New beginnings can be very invigorating. But sometimes you’re just not in the right head space for it either. So we aren’t going to bum you out by giving you a soundtrack that is geared toward ramping up energy and success. We’re just going to give you the best new music, no holds barred. Check it out, assess where you’re at, and keep in mind that new beginnings can occur at any point.
Keep up with us all month long as we add more favorites!
Magnetic musical duo Oh Wonder began 2020 on the right foot, with the release of new single “Happy”. We can’t tell you how ecstatic we are that there is another song called “Happy” that won’t complete annoy us. (Sorry, Pharrell, we still love you.) Sticky sweet, a bit seductive, and totally light as a feather, this song is actually a testament to the strength it takes to see someone after your love has fizzled out. In this circumstance, some time has passed, and there has been room to grow and forgive and accept. The line of the chorus that has us weak in the knees exclaims, “Oh, I never thought I’d be happy to see you with somebody new.”
Beauty in acceptance. We’re going to go ahead and get on board.
“WEAR YOUR CROWN” WORLDWIDE TOUR DATES:
March 3 – SWG3 (Galvanisers) – Glasgow
March 4 – Albert Hall –Manchester
March 6 – Academy –Bristol*
March 7 – O2 Institute – Birmingham
March 9 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire – London*
March 11 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels
March 12 – Alhambra – Paris
March 13 – Paradiso – Amsterdam*
March 15 – Live Music Hall – Cologne
March 16 – Docks – Hamburg
March 17 – Astra Kulturhaus – Berlin
March 30 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA
March 31 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
April 1 – The Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, NC
April 3 – The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD
April 4 – College Street Music Hall – New Haven, CT
April 5 – Franklin Music Hall – Philadelphia, PA
April 7 – Kings Theatre – Brooklyn, NY
April 8 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
April 10 – MTELUS – Montreal, QC
April 11 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre – Toronto, ON
April 13 – Majestic Theatre – Detroit, MI
April 14 – The Vic Theatre – Chicago, IL
April 15 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
April 17 – The Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
April 18 – The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT
April 20 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
April 21 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
April 22 – Orpheum Theatre – Vancouver, BC
April 24 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
April 25 – House of Blues – Anaheim, CA
April 26 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
* Sold Out
Keep up with Oh Wonder here.
Canadian-based alternative duo Rachel Bobbit and Justice Der may have released their new album When This Plane Goes Down at the end of October, but the talent keeps getting thrown at us, this time in the form of a music video for their track “Beneath Our Feet (Exit Music)”. Placed appropriately at the end of the 9-track stunner of an album, it maintains the largely playful energy of the album, moving at a clip that is both fun to dance to and easy to relax to. But that’s what their music is. With light as a feather and yet somehow still sultry vocals, there isn’t a track on this album that we don’t adore.
That, coupled with layers of bizarre and fun visuals on what seems to be a night out, and you’ve got a very gorgeous video to enjoy. Check it out below, and let us know what you think on our Facebook page!
When This Plane Goes Down is out now. Keep up with Rachel Bobbitt and Justice Der here.
On Thursday night, Arvest Bank Theater at The Midland hosted the storied Angels and Airwaves for their first run through Kansas City in ten years. The crowd was absolutely enamored, and we caught some brilliant shots. Check them out below!
Keep up with Angels and Airwaves here.
Tennis Club’s Wilson Hernandez embarks on his solo project with the release of new EP Last Sunday today. Released on birthdiy (spirit goth), Last Sunday boasts 5 quick, new tracks that almost glow their way out of the speakers. With a nostalgic sound, the Joplin-based musician has encapsulated his work in reverb for days, making the entire collection a relaxing, beautiful soundscape to play at your holiday parties. Try it on for size below, and then let us know what you think over on our Facebook page!
This week, Draag released the new music video for their first single, ambient track “Ghost Leak”. The song itself, as explained by the band, is about “the feeling of being completely invisible and inconsequential.” They take the meaning a step further with the video, keeping it as literal as possible.
Comprised of many still video clips of a single woman in different areas, amongst a variety of landscapes. Highway overpasses, in the middle of trees, in a souvenir shop, in front of a church. The list goes on and on. Each new shot is unexpected and beautiful, many establishing symmetry and the rule of thirds. And in each of them, the woman looks unseen.
Point taken.
Directed and shot by Adrian Acosta and Jessica Huang | Type by Angelo Rosales | Edited by Elijah R. (lunoluna) | Camera assist by Elijah R. (lunoluna)
The band has a February residency set up at The Echo, so check them out soon. Keep up with DRAAG here.
Still haven’t decided on that perfect music selection for the quiet moments amidst the madness of the holidays? That’s OK.London-based singer/songwriter Ollie Trevers has swooped in with a win for you, boasting five incredibly beautiful tracks on his new EP Cordelia. Each song is dripping with emotion, Trevers’ vocals acting as the main instrument. Sincerely, if you haven’t experienced this man’s vocal talent, it’s absolutely time.
Take first track “Dispassionate Love”, for example. There are points in that song that sound like he is weeping. And then he’s singing at the top of his lungs like a ballad. Not to mention the mellifluous sounds he makes between lyrical stanzas, and the gorgeous note changes while drawing out words. “Can’t Make It Up” follows suit, beginning slower and progressing to a cacophony of sound at points during the track. What I love about this one is that it builds to a head, and then slows down again several times. It leaves you slightly unsatisfied throughout in that regard, though disappointing it is not. It edges more on the side of intriguing.
“Stage of Fools” might be one of the most gorgeous songs we have ever encountered, and the album gets no more upbeat in topic from there. The entire EP details loss in love, emotional wreckage, and the relatable thoughts brought on by heartbreak. “I Need Someone” magnifies this, definitely written in a poetic — albeit low — moment. “Lost Alone” rounds everything out with an audio atmosphere that feels very Queen-inspired, a love rock anthem to its core.
What do you think? Let us know on Facebook!
Track Listings – Cordelia EP
1 – Dispassionate Love
2 – Can’t Make It Up
3 – Stage Of Fools
4 – I Need Someone
5 – Lost Alone
See Ollie Trevers live
23rd January – Nambucca, London
31st January – The Finsbury, London
Keep up with Ollie Trevers here.
On December 13th, Irish-Canadian collective The Orange Kyte unveiled their latest offering, Carousel. Resplendent in nature, the album is a well-rounded ball of energy, bringing the band’s specific brand of psych to the masses without missing a (literal) beat. Impressive reverb, charming percussion, and a rock mentality drive this album from the start with upbeat tracks “Masquerade!”, “The Modern Dar Saints”, easing into the more moderately paced “Distractions”. The song itself feels like a mild distraction, melancholic in sound, but is just as gorgeous as its predecessors.
“C.O.P.” picks it back up, injecting a certain amount of surf rock influence into the guitar. “Little Death Balloon” also operates quickly, though you almost expect it to come in with more of a My Chemical Romance-leaning rock ballad sound. Nope, it’s very 60’s and very alluring. “Demonstration Garden” is the leisurely track to follow, a song best suited for the background of your next dinner party. “Sea of Love/Ocean of Hate” comes in frantically, a true toe-tapper if ever there was one.
If the saxophone intro in “Infinity Rope” were any indication that the gorgeous climax of an 80s rom com were about to take place, we wouldn’t be surprised. The song itself is one of our favorites on the album, so definitely take a moment to appreciate its layers. Though “Downfall” has a very heavy title, the soundscape is light, experimental almost in nature. The opening sounds very other-worldly, and constant whirring in the background makes it all feel very technical and almost futuristic as well.
“Captain Ron” keeps the party going, slowing the pace a bit in the middle of the track, so that your heart rate can revert to its normal pace in time. So much excitement in one album is a lot to handle, but is an absolute pleasure to experience.
Keep up with The Orange Kyte here.
It’s the holidays, so we’re all thinking about family and togetherness. (For the most part… and we understand the aversion as well, perhaps, sometimes.) And sometimes — if we’re being honest — the holidays make it way more difficult for people to keep their shit together, for lack of better terminology. When you’ve experienced heartbreak, loss, tough times… this time of year can be heavy.
Nadia Vaeh is feeling lonely in new track “Holidazed & Confused”. The cheery soundscape is magical and deceptive, as Nadia sings of the emotional torture of missing someone important during the holidays like a pop queen.
Keep up with Nadia Vaeh here.
