We've loved Shadow Show's retro hip sound ever since 2021's Silhouettes. They had this amazing take on 60's doo wop and garage rock that is purely irresistible. Now they're back with a new single that pushes their retro sound even further. "Aunt Maizy" still has elements of doo wop and garage rock, but there is also a heavy dose of psychedelia hinted at. It's kind of like how Revolver was still rooted in The Beatles' earlier rock and roll based sound but showed that they were about to launch into something brand new. While Shadow Show may still have a retro sound with "Aunt Maizy," they're blending so many sounds together that even though the bases may be sixty or so years old, it's morphed into something brand new.
You can watch the video for "Aunt Maizy" below. Fantasy Now! is due out February 16, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Shadow Show, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
2.16.24 - UFO Factory, Detroit, MI 3.2.24 - Mauds Variety, Sarnia, ON 3.6.24 - Monarch Tavern, Toronto, ON 3.7.24 - L'Escogriffe, Montréal, QC 3.8.24 - Lux Lounge, Rochester, NY 3.9.24 - TV Eye, Brooklyn, NY 3.10.24 - Happy Dog, Cleveland, OH 3.11.24 - Atomic Bowl, Indianapolis, IN 3.12.24 - Soft Junk, Nashville, TN 3.13.24 - TBA, Memphis, TN 3.20.24 - Gold Diggers, Los Angeles, CA 3.22.24 - Bob Bakers Marionette Theatre, Los Angeles, CA 3.23.24 - TBA, San Francisco, CA 3.25.24 - TBA, Portland, OR 3.26.24 - Sunset Tavern, Seattle, WA 3.29.24 - Icon Lounge, Sioux Falls, SD 3.30.24 - TBA, Chicago, IL 3.31.24 - Brass Rail, Fort Wayne, IN 4.8.24 - The Lanes, Bristol, UK 4.9.24 - TBA, Brighton, UK 4.10.24 - TBA, London, UK 4.11.24 - L'International, Paris, FR 4.13.24 - Insert Name Festival, Liegi, BE 4.16.24 - TBA, Bordeaux, FR 4.17.24 - Lata De Zinc, Oviedo, ES 4.18.24 - El Perro Club, Madrid, ES 4.19.24 - La Atalaia, Sopelana, ES 4.20.24 - Barcelona Psych Fest, Barcelona, ES 4.21.24 - Le Pingouin Alternatif, Arthez-De-Bèarn 4.24.24 - Trokson, Lyon, FR 4.25.24 - Dreikönigskeller, Frankfurt, DE 4.26.24 - Garageville, Hamburg, DE 4.27.24 - Sonic Ballroom, Köln 4.30.24 - TBA, Brno, CZ 5.1.24 - Underdogs, Prague, CZ 5.2.24 - Radio Rasa, Schauffasen, CH 5.7.24 - Mood Club, Memmingem, DE 5.8.24 - Hausbar, Tübengen, DE 5.9.24 - City Club, Augsburg, DE 5.10.24 - Gold, Neu Ulm, DE 5.11.24 - Wild At Heart, Berlin, DE
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 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 .
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....
