It's no secret that we love everything Ratboys do. They tend to slide effortlessly between Americana and indie rock, and those are possibly our favorite genres, so they're an easy band for us to love. Their latest single, "It's Alive!," continues their quest for new sounds within those genres. For this one, the Chicago band go mid-90's laid back power pop with a tiny bit of twang for a sound that is instantly recognizable yet very unique. It's a fun kind of song that could have been a big hit in 1996. Back when alt-rock radio was a thing, "It's Alive!" could have easily been the song of the summer.
You can watch the video for "It's Alive!" below. The Window is due out August 25 on Topshelf Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Ratboys, check out their website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Fri. Aug. 25 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern Thu. Sep. 21 - Champaign-Urbana, IL @ Pygmalion Festival Fri. Sep. 22 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe Sat. Sep. 23 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd Tue. Sep. 26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s Wed. Sep. 27 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom Thu. Sep. 28 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall Fri. Sep. 29 - Montreal, QC @ POP Montreal Sat. Sep. 30 - Toronto, ON @ Monarch Tavern Mon. Oct. 2 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Hall Tue. Oct. 3 - Cleveland, OH @ No Class Wed. Oct. 4 - Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag Fri. Oct. 6 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club Sat. Oct. 7 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee Thu. Oct. 19 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Sat. Oct. 21 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall Sun. Oct. 22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court Tue. Oct. 24 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s Wed. Oct. 25 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios Fri. Oct. 27 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord Sat. Oct. 28 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Highland Park Sun. Oct. 29 - San Diego, CA @ The Loft at UC San Diego Mon. Oct. 30 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room Tue. Oct. 31 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Thu. Nov. 2 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger Fri. Nov. 3 - Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room & Garage Sat. Nov. 4 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Our favorite classic garage rockers from Worcester, MA are back with a new song. In a world where most garage rock is about rocking, "21st Century Failure" gets much more political than most other bands in the genre. It's a psychedelic blast that mocks a lot of the tropes of modern living. It also includes the line "Get a new disease when you hear a sneeze" which is either great or terrible timing. Regardless, "21st Century Failure" is a killer psychedelic vintage garage rocker, and I think we could all use some straight up rock these days. You can watch the video for "21st Century Failure" below. The song is available now on The Prefab Messiahs's Bandcamp . For more on The Prefab Messiahs, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .
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. ...
The latest single from Holiday Ghosts hearkens back to when pop music was weird. "Slipstream" will remind you of classic early alternative artists like Talking Heads, The Modern Lovers, and Violent Femmes, but it also has the 90's slacker vibe of Pavement and Beck. It turns into a crazily fun and just offbeat enough indie rock/pop song. You can watch the video for "Slipstream" below. West Bay Playroom , the new album from Holiday Ghosts, will be released February 15 on PNKSLM Recordings. The album was recorded in band member Sam Stacpoole's childhood home, specifically his old playroom. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Holiday Ghosts, check out their Facebook .
