The latest from Chicago's Dehd sounds exactly what it's about. As the band explains, "Empty in My Mind" is about “the floating mindless space around a new crush… The sort of high that occurs, the spinning, the detachment and the feeling of ungroundedness. All of these things being either very fun or absolutely dreadful.” The song is this hypnotic swirl that expresses both joy and hope while still feels rooted in anxiety. It's that newfangled punk/indie rock that is still heavily rooted in modern indie pop. You're going to get some serious post punk vibes from this one, and I'm hearing more than a little of The Cure.
You can watch the video for "Empty in My Mind" below. Blue Skies is due out May 27 on Fat Possum, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Dehd, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Sat. Apr. 30 - Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival Sat. Apr. 30 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade - Purgatory (Shaky Knees Aftershow) Mon. May 2 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater * Tue. May 3 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall * Thu. May 5 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos * Fri. May 6 - Vancouver, BC @ The Imperial Sat. May 7 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom * Mon. May 9 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel * Tue. May 10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater* Wed. May 11 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress * Fri. May 13 - Austin, TX - Antones * Sat. May 14 - Dallas, TX @ Trees * Sun. May 15 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio * Mon. May 16 - New Orleans, LA @ Toulouse Theatre ! Wed. May 18 - Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall ! Thu. May 19 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ! Sun. May 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ! Tue. May 24 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom - SOLD OUT ! Wed. May 25 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom ! Thu. May 26 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ! Fri. May 27 - Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount Sat. May 28 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’sPalace Sat. Jun. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Metro * Sat. Jun. 11 - Queens, NY @ The Governors Ball Music Festival * w/ Pixel Grip ! w/ 81355
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. ...
Artist : COWBOY BOY Album : GOOD GIRL Quick Thoughts : While I don't know how I tripped up on COWBOY BOY, but it takes a lot for me not to be into a power pop band, and thus they charmed me from the very start. This is a quick hit album without any real negatives to point out - the vocals are great, the songs are fun while still being somewhat serious, and the whole package is a really solid listen from beginning to end. Songs of Note : "DREAM DREAM DREAM," "PET," "SHRINK," "INCONVENIENT" Artist : St. Lenox Album : Ten Songs of Worship and Praise for Our Tumultuous Times Quick Thoughts : St. Lenox does some earnest folk rock/indie pop, and this album does what it says on the tin: it's music about religion, but it's not religious music, if that makes any sense. St. Lenox lays it all out on the table, though - grappling with faith, belief (and the lack thereof), family... it's a heavy record in spite of its light presentatio...
Photo by Mary Dorsi Asbury Park's Yawn Mower had two goals for their upcoming album. First, after playing their hometown's Sea.Hear.Now festival, they wanted to write songs that worked on a larger stage. Second, they wanted the album to be their Pinkerton , "A raw, rough around the edges, noisier follow up to [their] debut album." The first song from that album is "Rascal," a song partly about the kids of their friends and family. It's a fun track that includes lines like "Here he comes now what a little asshole." It's a quirky and noisy indie rock track that reminds me of an edgier Fountains of Wayne. As anti-kid as the song may seem, you can tell it's not done seriously and there is a ton of love behind the track. Vocalist/guitarist Mike Chick says of the band's upcoming album: “While Dana Yurcisin (bass), Rudy Meier (guitar), and Nicole Scorsone (violin) have certainly helped fill out past releases, this was the first time that ...