by Meredith Schneider | Oct 26, 2017 | wolf tracks
Danish indie rock singer/songwriter and producer Hans-Christian Søgaard Andersen – who goes by the particularly interesting name The Captain of Sorrow – is prepping to release his debut album at the beginning of 2018. The release, titled Racetrack Babies, is named after a band he used to play with that broke up while creating the album, so he kept the nickname Racetrack Babies drummer Henrik Svendsen gave him as his stage name and finished the project for the fans, crafting it to mirror the interesting sounds that Hans-Christian hears in his head. “Holly Empty Void” is one of the tracks off the upcoming release, and we have the exclusive American premiere right here, right now.
Beginning with a rough guitar bass line and “whooping” noises that almost resemble a police siren, Hans-Christian’s voice comes in almost immediately, almost soothing amongst the instrumentals. As he talk/sings a melancholic narrative, the drums become a defining factor of the track and you find yourself getting lost in a swirling cacophony of sound and vocal reverb before the song fades out with whirring guitars. Get your first listen below.
Racetrack Babies is set for an American release on January 26th. Keep up with The Captain of Sorrow here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 25, 2017 | wolf tracks
Recently the most upbeat alternative rock live act we know, AWOLNATION, released the official lyric video for latest track “Passion”. The track itself serves as a mellow backdrop between the bravado of the repeating chorus – allowing itself to showcase Aaron’s softer vocal abilities than, say, “Sail” – to the contrast of the simple, black and white setup for the video. Shot from the Red Bull E-Sports Studio, the video is comprised of several individuals singing into the camera, a single light shining down on them and contrasted in black and white, their décolletage exposed as though to equalize all of them. The simplicity is striking, and the lyrics will certainly stick with you.
Keep your eyes peeled for AWOLNATION’s next release – set to drop in 2018 – right here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 25, 2017 | wolf tracks
Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Ghita has really hit the ground running as a newcomer to the west coast music scene. Last year, she released her tracks “HateULoveU” and “How Low” as if she were feeding them to the wolves, as both tracks took off immediately. In fact, “How Low” – a track she released with producer Mickey Valen – hit and exceeded one million streams almost immediately. So of course she’s got to follow up that success with another stunner, and she has with her most recent single “Mindfvck”, released earlier this month.
“Mindfvck” details a tumultuous romantic relationship, as Ghita admits that she might be the issue since she can’t decide how she feels about her counterpart in the relationship. Lines like “as soon as you know me I’m likely to change” and “sometimes I love you” adhere to that ideology, as she struggles with her own polarizing thoughts about the relationship. We can relate, so we’re going to be spinning this into the weekend.
“Mindfvck” is available now. Keep up with Ghita here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 25, 2017 | wolf tracks
Detroit-based pop duo JR JR – Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott – have been releasing their first music since 2015’s self-titled full-length. Though they do hone their sound in the pop genre, their last three tracks have been noted as darker lyrically, garnering them a host of attention. We’re most ecstatic about the latest single, a track titled “Control (Secretly Sorry)”, which was released earlier this month. Influenced by the emotions directly following the last Presidential election, a warning message is delivered amidst the upbeat, dance music vibe emitted by the instrumentals. But if you look past the reverb and into the lyrics, you might find that “Control” becomes your next favorite track.
Says Josh about the track:
“Control” was written on November 10th (2 days after the election) at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Mi. I woke up late and was driving in our van–which has no radio anymore. Suddenly the melody and the lyric was in my head, “careful of who you let control the people that you know oh oh oh”.
I raced upstairs to sing it for the guys, and found that they were starting to write a song around a riff that Bryan Pope was playing on guitar.
Somehow, the song they were playing was the exact same tempo and key as the lyrics and melody that I was singing. It’s like we were all writing the song serendipitously in separate locations at the same time. It came fast, and to this day feels like a song that we didn’t write–it wrote itself through us.
Keep up with JR JR here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 24, 2017 | wolf tracks
Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Sam Small is about to release his debut EP, a five track wonder titled Hazel. The entire work was recorded in one night with no overdubs, a simplified approach that ended up benefitting Small’s intricate approach to his vocals. One prime example of this is with his latest single, a song titled “How Unlikely”, which we are premiering right here, right now.
The track begins with the subtle, quick plucking of the guitar, quickly becoming the blended, simplistic backdrop for Small’s Dylanesque vocals. The lyrics detail an innocent puppy love, a no frills narrative that anyone would be happy to experience. Lines like “how funny does it seem that we once called this a fling / it was only supposed to last a summer long” make you stop and think about all the tiny moments that lead you along the course of your own life.
And that’s alright with us.
Keep up with Sam Small here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 24, 2017 | wolf tracks
Nashville-based folk/Americana singer/songwriter Faith Evans Ruch released her latest – a ten track album titled Lessons in Falling – on October 13th. Her first release since 2014’s After It’s Said & Done, Ruch has chosen to incorporate more genres of music in her writing and sound, drawing influence from soul to pop to r&b and beyond. There are clear roots with the songwriting, as every song has a lot to do with love. But it’s the vulnerability in her vocals, the way she can really reach and make you feel with every note, that is of actual note in this new release.
“I’m Yours” starts the album off with a bang, as we experience a real nod to Elvis in the crooning vocals. Though she visits similar notes throughout the album, this one feels the most like it was produced by The King himself. And while “Beg for Mercy” easily could have gone that way with the title, it serves as the quintessential mid-tempo blues track. “Sugar” takes on a different type of nostalgic flare, and quite frankly we could see it placed in a remake of Grease. And “Sunny Side” takes on an even more diverse direction, as we melt into a modern spin on a 70s funk feel.
“This Cold” is the first real slow jam on Lessons in Falling, questioning the length of time she has been “wandering in this cold”, begging the question of love’s existence. Quickly, however, the tone changes with “Stupid Boy” and the subtle vocal quirks she incorporates to hook the audience into this one. The use of a choir-like backup vocals makes this one feel more robust amidst its pop-influenced sound. “Blood From a Stone” takes yet another different approach, the tempo changing a couple of times while Ruch threatens the man that tries to lie to her and “play it cool”, as she explains that she is “nobody’s fool”. We’re not ones to cross her after this track, that’s for sure.
But there are still three more tracks to delve into, and while “Rock Me Slow” is clearly the second slow track, it might place her on a different level of vulnerability as she leads us through a lonely narrative of sleeping alone and all of the tumultuous emotions that love or the lack thereof can burden a human with. We expect a lot from a song with the title “Bang Bang”, and we are pleasantly surprised with the final product. It feels like a song that came right out of the Kill Bill soundtrack, and you’ll understand what we mean from the first line to the very last chords. She rounds out her work with the aptly titled “Thank You”, which slowly careens through robust, soulful instrumentals toward her overall message of closure. Bittersweet, as now we have to wait to see the next step in Ruch’s musical progression.
Lessons in Falling is available now. Keep up with Faith Evans Ruch here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 24, 2017 | wolf tracks
Last week, producer and multi-instrumentalist Outsider released the music and lyric video for latest track “Míol Mór Mara”. The track – which is featured on the Fifa ’18 Soundtrack – almost glitters with energy, resplendent in that nostalgic 80’s sound that acts like Bruce and Bleachers are known for. The video details a woman’s insatiable wanderlust and want to go against the grain – something we have all experienced at some point or another and something that led to the creation of Imperfect Fifth – as the darkness and people around her almost seem to want to envelope her in that darkness.
Explains Outsider, “The song is about a child with down syndrome I worked with when I was suffering from huge heartbreak and it had a profound influence on my life. The kid was so inspiring and pulled me out of a dark place really just by spending time with him. It’s got a lot of biblical references to Jonah and The Whale, which is symbolic of diving into the sea of the unknown and becoming something far greater than yourself in a spiritual sense.”
We can definitely get on board with that.
Keep up with Outsider here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 23, 2017 | wolf tracks
Chicago-based indie folk musician Joe Goodkin recently released the third installment in his record trilogy, an album titled Record of Love which follows 2015’s Record of Life and early 2017’s Record of Loss. This album is a bit different, as every single sound was created (somehow) with a single guitar. Listening closely, you can slowly figure out some of the sound manipulations and how it was done, but largely this album is so well structured that it isn’t even something that necessarily occurs to you. All of that aside, Record of Love has delicately captivated us and we are beyond excited to premiere Goodkin’s latest music video because of it.
On its own, “Ashes” was made in homage to people that Goodkin loved, as the lyrics weave a tale of remembering and honoring several very specific family members. But it also comes as a voice of comfort for those who may be struggling with a death, be it spiritual or physical. As lines like “May their ghosts be together and free / This is how we say goodbye to those we love” dance in your head, elegant physical drawings of the lyrics dance on the screen. Blackbox Visual has created a watercolor life for the video, replete with visuals of each family member, each urn, the outside setting in which they celebrate the lives of those they have lost. In the visual, we find additional warmth and comfort, even as the ashes float like black lightning bugs through the sky.
Record of Love is available now, both individually, and as part of a vinyl collection containing Record of Life and Record of Loss. Keep up with Joe Goodkin here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 21, 2017 | wolf tracks
As if New York-based R&B musician Raveena Aurora could be any more impressive, she recently released a beautiful self-directed video for her single “Sweet Time”, simultaneously garnering an audience to the celebration of women of color. Working alongside a short list of incredible editors, stylists, and designers – as well as a cast of real life goddesses – Raveena has created an incredible, pink-tinged visual to represent the airy, fun, soulful vibe of the track. Feminine color, women of all shapes, colors, and sizes, and a carefree day full of florals is enough to make any woman feel as magical as they are inherently born.
Raveena, thanks for the reminder.
Crew
Directed by – Raveena Aurora
Director of Photography- James Ronkko
Producers – Alice Agrusa & Raveena Aurora
Editors – Alice Agrusa & James Ronkko
Set Design & Screenplay – Raveena Aurora
Colorist – James Ronnko
Additional Set Design – Bobo Matjila
Production Assistant – Nutsa Ugulava
Floral Stylist – Reena Aurora
MUA – Chelsea Chen & Tara Welsome
Goddesses
Akinkunmi Iman
April Rubi Jurado
Bobo Matjila
Bria Scott
Indira Scott
Serena Haahs
Tori Mumtaz
___
Keep up with Raveena Aurora here.
