Rhode Island plays host to some pretty stellar acts, but who knew it would be the home of one of our latest favorite alternative rock acts? Wild Sun – a trio comprised of Glenn Kendzia, Paul Fazio, and Padraic Fazio – has a brand new, 9-track release titled Closed Door Talks and it’s one of those albums that is best enjoyed from beginning to end. We’re not saying don’t check out a song here and there right now, at your desk at work. (We won’t tell anyone!) What we ARE saying is, it’s truly an impact album full of a slew of psychedelic instrumentals that give the already edgy vocals a heightened sound. We’d consider cozying up with a nice glass of {{insert favorite summer beverage here}}, a starry sky, and your loved ones to enjoy this one. You’re in for quite the ride!
Rock collective Model Citizen released their new album The Next Life this morning. The 18-piece band – under their leader Mark Ciani, with help from Josh Logan, Fernando Lodeiro, Alvaro Kapaz, Matt Musty, and Ryan Gleason – packed this release with as much grit and soul as possible, while injecting their own brand of indie-influenced rock into every track. Songs like “Hell Hath No Fury” and “The Next Life” give us pause to truly appreciate the breadth of the album, which was created to perfectly complement an evening breeze. Don’t believe us? We’re premiering it now, so check it for yourself!
Multi-talented arts collective 2012 Bid Adieu is coming in HOT with their new nine track album We Died in 2012: This is Hell. Both the collective’s name and the album name originated with their claim that the world actually ended in 2012 and we might just be living in “a hell masquerading as normality.” We can’t necessarily argue that on a day-to-day basis, but we can say that the unique sounds and beautiful vocals captured within this work are at least a temporary escape from said hell. There is a groove-worthy undertone to the majority of the tracks, and they seem to capture an emotion more than anything as the instrumentals weave in and out.
After listening to this release, you’ll fall in love with 2012 Bid Adieu, as they have created a sonic landscape that is truly genre-less, something people of their generation can lean into. The openness and fluidity of the group itself – with their non-exclusive list of contributors and art forms – is an exquisite thing to witness. Take a listen below.
TRACKLISTING
01. Weird Place
02. Laced With Love For My Girl
03. Friends
04. Out The Window
05. Alot2unpack.zip
06. y2k12
07. D’angelo Type beat
08. Calours
09. Something To Tell You
Even though that one unavoidable holiday is right around the corner, you may have to wait until December 28th to feel like it’s Christmas. That day will yield the official release of Last Crush‘s EP SUPPORT C.E.N.T.E.R. The project – which is the brainchild of Mitchell Todorov (KLOZAPIN) – is synth-led, bursting into glittering cacophonies of sound in many of the tracks, as the vocals fluctuate from 80’s-inspired, to a yelling volume, to absolute scream-o. Displayed vocal range is impressive, each of the six tracks leaving a true impression.
Well, it looks like Christmas came early. You have to wait to add the collection to your music log for a few more days, but we’ve got your first listen in its entirety to celebrate all weekend long.
Hailing from Oakland, indie rock/experimental pop project We Is Shore Dedicated – the brainchild of Sam Tsitrin – has a bit of new magic to share with us this holiday season. New album No Ski Here Ogi Sap is here, boasting 9 instrumentally mellifluous tracks that will keep you dancing gracefully around your home all day. Though the lyrical edge to the album – politically and emotionally-driven – can be found outstandingly in tracks like “Sorok Sapogov”, it’s still a bit of a masterpiece, to be shared regardless of background or belief. Check it out in its entirety below!
California-based duo Quietwater might not be releasing their debut self-titled EP until the 16th, but – not to brag or anything – we’ve got the exclusive streaming premiere. This 4-track stunner is filled to the brim with percussive intensity, gorgeous, full strings, and boasts a mood mysterious, frantic, and calming, somehow, all at once. Admits the duo:”This EP is very dear to my heart and I’m delighted to finally get it out to the world. Stay tuned for more to come.”
So, if you’re jonesing for some new music for your earholes, check out the magic of Quietwater.
Been noodling around the internet, looking for new tunes to tantalize your eardrums for a while on this gorgeous Thursday? Well, you can stop right here and hang out for a while because we’ve got the exclusive streaming premiere of Payson Lewis‘ new EP Take Me Apart. Lewis – a musician hailing from Philadelphia and residing in Los Angeles – brings his fresh, invigorating vocals to upbeat, pop instrumentals in six gorgeous tracks laid out before us on this EP. And though “Take Me Apart” and “Can’t Go Back” exist as slower, more practiced ballads, we see no reason for this to not be a go-to set for next year’s festival season.
Explains Lewis:
Take Me Apart is like a wild ride down my pop-nostalgia super highway. When I was writing and making this record, I loved following every stylistic twist and turn and seeing where it took me. It was so fun not to get pigeonholed into one specific sound, but instead letting the energy and authenticity be the cohesive thread that leads you through the record’s narrative. It’s definitely an EP that was meant to be played down from top to bottom. You know, just like a road-trip adventure, you just gotta fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride.
San Francisco-based dark indie pop duo New Spell – comprised of Leanne Kelly and Jacob Frautschi – dropped their 4-track EP Of Time, Part II today, and we’ve got your exclusive sneak peek at the release in its entirety. While aspects of “You Win” feel electronic – the song oozes quirky instrumentals that mirror our favorite video games – Kelly’s light as a feather vocals carry it into a more ethereal soundscape. The duo took the time to add fluid-sounding instrumentals to second track “Like Water”, and brought the entire tone of the album down for third track “Merely Mortal”. “Of Time” maintains this darker demeanor, while still leaving its listener feeling uplifted and – at times – breathless as it winds the release down.
Los Angeles-based visual artist, illustrator, zine-maker, and multi-instrumentalist Dakota Blue finally drops his insatiable 8 track Plaza to Plaza LP today, and we’ve got the streaming premiere! Starting in an eery way with what seems to be old opera music, “Plaza I” eases us into the emotional soundscape we are about to embark upon slowly and painlessly. “Private Car” keeps us at that tempo, blissfully floating through electric guitar notes and reverb for days. When we get to “Plaza II”, we aren’t sure if we should expect an extension of its predecessor or not, but it seems these two plazas exist in completely different atmospheres. Whereas the first gave us a taste for nostalgia in its entirety, the third track dances at a quicker tempo, layered with original vocals. “Game Show” brings the energy back down, but not quite to that of the first two tracks. In fact, it does continue with the “eery” theme, incorporating more of Dakota Blue’s vocals like its predecessor.
“I’m The Mannequin” feels older, perhaps with the way dissonance is manipulated throughout. “Scorpion’s Theme”, however, feels exactly as it is described, with heightened sounds to indicate staccato moments of intensity, as though you are facing down with a scorpion in person. This track absolutely belongs in a stressful horror movie, along with many of its colleagues on this collection. (Should we throw that idea into the universe?)
“Beijing” is melancholic in sound, beautiful in its vocalization and the simplicity of the lyrics. Dakota Blue rounds out Plaza to Plaza referencing a third plaza, “Plaza III”. This track begins so quietly, you almost have to focus on nothing but the music. Which is a testament to the way this musician creates, his experimental functions so pronounced that it is most admirable to find time to enjoy these tracks with your mind, body, and soul.
But don’t just take our word for it. Check it out in all of its freshly release glory below!
