Alexa Dark - Julien Delaye - Ryan Hicks - Parks N' Recs - Alice Howe - Miesha and The Spanks - Sumaroo

Alexa Dark - Villain.

Fresh off of the back of her latest single ‘Cool For You’, Spanish/American multi-instrumentalist singer songwriter Alexa Dark has returned with brand-new track ‘Villain’, out yesterday, via AWAL. Dark’s debut EP will follow, expected for release on 24th February 2023.

‘Villain’ sounds like a classic 60s-inspired track, honing in on Dark’s influences which range from Nancy Sinatra to Portishead. A stripped back tune that would be at home on a James Bond soundtrack, Dark’s ethereal vocals and buttery lyricism envelope you, depicting a story of feeling as though she isn’t the hero in her own story, but rather watching herself self-sabotage. The track represents Dark’s desire to be good, but feeling lured in the direction of being ‘bad’ – and kind of liking it.

Dark said of the track: “‘Villain’” is realising you might be the villain of your own story. It’s accepting the shadowy parts of who you are, while hinting towards a darker, painful underlying origin story which makes the villain, the villain.”

The accompanying music video, directed by Mateo Marquez (Verité, Maude Latour), sees Dark at her most alluring in a twisted, murderous fantasy. Taking inspiration from retro Bond movies, the video aims to convey the concept of becoming the ‘villain’ that is reflected in the three-minute-long track. In an eerie dive bar, Dark (the protagonist) plays the character of an elegant femme fatale spy whose mission is to seduce and kill her lover via poison. The music video plays with the concept of time, portraying a dance of seduction throughout, while also illustrating Dark’s struggle with what she came to do and the villain she ultimately has become.

“In my song ‘Villain’, I wanted to explore the multifaceted nature of the ‘villain’ in me, and how my past obstacles, my fears of love and heartbreak, play in shaping this version of myself. I wanted this to be the lead song to my EP, as I think it captures the arc of the story I’m trying to tell throughout the seven songs - the darker side of femininity, how heartbreak and loss might shape us into being something other than ‘the hero’ in our story, and how most often times the battle between the good guy and the bad guy takes place inside of us, facing off ourselves.”

======================================================================

Julien Delaye - Ancient Monster.

“At the beginning it was a solo acoustic project with only voice and guitar…then it’s gone wild !”

Julien Delaye is a  singer-songwriter from Marseilles, France.

Former frontman of the metal band Caedes, rock band The Coyotes Dessert then Canis Majoris. The pandemic having passed by, he finds himself alone with his snippets of compositions and a new acoustic guitar which will make him return to his first inspirations. Mixing Dark Folk with gritty rock, he delivers strong melodies, sometimes tinged with a dark romanticism.

A solitary and hypnotic project, freeing itself from codes and trends, that could be described as Art Rock.

======================================================================

Ryan Hicks - Kaleidoscope.

I love music from the 60's and 70's and the psychedelic culture of that time period. I think a kaleidoscope best represents that era. What's more, I see beauty in a kaleidoscope with all its colours, shapes and patterns that come together to create something beautiful. Nothing dominates, but each part all works together to create something new and wonderful.

This song and upcoming album are written and inspired by the pandemic. I had time to look at myself and my place in the world. It is important for me to spread love in all I do and especially with my music. Like the colours of the kaleidoscope, all people, all ages and all cultures are beautiful. My dream is that like the kaleidoscope, all people can come together and see how beautiful the world is with all of our differences together. My new album is out on March 24th.

All the world waking up to a kaleidoscope
All the world comes together sharing love
Not losing hope

While I wanted to capture the spirit of the peace and love of the 60's/70's, musically I wanted this to sound fresh, contemporary and have a distinctive melody. The drum pattern of the verses sets-up up a satisfying and powerful chorus as musically all instruments build.

I love the idea of knowing exactly what the song is in seconds in the way Ringo Starr created drum parts that were compositions as much as the melodies and lyrics. Just as the lyric speaks of the world coming together, by the time we get to the outro we have all of the elements coming together in a beautiful wall of sound of choral voices, slide guitar and the lead vocal.

======================================================================

Parks N' Recs - Peace Of Mind.

Marco DiFelice is a Canadian singer, songwriter, music supervisor, and producer. In the 90's, Marco was the lead singer of the pop-punk band, Supergarage. After the band dispersed, he found his way into the world of music supervision, where he selected music for films, adverts, and television shows including Orphan Black and Lost Girl. 

Now Marco is writing songs against the backdrop of his life as Parks N' Rec. This project — a collaboration between Marco and several producers back at his own Self Titled Studios — deals with lost love, polarizing societies, and self-renewal.

Brand new track, "Peace of Mind," offers up Parks N' Rec's spin on the original by classic rockers Boston and will be included on a full-length covers set to be released this coming spring. A well-written song with a simple melody and lyrics, it reminded Marco that good music comes out of a few basic ingredients.

======================================================================

Alice Howe - What About You.

Los Angeles-based, Boston-bred, artist Alice Howe has unveiled "What About You," the playful lead single and accompanying video from her forthcoming LP Circumstance, due out April 21st.

"What About You" is a wishful thinkin' kind of song about that elusive, "perfect" relationship, one that's a deep soul connection what goes way beyond the superficial. It's about the hope of that person being out there, and honestly, do we really deserve anything less?

The golden-voiced singer-songwriter recorded “What About You” and other 10 gems on Circumstance in the hallowed halls of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where she felt the spirits of those icons whose voices once shook those walls - Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and more. The album is a gorgeous testament to the power of an artist's creative evolution, when she finds the place where she's always meant to be.

======================================================================

Miesha and The Spanks - It's My Year.

Miesha & the Spanks have returned with their first single of the year ‘It’s My Year’ via Mint Records. The new release is fresh off the back of their recent singles, ‘Dig Me Out’ and ‘I Can’t Wait’, and is taken from their upcoming full-length album, ‘Unconditional Love In Hi-Fi’ slated for release 14th April 2023.

Doin’ it all for the glam, and their new home label Mint Records, the Calgary-based duet smashes through the subterfuge of self-doubt like a house of mirrors. A John Hughes movie come to life, Miesha’s siren to banshee self-actualisation manifests in an array of fervent guitar riffs and the rhythmic method of Sean Hamilton’s cardiac-arrest-reversing percussion.

Recorded at the world-renowned National Music Centre (Calgary AB) under the capable ears of producers Daniel Farrant (The Buzzcocks) and Paul Rawson, this new single and its accompanying video cast a golden glow of optimism over the future.

Flourishing alongside alt-rock show ponies Wet Leg, Alvvays, Fleshwater, Black Mountain and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Miesha & The Spanks are set to shatter expectations in 2023. It’s a new era, and Joan Jett and Cyndi Lauper are the preeminent deities of divadom. Get primed to unpack your hot pants and freestyle your way through the roaring twenties. The sparkling single, ‘It’s My Year’, pops the cork on endless possibilities with sassy, coquettish vocals and a decadent carpe diem vibe.

Speaking of the new single, Louie said: “I started this song as sort of an ode to my niece who was having a hard time with some friends in her small town, and I wanted to pump her up a little. But it also brought me back to when I was a pre-teen and having my own trouble with friends in my small town, and at first you always feel like you’re the problem, the weird one, but ultimately you’ve just got imagination and big ideas and you want more out of life. So this song’s really for all the weirdos who want more.”

======================================================================

Sumaroo - No One Likes The Kid.

"No One Likes The Kid'' is the first single from Sumaroo's upcoming Piggyback EP (out March 17th).

A Canadian indie-folk artist of Mauritius descent, Sumaroo previously released 2017’s Do You Notice EP, a set of five songs that included double-tracked vocals from Sumaroo warmly tucked in with other instruments.

======================================================================

A. Johanson - Paul Maged - Future Cavemen - Miesha and The Spanks - Martha

A. Johanson - Fragments.

Today A. Johanson releases his single 'Fragments'. After 'Parade' and 'Your Eyes' it is the third track from his debut album 'Who Are We Fooling'.

Fragments' is a true dark indie song, reaching straight for the heart. "It’s about how your life can feel as if it is broken into pieces when things are not lining up" says A. Johanson. The song pulsates through all these emotions with haunting vocals, building up to a carefully arranged moving string section.

If he could, he would take you on a road trip through the Scandinavian nature while listening to his music. Slowly evolving roots music in the car, a little folk song by the fireplace in a wooden hut, soaked in melancholy. That's what A. Johanson sounds like, an indie folk artist from Utrecht, the Netherlands. Whether it's just him and his guitar, or a soundscape where you can dream away.

After releasing his self-produced, recorded and mixed debut EP 'Little Lies' at the end of 2019 and scoring a streaming hit in 2020 with the song 'October, Halfway July', A. Johanson started working on his first full-length record in early 2021. This debut album, 'Who Are We Fooling', is expected to be released in October 2022.

Revanche Records · A. Johanson - Fragments

============================================================================

Paul Maged - Everything's Gonna Be Alright.

Veteran NYC-Based Singer Songwriter Paul Maged always has something profound to express, whether it's hard-hitting and politically charged or emotionally charged and positive. His hyper-catchy new single "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" leans towards the latter tendency, themed on gratitude and seizing the moment, a message we all could use right now. Paul's songwriting is about as versatile as they come, and this new single finds him stretching lyrically, musically, and generally in life as he finds the positive message within a space of doubt and fear. Paul's songwriting pedigree comes from artists like Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Billie Joe Armstrong, all writers who evolve and adapt to modern times without shying away from speaking their truth. Effortlessly fresh, care-free, motivational and inspired, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is the perfect anthem for these pessimistic times.

“After completing and releasing my last album, ‘Culture War’, I was emotionally spent. I wasn’t sure I wanted to write or release any more music. At the same time I really started to reconnect to the energy of New York City. So many people wrote about the demise of NYC during the pandemic, saying it would never come back the same. But to me, it never left. I went to a bunch of my old stomping grounds and each one inspired something different in me. I started writing again and this song poured out of me in less than a couple of hours. Lyrically I wanted something that combined the romanticism and grittiness of NYC with feelings of positivity, love and gratefulness.”

“This new song has a real funky vibe. I wanted something different, not as hard-edged guitar wise. I wanted more of a groove, I wanted something that would emote toe taps and finger snaps.”

“I needed a fresh feel and vibe for this song so I wanted to work with someone new on the engineering side. I met Dan Konopka from the Grammy winning band ‘OK Go’ and we hit it off. Dan mixed and mastered the song and I feel like he captured the exact energy that I wanted”

============================================================================

Future Cavemen - Battle Scars.

Following his beguiling EP ‘II’ released earlier this year, the new cut sees Future Cavemen blend enigmatic riffs with wonky electronics that tingle with electricity and squirm amidst fuzzy reverb and jangling percussion.

“Battle Scars” owes to a range of retro influences whilst simultaneously making a break for the offbeat allure of the future. Written in a 1970s block of flats hemmed in by Clissold Park on one side and continuous building works on the other, Future Cavemen explains of the track’s inception:

“Recording new ideas was tricky because there were only small windows of time to make noise without disturbing neighbours or having my efforts swallowed by relentless engine noise. I was getting into mangling electronic stock beats and making them my own. Taking something pristine, tame, pretty lifeless .. And making it raw and energetic, violent.”

With words that are just as intriguing as its melodies, “Battle Scars” comes as further evidence of the solo artist taking steps beyond his comfort zone and exploring ways of writing and music-making that go far beyond the norm. He adds:

“Lyrics just seem to happen like a subconscious brainstorm. In that sense, the song sort of writes itself. Bukowksi once said: ‘Don’t try. Not for Cadillacs, creation or immortality.’ I find this comforting.”

============================================================================

Miesha and The Spanks - I Can't Wait.

On the heels of their April release ‘Dig Me Out’ - an emotional and heavy-hearted ode to   the lost children of North American residential schools - Miesha & The Spanks are ready to shed some weight and break into summer with high energy new single ‘I Can’t Wait’.

Known for their bold and explosive sound, ’I Can’t Wait’ sees the pair deliver a fun and raucous slice of garage-rock gold, brimming with vibrant textures. Produced by The Buzzcocks’ Danny Farrant and channelling their diverse array of power-pop and punk influences, this new release sees Miesha & The Spanks in renewed spirits - a taste of what’s to come as they work to complete their upcoming full length album.

On their new single, Miesha says, “‘I Can’t Wait’ is meant to be a sweet summer jam, somewhere between a fond callback to summer shenanigans and daydreaming about what’s coming up next. We’ve got some laid-back garage beats, big gang vocals and oohs, hand claps, tambourine - good vibes are all over this one.”

“I think writing I Can’t Wait had a particular challenge. It’s a song with so many good parts and it’s hard to not overplay on everything,” Sean elaborates on the recording process, “It would be fun to have rippin’ drum fills over all the pauses and screeching lead guitar over the chorus - but just getting out of the way of how the song naturally wanted to settle was the right thing to do.“

miesha & the spanks · I Can't Wait

============================================================================

Martha - Beat Perpetual.

Pity-Me, UK’s finest, Martha (come on, you know who they are by now) return with a brand new 7”! The A side is called “Beat, Perpetual”. Warning: it’s catchy. 

The B side is called “Dreaming Out Loud”, is a cover of Wisconsin rock band Tenement, and is exclusive to this EP. Warning: it’s also catchy. This 7” is a one-time only pressing of 500 copies (300 on black, 200 on blue), and will never, ever be repressed. Order it through Dirtnap Records.

"Beat Perpetual" was recorded at JT Soar Nottingham. It was produced by 'Bad' Phil Booth and mixed by Phil along with Rich Collins and Rob Newman. It was mastered by Dave Williams. The B side is a cover of a song by the Wisconsin rock band Tenement. That one was recorded by Neil Combstock at Rocking Horse in Durham, and mastered by Dave Williams.

Miesha and the Spanks - Jaelee Roberts - The Neighbourhood Watch - Hadda Be

Miesha and the Spanks - I Want Fire.

Miesha & The Spanks offer a dynamic mixture of punk, garage and hard rock embellished with straightforward lyrics, gritty production and hard hitting performances. Inspired by proto punk classics like The Runaways, MC5 and The Stooges, and 90s riot grrrl/grunge like L7 and The Gits, M&TS conjure an energy that hits you in the face, throwing you into a world of killer riffs and sweaty gig venues.

Originally a punk rock kid from the East Kootenays, front-woman Miesha Louie started this project a decade ago after moving to big city Calgary, AB. She toured and released like crazy, building momentum and a reputation for her DIY approach, with any drummer up for the challenge. Joined by Sean Hamilton five years ago, he brought big Bonham style that’s intuitive like John Freese, always creating the right feel for the song.

Recorded in Brighton UK, their 2018 release Girls Girls Girls was produced by Danny Farrant of punk legends The Buzzcocks. The album reached #1 on Earshot!’s National Loud charts, and had singles hit #7 on CBC 3’s R3-30, and #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown. It received multiple adds on SiriusXM Canada, and was even given attention from Rodney Bingenheimer’s Sirius XM show in the US. At the YYC Music Awards, Girls Girls Girls brought home Rock Recording Of The Year and Single Of The Year (“Summer Love”), as well as securing Miesha as Female Artist Of The Year.

Taking a brief hiatus while Miesha birthed twins, M&TS are back with their next release, Singles EP. While the Covid-19 pandemic did slow down production, the duo have put their full weight behind first singles “Unstoppable” and “Wanna Feel Good” – a juggernaut garage rock banger and a gritty fuzzed out anthem, respectively – reminding us that sometimes head first, full throttle, is the only way to get it done. Both songs received adds to SiriusXM Canada’s CBC Radio 3 and Indigenous Peoples’ Radio, with features on The Verge and Rodney Bingenheimer Show. Wanna Feel Good charted Top 10 on the Indigenous Music Countdown.

What was meant to be a mixed tape of self-serving, standalone tracks for radio and licensing, Singles EP instead became a collection of songs influenced by the immediate life-changing effects of life during lockdown. Working with Western Canadian Music Award winning artist/producer Leeroy Stagger was meant to reign in Miesha & The Spanks, to clean up the noise for crisp, polished songs – but visited from the ghost of punk rock past, Stagger instead turned it up (way up) and imbued their crunchy mono-guitar sound with extra doses of fuzz and feedback, guaranteed to get the blood pumping.

“I Want Fire” is the third single coming in hot ahead of Singles EP, boasting a catchy as hell chorus, and conjuring the urge to explode we’re all feeling after nearly a year of restrictions and lockdowns. For those who want to burn it all down or light it up, I Want Fire is open to interpretation. This song rocks hard, and serves as a strong representation of what’s to come.

Miesha and the Spanks · I Want Fire

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jaelee Roberts - Something You Didn't Count On.

Hearing a new talent finding her voice is always an exciting musical moment, and though “Something You Didn’t Count On” might not be Jaelee Roberts’ literal debut, it marks her arrival on the scene in a way that almost demands recognition. With support from award-winning bassist/producer Tim Surrett (Balsam Range) and a group of supremely skilled and empathetic musicians, Roberts’ first single for Mountain Home Music Company more than fulfills every expectation for the young singer-songwriter.

“Jaelee’s is a name you should remember. I’ve got a feeling we’ll be hearing it a lot in the future,” says hit country singer/songwriter and 2-time IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Shawn Camp, and he’s right. “Something You Didn’t Count On” underlines the point, offering both the song itself — co-written with another grass-inflected singer-songwriter, Theo MacMillan — and a confident performance that stands out boldly from the music supplied by an all-star crew that includes Surrett; 2-time Mandolin Player of the Year, Alan Bibey; 5-time Banjo Player of the Year, Kristin Scott Benson; guitarist Tony Wray (Blue Mafia, John Cowan Band) and fiddler Jimmy Mattingly (Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, The Grascals).

“‘Something You Didn’t Count On’ is about anything that happens in life unexpectedly,” says Roberts. “The main theme is about love coming out of nowhere, but it really has so many underlying meanings, and that’s why I love the song so much. The melody and lyrics came to Theo and I pretty quickly and, interestingly, the storyline comes from either the male or female perspective. I think my favorite line in the song is ‘you don’t always look for what you find’ which is the focus of what the song is all about!”

Indeed, while the group turns in typically burnished backing, energetic solos and razor-sharp harmonies from Flatt Lonesome’s Paul and Kelsi Harrigill, Roberts is in full command as she delivers the song’s well-crafted story of an unexpected love capable of sweeping past every doubt and obstacle. And though it’s more providential than deliberate, “Something You Didn’t Count On” may serve, too, as a metaphor for the jump start the single should give to her career.

Syntax Creative · Jaelee Roberts - "Something You Didn't Count On"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Neighbourhood Watch - Lost In Bloom (Album).

Our brand new album, Lost in Bloom, is about three things: abandoning arrogance, resenting the people we loved, and being scared of growing up. A collection of profound changes and adjustments have happened over the past two years, in all of our lives. Whether it was deep self-reflection on how we treated our friends, relationships ending, or the anxiety of a global pandemic – the years between 19 and 21 were eventful.

The song, "20 Year Dream," is about being happy for the people you used to love. Accepting that you were standing in the way of their growth—and that they’re better off without you. My favourite lyric is you've got your own sense of loving, and it let me down. I wrote this track sitting in a garden in Johannesburg, tipsy from an evening at a rooftop bar in Maboneng. I had just cried after a hard call, recognizing that I was letting so many of the people I love down.

Let's reflect on how our energy has the power to make others either feel warm and loved, or cold and rejected. Whether it's actual adolescence or arrested development, a lot of us aren't conscious enough of our impact and responsibility in the world. It's such simple things. How you share good news. How you argue with your significant other. Make space for the people you love to say what they need to say, and be who they need to be.

Lost in Bloom is about a few young men learning that growing up isn't about ambition, but rather kindness. - The Neighbourhood Watch.

The Neighbourhood Watch · Lost In Bloom

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hadda Be - Another Life.

Hadda Be (formerly Foundlings) walks the line of early 90's fuzzy indiepop, reaching for the stars britpop, and somehow still finding ways to keep it all danceable and sharp. 

The band was formed under the name Foundlings in 2018, spread across joint hometowns of South London and Brighton. Their first two singles, ‘Misery’ and ‘Horizon’, received generous airplay on BBC 6 Music and Radio X, as well as Melita Dennett’s BBC Introducing the South. The following year saw the release of the band’s debut, eponymously-titled EP via their new record label, Last Night From Glasgow. In support of the release, the band took to the road, performing at festivals across the UK and selling out their two release shows at the Sebright Arms (London) and Stereo (Glasgow).

In 2020, with the departure of the band’s original bass player, a new member, a recent introduction to parenthood, a debut album in the works, brexit-induced political turmoil, coronavirus and a US trademark dispute to boot, the newly replenished four-piece made the change to Hadda Be. Taken from Allen Ginsberg’s poem Hadda Be Playing on the Radio , the new name reflects a fresh outlook for the band, a keener understanding of its sound and a heightened sense of purpose.

The aptly titled Another Life , the band’s forthcoming debut album, was recorded in five days at Brighton Road Studios in between the two national lockdowns. The intention of the album was to create a body of work that captures the energy and spirit of the band, something that sets them apart: “There’s a vibrancy and an energy to our live shows, a distinct personality that we wanted to immortalise in our debut album. The songs were mostly recorded live, with some overdubs here and there. Due to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, the recording of the album was delayed twice. By the time we finally managed to get into the studio, we had the songs down to an extent that we recorded most of them in only a few takes.” That immediacy is palpable throughout the album, the band achieving what they set out to do, capturing their spirit over the course of five intense and unforgettable days.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miesha and The Spanks - Macajey - Gasoline Lollipops - PainKillers

Miesha and The Spanks have released 'Unstoppable' and the "high octane garage rock description" is well deserved and considering that they have been around since 2008, the energy levels are something else. === Macajey shares 'Mornin' which is a melodic and fresh indie song, with a beautiful vibe running throughout. === Gasoline Lollipops have shared the title track from their next album 'All The Misery Money Can Buy' due in September, it's a slick mixture of Americana and refined rock that bodes well for the album. === PainKillers brand new song 'Live Your Dreams' starts out gently enough, but hold on to your hats, this builds with musical layers and some feisty passion.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miesha and The Spanks - Unstoppable.

Miesha & The Spanks are a high octane garage rock duo from Calgary AB, made up of rock n roll matriarch Miesha Louie and her partner in crime, the hardest hitting Sean Hamilton on drums. Together they draw inspiration from classics like The Runaways, L7, and The Buzzcocks to create some modern noise that’s catchy enough to raise a fist and sing along.

Noise Journal describes them as “a filthy rocket of pure jet-fuel up the nostril, with surf rock sensibilities, a grunge groove and hair metal swagger,” while Canadian Beats called their last album “reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age meets The Animals – a certain coolness about it, making it impossible to forget.”

They’ve made a name for themselves as a band that really goes for it. Since Miesha created The Spanks in 2008, she’s opened every door, and taken advantage of each opportunity that’s come her way. Tour after tour down Canadian highway to play every small town and big city, with as many drummers as are up to the task, until landing someone crazy enough to stick around.

While the Covid-19 pandemic did slow down production, Miesha & The Spanks have put their full weight behind first single "Unstoppable" – a juggernaut garage rock banger, reminding us that sometimes head first, full throttle, is the only way to get it done.

miesha & the spanks · Unstoppable

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Macajey - Mornin'.

Mornin’ is a new track by Macajey that aims to give a template of a day, one that for him personally, would be perfect.  “One thought to start the day, breath in and out. Easily. Freely” sets the tone for the whole day with a sense of calm. “2 steps, you’re on your way.

It’s not so hard.  Keep it simple, and a little bit mystical”, life doesn’t have to be so hard it can in fact be simple, and always allowing room for unexpected surprises to come into your life.  So in one moment, let some peace in, give a kiss to your loved ones, and just for now, don’t think and have a little hope.

Macajey's music has been described as organic, uplifting psychedelic, folktronica with emotional ranges from energetic, feel- good dance tracks to transcendental, sonic meditations. The music is infused with the landscape tones of his two home bases; the dry mirage laden heat of California summers and the dim lit winters of Estonia.

Macajey · Mornin'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gasoline Lollipops - All The Misery Money Can Buy.

On their web site, the Gasoline Lollipops slot themselves among the alt-country crowd, and the rock crowd, and the Americana crowd. It’s not that they can’t make up their minds, it’s that they don’t concern themselves with being pigeonholed, so you needn’t either.

“For so long I thought we had to have a genre,” says front man/songwriter/visionary Clay Rose. “At first it was a cow-punk band, then I needed a rock band, then a folk rock band, then I needed a country band, then I needed an Americana band. But I guess coloring inside the lines is not in my cards.” Bully for that. Outside the lines is where things get interesting.

It’s a necessary evil to liken an artist to a better-known commodity, so how about the Jayhawks (with balls) and Nick Drake? Tom Petty and Leonard Cohen meeting for coffee. James McMurtry remaking the Black Crowes in his own image. A side-salad of Muscle Shoals with a tangy dash of Stax. Yadda yadda. Short answer, the Gas Pops sound like the United States of America.

The songs on their new album, All the Misery Money Can Buy (due out on September 11, 2020 on Soundly Music), back it up. In sturdy, hard-bitten, no-nonsense elegies, Clay takes snapshots of dusty wanderlust. It’s all masterfully concise, with 11 songs populated by restless souls who live entire lives in three minutes, mining triumph out of desperation, chasing the American Dream, and “choking on a pot of gold.” “What I took from Leonard Cohen was the value of a word,” Clay says, “If it’s not needed, it doesn’t go on the page. You whittle a lyric down to its essence, say it once, and that’s enough.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PainKillers - Live Your Dreams.

“Live Your Dreams” is the second single from the recent debut album “Storyteller” by the punk-rock band PainKillers.

The song is a Punk-Rock ballad arranged in a modern key, with sweet, melodic and at the same time scratchy sounds.

 The album “Storyteller” from which the single is taken, recently released via Valery Records and distributed by Audioglobe, is available in the best record stores, on iTunes & Apple Music, on Spotify and on every streaming platform and digital stores.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marey - The Bergamot - Miesha and The Spanks - Marinho

Marey are from Switzerland and have released 'Synthetic' the first single from their upcoming second album due out next year. The song is a mixture of lush electronica and dreamy vocals, with the arrangement adding even more depth. 

We have a couple of songs from The Bergamot namely 'Young Again' and 'Bones'. Taken from the duos recent 'Mayflies' album, the two tracks give some indication of the differing directions and style their music has, the constant level of creativity is impressive, as well as award winning.

Miesha and The Spanks have just released 'The Girls Are O.K' which is a feisty rocker with some classic punk vibes, and bags of potent energy.

Portuguese alternative folk-rock artist, Marinho, has unveiled the new single and video, 'I Give Up and It’s O.k' from her upcoming debut album. Melodic and quite catchy the lyrics are reflective, the vibe relaxed and additively pleasing. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marey - Synthetic. 

Since 2016, the band has been constantly reinventing itself and embarking on an ever more complex and in-depth musical research. Above all, the love of creation prevails, without barriers, without taboos and without the desire to please or affiliate with a particular style.

The independence and DIY aspect that the group wants to keep allows them to free themselves from codes. If we can recognize in their latest creations some influences of electronica and modern trip hop, the band stands out for their experimentation and their willingness to surprise and disturb.

Their texts and music are aimed at what is hidden deep within us and human nature. To plunge into this universe is to enter a lunatic world, between dream like light and gloomy coldness, between calm and violence. A macrocosm of questions rather than answers where nothing is permanent except the music and everything it contains.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Bergamot - Young Again / Bones.

Emmy Award-winning duo The Bergamot release new record Mayflies produced by legendary engineer/producer Matt Wiggins (UK). The sterling stream of singles released this year has set the world stage for The Bergamot. The new album, Mayflies is set to be the biggest release in the group's history. The band has announced a full U.S. tour this fall, more music videos upcoming, all the while the band's fanbase grows by the day. It's been an overnight success that has been 10 years in the making.

The Bergamot's journey began on October 20th, 2017. The Bergamot released their dreamy anthem P.D.R. (Both Records LLC). The single launched the band's career who was discovered by Matt Wiggins (Adele, U2, Florence and the Machine) and then went on to achieve great reviews being called "The hottest emerging music talent" (People) and "a gorgeous sound" (Daily Mirror) and the "Best of 2019" on Where the Music Meets and mp3hugger.

In recent months, The Bergamot revealed a fully animated music video for "One Mile" and the fascinating "Bones" video filmed by evolve Films. The "Bones" music video was filmed underwater and marks a poignant message about depressions and suicide. The glitches of the video reflect a fragmented perspective and touch the viewer in an empathetic and revealing way. After making the band's UK debut in The Daily Record and The Daily Mirror, the band is being heralded as "one of 2019 finest" (mp3hugger), "Best of 2019" Where the Music Meets, and a band that "We’ve been lauding for years" (Atwood Magazine).


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miesha and The Spanks - The Girls Are O.K.

Based in Treaty 7 Territory, Miesha & The Spanks have been making a name for themselves as Calgary’s louder-than-you-might-think, non-stop touring machines. They’ve been described as “a fast, nasty, sexy slab of riff-fuelled Runaways rock, clad in spit-polished black leather and bursting with sass and singalong swagger”— as portrayed by rock n roll matriarch Miesha Louie and her partner in crime, the hardest hitting Sean Hamilton on drums.

Miesha created The Spanks back in 2008 as a means to control her destiny— a specific brand of rock grown from her punk rock roots and nurtured by her own experiences and story-telling, and a career heavy in touring and vinyl. No more band break-ups and lost songs — Miesha & The Spanks would do what it wanted as long as Miesha had the fever. Earlier EP’s were released via Winnipeg’s Transistor 66, before the resurrection of Calgary’s Saved By Vinyl — a local boutique label, and current home to MATS, Astral Swans, and Eamon McGrath.

Their 2018 release Girls Girls Girls was produced by Danny Farrant of UK Punk Legends The Buzzcocks. The album reached #1 on Earshot!’s National Loud charts, and had singles hit #7 on CBC 3’s R3-30, and #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown. It was also given regular attention by Rodney Bingenheimer’s Sirius XM show Rodney On The Rock. Girls Girls Girls saw Miesha & The Spanks on the cover of Alberta’s Beatroute Magazine, accompanied by 30 dates across Canada, and festival appearances at Blizzard Music Fest (Rossland BC), Canadian Music Week (Toronto), Sled Island (Calgary), Rifflandia (Victoria BC), Halifax Pop Explosion (Halifax), Big Winter Classic (Calgary), The Great Escape (Brighton UK), FOCUS Wales (Wrexham UK), and Breakout West (Whitehorse YK).

Late 2019 into early 2020 will see the release of a series of singles, beginning with The Girls Are O.K.— an ode to the pre-teen cis, trans, and non-binary girls that Miesha works with at Girls Rock Camp Calgary year after year. Then, get ready for a solid spring touring schedule in Canada, the US, UK, and EU. MATS have played as direct support to such acts as Queens Of The Stone Age, Death From Above 1979, Hot Snakes, Propagandhi, Pack AD, White Lung, Reignwolf, and more.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinho - I Give Up and It's OK.

Portuguese alternative folk-rock artist, Marinho, has unveiled the new single and video, “I Give Up and It’s Ok,” from her upcoming debut LP, ~ (read tilde).

Born in Lisbon and raised in front of the TV, Filipa Marinho had plenty of early exposure to American cartoons and mid-90's movies, as well as an intimacy with Hollywood’s views on love, relationships, and overall human nature. Growing up in an emotionally abusive household, Marinho was exposed to things a child should never be exposed to, causing her to live in fear of not being loved and accepted.

Sadness and abandonment phobia are themes that she tackles on ~, in addition to her sexuality and feminism. Tracks like “I Give Up and It’s Ok” find Marinho letting go of the idealized person that she thought she wanted to be in relationships, and gaining new strength and a will to finally take up space.

Recorded at Black Sheep Studios and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova (Father John Misty, Marlon Williams, Feist, Andy Shauf), ~ is constructed from the simplicity of the roots of American folk music, with lush, cinematic tinges. The first single, “Ghost Notes,” made a splash on major Portuguese radio stations as well as Spotify and Apple Music playlists such as “Fresh Finds: Six Strings” and “New Music Friday,” and “Breaking Alternative,” respectively. The momentum continued to build with the release of “Window Pain,” which premiered on VICE Portugal, and Marinho spent the spring and summer touring in anticipation of the album.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------