by Meredith Schneider | Nov 2, 2017 | wolf tracks
French jazz-pop musician Laure Z might reside in Los Angeles now, but she’s brought a wealth of knowledge over the pond from her years in music education. Right now, she’s preparing for the debut of her new EP, a 6 track work titled Girls Don’t Wait due out in November. But while things are going on behind the scenes, we’ve actually got the exclusive premiere of the next piece of that work, a song titled “I Will Follow You”. Whistling leads you into this soft, emotional release. Laure Z’s vocals seem to float effortlessly over the instrumentals, giving off the feeling that you’re in a garden, surrounded by brilliant landscape under a bed of twinkling stars. The song is a testament to love, inviting trust and acceptance into a relationship, spun blissfully together with simplistic and ethereal instrumentals.
Girls Don’t Wait is due out soon. Keep up with Laure Z here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 2, 2017 | wolf tracks
Alternative power-rock trio Noiseheads – comprised of Nick Gray (vocals, guitar), Greg Nicholas (drums, vocals), and Joe Gray (bass, vocals) – recently released the official music video for the second single from their album Sitcoms for Aliens, titled “Ballad of Me, Myself, and I”. The video is comprised of footage of Nick singing, made to look like flat magazine collage art. Scenes of Times Square, outer space, a cubicle, and other miscellaneous places pop up behind him, his outfits and scenarios changing throughout. It’s a fun overlay to the song itself, which is a relatively mellow track that could be enjoyed in a head banging situation or at home with a small group of friends. It follows the rest of their work quite nicely, with fun, upbeat riffs and an aggressive delivery of vocals galore.
Keep up with Noiseheads here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 2, 2017 | wolf tracks
Indie pop duo Soft People – the self-titled “America’s Best Gay Socialist Band” made up of couple Caleb Nichols and John Metz – is introducing their first collection of songs to the world, an album titled American Men which debuts on November 7th. The album weaves in an agenda of addressing modern American politics, challenging a generation while critiquing the new status quo. It’s a narrative that is very necessary right now, and Soft People have done due diligence to deliver in a fun and inspiring, rowdy pop music. Today, we’ve got the exclusive premiere of their latest track “New Kampf”.
The song begins with the line: “Nazi, I saw a Nazi!” and you’re pretty sure you know where it’s going from there. But while quirky, honest lyrics outline the spotting of a Nazi for their listener, the drums keep a toe-tapping beat going that is both appreciated and danceable by many. It is relatively clear that the lyrics were developed around the new generation of far right protestors and violent demonstrators, a social commentary delivered with a laugh track in the back. Because – without being too blunt – it’s way too difficult to handle current political goings on without some humor.
American Men is out November 7th and is available for preorder now. Keep up with Soft People here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 2, 2017 | snapshot
On October 27th, Noah Cyrus opened up for Katy Perry at Sprint Center in Kansas City. Here are a few photos from that set, which included original music as well as covers by Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and more!
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 1, 2017 | snapshot
In the 18 years I have been going to live shows, I have cried less than a handful of times. In fact, I can only remember twice that I’ve cried at shows. And they both happened relatively recently. (But I digress.) And I’ll admit, I’ve seen Katy Perry several times and she had yet to pull even a single tear from me. But on Friday, October 27th, there were waterworks instead of fireworks, and it made for the feel good musical moment of the year, quite frankly.
Katy took the stage to a large crowd in Kansas City at Sprint Center that night. She dazzled, of course, dripping in diamonds while she sang hit after hit. This time around, she took an 80’s spin to a lot of her tracks, pulling out all the stops in neon outfits and touting ginormous props around like it was no one’s business. She floated on planets amongst the crowd playing acoustic guitar and captivating us with a particularly heartbreaking version of “Thinking Of You”, told her mom during a personal call on speakerphone that – to her dad’s chagrin – she was going to play “I Kissed a Girl” again, and pulled out all the stops for her “California Girls”. Props and dancers supplemented the evening, making tracks off of Witness bigger and bolder than anticipated, leaving quite the mark both politically and spiritually. Katy is about harnessing your own power, and it’s thrilling to watch her inspire generations at her shows. The woman is an entertainer, and you never once question that during a performance.
But the most magical part of the night was when Katy called a random girl up from the audience to make a wish on a giant, glittering prop star. She chose the girl because of her neon orange sweatshirt. (And the fact that she was jumping up and down maniacally in her seat.) And, boy, did Katy’s intuition prove to be correct on that decision.
Zoe Black is twelve years old and – while your pre-teen is losing phone privileges and struggling to figure themselves out – her one big wish was that the kids at her sister’s high school would stop bullying her for her autism. That’s right. A twelve year old wished for that, on stage, in front of an arena full of people.
And we all lost our shit.
I was sitting in front of a row of teenagers, and I turned to them and just exclaimed, “I’m not crying, you’re crying!” And Katy teared up, holding on to Zoe for a few long moments before we all yelled “NO MORE BULLYING!” at the star. It was goosebump-inducing, and really put the night into perspective.
Below are a few photos from Katy’s set, with photos of her opener Noah Cyrus to come.
Learn more about autism and how to make a difference at autismspeaks.org.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 1, 2017 | wolf tracks
Earlier this month, New Jersey-based alternative indie rock trio The Stewart Dolly – comprised of Bob (guitar/vocals), Paul (bass/vocals), and Johnny (drums) – released their EP, affectionately titled Ain’t No Gas Station Gon’ Sell You City Boys No Grenadine. Consisting of five tracks, this EP takes hilarious some topics and goes off the deep end with them, inviting in hilarious lyrics alongside some serious guitar chops.
“Neon Sandwich w Lots Of Pepper” seems like an off title, but the track itself is literally about a neon sandwich. And though the lyrics are simple and silly, the instrumental composition is that of a crashing rock band, slightly reminiscent of early Good Charlotte in its delivery. Second track “Drill Spice” establishes a mid-tempo beat while singing about preferences, while “Archie Get In The House” has a quieter, more ambling beginning that hits its stride pretty quickly with the first line. As the band questions “Why won’t he go in?” and continues to give this “Archie” character life advice, we are taken back in time to when more people were inserting their opinions in our own lives. This song kind of plays off of that, and the humor does not evade us.
Fourth track “Don’t Count On Me” might have the most serious title of the five, detailing an unreliability with such blatant honestly (“Cuz there is no guarantee”, “I’m only good for two out of three,” etc.) that we’re both flummoxed and wondering if we can realistically make this our new anthem. The band rounds out the EP with “Polaroid Trail”, a song that seems, at first listen, to be a slow ballad. But that’s not how The Stewart Dolly is going to go out, they’ll do it with a bang. So, of course, the song speeds up before the vocals hit. And then we realize this is a song of heartbreak, and it’s slightly painful listening to the lyrics.
But we’ll just keep “try[ing] not to think of” the band after this, because five songs is a good taste but it’s just not enough.
Ain’t No Gas Station Gon’ Sell You City Boys No Grenadine is available now. Keep up with the band here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 1, 2017 | wolf tracks
San Diego’s metal/underground/hip hop collective Gus McArthur – not a single man’s name, but the name of a creature of legend that the duo of brothers Honan (“The Destroyer”) and Gordon (“The Hater”) McArthur adapted as their band name – is gearing up to release the Chapter 2: Fanatics EP on December 8th, but until then we’ve got the first single off that work, a song titled “End of Eternity”, to nibble on for a while. And the band waits no time on the track to make you realize they’re up to their usual dark, guitar-heavy antics that sustained them in first EP Chapter 1: Hysterics. Although it takes a moment to understand, perhaps, what the lyrics are amidst the crashing instrumentals, you quickly realize the lyrical content is a critical social commentary. Lines like “What have we done to the government?” make you realize that Gus McArthur is struggling with the same issues we have all been placated with. Although Gus chooses to thinly veil it in upbeat, edgy, fast instrumentals replete with a raspy, hard tone to the vocals while paying homage to some of their greatest influences.
(The guitar solo near 2:35 is absolutely insane, so be sure not to miss it.)
Chapter 2: Fanatics is out December 8th. Keep up with Gus McArthur here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 1, 2017 | wolf tracks
If you’re looking for the best way to burst onto the music scene, you’ve got to captivate your audience. Be it by surprise, a unique sound, an intrinsically relatable song, or otherwise, there has to be a hook. Brooklyn-based musician Pearla has done just that, evoking a sense of childlike wonder in the simplistic and beautiful sounds of her new track “Somewhere”. “‘Somewhere’ is about feeling like a child and being completely thrown off by the real world,” she explains. “It’s about feeling lost and out of control, but trying desperately to trust the universe.”
It doesn’t seem as though she has missed the mark on a single aspect of the track, as it builds up slowly, allowing her to showcase the lightweight and ethereal nature of her vocal range before hitting a plateau where she really has to bring out the big guns. Her ability to hold a high note, to make the listener really feel with just her voice, is remarkable and not something you come across every day. Check out “Somewhere” below, and let us know what you think!
Keep up with Pearla here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 31, 2017 | wolf tracks
Los Angeles-based dream pop trio I, Us, & We – comprised of Jordan Doverspike, Evan Doverspike, and Aaron Doverspike – recently released their mesmerizing track “Tryst”, the instrumental backing which entices its listeners to dance despite its slower tempo. True artists, the three collaborate to create some of the most beautiful tracks in electronic music, and “Tryst” is no exception. As they croon, “Do you ever feel the same as I do?”, you are catapulted into a serene and luxurious soundscape as they struggle to correctly categorize their romantic situation. Is it lust? Is it love? Should it be kept a secret? Find out what happens when you’re led on, and dance it out anyway, with the latest from I, Us, & We below.
Keep up with I, Us, & We here.
