At this point we'll check out anything Laura Jane Grace is involved in. Her solo music tends to live along the border of punk and folk depending on the mood. Grace's latest solo song, "Dysphoria Hoodie," lands more on the folk side of her repertoire. It's just Grace and her acoustic guitar for a song that's a little bit ramblin' and a little bit folk-punk. (Hey, it's Laura Jane Grace. Pretty much anything she does is going to have at least a little bit of a punk edge to it...) As usual, this is a great song showcasing one of the things Grace does best.
Laura Jane Grace says of her new single:
“This is a song about gender dysphoria and your favourite hooded sweatshirt. Any trans person out there knows what a dysphoria hoodie is — it’s the hoodie you wear when feeling low and dysphoric and you don’t want the world reading your gender. Hide your body shape, hide your head, disappear as much as you can. Wrap yourself up in it like a blanket anywhere you go. Make your flesh become cotton. Instant protection from the outside world. My dysphoria hoodie happens to be an Adidas hoodie, so yes, this is in fact really just a tribute song to my favourite Adidas hoodie.”
You can watch the visualizer for "Dysphoria Hoodie" below. The single is out now via Polyvinyl Record Co., with an album announcement forthcoming. For more on Laura Jane Grace, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
OCTOBER 29 — Gainesville, FL — The FEST (Vivid Music Hall)
NOVEMBER 08—13 — Miami, FL — Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise
DECEMBER 28 — St. Louis, MO — Off Broadway 29 — Lawrence, KS — Granada Theatre 31 — Denver, CO — The Marquis
JANUARY 2024 02 — Omaha, NE — Slowdown 03 — Minneapolis, MN — Cloudland 06 — Madison, WI — Joey’s Song Benefit
Lately Squirrel Flower has been delving into a more rock based sound, and Ella Williams' latest single fits that sound perfectly. "Intheskatepark" could have been your standard folk-adjacent indie rock song, especially as Williams' vocals seem to be more along the lines of singer-songwriter style music than a hard rocker. But there's this fuzzed out guitar throughout the entire song that isn't quite grunge or punk, but does dance right along the line of those genres. It gives the song an indie rock and DIY feel we haven't typically heard with Squirrel Flower.
Ella Williams says of her latest single:
“I wrote this song in 2019 on a little toy synthesizer. To me, this song is everlasting summer — even as things change, seasons, feelings, relationships, you can still try and feel the perfect lightness of summer, of a new crush, of a pop riff. It's best listened to while biking around in the sunshine.”
You can listen to "Intheskatepark" below. Tomorrow's Fire is due out October 13 on Polyvinyl, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Squirrel Flower, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
Thu. Oct. 19 - Detroit, MI @ Lager House % Fri. Oct. 20 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern % Sat. Oct. 21 - Toronto, ON @ Monarch Tavern ~% Sun. Oct. 22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Hall ~% Tue. Oct. 24 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall &% Thu. Oct. 26 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom &% Fri. Oct. 27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club % Sat. Oct. 28 - Washington, DC @ DC9 &% Sat. Nov. 4 - Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Sun. Nov. 5 - Brighton, UK @ The Hope and Ruin Mon. Nov. 6 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Tue. Nov. 7 - Manchester, UK @ Gullivers Thu. Nov. 9 - Edinburgh, UK @ Voodoo Rooms Sat. Nov. 11 - London, UK @ Pitchfork Music Festival London - EartH (Downstairs) Mon. Nov. 13 - Paris, FR @ Supersonic Wed. Nov. 15 - Rotterdam, NL @ V11 Thu. Nov. 16 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique Sat. Nov. 18 - Berlin, DE @ Lark Sat. Jan. 20 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry ^ Sun. Jan. 21 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge ^ Tue. Jan. 23 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge ^ Thu. Jan. 25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court ^ Fri. Jan. 26 - Boise, ID @ The Shredder ^ Sat. Jan. 27 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios ^ Mon. Jan. 29 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s Wed. Jan. 31 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill ^ Fri. Feb. 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room * Sat. Feb. 3 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room * Sun. Feb. 4 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge * Tue. Feb. 6 - Austin, TX @ The Ballroom ∞ Wed. Feb. 7 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada ∞ Thu. Feb. 8 - Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge ¢ Fri. Feb. 9 - St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill Duck Room ¢ Sat. Feb. 10 - Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records - Blue Room ¢ Mon. Feb. 12 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade - Purgatory ¢ Wed. Feb. 14 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle - Back Room ¢ Thu. Feb. 15 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel ¢ Fri. Feb. 16 - Woodstock, NY @ Colony ¢ Sat. Feb. 17 - Amherst, MA @ The Drake ¢ % w/ Truth Club ~ w/ Merce Lemon & w/ Knifeplay ^ w/ Goon * w/ Cryogeyser ∞ w/ alexalone ¢ w/ Greg Mendez
Squirrel Flower (aka Chicago based artist Ella Williams) has been making indie folk for a while, but her latest singles show her moving in a more rock oriented direction. Last month's "Full Time Job" could best be described as neo-grunge. Her latest, "Alley Light," takes a step back a bit but is still a rock song. It has the anthemic feel of a Bruce Springsteen song backed by a wall of indie rock noise. It's quite removed from Williams' previous music, but it still fits right in with the albums that came before. It's a bit of an unexpected turn while still sounding like a song from Squirrel Flower.
Ella Williams says of her new single:
"This song is about the man in me, or a man who I love, or a man who is a stranger to me. The video references a neo-noir Chicago heist movie where they use this thermal metal contraption to cut into a safe. They run around the city making sparks fly and getting up to no good. I wanted to do all that."
You can watch the video for "Alley Light" below. Tomorrow's Fire is due out October 13 on Polyvinyl, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Squirrel Flower, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Thu. Aug. 24 - Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed $ Thu. Oct. 19 - Detroit, MI @ Lager House % Fri. Oct. 20 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern % Sat. Oct. 21 - Toronto, ON @ Monarch Tavern ~ Sun. Oct. 22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Hall ~ Tue. Oct. 24 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall & Thu. Oct. 26 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom & Fri. Oct. 27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club % Sat. Oct. 28 - Washington, DC @ DC9 & Sat. Nov. 4 - Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Sun. Nov. 5 - Brighton, UK @ The Hope and Ruin Mon. Nov. 6 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Tue. Nov. 7 - Manchester, UK @ Gullivers Thu. Nov. 9 - Edinburgh, UK @ Voodoo Rooms Sat. Nov. 11 - London, UK @ Pitchfork Music Festival London - EartH (Downstairs) Mon. Nov. 13 - Paris, FR @ Supersonic Wed. Nov. 15 - Rotterdam, NL @ V11 Thu. Nov. 16 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique Sat. Nov. 18 - Berlin, DE @ Lark Sat. Jan. 20 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry ^ Sun. Jan. 21 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge ^ Tue. Jan. 23 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge ^ Thu. Jan. 25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court ^ Fri. Jan. 26 - Boise, ID @ The Shredder ^ Sat. Jan. 27 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios ^ Mon. Jan. 29 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s Wed. Jan. 31 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill ^ Fri. Feb. 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room * Sat. Feb. 3 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room * Sun. Feb. 4 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge * Tue. Feb. 6 - Austin, TX @ The Ballroom ∞ Wed. Feb. 7 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada ∞ Thu. Feb. 8 - Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge ¢ Fri. Feb. 9 - St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill Duck Room ¢ Sat. Feb. 10 - Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records - Blue Room ¢ Mon. Feb. 12 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade - Purgatory ¢ Wed. Feb. 14 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle - Back Room ¢ Thu. Feb. 15 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel ¢ Fri. Feb. 16 - Woodstock, NY @ Colony ¢ Sat. Feb. 17 - Amherst, MA @ The Drake ¢ $ w/ Beach Bunny % w/ Truth Club ~ w/ Merce Lemon & w/ Knifeplay ^ w/ Goon * w/ Cryogeyser ∞ w/ alexalone ¢ w/ Greg Mendez
It's pretty obvious we're enamored with the music of Squirrel Flower. Ella Williams' musical project has long been a favorite around here, and her style of indie folk meets indie rock is perfect for us. Her latest single, "Full Time Job," fits right into Squirrel Flowers' catalog, but this is decidedly a rock song. Once the guitars kick in, the song becomes much more neo-grunge than indie folk. It's an unexpected stylistic change, but one that makes perfect sense. "Full Time Job" rocks more than what we're used to from Williams while still sounding like a Squirrel Flower song.
You can watch the video for "Full Time Job" below. Tomorrow's Fire is due out October 13 on Polyvinyl, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Squirrel Flower, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Fri. July 21 - Lexington, KY @ The Burl * Wed. July 26 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway * Fri. Aug. 4 - Sun. Aug. 6 - Green Lake, WI @ Avrom Farm Party Thu. Oct. 19 - Detroit, MI @ Lager House $ Fri. Oct. 20 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern $# Sat. Oct. 21 - Toronto, ON @ Monarch Tavern $# Sun. Oct. 22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Hall $ Tue. Oct. 24 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall $^ Thu. Oct. 26 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom $ Fri. Oct. 27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club $ Sat. Oct. 28 - Washington, DC @ DC 9 $^ Sat. Nov. 4 - Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Sun. Nov. 5 - Brighton, UK @ The Hope and Ruin Mon. Nov. 6 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Tue. Nov. 7 - Manchester, UK @ Gullivers Thu. Nov. 9 - Glasgow, UK @ McChuills Sat. Nov. 11 - Pitchfork Music Festival London @ EartH (Downstairs) Mon. Nov. 13 - Paris, FR @ Supersonic Wed. Nov. 15 - Rotterdam, NL @ V11 Thu. Nov. 16 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique Sat. Nov. 18 - Berlin, DE @ Lark Sat. Jan. 20 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry % Sun. Jan. 21 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge % Tue. Jan. 23 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge % Thu. Jan. 25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court % Fri. Jan. 26 - Boise, ID @ The Shredder % Sat. Jan. 27 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios % Mon. Jan. 29 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s Wed. Jan. 31 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill % Fri. Feb. 2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room & Sat. Feb. 3 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room & Sun. Feb. 4 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge & Tue. Feb. 6 - Austin, TX @ The Ballroom + Wed. Feb. 7 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada + Thu. Feb. 8 - Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic + Sat. Feb. 10 - Nashville, TN @ Blue Room at Third Man + Mon. Feb. 12 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Purgatory Wed. Feb. 14 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle Back Room Thu. Feb. 15 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel Fri. Feb. 16 - Woodstock, NY @ Colony Sat. Feb. 17 - Amherst, MA @ The Drake * supporting Hurray for the Riff Raff $ w/ Truth Club # w/ Merce Lemon ^ w/ Knifeplay % w/ Goon & w/ Cryogeyser + w/ Alexalone
Palehound has been making the kind of music that straddles the line between indie rock and folk, and since that's kind of our sweet spot here, we've always been a fan of theirs. Their latest single, "Independence Day," is pure indie rock, but with a little Americana twist. It's a break up song, but a break up song that is bouncy and almost joyous sounding. There's also a ton of pop here, despite how jangly the song may sound. This seems to be the year that a lot of our favorites are leveling up and making great albums that have mainstream crossover appeal while staying true to what has always made them great, and from what we've heard so far Palehound might be right there with their upcoming album.
El Kempner says of their new single:
“The ending of a relationship that spanned the majority of my twenties illuminated a forked road that daunted me. In the aftermath of our breakup, I found myself dwelling on what that other life would have been like and who I would have become had we chosen differently, or even if circumstance or tragedy had chosen for us.”
You can watch the video for "Independence Day" below. Eye on the Bat is due out July 14 on Polyvinyl Record Co., and is available for pre-order here. For more on Palehound, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
I have to admit that I'm not at all familiar with Rowland S. Howard or his song "Shivers." Released as a single for Howard and Nick Cave's band The Boys Next Door, fellow Julia Jacklin recorded a version for a tribute to Australian producer Tony Cohen. Jacklin's version stays quite faithful to the original, just maybe not quite as dark. (At least as not dark as a song can be when the opening line is "I've been contemplating suicide.") It's still a sparse song that is kind of like a post-punk singer/songwriter track, but Jacklin's vocals seem to elevate the song. Is it even possible for any song not to benefit from her voice? It's a powerful song made even more compelling by Jacklin.
Julia Jacklin says of the song:
“It’s been covered a lot, but it’s a special one for me. It was one of the first songs I ever learnt to play. Many Sydney bars, venues and open mic nights have heard me sing this song. Howard wrote it at 16 and I’ve always loved how much the lyrics capture that type of unbridled, dramatic teenage infatuation. The kind that physically hurts but also makes you laugh at yourself.”
You can listen to Julia Jacklin's version of "Shivers" below. The song is available as a single via Polyvinyl. For more on Julia Jacklin, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
Following up on last year's excellent Nothing's Ever Fine, Oceanator has just released a new single, "Part Time." Elise Okusami's musical project has always been a little punk and a little pop, and this new song fits that description perfectly. There has been a movement lately where lines between rock and pop are completely blurred, and "Part Time" is a prime example of that. It's almost too catchy to be considered rock, but there is too much indie rock guitar here to not be rock. There's also a surprising amount of 1960's style rock here, particularly surf rock. It's also very early Weezer-esque, and that's never a bad thing. Oceanator's music is just a pure celebration, even when the subject matter seems to be a bit darker.
You can listen to "Part Time" below. The song is available as a single via Polyvinyl Records. For more on Oceanator, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram.
The latest from Palehound shows El Kemper's project sounding nothing like we'd come to expect. "My Evil" starts off in a fairly standard way. It's not quite folk, an it's not quite indie rock. The song exists in the realm in between that is what we've come to love from Palehound. But then the song's chorus comes in boldly with much more low end than expected. It's such a dark turn and creates a truly cinematic sound for "My Evil." Kemper is an artist that is starting to come fully into their own, and is confident enough to make such surprising moves. The best musical explorations tend to keep true to what fans love about a band, and just expanding that musical universe.
El Kempner says of their new song:
“'My Evil' is about the extremely humbling experience of realizing that yes, you Are the asshole. I found myself acting in ways I was ashamed of, and realizing how capable I was of hurting somebody when I was trying so hard not to. Sometimes when you try so hard to be a 'good person' you’re actually swinging so far and recklessly that you make a full circle back to being a shithead. It can be very hard to forgive yourself, and this song is a portrait of that struggle for me.”
You can watch the video for "My Evil" below. Eye on the Bat is due out July 14 on Polyvinyl, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Palehound, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
It feels like it's been a long time since we've heard from Palehound, but they are back with a new single and an upcoming album. "The Clutch" is everything we have come to love about El Kempner's musical project while adding even more to love. This new song combines classic indie rock with the more modern style that leans more heavily into pop. It's all fuzzy guitars and crashing drums. The song shows even more maturity from Kempner, although there is a sense of desperation in the song. When you hear it, there's a sense of catharsis in Kempner's vocals, and they definitely went through a lot in the process of this song. If you tend to like music that could very well inspire anxiety, you're going to want to check out "The Clutch."
El Kempner says of their new song:
"'The Clutch' is the very first song I wrote for this album, back in 2020 right when lockdown started. I had been on a tour that was sliced in half by the onset of the pandemic and we had to apocalypse road trip back to New York across the country from Oregon, where our next show had been scheduled for. While that was happening, I was also having a triggering romantic experience with somebody I didn't know too well, and by the time I got home my whole body seemed to be spinning in turmoil. Writing and producing this song grounded me and helped me process a new future and self that I hadn't anticipated.”
You can watch the video for "The Clutch" below. Eye on the Bat is due out July 14 on Polyvinyl, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Palehound, check out the artist's website.
