Atlanta's girlpuppy continues to make music that doesn't squarely fit into a single genre. Becca Harvey's latest single, "Teenage Dream," comes the closest to folk pop, but that barely contains the song. It's far too synth heavy, although it's nothing like New Wave. There are even hints of indie rock noise that come bubbling up, but nowhere near enough to be truly indie rock. It's the kind of song that could easily just be a light and breaazy alt-pop song if you only listened to it in the background, but "Teenage Dream" has a lot going on when you pay attention.
Becca Harvey says of her new song:
"The song’s about a guy I lead on who looks like Keanu Reeves, and it’s the first one we made for the album. It was, in part, inspired by Caroline Polachek, who said in an interview that her lyrics for 'Bunny Is A Rider' make no real sense, and that they just sounded good to sing. Similarly, the chorus lyrics to teenage dream don’t make much sense, but I do enjoy singing them. An important detail: I’m talking to my puppy Obi at the beginning, and you can hear him barking at the end.”
You can watch the video for "Teenage Dream" below. When I'm Alone is due out October 28 on Royal Mountain Records and can be pre-saved/pre-ordered here. For more on girlpuppy, check out the artist's website.
With the last two girlpuppy singles, Becca Harvey has been straying more into the worlds of indie rock and indie pop and away from her indie folk roots. "Destroyer" goes back in the direction of folk, but it's certainly not leaving her pop side behind. The song is this mesmerizing song that seems to be pulling between being laid back and upbeat. Harvey's vocals are simply hypnotic. "Destroyer" dances on the border of twee, occasionally dipping in without fully committing. Harvey even adds a little twang to the guitar at times that helps keep the song in the universe of folk. girlpuppy is quickly becoming one of the more intriguing new artists out there today.
Becca Harvey says of her new single:
“I wrote this song in Philadelphia after reading the novel Daisy Jones and The Six. There’s one part of the book where the character Billy Dunne considers kissing a woman outside of his marriage. He acknowledges that if he decided to make that one small decision it would ruin everything else about his life. I consider this kind of thing “The Destroyer,” the one thing you do that could ruin everything else. It’s a song about me also having that opportunity, but deciding against it. It was the first song that producer Sam Acchione and I felt really solid about. (In fact, it's the song that made me know that Sam would be the perfect producer for When I'm Alone.)"
You can watch the video for "Destroyer" below. When I'm Alone is due out October 28 on Royal Mountain Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on girlpuppy, check out the artist's website.
Girlpuppy's songs have always been heartbreakingly beautiful, but her latest is just on a new level. "I Want to Be There" fits Becca Harvey's indie pop sound with more than a little bit of dream pop wistfulness. Harvey's vocals seem to anchor the song while the instruments meander around, almost lost. "I Want to Be There" sounds much more organic than a lot of other indie pop songs. It's not quite folk, but it's also not not folk. Girlpuppy is already a master of songs that sound like a close friend is taking you aside and entrusting you with a deep secret. This one is certainly not an exception.
Becca Harvey says of the new single:
"I wrote 'I Want To Be There' about the pain I felt when my old landlord kicked me and three of my best friends out of our dream home, and all three of my roommates moved to New York.
"I was left all alone
in Atlanta and it was a really bad time for me. I was jobless and I felt like I
had no friends which made me wonder what was wrong with me, which kind of made
me spiral into self-hatred. I like to call this one the 'self hate anthem' of
the album."
You can watch the video for "I Want to Be There" below. When I'm Alone is due out October 28 on Royal Mountain Records. For more on Girlpuppy, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter.
Last year we got sucked into girlpuppy's debut EP Swan, so we're obviously thrilled that Becca Harvey has her musical project's debut album coming out. The first single from that album, "Wish," has that combination of indie folk, indie rock, and pop that we loved with girlpuppy's previous releases. "Wish" is a little more guitar heavy and amps up the indie rock side of things, so obviously no complaints here. It's filled with Harvey's gorgeous slacker vocals, fuzzy guitars, and just a mesmerizing, dreamlike vibe throughout. It's an upbeat hazy song perfect for this heatwave we're going through up here in New England.
Becca Harvey says of her new single:
“On 'Wish' I was thinking about when friends leave your life and you're not entirely sure why. It's a pretty universal feeling, I think. And, the thing is—even if you managed to live in the walls of that person's apartment and were able to figure it out, their reasons might not make total sense. This song is me living with that feeling, when loss just doesn't quite add up. This is the first shoegaze rock song I’ve made and I did that intentionally—the emotions in the song go from anger to sadness to nostalgia and all the other emotions that you feel when you go through a 'friend breakup.' I imagined it being really cathartic to play it live.”
You can watch the video for "Wish" below. When I'm Alone is due out October 28 on Royal Mountain Records. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on girlpuppy, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter.
girlpuppy (aka Atlanta's Becca Harvey) has been making music that blurs the line between folk, pop, and indie since the pandemic began. On her latest single, she's no longer blurring anything and is diving straight into the world of pop... or at the least alt-pop. "I Miss When I Smelled Like You" is just a pure pop song. It's that kind of light and breezy pop song that is absolutely perfect for summer. It's the sonic equivalent of alight breeze that's just enough to take the edge off the heat and lets you be comfortable for a few glorious seconds. Even if you're like me and try to pretend you hate pop, "I Miss When I Smelled Like You" is a must listen.
Becca Harvey says of girlpuppy's new single:
“This song is much more pop-based–it’s so different from what I’ve made in the past and what I’ll make in the future. For 'I Miss When I Smelled Like You' I was looking to create a summer anthem that people would dance to. It’s inspired by Stevie Nicks, HAIM, and my own experience of missing spending every single day with my ex. It’s a breakup song, but it’s not depressing. I knew he’d be a great fit because he’s so good at coming up with catchy melodies that get stuck in your head. I think people will 100% dance to it!"
You can watch the video for "I Miss When I Smelled Like You" below. The song is available as a single via Royal Mountain Records and can be found here. For more on girlpuppy, check out the artist's website.
"Hearts & Minds," the new single from Dublin's Pillow Queens," is a giant alt-rock anthem. This is the kind of song that borders the worlds of alt-rock and pop, but it is a little too guitar heavy to truly be pop. One of the things that helps elevate the song about the usual alt-rock anthems are the harmonies in the song. While the harmonies are beautiful and include guitars to match, there is definitely a rock edge to the song. I hate comparing any Irish band to U2, but "Hearts & Minds" remind me of U2's anthemic rock at its very best, but a little less clean cut. This is a beast of a song from a band poised to explode very soon.
Singer/guitarist Pamela Connolly says of the band's new song:
"'Hearts & Minds' is about experiencing the feeling of being a teenager again. The insecurities about body image and ability when it comes to being a musician that’s seeing themselves recorded and pictured, as well as commented on. It deals with the idea of imposter syndrome when it comes to an industry that favours the male form and the insecurity of not being able to be effortless with your movements."
You can listen to "Hearts & Minds" below. Leave the Light On is due out April 1 on Royal Mountain Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Pillow Queens, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
March 9th - Kilkenny, Ireland @ Set Theatre (Sold out) March 10th - Galway, Ireland @ Roisin Dubh (Sold out) March 11th - Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory (Sold out) March 12th - Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory (Sold out)
March 14th - SXSW March 15th - SXSW March 16th - SXSW March 17th - SXSW March 18th - SXSW March 19th - SXSW
March 23rd – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room March 24th – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge March 25th – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel SF March 27th – Seattle, WA @ Clock-out Lounge March 29th – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall March 30th – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios April 1st – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court April 2nd – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive April 4th – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Jr. April 6th – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club April 7th – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle April 9th – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern April 11th – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd April 12th – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s April 14th – New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge April 15th – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
May 3rd - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club May 5th - Manchester, UK @ Gorilla May 6th - Glasgow, Scotland @ Stereo May 7th - Newcastle, UK @ Cluny May 10th - Brighton, UK @ Chalk May 11th - London, UK @ Scala May 12th - Birmingham, UK @ The Castle and Falcon May 13th - Bristol, UK @ Thekla June 12th Berlin, Germany @ Tempelhof Festival July 2nd - Gdynia, Poland @ Open’er Festival October 1st - Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar St. October 2nd - Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar St. October 7th - Limerick, Ireland @ Dolan’s October 8th - Cork, Ireland @ Cyprus Avenue October 14th - Belfast, Ireland @ The Empire October 15th - Galway, Ireland @ The Roisin Dubh October 16th - Galway, Ireland @ The Roisin Dubh October 20th - Kilkenny, Ireland @ The Set Theatre
You can watch the video for "Crucified" below. The song is available as a single via Royal Mountain Records and can be streamed or downloaded here. For more on Sister Ray, check out the artist's Facebook and Twitter.
Post punk has been having a huge resurgence the past few years, but no one has been doing it quite like Cuffed Up. The Los Angeles based band just released a new single, "Bonnie." It's definitely a post punk song, but it shatters what you would normally consider to be the genre. There's an intensity throughout the entire song, even during the more melodic pop leaning parts. But the song doubles down on the noise with plenty of classic indie rock feedback and forces in some grunge style crunching guitar. Post punk isn't usually this heavy or hard rocking, and it never combines this level of heavy with pop hooks. Cuffed Up are going to have some serious buzz behind them sooner than later.
The band explains how the new song is inspired by an alternate timeline Bonnie and Clyde:
""Bonnie” is an anti-love anthem about the grief and pitfalls of a serious relationship crumbling due to lies and deceit. This is explored through the eyes of Bonnie (of Bonnie & Clyde fame), in an alternative universe where Clyde selfishly leaves Bonnie for dead. Bonnie is arrested and she decides to give Clyde up to the cops out of pure spite. Not because he left her in a dangerous situation — purely because of the end of their romantic, albeit toxic relationship."
You can watch the video for "Bonnie" below. Asymmetry is due out October 22 on Royal Mountain Records. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here. For more on Cuffed Up, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates opening for The Joy Formidable are below the video.
11/26 - The Crocodile - Seattle, WA 11/27 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR 11/29 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA 11/30 - The Roxy Theatre - Los Angeles, CA 12/02 - Crescent Ballroom - Phoenix, AZ 12/04 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO 12/05 - The Riot Room - Kansas City, MO 12/07 - Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN 12/09 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL 12/10 - A&R Music Hall - Columbus, OH 12/11 - Thunderbird Music Hall - Pittsburgh, PA 12/12 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC 12/13 - The Sinclair - Boston, MA 12/14 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY 12/16 - Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA 12/17 - Empire Underground - Albany, NY 12/18 - Higher Ground Showcase Lounge - Burlington, VT
Brooklyn's Gustaf have been blowing us away with their version of absurdly dance friendly post punk. The band's latest single, "The Motions," is a little bit more mellow, but it's still impossibly groovy. The song was inspired in part by Jonathan Richman's vocal delivery, which explains the laid back nature. It still has the bounce and fun of a B-52's song, but at the end it collapses in a cacophony of noise, much like The Dead Milkmen's "Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)."
In a press release, vocalist Lydia Gammill discusses the song:
"The song is about snapping between the perspective of your chaotic inner narrative while following the precut path of the world around you. Like when you’re strutting down the sidewalk to a song and your headphones slip off for a second to reveal the natural soundscape you’d been ignoring, realizing the world you had been wrapped up in is not the one shared by everyone else. Then you see that everyone with headphones is jumping between their own personal world and the reality they’re actually living in. I’ve found that if you walk around New York City without headphones, the streets are surprisingly silent. It’s us that add the cacophony of our own personal soundtracks."
You can watch the video for "The Motions" below. Audio Drag for Ego Slobs is due out October 1 on Royal Mountain Records. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here. For more on Gustaf, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
10/1 - Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor 10/2 - Knoxville, TN - Mill and Mine 10/3 - Cincinatti, OH - MOTR Pub 10/4 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern 10/6 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club 10/7 - Saint Paul, MN - Palace Theatre # 10/8 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre # 10/9 - Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew's Hall # 10/10 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall # 10/12 - Boston, MA - House of Blues # 10/13 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore # 10/15 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 # 10/16 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 # 10/17 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club # 10/18 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club # 10/20 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel # 10/21 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom # 10/22 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade - Heaven Stage # 10/25 - Austin, TX - Stubb's # 10/26 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater # 10/27 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger # 11/2 - Birmingham, UK - The Sunflower Lounge $ 11/3 - Bristol, UK - Rough Trade Bristol $ 11/4 - London, UK - The Dome $ 11/6 - Brighton, UK - Mutations Festival @ The Green Door Store 11/8 - Leeds, UK - Hyde Park Book Club $ 11/9 - Manchester, UK - YES (Pink Room) $ 11/10 - Liverpool, UK - Arts Club Loft $ 11/11 - London, UK - The Windmill, Brixton 11/13 - Utrecht, NL - Le Guess Who Festival 11/14 - Kortrijk, BE - Sonic City Festival 11/14 - Brussels, BE - Witloof Bar 11/16 - Berlin, DE - Cassiopeia 11/17 - Haldern, DE - Haldern Pop Bar 11/18 - Paris, FR - Les Femmes S'en Melent @ Petit Bain 11/19 - Lille, FR - The Black Lab 11/20 - Luxembourg City, LU - Rotondes Klub 12/18 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour * 12/19 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *
We've been digging Gustaf for about a year now. The Brooklyn band's blend of infectious dance friendly post punk has been impossible to resist. Their latest single, "Best Behavior," changes up their formula a little. "Best Behavior" is more of a groovy, chilled out track. It's mid-tempo and maybe just a little too laid back to really dance to, but you're still going to be beckoned to move to it. It features Lydia Gammell speak singing over some disjointed funk almost like a bizarro world version of Tom Petty where he jammed with George Clinton and Gang of Four.
Vocalist Lydia Gammell explains Gustaf's new song:
"The song’s ethos is a bit of the old and the new attitude for Gustaf. Our narrator, the ‘ego slob’, is bargaining with itself, scrounging for self compassion and self assurance despite a pile of hurt feelings in its wake. In demanding spoils despite having done nothing to earn them, we see the initial cracks in a brutish facade— our antihero slowly realizing maybe the shell they built for themselves was not built for the world."
You can watch the video for "Best Behavior" below. Audio Drag for Ego Slobs is due out October 1 on Royal Mountain Records. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here. For more on Gustaf, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
10/1 - Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor 10/2 - Knoxville, TN - Mill and Mine 10/3 - Cincinatti, OH - MOTR Pub 10/4 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern 10/6 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club 10/7 - Saint Paul, MN - Palace Theatre # 10/8 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre # 10/9 - Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew's Hall # 10/10 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall # 10/12 - Boston, MA - House of Blues # 10/13 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore # 10/15 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 # 10/16 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 # 10/17 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club # 10/18 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club # 10/20 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel # 10/21 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom # 10/22 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade - Heaven Stage # 10/25 - Austin, TX - Stubb's # 10/26 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater # 10/27 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger # 11/2 - Birmingham, UK - The Sunflower Lounge $ 11/3 - Bristol, UK - Rough Trade Bristol $ 11/4 - London, UK - The Dome $ 11/6 - Brighton, UK - Mutations Festival @ The Green Door Store 11/8 - Leeds, UK - Hyde Park Book Club $ 11/9 - Manchester, UK - YES (Pink Room) $ 11/10 - Liverpool, UK - Arts Club Loft $ 11/11 - London, UK - The Windmill, Brixton 11/13 - Utrecht, NL - Le Guess Who Festival 11/14 - Kortrijk, BE - Sonic City Festival 11/14 - Brussels, BE - Witloof Bar 11/16 - Berlin, DE - Cassiopeia 11/17 - Haldern, DE - Haldern Pop Bar 11/18 - Paris, FR - Les Femmes S'en Melent @ Petit Bain 11/19 - Lille, FR - The Black Lab 11/20 - Luxembourg City, LU - Rotondes Klub 12/02 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar % 12/03 - Joshua Tree, CA - Pappy's % 12/08 - Seattle, WA - Barboza (Headline) 12/09 - Portland, OR - Bunk Bar (Headline) 12/18 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour * 12/19 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *
Late last year we brought you a pair of singles from Brooklyn based post punks Gustaf. The band recently announced a debut album and released a new single! "Book" is everything we loved about their previous releases. It's an absurdly upbeat and highly danceable version of post punk. It's more B-52's or DEVO than Gang of Four, but it still has a bit more of a punk edge to it while still being as pop as it possibly could be. "Book" is the kind of song that is making me long for packed divey clubs, because this song is going to be such a blast live.
Singer Lydia Gammil explains the new song:
"'Book' is a song about the fallacy and fight of getting ahead vs being a head. It is seeking validation in the wrong places and from the wrong people. The hook, “I got ahead, I got a head” is a fun little taunt that we find either being thrown in our face or coming out our mouth. Everyone gets their moment up on the pedestal and everyone gets their turn falling off of it. Whether it’s up or down, ‘Book’ is about accepting whatever level you’re on."
You can watch the video for "Book" below. Audio Drag for Ego Slobs is due out October 1 on Royal Mountain Records. You can pre-order/pre-save a copy here. For more on Gustaf, check out their Facebook and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates (some with Idles and Pillow Queens) are below the video.
10/1 - Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor 10/2 - Knoxville, TN - Mill and Mine 10/3 - Cincinatti, OH - MOTR Pub 10/4 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern 10/6 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club 10/7 - Saint Paul, MN - Palace Theatre # 10/8 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre # 10/9 - Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew's Hall # 10/10 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall # 10/12 - Boston, MA - House of Blues # 10/13 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore # 10/15 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 # 10/16 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 # 10/17 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club # 10/18 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club # 10/20 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel # 10/21 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom # 10/22 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade - Heaven Stage # 10/25 - Austin, TX - Stubb's # 10/26 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater # 10/27 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger # 11/2 - Birmingham, UK - The Sunflower Lounge $ 11/3 - Bristol, UK - Rough Trade Bristol $ 11/4 - London, UK - The Dome $ 11/6 - Brighton, UK - Mutations Festival @ The Green Door Store 11/8 - Leeds, UK - Hyde Park Book Club $ 11/9 - Manchester, UK - YES (Pink Room) $ 11/10 - Liverpool, UK - Arts Club Loft $ 11/11 - London, UK - The Windmill, Brixton 11/13 - Utrecht, NL - Le Guess Who Festival 11/14 - Kortrijk, BE - Sonic City Festival 11/14 - Brussels, BE - Witloof Bar 11/16 - Berlin, DE - Cassiopeia 11/17 - Haldern, DE - Haldern Pop Bar 11/18 - Paris, FR - Les Femmes S'en Melent @ Petit Bain 11/19 - Lille, FR - The Black Lab 11/20 - Luxembourg City, LU - Rotondes Klub 12/09 - Portland, OR - Bunk Bar (headline)
With the second single off her upcoming EP, we're getting more and more rabid for the new release from Girlpuppy. "Miniature Furniture" is a laid back, upbeat indie rock/pop/folk song. The song just feels like a light and breezy summer song, especially with some country meets indie rock slide guitar. It's absolutely perfect for anyone that has been digging anything from Snail Mail or Phoebe Bridgers. "Miniature Furniture" is a masterful song that combines pop, folk, and indie in such a way to draw fans of all three in.
As light and breezy as the song feels, there is a sadness to it. Becca Harvey (aka Girlpuppy) explains the song is:
"... a culmination of experiences from a summer where I was traveling back and forth to Chicago and Pasadena all whilst coping with a difficult break up.
"I was having a really tough time dealing with the breakup, but instead of addressing the feelings I was experiencing, I distracted myself with travel and spent time with friends. I always find myself trying to hide from confronting my emotions head on by doing things to keep myself from thinking about how sad I am. This upbeat song really embodies the fleeting feelings of happiness while also being so depressed.
"I associate great memories with this song because I wrote it with two of my friends Grace Repasky and Maggie Geeslin (of Lunar Vacation) and it was such a fun experience. The miniature furniture title is a reference to an exhibit at The Art Institute of Chicago that I visited during that summer.”
You can watch the video for "Miniature Furniture" below. Swan is due out August 20 on Royal Mountain Records. For more on Girlpuppy, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter.
Making a song this discordant yet this melodic is quite the feat. Cuffed Up has released "Canaries," which is this unbelievably intense post punk song rooted in 90's indie rock and grunge. It sounds like if Sonic Youth had tried to make the hit song that Geffen Records probably wanted them to. It's filled with these gloriously swirling, distorted guitars that seem to be fighting with each other for dominance as much as they're working together towards the same end. It's the kind of song that sounds like it could devolve into chaos at any second, but Cuffed Up hold it all together just enough. All of this with actual killer vocals are what is going to set "Canaries" apart from other current 90's inspired rock.
In a press release, the band explains the new song:
""Canaries'" is about going down a path that you know is wrong, yet you keep going because some form of shame is driving you. Sometimes, we become numb to the burdens we carry. "Carrying the weight of stones/with pins to his bones” reflects that and the need to be vulnerable with yourself and not accept fate as is.""
You can watch the video for "Canaries" below. The song is available as a single via Royal Mountain Records. You can get a copy here. For more on Cuffed Up, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates with The Joy Formidable are below the video.
11/26 - The Crocodile - Seattle, WA 11/27 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR 11/29 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA 11/30 - The Roxy Theatre - Los Angeles, CA 12/02 - Crescent Ballroom - Phoenix, AZ 12/04 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO 12/05 - The Riot Room - Kansas City, MO 12/07 - Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN 12/09 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL 12/10 - A&R Music Hall - Columbus, OH 12/11 - Thunderbird Music Hall - Pittsburgh, PA 12/12 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC 12/13 - The Sinclair - Boston, MA 12/14 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY 12/16 - Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA 12/17 - Empire Underground - Albany, NY 12/18 - Higher Ground Showcase Lounge - Burlington, VT
Atlanta's Girlpuppy (aka Becca Harvey) won us over last year. She had been working as a cashier in a bakery until the pandemic hit, and started earnestly working on her music with her newfound free time. She released a few singles last year, and has her debut EP coming out in August.
The first single from that EP, "As Much As I Can," blurs the line between indie rock and pop the way Snail Mail and Phoebe Bridgers do. (The EP is produced by Marshall Vore, a collaborator of Bridgers.) It's a breezy song that never quite decides how pop it wants to be to its credit. It could be dream pop, but it has just a little too much of an edge to it. "As Much As I Can" is a gorgeous song that is going to weasel its way into your brain, occupying a good portion of your unconscious thought if you're not careful. But, why would you want to be careful?
In a press release, Becca Harvey says of the new song:
“This is a love song to the people in my life that make unconditional love the most difficult. I use the verses to recognise our differences, but also to recognise that we have a lot of shared experiences. I think a lot of it has to do with generational differences, the friction that it causes, and coming to terms with it.
"Lyrically, this is one of my favourite songs I've written. It was one of the first times that I wrote something in the moment and realised after the fact that it was exactly what I wanted to say. It's not meant to be hateful. It's honest and was my opportunity to exercise vulnerability. It's a love song.”
You can watch the video for "As Much As I Can" below. Swan is due out August 20 on Royal Mountain Records. For more on Girlpuppy, follow the artist on Facebook and Twitter.
Toronto's Bad Waitress have released a furious new single that's going to defy a few different genres. "Pre Post Period Blues" is going to be a little too messy to be purely metal. Instead, it leans more towards neo-riot grrrl. But, it's far too metal to truly be riot grrrl or punk, for that matter. And at times it's a pretty mainstream almost pop/rock song, but it's far too metal and punk for that. But it is loud, and heavy, and thrashy, and fast... so there is always that.
Guitarist Katelyn Molgard (they/them) explains the song:
“It’s like this: you got yer friggin hormones, your cramps, you forgot to eat, but you need to take Advil, then yer like, "bitch, now my stomach hurts!" and then you get so mad yer like "WHYYYYY?!?"So you slam back a few and then you’re way more drunk than you’d normally be so like, you say some shit to someone and then now yer yelling and THEN some dude’s like “are you on your period?” And so then you turn into a werewolf and eat everyone. Ya know?”
You can watch the video for "Pre Post Period Blues" below. The song is available as a single via Royal Mountain Records. For more on Bad Waitress, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter.
You're going to thank me for introducing you to Gustaf. The Brooklyn based band have just released a new single, "Design." One of the immediate bands that are going to come to mind are their fellow Brooklynites Bodega, who they've also played shows with. Both bands play a version of funky, dance friendly post punk. One of the main differences in the bands is that "Design" feels darker. It's like if The B-52's decided to still be fun but went goth.
Vocalist Lydia Gammill says of the new song:
"Although the title of the song is not the refrain ('desire’, we named the track 'Design' because it is a commentary on how our desires and critiques of others are a product of our design. Like in 'Mine', the narrator addresses an invisible critic, arguing that the ills we believe to be unique to ourselves are the result of an oppressive system. However, in the end we're just shouting at the back of someone’s head as they leave the room."
You can watch the video for "Design" below. The song will be included on the Mine 7" that is due out December 4 on Royal Mountain Records. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Gustaf, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
Brooklyn's Gustaf have been playing sold out shows around the country despite not having any released any recorded music. That's now changed with the release of their debut single "Mine." "Mine" is a burst of groovy art-punk, like a more raw version of The Julie Ruin or if Bodega decided to be less of a party band. That's not to say that Gustaf aren't fun. There is plenty of humor in this song, and it's one of the most dance friendly post punk songs we've heard in months. But "Mine" is dripping with some of the most biting attitude of this year, which is saying a lot.
Vocalist Lydia Gammill explains the new song:
"This song is about having a false sense of entitlement. Someone who feels attacked or like they're being pushed out of their own world and not getting the credit they deserve. Someone with a delusional sense of self whose anger and frustration is humorous like the superintendent in a college frat movie. The opening lines make it seem like the narrator is being criticized by someone else and their retaliation is like 'you’ve got to be kidding me, you can’t say that about me! I invented water you punk!' …. sort of."
You can watch the video for "Mine" below. The song will be available as a single via Royal Mountain Records on December 4. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Gustaf, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter.
