by Meredith Schneider | Mar 12, 2019 | albums, review
Los Angeles-based quintet The Wild Reeds has been gracing our headphones for a hot second, but their new album Cheers is pure gold. Starting with the upbeat pace of “Moving Target” and then rolling slightly more slowly into “Telepathic Mail”, which has a persevering message we can all get behind. By “A Way To Stop”, the band has established, yet again, that they balance a wire between pop and rock, a little folk twang thrown in for fun. While fourth track “Lose My Mind” feels largely vintage, “Play It Safe” could easily have been played at a sock hop back in the day as well. The production value on both is beautiful and lush, perfect for vinyl play, we’re sure.
“Young and Impressionable” is honest and open, while “Giving Up On You” is louder, more determined, but maintains that vulnerability. “Don’t Pretend” approaches from a softer perspective, while the title alone of “P.S. Nevermind” already feels like something we can all relate to. (Hi. I have an additional thought. Should I have that additional thought? No? Nevermind. Yes. No. Don’t worry about it.) Lyrics like “I’m reckless/I did it and I’ll do it again” prove us too wrong, and we’re falling for this track hard. “Run and Hide” is wonderfully mellifluous, a song that feels like a ballad and belongs nowhere if not in your car, being belted at the top of your lungs as you drive home from work [today]. They round Cheers out with “My Name”, a track that is slowed to the pace of the first couple of songs, indicating the end of our profound journey with The Wild Reeds. The lyrics make it the perfect placement on the album, a lullaby of sorts that keeps us craving more.
Keep up with The Wild Reeds here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 11, 2019 | Uncategorized
Do you miss the warm, cradle-y feeling that pop music videos from the oughts brought you? (Yes, we want you to think back to the NSYNCs and O-Towns of your past.) You have the option of feeling that way again. New York-based electro-pop artist J-LINE delivers that familiar feeling in droves with new single “Feeling the yes”, the jewel toned music video somehow reflecting that feeling, though the atmosphere is less that of a party environment and more so of a strategic performance art piece. Which – if you scale back to think about it – is what a music video is.
If you’re really feeling your decision-making self lately, this one will do the trick.
Keep up with J-Line here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 11, 2019 | albums, review
On March 8th, Matt Shapiro released a 6-track EP that is absolutely thrilling from start to finish. You can see why, too, as Matt admits he approaches his music-making a lot like film. “I approach making a record like I’m making a movie,” he admits. “My last album Metaphysical was very layered and wide-angle and made to sound kind of epic. With this new EP FADE IN, I made the conscious decision to go the other way. This one’s more disciplined, and really stripped down to essentials…more like a scrappy little indie. And it has more bite.”
If you think for a moment that he doesn’t mean the phrase “scrappy little indie,” then you’re in for a treat. “Rockaway Girl” is very theatric, throwing you into this one-man performance that is equal parts modern indie rock and 80’s pop fury. “The Addict” darkens the soundscape a bit, but the collection doesn’t forget the attitude that came with the first track, as it weaves into the slow burner “Is There Something Going On”. “Johnny” is for the human who feels like walking on the wild side, while “Water’s Edge” is much slower, simple and soft in its disposition. Shapiro’s vocals feel like water as they glide amidst the instrumentals. This tranquil feeling is put to an abrupt halt with the first staccato notes of “Genievieve”. It seems as though the pace and volume change might have to do with the way a significant other disrupts your life, and makes things ten times louder. We’re fond of the impact it has on the EP’s trajectory, and couldn’t have placed a more defining last song.
Keep up with Matt Shapiro here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 8, 2019 | premieres, singles
Philadelphia-based indie rock collective Readership – comprised of Matt Lee, Gregory Matthew, Gabe McCall, and Adrian Morse – releases their new track “Weather Underground” today, and we’ve got the premiere. In the beginning, the instrumentals slowly build in volume, until they expand and the vocals set in. With bits of punk stirred around in there with the way the vocals lean and the delivery of the guitar at times, this song is simply something that will keep you moving. We’re thinking it has a little bit of 90s inspiration in it, as we can definitely see it being played in the background of a montage scene in a movie. (Hey Hollywood, you hear us?)
Get pumped for an impending change in weather with “Weather Underground”.
Keep up with Readership here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 7, 2019 | 5 to 7
Today’s conversation is a sit down with songstress Alice Phoebe Lou, whose album Paper Castles is out tomorrow, March 8th. The lead up to this release has proven insane for her, as – since we spoke – Robert Plant opened up for her in Leeds and she recorded a Daytrotter session with Paste. Listen on for more.
0:00 Intro
0:11 EZVisibility.com
0:22. Dbl-take.com
0:33 imperfectfifth.com/merch
0:47 Intro: Alice Phoebe Lou
2:04 Portishead
3:09 South Africa
6:13 “Galaxies”
8:19 Paper Castles
10:25 Upcoming tour
13:14 Psychics
15:43. Self care
18:02. Living in the moment
Paper Castles is out March 8th. Keep up with Alice Phoebe Lou here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 7, 2019 | premieres, singles, videos
Hailing from Tennessee, pop duo Cooper & Gatlin – comprised of Cooper Green (Guitar/Vocals) and Gatlin Kate James (Vocals) – releases a catchy, lighthearted new acoustic version of their single”Like You” today along with its bright and fun new visual. Believe it or not, we’re lucky enough to be hosting the exclusive premiere. This version of the song is absolutely incredible, putting a crisp spin on something already mellifluous and wonderful. Although the song is bittersweet with more melancholic lyrical content, it’s an absolute earworm that will have you tapping your toes all day.
Admits the duo of the project: “The acoustic video was such a blast to make! We already had an amazing set to work with from the main video, so it was super fun to rearrange it, and make everything work in one take! Everyone had worked so hard shooting the videos for both versions of the song, so it was so awesome to have them all dancing with us at the end of the acoustic video.”
Keep up with Cooper & Gatlin here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 6, 2019 | singles, wolf tracks
While Nick Murphy may have just announced his upcoming album, Run Fast Sleep Naked, his new single from that project – a track titled “Sanity” – has been unleashed unto the world, and we’re massively digging it. Not only is the piano absolutely intriguing from the beginning, but Murphy’s soulful vocals and the layered in soundscape make it impossible to not dance. The video itself is beautifully shot, a contemplative and quirky watch that we are going to go ahead and watch a few more times today. Enjoy!
Run Fast Sleep Naked is available for preorder now. Keep up with Nick Murphy here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 6, 2019 | videos, wolf tracks
Vancouver’s own Kin Kanyon – comprised of Dan Rocque (Guitars, Organ, Vocals), Ed Budden (Bass, Vocals), Matt Harvey (Guitar, Vocals), and Chris Rowntree (Drums) – has released the official music video for their single “Fauxtown”, and we’re having a ball with it. Get sucked into the 70’s vibe with their psychedelic soundscape, and get pulled further into the entire experience with the vintage music video that will get you groovin’.
You don’t have to trust us, but we are keen to know your thoughts.
Keep up with Kin Kanyon here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 5, 2019 | review
On February 26th, Soccer Mommy made a phenomenal appearance at the recordBar in Kansas City, MO to a sold out crowd. Openers Mess and Hovvdy laid perfect groundwork for the rowdy group, who were all in for a night of emotional and heartbreaking music. The house was packed before Hovvdy even started playing. which would normally come as a surprise to Kansas City concert-goers, as our city isn’t known for showing up early for the opening act. But Mess has developed a reputation of incredibly vibrant vocals and highly relatable songs that bring their crowds out early with anticipation. This evening seemed to be no exception, and we’re overjoyed that we got to witness that spark Mess ignites with each performance once again.
When Hovvdy took the stage, their steady, slow, crooning energy took over. And that same energy continued into the night, Soccer Mommy propelling it forward with her own brand of east coast bedroom pop. Within the summertime sounds of “Last Girl”, woven into the edge of “Skin”, and found in her older catalog inclusions as well, this type of energy is almost indescribable. Quirky, young, inspired, fun.
It seemed – in a moment surrounded by this soundscape, this crowd – around the third song of Soccer Mommy’s performance, that perhaps it wasn’t just this crowd that had latched on to the debut album she released just last summer. No, it seemed as if the words from Clean had soaked into our very surroundings, and that recordBar was emitting this palpable energy that made said surroundings feel like home.
If you haven’t gotten to see Soccer Mommy live yet, there is no better time than now. Lots of tour dates are coming up, as well as a couple of appearances at Coachella. Catch her set. You have no excuse not to.
Keep up with Soccer Mommy here.
![cooper & gatlin, “like you” [acoustic]](http://imperfectfifth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/180524_GDS_CooperAndGatlin_0001_Original_WebJPG-1080x675.jpg)
