The latest from Chicago's Dehd sounds exactly what it's about. As the band explains, "Empty in My Mind" is about “the floating mindless space around a new crush… The sort of high that occurs, the spinning, the detachment and the feeling of ungroundedness. All of these things being either very fun or absolutely dreadful.” The song is this hypnotic swirl that expresses both joy and hope while still feels rooted in anxiety. It's that newfangled punk/indie rock that is still heavily rooted in modern indie pop. You're going to get some serious post punk vibes from this one, and I'm hearing more than a little of The Cure.
You can watch the video for "Empty in My Mind" below. Blue Skies is due out May 27 on Fat Possum, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Dehd, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Sat. Apr. 30 - Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival Sat. Apr. 30 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade - Purgatory (Shaky Knees Aftershow) Mon. May 2 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater * Tue. May 3 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall * Thu. May 5 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos * Fri. May 6 - Vancouver, BC @ The Imperial Sat. May 7 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom * Mon. May 9 - San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel * Tue. May 10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater* Wed. May 11 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress * Fri. May 13 - Austin, TX - Antones * Sat. May 14 - Dallas, TX @ Trees * Sun. May 15 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio * Mon. May 16 - New Orleans, LA @ Toulouse Theatre ! Wed. May 18 - Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall ! Thu. May 19 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ! Sun. May 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ! Tue. May 24 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom - SOLD OUT ! Wed. May 25 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom ! Thu. May 26 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ! Fri. May 27 - Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount Sat. May 28 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’sPalace Sat. Jun. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Metro * Sat. Jun. 11 - Queens, NY @ The Governors Ball Music Festival * w/ Pixel Grip ! w/ 81355
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. ...
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 .
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....
