"Hearts & Minds," the new single from Dublin's Pillow Queens," is a giant alt-rock anthem. This is the kind of song that borders the worlds of alt-rock and pop, but it is a little too guitar heavy to truly be pop. One of the things that helps elevate the song about the usual alt-rock anthems are the harmonies in the song. While the harmonies are beautiful and include guitars to match, there is definitely a rock edge to the song. I hate comparing any Irish band to U2, but "Hearts & Minds" remind me of U2's anthemic rock at its very best, but a little less clean cut. This is a beast of a song from a band poised to explode very soon.
Singer/guitarist Pamela Connolly says of the band's new song:
"'Hearts & Minds' is about experiencing the feeling of being a teenager again. The insecurities about body image and ability when it comes to being a musician that’s seeing themselves recorded and pictured, as well as commented on. It deals with the idea of imposter syndrome when it comes to an industry that favours the male form and the insecurity of not being able to be effortless with your movements."
You can listen to "Hearts & Minds" below. Leave the Light On is due out April 1 on Royal Mountain Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Pillow Queens, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
March 9th - Kilkenny, Ireland @ Set Theatre (Sold out) March 10th - Galway, Ireland @ Roisin Dubh (Sold out) March 11th - Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory (Sold out) March 12th - Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory (Sold out)
March 14th - SXSW March 15th - SXSW March 16th - SXSW March 17th - SXSW March 18th - SXSW March 19th - SXSW
March 23rd – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room March 24th – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge March 25th – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel SF March 27th – Seattle, WA @ Clock-out Lounge March 29th – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall March 30th – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios April 1st – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court April 2nd – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive April 4th – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Jr. April 6th – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club April 7th – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle April 9th – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern April 11th – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd April 12th – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s April 14th – New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge April 15th – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
May 3rd - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club May 5th - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla May 6th - Glasgow, Scotland @ Stereo May 7th - Newcastle, UK @ Cluny May 10th - Brighton, UK @ Chalk May 11th - London, UK @ Scala May 12th - Birmingham, UK @ The Castle and Falcon May 13th - Bristol, UK @ Thekla June 12th Berlin, Germany @ Tempelhof Festival July 2nd - Gdynia, Poland @ Open’er Festival October 1st - Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar St. October 2nd - Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar St. October 7th - Limerick, Ireland @ Dolan’s October 8th - Cork, Ireland @ Cyprus Avenue October 14th - Belfast, Ireland @ The Empire October 15th - Galway, Ireland @ The Roisin Dubh October 16th - Galway, Ireland @ The Roisin Dubh October 20th - Kilkenny, Ireland @ The Set Theatre
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....
