Regardless of how much effort you put into a relationship, sometimes it’s just not meant to work out.
San Francisco-based songstress Floyd expresses this painful reality with the video for her latest single, “Shadow Self (The Best That I Can).” The alt-country pop track, produced by Ed Clare and Georgann Ireland for Nova Noir Productions, is the first offering from the singer-songwriter since she released the holiday-themed “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” last year.
As her musical influences range from feminist pop icon Tori Amos to new wave rocker Cyndi Lauper, it should come as no surprise that the visuals radiate a sense of vigor and determination as she performs the song in all-black attire.
Regarding the title of the single, Floyd says that the shadow self has to do with how everyone is doing the best they can in every moment and how sometimes their best is frankly not good enough for someone else. “That is a hard truth, but it’s an honest one,” she said. “And I think being honest should count for something.”
Watch the video for “Shadow Self (The Best That I Can)” below!
This past year has disrupted how I understand the concept of time within our society.
Staying inside for weeks felt like months, and primarily interacting with my peers via Zoom merely emphasized the ever-increasing feelings of physical alienation I was experiencing. However, in retrospect, I wish I had done more during this dark period the world was and continues to endure. Everything has made me realize how no matter what’s going on outside, life doesn’t last forever, and we have to enjoy the time we have while we still have it.
English indie heroes The Wombats illustrate this realization with the fourth single off their upcoming five studio album Fix Yourself, Not The World titled “Everything I Love Is Going To Die.” The harmonious guitars and punchy drums are captivating from the start, backing the lyrics sung by frontman Matthew “Murph” Murphy that focus on how everyone needs to acknowledge and appreciate how beautiful their lives are in the moment before they are simply memories lost to time.
When explaining the song, Murphy described the song as being “about the impermanence of life and the beauty of each passing second.”
“The key line for me is ‘Icarus Was My Best Friend, So I’m Gonna Make Him Proud In The End,’ which I guess is a playful take on living life to its fullest even though the consequences of that might be dire,” he said. “Certainly not a call to Nihilism, however, but perhaps a call to being present and the joy that can be found in appreciating each moment we find ourselves in.”
All in all, the song is another jangly, electro-pop anthem from the band that won’t stop giving. Their new album Fix Yourself, Not The World comes out January 7, 2022, and you can pre-order it here. Less than two weeks later, they plan on starting their worldwide tour in support of the album in North America before heading overseas to Europe and the UK later in April and May. All dates are below.
North American Dates: January 20 – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC January 22 – The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA January 25 – Terminal 5, New York, NY January 26 – House of Blues, Boston, MA January 28 – Corona, Montreal, QB January 31 – St. Andrew’s, Detroit, MI February 1 – Newport, Columbus, OH February 3 – Park West, Chicago, IL February 4 – The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN February 5 – The Truman, Kansas City, MO February 7 – Cannery, Nashville, TN February 8 – Buckhead, Atlanta, GA February 10 – House of Blues, Houston, TX February 11 – Emo’s, Austin, TX February 12 – House of Blues, Dallas, TX February 14 – Ogden, Denver, CO February 15 – Union, Salt Lake City, UT February 17 – Showbox Market, Seattle, WA SOLD OUT February 18 – Venue Nightclub, Vancouver, BC SOLD OUT February 19 – Revolution Hall, Portland, OR February 21 – The Regency, San Francisco, CA February 22 – The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA February 25 – The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
European/UK Tour Dates:
April 14 – First Direct Arena, Leeds April 15 – The O2, London April 16 – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff April 18 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow April 22 – Mountford Hall, Liverpool April 23 – Mountford Hall, Liverpool April 29 – La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, Paris (France) May 1 – Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne (Germany) May 2 – Übel & Gefährlich, Hamburg (Germany) May 4 – Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm (Sweden) May 5 – Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo (Norway) May 6 – DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen (Denmark) May 7 – Huxley’s Neue Welt, Berlin (Germany) May 9 – Gasometer, Vienna (Austria) May 10 – Backstage Werk, Munich (Germany) May 12 – Estragon, Bologna (Italy) May 13 – Fabrique, Milan (Italy) May 14 – Komplex 457, Zurich (Switzerland) May 16 – De Roma, Antwerp (Belgium) May 17 – Paradiso, Amsterdam (Netherlands) May 18 – De Oosterpoort, Groningen (Netherlands) May 19 – TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (Netherlands) May 26 – Open Air Theatre, Scarborough
Love is weird. Sometimes it’s hard to keep a relationship going and continue finding things to love about them. But on the other hand, there are some instances where it’s just easy to fall right into someone’s eyes and instantly start adoring every detail about them, regardless of what others think. Memphis-based multi-instrumentalist Dylan Dunn illustrates his thoughts on the latter with his latest single, “Such A Freak.”
The first minutes off the lead single from Dunn’s upcoming independent debut Blue Like YouEP feels like a charming ballad about a loved one featuring simplistic, acoustic stylings similar to that of Cavetown. However, once that first chorus hits, these sweet symphonies evolve into a stark contrast of everything thus far, that being something much more striking and reminiscent of the dark, angsty pop of Conan Gray.
Overall, the track is a genre-bending bop that makes me look forward to listening to more material from the singer-songwriter later this year. Until then, I bet I’ll be hearing this on alternative radio stations in the weeks and months to come.
Although reflecting on past relationships can hurt like hell, it’s crucial when it comes to enduring and accepting the past on one’s road of self-discovery. Van Nelson Records artist Gabby Holt speaks of her journey through this process on her latest solo offering The Star & The Devil and has just released a more intimate look into her soul with the video for the track “At This Table.”
The ballad itself is gorgeous, with the Portland-based musician contemplating how she found her partner before ultimately confessing the affection she felt for them over a driving piano-driven arrangement and swells of nostalgia-soaked guitars.
Holt says that the inspiration behind this song and the album as a whole was looking back and admitting that she could not erase her past but instead embrace it. “I look at myself with almost child-like eyes, you know. That was the Gabby that was learning, that wanted to fix this situation. This was the part of me that was trying her best. It’s still giving voice to that part of me that was in it. It’s okay to be human…it’s a really human thing to feel that way.”
However, I cannot articulate enough how alluring the accompanying visuals are and how excellently they represent the abstract emotion behind Holt’s lyrics. They primarily follow the singer (sporting a vibrant pink mohawk) as she performs the song directly to her partner, whom she physically and emotionally connects with throughout, while also intermittently playing at a piano and singing in front of a barren beachside.
While this might sound rather simplistic on paper, it comes off as being remarkably poignant and manages to capture the relatability of the entire situation as a whole. Watch the video directed, shot, and edited by Joshua Rivera below!
People have struggled for decades, if not centuries, to understand those who identify as being transgender. However, with the help of activists such as musician and public speaker Ryan Cassata, this expression of gender is slowly but surely becoming more acceptable within our society.
Over the past decade, Cassata has grown up in the public eye after coming out as transgender FTM (female-to-male) and becoming a full-time activist at 15-years-old before receiving top surgery several years later in January 2012. These actions have resulted in a lot of publicity towards the singer-songwriter, both positive and negative, which deeply affected his teenage years. He recounts this time of his life in addition to how he coped with a traumatic breakup on his eighth studio album Magic Miracle Mile, which came out today, Friday, October 22.
The 45-minute project was self-produced and recorded by Cassata, and is a unique combination of numerous genres, including but not limited to alt-pop, folk, R&B, and even slam poetry. In an announcement he posted via Instagram on October 4, the musician elaborated upon the deeper meaning behind his latest effort.
This is the deepest I’ve ever went on a record… this album deals with loads of grief. It’s emo as fuck. But it’s also empowerment. I lived to tell the tale and I hope this album screams that you’re not alone in your struggle. I’m here with you…. If you are spiraling out, I’m here with you…
Although I do not personally identify as transgender, I find Cassata’s story to be incredibly inspiring. It fills me with joy to see his fans leaving an abundance of comments under his posts and videos about how much they relate to his music, with many stating how “this is exactly how I feel.” Everyone deserves proper representation within the music industry, no matter what anyone identifies as or believes in, as it ultimately helps break down the old-fashioned, derogatory barriers set in place and demonstrate how no one is ever truly alone in this world of ours.
With that said, I’m unable to speak on behalf of the transgender community and how they feel about Cassata’s material, but I think user The Shellander stated it best with their comment under the music video for the singer’s single “Hometown HEro” in which they said, “this is a song so many of us need.”
Stream Magic Miracle Mile and watch the video for “Hometown HEro” below!
Local Kansas City punk rockers You Monster You are celebrating Halloween early with the visuals for their new single “Downtown,” the latest from the band’s upcoming album Not Dead Yet, due sometime next year. The release is the third of twelve self-produced tracks they plan on releasing bi-monthly throughout 2021 and 2022.
They declared the song as a love letter to their past when they filled concert halls and bars with their sweeping, breakneck energy and a rallying cry to the future when everyone can reclaim these safe spaces from the pandemic. It’s a stark departure from their last two singles, “Iron” and “Grip,” both of which portray the hardships of enduring the lockdown period for the past year, as it’s instead what the quartet looks forward to and perhaps previously took for granted.
The video perfectly encapsulates the meaning behind its source material, presenting frontman Trent Munsinger as a vampire scouring an assortment of dark corridors for his prey inside of a unique and relatively unknown location in the heart of Kansas City.
Union Station has a third floor that wraps around the building and was used to house soldiers in times of war as well as sporting several bullet holes from the 1950 Kansas City Massacre. Today this historic space is one of the nation’s largest graffiti galleries! The walls and long halls are covered with ever-changing artwork from local KC street artists; giving them a safe place to practice their craft while the rest of the time, it is rented out for thrilling laser tag parties under the name ‘Survive KC.’ It blows our mind that this place is hiding right above us in Union Station, so we saw it as an opportunity to make a charming and campy tale of revenge in a spooky corner of Kansas City that many are completely unaware of.
“Downtown” is available to stream on your favorite platforms today.
New York indie-pop artist Benjamin Lazar Davis has announced his new self-titled LP alongside a video for the first single off of the project, “Remember.”
Known for working with a diverse array of artists, ranging from Anaïs Mitchell to Okkervil River, Davis is far from a newcomer to the music industry. The collaborative efforts shine through on the LP with contributions from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros pianist Mitchell Yoshida, Lake Street Dive bassist Bridget Kearney, and Rubblebucket bandleader Alex Toth, among many others.
Girl Talk’s Sarah K Pedinotti assisted Davis with the production of “Remember,” not only by co-writing the title but also by starring in its visuals beside her cousin Desmond to represent the past and present in addition to their similarities and differences.
Davis’ directorial debut depicts the Pedinotti’s wading through a river, blowing bubbles, and running through a forest as a yellow butterfly motif periodically flashes in and out, perfectly encapsulating the song’s fusion of Sufjan Stevens’ nostalgia-ridden longing for the past and The Flaming Lips’ technicolor psychedelia.
“Remember is an old song written in London after a failed attempt to connect with a crush that had always had a boyfriend but had become single. The song foreshadowed my life on both coasts of the USA. It was recorded in my parents’ house with Lars Horntveth on the minimalist reeds and Luke Moellman (of Great Good Fine Ok) on their old Steinway upright piano. Joan As Police Woman sings some crazy effected vocals in the last verse!”
The self-titled LP will come out on November 19 and is available to pre-order now via Bandcamp.
Porches (aka New York-based musician Aaron Maine) has just released the video for “Back3School,” the fourth single from their fifth studio album All Day Gentle Hold ! out Friday, October 8.
The visuals for the ecstatic, synth-driven track observe Maine as he glides around an all-white soundstage while performing the song for a teacher wearing a transparent nylon mask.
Over the runtime, the video evolves from having straight-on shots of Maine singing to producing sweeping camera angles and rapidly flashing lights as he draws the audience into the crashing conclusion.
This song is a mystery to me, impending doom mixed with total bliss,” Maine said about the single. “The ‘back to school’ trope, but with an underlying anxiety that something might be terribly wrong, or maybe everything is just fine.
Watch the video for “Back3School” below!
Porches 2022 Tour Dates Mar 21 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB Mar 22 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace Mar 24 – Detroit, MI @ El Club Mar 25 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues Mar 26 – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club Mar 28 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater Mar 29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge Mar 31 – Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret Apr 1 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Apr 2 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Apr 4 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Apr 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater Apr 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Apr 8 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues (Cambridge Room) Apr 9 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn Apr 10 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues (Bronze Peacock Room) Apr 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West Apr 13 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In Apr 15 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Apr 16 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage Apr 18 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom Apr 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Apr 21 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club Apr 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ The First Unitarian Church May 13 – London, UK @ Lafayette May 16 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie May 17 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet May 18 – Cologne, DE @ Artheater May 19 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub
It’s hard to function after being in an unhealthy situation, but it’s even harder to overcome and embrace your emotions so you can become a better person at the end of the day. Miami-born Spanish singer-songwriter Jacqueline Loor takes listeners through this laborious yet rewarding journey on her debut album, Show Them, due to release this Friday. In response to seeing her sister endure a toxic relationship and eventually gaining the courage to leave her partner, the mother of two wrote this collection of empowering songs to inspire others to thrive and do the same.
At the beginning of the album, Loor recognizes how her relationship is in shambles and reminisces how it used to be. Over time, she realizes how her significant other is only a distant echo of who they once were until she cuts them off from her life and finally gets the opportunity to exhale without them breathing down her back. This alone time allows her to find her footing and take the reigns of her life back, so she can show the world how she can soar and carry on without her former lover.
Although she just started singing several years ago, at the age of 36, Loor’s commanding vocals and intricate, vulnerable lyricism shine throughout, ultimately sounding like an intriguing blend of the cinematic melancholia of Lana Del Rey and the ecstatic optimism of Sara Bareilles. With that in mind, if someone told me that some of these songs were from a musical on Broadway, I’d probably take their word for it.
All in all, this project is remarkable, as it aims to empower listeners worldwide to escape the darkness and discover the light inside themselves.
Loors’ passion for performing is ever-increasing, as seen by how the singer-songwriter self-produced one song on the album, “I Broke My Heart,” and has been releasing a variety of songs sung entirely in Spanish as well.
If this is her first comprehensive venture into the music industry, I’m excited to see what she has in store for the years to come.
