by Meredith Schneider | Nov 28, 2017 | wolf tracks
There’s nothing better during the holidays than what seems to be an endless stream of brand new music being released to tantalize our eardrums, leaving a lasting impression to close out the year. This reigns true especially with the new track “Visionaries”, brought to us this week by electronic musician INZO, featuring the vocal stylings of Novet. From the beginning, there’s a wild feeling to the song, a sound that feels fresh as we awake from our tryptophan-induced comas. Synths, striking percussion, and make us feel like we’re in a movie’s establishing shot of New York City, gliding over it in fast motion and then in slow. This song ignites that type of light, and inspires the fire within you with energizing lyrics and futuristic sounds for days. Plus, it’s perfect for your NYE playlist.
Just sayin’.
“Visionaries” is out now. Keep up with INZO here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 27, 2017 | wolf tracks
Hernando, Mississippi native Matt Hectorne continues to make us swoon with his new single, the toe-tapping “Only Way Into Your Heart”. Replete with heartbreaking lyrics, Matt leads us on an emotional journey as he sings to a significant other about how his love is strong enough to wait for them. With lines like “Don’t let Fear come take over your mind” and “My love is stronger than you think” sung with an alt-Americana tinge over beautiful guitar chords, we aren’t sure how the object of his affection wouldn’t be completely overwhelmed and work with him through things.
But who are we?
Keep up with Matt Hectorne here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 27, 2017 | wolf tracks
In The City of Angels, one often finds themselves in taxicabs with strangers. One such chance encounter led to the conception of pop duo Thunder Jackson. And we’re in luck, as their debut single “Guilty Party” – which has already hit #1 on the main chart on Hype Machine – now has its own official music video.
Made of what seems to be random, old, pieced together clips, we get to witness a lot of people dancing and rocking out from past years. In fact, it seems to be made exclusively of those scenes from 80s movies where the protagonist has to “dance it out” and, quite surprisingly, we adore the energy it brings to the table. Set with the backdrop of the smooth sounds of “Guilty Party” – which, even at such a sassy mid-tempo, still makes you want to get up and dance – these are some dance moves you’ll want to emulate very soon.
Keep up with Thunder Jackson here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 27, 2017 | wolf tracks
Enchanting, intense, and primal. These are just three of the descriptors that come to mind when one experiences the latest single from Montreal-based trio CHANCES, comprised of Chloé Lacasse, Geneviève Toupin, and Vincent Carré. And it turns out that all three apply to any one of the three tracks they’ve premiered since the beginning of 2017. This time, they abandoned the tribal percussion sounds of “Shine” and the more theatrical soundscape of “Leave the Light On” to bring us a glistening, Eastern-inspired gem with synths that just don’t quit.
Check it out below, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Keep up with CHANCES here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 25, 2017 | wolf tracks
It may have taken about 6 months to edit together, but multi-talented Lower East Side musician Jordan Jordan Galland (Sean Lennon, Ava’s Possession) recently released the official music video for his single “Manhattan”, which is featured on the new EP of the same name. The video may have taken 6 months because of the fact that Galland took various home videos from the past and cut them together, so the video allows us a glance into his life with a more candid, behind-the-scenes feel to it all. We can only imagine that – when he reaches a certain level of notoriety with the feel-good charm and almost serenity found in his music – many of these clips will be featured in his artist documentary one day.
But until then, we’ve got your front row seat to a sneak peek.
Manhattan is out now via Slush Puppy Music.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 23, 2017 | wolf tracks
Just last month, Wilmington, Delaware’s Impetus Records released a three track EP on behalf of now-defunct band The Subterraneans. Active from 2015 to 2016, the highly talented members of The Subterraneans – Seb Roat, Peter Furman, Gavin Powers, and Sam Greaves – recorded their self-titled EP during their sophomore year of high school. Replete with intense guitar licks, the EP begins with “Earl and Everette’s Day Out”, which feels like it single-handedly fills the room with smoke as you enjoy the lazy, beautiful, 70s-influenced sound. “Tercel” brings out more of a garage/punk feel with its increase in pace and the fact that it’s driven instead by percussion where its predecessor was driven by guitar chords, though it never quite meanders out of the warmth of nostalgic psych rock. “Hey Man” eases us out of the insanity, allowing the quartet to show off their innate ability to cover a variety of sounds as though they’re old pros. (In other words, they could never have been considered a one note song.)
Good luck scraping your jaw off the ground while listening to it.
The Subterraneans is available now. Get the best from Impetus Records here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 22, 2017 | wolf tracks
Los Angeles-based surf rock quartet Kat Myers & The Buzzards – comprised of namesake Kat Myers, Elliott Beenk, Johnny Elkins, and Jeff McElroy – recently dropped debut five track EP Owe Everybody Money. Riddled with music that was conceptualized after a sharp turn in her career path, Owe Everybody Money grants us a peek inside the mind of someone who grabbed life by the reigns when she realized it wasn’t going the way her heart wanted. Kat has developed a sound with her band that feels rugged, at times twangy – “Reluctant Love”, for instance, boasts more of an americana feel to it -, and pure rock at its core. (I mean, have you HEARD “Under The Rug” yet?) But it’s a completely genre-bending project, as her vocals do house a bit of a country vibe to them, but also feel similar to the crooning abilities of Mary Ramsey.
Third track “The Things I Love” begins with Myers capturing the listener’s attention by singing slightly off-key, giving the song a real kick of that independent, badass feeling that Myers looks to be establishing with the development of her sound. What is particularly curious is that the track was written as a commentary on Myers’ own religious upbringing, and is actually quite introspective if you slow down a bit to listen to the lyrical content. While “So Kind” has the lines that house the title of the EP, it is also a love letter of sorts, a country ballad at its finest. The band rounds out the EP with a slightly slower track, “Another Town Live At KCSN”, allowing the guitars to drive it in a way that is 70s psychedelia at its core. It’s a beautiful, enchanting way to end the work, and we can’t wait to show this one off to the family all weekend.
Owe Everybody Money is out now. Keep up with Kat Myers & The Buzzards here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 22, 2017 | wolf tracks
Meric Long of the Dodo’s isn’t really taking time to sit around right now, garnering attention left and right with his new music project FAN. Its second single “Disappear” premiered on Billboard this month, directly followed by its release on 7 inch vinyl with a simplistic – yet striking – cover design. Included on side A of the release is debut single “Fire”, which could have set off the fire alarms with its frenzied, fun vibe.
“Disappear” proves – as though it were ever necessary – that Long’s ability as an artist lies in his wide array of capabilities. His second single houses an incredibly different sound than its predecessor, more of a vintage, Beatles sound as it reverberates over rougher, contrasting instrumentals. The song swirls into a dark sound space, as we feel thrown into a dark science fiction scene, Long’s vocals gliding over the soundscape as though they are losing steam and – eventually – lost. But there’s a rare, ethereal beauty in his vocals that never escapes us and keeps our heads above ground with this wildly theatrical release.
“FAN b/w Disappear” is available now.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 21, 2017 | wolf tracks
Earlier this month, Kentucky-based alternative/indie group Father Mountain – comprised of Travis Cox, Jesse French, Austin Hohiemer, and Zane Martin – released ten track full-length debut Apartment Living. With that title alone, I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t be intrigued to find out if there are shared experiences in the plane of living in actual apartments. Of course, we expected topics to bounce around a little more than that. What we didn’t expect was that the album would make us feel so good.
With vocals laced so thickly with sincerity, Father Mountain completely pulls you into the emotions of every song. “Grey” teaches us not to assume too much about the mood of the track based on its title, while “Sobriety” saunters along in a melancholic sound space. (Slightly as expected.) “Friends” picks up with more of an alt-pop vibe, something that distracts from the self-assessing narrative about the importance of timing and friendship – or otherwise – hitting you when you least expect it. “Grace” exists at just over one minute, discussing the struggle of decision making in relationships, and giving us a line with the word “grey” that feels much more melancholic than the first track. “Hallelujah” has a very distinct Death Cab For Cutie feel to it, winding a narrative about angels and the afterlife, really packing in the religious verbiage and allowing those who attended private school a bit of a leg up when deciphering it.
Keep up with Father Mountain here.
