Matt Pryor & The Salton Sea - "The Dishonesty"

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Photo by Michael Dubin

While many people in the realm of punk release solo albums, they tend to be along the lines of acoustic/folky songs. That's not the case with Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids), who just released a new single under the moniker Matt Pryor & The Salton Sea. "The Dishonesty" may have acoustic elements, but it's a straight up rock song with nary a hint of The Get Up Kids' Midwest emo sound. Longtime fans of Pryor's are going to find a lot to love in "The Dishonesty," as it is slightly emo adjacent. It's a little more chill than we're used to from Pryor while still being upbeat and almost pogo worthy.

Matt Pryor says of his latest single:

“This is a song about lying and hurting the people you love when you’re in the throes of addiction. I think Josh [Berwanger, director of the video for "The Dishonesty] really captured the insanity of how that feels." 

You can watch the video for "The Dishonesty" below. The Salton Sea is due out November 14 on Nightshoes Syndicate/Big Scary Monsters, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Matt Pryor & The Salton Sea, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook.

On Repeat...

Minibeast - "High Sea"

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Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
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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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Midnight Peg - "Thirstland"

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Photo by Cecil Sykes Midnight Peg are an Edmonton, AB based band that are referred to as "madhouse punk." Their latest single, "Thirstland," is a just barely under control two minute burst of punk. You have guitar riffs that will make you think of At the Drive In, and somewhat spoken and yelled vocals which create a feeling of chaos throughout. This is a loud and angry track that is completely in your face. But, unlike most tracks this loud and punk based, "Thirstland" still keeps a sense of art in their music. Midnight Peg feel like a higher class of loud, angry punk rock. This one is great, with just enough of an emo undercurrent to make the song kind of melodic and almost palatable to a mainstream audience. You can listen to "Thirstland" below. Skinning is due out in October on Thousand Island Records. For more on Midnight Peg, check out the artist's website .
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