Glixen - "Medicine Bow"

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Photo by Erick Molina

There are a lot of newfangled shoegaze bands out there, but Glixen have quickly become a favorite of ours. The Phoenix based band leans more into the heavy shoegaze side of things, and their latest single sees them adding even more pop into their sound than ever before. "Medicine Bow" is an intense song with the band's trademark pounding guitars and mesmerizing Aislinn Ritchie's vocals, which have never sounded better. It's the vocals that draw pop comparison's for "Medicine Bow," with warmly chaotic instrumentation spinning around everything. The intensity grows and grows as the song progresses, getting more chaotic and somehow more stunning towards the end.
Glixen say of their latest single:

“It’s a sense of urgency bound to the quiet yearning for self-comfort. The song drifts between lucidity and a fever dream, where soft vulnerability meets slow-burning decay. The lead and rhythm guitars melt and unmeld in a hypnotic blur, mirroring the emotional push and pull at the heart of the track. With each refrain, 'Medicine Bow' becomes a reflection of that internal ache to hold on while letting go — a sonic unraveling that feels intimate and disoriented."

You can listen to "Medicine Bow" below. For more on Glixen, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram. Upcoming tour dates are below the song and include January 31 at Something in the Way Festival at Roadrunner in Allston.


DECEMBER 

3 - EL PASO, TX - LOWBROW PALACE +

5 - PHOENIX, AZ - CRESCENT BALLROOM +

6 - LOS ANGELES, CA - EL REY +

7 - SAN DIEGO, CA - SOMA SIDESTAGE +

9 - SACRAMENTO, CA - HARLOW’S +

10 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - RICKSHAW STOP +

12 - SEATTLE, WA - BARBOZA +

13 - VANCOUVER, BC - THE PEARL +

14 - PORTLAND, OR - HOLOCENE +

16 - SALT LAKE CITY, UT - KILBY COURT +

17 - DENVER, CO - CERVANTES OTHER SIDE +

19 - SAN ANTONIO, TX - PAPER TIGER +

20 - DALLAS, TX - STUDIO AT THE FACTORY +


JANUARY 

31 - SOMETHING IN THE WAY FESTIVAL - BOSTON, MA


JUNE

26-28 - OUTBREAK FESTIVAL - MANCHESTER, UK

On Repeat...

Minibeast - "High Sea"

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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.
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Midnight Peg - "Thirstland"

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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 .
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The Beths - "Mother, Pray for Me"

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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....
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