In March of 2017, we were in a different place. Financially, emotionally, career-wise… but the biggest difference? We were covering SXSW as official press (for a different publication). Imperfect Fifth has thrived on what we learned within that community, learning tenfold about the industry in one week over what we had in the previous five years combined working within it. Because we are all feeling a sense of lack of community right now — and almost none of us are out enjoying ourselves in the streets of Austin — I wanted to share some video interviews from that first, fated SXSW. You know, when social distancing didn’t exist and we all did yoga in bars together.
For official SXSW coverage and takeovers all week, head to our Instagram!
This month’s music videos are coming in in droves, an especially endearing thought during all of this quarantine talk. We won’t have to mention that again today, however, because if you spend some time escaping into some of these new visual gems, you’ll understand why we love our jobs so much. Here are a few of our favorite new music videos, with more to come all night long!
Click the icon at the top of the window with 3 lines for the list of music videos on the playlist to pop up!
Keep up with this playlist all month long to continue to see our favorite new videos as they’re released!
The world is in a tailspin, and I don’t have to go into detail to tell you why. While America – and the world – locks themselves in their homes (and eats the key, right?), we want to provide some of the best new tunes to party hardy (alone or with other self-quarantined friends and family) throughout the pandemic. Check back all month long for the latest releases, and new ear worms to get moving to!
Tomorrow, DoublePlusGood – expertly comprised of Erik Carlson (Singer/Writer), Shawn Michael Thornhill (Guitar), Cole Johnston (Drums), and Jacob Marsh (Bass) – releases their latest track, an otherworldly, slightly nostalgic somehow, song befitting of a true romantic. “Northern Lights” is equal parts dramatic and entirely soulful, intense and relaxing. It is very much like a very palpable, true romance, and we’re all in.
Get your first listen below with our exclusive premiere.
Erik Harris leads electronic project Memory Cult into a stratosphere of sound like any other we’ve played around with for a while. Known for being wildly experimental, his latest release — a full-length titled In Conflict — is just as entrancing and out of left field as ever, and we’re certain today’s release is going to get your mind reeling.
Lead single “Pityful” is purely and electronic lover’s dream, and the perfect way to introduce the album as a whole. It doesn’t hurt that it was released as a single at the end of February, and has been dancing around in our heads for some time. But even the peculiar sounds of that track can’t adequately prepare you for what’s to come in this 9-track experimental stunner. Second track “The Center (Crawl Home)” reaches 50 seconds before soft, high pitched vocals are even introduced. By third track “Undecide”, the dance vibes are laid on so thick that we’ve already definitely decided we’re hanging on to see where this album takes us.
Whereas its predecessor is a bit muddled, fourth track “Estranged” is very obviously inspired by sounds of the 80s and 90s, a clear and gorgeous entanglement of R&B vocals and dissonance. We continue in the same version of ambience with “RE: Rejection”, and continue to climb into more trance-like, morbid sounds with “Apathy”, which is actually more of a rock ballad than anything else.
Once we reach the title track, there is a feeling of wonder and an almost otherworldly layer to the music that brings us into a different headspace. “Devotion” is haunting in its existence, not quite the reassuring jolt we were considering needing after this Matrix-adjacent masterpiece’s release. In fact, once you reach final track “Anorexia”, there is a mentality that you might be trapped in some pretty magnetic music, which has now captivated your senses. If you don’t think of the brainwashing scene in Zoolander during this song, then I wonder where your head started and how to pull yourself out. This song leaves you in a trance itself, however intensely inspired if you open yourself up to it.
As if we hadn’t been blessed enough this week, Munich-based pop rock quartet KYTES – expertly comprised of Michael Spieler, Kerim Öke, Timothy Lush, and Thomas Sedlacek – releases their new album Good Luck today. Eleven power-infused pop tracks, replete with punchy lyrics and accented vocals are about to put you in the best mood ever, despite some of the subject matters. Like first track “Runaway”, for example, during which we hear the protagonist either setting boundaries with a conflicted relationship, or acknowledging his runner mentality in life. Either way, we start on a highly relatable note, and that doesn’t fade as we melt into the 80s-inspired work.
“Go Out” keeps the energy going at the same pace, while the coming of “Emily” leads us into what we would prefer to identify as a quintessential ambient love song. A sense of nostalgia is established within the lyrics, leading perfectly into the highly danceable “Take Me Home”. “Want You Back” comes in with a slight disco feel, the guitar parts absolutely standout. While “Alright” doesn’t exactly convince us that he is quite alright, “Shot of Love” has a very Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy” feel to it over spans of verses.
“Like a Dream” is as sticky sweet as the title would suggest, “Fast Life” is a bit quirkier in both composition and lyrical content, and will definitely get you on your feet, while “Wheel” is the defining ballad of the album. Bonus track “Livin’ in Havana” serves as our last sounds from this euphoric release, and it puts us in such vacation mode that we are almost looking forward to our next two days off… even if that means we are midwest-bound.
From the freezing forests of Norway emerges your new favorite ambience-inducing producer, a truly talented artist named Ruben Dawnson. His single “FYALMA” may seem a little jarring lyrically, but it is totally an anthem for those fighting anxiety. This is the unifying song we all needed even if we didn’t realize it. Admits the artist”
This is by far the most liberating song I’ve ever written! It’s a big fuck you anthem to anxiety! Like many others I’ve been struggling with it for a long time… hopefully this can lift people’s spirit and I hope people will connect with it and scream out the lyrics!! I really want it to reach as many as possible and help create a big “fuck you” wave towards anxiety!! I know it won’t solve any deep issues people might have, but hopefully it can make someone feel less lonely.
Dawnson just released the accompanying music video, which can be seen below. Watch as he runs around town, looking similar to the feelings those of us struggling with anxiety hold inside. Not only does this video feel a bit chaotic, but it’s also very inviting. Get your fresh air. Get outside and move. Break away from yourself sometimes.
What do you find powerful about this song and video? Let us know on Facebook!
Have you ever been so thrilled with the way a song makes you FEEL THE EMOTIONS that you just want to shout it from the rooftops? With dark, brooding vocals, an incredible amount of dismal attitude, and whirring guitars, The Great Dictators bring us new track “Play Dead Together”, which is sonically just as morbid as its title suggests. Past the initial impression, it is a love song at its core, and sweet in a sinister and beautiful way.
To truly understand what any of this means, of course, you have to take a listen for yourself. So check it out, and check back in with us over on Facebook with your thoughts!
Southern California singer-songwriter Pi Jacobs is set to release her newest album Two Truths and a Lie on Feb. 21. This album is one about strength, struggle, romance, and the resilience of everyday women.
Jacobs unique style combines electrified rock and rootsy Americana, created by incorporating staple bluegrass and standard rock & roll instruments. These instruments accompany Jacobs’ bluesy, unforced vocals as effortlessly as though everything came together at the same time.
Most of Jacob’s music reflects on the broad perspective of travel, Two Truths and a Lie, is an outward and inward look at women, including herself. In songs like “First Thing Tomorrow”, she rocks the blues, admitting struggling with thoughts of freedom and putting off plans to “put this bottle down, wake up and take a stand.” This is relatable, because we all struggle wanting to change the world around us, while simultaneously trying to distract ourselves from it. “Party Girl” is a vulnerable track, allowing her to admit that she — as most others — has worked hard to fit in with people in her life, perhaps not always turning to the right decisions for it.
One of our absolute favorite tracks? Eleventh and final track “Slow On Down”, because of its relaxing nature, and its clear departure from its predecessors to bring you back to a peaceful state of mind, amidst all of the heavy topics covered throughout the album. It’s almost comforting to be in the presence of this track, and that’s everything we could wish from the end of a blues album.
Check out the latest video for “Rearview Mirror” below, and take your full listen to this album this Friday!
