TheHunna released their new single “If This Is Love” ft. phem on May 29th, and a video to go along with it. This seamless blend of the alt-rock band and the genre-fluid artist phem feels like the perfect unity of a couple in love. But “If This Is Love” recognizes that love is more complicated than that. It delves into the raw, painful moments that come after an intense, genuine love dies. Made within isolation, the music video features close up shots of what is presumably lead singer Ryan Potter and phem, which evokes a sense of intimacy. The pair are doused with red and green light, perhaps pointing to the kind of inner conflict that one faces after a meaningful relationship ends. The track itself echoes this idea, beginning slow and tender with sparse but comforting music and gentle vocals. It continues to increase in intensity, however, reaching an emotional climax when Ryan sings “and now I never want to see your face.” Here the music is harsh and unbridled, just like the pain and anger that emanates from this track.
From Watford, England, lead singer and guitarist Ryan is joined by lead guitarist Daniel Dorney, drummer Jack Metcalfe, and bassist Junate Angin to form TheHunna. Ryan was a fan of phem’s before they met, but it was only by a stroke of fortune that the band happened to meet her at a party thrown by Halsey! TheHunna are thrilled for the opportunity to work with phem, and it’s certainly obvious in “If This Is Love” that the collaboration is a success. If you’re like me and find yourself empathizing with the low spirits in this track, don’t fret! TheHunna will be releasing a track from their new album I’d Rather Die Than Let You In every month up until its debut on October 2nd. These tracks will trace the entire journey of heartbreak, beginning with anger and dejection but eventually shifting to acceptance and ultimately moving on.
You can pre-order the album here.
These are the songs that inspire us. They cover a wide range of sounds which is telling of the music we create. Just like our music, this playlist covers the electric guitar sounds of the 60’s all the way to modern artists such as Twenty One Pilots and John Mayer.
Recently, Ocean Alley premiered the music video for their track “Hot Chicken”. Needless to say, we’re huge fans. Directed, animated, and edited by Michael Askew, the video is absolutely entrancing, changing at musical cues to display different textures and landscapes, many to be left to the imagination. It has a bit of a psychedelic quality to it, which just heightens the effects of the track itself, with whirring guitar and attitude for days.
Indie-pop singer-songwriter and producer Dylan Emmet released new single “Dumb”. Emmet says inspiration for the track came from his girlfriend, “She was joking about how ‘get away with murder’ when I do annoying things because for some reason, they don’t bother her the same way it does when other people do them. It got me thinking about what real love is.”
The track combines electronic indie and alternative pop with punk guitars and a synth production. Emment’s smooth vocals set over this mix drives home the emotion. While instrumentally “Dumb” feels like any old summer dancey-type song, but lyrically it’s a playful love song.
“Dumb” captures that feeling of letting love take control, even if it makes you do crazy and dumb things for that person. The track enforces the idea of loving another and letting their flaws be one of the reasons for that love.
Boston-based pop artist GILLIAN has just put out her new single, “High”. The young songstress is only 15 years of age but is already proving her knack for chronicling life’s ups and downs and trials and tribulations with clarity, poetic eloquence, and a stirringly soulful voice. Whether it’s with a piano, guitar, or her haunting vocals, GILLIAN explores dissolving relationships, the horrors of addiction, and facing loneliness with unbridled emotion that belies her 15 years. “High” marks GILLIANS first release of 2020 with plenty in the books to follow, including a new EP release in the summer of 2020.
GILLIAN navigates tranquil piano with skill beyond her years on “High”, her mesmerizing voice serving as the ever-so-pleasant guiding light through a sparse backtrack. Delicate and carefully chosen pronunciation and vocal embellishments give her a unique flavor. She builds the song’s tension up to an arresting chorus with commanding percussion and soft backing vocals, showing up with a strong delivery that sets the hook apart from the calm verses.
“High” is available now wherever you like to stream and keep an eye out for more releases from GILLIAN in 2020.
Deerhoof has released their new song “Farewell’ Symphony”. The single precedes the release of the group’s forthcoming album Future Teenage Cave Artists. The song’s inspiration is as ambitious as the track itself, with the video (edited by Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier) featuring a supercut of six performances of the final movement of Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Farewell’ Symphony”.
Of the Deerhoof original, Saunier says: “Just imagine if all the living things that’ve been done in by capitalism could reunite for one big final bow! All the extinct cool underground music scenes, all the extinct species of plants and animals, all the extinct arts and educational and political systems that were meant to help people…they’d all be there!” The song itself is a magical ride of controlled chaos; under different guidance the gritty guitar, clanging drums, and singer Satomi Matsuzaki’s vocals might be overwhelming, but under Deerhoof’s watchful eye it’s the perfect storm.
“Farewell’ Symphony” is available on all streaming platforms and Future Teenage Cave Artists is due to release May 29th via Joyful Noise Recordings.
Swedish musician Carissa Shockley has recently released her newest single, “Drink to Forget”. The track features her brother Meyta as well as rapper Brenden.
Shockley’s haunting voice gracefully guides listeners through a tranquil soundscape packed with compelling melody lines and soulful harmonies. Of the new song, she says “‘Drink to Forget’ was my way of coping with the mistakes I made or when I faced disappointment in the years leading up to finding my life’s purpose with restored mental and physical health. My hope is to connect with others that relate to the authenticity in this song”. A well-placed acoustic guitar under Shockley in a calm moment following the rap verse leads listeners into the final section of the song, which features a swirling sound design navigated by the talented singer.
“Drink to Forget” is now available everywhere for your streaming enjoyment.
With the release of their second full-length Cry All The Time, Impulsive Hearts delve into darker themes of love and loss, while keeping true to their bright and fierce style of songwriting.
The album opens with “MELODY” is a look at a relationship that fell apart where one knew it was coming and the other didn’t. This uses the idea of creating a melody of music to capture one’s love for the other, “I could build a melody, it’s in a song u would write it down all summer long, oh I would build the world you love, who you waiting on?” and the realization that person wants out of the relationship with: “you took it back what you said / … / you said forget the rest, the rest of what we said.”
The album ends with the track “some heartbreakers” a slower and slightly upbeat tempo track that encompasses the theme of Cry All The Time, love, heartbreak, and loss.
Impulsive Hearts creates music that has a touch of sadness to the world of neo-girl garage rock bands. With Danielle Sines providing captivating vocals and fuzzy guitar, Doug Hoyer (bass) and Dan Julian (drums) hold down the rhythm section bringing each track to its peak moment, and Fallon McDermott (saxophone) and Jess LeMaster (violinist) add a depth to these tracks. All parts come together to create the larger than life sound of Impulsive Hearts.
Cry All The Time comes full circle from its start to finish, with “MELODY” presenting an example of heartbreak and loss while “some heartbreakers” shows that we all have stories of heartbreak, each song on this record is a story of heartbreak.
Portland metal rockers Gaytheist have just returned with the release of their 5th album, How Long Have I Been on Fire?, set to release April 10th via Hex Records. The record is the band’s first on the label as well as their first release in 3 years. Following several years of living on opposite ends of the country, the band reassembled in Vancouver, Washington and delved into a writing frenzy to create their newest body of work. The record blends metal, punk, hardcore and noise rock with a good sense of humor, proving that you can still make good metal music without having to take it so damn serious.
The band impressively recorded the entire album in one summer weekend in 2019 under previous collaborator and master engineer Stephen Hawkes, resulting in thirteen songs of “KABOOM rock, depression anthems, and various attempts at communication”, according to a statement. Full of feedback, rhythm and speed, it is an amalgamation of punk, hardcore, metal, and wild rock.
Gaytheist had planned to play a handful of Pacific Northwest shows around the release date this month, but these have now been cancelled. They were to be followed by more extensive North American dates in summer, but, due to the current situation, these dates are also up-in-the-air.
Lead single “The Dark Deep” is full of wild and untameable riffs and a wailing vocal delivery from frontman and namesake Jason Rivera, the band’s OG gay atheist. The song kicks off with a bang and doesn’t stop moving from there, only picking up the momentum that continues on and relentlessly propels the record forward.
If the name “Hornswoggled” wasn’t good enough in itself, the content continues to hold up its end of the bargain. Heavy drums and aggressive guitar rage along with a clunky bass line while the lyrics take on those who are easily confused and don’t always operate with their best interests in mind: the easily tricked, bamboozled, and, of course, hornswoggled.
“hashbrownsblessed” is in keeping with that keen sense of humor we mentioned. This firecracker of a track is laden with big riffs and no bullshit packed into less than a minute and a half, consistent with the type of energy only a band named Gaytheist could pull off. And to those not down for it? We’re breaking up with you. It’s not you, it’s me.
