Hallelujah the Hills - "Superglued to You"

I don't think any band is releasing consistently great music quite like Hallelujah the Hills are. The Boston band bounce wildly between releasing (relatively) straightforward rock music and their more experimental offerings. Their latest, "Superglued to You," fits in the more straightforward category, but it's only straightforward as far as Hallelujah the Hills go. The new single is an upbeat rocker with just the slightest signs of folk and experimental rock. In other words, it's classic HtH. It's a bouncy jam with a happy gang chorus, odd little noise rock flourishes, and the whole thing is just as catchy as it could possibly be. The band isn't saying what this is a part of yet, but we can't wait for it.

You can watch the video for "Superglued to You" below. The song is available as a single via Hallelujah the Hills's Bandcamp. For more on Hallelujah the Hills, check out the band's website.

Coma Girls - "Knife"

Photo by Shane Mackenzie

When I first saw Los Angeles based Coma Girls described as folk-rock/shoegaze, I had my suspicions. Folk-rock and shoegaze are at two very different ends of the musical spectrum, but then I listened to "Knife." Somehow, the song hits both shoegaze and folk-rock without sounding anything like what I expected to. It has the droning qualities you would expect with shoegaze without being drenched in guitar feedback. It feels like a more organic version of the genre, which is where the folk-rock comes in. Chris Spino (the main creative force behind Coma Girls) also adds in some electronic elements to the song, which gives it a tiny bit of pop to keep it even more interesting.

Chris Spino says of his upcoming album:

“This record was my one escape, the one thing that kept me from going off the rails. It’s a pandemic record, a relapse record, a break-up record, and a recovery record. This was the thing that was keeping me sane.”

You can watch the video for "Knife" below. No Umbrella for Star Flower is due out September 2 on Baby Robot Records. For more on Coma Girls, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter.

Jesca Hoop - "Sioux Falls"

Photo by Aga Mortlock

No other artist sounds quite like Jesca Hoop. On her latest single, "Sioux Falls," Hoop continues to take the world of folk music and expand on it in her own unique way. I hesitate to truly refer to this as folk, but as avant garde as she gets, this just doesn't quite cross into pure experimental music. "Sioux Falls" transforms as the song goes on, adding in horns and additional singers in bursts. This is the kind of song that could almost be a mash up of four or five songs while still sounding like a cohesive work of art. This is a song you're going to want to take a significant amount of time with.

Jesca Hoop says of her new song:

“Deeper into the Psychosis Cyclone as paranoia strikes. All the Preppers double up on supply and double down on guns. America the home of the free. The vernacular all too familiar, like verses I learned in bible study, as the term “greater good” takes the shape of a dog whistle for the death spiral. Meanwhile, we over here are just simply looking out for each other while we manage the hard facts of life.”

You can listen to "Sioux Falls" below. Order of Romance is due out September 16 on Memphis Industries, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Jesca Hoop, check out the artist's Facebook and Twitter.

Ezra Furman - "Lilac and Black"

Photo by Tonje Thilesen

The latest from Ezra Furman is what we've come to expect from the artist. "Lilac and Black" is a virtually genre-less song that borrows from many different styles while sounding entirely unique. There are elements of folk, pop, dance, punk, and all the multi-hyphenate genres in between, but it doesn't truly sound like any of those. It's a little too electronic to be rock, but too rock to be electronic. Plus, despite being about Furman's "queer girl gang" taking over a city from their oppressors, the song isn't as punk as you'd expect. It starts off quite quiet and contemplative. It does build and get more rock as it goes on, but the music never matches the venom in Furman's voice.

Ezra Furman says of her new song:

“I’ve started to think of us trans women as a kind of secret gang, scattered across the world. Or that we could be that. So I wrote this theme song for us, and gave us some gang colors: lilac and black. Unfortunately, being trans usually comes with some kind of threat to one’s well-being or even one’s life. The hostility toward us right now is intense and the stakes are high. This song is an expression of deep solidarity and willingness to defend our lives.Being an inherently peaceful person, I hate to imagine it, but there are times that violent self-defense, or defense of others, is the moral and necessary path. This song is about being ready for that. It’s also about how being trans so often feels like a war we never asked for. On top of the seemingly endless social stigma and barriers to our general thriving, various governments have now set in motion a concerted movement to virtually outlaw healthy trans existence. Let it be known: we demand safety, resources and dignity, and we are ready to fight for our lives and the lives of others.”

You can watch the video for "Lilac and Black" below. All of Us Flames is due out August 26 on ANTI- Records and Bella Union. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Ezra Furman, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.

Thu. Jul. 21  - Valencia, ES @ Diversity Festival

Sun. Jul. 24 - Hertfordshire, UK @ Standon Calling Festival

Sun. Aug. 14 - Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom ^

Tues. Aug. 16 - Milwaukee, WI @ UWM Panther Arena ^

Wed. Aug. 17 - Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park ^

Thu. Aug. 18 - Crickhowell, UK @ Green Man Festival

Tues. Aug  23 - Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh International Festival

Wed. Aug 24 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club

Mon. Sep. 12 - Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa  !

Tue. Sep. 13 - Toronto, ON @ Rec Room  !

Wed. Sep. 14 - Detroit, MI @ The Loving Touch !

Thu. Sep. 15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Small's !

Fri. Sep. 16 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar !

Sun. Sep. 18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts !

Mon. Sep. 19 - Providence, RI @ Fete Ballroom !

Tue. Sep. 20 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair  !

Wed. Sep. 21 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall !

Thu. Sep. 22 - Dover, DE @ Firefly Festival

Mon. Oct. 31 - Bruges, BE @ Cactus Club *

Tue. Nov. 1 - Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo *

Wed. Nov. 2 - Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli Vredenburg *

Thu. Nov. 3 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich *

Sat. Nov. 5 - Cologne, DE @ Kulturkirche *

Sun. Nov. 6 - Berlin, DE @ Festsaaal Kreutzberg *

Mon. Nov. 7 - Prague, CZ @ Roxy *

Tue. Nov. 8 - Vienna, AT @ Arena Wien *

Wed. Nov. 9 - Graz, AT @ Dom Im Berg *

Thurs. Nov 10 - Leipzig, DE @ Transcentiry Update Festival

Sat. Nov. 12 - Fribourg, CH @ Fri-Son *

Sun. Nov. 13 - Munich, DE @ Freiheitshalle *

Mon. Nov. 14 - Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom *

Wed. Nov. 16 - Brighton, UK @ St Georges Church *

Thu. Nov. 17 - London, UK @ The Roundhouse *

Sat. Nov. 19 - Birmingham, UK @ The Mill *

Mon. Nov. 21 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz *

 

^ w/ Jack White

! w/ Art Moore

*w/ The Golden Dregs

First Listen: New Releases and More Missed Music for 8 July 2022

Artist: Laura Veirs
Album: Found Light
Quick Thoughts: It's been a little while since the last album from Laura Veirs, and this latest effort provides more of the great indie songwriting Laura Veirs is so good at. This album retains some of the jagged edges we've come to expect while retaining the unique melodic structures that I fell for way back in the Carbon Glacier era. If you're a fan, you don't want to miss this. If you are new, this is as good a place as any to start out.
Songs of Note: "Time Will Show You," "Winter Windows"

Artist: The Deslondes
Album: Ways & Means
Quick Thoughts: Yes, we love The Deslondes here, and yes, this album is a great demonstration of why. This is great roots record with solid songwriting and it is both a serious effort and doesn't take itself too too seriously. The delivery of the whole package sets this apart, and I just found more and more to love during its runtime. Don't ignore this one.
Songs of Note: "Good to Go," "South Dakota Wild One," "Howl at the Moon," "Wild Eden"

Artist: Spiral Stairs
Album: Medley Attack
Quick Thoughts: The new album from the Pavement side project is the sort of accessible indie rock that we don't hear as often anymore. Pavement is a nostalgia act in a lot of ways for people around our age, and this record is different enough (as most of Scott Kannberg's work shows) without losing its indie credibility. I enjoyed this quite a bit, and you might, too.
Songs of Note: "Too Late," "Time = Cuz"

Artist: Viagra Boys
Album: Cave World
Quick Thoughts: We tripped up on Viagra Boys with their previous album and the truly hilarious "Sports." This new album definitely doesn't let up, and perhaps turns the snark up to 11 on a lot of songs, but it's a pretty addictive listen. The slurred delivery, the crunchy guitars, the whole package is really a fun listen that's much better than the name of the band might indicate. Put this into your rotation.
Songs of Note: "Baby Criminal," "Punk Rock Loser," "The Cognitive Trade-Off Hypothesis," "Ain't No Thief," "Return to Monke"

Artist: Momma
Album: Household Name
Quick Thoughts: I missed this one last week and regret it, because, for all my love of that 1990s alt-rock sound, I keep tripping up on new acts that are perfecting it, like Momma. Household Name is a masterclass in this type of effort, and some of the songs in particular are among the best of the year. Do not hesitate, just give this a listen.
Songs of Note: "Lucky," "Brave"

Artist: Katie Bejsiuk
Album: The Woman on the Moon
Quick Thoughts: A shout-out for this album, a proper solo debut from Free Cake for Every Creature's chief singer and songwriter. If you were a fan of that act before, with its quiet lo-fi approach, you'll find plenty to love with this album as well. Just a gorgeous, and oftentimes heartbreaking, listen that shouldn't be missed.
Songs of Note: "Feels Right," "Tourmaline," "Olive, NY," "Nightloop"

Of note:

* Anna Butterss - Activities (I struggle with jazzy/jazz-adjacent music, but liked this quite a bit.)
* renforshort - dear amelia (Excellent pop album.)
* Cave States - Liminal
* Apollo Brown - This Must Be the Place
* Wu-Lu - LOGGERHEAD
* Mush - Down Tools
* Caterina Barbieri - Spirit Exit
* Ead Wood - People, Stories, World Etc
* Katy J Pearson - Sound of the Morning
* NoSo - Stay Proud of Me
* Metric - Formentera
* Sniffany and The Nits - The Unscratchable Itch

EPs:

* PACKS - WOAH
* Paul Jacobs - 185 on the Corner
* Wet - Pink Room
* Rapport - Floating Through the Wonderwave
* Fiver - Soundtrack to a More Radiant Sphere: The Joe Wallace Mixtape
* Royksopp - Profound Mysteries Remixes
* Ricky Desktop and Bobby Sasquatch - The Sax Beats EP, Volume 2

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* Kid Cudi - The Boy Who Flew to the Moon (Vol. 1) (A greatest hits package.)

* "Pearl Jam - Gigaton (Tour Edition)
Also out:

* Delicate Steve - After Hours
* Titus Bank - Hopeless and Romantic
* Sally Decker and Briana Marela - Small Tremble in Slow Motion
* Bad Breeding - Human Capital

MARBLE - "bleed me out"

The latest from MARBLE continues the tradition of killer Seattle bands without sounding anything like what you associate with the city's history. "bleed me out" is an absolutely epic song. It walks along the border between indie rock and pop the way artists like Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers do. What sets MARBLE apart with this song is just how epic it is. Singer Chantel Bailey has a stunning and emotional voice, particularly in the more quiet or pop sections of the song. When "bleed me out" crescendos into a chorus is when things get really great. Bailey's vocals blend with killer guitar solos and maybe a little bit of the fuzz of grunge. This is a huge song that still feels personal and intimate.

You can watch the video for "bleed me out" below. the shadow in me is due out July 15 and can be pre-ordered here. For more on MARBLE, check out the band's website.

Hellrazor - "Globbed"

New Haven, CT's Hellrazor are representing their 90's influences quite well. First, "Globbed" just sounds like a song title from the 90's. When you listen to the song, it has all of the noise and edge of bands like Nirvana and Hum, along with the more catchy side of the whole classic indie rock canon like Guided By Voices, and maybe a little Liz Phair thrown in. Plus, the song has a bonkers side that would make Butthole Surfers and Ween proud. It's like Hellrazor mashed up all the best parts of 90's indie rock and came out with "Globbed."

You can listen to "Globbed" below. Heaven's Gate is due out August 2 and can be pre-ordered over at Bandcamp. For more on Hellrazor, check out the band's website.

Bonny Light Horseman - "Summer Dream"

Photo by D. James Goodwin

Bonny Light Horseman (aka the folk supergroup of Josh Kaufman, Anais Mitchell, and Eric D. Johnson) has just released the perfect song for the summer, and not just because of its title. "Summer Dream" is a perfect light and airy folk/rock song. It has impeccable harmonizing and is about as mainstream as you can get with folk without crossing the line into pop. This is the perfect song for just being lazy during the summer. It's the sound of hanging out by a campfire, lounging on a porch, sitting on a beach... pretty much the only place this isn't perfect for is being inside of anything.

Anais Mitchell says of her band's new song:

“I think of ‘Summer Dream’ as the ultimate example of the ‘yes, and’ process we got into for this record. There was something we could all feel about this ‘ghost of a summer’s past,’ so the scene is true to each of us but somehow remains mysterious–a phantom. We could have sung that wordless outro for an hour, and in the rough track we basically did. We wanted it to ‘spill all over’ like a summer night.”

You can listen to "Summer Dream" below. Rolling Golden Holy is due out October 7 on 37d03d Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Bonny Light Horseman, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates can be found below the song.

7/23 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk Festival

8/04-07 - Edmonton, Canada - Edmonton Folk Festival

8/11-13 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West

9/07-10 - Park City, UT - Park City Song Summit

9/17 - Easthampton, VA - Arcadia Folk Festival

9/16-18 - Queens, NY - The Big Climate Thing at Forest Hills Stadium

9/30 - Sonoma, CA - Sonoma Winery Barn at Gundlach Bundschu

10/02 - San Francisco, CA - Palace of Fine Arts

10/04 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater 

10/05 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theater

10/07 - Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre

10/08 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room

10/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room

12/1-4 - Key West, FL - COAST Is Clear Festival

12/06 - Nashville, TN - Basement East

12/10 - Washington, DC - Howard Theatre 

12/11 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts

12/13 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair

12/14 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg

CF98 - "Double Sunrise"

Photo by Adam Mikolajczyk

This might be the first time we've brought you skate punk from Poland, but it's hard to resist a band like CF98. Their latest single, "Double Sunrise," is as energetic as it is melodic. It's a positive and cheery song that is decidedly pop punk. This is even on the more pop side of pop punk, which I normally steer away from. But there is just something endearing about CF98 that I can't resist. "Double Sunrise" isn't exactly mosh friendly, but it's the perfect kind of song to happily pogo to.

Singer Karolina Duszkiewicz says of the new song:

"We chose that song as our first single because it brings back memories, brings back touring, festivals, meetings with friends, great adventures. We always associated those things with summer, mostly good, positive and memorable things happen in that season."

You can watch the video for "Double Sunrise" below. This is Fine is due out September 2 on SBAM Records/Sound Speed Records. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on CF98, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter.

Tomato Flower - "Blue"

Photo by Marie Mechin

The latest single from Tomato Flower's upcoming EP continues their off kilter pop meets indie rock sound. "Blue" has a lot more harmony than you typically get with indie rock, but it's also a wonderfully quirky song that moves around in sonic directions that are completely unexpected. At times it snuggles right up to being a mainstream indie pop rock song, but then it wanders off into its very own territory again. Tomato Flower continue to be one of the more interesting artists out there right now by not fully committing to pop or indie rock and creating their own sound and path.

You can listen to "Blue" below. Construction is due out August 5 on Ramp Local, and can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on Tomato Flower, check out the band's . Upcoming tour dates are below the song.

8-10 San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
8-11 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
8-13 Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
8-16 Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall
8-17 Calgary, AB @ The Palace
8-19 Bozeman, MT @ The ELM
8-20 Missoula, MT @ The Wilma
8-22 Cheyenne, WY @ The Lincoln
8-23 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
8-24 Des Moines, IA @ Wooly's
8-29 Portland, ME @ State Theatre
8-30 New York, NY @ SummerStage in Central Park
8-31 New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
9-2 Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
9-3 Rouyn-Noranda, QC @ Festival De Musique Émergente *
9-4 Montréal, QC @ Corona Theatre

All dates with Animal Collective except with *