Slowdive have still got it. The British shoegaze legends reformed in 2014, and are now set to release their fifth album. The first single from that album, "kisses," just sounds like pure vintage 90's shoegaze. It's gorgeous and just oozing with fuzz. The song does have a bit of a pop center to it, so nowadays we would most likely refer to "kisses" as dream pop, but the two genres have a ton of crossover between them. Slowdive have crafted a wonderfully hypnotic song that stands alongside the best of their early 90's heyday, and we couldn't be happier for it.
Vocalist/guitarist Neil Halstead says of the new single:
“It wouldn’t feel right to make a really dark record right now. The album is quite eclectic emotionally, but it does feel hopeful.”
You can watch the video for "kisses" below. everything is alive is due out September 1 on Dead Oceans, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Slowdive, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Sat. June 24 - Exeter, UK @ Phoenix [SOLD OUT] Sun. June 25 - Somerset, UK @ Glastonbury Festival Mon. July 17 - Perth, AU @ Astor Theatre [SOLD OUT] Wed. July 19 - Brisbane, AU @ Princess Theatre Fri. July 21 - Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre Sat. July 22 - Melbourne, AU @ Forum Sun. July 23 - Adelaide, AU @ Hindley St. Music Hall Wed. July 26 - Auckland, NZ @ Powerstation [SOLD OUT] Sat. July 29 - Niigata Prefecture, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival Sat. Aug. 5 - Mysłowice, PL @ Off Festival Fri. Aug. 11 - Sicily, IT @ Ypsigrock Festival Fri. Aug. 18 - Brecon Beacon, GB @ Green Man Festival Sat. Sep. 23 - Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre Mon. Sep. 25 - Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues Boston Wed. Sep. 27 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall Thu. Sep. 28 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall Fri. Sep. 29 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Sat. Sep. 30 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club Mon. Oct. 2 - Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy @ Mahall’s Tue. Oct. 3 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre Wed. Oct. 4 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre Fri. Oct. 6 - Denver, CO @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom Sat. Oct. 7 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union Mon. Oct. 9 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom Tue. Oct. 10 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo Thu. Oct. 12 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield Sat. Oct. 14 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether Mon. Oct. 30 - Glasgow, UK @ QMU Tue. Oct. 31 - Manchester, UK @ Ritz Wed. Nov. 1 - Bristol, UK @ SWX Fri. Nov. 3 - London, UK @ Troxy Sun. Nov. 5 - Belfast, UK @ Mandela Hall Mon. Nov. 6 - Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
Photo by Rachel Cassels The Cairo Gang is mostly Emmett Kelly, who recorded most of their upcoming album, Goes Missing, on his own while travelling. "Be What You Are" is pure pop gold, reminiscent of British invasion bands like The Kinks and The Zombies. It features jangly guitars and some of the most infectious layered vocals you've heard in years. Luckily the beauty of this style of music is that it never quite sounds dated. It might sound like it's from a certain era that happened 50 years ago, but everything you've ever listened to since then borrows so heavily from it that it always sounds current. It's the kind of music you wish you hadn't missed, only now you haven't. Goes Missing is due out June 23rd on God? Records. You can pre-order the album now, and be sure to check out The Cairo Gang's Facebook . Listen to "Be What You Are" below, and below that are tour dates, many opening for Mikal Cronin. Sat. Sept. 5 - Portlan...
Photo by Hanna Katrina I never thought we'd be covering a band that formed after a karaoke party doing a song about Meghan Markle, but 2019 is weird. Also, Dry Cleaning are a shockingly great band. Only forming two years ago, the band is set to release their debut EP next month. "Magic of Meghan" is obviously about Meghan Markle, but it might be the only post punk and new wave influenced song about the Duchess of Sussex. As the band says about the song: “ The song acknowledges that following the lives of those in the public eye can provide people with an escape; an outlet for difficult emotions, and subsequently help them to cope with hard times in their lives, ” says Florence Shaw. “ The song is, in part, intended to serve as a thank you to Meghan for this service (‘You got engaged on the day that I moved out. It’s ok. She’s a smasher, perfectly suited to the role’). The song also aims to highlight how the news media dissect her decisions (‘Never has one outfit bee...
Photo by Ebru Yildiz Somehow TORRES keeps surprising us with her music. The musical project of Mackenzie Scott has released a new single that features her vocals and acoustic guitar that would feel at home in a neo-folk song over a pre-programmed drum beat with sounds that at times are either a light squall of guitar feedback and electronic noises. The song has this haunting and unsettling feeling to it, despite sounding like it's trying to be upbeat. I'd say art doesn't always have to be a pleasant experience, but "I got the fear" can be a pleasant listening experience, except for the times it's not. Mackenzie Scott says of her latest single: “A collective dread has been mounting. Everyone I know is having a brawl with the universe, with themselves…wars, climate catastrophe, a pandemic, the worldwide regression on human rights, the political hellscape — it affects everybody, and I know we’re all feeling it in waves of varying degree all the time. I think it’s...