If you've been a fan of Lucy Dacus for a while, you're going to love "Kissing Lessons." The new single was originally recorded during the sessions for Home Video but didn't make that album. As soon as the opening bass line starts, you know this is going to be Dacus's return to indie rock. The song may still have that more pop side that Dacus has been leaning into more lately, but it leans more into the rock of her earlier albums. It's an upbeat song reminiscing about a friend of hers from the second grade. Plus, the guitar is beyond infectious, making the entire song impossibly catchy, especially for a song without a chorus.
You can watch the video for "Kissing Lessons" below. The song is available now digitally with a 7" along with "Thumbs Again" via Matador Records out on June 3. The 7" can be pre-ordered here. For more on Lucy Dacus, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Wed. Feb. 09 - Pitts, PA @ Stage AE * Thu. Feb. 10 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic * Fri. Feb. 11 - Newport, KY @ Ovation * Sat. Feb. 12 - Indy, IN @ Egyptian Room * Mon. Feb. 14 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom Valentine’s Day * Tue. Feb. 15 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (Rescheduled Date) * - SOLD OUT Thu. Feb. 17 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave (Rescheduled Date) * - SOLD OUT Fri. Feb. 18 - Iowa City, IA @ Englert Theatre (Rescheduled Date) * - SOLD OUT Sat. Feb. 19 - Lawrence, KS @ Liberty * Sun. Feb. 20 - OK City, OK @ Tower Theatre * Wed. Feb. 23 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre * Thu. Feb. 24 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel * Fri. Feb. 25 - C-Ville, VA @ Jefferson * - SOLD OUT Sat. Feb. 26 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony * - SOLD OUT Mon. Feb. 28 - Ithaca, NY @ Hangar Theatre Tue. Mar. 01 - Holyoke, MA @ Gateway City Arts Thu. Mar. 03 - Providence, RI @ The Strand Sat. Mar. 05 - Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Fri. Mar. 18, 2022 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club ^ - SOLD OUT Sat. Mar. 19, 2022 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club ^ - SOLD OUT Sun. Mar. 20, 2022 - Glasgow, UK @ St. Lukes ^ - SOLD OUT Mon. Mar. 21, 2022 - Dublin, IE @ Olympia Theatre ^ Wed. Mar. 23, 2022 - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla - SOLD OUT Thu. Mar. 24, 2022 - Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory ^ Fri. Mar. 25, 2022 - London, UK @ Kentish Town Forum Sat. Mar. 26 - London, UK @ Rough Trade - In-Store Performance Sun. Mar. 27 - Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 ^ Tue. Mar. 29, 2022 - Brussels, BL @ Rotonde ^ - SOLD OUT Wed. Mar. 30, 2022 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord ^ Thu. Mar. 31, 2022 - Cologne, DE @ Artheater ^ Sat. Apr. 02, 2022 - Hamburg, DE @ Molotow ^ Sun. Apr. 03, 2022 - Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen ^ - SOLD OUT Mon. April 04, 2022 - Aarhus, DK @ Atlas ^ Wed. Apr. 06, 2022 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret ^ Thu. Apr. 07, 2022 - Stockholm, SE @ Nalen Klubb ^ Sat. Apr. 09, 2022 - Berlin, DE @ Lido ^ Sun. Apr. 10, 2022 - Jena, DE @ Trafo ^ Tue. Apr. 12, 2022 - Vienna, AT @ Chelsea ^ Wed. Apr. 13, 2022 - Munich, DE @ Milla ^ Thu. Apr. 14, 2022 - Zürich, SU @ Bogen F ^ Fri. Apr. 15 - Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie ^ Thu. Jul. 21 - New York, NY @ SummerStage in Central Park # Sun. Aug. 7 - St. Charles, IA @ Hinterland Festival Fri. Aug. 26 - London, UK @ All Points East Festival Sat. Aug. 27 - Sun. Aug. 28 - Darmstadt, DE @ Golden Leaves Festival Thu. Sep. 1 - Sun. Sep. 4 - Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival * = with Indigo De Souza ^ = with Fenne Lily # = with Hop Along
Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
Photo by Joanna Chattman I've been referring to Northampton, MA based Izzy Heltai's music as mainstream modern folk with just enough of a unique spin to keep it appealing to music snobs, too. His latest single, "Father," might be the perfect example of that. It's a quiet, deeply personal song that starts off painfully sparse but ever so slowly builds and builds as it goes on. It walks that line between accessible/mainstream and indie expertly. You can watch the video for "Father" below. Father , the upcoming debut album from Izzy Heltai, will be out October 9. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Izzy Heltai, check out the artist's website .
Photo via Instagram Any time J Mascis releases new music will always be a big deal at If It's Too Loud... November will see the release of Elastic Days , his new solo album. Judging by the first single, "See You At the Movies," Elastic Days will be exactly what we expect and want in a Mascis solo album. The first single is much prettier than Dinosaur Jr is. Mascis's solo work tends to be calmer and almost folky. "See You At the Movies" is exactly that, and is even almost orchestral in some places. You add in some of Mascis's guitar solos (a more tame version than Dino Jr's thunderous ones), and you've got a classic Mascis solo track. It's a typically great song, but at this point I'd like to see Mascis mix things up a bit. You can listen to "See You At the Movies" below. Elastic Days will be out November 9 on Sub Pop Records. There are some pretty reasonable pre-order bundles available, including a CD and t-shirt for $24....
