For the singles off their upcoming album, Japanese quartet CHAI have been delving into the 80's. Their latest single, "GAME," keeps the trend going. "GAME" is a chilled out synth-heavy track that has an insane amount of groove throughout. As with any song from CHAI, the new song is beyond fun. It's about as stripped down as a song predominately tracked with synthesizers can be, and it lands somewhere between early New Wave and early hip hop can be. CHAI is always a fun band, and "GAME" somehow steps their typical level of fun up a few notches.
MANA (vocals/keys) says of the new single:
“Winning isn’t the goal, it’s the strategizing and challenge that matters♡ So it doesn’t matter if you lose. Take that loss and turn it into an even better strategy! Life’s a game! We made the video with our lovely friend Ginger Root♡ It’s fun and NEO KAWAII♡ As long as you’re living, you can play the game as many times as you want. Be honest to your heart, don’t take it too seriously, and live life.”
You can watch the video for "GAME" below. CHAI's self-titled album is due out September 22 on Sub Pop, and is available for pre-order here. For more on CHAI, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Sat. Sept. 23 - Boise, ID @ Flipside Festival Sun. Sept. 24 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern Mon. Sept. 25 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge Wed. Sept. 27 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Fri. Sept. 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Mon. Oct. 2 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Wed. Oct. 4 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern Fri. Oct. 6 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Sun. Oct. 8 - Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom Tue. Oct. 10 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage Wed. Oct. 11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s Fri. Oct. 13 - Mexico City, MEX @ Indie Rocks! Wed. Nov. 1 – Berlin, DE @ Pitchfork Music Festival Berlin Fri. Nov. 3 – Paris, FR @ Badaboum Sun. Nov. 5 –Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin (Paradiso Noord) Mon. Nov. 6 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie Wed. Nov. 8 – Southampton, UK @ Heartbreakers Thu. Nov. 9 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns Fri. Nov. 10 – London, UK @ Pitchfork Music Festival Sun. Nov. 12 – Manchester, UK @ Yes (Pink Room) Tue. Nov 14 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast Wed. Nov. 15 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House Thu. Nov. 16 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
I'm so glad I got over myself and started appreciating the music of CHAI. The Japanese four piece has released a single that is just soaked in 80's goodness. "Neo Kawaii, K?" is just a joy to listen to. It's fun dance music that will remind you of an oddball 80's that looks kinda familiar to us, but none of us actually lived in. There are elements of pop, New Wave, hip hop, and maybe even some punk in "Neo Kawaii, K?" This is just fun, energetic music that is perfect to just let loose and allow yourself to fully enjoy.
Mana (vocals, keys) says of the new song:
“Everyone is NEO KAWAII! This is CHAI’s answer, this is a fact in this world! We can finally say what it really means to us♡ Everyone’s a bit weird. Everyone’s different. Everyone’s awkward, almost to a point that it’s hard to relate. But that’s what’s interesting! That’s what makes it beautiful. To everyone who’s pushed around by these notions, we want to tell you this! We, and all of our lives, are NEO KAWAII! NEO KAWAII is not just plain KAWAII (cute)- it’s cool, it’s strong, it’s kind, it’s warm! Don’t get it mixed up♡ Hey! NEO KAWAII people! NEO KAWAII needs no preparation. We just want to say that you’re NEO KAWAII too, K? ♡?”
You can watch the video for "Neo Kawaii, K?" below. CHAI's self-titled album is due out September 22 on Sub Pop, and is available for pre-order here. For more on CHAI, check out their website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Sat. Sept. 23 - Boise, ID @ Flipside Festival Sun. Sept. 24 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern Mon. Sept. 25 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge Wed. Sept. 27 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Fri. Sept. 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Mon. Oct. 2 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Wed. Oct. 4 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern Fri. Oct. 6 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Sun. Oct. 8 - Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom Tue. Oct. 10 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage Wed. Oct. 11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s Fri. Oct. 13 - Mexico City, MEX @ Indie Rocks! Wed. Nov. 1 – Berlin, DE @ Pitchfork Music Festival Berlin Fri. Nov. 3 – Paris, FR @ Badaboum Sun. Nov. 5 –Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin (Paradiso Noord) Mon. Nov. 6 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie Wed. Nov. 8 – Southampton, UK @ Heartbreakers Thu. Nov. 9 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns Fri. Nov. 10 – London, UK @ Pitchfork Music Festival Sun. Nov. 12 – Manchester, UK @ Yes (Pink Room) Tue. Nov 14 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast Wed. Nov. 15 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House Thu. Nov. 16 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
I'm truly mad that it took so long for CHAI to click with me. The Japanese quartet have just released a new single, which is a tribute to the 90's dance craze in Japan. "Para Para" even sounds like a 90's R&B hit. Seriously, this could not sound more like something that was released in the 90's. It has that smooth jam feel you'd hear from artists like TLC and SWV. For a song that is meant to invoke 90's nostalgia, "Para Para" does its job perfectly. I implore you to drop your indie snobbery and just enjoy the absolute fun that CHAI will bring you.
Vocalist/keyboardist Mana says of the band's new song:
“There’s not a deep meaning to that song, it’s really just about the dance,” says Mana. “As long as you can feel the two-step, any dance is possible! Let your body just move to your dancing heart ♡ When your body moves to the beat of your heart, you’ll realize that the world is smaller than you think, and all your problems are easier than they seem. ‘Cause two-step and music is the best way to communicate in this world ♡ Let it START! CHAI’s two-step dance music ☆☆”
You can watch the video for "Para Para" below. CHAI's self-titled album is due out September 22 on Sub Pop Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on CHAI, check out their website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Sat. Sept. 23 - Boise, ID @ Flipside Festival Sun. Sept. 24 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern Mon. Sept. 25 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge Wed. Sept. 27 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Fri. Sept. 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Mon. Oct. 2 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Wed. Oct. 4 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern Fri. Oct. 6 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Sun. Oct. 8 - Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom Tue. Oct. 10 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage Wed. Oct. 11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s Fri. Oct. 13 - Mexico City, MEX @ Indie Rocks!
Lawrence, Kansas' Sweeping Promises specialize in this brilliant blend of DIY, dance friendly post-punk. For their latest single, the duo branches off a bit into a more synth heavy sound. Everything we've loved out them so far is still there, just tweaked a teensy bit. "You Shatter" is oddly psychedelic, and maybe it's just because yesterday was the anniversary of the release of The Cars' debut album so I have them on my mind, but I'm hearing a lot of The Cars in this one. It's a bit slower and trippier than we're used to from Sweeping Promises, but "You Shatter" is a terrific song and an interesting change up from the band.
You can listen to "You Shatter" below. Good Living Is Coming for You is due out June 30 on Feel It Records in the US and Sub Pop internationally. It is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Sweeping Promises, check out the band's website.
Lawrence, KS's Sweeping Promises have this wonderfully original post-punk sound. Their latest single, "Eraser," is that perfect dance friendly post-punk sound that almost borders on being a pure dance song. But there is also a very lo-fi/DIY sound to "Eraser" that gives the song more of an edge. It just dances along this line between punk and pop (without being even remotely pop punk) until the line is completely blurred. It's like a mixture of Le Tigre and Perennial while almost sounding as intimate as a bedroom recording. Sweeping Promises are a fun time, and we can't wait to bring you more from the duo.
You can listen to "Eraser" below. Good Living Is Coming for You is due out June 30 on Feel It Records in the US and Sub Pop worldwide. The album is available for pre-order on Bandcamp. For more on Sweeping Promises, check out their website.
2023 is the thirty-fifth anniversary of Sub Pop Records and Mudhoney, so it's fitting that we get a new Mudhoney album on Sub Pop this year. The grunge icons have released that album's first single, "Almost Everything." It's much more psychedelic than you might expect, but Mudhoney has delved into psychedelia before. You know how The Stooges used to put one freak out song per album? This is like a tighter, more cohesive, and heavier version of one of those. "Almost Everything" is a driving hard rock song filled with tons of fuzz and hypnotic drums. Seeing that Mudhoney have averaged an album every three or so years, getting new music from them is always welcome.
Mark Arm says of the band's longevity:
“We like each other and we like being in a band together. Some people have poker night or whatever the fuck, and they have the excuse to get together with their friends. For us, this [band] is that. This is what we do.”
You can watch the video for "Almost Everything" below. Plastic Eternity, Mudhoney's eleventh studio album, is due out April 7 and can be pre-ordered through the Sub Pop Megamart. For more on Mudhoney, check out the band's website.
Pacific Northwest legends Quasi are back with a new single ahead of their upcoming album. Following the previously released "Doomscrollers" and "Queen of Ears," "Nowheresville" gets surprisingly funky. It's a bizarro indie rock version of funky, but this one is a little unexpected in just how funky it is. It still has that discordant version of pop thing going for it, but "Nowheresville" grooves harder than the previous singles. Not to mention it has some killer guitar and keyboard solos going for it, and it's just dripping with its own version of harmony.
You can watch the video for "Nowheresville" below. Breaking the Balls of History is due out February 10 on Sub Pop Records. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Quasi, check out the band's Twitter and Facebook.
Quasi (which we all know is the collaboration of Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss) have a new single that is exactly what we expect from them and a refreshing change at the same time. "Doomscrollers" is an upbeat, happy alt-rock/pop song, but it's also shockingly dark at the same time. The song is called "Doomscrollers," so you're going to expect some level of darkness, but tying this level of dark with this level of upbeat is almost whiplash inducing. It's also a straight up alt-rocker for the most part, but at times there are added strings that give the song a cinematic feel. Quasi's upcoming album will be their tenth, so it's great to see a band with that much music still finding ways to surprise us.
You can watch the video for "Doomscrollers" below. Breaking the Balls of History is due out February 10 via Sub Pop, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Quasi, check out their Facebook and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Wed. Dec. 07 - London, UK - The Victoria
Fri. Feb. 10 - Boise, ID - Neurolux ^
Sat. Feb. 11 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court ^
Mon. Feb. 13 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister ^
Wed. Feb. 15 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger ^
Thu. Feb. 16 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall ^
Fri. Feb. 17 - Austin, TX - The Parish ^
Sat. Feb. 18 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada ^
Mon. Feb. 20 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace ^
Wed. Feb. 22 - Phoenix, AZ - Rebel Lounge *
Thu. Feb. 23 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy and Harriet’s *
Fri. Feb. 24 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon *
Sat. Feb. 25 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club *
Sun. Feb. 26 - Sacramento, CA - Starlet Room
Thu. Mar. 02 - Vancouver, BC - Fox Cabaret #
Fri. Mar. 03 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern #
Sat. Mar. 04 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge # !
Tue. Mar. 14 -Boston, MA - The Sinclair %
Wed. Mar. 15 - Kingston, NY - Tubby’s %
Thu. Mar. 16 - Ridgewood, NY - TV Eye %
Fri. Mar. 17 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s %
Sun. Mar. 19 - Durham, NC - The Pinhook %
Tue. Mar. 21 - Atlanta, GA - 529 %
Wed. Mar. 22 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn %
Thu. Mar. 23 - Nashville, TN - Blue Room at Third Man Records %
Quasi, the project of Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss, assumed their 2013 album Mole City would be their last album. Then 2020 happened, and without much else to do, Coomes and Weiss decided to play music together every day as if they were on tour. Now they're back with a new upcoming album (which will be their tenth) due out next year (their thirtieth as a band).
The first single off of that album is "Queen of Ears," and it's quite simply perfect. It's equal parts melodic and noisy. It's rare to find a song that is as discordant as it is poppy, but that's the beauty of Quasi. It's pure, abrasive indie rock mixed with the kind of pop you would get in the 1960's. It's a fun song with charming harmonies and a drilling indie rock guitar sound. And who doesn't want that?
You can watch the video for "Queen of Ears" below. Breaking the Balls of History is due out February 10 on Sub Pop. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Quasi, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter.
Indie rock stalwarts Built to Spill have always been a trippy band, but the singles for their upcoming album are a whole new level of trippy. Their latest, "Fool's Gold," continues on the pattern of laid back songs that are fairly straightforward alt-rock songs at a normal length of three to four minutes that are just trippy as hell. "Fool's Gold" plods along seemingly in circles for three minutes, and, as with any Built to Spill song, truly propelled forward by Doug Martsch's epic guitar solos. And, yes, despite the four minute length Martsch does manage to cram two of your favorite guitar solos in the song. Despite a complete line up change, "Fool's Gold" tweaks the classic Built to Spill sound to keep things interesting while keeping everything we long about the band intact.
You can watch the video for "Fool's Gold" below. When the Wind Forgets Your Name is due out September 9 on Sub Pop Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Built to Spill, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Thu. Jun. 23 - Calgary, AB - Sled Island Festival Sat. Jul. 23 - Carnation, WA - Timber! Festival Sat. Jul. 30 - Stanley, ID - Sawtooth Family Gathering Sat. Aug. 06 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Sun. Aug. 07 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Thu. Aug. 11 - Spokane, WA - Lucky You Lounge ^ @ Fri. Aug. 12 - Bozeman, MT - The ELM ^ @ Sat. Aug. 13 - Billings, MT - The Pub Station ^ @ Mon. Aug. 15 - Fargo, ND - The Hall @ FBC ^ @ Tue. Aug. 16 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue ^ @ Wed. Aug. 17 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theater ^ @ Thu. Aug. 18 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall ^ @ Fri. Aug. 19 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall ^ @ Sat. Aug. 20 - Louisville, KY - Headliner’s Music Hall ^ @ Mon. Aug. 22 - Cincinnati, OH - Woodward Theater ^ @ Tue. Aug. 23 - Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop ^ @ Wed. Aug. 24 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall % Thu. Aug. 25 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre # % Fri. Aug. 26 - Portland, ME - State Theatre # % Sat. Aug. 27 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall # % Mon. Aug. 29 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground # % Tue. Aug. 30 - Holyoke, MA - Gateway City Arts # % Thu. Sep. 01 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony # % Fri. Sep. 02 - Baltimore, MD - Ram’s Head Live # % Sat. Sep. 03 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza # % Sun. Sep. 04 - Bethlehem, PA - Musikfest # % Tue. Sep. 06 - Columbus, OH - The Athenaeum Theatre * = Wed. Sep. 07 - Knoxville, TN - The Mill & Mine * = Thu. Sep. 08 - Wilmington, NC - Greenfield Lake Amphitheater * = Fri. Sep. 09 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall * = Sat. Sep. 10 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live * = Sun. Sep. 11 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room * = Tue. Sep. 13 - Orlando, FL - The Social * = Wed. Sep. 14 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits * = Thu. Sep. 15 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall * = Fri. Sep. 16 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn Birmingham * = Sat. Sep. 17 - Memphis, TN - Growler’s * = Sun. Sep. 18 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom * = Mon. Sep. 19 - St. Louis, MO - Red Flag * = Tue. Sep. 20 - Columbia, MO - Blue Note * = Wed. Sep. 21 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater * = Fri. Sep. 23 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater * = Sat. Sep. 24 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall * = * w/ Orua ^ w/ Prism Bitch # w/ Wetface % w/ Blood Lemon @ w/ Braided Waves = w/ The French Tips
We didn't discover Sweeping Promises' fantastic 2020 album Hunger for a Way Out until a few months ago, so we haven't been waiting for too long to hear new music. The band based out of Lawrence, KS just signed to Sub Pop for their latest single! "Pain Without a Touch" is a perfect song to follow Hunger for a Way Out. It's this absurdly dance-friendly version of post punk. If anything, this could be post pop punk. It has all the groove and edge of traditional post punk, but post punk usually isn't this fun and accessible. If you haven't entered into Sweeping Promises fandom yet, this is a perfect jumping on point.
You can listen to "Pain Without a Touch" below. The song is available as a single via Feel It Records and Sub Pop. You can get a copy at Bandcamp. For more on Sweeping Promises, check out the band's Instagram.
"2:15," the latest single from Pittsburgh's The Gotobeds, hails back to the slacker days of the 90's. It's a fun indie rock song that feels like Pavement trying (and mostly failing) to write a straight up hit song. Of course, I'm from the generation where hits are for squares, so I mean that in a good way. It's a song that threatens to explode, and doesn't quite, but almost does. You can watch the video for "2:15" below. The video was directed by guitarist TFP, who has this to say about it: "Hey, thanks for checking out my cool lil video for ‘2:15.’ Wow, I can’t believe I actually finished this thing. What an undertaking. I worked on this off and on for two years on a crappy freeware animation program that would crash if the clip was longer than a few seconds. The number of hours I put into this thing are countless and, honestly, I’d rather just get maced again. Enjoy!" Debt Begins at 30, the new album from The Gotobeds, will be out May 31 on Sub Pop Records. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on The Gotobeds, be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
Three of the things I love the most are covers, J Mascis, and Tom Petty. All of these things have collided with a J Mascis cover of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers's 1979 classic "Don't Do Me Like That." Mascis's version stays mostly true to Petty's original. In fact, it's much more true to the original than I had expected. That being said, it's still a song being performed by J Mascis, so there's plenty of the fuzzed out guitar that we'd want from that. The cover has a sense of what you'd expect from a bar band covering Tom Petty. This is just a bar band cover that happens to feature J Mascis. You can listen to J Mascis's cover of "Don't Do Me Like That" below. The song is available on your favorite digital platform via Sub Pop. For more on J Mascis, be sure to check out his website. Mascis's current tour dates are below the song.
Apr. 16 - Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya WWWX Apr. 17 - Osaka, Japan - Drop May. 09 - Brighton, United Kingdom - Concorde 2 May. 10 - London, United Kingdom - Islington Assembly Hall May. 11- Leeds, UK - Belgrave Music Hall May. 13 - Glasgow, United Kingdom - St. Luke’s [SOLD OUT] May. 14 - Oxford, UK - O2 Academy Oxford May. 15 - Nottingham, United Kingdom - Rescue Rooms May. 17 - Liverpool, United Kingdom - Arts Club May. 18 - Bristol, United Kingdom - Thekla [SOLD OUT] May. 19 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Manchester Gorilla Jun. 15 - Provincetown, MA - Twenty Summers @ The Hawthorne Barn Jun. 21 - Athens, GR - AN Club Jul. 01 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust Jul. 03 - Berlin, Germany - Festsaal Kreuzberg Jul. 06 - Paris, France - La Maroquinerie Jul. 08 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Noord Jul. 09 - Rotown - Rotterdam, Netherlands [SOLD OUT] Jul. 11 - Genova, Italy - Giardini Luzzati Jul. 12 - Prato, Italy - Festival Delle Colline Jul. 14 - Rome Unplugged in Monti - Rome, Italy
Hailing from Pittsburgh, The Gotobeds exude a raw power on their latest single, "Calquer the Hound." It's a high energy garage rocker with an industrial feel. The song is just about as noisy as you can get while still keeping to the rules of melody and normal song structure. That's not to say that "Calquer the Hound" is a pure noise rock track. There is plenty of time where it's almost a normal, straightforward rock song. Almost. But behind the entire length of the song lies the menace of noise, just waiting to break free. You can listen to "Calquer the Hound" below. The track features Rob Henry of Kim Phuc and Evan Richards of The City Buses. Their upcoming album, Debt Begins at 30, also features guest appearances by members of Mission of Burma, Pavement, Downtown Boys, Silkworm, and more. It will be out May 31 on Sub Pop Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on The Gotobeds, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
Any time J Mascis releases new music will always be a big deal at If It's Too Loud... November will see the release of Elastic Days, his new solo album. Judging by the first single, "See You At the Movies," Elastic Days will be exactly what we expect and want in a Mascis solo album. The first single is much prettier than Dinosaur Jr is. Mascis's solo work tends to be calmer and almost folky. "See You At the Movies" is exactly that, and is even almost orchestral in some places. You add in some of Mascis's guitar solos (a more tame version than Dino Jr's thunderous ones), and you've got a classic Mascis solo track. It's a typically great song, but at this point I'd like to see Mascis mix things up a bit. You can listen to "See You At the Movies" below. Elastic Days will be out November 9 on Sub Pop Records. There are some pretty reasonable pre-order bundles available, including a CD and t-shirt for $24.99. Those are through J's Kung Fu merch store. If you just want the album, you can get that here. For more on J Mascis, check out his website.
Last month I compared "FFS" by Melbourne's Deaf Wish to Sonic Youth. Upon hearing their latest single, "The Rat is Back," that won't be a one time comparison. "The Rat is Back" is slower, but has that brooding and plodding that some of Sonic Youth's best possessed. Guitarist/vocalist Jensen Tjhung even has more than a little of Thurston Moore's snarling sing/speaking going on. It might be just my wishful thinking as a die hard Sonic Youth fan, but I heard what sounded like a Lee Ranaldo answering guitar riff about halfway through. Basically, if you've been missing Sonic Youth and their members' solo projects aren't quite doing it for you, you're going to love Deaf Wish. You can watch the video for "The Rat is Back" below. Lithium Zion, the new album from Deaf Wish, will be out July 27 on Sub Pop. For more on Deaf Wish, check them out on Facebook and Bandcamp.
Our love of covers is pretty well known here at If It's Too Loud..., but this may just be a first for us. We've been loving Providence's Downtown Boys for a while now. Their cover of Bruce Springsteen's classic "Dancing in the Dark" is a personal favorite, and now they're back with another cover. They've recently unveiled their cover of Selena's "Fotos Y Recuerdos" which is a Spanish language cover of The Pretender's "Back in the Chain Gang." It was originally recorded during the sessions for Cost of Living, their most recent album, but didn't make it on that album. One of our favorite artists releasing a cover of a cover? Happy Friday, everyone! You can listen to Downtown Boys's cover of "Fotos Y Recuerdos" below. For more on Downtown Boys, check out their Facebook.
Australia is in such a guitar rock revolution that we'll literally give any band from that country a shot. As soon as I saw Deaf Wish were from Melbourne, I knew I wanted to listen, and we should all be glad I did. "FFS" is a revelation. The song just drips with attitude and groove. The guitars are ripped straight out of a early 90's Sonic Youth song, and guitarist/vocalist Sarah Hardiman sounds like Joan Jett doing her best Bob Dylan impression. It's a combination of pure intensity and one I simply can't seem to get enough of. My only complaint of the song is it abruptly ends at two minutes nineteen seconds, which doesn't feel like nearly enough. You can watch the video for "FFS" below. The new album from Deaf Wish, Lithium Zion, will be available July 27 via Sub Pop. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on Deaf Wish, check them out on Bandcamp and Sub Pop's website.
Loma is a newly formed band of people you're already familiar with: Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record. The three musicians got together in a house in Texas to create their debut self-titled album. While Emily Cross sang the songs, all three ended up playing every instrument involved in the recording at some time or another. Also, it was an odd time to be recording an album, as Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski started off the project as a married couple but no longer were at the end of the recording. "Relay Runner" is an oddly charged song. It plods around with it's own pace, and comes across like Wilco experimenting with more electronics while trying to recreate their Yankee Hotel Foxtrot days. Instruments seem to come in and out of their own free will, almost taking turns but not quite. It creates a sound that's not quite challenging art rock or alternative pop, but straddles the middle somewhat. You can watch the video for "Relay Runner" below. Loma's self-titled debut album will be out February 16 on Sub Pop, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Loma, check out their website. Their current tour dates are below the video.
Fri. Apr. 6 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Sun. Apr. 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bootleg Wed. Apr. 11 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill Fri. Apr. 13 - Portland, OR @ MS Studios Sat. Apr. 14 - Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern Tue. Apr. 17 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge Thu. Apr. 19 - Taos, NM @ Taos Mesa Brewing Sat. Apr. 21 - Austin, TX @ North Door Thu. Apr. 26 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Fri. Apr. 27 - Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight Sat. Apr. 28 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room Tue. May 1 - Charlottesville, NC @ The Southern Wed. May 2 - Washington, DC @ DC9 Fri. May 4 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right Sat. May 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s Sun. May 6 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott Tue. May 8 - Montreal, QC @ L’Esco Wed. May 9 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison Thu. May 10 - Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx Fri. May 11 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
If you told me that Downtown Boys would be toning down their sound on their upcoming Sub Pop debut, but I'd end up still loving it, I'd have scoffed in your face. Luckily, you'd end up being right. "A Wall," the first single off Cost of Living, runs at about half speed of most of the songs on 2015's Full Communism. All things considered, by punk standards, it's a fairly tame song. Victoria Ruiz's vocals are still unhinged and go against the melody of the song. Oh... did I mention that there's melody? You can feel the influence of producer Guy Picciotto: The bass feels Fugazi level heavy. Plus, the left leaning politics are still there, with the title "A Wall" being about an obvious subject. This is the exact moment a punk band starts growing up a bit, while they're still keeping their edge.
You can listen to "A Wall" below. Downtown Boys' new album, Cost of Living, will be out August 11 on Sub Pop. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on Downtown Boys, check out their Bandcamp.
