by Madi Toman | May 1, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
Rising Finland-based artist Lxandra has just released her newest track, entitled “Careful What I Dream Of”. Lxandra has been involved in music from a young age, thanks in large part to her own father who is a producer and bassist who has worked with a number of acclaimed Finnish acts. Lxandra is planning on releasing her own debut album later this year on Island Records.
Dark and emotional strings open the track, and Lxandra’s distinctive voice quickly sets the scene. She proceeds to carry listeners across her dark piano and electro-tinged sound with an impressive balance of strength and delicacy, airily balancing on some lyrics while attacking others with an admirable fierceness. The singer has an air of power and independence about her, even as she sings about checking herself on not getting caught up on another person.
by Madi Toman | May 1, 2020 | premieres, wolf tracks
14 year old Madden Novogratz has just released her first single, entitled “Rain”. The young singer hails from Brooklyn, New York and is just coming onto the music scene.
Novogratz is sweet and angelic and “Rain” is a pleasant journey tinged with spirituality. Her voice is mature and controlled as she effortlessly slips in and out of her head voice and moves into a more commanding tone on the chorus, demonstrating skill beyond her years. Pounding tribal-like drums drive the bright and upbeat tune, empowering the listener and maybe, just maybe, making them want to go dance through a forest in a rainstorm (after quarantine is over of course).
“Rain” is now available on all streaming services.
by Madi Toman | Apr 27, 2020 | videos, wolf tracks
Electro-pop trio Cheat Codes have recently dropped a video for their new feel-good single “On My Life”. Since their formation in LA, the band has racked up some impressive stats with over 4 billion streams to date and collabs with everyone from Fetty Wap to Demi Lovato. Their newest track, upbeat and bright in all its glory,, serves as a temporary escape from reality while the video features a charming montage of the band’s early life.
The video goes all the way back to the beginning, showcasing adorable first piano lessons and garage band days and leading up to present day, offering more depth and insight into the band’s past and letting fans feel more connected to them and their story. Viewers get a glimpse into the boys’ rapidly escalating life, watching them grow up and then live out their dreams. A collage of life, the heart-warming video is dedicated to the group’s late manager while also shedding light on their journey. In a statement, the band said “It’s important to take a minute and reflect on your journey every once in a while to appreciate the small things and realize how lucky we all are. ‘On My Life” tells a little bit of that story for us”.
“On My Life” is available now wherever you like to watch and listen.
by Madi Toman | Apr 24, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
Boston-based pop artist GILLIAN has just put out her new single, “High”. The young songstress is only 15 years of age but is already proving her knack for chronicling life’s ups and downs and trials and tribulations with clarity, poetic eloquence, and a stirringly soulful voice. Whether it’s with a piano, guitar, or her haunting vocals, GILLIAN explores dissolving relationships, the horrors of addiction, and facing loneliness with unbridled emotion that belies her 15 years. “High” marks GILLIANS first release of 2020 with plenty in the books to follow, including a new EP release in the summer of 2020.
GILLIAN navigates tranquil piano with skill beyond her years on “High”, her mesmerizing voice serving as the ever-so-pleasant guiding light through a sparse backtrack. Delicate and carefully chosen pronunciation and vocal embellishments give her a unique flavor. She builds the song’s tension up to an arresting chorus with commanding percussion and soft backing vocals, showing up with a strong delivery that sets the hook apart from the calm verses.
“High” is available now wherever you like to stream and keep an eye out for more releases from GILLIAN in 2020.
by Madi Toman | Apr 23, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
Deerhoof has released their new song “Farewell’ Symphony”. The single precedes the release of the group’s forthcoming album Future Teenage Cave Artists. The song’s inspiration is as ambitious as the track itself, with the video (edited by Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier) featuring a supercut of six performances of the final movement of Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Farewell’ Symphony”.
Of the Deerhoof original, Saunier says: “Just imagine if all the living things that’ve been done in by capitalism could reunite for one big final bow! All the extinct cool underground music scenes, all the extinct species of plants and animals, all the extinct arts and educational and political systems that were meant to help people…they’d all be there!” The song itself is a magical ride of controlled chaos; under different guidance the gritty guitar, clanging drums, and singer Satomi Matsuzaki’s vocals might be overwhelming, but under Deerhoof’s watchful eye it’s the perfect storm.
“Farewell’ Symphony” is available on all streaming platforms and Future Teenage Cave Artists is due to release May 29th via Joyful Noise Recordings.
by Madi Toman | Apr 22, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
Heaven-sent artist Hannah Grace (come on, even her name sounds angelic) has just released her newest track, a beautiful number called “Wasted Love”. The atmospheric track offers comforting support during heartbreak. Regarding the single, Hannah says,“I wrote ‘Wasted Love’ as a message to my past self. The song is about reassuring someone who is heartbroken that no love is wasted, even if it feels like it at the time.”
And nothing is more reassuring than Hannah’s light as a feather, crystal-clear vocals to guide you through the world of delicate keys and electronics that is created in “Wasted Love”. The song is a real beauty; a siren-song of healing. Grace’s perfectly controlled power is displayed through her impressive vocals, her voice diving into its depths and soaring easily into a stunning head voice a second later.
“Wasted Love” precedes the release of Hannah Grace’s new album, which is scheduled to drop in 2020. Grace has rescheduled her London headline show and will play Omeara on October 29th and she has also announced a hometown show at Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach on October 26th.
by Madi Toman | Apr 17, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
Los Angeles-based indie band Sincere Gifts have just released their new single, “Ghost of America”. The upbeat alt-rockers couple bright sounds and light-hearted production against dark lyricism for a fun listen that gets their serious (and important) message across.
Two lost musicians, Benben and Nick, found each other in the midst of America’s collapse. They emerged from the darkness as Sincere Gifts, conjuring love and earnest companionship. Because what is more needed in the era of rapacious capitalist greed than a sincere gift?
“Ghost of America” puts a strong focus on the current landscape in the United States in 2020. “The US is super fucked,” says vocalist Nick Byron Campbell.” In ‘Ghost of America’ the listener is taken on a short musical tour through the decline.”
At first listen, the track appears to be all sunshine and rainbows on the surface, but take a closer look (or more appropriately, listen) and hear the very real issues that the band is tackling. Sincere Gifts tackles everything from zombies to guns to riots before stripping back and ending the song with a stripped back and mesmerizing take on a section of the National Anthem. The band impressively tackles mountainous issues while making their important message fun and easy to take heed of. Keep doing what you’re doing, boys, America needs you.
by Madi Toman | Apr 10, 2020 | albums, review
Portland metal rockers Gaytheist have just returned with the release of their 5th album, How Long Have I Been on Fire?, set to release April 10th via Hex Records. The record is the band’s first on the label as well as their first release in 3 years. Following several years of living on opposite ends of the country, the band reassembled in Vancouver, Washington and delved into a writing frenzy to create their newest body of work. The record blends metal, punk, hardcore and noise rock with a good sense of humor, proving that you can still make good metal music without having to take it so damn serious.
The band impressively recorded the entire album in one summer weekend in 2019 under previous collaborator and master engineer Stephen Hawkes, resulting in thirteen songs of “KABOOM rock, depression anthems, and various attempts at communication”, according to a statement. Full of feedback, rhythm and speed, it is an amalgamation of punk, hardcore, metal, and wild rock.
Gaytheist had planned to play a handful of Pacific Northwest shows around the release date this month, but these have now been cancelled. They were to be followed by more extensive North American dates in summer, but, due to the current situation, these dates are also up-in-the-air.
Lead single “The Dark Deep” is full of wild and untameable riffs and a wailing vocal delivery from frontman and namesake Jason Rivera, the band’s OG gay atheist. The song kicks off with a bang and doesn’t stop moving from there, only picking up the momentum that continues on and relentlessly propels the record forward.
If the name “Hornswoggled” wasn’t good enough in itself, the content continues to hold up its end of the bargain. Heavy drums and aggressive guitar rage along with a clunky bass line while the lyrics take on those who are easily confused and don’t always operate with their best interests in mind: the easily tricked, bamboozled, and, of course, hornswoggled.
“hashbrownsblessed” is in keeping with that keen sense of humor we mentioned. This firecracker of a track is laden with big riffs and no bullshit packed into less than a minute and a half, consistent with the type of energy only a band named Gaytheist could pull off. And to those not down for it? We’re breaking up with you. It’s not you, it’s me.
How Long Have I Been On Fire? is out now.
by Madi Toman | Apr 9, 2020 | videos, wolf tracks
Alt-pop singer-songwriter Anna Shoemaker has just released the music video for “Someone”, the next focus track on her recently dropped album Everything is Embarrassing.
The 25-year-old artist became a SoundCloud sensation with her viral mashup of Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” and Chance the Rapper’s “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” which she recorded on her bedroom floor. The song now has over 869,000+ streams and caught the attention of key tastemakers. Shoemaker then signed to 5Towns Records in late 2017 when she was chosen as Steve Madden’s Emerging Artist of the Year. In September of 2018, Shoemaker released her debut EP, East Side, produced by GRAMMY- nominated producer JT Daly. While still catchy and pop, the new songs feel more vulnerable and personal than ever. She finds putting pen to paper is often the best way to process her emotions, thus creating raw and honest lyricism that will certainly define Shoemaker’s releases.
Shoemaker filmed the charming video for her new release herself on her iphone, which follows the young artist and her “Someone” through a night at their apartment. Full of wine, pizza, and face masks, it shows a budding romance through rose-colored glasses, tinted with hope and adoration for her love. The track itself is full of bright, head-bobbing synth beats and gently plucked guitar with Shoemaker’s unique voice painting it with her own style. The intimate video pairs perfectly with the equally intimate song, giving listeners and viewers a firm grasp on Shoemaker’s artistic vision, which is full of songs bursting with relatable emotional and life experiences.
The music video for “Someone” and Everything is Embarrassing is out now via BMG for your streaming consumption. Keep up with Anna Shoemaker here.
