Hi. It’s October. That’s really all the energy I have for this one. (But the following new release music videos by Nadia Vaeh, Rebekah Fitch, Priya Ragu, Jessie Reyez, Maren Morris, Evie Irie, Black Pink, and more are worth checking out. So… do that.)
Constant criticism about the way you live your life suck, and Philadelphia-based rock group Humilitarian want listeners to know that they understand the feeling on their new track, “She Said”. It happens to be one of the first songs the band completed together. As a band, Humilitarian are influenced by indie rock, which is clear from the moment you press play on their latest release.
“She Said” paints the picture of someone who struggles with letting go of any negative feelings that come with opinions that were not even asked for in the first place. It makes it clear how it feels to be fed up with being told everything you are doing is somehow a misstep. Throughout the emo-rock track, we learn that this person struggles with defending herself against unwanted commentary and that she knows she deserves to live her life unapologetically. Nearing the end, the song becomes an anthem for those who feel the same way as the listener is encouraged to reject these criticisms and just live. With clever lyrics and catchy melodies, it is easy to put on replay. It empowers and comforts while also getting out some frustration in the process.
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Can’t guarantee these songs will all be perfect for a cuddle by the fire or with a blanket. But, hey, they will entertain you. Most will have incredible lyrics or standout vocals. Some will be quirky, others will be magnetic. Either way, you’re in for a treat. So check out all the best of all the latest below, and keep coming back for more all month long!
Portland, Oregon-based rock band Last Giant have just released their stunning new body of work Let the End Begin. With influences like Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy, the album acts as a bridge, allowing the listener to time travel back to the 1970s and 1980s rock scene. Here, we find songs like “Sunset Queen”, which relies on an infectious guitar riff to draw the listener in. The guitar paired with the catchy chorus melody and heavy drumming help make this one of the best songs on the album. The title track “Let the End Begin” ensures you don’t forget what you’re hearing by providing a memorable hook that has the potential to stay in your head for days after hearing it. It also makes clear why the album shares the same name as it defines just what it means for the end to begin. Each song has the ability to connect with the rock fan in a real way. Whether it’s the guitar solo in “Followers” or the commanding vocals in “Letters to Lennon”, there is no shortage of rocking out to be found.
Last Giant have created a modern rock and roll triumph. While many people depend on earlier decades of music to get their rock fix, they have made it clear that the current decade has more than enough to offer.
It’s debut album time for London-based band Tempesst with their release of Must Be a Dream that was brought to life at Pony Recordings; the band’s label in Hackney, London. The ten track album is filled with generous servings of psych pop and stylistic nods to the band’s influences of Joni Mitchell, Al Green, Wings, and Electric Light Orchestra. The core of the band is made up of twin brothers, Toma and Andy Banjanin, who’s musical journey spans across the cities they lived in and life lessons they learned along the way. Rooted into a musical family and playing in a church band as teenagers, the brothers left Noosa, Australia for a short stint in Brooklyn, New York during the bustling indie scene of the late 2000s. Inspired and full of the DIY tactics and ideas they experienced, they took to London and began culminating the band, their label, and the album. Rounding out the lineup with guitarist, Swiss-American Eric Weber and old friends Kane Reynolds and Blake Misipeka, the keyboardist and bassist, Tempesst hunkered down in the studio they built while meticulously working on their sound. “These days artists are expected to do so much themselves and we have always been slight control freaks anyway”, states Andy. “DIY is part of everything that we do, so that extends to our label, the studio, the videos, all of it and really it’s just how the indie music scene has evolved.”
Must Be a Dream allows listeners to transport musically and explore dense, emotional themes, all while being comforted in the juxtaposed moments of sun-kissed melodies and angelic synths. “Better Than the Devil” stands as the opening track, where Andy on drums showcases a steady kick drum beat in the beginning before really opening up with the rest of the arrangement. The background vocals on the title track are church choir melodies that serenade the metaphorical idea of the song; that the perfect woman in front of you couldn’t possibly be real; couldn’t possibly exist in your reality. Tempesst dives into identity faceting in “High on My Own”, through judgmental lyrical undertones about other’s self-acceptance, and a contrasting upbeat feel that leaves the listener with hope of following one’s own path. Tackling the haunting struggles that love can bring, “Mushroom Cloud” dramatically lays out the spite and pain sometimes felt for the ones we fall deepest for. Toma’s simple chorus guides the listener through the struggle, and ends with a lyrical punch to the heart “When sorry’s a worn out sleight of hand / good love is a dried up wilderness / you’ll know where to find me / on the fallen horizon.”
Complete with harp instrumentation, and “oh la la la la la” vocals, “Walk on the Water” is a euphoric transitional track to different themes of the album. A mashup of vocal harmonies on top of deep instrumental reverb, “On the Run” holds stories of death, substance abuse, and the forever loss of innocence. Explains Toma:
It’s about a close friend who disappeared for a decade and returned as someone completely different, and it’s an ongoing trauma. When I connected the music to the lyrics to try and finish the song, it felt like it had a rolling rhythm, so the chorus fell into place from there. For me, this song carries a lot more emotional weight.
The final album tracks explore themes of modern day society in relation to getting older, boredom within the digital age, and the paralleling question of what life is supposed to mean through all of it. It’s the juxtaposing ideas of sound and song meaning in this debut album where Tempesst really invites the listener to their psych-rock wonderland – where storytelling and sweet melodies will meet you at every riff.
by: tiffany czech
Leave behind the life you know wherever you are for just thirty minutes and take a trip to Cuba with La China De La Gasolina. The self-titled album is the product of a trip to Havana, the capital of Cuba. There, Charlie Garmendia would use a multi-track tape recorder to capture the rich musical culture that the island has to offer. It was with the help of the young musicians and artists he met that the late-night jam sessions turned into a collective body of work.
With 11 tracks, the listener can dip their foot in many parts that all come together to form a sonically cohesive whole. That whole begins with “Edro”, an electrifying track that seems to signify the beginning of a breaking news story, or maybe even the opening credits to the latest buzzing film. In just 23 seconds, the song manages to captivate the listener, thus beginning their Cuban journey. Then comes “La Gasolina”, one of the standout tracks. Using prominent synthesizers, one finds themselves transported to the middle of a busy Cuban street filled with only the best dancing and music. That feeling continues throughout the whole album, all the way until the final track, “El Terror”, which relies heavily on percussion to signal that the journey is finished. This is the song that puts the picture of a small group gathering around a campfire at the end of the day in your mind, satisfied with everything that day has given you. From the Cuban jazz moments of “Año Nuevo” to the Latin pop spectacle that is “Demonio Bongo” and everything in between, there is certainly a lot to be satisfied with.