Today, Erika Wennerstrom’s debut LP Sweet Unknown is unleashed upon the world. The alternative indie artist’s latest album takes us through nine tracks. Sweet Unknown is a melancholy, yet pensive, take at life and love. “Staring Out The Window” tells us of a haunting of a past love. “I didn’t understand what it is that I did,” is a broken heart asking for questions as the track proclaims. “Gravity” is a reflective track on ones self. “Getting to know myself like I’ve never known…I’m ready for whatever life brings to me” screams the track. Fittingly enough, “Gravity” is the last track of Sweet Unknown. It is the acceptance, it is ending- but for the artist, a new beginning. My personal favorite is “Letting Go.” Starting off with “Come with me my friend,” the track feels lighthearted on a heavy album.
Sweet Unknown is definitely personal for Erika Wennerstrom, maybe even healing at time. This album is for you if you want to do some soul searching or simply wallow in your sorrows. I’m sure you can make Sweet Unknown personal to you too. Sweet Unknown is now available via all leading digital service providers and comes with an instant download of the album’s first single, “Extraordinary Love.” The physical copy includes a limited edition version pressed on double white vinyl.
Tour Dates
Mar 23 – Macon, GA – Cox Capitol Theatre**
Mar 24 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater**
Mar 25 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVA**
Mar 26 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater**
Mar 28 – Wilmington, DE – The Queen**
Mar 29 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl**
Mar 30 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl**
Mar 31 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer**
April 2 – State College, PA – The State Theatre**
April 3 – Toronto, ONT – The Mod Club**
April 4 – Toronto, ONT – The Mod Club**
April 6 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall**
April 7 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall**
Pick up your copy of Sweet Unknownhere, and keep up with Erika here.
Australia’s Ruby Boots, now based in Nashville, TN is about to release her label debut Don’t Talk About It February 9 with Bloodshot Records, having previously released a 2016 album, Solitude. Born Bex Chilcott, the talented artist is backed by The Texas Gentleman and produced by Beau Bedford on this album — and we’re here for it. With confident vocals and sumptuous instrumentation, Ruby Boots delivers a treat for the ears. To sum it up, the album is an experience, a journey. Navigating a country/Southern-rock inspired soundscape that is still accessible for the country-hatin’ folks, Ruby Boots oozes real emotion and authenticity, especially in tracks like “Believe in Heaven”. From the bold opener, “It’s So Cruel” to the title track, “Don’t Talk About It”,Chilcott displays both her range and variety of styles while maintaining the album’s theme. “It’s So Cruel” already has a music video to accompany the scathing track, full of neon lights and rockin’ vibes, utilizing slow motion and close-ups to pack even more of punch for this track.One of the indubitable highlights of Don’t Talk About It is the stunning acapella track “I Am A Woman”, perfect and raw. Ruby Boots says of the song, “As tempting as it was to just write an angry tirade I wanted to respond with integrity, so I sat with my feelings and this song emerged as a celebration of women and womanhood, of our strength and our vulnerability, all we encompass and our inner beauty, countering ignorance and vulgarity with honesty and pride and without being exclusionary to any man or woman. My hope is that we come together on this long drawn out journey. The song is the backbone to the album for me.”“Infatuation” is another great track on Don’t Talk About It, full of both yearning lyrics and a catchy beat. Closing out with “Don’t Give A Damn”, which combines all the soulful elements of a country blues song with a tinge of almost jazzy piano. Don’t Talk About It is a strong album for a variety of reasons, but it is clear that Ruby Boots knows what she’s doing. Whether you’re looking for some rockin’ folk or some folksy rock, Ruby Boots has got you covered.
We can’t wait for Ruby Boots to drop this masterpiece of an album tomorrow!
As easy as it is to access music now, the on going change of favorite songs is such a fun one to us, we thought for a while about what theme we wanted to choose and ended up with this “Top 5 favorite songs we are listening to right now.” It kinda leans in a lot of very different directions, from pop to rap to post hardcore to metal. We all have very different music tastes which is actually a lot of fun when it comes to touring cause depending on who is driving, the music style changes. Never gets boring in the van!
Hope you enjoy Kalie, Seb, Micket and Josh’s favorite tunes as of 12/4/2017!
Damned Soul is due out February 2, 2018. Keep up with RIVALS here.
Alluring Cardiff-based pop musician Martin Carr released his latest record, an elaborate 8 track journey for the tympanic membrane titled New Shapes of Life, at the end of October. Thrown into the album with its title track, we begin at a casual mid-tempo clip, vocals delivered with ethereal grace, not unlike we would experience from Sting or Thom Yorke. While not exactly preparing for the second track like it should, it sets a good sound quality standard for the album at large. “Damocles” has more of a vocal-induced gloss of mystery over it, while “The Main Man” slows everything down exponentially into more of a trance atmosphere. By “Future Reflections”, our heart rates have slowed down to better appreciate the crawling clip that this song proceeds at. With small hints of The Beatles and futuristic influences, this song flows “like water” through the speakers.
Fifth track “A Mess of Everything” has more of a melancholic feel to the vocals, but does progressively bring the tempo – and, simultaneously, mood – up a big to properly prep us for “Three Studies of the Male Back”. This track was made for a stadium tour or the headlining slot at a music festival. (Wink wink, nudge nudge.) It’s an atmospheric marvel, one which we don’t necessarily exit completely when the song ends. Seventh song “The Van” has an otherworldly, floating feeling to it, as it exists at a much slower tempo, in almost “crooning lounge singer” territory. And the big band feel to it just magnifies the ambiance. “The Last Song” is – hilariously – the last one on New Shapes of Life, and perhaps the most rewarding. The natural sound effects, lush instrumentals, and introspective lyrics almost leave a cliff hanger at the end of it all, positioned just like your favorite soap opera to cause anxiety until we hear the next batch of music from Carr.
But we will, instead, press “play” again and keep tabs on Carr here.
