Tysk Tysk Task - "Harmless"

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I've been a rabid Tysk Tysk Task fan since discovering them way back in 2019. Their sound has evolved from a sort of indie folk to woodland grunge to heavy shoegaze. Their latest single, "Harmless," takes the raw energy and emotion of 2022's You're Sorry More and combines it with their newer, more shoegaze leaning sound. It also ends up being their most punk sounding song yet. It's loud, it's fast, and it's just barely kept under control. Singer/guitarist Samantha Hartsel has this great quality to her vocals on "Harmless," where it's both melodic and dissonant, quite often at the same time. Tysk Tysk Task has an alls-tar line-up "Harmless," with Rick Martel (Chainlacing) on guitar, Keith Dusoe (Gut Health, Cowperson) on bass, and drummer Joe Milia (Burp., Mold.). Tysk Tysk Task continues to evolve their sound while sounding like themselves, and "Harmless" is a huge step forward while merging in their roots.

You can listen to "Harmless" below. Haphazard is due out in the Fall. For more on Tysk Tysk Task, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook. They'll be playing a show at The Press Room in Portsmouth, NH on August 14 with The Sheila Divine and Dummy Ache. 

On Repeat...

Ezra Furman - "Forever in Sunset"

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Photo by Tonje Thilesen Ezra Furman has to be one of the most unique and yet all encompassing artists out today. Her latest single, "Forever In Sunset," combines elements of singer/songwriter fare, electronic music, and indie rock. It's an intense song that is almost a power ballad but is a little too heavy at times for that. It's a mish-mash of glam, adult contemporary, and post punk. That should not work at all, but most artists aren't Furman who apparently can do literally anything musically and make it masterful. Ezra Furman says of her new song: “The biggest influence on the lyrics of this song is a conversation I had with a friend of mine. When Covid was first hitting, she was talking to me a lot about how ready she felt. She was like, ‘people who have been comfortable in life are freaking out right now. But queer people like me have been in crisis before. I grew up poor and my family kicked me out when I was a teenager. My world has already ended plenty of ...
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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...
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Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures - "Hollow Choir"

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Photo by Gia Smith There's prolific, and then there's Derek Smith. The Boston musician's latest single with the Cosmic Vultures, "Hollow Choir," is his eightieth song in the past eight years. It also helps explain the genre psychedelic folk-rock. The song is a little over three minutes, but the genre makes it feel much more epic. It's smooth sounding with trippy little flourishes, particularly in the guitar. At times, it sounds almost Adult Contemporary, but it's far too psychedelic for that. It's the play between the mainstream and the alternative side of folk that makes "Hollow Choir" work so well. Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures have long had this ability to provide a little something for everyone, and their latest proves that more than previous ones have. Derek Smith says of his latest single: “This song sums up the feelings I have had towards my music career for the last few years. I am always being told what I should do or what I sh...
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