Avery Friedman - "Photo Booth"

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Photo by Mamie Heldman

Back in January we loved Avery Friedman's single "Flowers Fell," with its mixture of indie rock, indie folk, and bedroom pop. Her latest single, "Photo Booth," is more of the same, but with a stronger lean towards the pop side of things. Friedman isn't going quite all pop with her new single, though. There is still a strong undercurrent of indie rock noise and a DIY ethos going throughout "Photo Booth." It kind of makes me think of if early Beck wanted to be a pop singer. It's much noisier and disjointed (in the best possible way) than your typical pop song, which just keeps things more interesting. 

Avery Friedman says of her latest single:

“I wrote this song after a vibrant night out with my friends last winter – a night memorialized by many chaotic photo booth strips. Something about the novelty, containment and ephemerality of a photo booth just invites a sort of flirtatious mischief. This night out in particular felt like an encapsulation of spin-the-bottle-type ‘second adolescence’ that many queer people experience when coming into themselves after their adolescent years pass. This song came into itself when we decentered my guitar, and surrendered to the more chaotic, pop-adjacent production it was asking for.”

You can listen to "Photo Booth" below. New Thing is due out April 18, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Avery Friedman, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook.

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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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. ...
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The Freqs - "Witch"

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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
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Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

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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 . 
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