by Meredith Schneider | Nov 29, 2017 | wolf tracks
On Friday, Brooklyn-based art-pop quartet Milan to Minsk – comprised of Daniel Rote, Ran Livneh, Eyal Hai, and Uri Zelig (with noted “auxiliary members” Hot “John Stanesco” Juan and Peli Grietzer – is set to release their new EP Welcome to Hitler. And while The Deli just got the premiere of their incredible music video for the title track – which we highly suggest checking out, by the way – we’ve got the full 5-track EP streaming premiere a full two days in advance of its release. And it’s epic. We mean that in all sincerity, and you’ll see what we mean as soon as you press “play” on the fiery and theatrical title track. Welcome to Hitler doesn’t stop at one sound, either. Milan to Minsk has made what seems to be a very strong – yet natural – effort to take you on a musical journey that includes sexy horns, fun 80s sound effects, and very beautifully woven social commentary.
Get your ears on this now. You won’t regret it.
Welcome to Hitler is out Friday. They will be playing their EP release show at Trans-Pecos on December 6th. Keep up with Milan to Minsk here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 16, 2017 | wolf tracks
Just one day before the release of his new Newport Drive EP, Gaston Light (Dallas, Texas’ rock musician Jason Corcoran) is releasing his title track to tease your ears a bit. Slow and moody like a Brian Fallon song, Corcoran has really captured a robust, deep rasp that could entrance any human being. All that aside, the melancholic tone really makes you look inward as the words roll around in your head, building into crashing symbols and a grand, rock opera feel. We can’t imagine a person in the house not raising a lighter, or at least their phone flashlight, to enjoy “Newport Drive” to its fullest.
Newport Light is out November 17th. It is available for preorder now. Keep up with Gaston Light here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 14, 2017 | wolf tracks
Acoustically-driven alt indie rock musician Michael Vickers might hail from Leicester, but the message in his music is universal. Thankfully, he is currently working on an EP to release in early 2018, and new tracks are emerging from this project to give us a little taste of what’s to come. Though his new track “Every Time We Meet” won’t be out until Friday, we actually have the official U.S. streaming premiere of it for you right now.
The tambourine and bluesy sound of the harmonica drive the track, as Vickers reflects on the good times and the feelings associated with those memories. A follow up to his track “Won’t Stop Believing” (which hit number 42 on the iTunes Singer Songwriter charts), Vickers has similar hopes for “Every Time We Meet”, and we can’t blame him. Co-written with Michael Tedstone, Vickers paid homage to his recently passed grandfather by playing his harmonica on the track, a sweet and heartbreaking facet to the song that gives it a bit more meaning for Vickers himself. His heart-wrenching vocals take you on a journey through the “butterflies” and insane positivity that comes with love. It will absolutely put a smile on your face, so why not take a quick break with it?
“Every Time We Meet” is out November 17th. Keep up with Michael Vickers here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 3, 2017 | wolf tracks
Today, Utica, New York’s alternative musician Anthony and the Mountain premieres its Storm Fruit EP, the first collection of music we have gotten from the project since 2016’s I Felt Tall and Full of Blood. Three songs deep, “Fatboy” serves as the first track, a dramatic narrative from Anthony’s childhood. Anthony croons “Watching the ocean pull away from me” in an all-encompassing way, truly capturing a feeling in tandem with the lyrics. And while “Little Ceramic Dolphins” maintains a similar tempo, the song itself feels darker, more existential in its presence than its predecessor. Anthony’s third song is the title track “Storm Fruit”, which draws from intense vocal registers and a more seductive emotional state to evoke a romanticism that perfectly rounds out the release.
Says Anthony about the EP:
The three songs that make up the EP were slowly written over the past few years and paint portraits of myself at three very different points in my life, both chronologically and emotionally. It’s about relationships. From growing up as a queer teen and the relationship i’ve had with my body, my relationship to religion, and ultimately my relationship with myself. I wrote them at the piano, trying to connect with the part of me that started writing songs in the first place. The desire was to do something that was meditative, and orchestral, cinematic even, with my voice being the emotional center. I wrote them mostly in seclusion, with the recording happening very quickly once I set down to do it.
Storm Fruit is available now.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 2, 2017 | wolf tracks
French jazz-pop musician Laure Z might reside in Los Angeles now, but she’s brought a wealth of knowledge over the pond from her years in music education. Right now, she’s preparing for the debut of her new EP, a 6 track work titled Girls Don’t Wait due out in November. But while things are going on behind the scenes, we’ve actually got the exclusive premiere of the next piece of that work, a song titled “I Will Follow You”. Whistling leads you into this soft, emotional release. Laure Z’s vocals seem to float effortlessly over the instrumentals, giving off the feeling that you’re in a garden, surrounded by brilliant landscape under a bed of twinkling stars. The song is a testament to love, inviting trust and acceptance into a relationship, spun blissfully together with simplistic and ethereal instrumentals.
Girls Don’t Wait is due out soon. Keep up with Laure Z here.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 2, 2017 | wolf tracks
Indie pop duo Soft People – the self-titled “America’s Best Gay Socialist Band” made up of couple Caleb Nichols and John Metz – is introducing their first collection of songs to the world, an album titled American Men which debuts on November 7th. The album weaves in an agenda of addressing modern American politics, challenging a generation while critiquing the new status quo. It’s a narrative that is very necessary right now, and Soft People have done due diligence to deliver in a fun and inspiring, rowdy pop music. Today, we’ve got the exclusive premiere of their latest track “New Kampf”.
The song begins with the line: “Nazi, I saw a Nazi!” and you’re pretty sure you know where it’s going from there. But while quirky, honest lyrics outline the spotting of a Nazi for their listener, the drums keep a toe-tapping beat going that is both appreciated and danceable by many. It is relatively clear that the lyrics were developed around the new generation of far right protestors and violent demonstrators, a social commentary delivered with a laugh track in the back. Because – without being too blunt – it’s way too difficult to handle current political goings on without some humor.
American Men is out November 7th and is available for preorder now. Keep up with Soft People here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 26, 2017 | wolf tracks
Danish indie rock singer/songwriter and producer Hans-Christian Søgaard Andersen – who goes by the particularly interesting name The Captain of Sorrow – is prepping to release his debut album at the beginning of 2018. The release, titled Racetrack Babies, is named after a band he used to play with that broke up while creating the album, so he kept the nickname Racetrack Babies drummer Henrik Svendsen gave him as his stage name and finished the project for the fans, crafting it to mirror the interesting sounds that Hans-Christian hears in his head. “Holly Empty Void” is one of the tracks off the upcoming release, and we have the exclusive American premiere right here, right now.
Beginning with a rough guitar bass line and “whooping” noises that almost resemble a police siren, Hans-Christian’s voice comes in almost immediately, almost soothing amongst the instrumentals. As he talk/sings a melancholic narrative, the drums become a defining factor of the track and you find yourself getting lost in a swirling cacophony of sound and vocal reverb before the song fades out with whirring guitars. Get your first listen below.
Racetrack Babies is set for an American release on January 26th. Keep up with The Captain of Sorrow here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 24, 2017 | wolf tracks
Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Sam Small is about to release his debut EP, a five track wonder titled Hazel. The entire work was recorded in one night with no overdubs, a simplified approach that ended up benefitting Small’s intricate approach to his vocals. One prime example of this is with his latest single, a song titled “How Unlikely”, which we are premiering right here, right now.
The track begins with the subtle, quick plucking of the guitar, quickly becoming the blended, simplistic backdrop for Small’s Dylanesque vocals. The lyrics detail an innocent puppy love, a no frills narrative that anyone would be happy to experience. Lines like “how funny does it seem that we once called this a fling / it was only supposed to last a summer long” make you stop and think about all the tiny moments that lead you along the course of your own life.
And that’s alright with us.
Keep up with Sam Small here.
by Meredith Schneider | Oct 23, 2017 | wolf tracks
Chicago-based indie folk musician Joe Goodkin recently released the third installment in his record trilogy, an album titled Record of Love which follows 2015’s Record of Life and early 2017’s Record of Loss. This album is a bit different, as every single sound was created (somehow) with a single guitar. Listening closely, you can slowly figure out some of the sound manipulations and how it was done, but largely this album is so well structured that it isn’t even something that necessarily occurs to you. All of that aside, Record of Love has delicately captivated us and we are beyond excited to premiere Goodkin’s latest music video because of it.
On its own, “Ashes” was made in homage to people that Goodkin loved, as the lyrics weave a tale of remembering and honoring several very specific family members. But it also comes as a voice of comfort for those who may be struggling with a death, be it spiritual or physical. As lines like “May their ghosts be together and free / This is how we say goodbye to those we love” dance in your head, elegant physical drawings of the lyrics dance on the screen. Blackbox Visual has created a watercolor life for the video, replete with visuals of each family member, each urn, the outside setting in which they celebrate the lives of those they have lost. In the visual, we find additional warmth and comfort, even as the ashes float like black lightning bugs through the sky.
Record of Love is available now, both individually, and as part of a vinyl collection containing Record of Life and Record of Loss. Keep up with Joe Goodkin here.
