by Meredith Schneider | Jul 6, 2018 | videos, wolf tracks
Recently, alternative indie rock collective Arms Akimbo – expertly comprised of Colin Boppell, Chris Kalil, Peter Schrupp, and Matt Sutton – released their 6 track EP The Wrong Kind of Dance Party. From the leisurely, pleasantly upbeat soundscape, to the relatable lyrics, we’re surprised by how much we’re captivated by their sound. It’s like the audio manifestation of summertime, and the best part is that there is now a music video for their track “Velleity” to enjoy as well.
“Velleity” feels like summertime as well, though it’s a little more melancholic in its representation. Waking up after the party makes for a slightly sluggish day, filled with recuperation and true discovery of what happened the night previous. The guys of Arms Akimbo perfectly act the sluggishness out, between frames of them performing the song, petting a dog, playing Jenga, and more.Directed by Christopher Kalil and Will Houlihan, it’s definitely an enjoyable visual, bright and fun while casual and relaxing.
Keep up with Arms Akimbo here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jul 6, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
After the recognition she’s experienced already as a new artist, it’s no wonder Zosia has hit the mark yet again with new single “Overthrown”. A song about her contentions about how society treats victims of sexual assault, “Overthrown” really throws the situation into perspective in a beautiful and robust way. Zosia’s ethereal vocals and perfected range are definitely the most notable aspects of the track, though the lyrics hit home for far too many people.
Keep up with Zosia here.
If you’re a victim of sexual assault, check out RAINN online, or dial800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
by Meredith Schneider | Jul 5, 2018 | 5 to 7
On July 12th, Austin-based indie pop act Carry Illinois – comprised of Lizzy Lehman (Lead Singer/ Rhythm Guitar), Andrew Pressman (Bass), Rudy Villarreal (Drums), Darwin Smith (Guitar), and Benjamin Rowe Violet (Keys) – will make a much anticipated appearance The Rino in Kansas City, MO. But before we head out to celebrate the summertime with this impressive quintet, we wanted to ask brainchild and front woman Lizzy Lehman some questions. Below, she delves into her inspiration and the development of the band.
What was your first musical memory? Do you think that memory has any bearing on how you create music now?
My first musical memories are of watching The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” and Maurice Sendak’s cartoon musical “Really Rosie” (with music sung by Carole King). Hearing the music from both artists absolutely inspired my love of singing and a deep desire to create truthful, emotional, and relatable music that reflects the journey of navigating the challenges and triumphs of life.
What unique flare do you think performing and creating in Austin, TX has given to your music?
Austin is a very accepting and supportive city where it is ok, and even encouraged, to be different and loud and proud about being yourself. Performing and creating here has made it possible for my music to fully represent my awkward, wonderful, painful, scary, and hopeful personal experience without fear of being judged.
Music lovers in Austin want to see artists expressing themselves in the most authentic way possible. My music has been embraced by people from all walks of life, even by those I would never expect to connect to it, and that is truly rewarding and validating.
What’s the story of how the musical project started and expanded? Was it a meet cute?
After the break up of a previous band, I knew I did not want to go back to playing solo. I had grown to love the power that comes with having a full band behind me. I set to work recruiting some of my favorite musicians- some old friends, and some new friends of friends. Darwin and Rudy have been with me from the beginning, through all the experiments, and the ups and downs. I am so grateful for their love and support. Following the painful loss of our bass player and dear friend John, we brought on Andrew, who has been a good friend and part of my chosen family for a long time. We lost our former keys player to the domestic life, but it made us think more about the sounds we want to hear, and we were very lucky to find Benjamin. He has added depth and sparkle to our sound in all the right places, with his array of synths and keys. We’ve made some changes to our sound over the years, with me “going electric” and accepting my love of pop and rock music. I couldn’t ask for a more supportive and creative group of guys. It wasn’t exactly a meet cute but the love is strong!
Your new EP Work in Progress is so vulnerable and honestly provides such a kaleidoscope soundscape. What was it like, making that EP?
Making the new EP was a highly creative, visceral, and fully collaborative experience. It was amazing to have several days to build up the instrumentation, allow my band members to flex their creative muscles by experimenting with different sounds, and then record my vocals with a fully realized and rich musical context already in place. I was able to engage my emotions in a much deeper and connected manner while recording this EP because I was singing my most revealing and brutally honest lyrics to date.
How do you feel your music has progressed since you started?
My music has become much more personal, honest, and revealing. It has also gone from having a very rootsy/folk feel to fully embracing my unabashed love for pop music. While the subject matter of the songs has become more earnest, the music itself has gained a more driving, catchy, and relatable feel. I have gone from making up songs about things I have never experienced, to confronting my most painful insecurities and challenging life experiences. I have become a truth-teller who is no longer afraid to tell my story.
What is your favorite part about live performance?
I love getting to belt my heart out, and in doing so I am able to share my true voice with the audience. Singing is my first instrument and my greatest musical passion. When I sing live I feel alive, and it is extremely fulfilling to see people engage in both the intimate and dramatic moments throughout our set.
What do you hope people take away from your music, and from seeing you live?
I want people to know that we are all connected by a need for love, support, and understanding. I want them to know that it is ok to feel their feelings and process their own pain. I hope that they feel comfortable enough to come up to me and let me know that they share a common experience, and that my music helps them to not feel alone in the struggle for self-acceptance.
If you could be any superhero, who would you be and why?
I would be Wonder Woman because she is strong, powerful, confident, and can face any challenge that comes her way! I would love to be able to stand tall even when I am having a difficult time maintaining stamina to get through my toughest moments.
Anything else?
I’m looking forward to meeting you in Kansas City! Please come say hello!
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Keep up with Carry Illinois
here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jul 5, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
Lexington-based duo RYVOLI – comprised of Samantha Howard and Jenn Whiteman – recently released a sultry, folk-tinged single titled “Ulysses”, and we can’t stop listening to it. Their harmonies are mellifluous in both the sweetest and most powerful ways you could imagine. The soundscape is the way that you think a perfect summer night might feel.
And the song has a message as well. The duo wrote it with a book about the Apollo 11 space mission as inspiration. The flaws with that mission “For better or for worse, we have no control over life’s smallest happenings that can sometimes become the biggest turning points,” RVYOLI says of the song. As introspective as it is, it’s the perfect song to close your eyes and enjoy in a soothing moment, wherever you are.
Keep up with RYVOLI here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jul 5, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
Looking for that bright pop of summer fun to inject into your latest playlist? Rumor has it that XYLØ‘s new track “Don’t Panic” is making the rounds, so we had to give it a spin ourselves. And, to be honest, the soundscape is just as juicy and alluring as the cover photo. It’s about a casual romance, where the girl is just trying to live an uncomplicated life. She’s essentially instructing herself not to panic as she notes how close this guy is trying to get to her, as he embeds himself into her life. It’s relatable, to say the least, and we’re impressed with how she expresses the issue of boundaries in a fun, sticky sweet way.
“Don’t Panic” is out now. Keep up with XYLØ here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jul 3, 2018 | 5 to 7
Punk folk outfit Mike Llerena & The Nerve recently released an album titled Old Haunts & New Horizons, and we haven’t been this thrilled in a hot second. First of all, the unique blend of genres is incredibly striking. Second of all, the journey they take you on over the length of ten tracks is indescribable, and absolutely perfect for a summertime release. Take a listen to it below, then read on for our short, fun interview with Mr. Llerena himself!
What was your first musical memory, or the first album or song you heard? Do you think that has any bearing on who you are as an artist now?
I think my first musical memory would be hearing The Beatles in my house as a little kid. My first concert was actually seeing Paul McCartney solo when I was about 10 (setting the bar high!), but before then I had been hearing those songs for as long as I can remember. Like a lot of musicians, The Beatles have remained a fixture in my music library and their influence permeates my approach to songwriting and arrangement, even if I don’t always realize it.
I know you’re from Gainesville… do you think being from Florida has helped shape your sound, or do you think you’d be playing the same type of music had you originated elsewhere?
While I certainly have a lot of influences that aren’t specific to Florida, growing up here certainly played a role in me discovering and embracing certain bands. If I hadn’t moved to Gainesville and played music for years here, I would probably still like Against Me!, Hot Water Music and Tom Petty, but living here definitely makes you feel more of a kinship with those bands and artists.
Your upbeat single “Crossfire” was a great intro to the new album. What inspired it, specifically?
“Crossfire” had actually started off as a slower, acoustic song (with harmonica parts on it nonetheless) before I adapted it to the faster, louder full band version that we play now. The lyrics of the song deal with the anxiety of feeling caught between two opposing sides in an argument, going through various stages of identifying with one side’s argument over another and trying to find your own place in that conversation. Whether you’re dealing with this on a more personal level or observing it in the current state of political discourse in the U.S., the lyrics of the song can apply to different situations.
What was the production process like on Old Haunts & New Horizons? Any fun anecdotes?
We spent about a year recording the album. During that time, we formed the band, played shows in and out of Gainesville, kept recording in the studio, and lived our day to day lives outside of the band. Our engineer Jared Pennock (Z-Chord Studios) co-produced the album with me. He also co-produced and engineered my last two solo EPs as well. Working with him a third time was great because we have a sort of established shorthand with each other after recording together for so long. A lot of cool things can come out of working with someone you’re comfortable with in the studio: the spoken word intro on “Last Words”, the tape machine intro on “The Catharsis”, ideas like that are facilitated in that type of environment and it makes for great moments on the record.
How do you want fans to feel after listening to the album in its entirety?
Above all else, I just hope people like the album. Being on the other side of the process, I feel like each listener can and probably will feel different things after listening to it. The album may mean one thing to me, but it may mean something else entirely to a listener. I wrote the album and sequenced it in a way so that the songs tell somewhat of a story from start to finish. It’s a loose narrative, but at its core, I think it’s about a young adult reflecting on where they’ve been been, where they are now, where they’re going, and how all three of those things are connected. The bittersweet nature of nostalgia is a prevalent theme on the album as well.
On a broader spectrum, what drives your passion to create music?
I’m always writing songs. In some ways, writing songs on a regular basis has helped me document the last few years of my life. A lot of musicians say this, but songs and albums are like snapshots in a way, windows into significant moments in your life that you can reflect on long after they’ve passed. For me, writing songs is like a necessity that needs to be fulfilled, like having enough oxygen. Whether I become successful playing music or not, I’ll always write songs in some capacity. It’s something that I love doing.
If you could be any superhero – “existing” or made up – who would you be and why?
While Batman is my favorite superhero, I would have to pick Spider-Man just so that I could experience swinging from building to building several stories above the ground. Exercise is important and web-swinging sounds a lot more fun than running on a treadmill.
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Keep up with Mike Llerena & The Nerve here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jul 3, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
Ambient duo Fye & Fennek have created a soundscape just as exciting and sultry as this summer has been calling for. “Clouds” dances along at an almost graceful pace, vocals ethereal and vibrant at times, raw and raspy at others, while the electronic instrumentals interchange behind them. The song boasts intricate pop undertones, making it impossible to get out of your head. And we’re definitely OK with that.
Keep up with Fye & Fennek here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jul 3, 2018 | videos, wolf tracks
Brooklyn-based alt-dance/pop duo Glassio – comprised of Sam R. and Charles Pinel – recently unleashed the music video for their latest single “New York, New York II” unto the world, and we’re floored by how visually attractive it is. Hard angles, color blocks, insane contract, a technical yet natural flow to how everything fits together. A projector plays video of New Yorkers singing pieces of the track on the streets of the phenomenal city that they live in. The striking visuals match the lyrical content for impressiveness, and there’s a cool as a cucumber vibe emanating from it all that makes “New York, New York II” perfect as the backdrop to your next summer party.
Keep up with Glassio here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jul 2, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
Nashville-based dream pop singer/songwriter Athena released a brand new single titled “Human” on Friday, and we are absolutely smitten. Her sultry vocals hit home from the very beginning, opening the song with a soft hum before developing into a layered gem of a track. As she begs you to let her underneath your skin, you begin to feel the rhythm pick up, as you get lost in dreamlike trance.
If you need a break from the stress of your Monday – or everyday – it’s time to breathe through this song.
Keep up with Athena here.
