by Jai'Tyria Hatton | Mar 2, 2018 | albums, wolf tracks
American rock band from New York, Sunflower Bean – consisting ofJacob Faber on drums, Julia Cumming on bass and lead vocals, and Nick Kivlen on lead guitar and vocals – is back with the follow up from their last album Human Ceremony titled TwentyTwo in Blue. The new album has eleven songs in total and is arriving March 23rd. The sound has a softer, sweeter, and more rich tone to it, honing in on topics people can relate to.
Singer Julia Cumming lends her vocals to the track “TwentyTwo”, which addresses about society’s expectation of women and what they are supposed to be in the world. Another single from the album is titled “I Was a Fool”. The song is about love that will make you happy, yet sad at the same time. The song is about the dizziness of love and how confused it makes you feel. “I Was a Fool” makes you feel all the emotions of love at once.
“Crisis Fest” humbles us, discussing men in uniform and a feeling of utter hopelessness in tense and uncertain times. Lines about storming the kingdom are highly relatable to modern militant rules, though might be super relatable in the every day, a sad but lesson-inspiring truth.
It is clear that Sunflower Bean has found their voice with their new album. TwentyTwo in Blue will be available March 23rd. Keep up with Sunflower Bean here.
by Jai'Tyria Hatton | Mar 1, 2018 | albums, wolf tracks
Barrence Whitfield & The Savages get it right with their new album Soul Flowers of Titan. The album consists of twelve songs that leave no disappointment, each song filled with soul that makes you want to get up and move. With sounds that make you feel as though it was made back in the 70s or 80s, the album has a unique and fun feel to it. The album is filled with a rock and soul mixture that sounds straight out of an 80s movie.
“Slowly Losing My Mind” is the first song from the album. The song starts off with an upbeat tempo that is a great song to begin an album with. The song is a mixture of rock and blues which makes it a great opening track for the album. “Let’s Go to Mars” is another unique song that shows proof that you can do anything you set your mind to.
“I’m Gonna Leave You” is a track that talks about a woman doing you wrong. The protagonist leaves the woman due to her infidelity. The last song on the album is “Don’t Say Goodbye” which is a great way to end the album.
Barrence Whitfield & The Savages maintain their signature sound from years previous, proving that you can disappear for a length of time and still make great music. Soul Flowers of Titan is one of the greatest rock soul albums of this decade.
Soul Flowers of Titan is out March 2nd. Keep up with the band here.
by Jai'Tyria Hatton | Feb 28, 2018 | albums, wolf tracks
Vivian Leva – who uses her country roots to bring life to her music – is set to release her new album Time is Everything on March 2nd, a ten track collection. In latest single “Bottom of The Glass”, Leva talks about a lover that has left and done her wrong. The characters in the song were engaged, and Vivian sings about the wedding ring being at the bottom of a glass she was drinking from.
“Sturdy as the Land” slows the pace of the album quite a bit. The song is about losing something that you originally thought would last forever. The song reflects on the love that was once there but is now lost. “Sturdy as the Land” shows that time and love are not sturdy.
Time is Everything is an album full of love, lost love and heartbreak. Each song on the album is universally relatable and pulls at the listener’s heartstrings. Make sure to nab it quick, and keep up with Vivian Leva here!
by Kayla Hutton | Feb 20, 2018 | albums, wolf tracks
Los Angeles based band
The Great Sadness – consisting of members Stephen McNeely (drums) and Cathy Cooper (guitar/vocals) – say they are “upset all the time and they put it in their music.”
When looking into The Great Sadness I started by getting acquainted with the video for “Underground” from their album Weep that was released in April of 2017. Maybe I just have a sick sense of humor, but I found nothing sad about this song while watching as the pair rode bicycles through a cemetery, stopped at the ice cream truck, the laundry mat, and hit up the massage chairs. As I was mid-laugh at the comical occasional middle finger, things got creepy and in their skull masks it felt as if death was out for a walk.
With lyrics boasting, “In this place, underground, there is no God,” one could embrace the sadness behind that realization. The further I descend into this album, the tonal quality and the words themselves do capture all that is wrong in the world. It is a sad place that we have created and The Great Sadness doesn’t sugar coat a bit of it. Cathy has an un-dusted gritty rasp to her voice reminiscent of Janis Joplin, Stevie Knicks, and early Melissa Etheridge. The music has a murky humidity that generates a grass rooted southern swamp rock feel as well as that D-tuned sludge grunge feel (don’t think Nirvana’s Nevermind album, think Nirvana’s Bleach album).
Being a D.I.Y. band and paying for your recording, production, pressing, touring can leave you financially depleted. The Great Sadness truly has a love for creating music no matter the cost and their hard work has paid off as they reached out to all of you to help release Weep on vinyl. Given the style of music, you want this on vinyl.
The shining moment for me was the song “Tonight.” A droning sometimes psychadelic darkness seems so fitting as she sings loudly, borderline a scream while maintaining great vocal control, “this dance through hell has done us in, hold me love, my breath is thin.” The Great Sadness is best described by this scenerio, if only Linda Blair (the original Exorsist movie, the possessed girl) had a band.
by Veronica DeFeo | Feb 19, 2018 | albums, wolf tracks
Need a little pick me up as this winter drags on? Check out the new record from John, Jack, and Charles of Monsterwatch! The Seattle-based punk band is soon to release their sophomore four track EP called Z O T, featuring “Brain Twist”, “I Don’t Get It”, “Lost My Car” and an already-released single, “Big Sin”. Z O T was produced and engineered by Steve Fisk and displays the flexibility of Monsterwatch’s music following their previous record, Blabbermouth, and a few other singles. From a classic, intense punk song like “Brain Twist” to a more mellow, but still upbeat track like “Lost My Car”, Monsterwatch has created a treat for fans and new listeners alike.
“Brain Twist” is the leading track on the EP, and will do just as the title suggests for the listener. With authentic screamo-punk sound and emotion, it is reminiscent of Carbon Airways’ “Razor Edge”.
“Brain Twist” is followed by “I Don’t Get It”, which follows the vein of the previous song. If you’re feeling angsty, this is the track for you. Filled with “you just don’t understand” vibes and a head bobbing beat, this is punk at its purest.
“Lost My Car” is one of the most approachable songs for those not used to heavier punk, tinged with some perfectly placed piano moments. “Lost My Car” has a slightly nostalgic sound to it. If The 1975 were a punk band, this is a song they’d put out; however, it is still 100% Monsterwatch’s own sound. It’s a great transitional song into the next song on the EP, a single which has already been released: “Big Sin”.
“Big Sin” has a bit of a Talking Heads sound to it, and along with “Lost My Car” definitely fits what Monsterwatch labels itself as: groovepunk.
Every track is filled with killer guitar and screamo vocals that are controlled yet unapologetic. We can’t wait to see what Monsterwatch does next.
Z O T is available March 2nd.
Instagram – Twitter – Facebook – Website – #monsterwatch
by Jai'Tyria Hatton | Feb 19, 2018 | albums, wolf tracks
Joanna Teters is setting a place in music for herself following the release of her EP Warmer When It Rains. Teterz started off as a bandleader perfecting her craft as front woman for Mad Satta, Drew ofthe Drew, Lowtone Society, and iLa Mawana. I must admit, the entire EP is a rollercoaster love story, beginning with the song “Ride with You” which takes the listener on a ride for whatever. After “Ride with You” comes “Midnight”, in honor of what really happens after midnight. Teters takes to listener to the supreme with “Supreme” which is a song that leaves the listener yearning for more.
The lead single from the album is titled “Memories Remain”. “Memories Remain is a song inspired by a friend’s break up. The song is a song that is relatable to anyone that has ever gone through heartbreak. Warmer When it Rains is a phenomenal album that is a great start to Joanna Teters’ solo career.
Keep up with Teters here.
by Veronica DeFeo | Feb 16, 2018 | albums, wolf tracks
Amy Rigby is about to drop her brand new album, The Old Guys on February 23rd via Southern Domestic Recordings. Having moved all around throughout her musical journey over the past several decades, Rigby has worked with bands, partners, and alone; her solo debut was Diary Of A Mod Housewife in the nineties. Her first solo album in quite a few years, with writing by Amy and recorded by her husband Wreckless Eric in their current New York base.
An unapologetic album, The Old Guys is composed of twelve tracks that thoroughly display Rigby’s honesty and grasp of her own sound. The Old Guys is a step back into the solo life for Rigby, but as a veteran musician, she knows what works for her at this point. We’re excited to see what Amy Rigby continues to dish out.
Keep an eye out for The Old Guys, out February 23rd.
Keep up with Amy Rigby:
Twitter – Website
by Jai'Tyria Hatton | Feb 15, 2018 | albums, singles, wolf tracks
Long Island’s Cloud has released a new album following his debut EP Comfort Songs. The latest album, titled Plays With Fire, will be released in March and consists of nine songs, clocking in at 32 minutes in total. Pulling form influences such as Jonathan Richman, Panda Bear, and Leonard Cohen, Cloud is able to captivate the listener throughout his EP.
“Wildfire” is the lead single from the upcoming album. The song is mesmerizing and talks about everyone wanting to be a wildfire. The song is filled with colorful vocals and background music that is sure to take the listener on a joyous occasion.
“Two Hands Bound” is another song from the album. The song is very catchy and filled with percussion, guitar and the vocals of Cloud. The song is about working hard and is one of the lighter tones in the album.
Plays With Fire is a month away, but in the meantime, keep up with Cloud here.
by Madison Blom | Feb 12, 2018 | albums, wolf tracks
From across the ocean in Melbourne Australia, dream pop band Lowtide is planning on releasing a fantastic new album that will both electrify and mystify their fans and followers from across the globe. This new album, Southern Mind, is scheduled to be released on February 16th, but was officially premiered in its entirety live by Henry Rollins on his KCRW radio show on Sunday, February 11. Not only has their music received overall positive reviews, but the relaxed vibes and memorizing rhythms have a high potential of being their most successful album to date. Southern Mind embodies a lot of similar sounds that fans have always related to Lowtide, however, they have added even more upbeat pop beats and undertones that add new layer and depth to their music.
New releases from Lowtide, however, do not stop with Southern Mind. On the same day that the new album was streamed, they also released a new single Elizabeth Tower as well as a new clip. Also, it is important to note that they also announced their headline tour! Obviously this Melbourne based dream pop band has been busy at work over the past year to set them up for what looks to be like pure success in the new year.
Southern Mind is out February 16th. Keep up with Lowtide here.
