It's been a little while since we've brought you new music from hex gf, the new musical project of Photocomfort's Justine Bowe. On their latest single, they continue to dance along the line between pop and rock. "Party" sounds a lot like the space in between Rilo Kiley and Jenny Lewis's more recent pop-oriented work. It's an indie rock song that is steeped quite heavily in both disco and 80's synth music. It's an interesting song that is chill and laid back while still making you want to dance awkwardly and most likely alone.
You can watch the lyric video for "Party" below. The single is available now via Better Company Records. For more on hex gf check out the artist's Twitter and Instagram.
The previous two singles from Art Moore (the new band featuring Taylor Vick of Boy Scouts and Sam Duerkes and Trevor Brooks of Ezra Furman's band) have had this unique sound that is folk-like but far too electronic to be fully folk. Their latest single dives even deeper into the world of synths and electronic music. "A Different Life" is much more of a pop song, albeit an alt-pop one. It's a song that is dripping with both sadness and optimism, as it's about heartbreak and the open world of possibilities that come after a break up.
Taylor Vick says of the new song:
"'A Different Life' was inspired by the experience of daydreaming up another version of your life. I can easily get caught up in the imaginary worlds in my head, overwhelmed by the endless possibilities and versions of me that exist within them. But I am most fascinated by the version just parallel to this one, the one with only a few differences or enhancements. This song is about the experience of longing for that not so far off possibility."
You can listen to "A Different Life" below. Art Moore's self-titled album is due out August 5 on ANTI- Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Art Moore, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
Sep-12 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa w/Ezra Furman Sep-13 Toronto, ON The Rec Room w/Ezra Furman Sep-14 Detroit, MI The Loving Touch w/Ezra Furman Sep-15 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls Theatre w/Ezra Furman Sep-18 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts w/Ezra Furman Sep-19 Providence, RI Fete Lounge w/Ezra Furman Sep-20 Boston, MA The Sinclair w/Ezra Furman Sep-21 New York, NY Webster Hall w/Ezra Furman
Hip hop artist/producer, husband, father, and powwow dancer Stun is the latest Indigenous hip hop artist we've discovered. The Canadian artist hails from Oxford House, Manitoba and has just released a new single, "Indigenous." The new song is an amazingly vital and important one. Stun has this unique flow that is laid back with a quick start/stop tempo. One of the most interesting things is how Stun uses auto-tune. While I hate auto-tune under nearly every other use, "Indigenous" uses it as a tool to affect mood with the song. While the song is a celebration of Stun's culture and people, it's also inspired by the long history of missing and murdered indigenous people in Canada.
Stun says of his new single:
"The idea of my new song "Indigenous" came into place when I saw what was happening in the world, with protests and ongoing calls for missing and murdered. It was right in my face at many stages. I felt pain, but also a sense of confidence because I wanted people to feel like they could get up and do something about it. And then that’s how the song blossomed into my lap."
You can watch the video for "Indigenous" below. The song will be included on Stun's upcoming album, Lifestylez of the Fresh & Indigenous. For more on Stun, check out the artist's website.
Do you ever realize that you've been listening to a band forever but have never seen them live? Superchunk were one for me. I've been listening to them since the 90's but just had never gotten around to seeing them live. No real reason, I just hadn't. Of course, once I made that realization it just never worked out for me. I'd already have plans, I'd be out of town when they'd come around, etc. Finally on Monday night the universe aligned and I got to see them play at the Paradise with another favorite: TORRES!
There are times when I realize just how out of whack my knowledge of the popularity of bands is. There are bands I've never heard of with hundreds of social media followers and others that I'm convinced are megastars but end up only with hundreds of followers. To me, TORRES is a huge band. I didn't expect the audience to be half Superchunk fans and half TORRES fans, but I expected maybe a 75/25 split. Instead when TORRES took the stage at exactly 8 o'clock there were maybe a few dozen people in attendance, and they came out to literally zero applause. (I was reading on my phone and missed that they were on stage until the house music stopped and they started playing.) Mackenzie Scott and her band definitely had an uphill battle.
And... they nailed it. TORRES played an energetic set that sucked in Superchunk fans as they filed in for the night. As the audience built, so did the applause between songs. While there were a handful of people at least partially there for TORRES, their fanbase increased with each song. This was definitely not hurt by the set closing four song run of "Hug From a Dinosaur," "Thirstier," "Sprinter," and "Helen in the Woods," which might have been one of the best four song runs I've seen in ages. The only complaint for the set is that Scott's vocals were quite muddied at times, and she's an artist you truly want to be able to hear. (Sound issues were an issue all night as Superchunk guitarist Jim Wilbur asked to have his monitor turned off completely due to sound issues.)
I don't know if I could have picked a better first Superchunk show than this one. Their most recent album (2022's Wild Loneliness) is a much more mellow album than we're used to from the indie rock legends, and I expected their show to reflect that sound. Even though they played five songs off Wild Loneliness, the band skipped the ballads (or hyped them up) and focused on just rocking out. For a band that's been around for over thirty years, they put most younger bands to shame with Mac McCaughan jumping around the stage with seeming reckless abandon, Jason Narducy almost constantly pacing around, and Jon Wurster pounding his drums wildly almost non-stop. They were playing so fast and heavy that I didn't even recognize a cover of Sebadoh's "Brand New Love" to start off the encore. McCaughan led the crowd in sing-a-long of "Digging for Something"'s "Whoah Oh Oh" chorus, but didn't need to encourage one for the next song, "Slack Motherfucker," which is just more fun to yell with a crowd of people. (Also, how crazy is it that a killer song like "Digging for Something" came along twenty years into their career?) They closed the night with "Fishing" and had Mackenzie Scott join them on guitar for the song. You've never seen anyone play guitar as joyfully as Scott did Monday night.
We were big fans of Dry Cleaning's New Long Leg last year. It was a post-rock masterpiece with spoken word over Sonic Youth and Velvet Underground style riffs that worked for us. Now the London band is back with a new single and a new upcoming album. "Don't Press Me" almost feels like Dry Cleaning decided to try to write a big mainstream hit in the vein of Wet Leg and failed spectacularly. First, there is some actual singing on "Don't Press Me." Plus, the song a certain groovy quality that is almost poppy and almost dance-friendly. But, this is still Dry Cleaning so it's the most oddball way of trying to make that kind of song possible. As always with these folks it won't be for everyone, but I think we all kind of like it that way.
You can watch the video for "Don't Press Me" below. Stumpwork is due out October 21 via 4AD, and can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on Dry Cleaning, check out the band's Facebook and Instagram. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Thu. June 16 - Edinburgh, UK @ Hidden Door Festival Fri. June 17 - York, UK @ Castle Howard w/ Duran Duran Sat. June 18 - Helsinki, FI @ Sideways Festival Tue. June 21 - Zagreb, HR @ INmusic Festival Fri. June 24 - Pilton, UK @ Glastonbury Festival Sat. July 2 - Ewijk, NL @ Down The Rabbit Hole Sun. July 3 - Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter Sat. July 9 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest Sun. July 10 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Mon. July 11 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East Tue. July 12 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups Thu. July 14 - Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop Fri. July 15 - Detroit, MI @ El Club Sat. July 16 - Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival Sat. July 23 - Nottingham, UK @ Rough Trade (in-store) Sun. July 24 - Hertfordshire, UK @ Standon Calling Fri. July 29 - Co Waterford, IE @ All Together Now Sun. July 31 - Thirsk, UK @ Deer Shed Festival Sat. Aug. 6 - Katowic, PL @ OFF Festival Thu. Aug. 11 - Haldern, DE @ Haldern Pop Festival Fri. Aug. 19 - Crickhowell, UK @ Green Man Festival Thu. Aug. 25 - London, UK @ All Points East Sat. Aug. 27 - Manchester, UK @ Dept Mayfield w/ The National Sun. Sept. 18 - Los Angeles, US @ Primavera Sound LA Fri. Nov. 11 - Utrecht, NL @ Le Guess Who? Festival
Toronto's Napoleon have done a rarity on their new single: They've released a raging loud and angry song while keeping it catchy and sorta kinda poppy. "Fullsize Problem" is fast and heavy at times and almost pop punk at others without truly changing up the tempo or aggression between the two. It's like the smoothest whiplash effect you'll ever experience as it wildly and calmly switches between the two sounds. Not too many artists can pull off this level of heavy and poppy, but Napoleon pull it off perfectly.
Napoleon's Jon Elmaleh says of the new song:
“'Fullsize Problem' is hands down the most angry and pissed off song I’ve ever written, it’s definitely a bit different for us, and that’s a good thing, I don’t ever want Napoleon to be a band that repeats ourselves, and besides, sometimes you just gotta say fuck it and write a hardcore song.”
You can watch the video for "Fullsize Problem" below. The song is available as a single via MGW Records. For more on Napoleon, check out the band's website.
JayWood is Winnipeg based musician and songwriter Jeremy Haywood-Smith. His latest single, "Shine," is a blend of hip hop and R&B that has a terrific classic hip hop summertime feel. The song also features Richmond, VA's McKinley Dixon and is oddly positive despite the track's inspiration. While all of the song's on JayWood's upcoming album take place in the same day, "Shine" was written on the night of George Floyd's murder.
Jeremy Haywood-Smith says of his new song:
“I don’t think I’ve ever really felt activated or militant as much as I did the summer of 2020. It was an exhausting time but I wanted to try to do something to commentate on everything that was happening. As soon as the idea came to make a hip hop song I knew I had to get McKinley on it. The way he writes is so wild, I felt inspired to do something on that level as well."
You can watch the video for "Shine" below. Slingshot is due out July 15 on Captured Tracks, and can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on JayWood, check out the artist's Facebook and Twitter.
Artist: Mapache Album: Roscoe's Dream Quick Thoughts: We were a little late to the Mapache party, but we're ultimately glad we showed up. Roscoe's Dream is a gorgeous slice of roots music, and it's especially solid in the way that it doesn't mind being a little fun or cheeky along the way. Mapache understands the value of joyful music, and there's plenty of it here that ultimately sets the act apart from so many other musicians in this space. In an odd release week on a whole, this is more than worth the time. Songs of Note: "I Love My Dog," "Man and Woman," "Diana," "Light My Fire," "Love Can't Hold Me"
Artist: gglum Album: Weak Teeth Quick Thoughts: I do not know how I tripped up on gglum or even how to say their name, but Weak Teeth is such a great indie record that it's difficult to ignore. Judged by its cover, you'd expect something louder or more frenetic, but this really borrws more from Daddy Issues than the sort of grungy alt-rock throwbacks we tend to love in these parts. Overall, a short but interesting and compelling listen. Songs of Note: "Teen Sweat," "Things You Said," "Weak Teeth"
Artist: Winona Oak Album: Island of the Sun Quick Thoughts: In some ways, I feel like Winona Oak has been around for ages. Her features on some major mainstream acts aside, I was surprised that this was her debut album considering how complete and singular it is. This is definitely electronic Nordic pop, and unabashedly so. It's a truly fun listen and one I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to. Songs of Note: "Island of the Sun," "My Man," "Nothing to Lose"
Artist: Michaela Anne Album: Oh To Be That Free Quick Thoughts: Another folky listen this week, the songwriting here in particular is outstanding, with "Dirty Secrets" in particular keeping residence in my head all weekend long. If you like the more folky stuff, don't miss this one at all, as you'll probably fall hard for it. Songs of Note: "Chasing Days," "Dirty Secrets"
Boston's Miracle Blood have one of the most interesting and classic sounds in the city. Their latest single, "Like a Round Hole Through a Square Peg" is one of the loudest things we've covered in a long time. It's equal parts noise rock, punk, and metal. It starts off mostly like a metal song with some of the most killer riffs imaginable, and then it goes into an almost Jello Biafra meets the Pixies territory. Most metal/noise rock doesn't usually fit the indie rock loud/quiet/loud thing, but Miracle Blood almost does. Then again, this is more of a loud/less loud and slower/loud template.
You can listen to "Like a Round Hole Through a Square Peg" below. The song is currently available via Bandcamp. For more on Miracle Blood, check out the band on Facebook. If you happen to be in the Boston area, they're playing O'Brien's in Alston on June 16 with Sapling, Ghost Planet, and Baabes. The show also includes very special guest Rainy from Sapling guesting on drums! Tickets for that can be found here.
When a press release compares an artists to legendary indie rock icons like Pavement, Built to Spill, Spoon, Sebadoh, etc., I'm going to be very skeptical. I've pretty much already decided I don't like any artist with such lofty comparisons. But then I hear a band like Kitimoto and all of those comparisons are dead on. The Phoenix band's latest single, "Time Saved," sounds like vintage 90's indie rock. You're going to swear you've heard this before. It could have been on some much beloved compilation or soundtrack, or maybe you heard it on your college radio station but never figured out who it was. "Time Saved" sounds so much like my college years that it's making me nostalgic despite being over twenty years too late for that.
You can listen to "Time Saved" below. Vintage Smell is due out June 24 on Fort Lowell Records. The album can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Kitimoto, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.
