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 Heather DeFoggi Gerard For his upcoming album, Sean Thomas Gerard recorded in the corner of his garage which is also a playroom for his two daughters. Somehow, you can hear that vibe in his latest single, "Bright Side." The song just feels like home. It's a laid back indie folk/singer-songwriter track that is overflowing with warmth. The sing is on the mainstream side of its genres, but when you nail a sound like Gerard has, there's certainly nothing wrong with that. This is the type of song that is pleasant and enjoyable when you first start it, and then you end up liking it more and more as it goes. By the time it's over, you're going to want to listen again. By the third or fourth listen, "Bright Side" is going to end up one of your favorite songs of this young year. Sean Thomas Gerard says of his music: “I think about some day when I'm gone, my kids will be able to put on my records and feel like they can spend time with me again....
Photo by Rachel Cassels The Cairo Gang is mostly Emmett Kelly, who recorded most of their upcoming album, Goes Missing, on his own while travelling. "Be What You Are" is pure pop gold, reminiscent of British invasion bands like The Kinks and The Zombies. It features jangly guitars and some of the most infectious layered vocals you've heard in years. Luckily the beauty of this style of music is that it never quite sounds dated. It might sound like it's from a certain era that happened 50 years ago, but everything you've ever listened to since then borrows so heavily from it that it always sounds current. It's the kind of music you wish you hadn't missed, only now you haven't. Goes Missing is due out June 23rd on God? Records. You can pre-order the album now, and be sure to check out The Cairo Gang's Facebook . Listen to "Be What You Are" below, and below that are tour dates, many opening for Mikal Cronin. Sat. Sept. 5 - Portlan...
Photo by Mary Dorsi Asbury Park's Yawn Mower had two goals for their upcoming album. First, after playing their hometown's Sea.Hear.Now festival, they wanted to write songs that worked on a larger stage. Second, they wanted the album to be their Pinkerton , "A raw, rough around the edges, noisier follow up to [their] debut album." The first song from that album is "Rascal," a song partly about the kids of their friends and family. It's a fun track that includes lines like "Here he comes now what a little asshole." It's a quirky and noisy indie rock track that reminds me of an edgier Fountains of Wayne. As anti-kid as the song may seem, you can tell it's not done seriously and there is a ton of love behind the track. Vocalist/guitarist Mike Chick says of the band's upcoming album: “While Dana Yurcisin (bass), Rudy Meier (guitar), and Nicole Scorsone (violin) have certainly helped fill out past releases, this was the first time that ...
