Blushing are an Austin, TX based band consisting of two married couples. The band's latest single, "Tamagotchi," is probably closest to being dream pop, but it's quite a bit more than that. Sure, the song has that dreamy sound that washes over you with reverb, but there's also a much stronger bite to the guitars than you normally get in dream pop. It's not quite grunge, but fairly close. It's more of that early-mid-90's post grunge sound as mainstream alt-rock was edging into more of a power pop or bubblegrunge sound. Blushing's latest is an incredibly infectious song that fans of 90's alt-rock are going to adore.
You can watch the video for "Tamagotchi" below. Sugarcoat is out May 3 on Kanine Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Blushing, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Fri. March 15 - Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas (SXSW official showcase) Thu. May 2 - Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas (album release show) Wed. May 15 - San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Underground * Thu. May 16 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada * Sat. May 18 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall * Sun. May 19 - McAllen, TX @ The Gremlin * Fri. June 14 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Resonant Head Sat. June 15 - Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge Sun. June 16 - Nashville, TN @ 5 spot Tue. June 18 - Washington, DC @ Pie Shop % Wed. June 19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s % Thu. June 20 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right % Fri. June 21 - Boston, MA @ Deep Cuts % Sat. June 22 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground % Sun. June 23 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz % Mon. June 24 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison % Wed. June 26 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls Funhouse % Thu. June 27 - Detroit, MI @ Small’s % Fri. June 28 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Sat. June 29 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas Mon. July 1 - Denver, CO @ Skylark Lounge Wed. July 3 - Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey Thu. July 4 - Portland, OR @ The Six Fri. July 5 - San Francisco, CA @ Kilowatt Sat. July 6 - Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge Sun. July 7 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge Mon. July 8 - El Paso, TX @ Rosewood * = w/ Slater %= w/ Airiel
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 .
Lex Leosis might be Toronto based, but she spent a lot of time in California's Bay Area working on her hip hop sound. She's also traveled all over the United States to collaborate with other artists. Her latest single, "Mind Your Business," has a strong 90's hip hop feel to it. It's dripping with attitude, and Leosis's flow is in full on attack mode. The 90's vibe could be because of the fact that there is no R&B chorus, keeping the song pure hip hop, which is rare these days. This reminds me a lot of Oompa's songs, which is a huge compliment coming from us. You can listen to "Mind Your Business" below. Mythologies , the upcoming album from Lex Leosis, will be out later this year. For more on Lex Leosis, check out her Facebook . Mind Your Business by Lex Leosis