Japanese Breakfast - "Orlando in Love"

By -

Photo by Pak Bae

Japanese Breakfast is one of those artists we haven't covered anywhere near enough, so we're making a plan to change that this year. Luckily Michelle Zauner is releasing a new album this Spring which will make it much easier for us. This marks the band's first proper studio album (previous ones were recorded in improvised set ups in warehouses), and the first single is "Orlando in Love." This new song is an absolutely lush and gorgeous track. It holds the kind of beauty that is nearly painful, and packs almost an entire album's worth of sound and emotion into two and a half minutes. We've obviously been aware and enjoyed Japanese Breakfast for a while now, but it's well past time to fully board the bandwagon.

You can watch the video for "Orlando in Love" below. For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) is due out March 24 on Dead Oceans, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Japanese Breakfast, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below, and include a Boston date on May 7 at MGM Music Hall at Fenway.


Apr 12 & 19 - Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival

Apr 23 - Austin, TX @ Moody Theater (ACL Live) *

Apr 24 - Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom

Apr 26 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle *

Apr 27 - Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore *

Apr 28 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *

May 3 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore *

May 5 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall *

May 7 - Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway *

May 9 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount *

May 16 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Met *

Jun 24 - Oslo @ Rockefeller

Jun 25 - Stockholm @ Filadelfia

Jun 26 - Copenhagen @ VEGA

Jun 29 - Manchester @ Academy 1

Jun 30 - Glasgow @ Barrowland

Jul 3 - London @ O2 Academy Brixton

Jul 4-6 - Ewijk @ Down The Rabbit Hole 2025

Jul 8 - Paris @ Le Trianon

Jul 10-12 - Bilbao, ES @ Bilbao BBK Live

Aug 20 - San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre *

Aug 28 - San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic *

Aug 30 - Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater *

Sep 1 - Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theater *

Sep 9 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory *

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

By -
Image
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. ...
Read more

Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

By -
Image
How is Dutch ReBelle not a national superstar at this point? The Boston MC just released "GOONIEZ," and I know I'm a bit out of touch with current mainstream hip hop, but this song is absolutely killer. It's a stripped down hip hop song that has this futuristic space age sound to it. Plus, ReBelle's flow is unsurpassed. You can't listen to her and not be completely sucked in. The song has a feel reminiscent of classic Missy Elliott. As much as I love that we can still see Dutch ReBelle in smaller Boston venues, "GOONIEZ" proves she should be playing much larger venues nationwide very, very soon. You can watch the video for "GOONIEZ" below. For more on Dutch ReBelle, check out the artist's website . 
Read more

The Freqs - "Witch"

By -
Image
Photo via Facebook When you're a rock band from Salem, MA, you have to have at least one song about witchcraft. The Freqs have fulfilled their obligation with a banger of a song. "Witch" is this giant monster of a song, filled with fuzz and strained, screaming vocals. This is the type of song that doesn't usually exist in this century. It's giving me some serious 90's flashbacks, like if Hum got aggressive or Alice in Chains decided to do some damage on the college charts. As great as the vocals are in "Witch," what's really drawing me in is the instrumental break down that takes over about halfway through. This is the kind of song to make the hipsters and the headbangers equally excited. You can listen to "Witch" below. For more on The Freqs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . The Freqs · Witch
Read more