features - PAGE 40

VOLK – “I Fed Animals” (Video Premiere)

VOLK
Adam Grundy

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.

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Liner Notes (March 5th, 2023)

Park Bench
Jason Tate

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.

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SWIMM – “Talk To Me” (Song Premiere)

SWIMM
Adam Grundy

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.

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Homeschool – “Bound To Be” (Song Premiere)

Homeschool
Adam Grundy

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.

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Liner Notes (February 25th, 2023)

Snowflake
Jason Tate

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.

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Mothlights – “Walking The World With A Leaky Umbrella” (Album Stream)

Mothlights
Adam Grundy

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.

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Poe The Passenger – “Hologram” (Video Premiere)

Poe The Passenger
Adam Grundy

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.”

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Liner Notes (February 19th, 2023)

Jason Tate

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.

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Camp Bedford – “2 AM” (Song Premiere)

Camp Bedford
Adam Grundy

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.

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Ashlynn Malia – “Comfortable – Voice Memo” (Song Premiere)

Ashlynn Malia
Adam Grundy

Today is a great day to share the new single and lyric video from Ashlynn Malia called “Comfortable – Voice Memo.” The song comes from her recently announced EP Navigating Galaxies, out everywhere music is sold on March 21st. Malia shared this about the new track, “It’s never fun to feel like your pain is the new normal in a relationship, and no matter how many times you hope it will change, or you ASK for it to change, the other person doesn’t seem to have a problem coasting over your very valid feelings. It’s like you’ve expressed yourself so many times that it no longer has an impact. That’s where this song is coming from.” If you’re ready to fall in love with a great new artist, Ashlynn Malia is here for you. I was also able to catch up with Ashlynn for a brief interview below.

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MuMu – “Honeymoon Love” (Video Premiere)

Mumu
Adam Grundy

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, MuMu have returned with a new music video for “Honeymoon Love.” On this love-filled track, MuMu have crafted a song that is sure to leave a smile on your face. The video features a collaboration with Zeno Mountain Farm and MuMu shared this about the music video, ”I hope this video reminds us that diversifying our friend groups doesn’t have to happen in designated spaces like Zeno. We can reach out to our neighbors, strike up a conversation on the bus, or share a dance with someone who walks/talks/thinks differently than you. We shot this video in two hours, with zero dollars and infinite love.” I was also able to catch up with this artist for a brief interview below.

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Most Anticipated of 2023

Most Anticipated 2023
Jason Tate

Last month we shared our favorite albums of 2022, and as we’re ramping into 2023 it’s a good time to look at what we’re anticipating throughout the year. What records do we think we’re going to fall in love with over the next few months? What albums can we just not wait to hear? A bunch of contributors have written up blurbs about the albums and artists we’re most excited about, and we’d love to hear what’s on your most anticipated list as well.

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Devon Thompson – “Soft Like Water” (Song Premiere)

Devon Thompson
Adam Grundy

Today I’m excited to share with everyone the debut single from LA-based artist, Devon Thompson, called “Soft Like Water.” This artist channels elements of classic rock, with a modern flair, and a twist of vibrant personality to make songs like this shine. Thompson shared, “This is a song about a re-discovery of one’s self after losing yourself to someone, and finding a new darker perspective to approach life.” If you’re ready to discover the next big name in music, you’ve come to the right place.

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