by Meredith Schneider | Jun 28, 2018 | albums, premieres
Alternative electro-synth pop artist HiRSH – the ethereal, enchanting brainchild of musician Beau Hirshfield – is releasing his new EP Going on Friday. If first track “Ready to Go” didn’t offer the expression of his readiness to take on this industry with strong instrumentals and luscious vocals in its soundscape, the lyrics tackle that question head on. “Beating Heart” brings the tempo down, though somehow maintains a “party anthem” feel to it despite its dark lyrical tones. And while “Feels Like” boasts enviable percussion, Last track “The Well” perfectly rounds out the EP, riling up every emotion a human soul is capable within its 3 minutes and forty-seven seconds of smooth vocalization.
Says Hirshfield: “Trial and error. Guess and check. Ebb and flow. Peaks and valleys. Go ahead and pick any cliché you like to describe this journey. We are all in a mad dash to get somewhere while nobody has any real clue where were actually going. Life.”
Going is out June 29th. The EP release show is at The Peppermint Club in LA on June 29th. Tickets are available here. Keep up with HiRSH here.
by Karina Marquez | Jun 28, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
Kahiem Rivera’s new track “Sing About Me” is the result of a spur-of-the-moment, late night inspiration, and it is complemented with the beat of Kendrick Lamar’s song with the same name. Not only is the beat Kendrick’s – Rivera’s lyrics exude the same brutal honesty and harsh reality of growing up. However, the story that these lyrics tell is entirely his own. It is also extremely relevant to today’s society, even referencing the political discourse we talk about every single day:
“Fall of ’16, stuck inside and not seeing clear,
Plus we elected who?
Man, I need another beer.”
Rivera tells a very personal story – it is raw and real and quite dark at times. And with a little bit of help from Kendrick Lamar, he delivers an emotional, well-written track.
Keep up with the latest on Rivera here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jun 27, 2018 | 5 to 7
Relatively new duo Broken Baby – comprised of Amber Bollinger and Alex Dezen – is hitting the Los Angeles music scene hard with their unique and energy-inducing brand of post punk-rock. They’ve already brought social commentary to the forefront in first single “Year of The Fat Man”, in an endearing way that gets you moving, even if you aren’t necessarily a dancer. But their new single “Pass The Acetone” is set for release this week, and we’ve got your exclusive premiere of the upbeat, sassed-up track right now.
Of course, we had to throw a few questions at them as well. So while you enjoy the new tune, check out our quick interview below!
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?
Alex: I don’t know if I can remember that. I think it was probably hearing Saturday Night Fever coming through the walls of my parents room. The next thing I remember is a vinyl copy of Let It Be by The Replacements that I broke. It was my sister’s. She was pissed.
What is the conception story of Broken Baby? Was it a meet-cute? Give us all the details!
Amber: We were on tour for Alex Dezen’s second solo record and we were bored in a van driving across the country. Alex suggested we started a band together. I thought it was a joke, but when we got back to Los Angeles we followed through. Yep. The EP was done two weeks later.
A recent post on Facebook gave us a glimpse into the raw beauty of being empowered, woman or man. What spurred on this beautiful and open post about double standards?
Amber: Alex and I have so many talks about music and life, and we agree that this is a very interesting time.
Alex: Someone had asked us about it, so we answered.
We have until September to wait for your next official release. While we wait, how do you think your sound has evolved since the beginning of Broken Baby? Has your process changed at all?
Amber: Actually, you only have to wait about a week until our next song is released. PASS THE ACETONE will be out June 29th!
I think our sound is constantly evolving and moving forward. In ways that I don’t care to analyze yet. It’s been spontaneous so far, and that’s been a good thing.
Do you believe in aliens? Why or why not?
Alex: No.
Amber: Hell YEAH, I do! You’d be a dummy to think we’re the only ones to exist in this ever expanding universe. Come on!
Keep up with Broken Baby and their new music (HELLO “Pass the Acetone”!) here!
by ImperfectFifth | Jun 26, 2018 | snapshot, visual
Earlier this month, the incredible indie pop duo Seasaw opened for Har Mar Superstar at recordBar in Kansas City. Justin Kibbel caught some amazing photos for those of us who had to miss it.
Keep up with Seasaw here!
**photos by justin kibbel
by Kayla Hutton | Jun 26, 2018 | albums, premieres
Immigration Unit – formed in April 2017 – is comprised of four musicians that are sporadically located between Basel, Torino, Geneva, and Caracas. In such a short amount of time, they are already independently releasing their debut EP Sofa Heroes on June 29th, 2018.
This premiere – which we are hosting exclusively – will absolutely shake your soul to its very core.
Let’s get this straight. I’m not telling you to go out an do drugs. You don’t need to. Save your money. “Immigration Unit” is not only the drug itself, they are the trip, the atmosphere, the sights, and the sounds. Their brand of experimental psychedelic alternative unpredictably teases and borderlines loungey, intense, melodic stoner rock. In a way they’re comparable to Beck, but less spastic. Way less spastic. You could actually chill to Immigration Unit even though there are at times just so many sounds and things going on.
The title track, “Sofa Heroes” is subtly electronic and dreary. Its start may seem abrasive and noisy but just wait. The bass line has an off-key groove while the vocals just slowly weave in and out. From a spoken word to an overdriven noisy pre-chorus. Capturing every emotion the way a year holds 4 changes of season.
“Wasting Mornings” travels an unknown winding road. Anticipatingly frightening as without warning turning the corner and sustaining a bumpless cruising speed. Unblemished vocals radiate so delicately. being accompanied by a droning silky smooth guitar line. The only predictable aspect of “Immigration Unit” is their unpredictability. as another abrupt change from subtle becomes overtaken by a drab tone that sees the vocals evolve like the wind commanding the storm to commence.
The remixed version of “Sofa Heroes” hesitantly departs from the trippy original and has a much darker texture. A trap beat is later consumed by an almost industrial feel with the utilization of thicker electronics and dirty percussive sounds.
Overall the EP is a manic mix of an unmedicated rollercoaster, This has got to be one of the better releases I’ve heard this year. Why? Well, it’s original. It’s obscure. It’s not thrown together. It literally has a directional purpose and allows you to travel with it.
Get all the details about the official release of Immigration Unit, “Sofa Heroes” by visiting their website and don’t forget to follow them on Facebook.
by Aubrey Hanson | Jun 26, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
The Chamanas, a primarily Spanish based band on the border consisting of members Manuel Calderon, Hector Carreon, Paulina Reza, and Alejandro Bustillos, recently switched things up when they released their new single “If You Build It, We Will Break It” in English. Their new song has a deep meaning behind it, stating that nothing can hold them back, and that they will break down all barriers both physically and emotionally in their way.
In addition to this new single, they have a new segment of their NEA album coming out this summer, which will be released on July 20th, 2018. Their album will not only include new songs, but also new English tracks which will be able to broaden their horizons and gain a worldwide fan base, so that is a new upcoming album that you will want to keep an eye out for. While the band has hints of cultural instrumentals and songs, they also tie in aspects of pop music, which will appeal to the greater population. You may have already heard of this band due to their outstanding work with Portugal. The Man, and even a few other well known artists, but their new music/album is sure to break the barriers of anything they have ever done before.
Be on the lookout for their new music and if you ever get the chance to see them live, make sure you go in order to hear all of their new music! Keep up with them here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jun 22, 2018 | 5 to 7, premieres, videos
Arthur King is a unique music and art collective, creating landscape art that enriches the senses. Last summer, they took a trip to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah to create a visual experience unlike any other. During that trip, they created a short film that is as breathtaking in its detail as it is simple and endearing in its concept. With music by Arthur King, projection art by John Schlue, filming by Nash Howe, audio recording by Tim Conrad Horner, and editing by Alex Lee Moyer, the project came together quite nicely and is something we wouldn’t mind having on repeat for the rest of the day.
Not only do we have the exclusive premiere of the project, but we got the chance to take a few moments with Peter Walker, the driving force and visionary behind Arthur King.
What is your first musical memory, or the first album or song you remember listening to? Does that memory or that music have any bearing on your art now?
Drawing with chalk on my older brother’s Sergeant Pepper vinyl album. Eventually I evolved into recording said Beatles records onto cassette tapes. Today, I love manipulating instruments and sounds to make something perhaps unintended from the original design.
We understand the concept of the project, but what inspired it?
This project was born out of my pursuing a Ph.D. in mythology and depth psychology. The premise is exploring the role of the unconscious in creative expression, and more specifically how we experience a given environment both consciously and unconsciously, and how art might bridge that gap.
What made you choose the locations for the video?
We were focusing on BLM land (bureau of land management) where you can camp and do other things without any heavy regulation or government jurisdiction. There’s a lot of BLM land in Utah, as well as magnificent rock formations and somewhat pristine environments.
The visuals aspect of it all is very endearing. How long did the visuals process take?
The visual component has been a part of this project from the very beginning, with the idea that the sound informs the visuals and the visuals inform the sound, creating a feedback loop and an overall experience involving both realms.
Could you take us through the process of all of this in general? It’s such a unique way to display an array of creativity, and we’re enamored by it!
The idea is fairly simple: 1) Locate an environment. 2) Engage it, consciously—meaning explore it and listen and look and record these things with microphones and video cameras. 3) Take these samples and use them in a total improvisational “performance” within the same environment. the result is akin to what happens when we dream, where sounds and images from our waking consciousness are thrown into the stew of our psyche and come out in an unexpected way, often bringing to light connections you didn’t know were there all along. In the end, the performance allows for a different way of experiencing the environment.
Any fun anecdotes from the production process?
During the performance there was a little scorpion that was crawling next to Tim, who was sitting on the ground and operating a recording device. Tim put an empty plastic box on top of it, thinking that would temporarily solve the problem and allow him to focus on his task at hand. He would of course release it afterwards… and avoid getting stung. But when we were finished, the scorpion was gone and he realized it had probably dug its way out in a matter of seconds. all part of the fun of being in the desert!
What do you think is the most important topic to address with art, at least at this point in our progression as a society? Is there a topic that you think is misrepresented or under-represented by its art?
I think art is a tool for connecting with ourselves and with others. Most importantly, in my opinion, effective art connects us with the unknown in ourselves and the “shared unknown” in others (or as Jungians might put it the collective unconscious). Art is a connector. Fear of the unknown drives the worst in us as a species, and its omnipresent in our society today. I’d imagine there is no topic under-represented right now, it’s more likely a matter of accessing the art that might be an issue. Or maybe better put: I’m certain there are artists making vital art that are not getting the kind of exposure that is just. and that’s where you come in!
How do you hope people feel after viewing this?
Moved. Curious. There’s really no hope for a specific feeling, I suppose I hope it invokes some feelings at all, whatever they may be.
Something off the cuff a bit… What superhero do you identify the most with?
Might seem like an easy answer…but I don’t think there’s anyone more badass right now than wonder woman!?
Smart, smart man. Anything else you’d like to add about the project or anything else coming up?
In between these Changing Landscapes adventures we’ve been busy with other fun things like live improv movie scoring and large-scale interactive art installations… So i encourage those who might be interested to please come find us!
___
Changing Landscapes is available now.
by Karina Marquez | Jun 22, 2018 | singles, wolf tracks
Kacy Moon, a 24-year-old singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, has released a new track in collaboration with Australian producer Szabo. “What Do I Do?” is a far cry from her days as a world champion in martial arts. It’s a catchy dance-pop tune that fits right in with the upbeat nature of America’s top 40. You find yourself singing along to the chorus by the time it rolls around a second time. Also, the lyrics are relatable in the way that pop music tends to be. Moon laments about a past love who she can’t seem to forget despite their differences:
“Baby, then I look right into your eyes and I can’t help but to melt.
I feel it rewind and it takes me to a place I would rather be.
What do I do?”
The song is bubbly and fun, and seems to bring a bit of Moon’s own personality to the music scene.
Keep up with with the latest on Kacey here.
by Janilisse Wahlstrom | Jun 22, 2018 | albums, review
On June 22nd, punk rocker Lenny Zenith released his highly anticipated album What if the sun. His influences are from New Orleans an New York City. The twelve track journey is one for the ages; my personal favorites are “Sunday Dress”, “What If The Sun”, “Whatever Stella”, and “Suddenly Someone”. This selection was made since they all have amazing guitar arrangements. “Sunday Dress”, with its indie rock feel, has a special twist with Spanish vocals. “What If The Sun” has a spectacular intro and hypnotic lyrics to jam to, as you ponder thoughts like, “What if the sun fell out of the sky?” Some cool guitar skills and a percussion-heavy track can be found in “Whatever Stella”. “Suddenly Someone” cools it all down for us, with lyrics talking about a lover that we can all get behind. Each single described has the possibility to relate to all audiences.
Lenny’s genre-bending style is well exposed in each song, a style he’s been harnessing since he got his start in music fronting the band RZA in the 80s. His musical prowess has further developed over the decades, as he’s lent his expertise to several incredible musical projects. What If The Sun holds clear influence from some of his own personal experiences, as well as from some of the acts he has worked with over the years.
