New tune from Pizzagirl not only rocks and rolls as much as it brings the house down, but it also come with a guarantee from Liam Brown himself. Speaking of his latest single “Coffee Shop,” Liam promises that “each listen of ‘Coffee Shop’ is blended expertly in the bedroom of Pizzagirl to ensure maximum taste for your ears. One spoonful of nostalgia with a dash of 1998 ensures a listening experience like no other.” With this pledge to his listeners, Brown hopes to move into the limelight of the dance floor with his quirky, introspective electronica. As he is neither a girl or an over enthused connoisseur of pizza, even his moniker matches his wonderfully fresh and innovative style of music.
As a performer, Pizzagirl stands solo on his stage accompanied solely by his trusty laptop representing the idiosyncrasies of the introvert and over exuberant extrovert with zany beasts, rhythms and electric sense of style. This new release, however, is not the only news from this new performer. Brown has also released new tour dates that will bring him all over the United Kingdom. Also, Brown has announced that he with be releasing his all new EP this coming April titled Extended Play. With all this news coming from Pizzagirl, it is sure to rally the fans in Brown’s favor in the future.
Calagary-based rock-n-roll duo Miesha & the Spanks have just released a brand new record, Girls, Girls, Girls, produced by Paul Rawson and Danny Farrant. Miesha Louie’s guitar and vocals paired with Sean Hamilton’s drums make for a two-piece bursting with energy, volume, and authentic yet unique garage rock. Here’s the run-down of Girls, Girls, Girls:
First Blood – the record starts with a rollicking track, appropriately titled “First Blood”. Miesha & the Spanks waste no time getting the listener comfortable, and immediately introduce their nostalgic yet modern sound.
Motorin’ – picking right up where “First Blood” left off, “Motorin” is one of the most rocking tracks on Girls, Girls, Girls.
“Come Undone” – an unapologetic track with a bit of a retro sound, “Come Undone” showcases Miesha’s vocals magnificently
“Lost Boy” – with a beat that will have you jumping up and down, bass that will take you to another time, and an angsty, lost sound, “Lost Boy” is the band’s garage rock at its best.
“Girls” – the title track of the record, this song is a combination of groovy nostalgia on a punk backdrop.
“Atmosphere” – this is a song for anyone who’s been told to keep it down. One listen and you’ll be hooked by beat, contagious chorus and lyrics. You can also check out the lyric video for Atmosphere that Miesha & the Spanks have already released.
“Be Alright” – an unapologetic, feel-good song, “Be Alright” shows a bit of the lighter side of the duo while maintaining their sound.
“Stranger” – with a bit of a girl-group sound to it, “Stranger” is reminiscent of the days when you looked for a love that no one else had.
“Witch Hunt” – the penultimate song on the record, “Witch Hunt”, is filled with devil-may-care attitude, rocking “yeah-yeah-yeah”s and individuality.
“Summer Love” – the final track on Girls, Girls, Girls, “Summer Love” closes out the album on a bittersweet, lighter note. Just like a summer love, you won’t want this record to end (that’s why you put it on repeat).
Theses songs shaped my love for many levels of rock and metal. Continuously bringing me back to my roots and defining me as a musician. Reminding me why i love playing music and what its all about.
Kept my feet tapping and my head bobbing. These are nostalgia to me.
Songs:
Deftones – Nose Bleed
Korn – Blind
Orgy – Stitches
Slipknot – People Equal Shit
Ovtlier – Vice
Powerman 5000 – When Worlds Colide
Static X – Push It
Periphery – The Parade Of Ashes
My Ticket Home – Hot Soap
Papa Roach – Infest
The Finalist – Leave The Broken Hearts Behind
Novelists – Voyager
Blindside – Pitiful
Deftones – My Own Summer
Rammstein – Buck Dich
Pantera – Cowboys From Hell
Emmure – Shinjuku Masterlord
Limp Bizkit – Nookie
Eighteen Visions – Tower Of Snakes
Atreyu – Right Side Of The Bed
Ovtlier – Buried Me Alive
Marilyn Manson – The Beautiful People
Rob Zombie – Demonoid Phenomenon
Korn – Good God
Slipknot – Wait And Bleed
The Dillinger Escape Plan – 43% Burnt
The Human Abstract – Vela, Together We Await The Storm
Between The Buried And Me – The Primer
Every Time I Die – Ebolarama
Norma Jean – Charactarantula : Talking to you and the Intake of Glass
pronoun just released her new track “Run”, which brings back all the nostalgia on “Run” with a 90’s pop feel. The track is tipping with angst and for reason as she describes the track as “A ball of frustration. It’s about someone you loved taking the easy way out and running away from the entire life you built together because times temporarily got tough.”
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Monogem (aka Jen Hirsch) has released a brand new single,“Get You High”, off her new EP, following the success of her self-titled 2015 EP. Hirsch’s stage name is modelled after a Monogem Ring, the leftover sparkling bits of an exploded star. If this gives you any idea of what her music is like, Monogem will not disappoint you. A slinky, moody track, “Get You High” might just be the musical drug you’ve been looking for. With smooth vocals, Monogem creates a groovy, sensual listening experience. With a hint of nostalgia while remaining modern and fresh, “Get You High” forms a unique and enjoyable soundscape.
Co-written with Sydney Wayser and Ryan Levine, “Get You High” is truly an auditory journey.
Says Monogem of the track: “‘Get You High’ is my outlet to see through the haze, it’s a vibe filled with analog dreams and organic performance. It’s amazing how a new song can breathe life into a new creative path.”
Los Angeles-based rock collective Swerve – comprised of Gregory Mahdesian, Brandon Duncan, Ryan Berti, and Mark Gardner – has blossomed into an incredibly impressive act since the days that the moniker was attached to Mahdesian’s solo career. While the band admits their chemistry is off the charts at this point, we can hear it in the music they release. In fact, with their latest single “Lose Control”, we pick up on hints of influence amidst a bed of music that sounds like they’re having a really great time.
Luckily enough, we got to chat briefly with the guys about the track itself, as well as some really important topics like supergroups and Batman. Check it out below!
What was your first musical moment (be it a song you remember, a memory with a family member, etc.)? How do you think that impacted the way you make music today?
I actually have two that I can think of. The first song I can remember is from the Traveling Wilburys- that super group with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison. They had this track called “Not Alone Anymore,” and Roy Orbison sang the lead vocal on it, and it just floored me. I think my family had just moved across the country and I was a depressed little 5 year old, and that song, and especially that vocal, really spoke to me.
The other moment was around the same time. I had this walkman that could record the radio, and the oldies station played this song by the Box Tops called “The Letter,” which is just an awesome single. I would just listen to the station until it would play again so I could record it, and it’s the first song that was ever “mine.”
These both definitely impacted how I make music. I guess even at an early age I had a tendency to look back to the past for inspiration, and these songs really solidified my appreciation for classic song structures and catchy as hell choruses.
“Lose Control” is so fun with that twinge of 90s nostalgia that seems to pop out at points. What was creating that song like?
Thanks! Creating this song with the band was really fun. I started writing it on my acoustic guitar, and I must have been listening to a lot of jangle rock at the time because the song is filled with those little moments. When I brought it to the guys it turned into this fun, upbeat electric rock song. We added some acoustic to the recording to kind of pay homage to how it began. I remember that it came together very quickly- we finished off writing it in one session and anytime we would go back to try and tweak it, it was just kind of superfluous. There are definitely 90s touches in it. We really like to reference our influences without sounding too much like them, so you can notice them if you pay attention, but might not if you’re just casually listening.
If you could collaborate with anyone besides your amazing bandmates, who would it be and why?
So many people! Paul McCartney, just because he is the all time legend and I think I would kill to have him sing or play on a song. He’s still got it too! A few years ago he released this album called New that was awesome. I think I’d really like to get the producer Stephen Street to work with us, if he would do it and we could afford him. He produced the Smiths and all the best Blur albums, and I think he would be able to make our band really push ourselves and do something great. Noel Gallagher is my favorite, so to write with him would be amazing. And to have Michael Stipe sing something for me would make my year.
This month, you headlined the What Angie Says showcase at The Mint. What was that performance like? How has your performance style developed over time?
That performance was a lot of fun. We actually booked that right at the last minute- we had all been traveling so the band hadn’t been together for a little while, and the only time we found to rehearse was right before the show. It turned out to be one of our most energetic sets. In general, we’ve just gotten a lot more comfortable over time. We play around with harmonies more, and we don’t get nervous, so we can engage with each other and with the audience rather than just looking at our instruments and trying to play the songs correctly. The more we play the better we get as performers, but I don’t ever see us busting out dance moves or anything like that!
What has been your favorite song to write thus far? What makes it so special?
We haven’t put it out yet, but there’s a song called “Kennedy.” We usually close our set with it because it’s a live favorite for our audience. I’m really happy with the lyrics of it- the main line started out as a placeholder lyric and as the song developed I realized that it was actually the linchpin of the whole song. It’s funny how things like that happen. As far as the music goes, it went through so many iterations that we considered giving up on it, but we finally landed on the right arrangement and it felt so natural that I’m glad we kept at it.
If you could be any superhero, who would you be and why?
Batman, because he gets all the best toys and chose to be a hero rather than being born with a superpower. Although his backstory is very sad, at least he has Alfred.
What’s up next?
Besides world domination? We’re going to keep putting out singles leading up to our EP. We have some music videos in the works, and shows coming up in LA- the next one is March 26th at the HiHat in Highland Park. We want to start playing outside of the city soon, and to get back into the studio to record all the new material we’ve been working on.
Two-piece band The Lagoons (brothers Joey and Ryan Selan) are back at it again with a perfect single, “Close My Eyes (And I Wonder)”. Originally from Los Angeles, they moved to Austin, TX and started The Lagoons together. After the success of their 2016 track, “California”, the duo is gearing up to release their EP, Escape, on April 6th. Now, they have released “Close My Eyes (And I Wonder)”, which will appear on Escape.
Full of smooth-synthy indie pop vocals and sax, The Lagoons have cooked up quite a fantastic track with “Close My Eyes (And I Wonder). Fans of Fitz & the Tantrums or COIN will definitely vibe to this song, as well as fans who are new to alternative/indie music. One of the best aspects of “Close My Eyes (And I Wonder) is its universal appeal to a variety of ears. Older listeners will appreciate the 70s nostalgia of the track, while a younger crowd will inevitably dig its on-trend indie sound. Keep an eye out for The Lagoons’ new EP, Escape, out April 6th.
California’s Robert Vickers of The Incredible Vickers Brothers is truly a man for all seasons. Having dabbled in just about every aspect of the music world over the yearsand dealing with midlife crisis, he’s come around to putting out his own music that he wrote over the years. The result of years of musical sojourning is The Incredible Vickers Brothers. The latest single, “In Memory”, is off the album Torch Songs for Swingers, which is produced by Allen Clapp. The song oozes bittersweet nostalgia, acknowledging the past and learning how to cope with what is to come. Laced with smooth saxophone and dreamy guitar, “In Memory” pays tribute to heartache in an honest, mature, and beautiful way. If you’re looking to be entertained musically while still wanting to hear a specific message, “In Memory” is the track for you. It’s the perfect song if you’re in your feels on Valentine’s Day. Fun fact: “In Memory” even features a vintage 1978 drum machine for all you retro aficionados out there.
Keep an eye out for “In Memory”, off Torch Songs for Swingers, out March 9th via Mystery Lawn Music.
Frida Sundemo, Swedish born rising pop star, has recently released a three track remix EP of her album Flashbacks & Futures as Flashbacks & Futures (Pure Version) EP, featuring acoustic versions of previously released songs, “Gold”, “We Are Dreamers”, and “Flashbacks & Flashbacks”. Each song features the clear vocals of Frida accompanied by subtle yet soaring instrumentation. These stripped versions, appropriately called “pure,” display Frida’s crisp vocals perfectly.
The floating melodies on “We Are Dreamers” will have you in a trance. “Gold” paints a musical landscape if a song ever did. It will leave you saying, just as the song does, “this is gold”. She has also released a 360 degree video of “Gold”, accompanied by a string quartet, Migdal Strings. If that sounds awesome, it’s because it is.
Prepare to be blown away, not only by the interactive experience, but also by Frida’s musical talent . The title song, “Flashbacks & Flashbacks”, a track teeming in nostalgia and bittersweet melodies, can nearly induce tears from the listener with its beautiful . The whole album sonically depicts feelings of nature, love, childhood, and other human experiences. Flashbacks & Futures (Pure Version) EP is purely perfect.
