Grieving - Smith & Thell - LuckyandLove - Paloma - Hayride Casualties

Grieving - Brian Emo.

Background - Grieving are a new band from Cambridge whose music is not as immediately morbid as their name might suggest. With a nod towards classic Dischord and anthemic late 90’s and early 00’s indie-rock and punk, their debut EP, released last year saw support from the likes of Stereogum, Alt Press, The FADER, DIY and Upset. 4 of those 5 songs went on to see plays at either BBC Radio 1 or 6 through Huw Stephens, Dan P Carter and Tom Ravenscroft.

After short tours with The New Tusk and Tellison and dates with the likes of Sorority Noise and Muncie Girls, the band have spent the first part of this year writing and recently recorded with Bob Cooper (Citizen, Nai Harvest, Self Defense Family) at his Crooked Rain Studios in Leeds. Ahead of a debut album planned for later this year, the band today release the first of these new tracks - Brian Emo - and will follow up with more new material in June / July. Facebook here, Bandcamp here.

We featured Grieving three times in 2016 and with the new song 'Brian Emo' the band continue to impress. Their brand of indie meets punk is oh so, "in your face" and yet just so appealing. Heart and passion in bucket loads!

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Smith & Thell - Toast.

Background - Swedish duo Smith & Thell release bluegrass-inspired new single  "Toast" , alongside debut album "Soulprints".

"Toast" is an organic tribute to celebrating all aspects of life, is driven by an arsenal of hand-clapping and choir style vocals. the single is quite personal, an ongoing theme with Smith & Thell - the first verse is Maria singing to her mother about how she must be able to experience joy despite the grief she had to live with throughout her life. The second verse is about Victor's father leaving the family when Victor was only a few years old.

"We’ve spent the past two and a half years working on “Soulprints”. It's not just a collection of twelve songs, it is bits and pieces of ourselves and all the ups and downs we have experienced in life. We dug deep into our past trying to find closure and healing, and realized along the way that in order to heal, we had to accept and embrace our emotions, instead of hiding them. “Soulprints” is a celebration of all the emotions that make us human. This album is a true window into our soul and we are so excited to finally share it with you" - Smith & Thell. 

The pair have emerged as two of the most successful new songwriters and producers out of Sweden during the last year or two. With over 20 gold and platinum records to their name for other artists, and over 200 million streams to date, they have been slated as Sweden's "Of Monsters and Men" equivalent, after releasing upbeat, folky pop singles "Statue" and "Row" last year.Website here, Facebook here.

'Toast' is one of twelve songs on the brand new 'Soulprints' album. This really is a fabulous collection of material that might loosely be described as indie pop. In reality I think it is fair to say the album is considerably more than just that. Comprised of melodic and catchy tracks, where both the vocals and musical arrangements are pristine. A sense of natural passion and commitment is there throughout, to say this pair know how to write a fine song, really is, an understatement.

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LuckyandLove - Digging in the Earth.

Background - Los Angeles-based duo LuckyandLove have announced they will release their debut album ‘Lucky + Love’ on June 30. The lead single is ‘Digging in the Earth’, the video for which was directed and edited by cinemaphotographer and animator Steve Barron. 

These 8 electrified tracks were written when bandmates Loren Luck (drums, synths) and April Love (vocals, keyboards, guitar) were living next to a noisy construction site in Glendale, California. Here they successfully incorporate synth-heavy bass with polyphonic harmonies and crystalline vocals, propelling the music into trance-inducing territory.

Inspired by artists such as New Order, OMD, Depeche Mode, Washed Out, Tycho, PJ Harvey and Cocteau Twins, their sound falls beautifully into an everyman’s land between electro rock, dream pop, electronica and synth gaze. Justifiably also described as electrowave or indietronica, this music has, in the words of Loren Luck, “lots of LFO, riveting arpeggiations, simultaneous solos via spacey square waves, with April's smoky vocals”. 

This record is an electronic music record, but comes from a more traditional place, where OMD or Kraftwork came from – one of an unsampled, unprogrammed live recording originally at 192kHz/24-bit quality.

“Musically, as much attention was paid sonically to the organic moog instruments as April’s voice, and we offered the analog synths space in the songs to breathe to their true dynamic potential,” says Loren Luck. Website here, Facebook here.

Taken from the debut album ‘Digging in the Earth’ typifies the rich synthy sounds that exude across the collection. Atmospheric vocals and rhythmic vibes add more, despite the influences cited above, the duo carve out some desirable and distinctive songs with enough originality to claim for themselves.


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Paloma - Fish.

Background - Paloma have shared new track "Fish". The band explains that the song is "a simple piece of art dedicated to an old yet valuable friendship, stay tuned for the LA-psych band's forthcoming new EP, Luna, out soon. 

Paloma was born of the struggle to navigate the harrowing societal construct typical of suburban Los Angeles. It is the answer for learning to balance the need to make ends meet while expressing the irrepressible creativity brooding inside. The band officially began in a small bedroom studio with several ideas being deconstructed over and over again as every artist can relate to. It wasn’t until Nick and Victor invited the masterful keyboardist and local legend Steven Doman to the studio that the band finally grasped the scope of their newly created sound. In a place where one’s inherent value is often picked apart according to attributes of wealth and beauty, Paloma is truly an escapist’s musical paradise.

Luna is a (Tim Burton meets the Future of the Malibu) five track EP. The second release from Paloma is a Gothic blend consisting of psychedelic dance grooves with swampy, sad and warm melodies. It’s perfectly confused. The record was deeply influenced by various sounds born in Southern California as well as ‘Around the World’. Paloma draws inspiration from artists such as: Beach House, Daft Punk, The Weeknd, Tame Impala, Pond, Gum, Dumbo Gets Mad, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, The Beatles & Earth Wind and Fire.

"We wanted the record to fully express the feeling of living in California," the band says of the EP, "From the mountains of Malibu driving on Mulholland to the Tents surrounding 6 the street in Downtown LA. Hell, even all the people living in their vans on Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood. We have love for them all. We (Paloma) produced ‘Luna’ alongside Bob Curtin who engineered, mixed and mastered the record in Simi Valley, CA." Paloma is Victor Martinez, Steven Doman, and Nick Mariotti. Facebook here.

Psychedelic in a more refined manner 'Fish' is an addictive song, where the vocals and rhythm are hard to ignore and an underlying funk feel makes the track even more enticing.

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Hayride Casualties - The Catskills Ain't for Sale.

Background - A fresh wave of passion, energy and change is coming - and NYC's Hayride Casualties is at the forefront. Driven and defined by the political and ecological crises of our age, they're taking a stand against climate change, greedy corporations, and political discord. Their single "The Catskills Ain't for Sale" takes on the first battle. The song is a punchy, playful dedication to mountain communities in upstate New York and elsewhere, fighting to protect their home turf from fossil energy extraction and pipeline development.

Despite the tune’s hippie rock spirit, its battle cry is far from drug-induced or aimless. Instead, it delivers a cutting rebuke of the Big Oil and Gas industries’ attempts to coerce disadvantaged rural communities. As the first verse states:

You can offer job creation
You can promise reparations
Your shareholders have been patient
But the Catskills Ain’t for Sale

Momentum builds after the first chorus as a vintage organ and fuzzy lead guitar join in this thoughtfully arranged march for clean water and air. DeWald penned "The Catskills Ain’t for Sale" while volunteering with New York’s anti-fracking groups, part of a larger national movement which gained widespread attention with the help of Josh Fox’s 2010 documentary, Gasland. Although some time has passed since then, the lyrical matter finds itself, in many ways, more relevant than ever. DeWald explains how he's been personally impacted, “I have spent a lot of time in the Catskills, in the Shandoken Valley, and I have close friends up there. When I thought about my friends being bullied by these big corporations, I got really angry. I think the song reflects that.” 

Given the single’s politically charged and controversial subject matter, the vibe is refreshingly lightweight, delivered with a tongue-in-cheek bravado that demonstrates DeWald’s breadth of vocal performance styles. With fierce guitar licks, a driving rock rhythm and focused message, "The Catskills Ain’t For Sale" is a three and half minute fireball for the indie rock listener in search of music that reflects the ecological and political crises of our time.

"The Catskills Ain't for Sale" comes as the first single off Hayride Casualties upcoming release, Fossil Fuel Kid, out June 9, 2017.  It was recorded, mixed and mastered at Behind the Curtains Media studio (link) by Michael Abiuso (formerly The Venetia Fair). A number of guest musicians contributed to the record, including drummer Tim McCoy (Darwin Deez, Field Mouse, formerly Savior Adore) and bassist Chris Bordeaux (formerly The Isles and Rahim). Facebook here.

Spirited vocals and a potent beat drive 'The Catskills Ain't for Sale' forward. With intelligent lyrics and a message that is emphatically delivered, it's very pleasing to note that, the rock'n'roll vibe is also up for the task!

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So Many Wizards - JFDR - Garrett Pierce - Hayride Casualties

So Many Wizards - Before She Runs.

Background - So Many Wizards is the dreamy, jangly dream-punk project led by Nima Kazerouni. The band have shared "Before She Runs", the third track off their upcoming album. 'Heavy Vision' is due April 14 on Lolipop Records. 

What began as a solo bedroom project indebted to Syd Barrett evolved into a fully-formed band that has garnered attention from Pitchfork, Stereogum, Aquarium Drunkard, and Impose Magazine; spins on BBC 1, KCRW, and SiriusXM (courtesy of Lou Reed); festival stops at SXSW and CMJ; and US and UK tours. A week after the release of their debut album, Warm Nothing, Kazerouni’s daughter was born causing his sudden move to Tucson, Arizona, taking him 500 miles away from his bandmates. Despite the distance, the band managed to release their “Night Chills”/”Daydream” 7”, a single with Converse Rubber Tracks, and shared the stage with Thee Oh Sees, No Age, Colleen Green, Audacity, Feels, Terry Malts, Lovely Bad Things, and more.

Now as a father, the delusion of adulthood began to set in. A new collection of fears and anxieties began to creep into his psyche. This was exacerbated by a series of deaths – a family member, a best friend, and the end of an 8-year long relationship. The experience left Kazerouni spiritually exhausted, culminating in a nervous breakdown, or “nervous breakthrough.” Kazerouni was finally able to lose a grip of himself and let all the problems and anxieties that he tried so hard to ignore wash over him. It was here where Kazerouni found refuge in the idea of mortality, instilling in him a newfound determination to make the most of the present, because everyone’s life ultimately ends the same way. This emotional journey, from its dark hues to its liberated epiphany, is chronicled in Heavy Vision. Facebook here.

The vocals are buried deep within the mix and to a degree almost resonate as an additional musical instrument on 'Before She Runs' a delicious dream punk song. With refined musicianship and excellent production this is an additive song.

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JFDR - Destiny Is Upon Us.

Background - The newest video from JFDR entitled "Destiny Is Upon Us". It is the fifth track to get a video off of JFDR's recently released debut album 'Brazil'.

JFDR, the latest project from Iceland's Jófríður Ákadóttir (Samaris, Pascal Pinon, Gangly), is a blend of cyclical guitar parts, soft minimal soundscapes, and poetic wanderings of a journey that ends where it began. Drawing from classical, folk, and electronic backgrounds, JFDR amalgamates the sounds of changing seasons, her voice a current that moves through rough seas to smooth waters. But perhaps JFDR shines the most in her capacity as a wordsmith, employing rich imagery to evoke the subtle emotions embedded in each song.

“I got obsessed with her band Samaris a few years ago,” says Björk, “and then it was amazing to see her do her own stuff. She’s surrounded herself with a really authentic community of friends. There are probably about 150 musicians in Reykjavik, and groups there sort of become the opposite of each other, like, ‘Oh, that singer’s dressed like that, I better dress the opposite.’ Such is the tight-knit scene in Iceland, she continues, that “you naturally develop individuality. Also, you’ll be in a classical band and an electronic band and a metal band, and that’s okay. Everything blurs into each other, which I’m sure you can hear in Icelandic music.” - Björk, (The Guardian) ‘Björk On Her Inspirations’. Facebook here.

Our second feature for JFDR and the new video for 'Destiny Is Upon Us'. Once again we are treated to some fine imagery that allows the music to take centre stage. Original, alternative, creative and gorgeous music and just one dimension of a fabulous album.


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Garrett Pierce - These Wounds/Enough.

Background -  SF artist Garrett Pierce shares two new tracks from his forthcoming album, Dusk. Both songs deal with different kinds of heartbreak, "These Wounds" the traditional kind felt after a romantic breakup and "Enough" tackles problems Pierce faced growing up that were beyond his control - he wrote this about "Enough": "This song explores the problems people face in the Tenderloin through a first-person account.  I grew up with a mother with mental health and drug problems, and I was nearly homeless myself during my senior year of high school, so I’ve channeled my experiences to paint a picture of life on the streets.  We recorded around forty tracks of instrumentation (with multiple tracks of keyboards and guitars) to make this song the most lush on the album.”

Garrett Pierce began writing for magazines and playing in rock bands as a teen in Los Angeles before permanently relocating to the Bay Area in the early 2000’s. His first full-length album Like A Moth was a stripped down acoustic affair with guest appearances by notable songwriters Jolie Holland and Matt Bauer. Garrett then traveled and toured Europe where he was honored to support Nick Cave in Greece. With a pocketful of songs, he returned to make All Masks (Crossbill Records) - a lush album recorded in the gold rush town of Columbia, CA featuring strings, wind instruments and a cast of over ten musicians.

Garrett's 2012 record City of Sand (Narnack Records) was largely biographical, commenting on his dizzying relationship with the city and growing desire to leave for more natural settings. During this period, Garrett began splitting his time between Sonoma County and San Francisco - playing clubs throughout the bay area at night and working in the wine industry during the day.

Garrett has completed his fourth record titled Dusk which was released on April 14, 2017 in partnership with Crossbill Records (here), Facebook here.

'These Wounds' and 'Enough' are two superb songs from Garrett Pierce, an artist we first featured in early February. I was pretty certain I wanted the album on the strength of just one song, these two have sealed the deal. Exceptional songs in my opinion.


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Hayride Casualties - The Catskills Aint For Sale.

Background - Everyone would agree that we live in strange, uncertain times, yet too much of the music we listen to fails to reflect this sense back to us. Hayride Casualties is one band defined and driven by the political and ecological crises of our age.

Started in 2013 by songwriter and activist Daniel DeWald and bluegrass musician Jack Marshall, Hayride Casualties released Live at 226 Madison, a gritty, live EP of an apartment concert attended mostly by young folks working on campus fossil fuel divestment campaigns in NYC. A few months later, the band released single A Hundred Thousand Dollars a Day, a satirical ode to then Exxon Mobil CEO, Rex Tillerson.

In the summer of 2014, Marshall left the band, taking much (but not all) of the bluegrass influence with him. DeWald spent the next three years meticulously reimagining the band’s sound. Hayride’s debut full length album, Fossil Fuel Kid, is the culmination of that vision: a blend of the band’s earlier folk and bluegrass-inspired licks with DeWald’s love of hard-hitting underground and indie rock.

With a lineup including drummer Tim McCoy (Darwin Deez, formerly Savoire Adore), bassist/composer Chris Bordeaux (formerly The Aisles and Raheem), guitarist Mike Abuiso (formerly The Gay Blades, The Venetia Fair) and singer/songwriters Alex Pastuhov and Lesley Barth, Hayride Casualties are masters at creating both barebones acoustic arrangements and rock numbers that seriously rock. Lyrically, DeWald has found a home on the razor’s edge: speaking simply and definitively to the environmental and other existential crises of our time, while managing to escape the cringeworthy directness, or, overly cryptic messaging too often observed in protest music. Hayride Casualties' upcoming album is titled Fossil Fuel Kid, Facebook here, Bandcamp here.

One of ten songs from the forthcoming album release is 'The Catskills Ain't For Sale'. It's an album that can be folk and acoustic one moment, and polished indie rock the next. Musicianship is tight and of a high standard, vocals are just right whatever direction each song might take.

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