by Ian Schneider | Mar 15, 2019 | premieres, wolf tracks
“Roll With the Punches”, the new single from Prep Rally, is a synthy pop track full of fight and perseverance. The message is exactly what the title suggests. This single will be featured on Prep Rally’s upcoming EP “Head Rush”, which will be out April 2.
The upbeat piano and chimes in the background create a positive vibe to support the lyrics. The electronic duo based out of Denver is able to create an environment within the track that suggests when one is down it does not always have to be sadness around them. Unfortunately, most will give up, and even listen to sad music to drown their feelings. Not PrepRally. They believe in picking yourself back up and dealing with whatever is thrown your way, and this single supports that.
Make sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming EP “Head Rush”, and check out Prep Rally’s website at http://www.preprallymusic.com/.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 14, 2019 | 5 to 7
Happy Pi Day! We are over here celebrating with some apple pie and basketball, but first thing is first: a new podcast episode. For our 4th installment, we sit down to chat with Philadelphia-based A Day Without Love (Brian Walker) about the way he serves his community, his music influence, and, of course, anime.
0:00 Intro
0:11 EZVisibility.com
0:22 Dbl-take.com
0:33 imperfectfifth.com/merch
0:56 Brian Walker/A Day Without Love Intro
2:18 Influence (Anthony Green, Bright Eyes)
4:02 “You Said”
6:15 “Fashit”
9:07 Songwriting process
14:45 The Storyteller’s Tour
16:53 Food
21:20 “People I Meet and the Food I Eat”
22:33 Philadelphia DIY Collaborative
28:39 Aliens
29:58 Anime
34:33 Patreon
Keep up with A Day Without Love here.
by Ian Schneider | Mar 14, 2019 | videos, wolf tracks
Neo-soul artist Silence Is The Noise (Jewell Bell) has a new single titled “Soothing”, and it is accompanied by a visual that matches the beauty in her voice. All about battling one’s demons, “Soothing” takes the listener on a trip of reflection and inner struggle. Silence Is The Noise has the perfect vocals to convey pain and strife, but with a powerful undertone that suggests overcoming said pain. The Detroit-based artist has drawn comparisons to the likes of Nina Simone, drawing high praise since her beginnings as a pianist at age 12.
The song and visual project “Soothing” describes the emotional labyrinth of grief and loss, and the desperation to escape the overwhelming pain and anxiety lying in its wake. The lyrics speak to the artist and songwriter’s attempt to use meaningless physical intimacy as a distraction, while falling deeper into despair and the realization that there is no avoidance of her devastation and grief.”
“Soothing” is the perfect single for Silence Is The Noise to showcase her strong voice and story telling ability.
You can keep up with Silence Is The Noise through her socials listed below.
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thesilenceisthenoise/
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/silenceisthenoise
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/3TAV8Lk1PpuzoixhjUhz55
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 13, 2019 | show review
If you haven’t witnessed UPSAHL live, now is the perfect time. This female act is about to be major, and if her recorded music is not already any indication of that, then her live performance is absolute proof. And we couldn’t have thought of anyone better to open Max Frost’s show at The Riot Room on Monday, March 11th.
Rolling through . And during “All My Friends Are Rich”, you could tell the entire crowd was identifying with the lyrics in some way or another. (Hi. Yes. “Now where in the hell is my money?”) In fact, we were thrilled to see her perform any of the tracks off of her new Hindsight 20/20 EP, as it is such a vulnerable and theatrical work of art. Lucky us, UPSAHL’s vocals are just as raspy and enticing in real life as they are recorded, so her entire performance felt as though we were inside the EP itself. Not to mention, “Drugs” gave us all the confidence.
We walked away from that set to the bar like the badasses we had always dreamt of being, and we owe it all to an evening of fun with UPSAHL.
Keep up with the artist here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 12, 2019 | albums, review
Los Angeles-based quintet The Wild Reeds has been gracing our headphones for a hot second, but their new album Cheers is pure gold. Starting with the upbeat pace of “Moving Target” and then rolling slightly more slowly into “Telepathic Mail”, which has a persevering message we can all get behind. By “A Way To Stop”, the band has established, yet again, that they balance a wire between pop and rock, a little folk twang thrown in for fun. While fourth track “Lose My Mind” feels largely vintage, “Play It Safe” could easily have been played at a sock hop back in the day as well. The production value on both is beautiful and lush, perfect for vinyl play, we’re sure.
“Young and Impressionable” is honest and open, while “Giving Up On You” is louder, more determined, but maintains that vulnerability. “Don’t Pretend” approaches from a softer perspective, while the title alone of “P.S. Nevermind” already feels like something we can all relate to. (Hi. I have an additional thought. Should I have that additional thought? No? Nevermind. Yes. No. Don’t worry about it.) Lyrics like “I’m reckless/I did it and I’ll do it again” prove us too wrong, and we’re falling for this track hard. “Run and Hide” is wonderfully mellifluous, a song that feels like a ballad and belongs nowhere if not in your car, being belted at the top of your lungs as you drive home from work [today]. They round Cheers out with “My Name”, a track that is slowed to the pace of the first couple of songs, indicating the end of our profound journey with The Wild Reeds. The lyrics make it the perfect placement on the album, a lullaby of sorts that keeps us craving more.
Keep up with The Wild Reeds here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 11, 2019 | Uncategorized
Do you miss the warm, cradle-y feeling that pop music videos from the oughts brought you? (Yes, we want you to think back to the NSYNCs and O-Towns of your past.) You have the option of feeling that way again. New York-based electro-pop artist J-LINE delivers that familiar feeling in droves with new single “Feeling the yes”, the jewel toned music video somehow reflecting that feeling, though the atmosphere is less that of a party environment and more so of a strategic performance art piece. Which – if you scale back to think about it – is what a music video is.
If you’re really feeling your decision-making self lately, this one will do the trick.
Keep up with J-Line here.
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 11, 2019 | singles, soundtrack
Music week at SXSW 2019 has descended upon Austin, TX, and we are experiencing major bouts of missing out. It’s the first year in a hot second that we don’t get to come down and cover all of the insane music first-hand. But we are also insanely lucky. This year, as in years past, we have found a host of incredible musicians to give their point-of-view a shot on our Instagram page all week! Check @imperfectfifth for the lineup and updates all week long!
Between Instagram updates, I’d test out some of the up-and-comers on the playlist below. This happens to be a host of our favorite SXSW 2019 artists, all compiled in one place so you can stay up-to-date with the industry’s fresh faces. We will be updating the playlist all week, so stay plugged in to hear new things every day!
Support the publication and become part of our community at imperfectfifth.com/merch!
by Meredith Schneider | Mar 11, 2019 | albums, review
On March 8th, Matt Shapiro released a 6-track EP that is absolutely thrilling from start to finish. You can see why, too, as Matt admits he approaches his music-making a lot like film. “I approach making a record like I’m making a movie,” he admits. “My last album Metaphysical was very layered and wide-angle and made to sound kind of epic. With this new EP FADE IN, I made the conscious decision to go the other way. This one’s more disciplined, and really stripped down to essentials…more like a scrappy little indie. And it has more bite.”
If you think for a moment that he doesn’t mean the phrase “scrappy little indie,” then you’re in for a treat. “Rockaway Girl” is very theatric, throwing you into this one-man performance that is equal parts modern indie rock and 80’s pop fury. “The Addict” darkens the soundscape a bit, but the collection doesn’t forget the attitude that came with the first track, as it weaves into the slow burner “Is There Something Going On”. “Johnny” is for the human who feels like walking on the wild side, while “Water’s Edge” is much slower, simple and soft in its disposition. Shapiro’s vocals feel like water as they glide amidst the instrumentals. This tranquil feeling is put to an abrupt halt with the first staccato notes of “Genievieve”. It seems as though the pace and volume change might have to do with the way a significant other disrupts your life, and makes things ten times louder. We’re fond of the impact it has on the EP’s trajectory, and couldn’t have placed a more defining last song.
Keep up with Matt Shapiro here.
by Ian Schneider | Mar 8, 2019 | singles, wolf tracks
Rooney has released a new single “Time and Time Again”, and it is part of the soundtrack to Robert Schwartzman’s new film THE UNICORN. This soothing track has an almost alt-western feel to it. Though it was exclusively written for the film, it is easily enjoyed by anyone who has an ear for melodic music. As stated previously, the song has a western vibe, but is ultimately an alternative song containing smooth vocals and a tapping snare.
Schwartzman had this to say about the record:
I wrote “Time And Time Again” for THE UNICORN, a feature film I had the pleasure directing and working alongside a talented cast and crew. When you write a song for a film, it changes the context, the foundation, and frames the writing process in a certain way that supports the film’s story. I like to write songs with a specific focus, purpose, and intention, otherwise it all feels a bit disjointed. I’m happy I got to contribute “Time And Time Again” to the film and it’s exciting to release a new Rooney single on the project’s 20 year anniversary.
You can check out “Time and Time Again” on streaming services and the feature film soundtrack for THE UNICORN. Keep up with Rooney here.
