The Huntress and Holder of Hands - "Promethean"

By -


MorganEve Swain's musical project The Huntress and Holder of Hands has a new single out, and the truly great news is that it's the first from an upcoming album. "Promethean" is a monster of a song. It may use traditional folk instruments, but I couldn't possibly consider it a folk song. It might be the fact that Swain has repeatedly covered Alice in Chains, but "Promethean" reminds me more of grunge (and particularly Alice in Chains' darker version of the genre) than anything roots or Americana. This is a heavy track that shows the power of more traditional instruments. We've been huge fans of Swain's for well over a decade now, and "Promethean" stands up as one of her best.

MorganEve Swain says of her latest single:

"As punishment for stealing fire and bettering humanity with technology, Prometheus is doomed to have his liver eaten by an eagle every day. We all benefit from his sacrifice. But whether societally or personally are we all not caught up in some Promethean struggle? And what is there to do but rise with the tides?"

You can listen to "Promethean" below. Babylon is due out June 5, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on The Huntress and Holder of Hands, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram.

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

By -
Image
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. ...
Read more

Izzy Heltai - "Father"

By -
Image
Photo by Joanna Chattman I've been referring to Northampton, MA based Izzy Heltai's music as mainstream modern folk with just enough of a unique spin to keep it appealing to music snobs, too. His latest single, "Father," might be the perfect example of that. It's a quiet, deeply personal song that starts off painfully sparse but ever so slowly builds and builds as it goes on. It walks that line between accessible/mainstream and indie expertly.  You can watch the video for "Father" below. Father , the upcoming debut album from Izzy Heltai, will be out October 9. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Izzy Heltai, check out the artist's website .
Read more

J Mascis - "See You At the Movies"

By -
Image
Photo via Instagram Any time J Mascis releases new music will always be a big deal at If It's Too Loud... November will see the release of Elastic Days , his new solo album. Judging by the first single, "See You At the Movies," Elastic Days  will be exactly what we expect and want in a Mascis solo album. The first single is much prettier than Dinosaur Jr is. Mascis's solo work tends to be calmer and almost folky. "See You At the Movies" is exactly that, and is even almost orchestral in some places. You add in some of Mascis's guitar solos (a more tame version than Dino Jr's thunderous ones), and you've got a classic Mascis solo track. It's a typically great song, but at this point I'd like to see Mascis mix things up a bit. You can listen to "See You At the Movies" below. Elastic Days will be out November 9 on Sub Pop Records. There are some pretty reasonable pre-order bundles available, including a CD and t-shirt for $24....
Read more