Recorded during the sessions for last year's phenomenal Expert in a Dying Field, "Watching the Credits" was left off that album, but luckily The Beths have decided to release the song as a standalone single. "Watching the Credits" is an indie rock power pop song that barrels along for it's three minute run time. The song is about frontwoman Elizabeth Stokes' habit of learning about movies without watching them. What's phenomenal about this song is how cinematic it is for a three minute pop song. It's almost done in three acts with a build, a climax, and an ending. It even has some strings just to tug at your emotions. If it isn't my imagination coming up with this concept, "Watching the Credits" is a wonderfully clever song that is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites from The Beths.
You can listen to "Watching the Credits" below. For more on The Beths, check out their website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video, including a stop at In Between Days Festival in Quincy, MA on August 19.
Wed. May 24 - Bristol, UK @ SWX Thu. May 25 - London, UK @ Electric Brixton Fri. May 26 - Walton-on-Trent, UK @ Bearded Theory Festival Sat. May 27 - Leeds, UK @ Live at Leeds in the Park Sun. May 28 - Manchester, UK @ New Century Tue. May 30 - Glasgow, UK @ The Garage Wed. May 31 - Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s Fri. June 2 - Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival Sat. June 3 - Ellerdorf, DE @ Wilwarin Festival Sun. June 4 - Berlin, DE @ Frannz Club Mon. June 5 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefählrich Tue. June 6 - Cologne, DE @ Gebäude 9 Thu. June 8 - Porto, PT @ Primavera Sound Festival Fri. June 9 - Madrid, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival Sat. June 10 - Dijon, FR @ VYV Festival Mon. June 12 - Nantes, FR @ Stereolux Tue. June 13 - Paris, FR @ Petit Bain Wed. June 14 - Lille, FR @ Aéronef Fri. June 16 - Kansas City, MO @ Boulevardia Festival Sat. June 17 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival Sun. June 18 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn Tue. June 20 - Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Wed. June 21 - Tampa, FL @ Crowbar Thu. June 22 - Gainesville, FL @ High Dive Fri. July 14 - Utrecht, NL @ Ekko Sat. July 15 - Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown Sun. July 16 - Nijmegen, NL @ Valkhof Festival Tue. July 18 - Liverpool, UK @ Hangar 34 Wed. July 19 - Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ Boiler Shop Fri. July 21 - Southwold, UK @ Latitude Festival Sat. July 22 - Steventon, UK @ Truck Festival Sun. July 23 - Sheffield, UK @ Tramlines Festival Fri. July 28 - Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival Sat. July 29 - Omaha, NE @ Maha Festival Tue. Aug. 1 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia * [SOLD OUT] Wed. Aug. 2 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia * Thu. Aug. 3 - New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl * Fri. Aug. 4 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls Theatre Sat. Aug. 5 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern Mon. Aug. 7 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore * Tue. Aug. 8 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee * Wed. Aug. 9 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory * Fri. Aug. 11 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom * [SOLD OUT] Sat. Aug. 12 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom * Tue. Aug. 15 - Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater * Wed. Aug. 16 - Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park Thu. Aug. 17 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Fri. Aug. 18 - Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage Sat. Aug. 19 - Quincy, MA @ In Between Days Festival Mon. Aug. 21 - Cincinnati, OH @ Woodward Theater Tue. Aug. 22 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Sun. Aug. 27 - Seattle, WA @ THING Sat. Sep. 30 - Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater ^ Sun. Oct. 1 - Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre ^ Tue. Oct. 3 - Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT] Wed. Oct. 4 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas ^ [SOLD OUT] Fri. Oct. 6 - Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT] Sat. Oct. 7 - Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena ^ [SOLD OUT] Mon. Oct. 9 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT] Tue. Oct. 10 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT] Wed. Oct. 11 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre ^ [SOLD OUT] Thu. Oct. 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Fri. Oct. 13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ^ [SOLD OUT] Sat. Oct. 13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Sun. Oct. 15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Tue. Oct. 17 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Wed. Oct. 18 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Thu. Oct. 19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * w/ The National ^ w/ Death Cab For Cutie & The Postal Service
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....
