You know when you hear a song that you're just too old to listen to? Sure, you can still listen to dumb punk songs by bands like The Queers and Descendents because you can use the nostalgia factor, but when it's a new band in 2022 you can't get away with that. I almost didn't cover the latest from Burp. because of that, but "My Back Hurts" is much better than it wants to be. It's a song about accidentally going to a happy ending massage parlor with a chorus of "Please don't touch my balls," which is hardly what a middle aged adult with two children should be listening to... but that riff is just irresistible. It fits in that early Blink-182 meets noise rock sound I got sucked into back at their live show in June. This is one that you're definitely going to enjoy, even if it's in your car alone with the windows rolled up.
You can listen to "My Back Hurts" below. For more on Burp., check out the band on Instagram.
Brooklyn's Eliza Edens has released a single that doesn't truly sound like something that should be coming out of Brooklyn. "I Needed You" is a dreamy and breezy folk song that leans a little but into the world of folk pop. It stays just a little too rootsy for that, especially with the occasional twang on the guitar. It's a laid back song that is a showcase for Edens vocals without ever getting remotely showy. It's a laid back song that sounds like it was written on the porch of a country cabin with a crossover hit in mind. You're going to want to join us in keeping a close eye on Eliza Edens.
Eliza Edens says of her new single:
“'I Needed You' explores the liminal space that exists near the end of a relationship – when you’re vacillating between 'I need them' and 'I don’t need them.' It’s about trying to discover and center your own needs when sometimes it’s easier to lie to yourself and ignore them. It’s also about loving someone you know you can’t be with and perhaps not even knowing what you need and being okay with that. I initially wrote this song as a sad little breakup waltz, but when I showed it to my collaborators, they elevated it into a slow burn rocker that had me laughing by the end."
You can watch the video for "I Needed You" below. We'll Become the Flowers is due out October 14 and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Eliza Edens, check out the artist's website.
Earlier this year, Boston's Sunshine Riot released "Just Say So" which had that Song of the Summer vibe. Now that summer is winding down, they've released "Parole Board" which goes in a much different direction. "Parole Board" is still a mostly upbeat song, but there is a layer of grime and sadness covering the track. The song has a bit of a throwback vibe. It's not quite classic rock or oldies, but it does have a certain vintage sound to it. It's kind of like if you tried putting The Replacements in a freshly pressed suit. It's a little more palatable, but that punk edge is still seeping through.
Vocalist/guitarist Jonny Orton says of the new song:
“I suppose it's a story about a protagonist that grew up in small town, not-on-anyone's-radar America; the sort of place that all of us in the band grew up in. I think it's a song about the disenchantment people feel when the little town they called home gets taken over by cheap casinos and strip malls; faux, sterile luxury. The song kind of contrasts that aesthetic with the opioid epidemic that characterizes most of small-town suburbia these days and the tragic juxtaposition of kids dying in parking lots of big new developments. More concisely, it is essentially about the episode ofThe Simpsons in which Springfield got swindled into putting in a monorail.”
You can listen to "Parole Board" below. Sparkle Baby 2000 is due out in September. For more on Sunshine Riot, check out the band's website.
I always associate psych rock with the west coast, or maybe some places in Europe. I'm trying to think of any other Brooklyn based psych rock bands, but nothing is coming to mind. GIFT might have that designation all to themselves. Their new single, "Gumball Garden," is classic psych rock with all the grit and hipster cool you'd associate with the city. This is definitely not hippie psychedelia. That's not to say there isn't plenty of jammy guitar work on "Gumball Garden," but it doesn't sound like drugged out noodling. This is an oddly heavy song that sounds a little like The Brian Jonestown Massacre mixed with The Strokes.
TJ Freda says of his band's new song:
“I had a dream in late 2019 where I woke up one day and there was nobody on earth. I was walking around looking for any forms of life to no avail. It was sad but also strangely peaceful. When the pandemic happened, this song took on a whole new meaning. We did wake up one day and the streets were empty. Everyone had gone away. This song is about finding peace in solitude.”
You can watch the video for "Gumball Garden" below. Momentary Presence is due out October 14 on Dedstrange. For more on GIFT, check out the band's website.
Celebration Summer, your new favorite D.C. area politically charged punk band, just released a new single. If you have an affection for D.C. area punk, you kind of already know what to expect from "Fraud." It's a song that takes aim at NRA, Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell, etc. As angry as it is, the song is kind of fun in that way the best angry punk is. It's fast and political with great shout a long gang choruses, but it's oddly melodic at the same time. To keep the classic D.C. punk theme going, "Fraud" sounds like if Rites of Spring attempted to write a straightforward hit for the modern rock charts.
You can watch the video for "Fraud" below. Patience in Presence will be out on A-F Records in the US and Shield Recordings in Europe in late September. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Celebration Summer, check out the band's Facebook and Bandcamp.
If you're of a certain age and disposition, you probably have roughly a thousand memories associated with Mazzy Star's iconic "Fade Into You." You know that it's one of the greatest and most beautiful songs of all time. However, it doesn't seem to get covered as much as you'd (or at least I'd) expect it to. As part of their streaming talk/variety show Bunker Buds, Walter Alice Sickert recorded a solo cover of the song. It's just Sickert and their guitar, and it's spectacular. I don't think any vocals on "Fade Into You" could top Hope Sandoval's, but Sickert does a fabulous job, and this cover is quite simply stunning. With the theatrics and bombast of the Army of Broken Toys, it's easy to miss how spectacular of a vocalist they can be. "Fade Into You" helps remind us all of Sickert's talents.
You can watch Walter Alice Sickert cover "Fade Into You" below. For more on the artist, check out Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys' website.
Boston's Miracle Blood might have just released the heaviest song about wanting to be a small dog of all time. "Pomeranian" is a ferocious song with just enough yelling and droning guitar fuzz to perfectly blend punk, metal, and indie rock. Its pounding drums keep the song at a plodding pace that threatens to explode but never quite does, which makes the song even more intriguing. Instead of the whole indie rock loud/quiet/loud template it goes more along the lines of loud/louder/not quite as loud/even louder/loud. This song is a force of nature, and then turns into a frenetic and more upbeat jam towards the end.
You can listen to "Pomeranian" below. The song is available now via Bandcamp. For more on Miracle Blood, check out the band's Facebook.
We adored Bella White's 2020 album Just Like Leaving. If I hadn't discovered it in 2021, it would have landed quite high on my best of 2020 list. It had this perfect blend of classic, traditional bluegrass but with a fresh voice. On her latest single, White takes a bit of a turn into pure country. "The Way I Oughta Go" is a song about lamenting the lack of love in your life in the most classic country tradition. It's a sad song with that joyful sound that all the best lovesick country songs have. This one will stand right up with your favorites from Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, and others. It's great to see a young artist like White take on a different style of music so early in her career, and knock it out of the park.
In the YouTube post for the video, Bella White says of her new song:
“'The Way I Oughta Go' is a song about not being sure where you should land, when you should take off, or even knowing how. Writing while staring at the ceiling of my Nashville bedroom amidst the late August heat, I felt stifled. I wrote a song about love and the lack thereof that I was experiencing -- where to find it, or if I even believed that it was out there after one profound disappointment on top of another. It’s a song about self, and moving around until you find your place in the world."
You can watch the video for "The Way I Oughta Go" below. For more on Bella White, check out the artist's website.
The fact that a new song from Bonny Light Horseman is great shouldn't be surprising at this point. What's surprising about "Exile" is just how great it is. In other hands the song could easily slip into the easy listening/yacht rock side of things, and that's not to say that Bonny Light Horseman aren't edging into 70's AM radio territory here. But with just the intermingling vocals of Anais Mitchell and Eric D. Johnson's vocals, along with piano, banjo, and synths, the folk rock supergroup have crafted a song that is truly special.
Eric D. Johnson says of the new song:
“The lyrics of this one, open-ended as they may be, are filled with primal and mythological fears—lion's dens, hurricanes, wild eyes and the deep dark. Fears that are conquered by, naturally, love love love. But please, feel free to take what you want from this one, story-wise. And if nothing more, throw it on and do a slow-spin groove in front of your speakers.”
You can listen to "Exile" below. Rolling Golden Holy is due out October 7 on 37d03d Records. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Bonny Light Horseman, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
8/05-06 – Edmonton, Canada – Edmonton Folk Festival
8/11 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Way Out West
9/07-10 – Park City, UT – Park City Song Summit
9/17 – Easthampton, VA – Arcadia Folk Festival
9/18 – Queens, NY – The Big Climate Thing at Forest Hills Stadium
9/30 – Sonoma, CA – Sonoma Winery Barn at Gundlach Bundschu
10/02 – San Francisco, CA – Palace of Fine Arts
10/04 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
10/05 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theater
10/07 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
10/08 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
10/09 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
12/1-4 – Key West, FL – COAST Is Clear Festival
12/06 – Nashville, TN – Basement East
12/07 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
12/08 – Asheville, NC – Masonic Lodge Theatre
12/09 – Durham, NC – MotorCo Music Hall
12/10 – Washington, DC – Howard Theatre
12/11 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
12/13 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
12/14 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
12/16 – Westerly, RI – United Theatre
12/17 – Portland, ME – Portland House of Music
12/18 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
02/04/23 – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
02/05/23 – Glasgow – St. Luke's (Celtic Connection)
Crow Follow are a "Boston urban cabaret and velvet shaman swamp rock brigade." That description might not make a whole lot of sense until you listen to their new single. "Indiana Line" is rooted in rock 'n' roll and the kind of rockabilly infused punk that bands like X created. It's a raucous and groove filled track that also leans into the sound of someone like The B-52's. "Indiana Line" is a party waiting to happen, but it also seems to have a level of darkness hidden deep within. This is a great song if you're looking for weirdo rock and punk based party music that won't scare the normies... too much.
Crow Follow's ringleader, Tim Sprague, says of the new song:
“‘Indiana Line’ has a few layers. On one level, it’s a road trip song made of little scenes seen out the window as you drive through the wreckage of American family farming and the post-apocalyptic shell of American industrial culture. ‘Indiana Line’ is also, more deeply, a song about the immortality of love in the face of death and wrecked dreams.”
You can watch the video for "Indiana Line" below. Red Velvet Radio is due out September 30. For more on Crow Follow, check out the band's website.
