The Bobby Lees - "Hollywood Junkyard"

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Buckle up on this one, because we're gonna have to get a little name-droppy. I absolutely loved The Bobby Lees' Jon Spencer produced 2020 album Skin Suit. This time around, the band have signed with Mike Patton's Ipecac Records, and were signed by A&R rep Henry Rollins. Does the band need any more indie cred?

"Hollywood Junkyard" keeps everything I loved about Skin Suit. It's still punk rock meets garage blues, except the punk is amped up well past eleven. Plus, if you're even slightly familiar with Ipecac, you know that The Bobby Lees are going to have to crank up the noise, and they do. "Hollywood Junkyard" is a wonderfully intense song. It's a little more straight ahead rock and roll with a fair share of metal than I would have expected, but it's still loud and more than a little odd. If you also loved their last album, you're going to adore this new song.

Sam Quartin of The Bobby Lees explains the new song and video:

“The video is a general commentary on our current culture and its obsession with the external, and trying to be famous by any means. The world of TikTok and Instagram feels like a trap for most of us, so we try to stay away from it as much as possible and instead focus on what you can’t see. Lyrically, the song is about an experience I had during a psychotic break when I thought a star shot into my body. After that I started acting - I was told I didn’t look right and couldn’t ‘make it’ in entertainment without a gimmick or a look. But despite that, I got cast in a few films and was exposed to some amazing people, also some pretty shitty people and situations. The story of the video comes from what I witnessed. People in power manipulating others to do whatever they thought was best monetarily, not what was best for their artists health and well-being. I guess that's true for a lot of things. The end result of money, fame and success being more important than truth, love, and sanity.”

You can watch the video for "Hollywood Junkyard" below. (The song kicks in around the 3:20 mark if you're in a rush.) Hollywood Junkyard EP is due out June 17 on Ipecac Recordings, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on The Bobby Lees, check out the band's website.

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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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. ...
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Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

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How is Dutch ReBelle not a national superstar at this point? The Boston MC just released "GOONIEZ," and I know I'm a bit out of touch with current mainstream hip hop, but this song is absolutely killer. It's a stripped down hip hop song that has this futuristic space age sound to it. Plus, ReBelle's flow is unsurpassed. You can't listen to her and not be completely sucked in. The song has a feel reminiscent of classic Missy Elliott. As much as I love that we can still see Dutch ReBelle in smaller Boston venues, "GOONIEZ" proves she should be playing much larger venues nationwide very, very soon. You can watch the video for "GOONIEZ" below. For more on Dutch ReBelle, check out the artist's website . 
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The Freqs - "Witch"

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Photo via Facebook When you're a rock band from Salem, MA, you have to have at least one song about witchcraft. The Freqs have fulfilled their obligation with a banger of a song. "Witch" is this giant monster of a song, filled with fuzz and strained, screaming vocals. This is the type of song that doesn't usually exist in this century. It's giving me some serious 90's flashbacks, like if Hum got aggressive or Alice in Chains decided to do some damage on the college charts. As great as the vocals are in "Witch," what's really drawing me in is the instrumental break down that takes over about halfway through. This is the kind of song to make the hipsters and the headbangers equally excited. You can listen to "Witch" below. For more on The Freqs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . The Freqs · Witch
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