“Catch Your Eye” – the B-side ballad to hopeful and uplifting single “Appian Way,” – now has an accompanying music video. Singer/songwriter, writer, editor, and filmmaker Tod Lippy has created true art with this track. His boldened vocals lead the way, and you’re completely blindsided when you find out that Lippy is actually newer to the world of recording music.
His background in physical art lends well to the music video’s poignant visuals. Using scans of some pretty unmistakable eyes, he sings – as though directly to these humans – with prestigious-sounding horns to really dig the message in early.
“Catch Your Eye” is less a protest song than a song about protest. About how being the “squeaky wheel” or the “fly in the ointment” is not only important but necessary when men (and yes, it’s usually men) in power have no reason or motivation to understand or acknowledge the myriad challenges facing the underserved, the disadvantaged, and the unfairly treated among us. How else can we change their hearts?
While protest footage is used sparsely, Lippy’s self-awareness remains at the forefront with the visuals. A beautifully compiled video, “Catch Your Eye” has the true potential to touch someone who definitely needs it.
Ambitions was released June 25. Keep up with Tod Lippy here.
Talented pop-tinted duo Flora Cash recently announced the upcoming release of their album, our generation, in late October of this year. Along with that announcement comes the premiere of their latest single, a haunting track titled “We Use to Laugh/9 to 9”.
The pair is privy to the overarchingly sad effect the song has on people. After all, this single has a bit of a melancholic subject matter to it, outlining the heartbreak that Shpresa has experienced. “That moment you realize everything you thought you knew about somebody was a lie. Sadly, it’s a feeling a lot of us have experienced. In many ways this song describes a sober, honest reflection on a relationship defined by narcissism and manipulation.”
Reflecting back on memories within an unhealthy relationship can be a difficult thing to do, however much easier when you find people who can relate and survive their own memories alongside you. Check out the new single below.
August 7, 2021 was my first show back. Back, from where? Who even knows? While the pandemic rages on, I wonder, more often than not, if leaving my house is even worth it. But I’ve been enjoying – and producing – livestreams and digital concert experiences since COVID-19 took SXSW 2020 from us all, and I knew the joy that came from that massively sustained me over the last 17 months.
The first time I saw Dermot Kennedy was in a church off 6th Street in Austin, Texas during SXSW 2018. I chose to spend the evening with a handful of friends from my hometown, wandering into shows and experiencing new acts to write about and photograph for the (still new) site. But something about Kennedy’s vocal delivery – the vulnerability and intensity with which he delivered some of the most emotionally charged lyrics I’d ever heard – made me forget I was trying to compile content for the site at all. A handful of distanced, “between tall guys’ bobbing heads” photos happened, but the music was so compelling that I spent an embarrassing amount of the set with my eyes closed, or staring up at the vaulted ceilings, marveling at the magic that music creates, and the magic from which it is derived.
When SXSW 2020 was canceled, I decided to make the quick, 4-hour jaunt to St. Louis to see Kennedy. Within a couple of days, the tour was indefinitely postponed. COVID-19 set in, and March saw stages around the world shutter. Deafening silence. And while artists tried to keep the spark alive with their multi-dimensional at-home creations, new directions, and interactive experiences, there was just something missing. That spark that live music incites, the way it can make an entire room feel like it’s on fire, hearts dancing in unison. As someone who once took for granted a 2-5 concert per week schedule, I began to feel lost in a sea of digital analysis and curation. I am humbled by the art that has come from our time locked away, but it never had the energy of a live show.
By the time I realized live music was coming back, Kennedy had sold out his St. Louis reschedule. And his Red Rocks performance. I spoke with a friend who was going to work with me on getting tickets in Wisconsin, which would be my saving grace for his tour since Kennedy was no longer appearing on the postponed Bonnaroo lineup (because of touring conflicts). But my sister happening upon a radio tour announcement a couple of weeks before her big move to Los Angeles and a random discussion that occurred a half-hour before tickets went on sale for the Kansas City stop made it all possible. Me – the woman who often feels jaded by the industry, especially for how little people truly rallied for the arts through this dark time -, I allowed myself to finally get excited about an event. I had something to look forward to that I knew could help me heal.
And still, I wondered, could I possibly stand in a crowded venue again? Could I find joy in the music – the one thing that makes me feel like I have my head screwed on straight on a daily basis – amidst a crowd of maybe-vaxxers from the midwest? (That wild, wild midwest that we have come to know as a largely “denying science” crowd.) I spent days before this show panicking about everything. Would there be space to spread out? The show wasn’t entirely sold out, the venue was more intimate, it couldn’t be too insane. Right? Would I melt in my mask? Would my friends be comfortable?
I almost had no words to explain how it all felt. Sure, I annoyed my +1 (Hi, mom!) and a couple of friends (I see you Anjelica and Kevin!) with some fears about everything. But, I was mostly entirely back in my element. As an observer, an enjoyer. I ensured we got pretty good spots to watch the show, over by the rail on the right side next to the stage. Dermot Kennedy’s Kansas City (Missouri) leg of his Better Days tour was officially sold out at the Uptown Theater, however, there was substantial space on the sides of the stage to ensure that we felt comfortable. I did some people watching like I used to. (I’d like to think that people couldn’t handle their liquor because they hadn’t imbibed at that level in a while, but who knows?) And, truly, I spent the majority of the evening belting out lyrics behind my mask, staring up at the shadows dancing on the ceiling, really indulging in the collective atmosphere of it all.
Set List: Lost Power Over Me All My Friends An Evening I Will Not Forget Outgrown The Corner Rome For Island Fires and Family Outnumbered Better Days Moments Passed Glory Giants Encore: After Rain Without Fear
Thank you to Anna Hamilton, Bishop Briggs, and Dermot Kennedy for “an evening I will not forget.” (I know I’m the first one to use that reference, of course.) I can only say that it helped to inflate my sad, darkened, emo heart. So perhaps I’ll Grinch less for a while. 😉
Anna Hamilton and Bishop Briggs thoughts + photos to come.
From the first haunting chords of the intro track “Home” to the last, intimate notes in sixth song “Strange Fruit,” singer-songwriter and producer Naomi Westwater’s beautiful new EP Feelings delivers just that: Feelings with a level of palpability unlike other albums provide. The topic of “Home” is less relatable, as Westwater sings specifically of her personal struggles with endometriosis and its accompanying reproductive issues. And while the second song “Feeling My Feelings” began in the same realm topically, it slowly developed into an anti-violence track. “Reflecting on the song now, I think it is also a haunting mirror to gun and police violence. It’s for those of us who feel our pain and feelings are ignored by others,” she admits.
“Commune” keeps to a slow, danceable clip, while Westwater observes her own spirituality and how it is defined in her life. Her vocals are absolutely magnetic, just like the way she leans into her own spirituality. While “Strange Weather” launches into a discussion on climate change, it does so in a beautiful and poignant way, never straying from the overarchingly soulful power of the collection. Explains Westwater:
This project felt like a storybook, like a complete collection of things that I’ve been meaning to say to the world, things I need to scream out into the void, and things that I need people to hear. These songs were all written at different times: ‘Strange Fruit’ in the 1930s, ‘Americana’ in 2012, and the others in the last few years, but the stories are so relevant to now.
Louise Kahn is no stranger to the music world. Following the success of Terry Poison, the Israeli electropop trio she entered the industry with, she is now venturing out on her own. Her debut single “Water in Water” is a glittering, light-as-a-feather beauty, with a music video that mirrors that sentiment. The song itself is a tribute to Kahn’s current home of Santa Teresa in Costa Rica. Glitter, body paint, and torches light the way for the disco-tinted single. Check out the new sound – and mildly transcendental video – below!
Have you ever had a case of massive bitterness over love lost or heartbreak in general? Glittering synth-pop project This Coast Bias really wades through it with new track “Waste of Time.” Despite the danceable pop composition, the song itself does not waste any time in dissecting that past love. The music is like candy to your ears, almost detracting from the reality of it all. Even so, it gets to the point, expressing the worthless nature of the relationship, and then cuts out clean. Explains the artist of the new track:
The ‘Waste of Time’ chorus kinda popped into my head when I was brushing my teeth one night. I wanted a hook that was unquestionably directed at the listener; one that didn’t dance around the issue. It’s kind of a brutal verbal dagger. The instrumentation also harkens back to a more indie sound that I’m steeped in usually, with minimalistic percussion and a little lofi synth solo in there.
If you’re looking for a psychedelic escape – visually and audibly – might I suggest getting lost in the music video for Venice Beach-based Little Galaxies’ “Waking Sea,” which debuted just today? Through a beautiful haze, the band performs the edgy, dynamic track. And while many music videos fall short of supporting such incredible artistry, this one only adds emphasis to the importance of its accompanying single. Frenetic, the video is filled with gorgeous landscapes, blank backgrounds highlighted with jewel tones, and confusion that gives way to surrender in a beautiful, artful way.
Explains lead singer Fournier: “The song is about finding peace in the wreckage. It was inspired by a car accident and my awakening in the years to follow as I healed from injuries and learned to accept my fate by surrendering to the pain to heal and transcend from it.”
Take a gander below, and consider bringing this track with you into your weekend festivities.
Directed & Filmed by Sara Alessandrini Edited by Jeanna Fournier, Amir Eshraghi, and Sara Alessandrini Produced by Amir Eshraghi and Jeanna Fournier Colorist: Polaris Castillo
“Waking Sea” is a single off Little Galaxies’ upcoming sophomore album, “One with the Waking Sea”, coming Summer 2021. Keep up with the band here.
Today, San Mateo-based Hunters Chorus – an instrumental music ensemble championed by Ramon Fermin – releases a 7 track collection titled The Boy Ain’t Right. From the first meandering lines of “Snaggletooth” through the mellifluous composition of “Lion Killer,” straight through the end of 8 minute and 29-second seventh track “Sage,” there is a slow, summer evening feel to the release. This release is absolute perfection to enjoy while the sun sets over the skyline, or to have as the background to a beautiful, intimate warm-weather celebration.
Says Fermin of the release: “I wanted this album to have a soft, organic, living room feel with all the funny little imperfections that come about in the process of just throwing it together.”
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Chianne focuses on conscious pop music to uplift the listener’s soul. This mission is especially palpable in tracks like her new release, “Truly Free.” With a big, anthemic presence, the song itself feels like a big love ballad. And it is, as at the end of the day the song is about loving yourself, and coming into situations as you are, to be accepted fully in that way.
“I hope this song inspires you to always be true to yourself, truly free to be you and to freely express yourself, stay firm and committed, trust yourself and walk the path of your dreams, guided by your heart and intuition, despite what others may say or think of you,” implores Chianne.
