There is a new-ish trend in shoegaze that is heavier and faster than classic shoegaze, and I'm here for it. Our latest discovery is Italy's Mondaze and their new single "Linger." The song isn't particularly fast, but by shoegaze standards is practically hardcore. The drums are heavy, and guitars are noisy, there's a metal style breakdown in the middle, and the entire thing is awash in the traditional haze of shoegaze. There is some of the beauty associated with the genre, but for the most part "Linger" is a heavy rock song that is also shoegaze.
You can listen to "Linger" below. Linger, the album, is due out November 22 on Bronson Recordings, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Mondaze, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.
For those of a certain age, we're going to automatically give any band from Seattle a chance. If you're one of us, you're going to want to check out Black Ends. The trio honor the grunge past of the city without sounding like a throwback. "Pretend 2 Be (Protect Me)" has all of the noise and angst of the grunge classics you grew up with, but moved forward and sounding exactly like what the genre should sound like in 2024. Nicolle Swims' vocals sound a bit more like a singer-songwriter style over off-kilter guitars that sound like a mix of The Gits and Alice in Chains. "Pretend 2 Be (Protect Me)" is the type of song that will immediately grab you and demand to hear more from Black Ends.
You can listen to "Pretend 2 Be (Protect Me)" below. Psychotic Spew is due out October 11 on Youth Riot Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Black Ends, check out the artist's website.
Vancouver's Night Court have a new short and sweet single in their fantastic DIY punk meets power pop sound. "Captain Caveperson" clocks in at just over a minute long of catchy, poppy greatness. The song sounds as if Guided By Voices were huge fans of The Archies, and had formed as a garage band in the 1970's. Night Court songs have always been absurdly fun, and "Captain Caveperson" is especially so. Normally we'd say that our only complaint is that the brevity of the track left us wanting to hear more, but this one is the perfect length for the song. Night Court have packed a whole lot into sixty-six seconds.
Jiffy says of the band's latest single:
"A lot of the lyrics I write are about how fucked up the world is and how depressed it makes me but/so for this one I wanted to inject a bit of positivity and self affirmation theory into them. In my job, like lots of jobs, I have to fix things sometimes and no matter how big or small the issue is, the sense of accomplishment I get afterwards is a real dopamine injection! The video on the other hand is much less serious. Our buddy/photographer Tyler McLeod and I had cooked up a rough script for a video that we had plans to shoot but then he got covid so we basically scrapped that idea, recycled some footage he had from another video and boom! Basically ended up with something worthy of late night Comedy Central and/or MTV."
You can watch the video for "Captain Caveperson" below. $HIT MACHINE is due out November 1 on Recess Records. For more on Night Court, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.
Will Dailey is both a legendary Boston singer-songwriter and one of the most underrated artists around today. His latest single, "Make Another Me," is one of the most compelling songs released this year. It's a relatively simple alt-rock singer-songwriter track driven by Dailey's vocals as well as a guest appearance by Juliana Hatfield. The song has a gentle vibe while still filled with deep angst and emotion. It's the heart on his sleeves emotions that makes "Make Another Me" such an impactful song. The song has such a mesmerizingly beautiful touch, and then switches over to a harder rock sound while keeping the gentle sound intact. Will Dailey has outdone himself with this one.
Will Dailey says of his new single:
“I’m occasionally haunted by all the information we give away—we now give away our biological information, too. Sometimes I think they just need to get on with it and make us duplicates of ourselves to help cope.”
You can listen to "Make Another Me" below. Boys Talking will only be available on Will Dailey's website and Bandcamp, and will not be released on streaming services. For more on Will Dailey, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
Oct 8 Portland House Of Music and Events, Portland, ME*
The Dumpies are a punk band that formed in Austin, TX back in 2017 and are now based in Oregon. Their latest single, "00:00," is a fast and noisy burst of DIY punk that is over in less than a minute. It's fast, it's loud, and it's fun, and it's over far too soon. Somehow, The Dumpies have put together a song that is as catchy as it is noisy, and just as you decide that you love it... it's over. On the plus side, after you listen to "00:00," you'll definitely be wanting to hear more from The Dumpies and will have plenty of time to do so.
You can watch the video for "00:00" below. Gay Boredom is due out October 19 on Dirt Cult Records, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on The Dumpies, check out the band's website.
We know Girl with a Hawk as a band that combines garage rock, New Wave, and 90's alt-rock into a killer sound. With their latest single, the Boston band moves into a more Americana/countrified sound. "#Vote (Rock the Boat)" gently implores the listener to use their vote this November by actually voting. Based on the title, it's safe to assume this is a political song, and you'd be correct. It's a lot more quiet than the typical Girl with a Hawk song, but that just makes hearing the message a little easier. The song is complete with harmonica by Jim Fitting of Treat Her Right and Session Americana, and shows off a side of Linda Vien's band that we haven't seen previously.
Linda Viens says of her latest single:
“The lyrics of ‘#VOTE’ retain a kind of neutrality, in that ‘sides’ are not taken, there is no reference to ‘right’ or ‘left’. But we hope the video underscores the political and cultural ethos inherent in the lyrics in a more direct way; emphasizing the ideas of liberty, justice and freedom for all."
You can listen to "#Vote (Rock the Boat)" below. For more on Girl with a Hawk, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.
At first, the latest single from The Addition sounds like your standard 90's inspired hard rock song. But then the Boston band changes things up, and "Shows On Repeat" gets much more interesting. The song doesn't make any major changes, but with a slight tweak it goes from a typical rocker to something that sounds like if Radiohead had decided to go heavier instead of more experimental. The resulting track shows just how interesting of a band The Addition are. Not many bands decide to change up the breakdown of a song and make everything weirder instead of just ramping up to get heavier, but most bands aren't The Addition.
You can listen to "Shows On Repeat" below. For more on The Addition, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.
One thing Boston has been specializing in for decades are killer power pop bands. The Daylilies are no exception, and they've just released a brand new single. "Pétillant" is a pure sonic delight. It's a cheery and bouncy single that is just a burst of fun in auditory form. It's keyboard heavy in the best possible way. In fact, the keyboards might be even more infectious than the chorus, and that is saying quite a bit. Singer Laura England Klain has a seemingly magical ability to suck the listener in and not let go until the song ends. "Pétillant" is a perfect blend of New Wave and power pop, with just the slightest shades of garage rock.
Guitarist Ad Frank says of the band's new single:
"The song is clearly about all of us coming back together after Covid to reclaim what we had and make it better-and make ourselves kinder, except I didn't know that until I saw the video. I never know what songs are about until I see the video!"
You can listen to for "Pétillant" below. The single is out now on The Sound Cove. For more on The Daylilies, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.
Parts Per Million are a rarity in the Boston music scene. They're a straight up hard rock band without any pretention or desire to be hip. Their latest single, "Her Song," is a melodic hard rock song with the message that women's reproductive rights are everyone's reproductive rights. Parts Per Million have a sound that reminds me of the hard rock of the mid 90's, when alt-rock started creeping in but before nu-metal took over. It's kind of like Quicksand and John Bush era Anthrax, but with some of the theatricality of Bang Camaro. If you're looking for a straight up rocker with politics that aren't far right, check out Parts Per Million.
Vocalist/guitarist Paul Mcsweeney says of the band's latest single:
“These are our sisters. Our daughters. Our mothers. Our friends. Our wives and lovers. No one should be allowed to dictate what someone else does with their own body. Period. This is everyone's fight.”
You can watch the video for "Her Song" below. For more on Parts Per Million, check out the band's website.
Philadelphia's Ghais Guevara has a new single, and a new, fresh take on hip hop. "Leprosy" doesn't live in the worlds of modern or classic hip hop, but its own world and its own sound. Guevara's flow is over almost the entire song, ignoring the usual verse/chorus/verse song structure. "Leprosy" is almost all verse, with the chorus almost melding into the rest of the song. Musically, it's much more quiet and DIY feeling than any other rap song I've heard. And the music is pretty, sounding almost classical or cinematic mixed with video game music. Ghais Guevara is an exciting artist that you're going to want to check out as soon as you can.
Ghais Guevara says of his latest single:
"This song was inspired by multiple nights in NYC following shows. The main character moments. The glow in her eyes and the haze in yours. You’re not on speaking terms with any of them now. There’s a lesson in humility somewhere in there if you search for it."
You can listen to "Leprosy" below. The single is out now via Fat Possum Records. For more on Ghais Guevara, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook.
The latest from Phoebe Rings might be the purest form of dream pop you can imagine. "Cheshire" has that upbeat quality you associate with dream pop, and has the Stereolab meets Belly vibe that their previous single also had. It's an absolutely gorgeous track that truly feels like the haze of a dream. For a song that could have been perfectly delightful as a surface level pop song, "Cheshire" weaves in unexpected instrumentation and is more complex after each listen. Phoebe Rings seem adept at crafting some of the most earworm worthy songs out there, but when they're this amazing, you surely won't mind.
Crystal Choi says of her band's latest single:
“‘Chesire’ is about my battle of not being able to accept myself the way I am, and dreaming of a day where I reconcile and embrace myself (where I could 'dance with the mirror'). There are hints of life where that actually happens, but it kinda smiles and disappears, like the Cheshire cat. I was right in the middle of listening to heaps of Stereolab whom I still love, and hence the influence of the arrangement.”
You can listen to "Cheshire" below. Phoebe Rings' self-titled debut EP is due out October 18 on Carpark Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on the band, check out their website.
