whoa dakota, “lovefool”

whoa dakota, “lovefool”

If you haven’t experienced the ethereal vocal wonderment that is Whoa Dakota (Jesse Ott), then why not try the act on for size with an updated version of one of your favorite 90s tracks? The indie pop songstress has mastered several throwback options — trust us, we’ve seen her multiple times live and she absolutely destroys every stage she’s on — and this is one of our favorites. And is there a more perfect time of year to be pulling this one out of our back pockets, anyway?

Happy Valentine’s Day, and every day, with this flirty, fun track!

Keep up with Whoa Dakota here.

beabadoobee, “sun more often”

beabadoobee, “sun more often”

Today, indie pop sensation Beabadoobee released the official music video for her track “Sun More Often.” Animated by Elliot Bech, the entirety of the video is a gorgeous black and white cartoon with images alluding to the Space Cadet EP. While she soulfully sings, her words breathe life into your day as she implores you to look at the bright side of things, with lyrics like: “If you try/You’ll see/That the world’s/Not scary as it seems.”

Check out the video below, and let us know what your thoughts are over on Facebook!

TOUR
3/23 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5 *
3/25 – Washington, DC – Union Stage *
3/26 – Philadelphia, PA – Foundry *
3/27 – Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground *
3/29 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom *
3/31 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues – Cambridge Room *
4/02 – St. Paul, MN – Amsterdam *
4/03 – Kansas City, MO – Encore @ Uptown #
4/04 – Denver, CO – Moon Room @ Summit Hall #
4/05 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court #
4/07 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile #
4/08 – Portland, WA – Holocene #
4/10 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop #
4/14 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar #
4/27 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Pavilion ^
4/29 – Austin, TX – Austin360 Amphitheater ^
5/2 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion ^
5/3 – El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center ^
5/5 – Glendale, AZ – vGila River Arena ^
5/7 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum ^
5/8 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre ^
5/11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre ^
5/13 – Omaha, NE – Baxter Arena ^
5/14 – St Louis, MO – Enterprise Center ^
5/16 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center ^
5/18 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum ^
5/19 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center ^
5/21 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage ^
5/23 – Washington, DC – The Anthem ^
5/26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden ^
5/29 – Hanover, MD – The Hall Live! Casino and Hotel ^
5/30 – Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavillion %
6/1 – Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Events Center ^
6/3 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse ^
6/5 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater ^
6/6 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center ^
6/8 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place ^
6/9 – Miami, FL – Bayfront Park Amphitheatre ^
6/11 – Duluth, GA – Infinite Energy Center ^

* w/ support from Eliza & The Delusionals
# w/ support from Taylor Janzen
^ In support of The 1975
% 104.5 Birthday Celebration

Festivals:
3/16 – 3/22 – SXSW – Austin, TX
4/11 – Coachella – Indigo, CA
4/18 – Coachella – Indigo, CA
5/24 – Boston Calling – Boston, MA

Keep up with Beabadoobee here.

little dume, waking up

little dume, waking up

Anybody else ready to see an improvement in climate change law and the way we take advantage of our precious baby Earth? Alt-pop collective Little Dume has taken their environmentally conscious thoughts and placed them in their first 5 track EP, Waking Up. Theatrical and intense, the entirety of the release could be found in the soundtrack to a romance novel-turned modern major motion picture. Perhaps it’s their location in Malibu that brings the message of the environment to us disguised within sticky sweet pop sounds, either way we’re falling in love with their musicianship while “Waking Up” to the beauty to be lost.

A true love song, “As Always” showcases a raspier, slightly grittier soundscape. It utilizes the metaphor of natural disaster alongside descriptions of other gorgeous scenery to play with the meaning of love and the collective, it seems. Don’t be disappointed that Beyonce doesn’t make an appearance on “Halo”, the song itself is more Coldplay than anything else sonically (fight me). It’s gorgeous, and plays with the meaning of “bad” and “good”.

For some reason, we get quick flashbacks to music from The Cab with the opening of “That Could Be Me”, another clear love ballad that is hopeful and emotional, vocals that rip to your very core. “Kings and Saints” wraps up the EP smartly. It can be classified as a leisurely then powerful self-reflective and, once again, hopeful song, reminiscent of the energy of recent Top 40 releases. (Cough cough nudge nudge.)

What do you think? Share with us on our Facebook page!

Keep up with Little Dume here.

ben williams, “we shall overcome”

ben williams, “we shall overcome”

Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact on civilization as a whole is no small feat, and celebrating just one day every year is simply not enough. But we will do what we can with what we are given, and today I am proud to share the impactful new track from jazz musician Ben Williams titled “We Shall Overcome.” The pace is slow, the soundscape feels sultry, but there is a sense of pain in the delivery that makes it obvious from the first “We Shall Overcome” that this song is an anthem. The pace stays at a crawl, almost mimicking the dramatic effect of each and every step taken during Memphis’ historic 1968 African American sanitation workers’ strike, for which the title of the song was chosen.

Celebrate your strength and abilities. Take a moment with this song and really feel it, and take on the support and love those who inspired this track showed the world. It’s our turn to raise each other’s voices and to treat each other with the dignity, respect, and love we all deserve. This song will ensure that.

I AM A MAN is out February 7th. Keep up with Ben Williams here.

mykki blanco, “Lucky (Live in London)”

mykki blanco, “Lucky (Live in London)”

Queer rap extraordinaire Mykki Blanco‘s late December hit “Lucky” has paved the way for a gorgeous partnership between the storied artist and Dazed & Gucci. A new live-performance take on the track, it is full of warm colors, a feeling of community, and a glimpse into the talent that London holds, as that is where they filmed this version. This video is the first in a series that will be branded #GucciGig.

Directed by Diana Kunst and Mau Morgó, the video includes a 3 piece string section and choreography by Tom Heyes to complete its whimsical and fun atmosphere.

Keep up with Mykki Blanco here.

frances quinlan, “your reply”

frances quinlan, “your reply”

If your eardrums have ever been blessed by the magnetic vocals of Frances Quinlan, you’d best prepare yourself. With her new track “Your Reply”, the listener experiences a palpable energy, each note specifically belonging to its originator, the cadence with which she expresses herself intense and, in this case, fun. While a bed of instruments accompanies her voice, they come as almost an afterthought, not to discredit the talent.

To both understand where we’re coming from and head into your day with a pep in your step sonically, check out “Your Reply” below!

Likewise is out January 31st. Keep up with Frances Quinlan here.

magdalena bay, “how to get physical”

magdalena bay, “how to get physical”

We might have to wait until March 13th to enjoy Magdalena Bay‘s upcoming EP in its entirety, but today we get a sneak peek of what to expect with the music video for their new track “How To Get Physical”. The song is a synth-fueled throwback dream, with a music video absolutely littered with special effects. That’s right, you get a chance to see the electro-pop duo in front of cherries, dancing on handheld video game consoles, dancing with anime around them, flowers falling, and more. You don’t have to pick a specific dream to hold on to with this video, choose them all!

Let us know what you think over on Facebook!

Keep up with Magdalena Bay here.

bedroom, “gulf”

bedroom, “gulf”

Singer/songwriter Noah Kittinger has been releasing music under the moniker Bedroom since he was just 16. And though he started with talent on his side, he now has the luxury of time, allowing him to create next level art. The new music video for his song “Gulf” is like watching old video footage, clips of what looks to be a comic book convention shot and compiled by Parker Stallworth in New York City. Set to the backdrop of the slowly meandering and ethereal track, it romanticizes the idea of cosplay for us, severely making our team want to dress up a bit in the near future. Who’s with us?

Let us know who you’d cosplay as on Facebook!

Keep up with Noah Kittinger here.

the adobe collective, all the space that there is

the adobe collective, all the space that there is

Today is incredible. We made it to Friday, it’s the second weekend of the new year. Whatever trials and tribulations we have experienced in the last few days, we made it through the week and things are looking up! So now it’s time to celebrate, and we see no better way than with the transfixing sounds of Joshua Tree-based The Adobe Collective‘s new album All The Space That There Is.

“Carousel” reels you into the tranquil sounds of the band, while “Blind” begins a bit more frantically, and carries more energy with it. It is here that we realize the album is largely going to be a love piece, with relatable twists and turns and a reliable smooth as honey soundscape, regardless of how much the tempo and instrumentals vary. “To Ourselves” further proves this point, occurring at the pace of a 60s rock track. And that guitar? It melts our souls. But then when “You’ll Never Tell” sets in, it brings with it more of an old western vibe instrumentally, confrontational and beautiful in its message.

“Warm To Me” feels like a beach in the summertime, and we’re pretty sure that was on purpose so we’ll just leave it at that. (Ok we lied. Listen to it if you want to bring that chin up a bit, truly.) “All I Know” follows with more of a quick country clip, a simple and fun song you could certainly dance to. “Sky Starts At The Ground” leads with whirring guitars, and is perhaps the song most likely to be placed in a successful romantic comedy. (So do that.)

“Shine On” is a heavy song lyrically. As positive as it can be in its chorus’ message, the verses take shots at discussing life’s pitfalls. It’s bittersweet in its existence, highly relatable, but perhaps not the song to play at a party. “Taking Time” brings your heart rate back down, well-harmonized and beautifully framing the album, prepping you for the final track “So Happy That It Hurts.” The song’s title is endlessly uplifting. The song is slow, concerted, with very little melodically spoken words, blending into the instrumentals as though all are one, largely. Fragmented in its disposition, it is the perfect way to wind down from something so tragic, beautiful, and inspiring. In that way, it gives us time to reflect on the fragments that make up the whole.

Keep up with The Adobe Collective here.