Magic Fig - "Valerian Tea"

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Photo by Kittie Krivacic

Psych-pop supergroup Magic Fig (featuring members of The Umbrellas, Healing Potpourri, Almond Joy, Whitney's Playland, and Blades of Joy) sounds like what I'd expect a band from San Francisco to sound like in 2025. Their latest single, "Valerian Tea," has some deep roots in the glory days of 1960's psychedelia, the organs of vintage garage rock, and its all wrapped up in some modern indie pop. The song seems to float around the listener, undergoing sonic and tempo changes, while creating a surprisingly complicated yet poppy sound. If The Flaming Lips ever decided to reboot their Music Against Brain Degeneration tour, Magic Fig could be their very first call. 

Inna Showalter (vocals/mellotron) says of her band's new single:

“Valerian root extract was a popular remedy for anxiety and insomnia in Eastern Europe where I was born, The song is an exploration of how I was shaped and influenced by the experiences of my maternal lineage. This one was really fun and effortless for me and gave me the chance to experiment and take some risks.”

You can listen to "Valerian Tea" below. The album Valerian Tea is due out November 21 on Exploding in Sound, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Magic Fig, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.

On Repeat...

The New Limits - "Normal Day"

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Photo via Facebook According to their Bandcamp profile, The New Limits are a "Boston ska band with a taste for rocksteady, reggae, soul, and rock n roll." They just released a single that shows off their sound perfectly. "Normal Day" is a laid back ska song dripping with soul. You know that joke that goes around every few months saying that ska is the sound that plays in a twelve year old's head when they get an extra mozzarella stick? The New Limits are the grown up version of that sound. This is ska/rocksteady for adults. It's ultra chilled out music with some of the best horns in the city. Even if you haven't listened to ska since your youth, you need to check out "Normal Day." This might help re-open the entire genre to you. The New Limits say of their latest single: " What is normal, anyway? Some of us just want a nine-to-five. Others cry at the thought. 'Normal Day' has nothing to do with quarantine and lots to do with figuri...
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The Beths - "Mother, Pray for Me"

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Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it.   “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
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Brennen Leigh - "Dumpster Diving"

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Photo by Lyza Renee Brennen Leigh has quickly become a favorite of ours, with her take on a classic country sound with a slight sense of humor. Her latest single, "Dumpster Diving," which she describes as a "trashy little tune," is everything we love about the musician. It's a vintage style country song that comes in at a punk like one minute, forty-eight seconds. With a chorus of "Dumpster diving, this ain't gonna last / Dumpster diving, 'cause baby you like trash..." how can you possibly resist. Leigh's latest gives us a decades old sound with modern sensibilities and her fantastic voice that's tailor made for this genre of music. It's almost like a collaboration between Loretta Lynn and Shel Silverstein, and who doesn't want to hear that? You can hear "Dumpster Diving" below. Don't You Ever Give Up On Love  is due out October 3 on Signature Sounds, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Brennen Leigh,...
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