BEEHIVE CANDY

Ratboys - Control. Background - Chicago's Ratboys, led by singer/guitarist Julia Steiner and guitarist Dave Sagan, will release its sophomore album entitled GN on June 30th (Topshelf Records). Drawing influence from the down-to-earth sincerity of late-90s Sheryl Crow and the confessional confidence of Kim Deal and Jenny Lewis, the songs on GN (aka ‘goodnight’) “largely detail experiences of saying goodbye, finding your way home, and then figuring out what the hell to do once you’re back,” says Steiner. The Fader, who premiered the album's first single, "Control" says "the song is a perfect example of the special, personal nature of their music.​" GN offers a bevy of tales, laments and triumphs, which recount near-tragedies by the train tracks, crippling episodes of loneliness, remembrances of a deceased family pet with freezer burn, and on and on. The songs shift and breathe as worlds all their own, tied together by the group’s self-proclaimed ‘post-cou...

The Bad Signs - Blue Love Background - Like the soundtrack to a cult film that doesn’t exist, The Bad Signs are three acclaimed artists’ ode to all that is cool. Brainchild of guitarist Nat Rufus, The Bad Signs are a seedy tribute to the fringe culture of 1960’s America – the beatniks, the beehives, the bikers, the whole scene.  After ten years touring with twin brother and songwriting partner Rob Rufus in the punk rock band Blacklist Royals, inspiration struck as Rob took time off the road to edit his memoir, Die Young With Me (Simon & Schuster). “I got the idea from this old black and white photograph,” says Nat.  “It was from ’67, just two teenagers on a motorcycle, but I wanted to start a band that sounded the way that photo looked, you know?  Like vintage rebel youth.”  The twins enlisted alt-country mainstay Samantha Harlow on lead vocals, roundly praised by Rolling Stone, CMT, and America Songwriter – her haunting performances brought something uniq...