Experimental indie pop collective Babylawns – comprised of Ryan Egan, Davey Alaimo, Mike Phillips, Chris Tremblay, and Conor Powers – is headed out on an east coast tour this month in support of their brand new album Sorry it’s like this, with the first stop happening tonight in Providence, Rhode Island. The nine track full-length starts with heavy hitting “too big”, crashing guitars leading you into the thrashing feel of “heartbeat” before winding you down into “anxiety”, which happens at a crawling clip. The album meanders between genres, as its listener gets bits of americana, psych rock, alternative, goth pop, and more through the expert instrumentalism of a group that knows how to cohesively switch tempo at the drop of a hat, highlighting the composition of the music at the same importance as the vocals themselves. Sorry it’s like this adequately sums up a highly relatable but often inexplicable melancholic feeling in song. And it’s something you need to experience.
Tour Dates
11/3 – Providence, RI
11/4 – Philadelphia, PA
11/5 – Columbus, OH
11/6 – Ann Arbor, MI
11/7 – Harrisburg, PA
11/8 – Baltimore, MD
11/9 – New Brunswick, NJ
11/10 – Wilton, NH
11/11 – Goffstown, NH
11/30 – Brooklyn, NY
12/1 – Portland, ME
Sorry it’s like this is out now. Keep up with Babylawns here.
Los Angeles-based indie pop duo (and real life couple) KiSMiT – Carly Barnette and Basti Reunert – has been blowing minds with their latest release, a 70s-inspired track titled “Cosmic Love”. So you know “we struck gold” with the music video for the track, which also plays off the nostalgic nature of the song. Carly and Basti spend the majority of the video making eyes at each other, frolicking in the desert in vintage-inspired outfits, layered in with shots of the two playing the song as if on a variety show. But whether they’re covered in glitter and seemingly glowing, transposed over images of the universe, or dancing around outside, these two are encouraging positive, fun, adventurous love with this video.
We were in such a good mood after watching the video that we decided to ask the duo a couple of questions about it all. So check out the video below, and then learn more about your new favorite power couple!
What is the first song or album you ever remember hearing, and who introduced it to you?
Carly: Definitely Jewel’s ‘Pieces of You’ – I knew all the words at 5 years old. My mom (going through a divorce at the time – shocker there!) had it on repeat in the car growing up. Something about her raw emotions just touched my little baby soul – #everydayangel (her super fan hashtag in case you didn’t know) ’til I croak. The album followed me throughout my life – first concert, first one I played at the piano – I look forward to the day I can look her in the eyes and thank her for her imprint on my life.
Baz: First album or song ever is a tough one to remember. The first song that I remember really catching me is ‘Hotel California’. It is a saga of a song not to mention the EPICALLY MELODIC GUITAR SOLOS!! My great uncle Freddy showed it to me on our drive from Palmdale to Santa Barbara, which, at 8 years old, was an epic journey of its own.
Your new video for “Cosmic Love” is so fun, and it has such a beautiful warmth to it! Where did the concept come from, and what was filming like?
Carly: Thank you! We had so much damn fun making it – I’m thrilled that that comes through. It’s our first music video so it was a labor of love from start to finish. I’ve always dreamed of doing a music video and to have been able to make it happen with some of my favorite people was just beyond magical. I had the idea for the lyric “we wax and we wane – I just want more of the same” and thought of us sleeping – how we might start spooning but then roll over onto our backs or snuggle the other way and it fascinated me from a birds eye view that it mirrors the moon cycle.
As “Cosmic Love” came to life musically that idea always lingered at the back of my mind. All of the music video brainstorming happened with Alex Cantatore (www.quickactcasual.com), our director / dear friend / upstairs neighbor at the time. We would lounge around in our apartments or chill out in the backyard and shoot ideas across at one another. Nothing was too big or crazy or extravagant and that was exhilarating!
Baz: Having alien-planet-looking parts of California (Mono Lake, Red Rock Canyon, Death Valley) as such a blessing for our outer space ambitions on a shoe-string budget.
Carly: Two worlds started to form: Our “SuperStar-Selves” (the best parts of our love: sexy, confident, fabulous); & Pleasant-ville meets desert – Desertville (the day-to-day, mundane and less flattering but very real flip side to a loving relationship). This first music video presented an opportunity to share another side of us. We wanted to be as honest as possible with the partnership we are putting on display – it’s magic and muddy all wrapped up into a a beautiful mess.
What inspired the track itself, if we might ask?
Baz: Sonically, it comes about from a mixture of sounds inspired by Allen Stone’s Freedom (Alternate Version), Andra Day’s Mistakes and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. (Pharrell, if you’re reading this, you better not come after our money! We didn’t steal your song!) Lyrically, ‘Cosmic Love’ is derived from us wanting to remember that the day-to-day of loving and working together has many twists and turns, warm and cold moments and all of it is part of the ride.
Carly: We wanted to make something that was bursting with love and vitality from the first beat, that, most importantly, made me move. If my booty is shaking, there’s definitely a smile on my face and that was important with this new direction of our music.
How do you imagine people listening to this track? (In an armchair, surrounded by flowers in a meadow? In an airplane with cotton candy clouds? Sitting at a BBQ? You can get creative here if you want!)
Baz: I picture people who are on the move listening to the song: in their car, getting ready to go out, exercising.
Carly: Such a fun question – I hope people are listening to it while they are making dinner – bottle of wine open, dancing in the kitchen -that sort of vibe. Also, before you’re going out – a social, pump-up vibe would make me reaaaaally excited. I know my grammy listens to it on repeat while she drives – so in the car for sure (#sola) okay okay subway too!!!
Any pet peeves or interesting stories you’d like to shed light on about each other? (We want all your secrets!)
Carly: Oh DANG – first time we’ve been asked to spill the dirt! After 5 years of living and loving together, I think I can divulge just one…. homeboy sleeps with earplugs (such sensitive angel earbuds) and when I wake up in the morning, they are always near me, around me, on me, without fail like stickers on my body – really haven’t vented about this, thanks for letting me get it out. Baz, you’ve got to work on that situation. But, if that’s the top of the list of annoyances, I would say,”Hell yeah! I’m a lucky gal.” Interesting story about Baz, that his modest South African self would never share and one that continually blows my mind, is that he picked up the guitar with serious interest and investment at 16. Like whaaaaaaat!?! I am so inspired by his dedication to his passion. He is always down in the studio in soft pants slapping da bass or producing or findling on the guitar and that is something I admire so much!
Baz: Well, I’m beaten for age by Carly’s flawless performance as Annie, with a 101 degree fever, at age 9. Her gran sent us the DVD of the performance and the sparkle has always been there. (Car, while you are sleeping tonight I will be sure to rest the earbuds on your eyelids.)
What’s your opinion on the modern music industry?
Baz: It is constantly evolving, especially how people are digesting music. The ability that everyone has to get their music heard and to find their audience is unprecedented. The niche markets are able support more indie artists than ever before. The major challenge is, of course, in that music streaming has greatly halted the flow of money to the artists, but when there is change in the weather, you best adapt and get on with it, the world isn’t going to stop for you. Again I’ll say, the major pro of the modern day music industry is how easy it is to connect with people of similar taste around the world.
Carly: Yeah, I will second the positive wind in our sails. It’s daunting to be investing in a career where the return isn’t guaranteed. So much of the conversation is the same “no money in music”, which I understand that that’s the truth but my mom started her own business when she was pregnant with me (talk about inspiration) and has always preached that when you are doing what you are meant to be doing, support always comes, I really believe that. I think in a lot of way it’s a super empowering time to be in this industry – no more waiting around for someone to find you or holding your breath for luck. Do the work, get your music & content as proud of it as you possibly can be, get it out there and what is meant to be will be.
However black & white as the social media “highlights reel” may seem sometimes – I think we are also getting to a point where if you are fake, it comes through. As an artist, there’s no hiding behind an image because daily you are sharing what you ate for breakfast, how you feel, who and what you support. It’s overwhelming and I need to unplug on the regular but I don’t think we even know what we are living through yet!
On an emotional level – our country, world, humankind is hurting right now, every day we put on our armor to the outside world that feels like it’s falling apart and to be contributing music as a soundtrack through these scary times, is something I am so grateful for.
Anything else you’d like to add?
We have a new single ‘Panther’ coming out later this month – the second release off of our upcoming EP coming out next February as well as an upcoming show at Harvard & Stone in Los Angeles on November 21st at 10pm. Thanks so much for taking the time & interest to share our story!
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Keep your eyes peeled for “Panther” and updates on KiSMiT here.
As Texas’ indie/electro-rock/pop collective TOMKAT – comprised of Katrina Cain, Andrew McMillan, Mike Luzecky, and Jonny Harmon – prepares to release their captivating 9 track album Icarus on Friday, October 13th, they’re prepping a couple of live dates surrounding everything. They’re no strangers to the spotlight, as their debut single “Big Love” was placed in James Franco’s 2016 film Actors Anonymous, but we will argue that they haven’t seen their peak yet, as Icarus marks their full-length debut. And we’re excited to see fan reactions, as we’ve gotten the chance to peak all the new tracks and we’re solidly digging the soothing, trance-like feeling we get listening to the layered, smooth tracks. Katrina’s vocals will ensnare you, whether she’s bringing you up or you’re “Drowning” together.
But before you get the chance to hear what they’ve got in store, we got to throw a few questions at the band. Peep the interview below, along with latest single “Teardrops” to give you a little taste of what’s to come.
What is the first song or album you ever remember hearing, and who introduced it to you?
This is such a great question! When I was a kid, we moved around a lot. I think I moved 6 times before I turned 7, which made for a lot of road trips. We also never flew anywhere, so I have very specific memories of very long car rides across the country. My dad would make mix tapes of music he liked, and that’s what we listened to in the car when we got tired of NPR. My mom claims he played Willie Nelson and James Taylor, but I very vividly remember “America” by Simon and Garfunkel, and “Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling Stones. That was the music my dad listened to, and it’s the first music I ever remember hearing.
Your track “Teardrops” off the upcoming album Icarus has been garnering quite a bit of attention with its soulful, laid back vibe, though the lyrics are a bit more involved than that. What inspired that song, specifically?
All of our songs start out with one concept and kind of morph and settle over time into their final, recorded version. “Teardrops” started with just a groovy chord progression, and in rehearsal we would play it over and over again while I sang random syllables that would later turn into actual lyrics. The one lyrical concept I kept coming back to was the line “I’ve been flying so high, I’ve been falling to Hell.” I couldn’t get that feeling out of my head. The harmonic and melodic content of the song really felt like a happy, laid back feeling of soaring, but in my personal life I felt the exact opposite. I wasn’t where I wanted to be in life, and it felt like everything was falling apart. That’s how the song turned into this strange sort of juxtaposition, you’ve got this outside shell where you pretend all is well, but inside you feel like you’re a failure. That’s how the song came to be.
“Persephone” is such a mesmerizing track, though it’s told from the perspective of a woman’s abductor. What made you choose to go that way with the lyrical content? (Also… Persephone was always one of our favorite characters in Greek mythology.)
I have always loved the story of Persephone too! Writing this song from the perspective of Hades was actually unintentional at first. I had wanted to write a song based on Persephone for quite some time because I wanted it to be an allegory for the female experience. I sat down to write the lyrics and pretty much did it about 10 minutes. I had always intended the song to be a feminist statement, I wanted to tell about the horror of being objectified and imprisoned. But when I finished and read what I had written, the story was quite the opposite. In my initial intent, the abductor’s voice (promising to treat her well and repeating “Say you love me!” over and over again) was meant to be dangerous, manipulative, and unstable. However, it also made me consider an alternate version of the story, that perhaps Hades was simply in unequivocal, undying love. And perhaps Persephone loved him too and was happy to make her life in the Underworld as his queen. I decided to leave the lyrics unedited, exactly as I first wrote them, and my hope is that no matter how the listener hears the song, he or she will take away some kind of meaning that is different from how he or she has previously thought of the story of Persephone.
You recorded the upcoming album over a year ago, and had all of the material prepared even further in advance of that. How ready are you for the world to finally hear it in its entirety?
We honestly feel like we have never been more ready for anything! We’re almost sick of our own songs at this point! But isn’t that how it always goes? We are super excited for this baby to be out in the world and hear what our friends and listeners think of the songs in their studio-quality state. Once that day comes, we’ll be able to breathe and take a nap.
Do you have a favorite track off of the album?
“Persephone” is definitely my favorite track. We ultimately decided not to make it a single, but I’m still planning to share that track specifically and make a music video for it after the album release, because I think it deserves that.
Did you choose to release this album on Friday the 13th for any particular reason, or was it just a crazy random happenstance?
The choice to release on Friday the 13th was kind of an accident, but when the date came up I thought, “Hell yeah! Let’s do it!” Maybe it will be good luck. (I don’t have a lot of superstitions…)
If you could have any superhero help you promote Icarus, who would you choose and why?
Wonder Woman! Because powerful women will save the world.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Icarus will be available on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, and pretty much every music sharing app available!
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TOMKAT will be playing an album release show on October 19th at Harvest House in Denton, Texas. Tickets are available now. Icarus is out October 13th. It is available for preorder now. Keep up with TOMKAT here.
Indie pop/rock project Dutch Party (Ken Franklin) has been on a roll, nabbing critical acclaim left and right for its musical prowess. Now, there is an official music video for the first song off of the upcoming EP Combat Pop, and we wanted to share it with you since it seems the entire industry has been buzzing about it. For good reason, as the mellow track really flows with the “summer to autumn” feelings we’ve been having, while giving our nerd selves a little boost with roller blades and futuristic, steam punk looking garb in Chinatown. (Yup. You gotta see it to believe it.)
Combat Pop, the self-produced second EP is set for release fall 2017. Keep up with Dutch Party here.
Tomorrow, Kalamazoo, Michigan’s indie/folk americana duo Gifts or Creatures – comprised ofBrandon John Foote + Bethany Foote – releases their third full-length, a ten track piece of work titled Fair Mitten. But while we wait (not so patiently) to own a copy of it for ourselves, we’ve actually got the whole thing streaming for you.
From the lengthy, beautiful instrumental intro on first track “Pontiac’s Rebellion”, to the soft, simple but detailed storytelling in “Trout of The Pines”, to the soulful and rock-tinged “Green Gold”, all the way until the last chords of final track “Conquest Of The Old Northwest”, the entirety of the album offers an almost earthy vulnerability to its sound, making each one of its listeners feel as though they are connecting with the land around them. It’s an absolute breath of fresh air, and the band seems to have had that in mind from the beginning. Explains Brandon Foote:
Ever since I was a child, I have been enamored by the boundless blue water and thick north woods of Michigan. The striking and stunning combination of wooded land and freshwater seascapes has a rich history that is often overshadowed by the coastal cities and towns of North America. I have traveled around the country and always miss the north woods when away. The Great Lakes region has always felt like a secret undiscovered jewel to me.
Do yourself a favor and take a journey over the lush and textured soundscape Gifts or Creatures has provided your ears in our exclusive album stream premiere!
Fair Mitten is out September 22nd via Earthwork Music. Keep up with Gifts or Creatures here.
For those of you living under a rock, America’s favorite groove/soul/genre-blending indie collective Portugal. The Man put out a stunning release with their album Woodstock earlier this year, from which their well received single “Feel It Still” comes to their admiring public. With all of the madness surrounding the release, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival was actually able to play host as a platform for the new album, as they performed there and even a small album listening party congregated in the hot hot heat of the weekend. Now Woodstock is available to the general public, and we definitely have some thoughts.
Like the lead track “Number One”, which features Richie Havens and Son Little. Beginning with a bit of b-roll white noise with a crowd talking, the track actually sets up with a hard beat and more of an 80’s soulful groove. Second track “Easy Tiger” actually explodes with synth – but in a contemporary pop way – before the sound kind of shatters into a crackling, frantic song with its layers of sound effects and high energy. Third track “Live In The Moment” is driven by its percussion, framing personal anecdotes in its lyrics. It’s definitely the anthemic type of song, providing an energy that encourages pursuing your dreams. It almost feels like you can’t get better than that, as your ears are enveloped in this positive, fun sound. And then, of course, they one up it all with “Feel It Still”, which we FEEL doesn’t necessitate an explanation. Just wow.
The rough guitar that brings “Rich Friends” into the fold really provides an edge the album hasn’t previously explored. References to “wonderwall” and lines like “livin’ life like we’re the only ones that know we’re famous” provide a commentary on living life like a rockstar. “Keep On” is an upbeat track, but its lyrics further confirm the struggle between persistence for the sake of it to maintain momentum and acting out of actual passion. “So Young” takes on a different feel than its predecessors, a moderate tempo track that really exudes a matter-of-fact, sit back and relax vibe. (Something Portugal. The Man isn’t averse to doing, thankfully. These tracks are smooth like butter and – in our opinion – standouts in their previous work as well.)
Eighth track “Mr Lonely” (ft. Fat Lip) maintains a similar tempo and instrumental vibe to “So Young”, though they continue in a similar vein to prior social commentary tracks, with lyrics like “There’s glitter falling/and a banner that says/Welcome to Hell/Make yourself at home/Leave behind free will/Can you feel me now?” Haunting and conversation-inducing, this is the outstanding beauty that Portugal. The Man is known for.
But they’re not done yet.
“Tidal Wave”‘s composition screams “SUMMER!”, especially with the vision of a wave in your mind. But it’s so much more than that if you delve into the lyrics, really focusing more on “the aftershock,” highlighting that “the rest of you’s born to lose… worst of you’d born to lose/Bet on the winners,” which comes right back around to societal expectations. (But we’re always betting on this band, if anyone’s wondering.) They round it all out expertly with tenth track “Noise Pollution” (ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Manville), a song that echoes the title’s sentiment. Layers of instrumentals create this frenzied feeling, but somehow it all blends perfectly into this sound that perfectly defines what the band is all about.: the energy, the social awareness, the experience.
Woodstock is available now. Run, don’t walk. (Or speed type your CC into that order form!)
