Recently I was able to catch up with lo-fi indie pop artist, SOLAK, to discuss everything that went into his latest single called ”Pandora.” Not to be out-shined by the new track, SOLAK has also released a new album called Atlas today. In this interview, I asked this talented artist about the themes expressed on Atlas, his experience working in the studio on the new LP, as well as what he hopes his listeners will take away from his music.
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This past week I was able to connect with a talented shoegaze solo artist, called Sunnsetter, who is releasing their latest music video for “Take A Shot.” I also asked Sunnsetter about their approach to writing music as well as how they put together the pieces of their new LP, called Heaven Hang Over Me.
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The countdown is complete for Zebrahead and they have finally released the exciting, concluding chapter in their trilogy of EPs, called I. I is the follow-up to the III (2021) and II (2023) EPs, completing the band’s III.II.I. series. “Finally, the last EP is here… this series represents where our heads have been during and since COVID,” shares bassist Ben Osmundson. “It’s been a trying time for everyone, and now it’s time for fresh starts. See you on tour!” Having already released a good number of singles leading up to I, culminating in today’s single release of “Puppet Stringers,” the band continues to be armed with an arsenal of slick tunes to take on the road. By getting back to the core values of what makes this band so damn special, Zebrahead leaves just the right taste in our mouths on this electric EP filled with passion and breakneck energy.
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The new EP from Koyo comes hot off the heels of their well-received debut LP, Would You Miss It?, and features two re-imagined songs from their catalog, plus a new song indicating where they can take their sound in the future. Mile A Minute impresses by showcasing what this band is capable of creating when they strip away most of the energy behind their songs and get to the core of what makes Koyo unique. “Ten Digits Away (Deluxe)” kicks off the record with an acoustic guitar-based approach, and vocalist Joey Chiaramonte dials back his trademark growl to a smoother approach that took me back a bit in its crisp delivery. The expanded song comes from a previous EP of the same name, and acts as a great companion piece to the original, while adding in some piano and other backing instruments to round out their sound.
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Recently I was able to catch up with folk-pop artist, David Steinhart, to discuss everything that went into his new single called “Row.” The track comes from Steinhart’s newly announced LP, Released, that is out everywhere music is sold on January 10th. With a warm vocal approach, complemented by picturesque guitar playing, Steinhart shows how he maintains a loyal following over his impressive career.
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A couple weeks back, I was able to schedule a Zoom call with Jimmy and Timmy Brown of Dose of Adolescence to discuss what went into the writing and recording process of their new album, Zircon Ave. The band has toured extensively with bands like Anberlin, Dirty Heads, Switchfoot, and more, and this latest record is their first full-length album in nearly a decade. Zircon Ave hits music platforms this Friday, but you can pre-save the album here.
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Recently I was able to connect with Minneapolis-based singer/composer, Nona Invie, to discuss her latest single and video for “Forget My Name.” I also asked about her forthcoming LP called Self-Soothing that releases on February 28th via Boiled Records, and what went into the visuals behind the latest music video. Nona Invie will also be touring the U.S. in support of her new record this Spring.
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The Cure are back, and it’s a dark and beautiful thing. Songs of a Lost World is the first new music from the band in roughly 16 years, and the long-awaited new LP doesn’t disappoint. In many ways, this new record feels like the direct successor of 1989’s Disintegration, what most fans consider The Cure’s finest work, and the comparisons in stylistic choices and the artistic direction can be felt on this concise 8-song album. The set of songs was composed entirely by goth rock icon, Robert Smith, and was co-produced by Smith and Paul Corkett (Tori Amos, Placebo). Each of these tracks are brooding with long intros to set just the right tone before Smith’s trademark vocals break through the wall of sound with veteran ease. Robert Smith sounds as confident and strong as he’s ever been, while his bandmates rally around his every word. On the opening track of “Alone” Robert Smith shared, ”It’s the track that unlocked the record; as soon as we had that piece of music recorded, I knew it was the opening song and I felt the whole album come into focus. that was the moment when I knew the song – and the album – were real.” By letting everything come flowing through him, Smith and The Cure have delivered a late-career masterpiece.
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The sophomore album from Denver emo band A Place For Owls is a great exploration from a group of musicians taking their time to get to the root of what makes us all human. The affectionately-titled how we dig in the earth is an album that was recorded over the course of one week at Coalesce Audio with producer Dave Wilton (A Boy & His Kite, Loud Harp), and finds the band showcasing what they are capable of creating when all the right parts click together into place. The band described their process as, ”We were digging deep into the arrangements, practicing songcraft as gardening: pressing dead seed gently into the soil, praying for rain.” By finding that other-worldly connection to music, while still continuing down the path of self-exploration, how we dig in the earth quickly becomes a defining moment for A Place For Owls.
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Recently I was able to connect with talented pop artist, George Alley, to discuss their latest single and video for “Letgo.” This Philly-based artist collaborated with producers Ian Romer and Frank Musarra on their debut self-titled LP that is out now. In this interview, I asked George about the artistic direction of the single and its inspiration, what went into the video treatment, as well as what George Alley hopes their fans will take away from this track. George Alley is available for purchase here.
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Recently I was able to connect with EDM artist and producer, Kappekoff, who just released a great new single and video for “Late Night” that features Pasha. I asked this artist about the inspiration behind the single and the video treatment, as well as where he expects the rest of his music to follow next. Kappekoff is releasing his new LP called Old Spring on November 15th and you can pre-save it here.
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I’ve always felt that solo projects are a healthy form of artistic expression. Especially if the music that an artist chooses to make in the solo effort sound vastly different than anything their main band would go for. Robbietheused, the moniker of The Used’s frontman, storms onto the pop scene with a rewarding solo effort. The set was produced by longtime collaborator, John Feldmann, and he lends a trusted hand in helping Robbietheused make his pop dreams come true. When I asked the frontman about what he likes best about this genre, he quickly quipped, ”I have always loved pop music; I grew up on Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and that kind of thing. My favorite thing about pop is just a catchy melody that you can sing along to.” By using this background as a blueprint for his pop debut, Robbietheused crafts a synth-laden world of wonders.
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A couple of weeks ago I was able to connect with rock band, Sego, to discuss their latest music video for “Malibu Mary.” In this interview I also asked the band about their overall creative process for writing their material, as well as what fans can expect from the band on their recently announced LP called TANDANG. TANDANG will be released on streaming services on November 12th, but you can pre-save it here.
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Can it really be your “first documented, official pop album” if you’ve already released three of the biggest pop albums in recent memory? 10 years ago this weekend, Taylor Swift delivered the answer to that question, and the answer was a decisive, resounding “Yes.”
From the vantage point of 2024, it’s almost difficult to remember any version of Taylor Swift that wasn’t a world-conquering, stadium-tour-dominating pop star. The past two years of Taylormania have so thoroughly dwarfed any other pop star achievement in my lifetime that it’s even a little difficult to think back to pre-COVID times, when it seemed like the Taylor Swift machine was maybe starting to run out of gas. As mid-decade lists pour out from every music publication out there, I expect plenty of debates about what was the quote-unquote “best song” or “best album” of the decade. When it comes to discussing the artist of the decade so far, though, there is simply no debate: it’s Taylor, then it’s 93 million miles, and then it’s everyone else.
But it wasn’t always that way, and in the Taylor Swift story, it’s album number five, 2014’s 1989, that serves as arguably the most important inflection point between phase one Taylor and the force of nature we know today. Per the narrative, Taylor Swift before 2014 was a country star who had crossed over to pop music success but never fully left her Nashville roots behind. 1989, in being her “first documented, official pop album” – the weird phrasing she used to describe the LP when she officially announced it in August 2014 – was the album that made the crossover complete, and solidified Taylor’s status as the world’s biggest musical star in the process.
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The fourteenth studio album from Alternative Rock legends, 311, is a strong collection of songs that longtime fans of the band are sure to enjoy, and there’s plenty of new vibes brought forth for casual fans to check out as well. Full Bloom was produced by Collin Brittain, with some additional producer credits from Scotch Ralston and Tim Pagnotta. The band described Full Bloom as “311 on steroids,” and it’s hard to not agree with this assessment. 311 goes bigger and better than they have in quite some time and delivers the right mix of nostalgia paired with artistic growth for a strong musical statement. The set was preceded with their highest charting single in 13 years, breaking into the Top 15 on Alternative radio, with lead single “You’re Gonna Get It.” The concise ten-track album features some of the band’s strongest material in years showcasing that the veteran rockers have plenty left in the tank.
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