"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
Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it. “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
Photo by Cecil Sykes Midnight Peg are an Edmonton, AB based band that are referred to as "madhouse punk." Their latest single, "Thirstland," is a just barely under control two minute burst of punk. You have guitar riffs that will make you think of At the Drive In, and somewhat spoken and yelled vocals which create a feeling of chaos throughout. This is a loud and angry track that is completely in your face. But, unlike most tracks this loud and punk based, "Thirstland" still keeps a sense of art in their music. Midnight Peg feel like a higher class of loud, angry punk rock. This one is great, with just enough of an emo undercurrent to make the song kind of melodic and almost palatable to a mainstream audience. You can listen to "Thirstland" below. Skinning is due out in October on Thousand Island Records. For more on Midnight Peg, check out the artist's website .
