Chicago's Dehd are absolute masters of that newfangled punk that is infused with a ton of pop hooks without being even remotely pop punk. Their latest single, "Window," is this song that slowly builds into an absolute epic. It starts off slow and just builds and builds with all the power of a band like Pulp or U2, but a lower scale punk pop version. It's as catchy as possible without being too saccharine, and even had more than just a hint of an edge. And it does all this while remaining mostly a ballad. Dehd are the kind of band that are going to be huge by this time next year.
Emily Kempf says the new song is about "... “being obsessed with true love and the construct of ‘the one.’ I wrote it to address my addition to the terrible and wonderful pursuit of perfect love.”
You can watch the NSFW-ish video for "Window" below. Blue Skies is due out May 27 on Fat Possum. You can pre-save/pre-order the album here. For more on Dehd, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Wed. May 25 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom ! - SOLD OUT 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 * - SOLD OUT Sat. Jun. 11 - New York, NY @ Governor's Ball Music Festival Sat. Jul. 9 - Chicago, IL @ Square Roots Festival Sun. Aug. 21 - Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop Mon. Aug. 22 - Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown Wed. Aug. 24 - Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli De Helling Fri. Aug. 26 - London, UK @ All Points East Sun. Aug. 28 - Edinburgh, UK @ Connect Festival Sat. Aug. 30 - Birmingham, UK @ The Castle & Falcon Sun. Aug. 31 - Cambridge, UK @ Junction 2 Fri. Sep. 2 - Wiltshire, UK @ End of the Road Festival Thu. Sep. 4 - Maastricht, NL @ Bruis Festival Wed. Sep. 21 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre Thu. Sep. 22 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Fri. Sep. 23 - Denver, CO @ The Summit Sat. Sep. 24 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot Tue. Sep. 27 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom Wed. Sep. 28 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre Fri. Sep. 30 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market Sat. Oct. 2 - San Francisco, CA @ August Hall Wed. Oct. 5 - Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theater Thu. Oct. 6 - San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park Fri. Oct. 7 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater Sat. Oct. 9 - Austin, TX @ ACL Fest Wed. Oct. 12 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater Thu. Oct. 13 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren Sun. Oct. 16 - Austin, TX @ ACL Fest Fri. Oct. 21 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel Sat. Oct. 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Sun. Oct. 23 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat Tue. Oct. 25 - Boston, MA @ Royale Wed. Oct. 26 - Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre Thu. Oct. 27 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House Wed. Nov. 2 - Milan, IT @ Magnolia Thu. Nov. 3 - Aaru, CH @ Kiff Mon. Nov. 7 - Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen Tue. Nov. 8 - Stockholm, SE @ Kristallen Wed. Nov. 9 - Oslo, NE @ John Dee Fri. Nov. 11 - Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Sat. Nov. 12 - Brussels, BE @ Grand Salon Wed. Nov. 16 - Bristol, UK @ The Lanes Thu. Nov. 17 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Fri. Nov. 18 - Sunderland, UK @ Pop Recs Sat. Nov. 19 - Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor Sun. Nov. 20 - Dublin, IE @ Button Factory * 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 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 Ryan Mastro The latest single from Brooke Annibale is modern day folk/pop/indie rock done to perfection. "Home Again" stops just shy of being laid back, and is a dreamy tale of falling in love. Annibale's voice blends effortlessly into the music, giving a listener a joyful sense of the hypnotic. It's filled with hope, and optimism, and is clearly about the beginning of the relationship. The good news is that Annibale and the song's inspiration are engaged. The bad news is, they were supposed to be married on June 26, 2020. Brooke Annibale explains the song : “I wrote this song at the beginning of a relationship: a song about falling in love, figuring out how to communicate our love for one another, and ultimately build a life and home together. Over a year after I wrote it, I proposed to my girlfriend (she said yes), and we set our wedding date for June 26, 2020. For the past several months, I have looked forward to this day, a special day of ce...