Acclaimed Texas-based artist Salim Nourallah has released his latest single “Sweet as a Weed,” which is set to appear on both his upcoming EP and full-length album. It’s quite stripped down, making for an intimate track. It has an interesting country-like feel to it, which may be attributed to the story of how the idea of this track came about. Nourallah recalls how the inspiration struck while on the road:
I was having pre-gig chips and salsa with a friend in Malden, Missouri … We were talking about my daughter when he proclaimed, ‘Well, she’s about as sweet as a weed! I nearly spit out a chip. ‘What? Is that actually a saying?’ It was baffling to me. Weeds aren’t sweet! He swore it was a legit Southern saying after I grilled him on it. I stuffed it away in my file of things to consider for songs.
The spirit of the South can definitely be heard in this song, with its distinct twang and tone. The mellowed-out guitar paired with Nourallah’s vocals creates an atmospheric, vaguely eerie vibe and a song for those days spent in the blistering summer heat in the country.
Nourallah’s EP South comes out on September 7th, and his next album Somewhere South of Sane comes out September 28th. Keep up with him here.
Joe Cardamone’s latest music video is triggering, outrageous, and everything that encapsulates his otherworldly sound. It feels much more like a film than an actual music video, with nods to the aesthetics of Quentin Tarantino or Baz Luhrmann. The drugs, the violence, and the gore is a fitting backdrop for Cardamone’s chilling track. The video begins with an unstable relationship spiraling towards his girlfriend’s attempted suicide, shifting into a frenzy of cocaine and an armed robbery gone wrong. It ends with his relationship supposedly back to normal under the guise of a watermelon peace offering. This highlights the dangerous cycle that is the characters’ lives. “Eat Side No One” has a sharp electric beat and the imagery is just as shocking, making this one of the most fascinating music videos I have seen in a long time.
Be sure to check out Joe Cardamone’s album Holy War, which is set to be released on August 30th. You can also watch the album’s companion film trailer for Holy War II, which is due out August 25th. Keep up with him here.
Pop punk is a genre that many of us identify as our first real musical love. It’s the music that blasted in our earphones as we tried to survive eighth grade . And for many of us, that love fades away as our own teenage angst forms into something new, something “mature.” Belmont’s new self-titled album reminds us of that first love and how that music has involved in itself, while still being as cool and emotional and punk.
This album is the epitome of what pop punk music is. Each song showcases the band’s youth and talent. Frontman Taz Johnson’s vocals are hypnotic, and combined with Brian Lada on drums, Sam Patt on guitar, and Alex Wieringa on bass, the end result is magical. The moment the opening track “Empty” bursts to life with an explosion of guitar and drums, I am flooded with nostalgia and the desire to head bang like crazy. As the album goes on, each song seems to give off that same vibe that only this music can give. There are also so many lyrics that stand out because of their depth and honesty. “Interlude” is a slowed-down song that, despite its cool beat, has you thinking instead of head banging:
Do you know what it’s like to be alone?
To live life feeling numb and cold,
It’s a ******* nightmare on its own
And it just gets worse as we grow old.
The second half of the album picks up speed once again, with powerful tracks like “Hollowed Out” and “Convalescence.” As the album comes to an end with “BMC,” Johnson asks the million dollar question: “Why do I pretend to keep caring?” Belmont’s talent is undeniable in both their music and their lyrics, showing the band’s inevitable rise as the next great act.
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.
Canadian artist Taylor Janzen gets as real as she can get with her new EP. Interpersonal is thoughtful and smart, as if written by a seasoned professional; at only 19-years-old, she has an acute sense of empathy and self-awareness that makes this EP incredibly special. Her vocals are heartbreakingly beautiful, drawing strong comparisons to Paramore’s Hayley Williams. But that’s as far as the comparisons go – in every way, Janzen is entirely her own artist.
As you listen, each song bares a bit more of Janzen’s soul. Her honesty makes her relatable, which is the epitome of why we love sad songs. “Stations” delves into the reality of emotional abuse in a relationship. “The Waiting Room” is a standout track due to its raw and honest discussion of her struggles with mental health through the imagery of a waiting room. The lyrics show how, sometimes, the mental health system can be challenging and lonely. Janzen sings with pain in her voice, lamenting about her experience: “Spitting out my demons to someone I just met … the only one who listens is the person I pay.” “Colourblind” and “Better Now” round out the EP, leaving you with that feeling – not sadness, not anger, not happiness. The best way to describe Janzen’s music is hopeful. She delves deep into heartbreak and depression, but her voice assures us that not all is lost. In fact, these are the kind of sad songs that you want to listen over and over again, even if it makes you want to sob into a glass of red wine.
Houston band Jody Seabody and the Whirls take it back to old school punk rock with their latest single, which is off their upcoming third album Hawksamillion. “GrenadeGreen” is a long track, tapering off at six and a half minutes. And majority of it is high intensity — it’s loud and jarring and absolutely mind-boggling. The lyrics are screamed rather than sung, giving it the true angry garage rock feel. This is the kind of music that is easily forgotten in this day and age, but JS&TW manages to embody the genre and turn it into a stand-out track.
At around the 4 minute mark, the song does a complete 180. The rock vibe is still there, but it’s slower and more mysterious. There are no lyrics, no screaming. Just the instrumental. The shift is surprising, yet welcome. It allows the anger from before to dissipate and turn into Led Zeppelin-esque classic rock and roll. This song seems to capture the ever-changing emotions of rock music in such a way that shows how this is a band that does not stay in one place.
Be sure to listen to their newest album, due out on August 24, and check them out on their upcoming tour. Keep up with the band here.
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.
In his latest music video, Brooklyn-based artist Yoke Lore sings in the midst of the rise and fall of an LGBTQ+ love story. But before that, the video shows how the romance blossomed, with beautiful shots of cuddles, kisses, and lunch dates. Everything seems perfect for them, until it isn’t. Flash forward to the fighting and silent treatments as we watch everything go down in flames. Literally.
At the end of the video, we see them place pieces of their relationship into a box before setting it all on fire. Director Noah Galvin (Yoke Lore’s brother and an LGBTQ+ actor) explains the meaning behind that intense ending:
Too often at the end of a relationship, be it romantic or otherwise, there is no real moment of farewell. Perhaps this is due to fear. I’d like to think goodbyes would be less scary if we ritualized them in some way. “Ride” is about giving a relationship a proper burial… punctuating an ending that often goes unpunctuated.
The video shows the importance of closure in order to move on from a relationship, or to move on from anything. The It’s heartbreaking, but it’s real. Yoke Lore says it best, delving deep into the intended message behind his song and its visuals:
Our fire is this fire. It is a fire to make something new where something had grown old. It’s a controlled burn of a portion of each self. You don’t want to scorch the earth, but dead things feed the future.
Listen to Yoke Lore’s EP, and be sure to catch him on his upcoming tour.
Rising artist Raffaella is NYC born and bred, and that city girl vibe is encapsulated into a little bubble of clever pop that is her second single, “Bruce Willis.” While the badass action star is the title of the track, he is only mentioned once, giving way to Raffaella’s commentary of the “cool rich kid” mentality. Her songwriting is sharp – the chorus is made up of brutally honest lyrics that show the significance of the teen image, especially when it comes to physical wealth and appearance:
Broke into Gucci pretend that I’m bougie to fool ya, All that AC feeds American dreams to the cool kids, My straight jacket’s form keeps me cozy and warm till the morning, All that AC feeds American dreams to the cool kids.
Her music runs deep. Not only is her voice beautiful, but she provides a social commentary on issues that are relevant in today’s society, which, in this case, is the upper class and the damaging image that comes with it. This makes her the farthest thing from your typical pop star. She’s smart, savvy, and here to stay.
Listen to Raffaella’s first single “Sororicide,” and keep up with her here.
