Everyone’s favorite indie pop duo Seasaw – expertly comprised of Meg Golz and Eve Wilczewski – is back with another new music video for the entrancing track “God(zilla)”. With insightful, relatable lyrics set to raw guitar, their gorgeous, far-ranging vocals make the song feel like absolute magic. And the music video is nothing less than magic as well, as an actual Godzilla outfit is utilized, and there may or may not be a tiny town to crush. But if we had a trainer teaching us how to be a giant, green, badass, we’d probably feel just as magical as this silly, fun video makes us feel.
I wanted to share the music that inspired my songwriting style at a young age, the music THESE WOLVES was raised on. I grew up in the 90’s and the first band that I fell in love with was Nirvana.
Kurt Cobain made me pick up a guitar and make noise but Duncan Sheik and Elliott Smith taught me how lyrics can move people. I learned quiet to loud dynamics and how to tell a story through lyrics and melody listening to these artists.
I experimented through the years songwriting, trying to meld what I love: the vulnerability of Nirvana’s “Dumb” or Cold’s “Bleed”, the heaviness of Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer” or KoRn’s “Here To Stay”, with the excitement and unpredictability of Foo Fighters’ “Monkey Wrench” and The Used’s “Take Me Away” and incorporate it in my music.
Canadian artist The Pinc Lincolns is the current musical project of Daniel Colussi, who has self-released three full albums since 2014, and his latest one is due out on October 10. “Not Half/No End” is a five-minute song that starts with a pure and simple melody. The instrumental is reminiscent of some early Coldplay songs with its repetitive piano chords and cool guitar riffs. The track’s overall sound gives off 90s pop-rock vibes, especially due to the vaguely angsty lyrics:
Just like the first cigarette of the day,
I’m letting it burn on the plane
Towards not half/no end.
It’s has a classic stuck-in-your-head pop chorus, which is just barely masking the dark nature of his lyrics. Colussi did this intentionally, aiming to make a complex track to open the album:
With ‘Not Half/No End’ I was trying to make a simple, accessible, pop song with a repetition that the listener could get lost in. I wanted to be vaguely intelligent, like a John Cale song from 1974 or a Peter Jefferies song from 1990. This song is supposed to be an easy hit that starts the album, because the second half of the record is so resolutely bummer. And, as is generally the case, the sentiments that lay behind the song only became clear to me after it was written, finished and in the can.
Be sure to check out his upcoming album “On the Plains” and Canadian tour in October. Keep up with him here.
With a sassy but stunning sound, Brooke Williams is making her mark as a singer and songwriter right now. Based in North Hollywood, she has appeared on tracks from the likes of Neo Noir, and is now pushing her own original material. It’s hard not to love the guitar-driven pop stylings of “Nightmare” with its infectious rolling drums and Williams’ very own distinctive vocal hooks. It helps that she brings a tangible level of personality to the table too – this single was written about a situation she found herself in. She says:
I used to hang out with this guy who always described himself as a ‘nightmare.’ Every time I hung out with him, we’d have the craziest, most unexpected adventures. He was the kind of person who pushed your comfort zone and you’d become addicted to the fun and thrill of it. He was spontaneous and could never make his mind up about a girl, let alone anything else. Over time I realized these were all the reasons he called himself a nightmare. I thought it was an interesting word to describe yourself and it stuck with me, which is what inspired this song. I kept thinking to myself “Damn he really IS a nightmare, but it’s one I want to be in.
San Francisco experimental collective Sis has some major news for your ears this week, and we’ve got the exclusive. The band – comprised of Jenny Gillespie Mason (voice, synth, guitar, piano), Rob Shelton (synth, programming, piano), Carly Bond (electric guitar, synth, vocals,) Joseph Adamik (drums, bass clarinet, marimba,) Andrew Maguire (drums, marimba,) Jamie Riotto (bass, synth), and many contributors to the horns section – is bringing us their debut full-length on the 17th. Euphorbia – which boasts thirteen incredibly composed tracks – provides a kaleidoscope soundscape that makes it perfect for this time of year, as the time seems to slow down and the leaves start to change. But the most magnificent aspect of what Sis has to deliver, perhaps, is the sublime lyricism and attention to detail that the band has been able to cultivate for this, their first full-length. To the untrained ear, this band feels as though they have been together for decades, with a fresh take on some impelling sounds.
Get your first listen to the album in its entirety below, and be sure to grab a copy for yourself when it drops on Friday!
Night Shop is the latest project of former touring drummer-turned-songwriter Justin Sullivan, and he has released a new single from his upcoming debut album In the Break, which is set to be released on September 14. “The Ship Has Sailed” is a folksy ballad with a very contemplative nature. The pairing of dreamy vocals and the constant strumming of a gentle guitar reminds me of Paul Simon. The melody is slow and his voice is soothing, but his lyrics are heartbreakingly honest:
Two days, four months, three years and still no spring, I’m just counting down until there is nothing. Your heart breaks as well, oh well, tell the tale.
Despite the somber recount of a lost love, it isn’t an entirely sad song, and that is because of its emotional honesty. The song is parallel to the feeling of driving on an empty highway just before dawn – it’s dark and lonely, but it’s also hopeful, and you’ll eventually get to wherever you’re going.
Be sure to listen to Night Shop’s debut album due out next month (plus a nationwide tour), and keep up with him here.
Portland band The Stubborn Lovers are here for a good time with their latest single “Drivin’ 22.” Their country-rock vibe shines in this track with an authenticity that only that kind of music can bring. The electric guitar riffs and upbeat vocals make for an extremely catchy tune. The lyrics relate to the child in all of us. They are bursting with nostalgia, with vivid opening imagery of a family making their way down Route 22:
Daddy’s at the wheel of a Ford Country Squire, Mama’s putting makeup on down to the wire, Sister’s in the back spilling Goldfish on the floor, Shepherd’s in the way back scratching at the door.
The track is reminiscent of a simpler time by embodying the ambiance of an American summer. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to go back to the land of family road trips, fast food stops, and even the backseat fights with your siblings.
Be sure to check out their upcoming album Mother Road, out August 17. Keep up with the band here.
Well, we’re over the hump of mid-year now, and most of us are probably sweating up a storm in our respective cities and homes. But we’ve been absolutely enamored by an outpouring of new music video material from some really incredible artists over the past month, so we thought we’d share some of our favorites. There’s really no reason or rhyme to it all. Some of these videos even make us yearn for colder weather and ice capped mountains. (But who are we to get ahead of ourselves here on this sweltering day?) So sit back, find a little something to try out, and enjoy!
Eric Hutchinson, “Hands”
Silent Revival, “Just One Voice”
King Princess, “Holy”
Jessie Reyez, “Apple Juice”
The Little Miss, “American Dream”
alt-j, “in cold blood” (ft. pusha t) by twin shadow
It starts with a simple song and summertime in Michigan. The Apple TV is a brand new invention, and Dad is experimenting with playing music through his newest gadget from Best Buy. After several minutes of futzing, the silhouette of a giant mango tree against a backdrop of mustard yellow appears on the screen. The descending bass line of “Better Together” invites me to take a deep breath. I do. I sink deeper into the cushions of the living room couch and unwind for the first time Jack Johnson serves me a little slice of life. I stole the entirety of In Between Dreams from my dad’s computer. This was pre- streaming. Buying entire albums used up Grandma’s gift cards pretty quickly, so you learned how to be handy with other peoples libraries and the “Burn to CD” function in iTunes. Soon after I downloaded the album, it became the soundtrack of my life. Even when I wasn’t really listening, I’d just have it playing somewhere in the background. I’d find new music and start listening to some other stuff, but eventually find myself putting it on again and again. Every few months or so I’d claim a new favorite song, discovering something I hadn’t noticed before.
Jack Johnson was one of the first songwriters I heard that tackled abstract concepts in a way that really resonated with me. The songs everyone knows him by – “Better Together” and “Banana Pancakes” – were definitely the gateway drugs. But as I listened more, things started to change. Songs like “Never Know,” “Breakdown,” or “If I Could” introduced some really rich lyrical content and difficult life questions that I’d yet to be exposed to. For example, “If I Could” starts with the verse, “A brand new baby was born yesterday just in time / Papa cried, baby cried, said ‘Your tears are like mine’ / I heard some words from a friend on the phone that didn’t sound so good / The doctor gave him two weeks to live / I’d give him more if I could”. He unpacks messy aspects of life like death, love or even mundanity with such gentleness and keen observation – it really sets the stage for listeners to empathize, which I love. Beyond that, the succinct storytelling in songs like “Do You Remember” or “Constellations” inspired me to capture that same kind specificity of imagery in my own writing.
I must’ve been around fourteen when I’d listened to the record for the first time. I grew up listening to mainstream pop, The Beatles, and a whole lotta country radio, mostly because it was easy access. In Between Dreams was the first record I digested as a whole. The first record I felt I could claim as my own. It became part of my identity, in a way. Whenever I come back to his music, it brings back all these different versions of myself – almost like a musical reminder of who I am and where I came from.
I grew up in a small town surrounded by a lot of green open space. Living in LA – getting used to a desert climate and the over-development of land – has been a somewhat difficult adjustment for me. Jack Johnson’s music and especially In Between Dreams utilize a lot
of nature imagery and metaphor in the lyric. I listen to his songs, and I feel the way being in nature makes me feel – centered and more myself. I can always count on a little Jack Johnson to bring me back to Earth, both literally and figuratively. It’s my own little musical state park, so to speak – no matter where I am.
I’ve heard a lot of people refer to Jack Johnson as being “easy listening,” usually with a certain amount of disdain in their voices. Honestly, I get it. For the average touch-and-go listener, he’s this soft-spoken, happy-go-lucky dude from Hawaii who plays acoustic guitar and sings about banana pancakes. But for me, he’s a modest voice, pioneer of asking difficult questions, and vigilant observer of the most important simple things. Like Papa’s translations of the stories across the sky. Or sepia-tone lovin. Or resolve is just a concept that’s as dead as the leaves. I could go on for days. He’s the most underrated lyricist of our time (in my own very humble opinion, of course). And that’s my first record story.
