katrina cain, “forgive me in the morning”

katrina cain, “forgive me in the morning”

Katrina Cain, former contestant of NBC’s The Voice, has recently released her latest single “Forgive Me in the Morning”. The track highlights the intensity of conflicting emotions after fighting with someone you love. The song consoles while simultaneously encouraging forgiveness and discovering the meaning behind how you feel. The point is really driven home by the fact that Cain worked on the song with her husband, Andrew McMillian, who produced the track. This one doesn’t hold back, giving a gritty and realistic view to the ever-turning rollercoaster that is love. She manages to knock down the walls that are built over time by past hurt and reminds us of the power of forgiveness.

“Forgive Me in the Morning” is beautifully haunting. A stunning compilation of vocoder and electronic layers settle and then swirl around Cain’s stunning voice, which manages to be both airy and grounding. The song is a twilight hour synth-soaked haven of reflection and forgiveness, and Cain guides listeners through that dimension masterfully.

“Forgive Me in the Morning” is out everywhere now.

ded, mannequin eyes

ded, mannequin eyes

On March 12th, DEDthe four-piece nu-metal powerhouse from Phoenix, AZ, released a 2-track mini EP titled Mannequin Eyes – and it’s worth screaming about. Not one to be missed, this heart-pounding release is features radio hit “A MANNEQUIN IDOL (Lullaby)” as well as premiere single “Eyes Sewn Shut”.

The elements present in Mannequin Eyes represent the best of DED’s idiosyncrasies, including riffs that move at the speed of light, haunting vocals that invoke the fear of God, and messages that scorn the replicated and mundane. But with track “A MANNEQUIN IDOL (Lullaby)”, DED manages to weave aspects of three distinct genres into one robust arrangement, not unlike multiple personas battling over the mouthpiece in conveying DED’s distaste. Bearing themes of disgust for the conveyor-belt machine of the modern music industry and all things ingenuine, vocalist Joe Cotela leads the wind-tunnel dynamic of this thrashing headbanger by employing a refreshing variation vocal styles that push the affect of the track over the listener’s head and through the roof. Through verses of this track, the transitions between intense, horrifying whispers to screams representative of classic “metal” reveals DED’s talent within their wheelhouse – But Cotela’s switch to a resounding pop-format chorus marked by vocals more reminiscent of modern alternative rock display the band’s versatility in managing a tidal wave of emotion as it pulls back and forth, over and over.

“Eyes Sewn Shut” is closer to a standard nu-metal/metalcore screamer, with lyrics like “I won’t be silenced, don’t make me violent / You get what you deserve”. This track continues DED’s message of rejecting the reality forced upon the many by the few, and like “A MANNEQUIN IDOL (Lullaby)”, features a chorus that has leanings toward modern alternative rock laced between its slamming accompaniments from guitarist David Ludlow, bassist Kyle Koelsch, and drummer Matt Reinhard.

Mannequin Eyes is DED’s first release since 2017 breakout album MIS-AN-THROPE, which pushed the ceiling with a sky-high stream count from the moment of its inception. Prior to the album’s debut, the group released three singles in anticipation: See “FMFY”, “Anti-Everything”, and “Dead to Me”.

DED is set to release another full length album in 2020. Starting March 24, the group will tour with In This Moment, Black Veil Brides and Raven.

Keep up with DED here:
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tonne, “catalina”

tonne, “catalina”

Former singer/songwriter of Austin’s Black Forest Fire, Jay Tonne, has a new indie project, aptly named Tonne. Tonne has just released his new single “Catalina” from his upcoming four song EP, Bridey Murphy.

Post Black Forest Fire, Jay moved to Denver and pursued an education, and despite having little free time and no band, continued to make music. When he attempted to write new material he kept coming back to the sounds and melodies that became the EP. He recorded the four-song work at Fort Collins’ own The Blasting Room studio and worked with producer Jason Livermore. He recruited new bandmates and their first show as Bridey Murphy will correspond to the release of the EP this spring.

The song’s sound is a blast from the past, giving off strong 90’s indie rock vibes. The melodic track is poppy in that somber way that was characteristic of the time. Tonne’s vocals are light and sweet but with an underlying layer of attitude and earnestness that provides a nice contrast to the guitar-driven instrumentals.

“Catalina” is out everywhere now and Bridey Murphy is set to release this spring.

inspiration | joe barksdale

inspiration | joe barksdale

The playlist is a list of songs that inspired all of the music that i will release this year. It also give people a look into where i am trying to go with my music. There are also some songs in this playlist that I cover live and will be releasing covers of this year. Take a step into my world of musical influences and inspiration.

glints, “minimum wage”

glints, “minimum wage”

Flemish musician Glints has just released new single “Minimum Wage” as a precursor to his debut album which is set to release next month. The track is another knock-out rhyme-attack, a no-holds-barred hard grime infused slap-in-face track, showing again a different side of Glint’s talent. Of the track, Glints says:
Minimum wage is a track for all the people that struggle to pay their rent. For everyone who knows the feeling of not being able to pay their groceries at the register, to then lie about how they’re going to the bank to withdraw money, only to never return to that supermarket. An ode to the rat in our hallway that we used to call Ratatouille. For everyone working dead-end jobs, trying to make something of themselves. Because the end of the month is a son of a bitch.

“Minimum Wage” and Glints’ debut album, CHOIRBOY, are now out everywhere.

juan tigre, “the dream catcher”

juan tigre, “the dream catcher”

Alt-rockers Juán Tigre have just released “THE DREAM CATCHER”, the title-track from their debut album. The group is led by guitarist, vocalist, and producer John Maestas and features Max Moran on bass, Alfred Jordan on drums, and Shea Pierre on keys. The group’s debut full-length THE DREAM CATCHER is set to release in April of this year on Maesta’s own label, Bubble Bath Records.

The track is short and sweet, clocking in at just over 2 minutes long, but the number manages to pack a lot into that time. The instrumentation is intense and fast-paced without being overpowering while Moran’s distorted vocals do their part to chill things out a bit. The bass line is particularly cool, and the drums and guitars fire off in quick but powerful hits while alien-like sound-effects and echoey backing vocals pull back the intensity and leave you feeling a little floaty. Think getting punched in the face with sound, but add trippy space vibes.

THE DREAM CATCHER is out via Bubble Bath Records April 17th, 2020.

me&you, “s.o.l.”

me&you, “s.o.l.”

Americana sibling duo me&you release their new single “S.O.L”– which stands for “shit outta luck”– and in the case of this song, it’s in reference to bad timing of a relationship. The track is a country-folk, shows the complexity of a relationship, when one person is in another place compared to the other. “S.O.L” is also a track with a slow burn. It starts off simply and slowly builds, where it seems to peak in the chorus.

Siblings Karlee and Connor Hormell have been playing music together since they were kids. me&you project came into place after a month-long trip traveling through the backcountry of New Zealand in a camper van. Karlee explains their band name comes from something the two would always tell each other, “All we have is me and you.”

Keep up with me&you here.

favor, “soda”

favor, “soda”

Danish retro indie pop artist Favor releases new single “Soda”, which is a look at addiction through the eyes of the child. Under the name Favor, Jeppe Gande, shows off how he can create very own lyrical universe through his writing.

By addiction, Gande is referring to obsessions, like relationships, nights out, social media and work. “Soda” is his look back to the times of being a naive child – when the world was your playground and your life was not cluttered with responsibilities and commitments. Gande views childhood as a time ruled by innocence, and adulthood ruled with obsession.

“Soda” is off Favor’s upcoming album Crush out March 27.