Today I’m so excited to introduce everyone to Utopia PKWY, the new project from songwriter/producer John Beckmann (The Mortal Prophets), and the band’s new single and lyric video for “I Knew You Would Be Trouble.” If you’re enjoying the track, keep an eye out for the full-length self-titled debut from this band that comes out on November 6th.
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Today is a great day to share the latest music video from Chicago punk trio, NightFreak, for their single “Midwest Rattlesnakes.” The title track from their new LP, out everywhere on July 10th via Big Neck Records, this is NightFreak at their leanest and meanest. The band delivers beer drenched chaos, by blending hardcore punk ferocity with metal-inspired riffs, machine gun drumming, and scorched vocals. Recorded by Bobby Hussy (No Coast Records) it’s stripped down, raw metal-tinged punk and it’s mean as hell. The band shared:
This one has a little bit of everything that makes up NightFreak; sick riffs, bitchin’ guitar solos, & killer drumming. We wrote it after a wild gig where we got into a lil’ tussle with another band. It’s full of piss, vinegar, and bravado. It’s a way of saying we don’t fuck around in Chicago and also a shout out to our core group of fans we call the NightFreak NightKrew. We were trying to create something in the spirit of the old 60’s and 70’s music shows like Live Beat or Musikladen TV and we were really influenced by some of the old Black Sabbath and Motorhead footage. We wanted a grimey psychedelic feel, like a good acid trip, and we’re stoked with how it turned out. We shot and edited in the living room of my apartment,100% DIY, on gear we bought thru Amazon and returned when we were finished. Rock n Roll Forever!
If you’re enjoying the music video, please consider supporting this artist here.
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Today I’m so excited to share the latest single from indie pop duo, CA in LA, called ”Clarity”. The track comes from the artist’s forthcoming reissue their latest record, called Hindsight: Deluxe Edition. CA in LA is the creative partnership of best friends Courtney Birk and Ashleigh Coffelt, two longtime collaborators whose artistic world blends music, film-making, visual art, and storytelling into one universe. Originally connecting in Maryland through independent film-making, the duo later relocated to Los Angeles to pursue their creative ambitions while building a loyal online community through years of weekly live music streaming on Twitch. Influenced by artists like PVRIS, Daughter, Flyleaf, and Lydia, CA in LA has developed a distinctive alternative rock sound that reminds me a bit of The Cranberries, Snarls, and Beabadoobee. The band shared, “‘Clarity’ marks the beginning of a new music era for us. Getting sober, leaving self-doubt behind, and focusing on listening to our intuition, we had so much fun playing with song structure, guitar tones, and layered harmonies. We’re excited to share our hopeful, introspective love letter dedicated to everyone going through it and wanting to be better. We see you.” If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider pre-saving the track here.
Read More “CA in LA – “Clarity” (Song Premiere)”
Today is a great day to introduce everyone to Brooklyn rock trio A Very Special Episode who are releasing an early look at their latest single and music video for “But I’m A…Starr”. This rock band has a sound that sits somewhere between the realm of Weezer pop sensibilities and the blistering hard rock of Queens of the Stone Age. The band shared, “We only realized after tracking how much Weezer’s ‘Beverly Hills’ must have been a subconscious influence. ‘But I’m a . . . Starr’ is about the anxieties of being in a working DIY band more than anything else. ‘March of the Pigs’ is a big visual inspiration for the upcoming video to be directed by Brendan McKnight.” The band is gearing up for the release of their self-titled EP that hits all streaming services on July 31st. If you’re enjoying the music video, please consider pre-ordering the band’s EP on vinyl here.
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Today I’m so excited to bring everyone the lead single from the new album from Holy Pinto called “One Tattoo.” Holy Pinto’s long-anticipated new LP, called Wedding Season, is filled with songs grappling with the concepts of love, distance, doubt, and adulthood. The album, which releases on all streaming services on September 14th, features some key collaborations from Bartees Strange, who helped produce some of the tracks found on Wedding Season. If you’re enjoying the latest single, please consider supporting this artist here.
Read More “Holy Pinto – “One Tattoo” (Song Premiere)”
Today I’m so excited to introduce everyone to a vibrant new band called Strange Lot. They’re releasing their new single and music video for “Go Have A Dream” that captures just the right magic in the indie rock realm. Strange Lot is Dominic Mena, Cameron Martin, Levi Murray and Jason Desiderio, and their band chemistry is clicking on all cylinders ahead of their self-titled debut that hits streaming services on August 14th via Greenway Records. If you’re enjoying the video, please consider supporting the band here.
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Today I’m so excited to bring everyone the latest single and music video from Effie Zilch called “Lover Boy.” This roots-rock band is Steve Wyreman & Evanne Barcenas, and their great musical chemistry together is immediately recognized on vibrant songs like this. The band shared:
Featuring a Benny Benjamin-inspired backbeat, a prominent bass riff, and Vandellas-style background vocals, ‘Lover Boy’ began as something of an inside joke. It quickly evolved into one of the album’s most infectious standouts. Sometimes songs don’t have to say anything deep or important. Some of our favorite music is playful and lighthearted. What is serious about the track is it’s composition, arrangement and style. It’s a fresh take on an old, familiar sound. Sticky-sweet and swaggering, ‘Lover Boy’ brings classic soul revue energy into focus through Effie Zilch’s distinctly Bay Area lens. The accompanying video leans into the song’s vintage charm – shot at historic Sacramento sites once used as film locations for silent-era icons like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, it pays homage to California’s cinematic history. “We knew we wanted to make a silent film, but how to capture the fun and whimsy of the song eluded us until we fully leaned into the ridiculous. Our video team, Station to Station Creative, didn’t bat an eye at our bizarre treatment. Instead, they went out and found the dapper duck costume the following day. A Flapper, Amelia Earhart, and a proper damsel dame set their eyes a gaze on Mr. Gentleman Duck. Cat and mouse chases, train track mishaps, and old-timey title cards tell the silent tale of this strange love story
If you’re enjoying the new video, please consider pre-saving the band’s new LP, Higher Calling, out everywhere on July 10th via Redtone Records.
Read More “Effie Zilch – “Lover Boy” (Video Premiere)”
Today is a great day to share the latest single from shoegaze artist, Zoon, called “Omni II.” On this hypnotic track that features a cameo from Chris Chu of The Morning Benders, Zoon makes a significant mark on the indie scene. The song comes from Zoon’s new LP, Happy Thought School, that will be released everywhere on June 19th via Paper Bag Records.
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Today I’m so excited to introduced everyone to a pop-punk band called Unicorn Dogs who are releasing their newest single called “Bogus Journey.” The Baltimore-based Unicorn Dogs are comprised of father/son bass and drum duo Jon Moser and Oliver Moser and former Dead Mechanical guitarist Lucas Carscadden. Jon Moser shared about working with Grath Madden (House Bout, Steinways) by sharing, “Grath has a distinct voice and style that we love and find inspiring. Short songs that are catchy but without overly predictable repetition and relatable, self-deprecating lyrics. That’s the formula!” If you’re enjoying the single, keep an eye out for the band’s new LP Closer To Death that will release later on this year via Mom’s Basement Records / Jolly Ronnie Records.
Read More “Unicorn Dogs – “Bogus Journey” (Song Premiere)”
Today I’m so excited to bring everyone the latest single from songwriter Candace Hastings called “Call Your Mama.” The deeply personal song is sure to evoke some sort of emotions from anyone who takes the time to listen to it. When asked about the inspiration behind the new single, Candace Hastings shared:
This song was written by Mary Beth Schaefer, who is a talented songwriter and just happens to be my daughter. And the backstory behind the song is almost as good as the song. I can’t even remember why I had called my daughter, but she didn’t pick up and didn’t call me back for several days. At the time, I remember thinking, ‘I’m glad I wasn’t having a heart attack or anything,’ but honestly I know she’s busy and didn’t give it too much thought. She told me she had that reminder rolling around in her head—call your mom, call your mom—but when she sat down to write, it turned into something different. What she came up with was a song about those exes who like to circle back after everything is over—calling to check in, keep tabs, or ease their conscience, when really, they ought to call their mama instead. I released the song as a single because it’s an ex-song that has a take I’ve never heard before. There’s no revenge keying of the car, no yelling, just some good old-fashioned boundary setting by a strong woman who’s had enough.
If you’re enjoying this single, please consider pre-saving the track here.
Read More “Candace Hastings – “Call Your Mama” (Song Premiere)”
Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the latest single from Texas folk duo, Crow and Gazelle, called “The High Road.” The track comes from the band’s new album, Truth Be Told, that will be released on streaming services on May 15th. When speaking on the direction of the new single, the band shared:
We believe we have a soul contract together. As a couple, as friends or comrades, we have reincarnated together before, many times – millennia and centuries before and after, always seeking the higher road to find and feel real freedom. For us, that high road means we’re here to balance and harmonize the feminine and masculine for divine love. And we see the characters of Truth Be Told as the same. Remembering, when one is empowered, we both are. When one is oppressed, we all are. So we need to work together. In a place of balance, time itself is non linear, not a rigid straight line. Time, and life herself folds in and upon itself, giving us another chance (if we’re lucky) to take the high road to freedom. We set this as the first track to set the tone, that perhaps we’ve all been here before – our ancestors certainly have – in this place of being able to right the course and bring love and life back to the center. Into focus. This was the last song we wrote for the album; it came in a flurry to Mike, one night in our last days of recording the album.
If you’re enjoying the track, please consider pre-saving the album here.
Read More “Crow and Gazelle – “The High Road” (Song Premiere)”
Today is a great day to share the latest single from NYC-based rock band, Princess Goes, called “Stranger.” Princess Goes features Michael C. Hall (vocals), Matt Katz-Bohen (keys/synths/bass/guitar) and Peter Yanowitz (percussion/additional instruments). The band explains: “‘Stranger’ is song about meeting each other with kindness and curiosity. A seminal 90’s grunge bass intro lead us into 90’s Britpop dance blur. We finally meet each other in the massive, epiphanic, glorious, and soaring finale, no longer strangers, but as….friends.” If you’re enjoying the track, please consider following the band’s updates here.
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Today I’m so excited to bring everyone the latest single from songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer, known as Pluralone, for ”Ranting and Raving.” The track comes from the project’s new forthcoming LP, A Drop in the Ocean, out everywhere you stream your music on June 12th via Org Music. If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider pre-ordering the new album from this talented artist here.
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Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the latest single from North Carolina “dark punk” band, Overton, called “At The Seams.” The song is the second single from the band’s upcoming self-titled EP that will be released later on this year. With a unique approach to their brand of punk rock, Overton are embracing the darkness in more ways than one here. If you’re enjoying the single, please consider supporting the band here.
Read More “Overton – “At The Seams” (Song Premiere)”
Today I’m so excited to bring everyone the video premiere of the latest single from Fashn, the NYC-based post-punk project of duo Thomas Peters and Julius Dolls. Blending gothic post-punk, modern indie rock, electronica, shoegaze, and darkwave pop, ”Continuation” carries a cinematic, coming-of-age intensity. If you’re enjoying the music video, please consider supporting this band here.
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