groove to it. The band reminds me of a mix between Waterparks, Set It Off, and One OK Rock with some great anthemic moments thrown into the mix. Lead vocalist, Steven Blake, shared this about “Chasing Shadows,” “‘Chasing Shadows’ is all about living in the moment. We want to remind our listeners to stop chasing a perfect existence at the cost of missing what’s right in front of them.” If you enjoy what you heard from Animal Sun, the single will be hitting streaming services this Friday.

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Liner Notes (March 12th, 2022)

Jason Tate

This week’s newsletter has thoughts on new music out this week (Set It Off, Drug Church) as well as some thoughts and behind-the-scenes tidbits about the Midtown reunion. There’s also commentary on some of the other music I consumed this week, the recent Apple event, and more. Plus, as always, a playlist of ten songs I loved the past week 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.

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The Dead Licks – “With A Bottle Of Whatever You’re Having” (Song Premiere)

The Dead Licks
Adam Grundy

Today I’m excited to share the lead single from Chicago-based band The Dead Licks for their song “With A Bottle of Whatever You’re Having,” taken from their debut LP In Disguise that hits the streets on May 20th. The band reminds me of the magic found on early Coldplay albums with a steady heartbeat of a familiar-sounding vibe that is comforting to the ears. The Dead Licks shared this about the new single:

Written during the pandemic, and one of the first songs written around a beat made on the drum machine.  We sent Jimmy the drum machine/main riff and he came up with the high energy ending to the song.  The song structure came about eventually, after we wrote/jammed the song for months.

If you’re enjoying what you hear, the song hits all streaming services tomorrow.

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Liner Notes (March 6th, 2022)

Back Road
Jason Tate

This week’s newsletter has early thoughts on some new music (Hot Water Music, Glacier Veins) and some longer thoughts on old favorites (The Ataris). There are also a few quick hits on entertainment I consumed last week and a playlist of ten songs I liked. 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.

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GOON – Paint By Numbers (Track-by-Track)

GOON
Adam Grundy

Recently I was able to catch up with GOON before the release of their new EP Paint by Numbers to provide a cool track-by-track about their new record, that came out today. The LA-based band effortlessly sways from shoegaze pop to a more straightforward rock/grunge approach on this EP that is filled with several great moments. GOON’s Kenny Becker provided these answers based on each song on Paint by Numbers.

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