Shout out to Widelife for the title of our playlist. Having binge-watched every episode of Queer Eye a couple of times over, we’ve been in the perfect mood to receive some amazing music video submissions all month. This soundtrack feature is a mess of some of our favs that were released in the latter half of October 2018, and we’ve honestly been chomping at the bit to get them out to you!
Space folk duo Astralingua – comprised of Joseph Andrew Thompson and Anne Rose Thompson – recently released a captivating, artful black and white visual to accompany their single “Plunge”. The video depicts people of all cultures dancing, while the song plays in the background. “Plunge” has been explained as a track about having courage no matter what, which aligns perfectly with the title and the fun dance moves utilized. The instrumentals have a bit of yesteryear flavor, with a dash of “Eleanor Rigby”-era Beatles to accompany them. We’re big fans of the sound, as it’s a fresh take on confidence than what we have heard as of late.
Keep up with Astralingua here.
Brooklyn-based rock musician Ian Wayne‘s debut album might not be out quite yet – A Place Where Nothing Matters drops November 16th – but his clear creative abilities are showing up all over the place. For example, his new music video for single “Revelation”. Shot and edited by Ian himself – with additional footage by Winston Cook-Wilson – “Revelation” explores mundane activities with Ian in a suit, highlighting the beauty of the streets of Brooklyn in some scenes, and glimpsing other bits of nature in others. As Ian eats a pastry on a chair, a cat lounges lazily behind him. A cap adds some flair to his suit (see: above), but nothing caps the quirky esthetic of an animation that pops into the frame seemingly randomly near the end.
Trust us, it’s a pretty entertaining video. And the track is more than perfect for your next house hangs playlist. Take a gander below!
Keep up with Ian Wayne here.
The weather has cooled off, the colors of the foliage are gaining warmth, and we can’t honestly decide if we’re more in “sweater weather” mode or “spooky.” So, we gathered our favorite music videos released during the first half of October, and we’re kind of leaving room for you to decide! Check out some new visuals below – featuring music videos from Paul Weller, Enter Shikari, LEON, mona on the radio, Billie Eilish, Larkin Poe, Meg Myers, Weezer, Dev Ray, Kiefer, Paul McCartney, and many more! – and let us know which one is your favorite!
Asheville-based neo-indie/folk artist Corey Parlamento is Livingdog, and he is living proof that talent is still alive and well in the music industry. His new video for single “Creation. Stagnation.” is depicted exactly how the mellifluous music would insinuate, comprised of footage as Parlamento drives around town at night. Storefronts, homes, street lights. All of the small, beautiful things that seem to be underappreciated. They make up the community, they tell their own stories. The video is sweet in its simplicity, the music the perfect backdrop to a night drive.
Keep up with Livingdog here.
We can’t wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow is Friday, it’s the last day of the work week – except for some of us, who never have a day off, of course – and Irish newcomer Rory Gillanders is releasing his new track “Waiting” along with its music video. Luckily enough, Imperfect Fifth fans don’t have to wait, as we’ve got the exclusive premiere of that music video right here for you to feast your eyes on, a day early!
“Waiting” displays Rory’s acoustic live performance style, with shots of him performing alone outside are interwoven with scenes of a love story between two young people, and the feelings of loss after that relationship ends is also witnessed. It perfectly depicts the bittersweet nostalgia of the memory of a great love. The video is gorgeously presented, heartbreaking and yet full of hope.
Keep up with Rory Gillanders here.
New York-based indie pop collective Big Spirit has a little treat up their sleeve for us. The music video for their track “Spanish Avenue” – off their Get This album – is ready for your curious eyes, and we have the exclusive premiere! The steady beat – provided by fast percussion – sets the tone, the video dark and brooding. The song itself is reminiscent of an 80’s dream, the visual something that fits in quite well, displaying singer Sed Pepper’s performance tactics… and, of course, his dance skills. The video seems intimate, focusing on Pepper as he sings directly into your soul.
Keep up with Big Spirit here.
Get yourself in pinup mode for No Small Children‘s new video for “Radio”. The rock trio – comprised of Lisa P., Nicola B., and Joanie Pimentel – formed in 2012, and brings the fun they’ve cultivated from years of being school teachers to their performance. The video itself is silly and fun, with the girls sporting matching bright outfits that could take you back in time, or perhaps just remind you of a fun television broadcast program. The music itself, though? It rocks. HARD. So take a gander at the new visual, and check these ladies out. We’re big, big fans!
Keep up with No Small Children here.
I had the good fortune and complete ambivalence of being surrounded by excellent music from a very young age. I had The Eagles, Rod Stewart, and The Boomtown Rats coming at me from my father, and Elton John, Toni Braxton, and Whitney Houston coming at me from my mother. While those great songs were being absorbed by my brain in some sort of osmosis way that would show itself later in my life, at the time, my heart and ears belonged only to the pure ecstasy of 90s pop. Take a trip down memory lane with me to a simpler time… MTV was in its golden age, the Lip Smackers and Gelly Roll pens were plentiful, the Gushers and Dunkaroos were delicious, and Britney Spears ruled the world.
From age 3 to 9, I had the coolest babysitter ever; a teenager named Katie who helped me make scrapbooks and watched Clueless with me after school. She introduced me to the Starbucks Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino, took me to the pottery painting place to make my own mugs and plates, and even let me hang out with her and her high school friends sometimes – the ultimate achievement for a mere elementary schooler. We were two peas in a pod, and she would frequently take me with her on her teen excursions to the mall while my mom was building her business.
One day on one of these trips, when I was around 7 years old, we walked past HMV (the big music chain store in Canada) and I was stopped dead in my tracks by the sight of a blonde, bronzed, blindingly bleached-teethed teenager. Britney Spears. Baby One More Time. The album with the curly lettered font I had been seeing all over MTV and in the pages of Tiger Beat magazine, had finally arrived, and I needed it.
Katie, a saint if there ever was one, looked down at my desperate face, walked right into that HMV, grabbed a shrink wrapped copy off the shelf, took it to the register, and paid for it with her own money right then and there. Assuming she was buying the CD for herself, I was green with envy. I wished I were a cool teenager so that I could have a job and money and could buy my own CDs. I silently glared at the pink and white plastic bag in her hand, and without a word, we left the store and continued on our journey towards our Frappuccinos. As we waited at the Starbucks counter, my jealousy subsiding at the prospect of an impending sugar rush, she handed me the bag and smiled, “it’s yours.” WHAT!!!!!!!!! Pure excitement, pure delight, what a joy! My own CD! Oh my god!
In the car, before we even left the mall parking lot, we tore off the shrink wrap, put the CD into the disc drive, and gave ourselves over to the magic of a 1999 Britney induced bliss. It was the best thing I had ever heard. It sounded to me like fun in sonic form. We slurped our 1400 calories of cream and syrup, danced our faces off the whole way home, and continued to do so every day for the rest of the Summer. Still to this day, no matter how “good” or high-brow or critically acclaimed the music, nothing has made me feel that same visceral joy and pure excitement that Baby One More Time did almost 20 years ago. Just last week a song from that album came on, and I immediately found myself craving a strawberry Frappuccino…
Keep up with Lindsay Kay here.