With the release of their second full-length Cry All The Time, Impulsive Hearts delve into darker themes of love and loss, while keeping true to their bright and fierce style of songwriting.
The album opens with “MELODY” is a look at a relationship that fell apart where one knew it was coming and the other didn’t. This uses the idea of creating a melody of music to capture one’s love for the other, “I could build a melody, it’s in a song u would write it down all summer long, oh I would build the world you love, who you waiting on?” and the realization that person wants out of the relationship with: “you took it back what you said / … / you said forget the rest, the rest of what we said.”
The album ends with the track “some heartbreakers” a slower and slightly upbeat tempo track that encompasses the theme of Cry All The Time, love, heartbreak, and loss.
Impulsive Hearts creates music that has a touch of sadness to the world of neo-girl garage rock bands. With Danielle Sines providing captivating vocals and fuzzy guitar, Doug Hoyer (bass) and Dan Julian (drums) hold down the rhythm section bringing each track to its peak moment, and Fallon McDermott (saxophone) and Jess LeMaster (violinist) add a depth to these tracks. All parts come together to create the larger than life sound of Impulsive Hearts.
Cry All The Time comes full circle from its start to finish, with “MELODY” presenting an example of heartbreak and loss while “some heartbreakers” shows that we all have stories of heartbreak, each song on this record is a story of heartbreak.
Psychedelic indie project The Undercover Dream Lovers just released its debut album, It’s All in Your Head. TUDL is the brainchild of LA based artist Matt Koenig, an all around DIY badass who’s stayed true to the OG meaning of indie, navigating the industry label free throughout his career. Koenig cites his influences as everything from The Beatles to Tame Impala to Led Zeppelin and views himself and his music as a bridge between eras, a statement that I can confidently say reigns true after listening to the record.
It’s All in Your Head was recorded in Koenig’s home studio in Los Angeles, where the multi-talented Koenig handled writing, production, and mixing himself. The record is largely influenced by Koenig’s desire to create a “bustling, vibrant, and groovy” live show, which is immediately clear even via digital consumption. He is known for his quickly recognizable disco-influenced bass lines, a staple that consistently appears on this project as well as his Koenig’s older work.
The album opener, “A Way Out”, was one of the first tracks that Koenig made for the record, and is meant to serve as an initial taste for listeners to get a feel for the direction that he takes the record production-wise, which delves into new territory for Koenig. The disco rhythms that would end up influencing the rest of the album are introduced here through infectious dance floor rhythms that are a constant presence throughout the record.
One of the standouts on the record, “Plane Ride”, was largely influenced by the fatal car accident that took the lives of rock duo Her’s while Koenig was on tour with them. He took a break after the tragic event, and “Plane Ride” was the first thing he worked on after returning. The verse was written before the accident and was about Koenig feeling caught in life’s distractions. The rest of the track comes from the traumatic experience, with the ‘ride’ being a metaphor for life and the plane crash talked about in the song representative of death. Koenig kept that verse even after the meaning of the song shifted for him, allowing it to represent the ‘before’ of the accident and letting the number be symbolic for how quickly what we view as important can shift when trauma comes into play.
“Soon Enough”, co-written with Dent May, is a hopeful track sprinkled with vibrant-driven guitar riffs and a light and airy chorus. “Chardonnay” drips with groove and (fun fact) was created in a room in LA by three people named Matt. Every track on the project boasts unique differences in production, vibe, and lyrical themes while keeping to a uniform overall feeling that makes the album itself feel like a collective work of art, a refreshing element frequently missing in modern music where albums seem to be carried on the backs of singles which often feel worlds apart from the rest of the record.
While much of the album seems to exist in an intergalactic air-space, album-closer “Everyone’s Confused” feels down to earth in comparison. The groovy guitars that stand out on many of the album’s best tracks blend seamlessly with rolling rock riffs that feel as though they could be pulled straight from the 70s. “Everything is fake, and well, everyone’s confused” Koenig sings in a moment of blunt honesty.
Founded in 2013, this up and coming L.A. alternative indie rock band Goon is celebrating their recent singing to Partisan Records. Success is coming quickly for these guys and the reason why is easy to grasp. Their latest single “Choke Throat” plays like a soundtrack to a suspended gaze to the skies. Vocalist Kenny Becker has said the song revolves around a surgery to correct a sinus condition and the after effects that followed. A feeling of throat closure led to what we get to hear as “Choke Throat”.
Starting out with an acoustic sway “Choke Throat” is joined by vocals that echo down a long hall and drone with melancholic subtleties. What has started as sad converts into eerie as sounds in reverse are inserted and a percussive sound picks up the pace and ads texture. The gentle abstract sway also features a touch of saxophone that progressively rises from the distance and takes center stage. If joined by an orchestra the song would have taken the direction of cinematic, the use of the saxophone takes the mood to a jazz induced eye opener. If I hadn’t told you what the song was about, the music alone would make it sound like a more introspective moment about the pondering of life. “Choke Throat” is one of those songs that can be interpreted in many different ways. A benefit of this is that it will affect many people as they will take what they need from it. When the chorus section becomes more full and robust the song doesn’t seem so sad. It feels like the light at the end of the tunnel.
Partisan will be re-printing Goons two self-released E.P.’s Dusk of Punk and Happy Omen, pre-orders are being taken now and are set to ship out July 13th. You can secure your copy, which will also feature “Choke Throat”, through the band’s Bandcamp page and more order details can be found on their website. Don’t forget to follow them on Facebook.
If you happen to reside in one the town Goon will be touring, defiantly grab some tickets as they are one of the few “must see” bands that are rising fast. This could be a rare opportunity to see them in a smaller environment before they end up arena giants.
July 13th – Brooklyn, NY
July 15th – Washington, DC
July 16th – Richmond, VA
Jul 21st – Dallas, TX
This is awesome. I’m a contradiction as I describe Ängie’s sound as smooth, subtle and in your face. But I bet I sparked your curiosity. From Sweden is trap pop artist Angie. Her debut album, suicidal since 1995, is set to drop on April 6th 2018 through Universal. This album is full of soothing bass, 808’s, and lounge-style vocals. If you are uptight or sheltered this album will pull your panties right out of their wad.
If you are easily offended, this may or may not be for you. The overall reception since Angie started up has been a 50/50 of love/hate. I absolutely love her straightforward, to the point, and consciously realistic lyrics. Let’s face it life isn’t all bubblegum and rainbows. The album’s opener, “Dope”, is smooth, sexy, and lyrically states, “If I’m also on dope when I make music, maybe my music will sound like dope.” Ängie described the track as, “a love song, but within it, I confuse love with the rush for music and drugs. It’s a love song to music, dope and the person that makes me wanna fight for it.” That statement is well back by the tracks verse line, “You got a place to rest and that’s between my thighs I press against your chest and then I realize.” “Here for my habit” depicts the relationship between the addict and the dealer and when the dealer pushes sexual advances. Thank You but no Thank You, “I’m here for my habit.”
It seems there isn’t a shortage of critics who are appalled by Ängie’s lyrics, image, and at times “fck you” attitude. This has me semi-thrown considering the lyrical content of death metal and gangsta rap. It cannot be because she is a young female since there have been female artists like Cycle Sluts from Hell and Liz Phair who were pushing the envelope in the 90’s. Is it geographical? Sweden has given us a slew of melodic death metal bands and industrial artist Tim Skold. Ängie referred to Sweden as being “too sensitive.” (Get with the times, folks. Women aren’t cooking, cleaning, Holy Homemakers anymore and haven’t been for quite some time.)
Ängie has an astonishing vocal talent. A jazzy lounge style but with an Adele type of projection in the way that it seems to come effortless and more soulful than produced. Laying predominantly in the veins of electronic, trap, and chill, there are at times R&B hints. Suicidal Since 1995 is pioneering the continuous push for expressive freedoms. Musically the production value is above par and if you have some good subwoofers in your trunk, you’ll get the best back massage.
The album closes out with a great interpretation and revamping of The Velvet Underground’s ‘Venus In Furs’, which is hands down one of those songs you cringe at the thought of someone butchering it, but not in this instance. Surprisingly she not only did it justice, but she nailed it dead on.
Ängie has a lot of history that I don’t have enough room to write about here, but here is hoping you dig a little deeper into her past and how she defines herself and music. There is more than meets the eye. Her talent deserves applause not only for her ability as a musician but her willingness to go against the grain and express herself.
Don’t forget to follow Ängie via Facebook. She is definitely an artist that belongs in your playlist.
Los Angeles-based duo Swimsuit Issue – comprised of Miles Garber and David Gagliardi – may have based their name from the fact that Garber’s initial introduction into the entertainment industry was as a relatively prominent model in the fashion world, but that’s not the initial takeaway from their art. In fact, as good looking as both guys are, their career has the ability to stand on its own based purely on their talent. It’s obvious to see why if you just listen to their debut single, a mid-tempo indie pop/rock track whose guitars give it edge while the vocals reside in more of a Kurt Cobain-meets-Sting ethereal sphere, replete with reverb.
The song itself is about addiction, the lyrics melancholic and sensitive, as one would expect. And though the duo has admitted to having a more somber tone to their music, we’re thrilled to hear what’s to come from their upcoming record.
