Brooklyn's Momma have released a single that is going to be intensely nostalgic for those of us in our early to mid-forties. "Lucky" has that mid-90's alt-rock power pop sound that was all the rage then. Think bands like Weezer and Veruca Salt. It's all crunchy guitars and slacker solos. It's the kind of song that is deceptively heavy even though it's mid-tempo but filled with dreamy pop hooks. Plus, never before has anyone sung in a 90's slacker style as well as Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten do here. This song is much more poppy than we would have ever admitted in 1995, but this would have gone straight to the Buzz Bin back in the day.
Etta Friedman says of the new song:
“I wrote it after my significant other and I had to spend an unknown amount of time apart from each other on opposite sides of the country. I wanted it to feel anthemic, like a sappy and sentimental love song, but I still wanted to speak on how exciting it feels to know you found true treasure with someone you are in love with.”
You can watch the video for "Lucky" below. Household Name is due out July 1 on Polyvinyl Record Co. and Lucky Number Music. The album can be pre-ordered and pre-saved here. For more on Momma, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
08/12 - Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall !
08/13 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground !
08/16 - New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place !
08/17 - Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony !
08/19 - Richmond, VA @ The National !
08/20 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa !
08/21 - Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre !
08/23 - Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theater !
08/24 - Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor !
08/26 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn !
08/27 - Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine !
08/28 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall !
08/30 - Bloomington, IL @ The Castle Theatre !
08/31 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre !
09/02 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall !
09/03 - St Louis, MO @ The Pageant !
09/04 - Columbus, OH @ The Athenaeum Theatre !
09/06 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre !
09/07 - Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre !
09/09 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore !
09/12 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #
09/14 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake #
09/16 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village #
09/17 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club #
09/20 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza %
09/21 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios %
09/23 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop %
09/24 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo %
09/25 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room %
09/27 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar %
09/30 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk - Indoors ^
10/01 - Dallas, TX @ Three Links ^
10/02 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall - Upstairs ^
10/04 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl ^
10/07 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's #
10/08 - New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg #
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....
