Jewel tones, simple, gorgeous performance visuals that dance along the fine line between simplistic and artful masterpiece. This is how we would describe the new visual for Los Angeles-based alt-indie duo Dark Side of The Light’s (Nik Frost and Grant Conway) momentum-driving single “Moist”. Expands Frost:
First of all, everything for us emanates from beats and rhythm ideas for the most part. The groove is a really important part of what we do. We took two drummers, Grant and a friend and put them into a room together and had them jam to the sick base loop, recording it live with a stereo mic. What we got sounded almost like samba or something which opened up the song to a whole new world. The actual audio at the beginning of the track is us playing live in the rehearsal space. From there I took the drums and started programming them like they would’ve done back in the day when they were using Akai samplers to do this kind of thing.
I kind of chopped the audio up into different parts and as melodies came to me, I filled the lyrics in. It was one of those songs that while it sounds complex, it actually came pretty easily and I think we created one of the best tracks on the record.
The percussion in this particular track is its own brand of cool, incorporating a soulful and somehow almost hardcore feel to it while we melt into painstakingly well-crafted melodies and a trance-like state of free fall.
When working to fully connect with our human reality, music, like always, may be the best way to express our thoughts regarding the matter. That’s why RⱯHM ⚉’s new track “semiautomatical” was made. It highlights the complicated nature of our society by showing us the more mundane moments while also giving us a peek inside the soothing, wind-in-our -hair moments. Not to worry, the track itself is anything but mundane, keeping your ears perked for the entirety of the nearly four-minute track. With this, he pushes himself even further past any boundaries, cementing him as the adventurous face in music. As we listeners step into this portal to a new view of our planet and humanity as a whole, we face reinvention and peace, and glorious music, of course.
He says of the meaning behind the track:
“semiautomatical” is a non-word that I was using to refer to this kind of halfness. Closeness and farness simultaneously. Watching other people have sex on the internet. love in the anthropocene. blah blah you get it. but it’s more ambiguous than “wow this is fucked the bots are taking over my brainstem.”
The Dawn Drapes are Michael Sanzo and Daniel Rice. This musical duo formed in Harrisonburg, VA in 2010, and has been cultivating their sound with notable influences of shoegaze and psych-wave over the years. Their newest release is an indie masterpiece complete with beautiful melodies and splendid strings. “You Are The One” is the latest single to further the anticipation for their full-length album expected sometime this year. This single was recorded at Headroom Studios in Philadelphia with producer Shane Woods and musicians Noah Skaroff and Keaton Thandi.
At first listen, you’ll probably start to unravel all the layers of this song, and perhaps want to listen on repeat to take it all in again and again. Whether it’s the songwriting, fresh melodies, smooth synths, or tappy high-hat percussion, this song will only do wonders for your indie ears. The vibe of this duo is something so familiar, yet so foreign at the same time – it’s apparent they didn’t follow a recipe to make this song, but instead tapped into their most creative selves and made some magic. If you’re looking to build some new playlists for this year, then be sure to add this song, and give Dawn Drapes a follow on Spotify.
When Dwight Twilley wrote and released “I’m on Fire” back in 1975, he probably wasn’t expecting it to be covered decades later, complete with a fresh video. Well, maybe he was! Who’s to say? Either way, the cover, featuring vocals from Sarah Frick for Back to Paradise: A Tulsa Tribute to Okie Music, is stunning, and the video is a perfect visual that beautifully highlights the rock n’ roll essence of the track.
The video itself is a bit like a montage, with some shots showing Frick trying on different outfits before cutting to a scene of her rocking out, drink in hand. Of course, we also get to see Frick prancing around in the quiet nightlife, still being the rock star she knows she is. Not only do we get to see the fun nature of the track played out visually, we also get to watch an empowered badass female take on the night in true “empowered woman” fashion. I can’t think of a better way to pay tribute to Twilley and the music of Oklahoma.
When it comes time to give the 60s music scene a run for its money, you can look no further than the band straight out of Philadelphia known as Them Jones. Their newest track, “Here Comes the Dark”, off of their recently released album, The Dark, is sprinkled with all the bells and whistles one could need for a spiced-up track. It might be one of the most sonically intriguing songs I have heard recently, with something new to look forward to while turning every corner.
But beyond the sound itself, the lyrics capture a seemingly rare glimpse into the mind of the writer. The story being told here is the struggle between feeling on top of the world, but with the threat of the dark always looming. The specificity we encounter with this track feels too good to be true. While being so specific may often lead people to not connect, Them Jones are here to provide the opposite effect. In the end, they are successful at putting a mirror to the person listening, asking them to also dive deep into their inner self, just as they have done themselves.
Upcoming singer-songwriter and Brooklyn-bred talent Daemes released her debut single back in November, but not to worry, there is still more to look forward to. The video for the track is here and is every bit poetic and emotional as the song itself. Cleverly, the video features old clips put together of Daemes’ grandparents, an illustration of their own love story and the one being sung about. While doing so might have been a bit of a risk, it was a risk that resulted in a new life for the clips, one that hears the fullness of a synthesizer and darkness of a fall evening. What all of this goes to show is that a love story doesn’t have to be confined to only one decade.
While an initial listen to “Riptide” sounds like the present day, one watch of the visual reminds you that love and music can very much transcend time and go beyond when it was created, and what an ethereal experience that is.
Lonr. is changing the landscape of hip-hop and rap, with his latest music video for “WORLD” being the perfect example of his fresh take on musical expression. The California-born, North Carolina residing songwriter, and rapper creates music as a therapeutic release of his own thoughts and feelings, allowing listeners a chance to escape their own minds. With the impressive start and promising future, “WORLD” builds the anticipation of Lonr.’s second project, due out next year.
The cinematic video sets a dystopian desert background for Lonr.’s isolating, gut-wrenching performance. Strong strings wash over a glitchy beat as his voice echoes with unrestrained emotion. The pain inside of him is on full visual and audible blast as he tells his story lyrically with strong flow and immense body language. Verse two really captures his struggle with “Gut-wrenching feeling, I can’t kill it / Inner peace, never caught a glimpse / Always questioning what’s within.” This beautiful mix of raw emotion, all unrestrained details, and a modern rap beat really give Lonr. his own lane to change the wayartists evoke emotion through established genres such as rap and hip-hop.
Watch the music video today and see for yourself what Lonr. has to offer musically and emotionally.
Coming out of Oklahoma and deciding to work as a solo artist post-rock band world, This Coast Bias is giving fans a sweet taste of what he’s been working on lately with his newest smooth pop track “Poison Candy”. With a plethora of musical influences to look to when creating a track, it’s no wonder that he is gifting us with such dynamic, multi-layered creations. This latest addition to his discography cleverly uses sugary metaphors and pop synths to craft an understanding of how something can feel so great while potentially causing our lives to slowly crumble. Of course, he makes the case for why we choose to keep these things around, it simply makes us feel good. It is important to point out that This Coast Bias seems to have found a sound that makes us feel good without creating turmoil, so maybe we should stick with that.
He says of how he got a taste for the track:
“Poison Candy” is about habits. Whatever it is, we all have things that taste sweet but cause ‘cavities’ in our lives. Whether it’s a girl or boy, our spending, or iced coffee, we can cause problems by sticking with something we probably shouldn’t. In this case, it’s about a girl I was dating.
