D.C. based four-piece Babbling April just self-released a brand new EP titled Holy Gold. Babbling April is made up of Dave New, Vivi Machi, Ben Medina, and Ben Melrod. February of 2015 saw their debut release, On Breath. Now, Babbling April is back better than ever with the release of Holy Gold. With a unique indie sound and always authentic by self-releasing, Babbling April seeks to be truly themselves and bring joy to others through their music.
Tracklist:
“Reputation”: Reputation seems to be a popular subject these days, and this unapologetic track flips it upside down with the idea that reputation doesn’t actually matter. Need to shake off the haters? Put this song on.
“Blighted Years”: this track starts off with some excellent instrumentals and an inescapable beat. “Blighted Years” combines harmony, hitting lyrics, and great percussion to tie up a fantastic song.
“In the Vulgate”: A rocking, quirky track, “In the Vulgate” is an instrumental interlude halfway through the EP that carries the listener into the second half of Holy Gold.
“If Hearts Really Do Break”: Starting with a foreboding, almost extraterrestrial sound leading into a more gentle and acoustic instrumental track.
“Without A Care”: Following in the vein of “Reputation”, this track lends itself to a bittersweet sound and some emotional lyrics.
“Alliances and Rifts (and Separations in the Holy Gold)”: closing out Holy Gold is another instrumental track that has excellent composition and balance of instruments.
Overall, one of the best aspects of Babbling April’s EP is the careful instrumentation and attention to balance.
Holy Gold is available for vinyl preorder now. Keep up with Babbling April here.
Alaskan natives The Super Saturated Sugar Strings recently released their latest album All Their Many Miles. The indie-folk group usually find inspiration through Alaskan nature sounds. All Their Many Miles is filled with nine peaceful tracks of love, heartbreak, and even shows off the bands instrumental skills. Their first track “All Their Many Miles” combines a variety of instruments such as the banjo and trumpet while being backed by soft female vocals. The lyric “I feel for all their many miles,” tells the narrative of a couple trying to make it through. “Love Cocoon” starts off with eerie sounds of soft piano, cello, trumpet, violin and guitar. The eerie intro creeps into rusty male vocals. The song soon becomes sweet and intimate professing “If we reach the top, we’ll build a love cocoon.”
My personal favorite off of All Their Many Miles is “Crocodile.” The track lasts a total of 4:13 minutes and is a total instrumental. The song has a Western-old timey theme, and shows the bands ability to be versatile in their sound. Whether you are a fan of fold or not All Their Many Miles is definitely worth taking the time to listen to.
All Their Many Miles is available now. Keep up with The Super Saturated Sugar Strings here.
Portland-based Lisa/Liza is the indie psych-folk project of singer-songwriter and guitarist Liza Victoria, joined by Jonathan Downs and Devin Ivy. Having previously released several limited edition cassettes and CDs, as well as a debut 2016 LP Deserts of Youth, Lisa/Liza has now released a brand new EP in late February called Barn Coat.
The five-track EP highlights Lisa/Liza’s ability to capture deep emotion within ethereal, floating vocals and the carefully plucked acoustic guitar.
The track list for Barn Coat is:
“Vanity Plate”: Liza starts off her EP with a gentle folk song, easing the listener into her style and soft, all-encompassing soundscape.
“Encounters”: Next up on Barn Coat is a track that takes a more angsty spin on Liza’s sound, utilizing staccato and deeper guitar moments to carry the thematics of the song.
“The Robins Song”: Capturing the throaty repetition of a bird’s call, Liza matches her guitar pace to the this idea. A track full of longing and wishes, “The Robins Song” is sure to capture your heart.
“Windows Up”: If you’re needing a new song to roll your hand up and down out the window pretending you’re in a music video, look no further. With mellow guitar and emotional vocals, Liza makes the most of this track, highlighted with some unexpected twists.
“BC”: Closing out Barn Coat is “BC”, a short (and by short we mean 1:36) track that carries the EP home and wraps it up nicely. Throughout this track, Liza utilizes her clear vocals to pair with her guitar in a combination that was just meant to be.
If you’re a fan of acoustic guitar and minimalist records, this is the EP for you. Be sure to check it out today.
Bringing funk and innovative songwriting to the forefront of the music scene is Mosie’s Tangerine, which is sure to reign in the weekend vibes like nothing we’ve seen in recent history. This Boston based dynamic due has brought funk back with new and innovative twists that gives the genre a much needed face lift. With the addition of light synth melodies that blossom and bloom throughout the track and the delicate vocals that match the tone of their music perfectly, this group is sure to go far as they continue to create and produce music. Throughout their newest album, this group keeps it light and relaxing with their various instruments and techniques that are rarely married together.
Taking inspiration from the best of 80’s funk and old time crooner’s music, Adrian Brody and Jesse Levines has turned a throwback melody into something totally their own. Their debut album Tangerine tells the story of new-age romance and heartache that is shines a light of Jesse’s dreamy and often comical nature. Although it took some time and difficulties to find each other, the result is something that is out of this world. Mosie’s fresh new look and vocal versatility will being this duo to new heights as they continue to expand their every growing musical repertoire.
Today, The Naked and Famous release their album A Still Heart. The album is a collection of acoustic sounds, much different from their previous work with a slightly more simple and intimate sound. The 10 track album is amazing from beginning to end, the stripped tracks giving the listeners a more personal listen to a band we all know and love.
The Naked and Famous really turn back time with A Still Heart. The album is absolute gold, and may even sound better than the original recordings. Upon listening to the album in its entirety, it may seem like you are listening to the songs for the very first time, that is how raw they are. The group may be revisiting their old material, but it definitely helps you see them in a new light. The album is well worth the listen due to the sound that has never been heard before from the band. The album will surely leave listeners hoping for more music like this in the future.
Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, Such Luck is a pop punk group formed by members Ethan Campbell and Colt Coan after they left their previous band. They were later joined by Trey Juarez and Lyle Simon both from For the Team and Cody Miller from Embrace This Day. The band went on to release their debut single “Don’t Come Back” and from there, they plan on going up.
Such Luck gets Probably Happy with their new EP available March 16th. Probably happy is their debut EP to the public. Such Luck debut consists of five songs that display the bands true sound. “Wrong” is a personal favorite from the EP. The song sets the tone for the band, is raw and shows what the band is really about. Each song on the album brings its own flavor and stands out for different aspects.
With five songs to really kick up the panache, Probably Happy will definitely leave you wanting more by the time it is finished. The EP gives a glimpse into Suck Luck, making you eager for more music in the future.
Probably Happy is available everywhere March 16th. Keep up with Such Luck here.
Roaming Herds Of Buffalo consists of William Cremin, Jared Fiechtner, Neal Flaherty, Scott Roots and Joe Shultz. Together the band makes dark music that makes you feel something, intensely. The band released a new album titled The Bugbears, an work that is thoughtful but takes you on a dark journey at the same time.
The album consists of 7 songs that can be classified as indie pop with a bit of rock. One of the songs from the album is called “Night Owl”, and it is a song that you can get up and dance to. The song takes a different tone from the rest of the album which is dark. “Winter Sun” sets the tone with its beat. The song has a rock vibe to it with a bit of a surf sound.
We’re floored by the album in its entirety, and know you will be too!
Recently, Bergen-based folk artist Stíne Norse released four track stunner The Whale. StineNorse’s vocals leave their mark on each track, soft and full, taking the listener into a trance, mesmerized with each new tune. If we’re being honest, the entire album is a delight to listen to. One of the songs on the album is titled “Blue Ridge”. “Blue Ridge” is a song about traveling but not knowing where to go. The singer is singing going places but not wanting to go to the direct route she wants to go.
A personal favorite from the album is “Don’t Fall” which takes your heart in mind. The song teaches you to love yourself first before you love anyone else. The other songs from the EP are titled “November 9th” and “Glittering Gold on Boundary Road”. Four songs are simply not enough from StineNorse. The EP is well worth the listen and will leave you desiring more from her.
Nevada-bred director, singer, and songwriter Nick Rattigan, styled as Current Joys, has just dropped his brand new visual album, A Different Age, out via Danger Collective Records. Now NYC-based, his fifth solo album is a special one since it features a self-directed music video for each song on the LP. As part of the punk band Surf Curse with Jacob Rubeck, Rattigan was able to explore the music scene as part of a duo; now, he also puts out solo material as Current Joys.
A Different Age’s multimedia approach allows fans of Current Joys to gain insight both visually and aurally into Rattigan’s creative psyche. With emotion-packed, vulnerable lyrics and vocals, Rattigan packs a punch into his record. A Different Age starts off with “Become the Warm Jets”, a track with a bittersweet vibe, soaring vocals, and a mellow, minimalistic, yet touching video to accompany it. Next up is “Fear”, a soft-rock featuring a red-themed lyric-style video. Featuring lyrics like “I don’t wanna be afraid/I don’t wanna live this way”, the track is an honest and emotional one. Following “Fear” is “Alabama”, nostalgic both as track and video, truly encompassing the title of the record.
The fourth track on A Different Age is “Way Out Here”, The video features a second-person POV at a carnival, following around Rattigan. “No Words” comes around as the middle track on the record, and as the name implies, is instrumental. The video is simply a clean, black-and-white shot of a woman sitting on a bed, just breathing. The song is one of Rattigan’s most experimental, featuring high-pitched psychedelic sounds alongside a mellow folk melody line. “In A Year of 13 Moons” brings lyrics back to the album in a thoughtful manner, accompanied by acoustic guitar. The video for this track is Rattigan playing guitar and singing while an artist draws on his face.
The title track of the album, “A Different Age” comes next. A different spin on the traditional “musician playing instruments and singing the song” cliche, Rattigan uses shadows to create a fresh take on this common theme. “My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days” is the penultimate song on the record. A sweet video that is half-styled as a home-video, half as regular filming, follows two young lovers around their day.
Closing out A Different Age is “Fox”, which comes full circle with a video somewhat reminiscent in its style and content to “Become the Warm Jets”. A Different Age’s songs and videos display Rattigan’s flexibility and creativity at its finest, so don’t miss it!