If you've been a fan of Lucy Dacus for a while, you're going to love "Kissing Lessons." The new single was originally recorded during the sessions for Home Video but didn't make that album. As soon as the opening bass line starts, you know this is going to be Dacus's return to indie rock. The song may still have that more pop side that Dacus has been leaning into more lately, but it leans more into the rock of her earlier albums. It's an upbeat song reminiscing about a friend of hers from the second grade. Plus, the guitar is beyond infectious, making the entire song impossibly catchy, especially for a song without a chorus.
You can watch the video for "Kissing Lessons" below. The song is available now digitally with a 7" along with "Thumbs Again" via Matador Records out on June 3. The 7" can be pre-ordered here. For more on Lucy Dacus, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Wed. Feb. 09 - Pitts, PA @ Stage AE * Thu. Feb. 10 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic * Fri. Feb. 11 - Newport, KY @ Ovation * Sat. Feb. 12 - Indy, IN @ Egyptian Room * Mon. Feb. 14 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom Valentine’s Day * Tue. Feb. 15 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall (Rescheduled Date) * - SOLD OUT Thu. Feb. 17 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave (Rescheduled Date) * - SOLD OUT Fri. Feb. 18 - Iowa City, IA @ Englert Theatre (Rescheduled Date) * - SOLD OUT Sat. Feb. 19 - Lawrence, KS @ Liberty * Sun. Feb. 20 - OK City, OK @ Tower Theatre * Wed. Feb. 23 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre * Thu. Feb. 24 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel * Fri. Feb. 25 - C-Ville, VA @ Jefferson * - SOLD OUT Sat. Feb. 26 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony * - SOLD OUT Mon. Feb. 28 - Ithaca, NY @ Hangar Theatre Tue. Mar. 01 - Holyoke, MA @ Gateway City Arts Thu. Mar. 03 - Providence, RI @ The Strand Sat. Mar. 05 - Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Fri. Mar. 18, 2022 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club ^ - SOLD OUT Sat. Mar. 19, 2022 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club ^ - SOLD OUT Sun. Mar. 20, 2022 - Glasgow, UK @ St. Lukes ^ - SOLD OUT Mon. Mar. 21, 2022 - Dublin, IE @ Olympia Theatre ^ Wed. Mar. 23, 2022 - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla - SOLD OUT Thu. Mar. 24, 2022 - Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory ^ Fri. Mar. 25, 2022 - London, UK @ Kentish Town Forum Sat. Mar. 26 - London, UK @ Rough Trade - In-Store Performance Sun. Mar. 27 - Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 ^ Tue. Mar. 29, 2022 - Brussels, BL @ Rotonde ^ - SOLD OUT Wed. Mar. 30, 2022 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord ^ Thu. Mar. 31, 2022 - Cologne, DE @ Artheater ^ Sat. Apr. 02, 2022 - Hamburg, DE @ Molotow ^ Sun. Apr. 03, 2022 - Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen ^ - SOLD OUT Mon. April 04, 2022 - Aarhus, DK @ Atlas ^ Wed. Apr. 06, 2022 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret ^ Thu. Apr. 07, 2022 - Stockholm, SE @ Nalen Klubb ^ Sat. Apr. 09, 2022 - Berlin, DE @ Lido ^ Sun. Apr. 10, 2022 - Jena, DE @ Trafo ^ Tue. Apr. 12, 2022 - Vienna, AT @ Chelsea ^ Wed. Apr. 13, 2022 - Munich, DE @ Milla ^ Thu. Apr. 14, 2022 - Zürich, SU @ Bogen F ^ Fri. Apr. 15 - Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie ^ Thu. Jul. 21 - New York, NY @ SummerStage in Central Park # Sun. Aug. 7 - St. Charles, IA @ Hinterland Festival Fri. Aug. 26 - London, UK @ All Points East Festival Sat. Aug. 27 - Sun. Aug. 28 - Darmstadt, DE @ Golden Leaves Festival Thu. Sep. 1 - Sun. Sep. 4 - Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival * = with Indigo De Souza ^ = with Fenne Lily # = with Hop Along
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.
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 .
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....
