We have already featured a couple of impressive tracks from Suzy and The Lifeguard 'Anima' E.P due May 1st and now we have a third song entitled 'Loolluby', which is a calm and dreamy ballad. === We have to go back to January 2017 for the last appearance of Richard Edwards on Beehive Candy still the new song coincidentally entitled 'January' makes for a fine return, it's a beautifully textured and melodic piece. === Following on from 'Do You Love Me Lately' Emily Keener returns with 'Boats' ahead of the album, 'I Do Not Have to Be Good', due out May 22, the new song is gentle, sincere and intimate folk music.
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Suzy and The Lifeguard - Loolluby.
Mental health is seemingly being torn apart at the seams amongst the Covid-19 crisis. Suzy & the Lifeguard’s new ballad, “Loolluby,” presents a soothing elixir, while also questioning what is real and what isn’t in the battle within mental illness. “Loolluby” will be released on April 6. It’s off the EP, ANIMA, produced by Grammy award-winning recording and mix engineer, Phil Joly (Patti Smith, Lana Del Rey, Daft Punk).
“Loolluby” serves as a melancholy backdrop to its darker meaning. Paradise’s vocals comfort as they fade in and out of focus, mirroring the inner drawing in and out of a person grappling with mental illness. Keys gently twinkle, punctuating that dream-like state where the struggle with reality exists for the person suffering from mental illness and the loved ones impacted by it. “Loolluby” snaps in and out of reality as Paradises soothing vocals transform into a haunting interlude on the song’s bridge when she sings, “Wasn’t if different / didn’t it matter.” Suzy Paradise says, “It basically describes loving someone who is ‘there’ and then suddenly not; how that prompts you to question what is real.”
The chorus encapsulates the overall message of the song: “ So I keep digging underneath / You’re there deep down / You have to be / Or was I just imagining? / You seem so far away.” It enacts Bob Marley’s message, “My home is in my dome” within three key points. We can self-soothe by seeking refuge from an otherwise chaotic world by looking inward. We can find peace by not needing anything from others. And we can exude unconditional love and be happy with an experience regardless of the outcome.
The ANIMA EP due out May 1, embarks on a shadowed journey of neon nightlife and moody ambiance. Recorded in Kauai at a friend’s chocolate farm/music studio, Paradise says, “It’s vibier than the last record. It’s a bit darker overall, but it’s also still silly and fun. I feel like it’s an honest reflection of not only what I have experienced in the last five years but also the fun and magical space we were in.”
Today Richard Edwards has announced his new album The Soft Ache And The Moon will be released on June 12th. Edwards has also shared a lyric video for the single "January." Both graceful and impassioned, "January" blends introspective, searching lyrics with lush orchestration to create a compelling lead album track. Edwards is the former frontman and guitarist for Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, who released six albums between 2006-2014.
"I wrote this song, like so many on the record, while dancing alone in my house," writes Edwards. "I had an idea that by moving the body while singing, my melodies might bend and twist in ways they hadnʼt during years of sedentary writing. I was correct. The song is about a reoccurring dream when Iʼm sick."
The Soft Ache And The Moon was produced by Richard Edwards and Mike Bloom, and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Greg Calbi (Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour, Tame Impala's The Slow Rush). Reflecting on the album's creation, Edwards writes, "As has been the unfortunate case for the past few years of my life, upon getting started on a new record, I fell ill and had to make other plans.
I built a small studio in my house, where I was stuck for over a year of illness, and worked on finishing it long distance with my Los Angeles based band. It is more or less about things never quite getting back to normal after a personal cataclysm. And hopefully its actually about more than that, too."
Cleveland indie-folk artist, Emily Keener, announces the April 13 single release of “Boats.” Through tender, breathy vocals Keener reflects a snapshot in time, capturing what it feels to be safe and understood. It’s off the album, I Do Not Have to Be Good, due out May 22.
Keener wrote “Boats” after sailing Lake Erie on a summer night under the stars. It was her first time on a sailboat; everything was calm and there weren’t any other boats or people in sight. That peaceful tranquility exudes every note even as the chorus releases and the song concludes into a feedback-soaked space. She says, “I wanted to write a song that was so simple, just about appreciating the loves in your life and the moments we get lucky enough to end up in every now and again.”
On her upcoming album, I Do Not Have to Be Good, Keener colors her plaintive and introspective lyricism with a frailty that longs for connection and understanding. When Keener began working on the new album with Dalton Brand at WaveBurner Recording, she consciously broke away from the belief in perfection and purity as being necessary, or even possible.
Suzy and the Lifeguards first graced our site pretty much a month ago to the day and return with the delightful and relaxing indie pop song 'Take It Slow'. === Weird Milk make their third appearance here with todays release 'Is That Love' and the band again serve up some melodic and original indie rock. === If you fancy some timeless hook filled rock then Dramamama comfortably fulfill that with 'End Of The Line'. === Accompanied by a video that picks up on the songs story Christy Lynn Band have just shared 'Checkin In' a fabulous country rocker that exudes feeling. === Victoria+Jean have released 'Imbecile' (Featuring Romain Humeau) and it's a dramatic, dusky and addictive electro pop piece. === Another song released today comes from Orpine and is entitled 'Sondern' and it's simply wonderful, the duos modern folk centred song twists and turns with charm and natural feeling. === Last month we featured 'High Times In The Dark'and promised to share some more from The Claudettes ahead of their new album and so it's with pleasure to present 'Declined' a song whose sentiments I fear are more than a little familiar for plenty of people.
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Suzy and the Lifeguards - Take It Slow.
On Suzy & the Lifeguard’s new single, “Take it Slow”, Paradise’s sultry vocals tease the dark corners with a flirty embrace, while horns elicit visions of a forbidden romance. It’s off the EP, ANIMA, produced by Grammy award-winning recording and mix engineer, Phil Joly (Patti Smith, Lana Del Rey, Daft Punk).
“Take it Slow” tantalizes the senses, prickling and puncturing in waves of seduction, while allure and regret perform a slow tango. It’s the dichotomy between desiring love and succumbing to lust. Paradise enchantingly beckons, “ We both say we’ll take it slow / As I am taking you back home.” Passion falls prey to remorse as she sings, “Nobody wins when we play games. “
The ANIMA EP due out May 1, embarks on a shadowed journey of neon nightlife and moody ambiance. Recorded in Kauai at a friend’s chocolate farm/music studio, Paradise says, “It’s vibier than the last record. It’s a bit darker overall, but it’s also still silly and fun. I feel like it’s an honest reflection of not only what I have experienced in the last five years but also the fun and magical space we were in.
Suzy Paradise created Suzy & the Lifeguard as an alter-ego multi-media music project. Award-winning songwriter, producer, and recording artist Bleu McAuley (Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Michelle Branch) co-wrote and produced the self-titled debut EP released in 2015. In 2016, she was nominated in the 14th Annual International Music Awards for “Best Jazz Song with Vocals.” Suzy & the Lifeguard will release ANIMA on May 1, 2020. Paradise funded the release by assisting creatives including Andrew Garfield, Sarah Silverman, and Andrea Arnold (Big Little Lies 2). She also worked behind the screen on “Battle of the Sexes”(Fox Searchlight), “JOY”(Fox 2000), “Black Mirror”(Netflix), and “Masterminds” (Relativity).
Hurtling into 2020 with their boldest and brashest release to date, London baroque pop experts Weird Milk share reflective new cut ‘Is That Love?’, out February 26th.
Capitalising on a whirlwind twelve months that’s seen the band firmly establish their status amongst the emerging indie elite, ‘Is That Love?’ follows acclaimed recent singles ‘Anything You Want’, ‘Honey, I’m Around’ and ‘Time Machine’, having already attracted widespread praise across the BBC Radio 1/6 Music airwaves (Annie Mac, Jack Saunders, Steve Lamacq), as well as gaining the approval of numerous key industry gatekeepers.
With several impressive support slots ticked off alongside the likes of Alfie Templeman, Frank Carter and Pip Blom in recent times, Weird Milk’s assured live show continues to show striking developments, and will be displayed in full force on their UK support tour alongside fellow risers APRE later this month, before the quartet’s much-touted debut trip stateside for SXSW.
Discussing their newest offering, songwriter and drummer Charlie Glover-Wright explained: “The song itself is about a relationship turning sour as a lemon and the main character realising that they don’t need it anymore and they’ll be better off on their own”.
After a 5-year long distance relationship with the bands guitarist Laur Joamets (who moved to the States in 2013 to play in the Grammy-winning Sturgill Simpson’s band, now in Drivin N Cryin), the other three members of an Estonian rock quartet Dramamama - Mikk Tammepõld, Viljar Norman and Ott Adamson - packed their gear and headed towards Nashville for a visit in October 2018. Wasting no time they spent most of the time in Loud Recording Studio with the producer Jake Burns and came out with eight proper rock tracks to be released as an album on April 21, 2020. “End of the Line” is the first hint of what is yet to come.
“It's that classic story of a wandering gypsy musician searching for a place to call home,” says the frontman Mikk Tammepõld. “Musically a little bit inspired by the Beatles I suppose.”
Distinctive quitar sound of Joamets, together with heavy drums and melodic bass lines from Ott Adamson and Viljar Norman respectively, topped with strong vocals of the frontman Mikk Tammepõld form an enjoyable combination of classic rock and modern production.
The animated visual of the track was drawn by the vocalist Mikk Tammepõld himself and reflects the theme of the song in a not-so-serious way.
The Christy Lynn Band will be releasing their debut album Sweetheart of the Radio on April 3rd, (which they announced today) along with the release of their first single "Checkin In".
"Checkin In" is a song that perfectly encapsulates front woman Christy Lynn’s heart-wrenching lyrics and deft storytelling ability, combining a hearty dose of catchy refrains and campy, throwback country charm. Combine that with lead guitarist Ryan Schilling’s skillful playing and production that crisply brings out each howl and crackle in Christy Lynn’s voice, spotlighting her impressive range and cinematic verses within the lyrics, and you might have just found your new favorite country singer.
The Christy Lynn Band draws inspiration from all across the spectrum, from classic languid country and folk to classic rock. They’ve taken those influences and distilled them into their own unique sound that seamlessly fuse soulful alt-country music with a healthy dash of rock & roll. Their compelling frontwoman Christy Lynn possesses a singular, powerhouse voice and a knack for capturing the clever, kitschy lyrics of old country music. Ryan’s meticulous talents lie in his groovy guitar playing and his adept technical skill at capturing the rich texture of their music, all using analog recording equipment. In fact, the recording studio they used to record their first full-length album is actually built into the back of a 1987 Ford Econoline truck called the American Sound Truck that they built out and customized themselves, utilizing a melange of vintage recording gear that they’ve sought and acquired over the years.
Sweetheart of the Radio features Christy Lynn’s unparalleled vocals at the forefront, with Ryan Schilling on guitar, Kenan Hopkins on fiddle, Nate Pusateri on drums, Zack Page on bass and Jackson Dulaney on pedal steel. The rootsy 12-song record tells the fictional story of a radio darling who is beloved far and wide, a skyrocketing success masking a deep sadness. It’s an unsatisfying one-way relationship: the whole world loves her, and yet not one person truly does because they do not truly know her. The crux is that perhaps she doesn’t truly know herself. It’s a soulful country album that harkens back to the sound of its glory days and is sure to appeal to fans of true country and Americana, while simultaneously infusing it with a modern sound that’s distinctly their own.
Critically acclaimed duo Victoria+Jean will return with their second album ‘UNDERDOG’ in the spring of 2020. The romantically and artistically linked Swedish/Belgian duo kick off this new decade with new single ‘Imbecile'. Darkly brooding, the sinister baseline, incessant beat, and stabbing guitar lines of ‘Imbecile', combined with Victoria’s shrill, striking vocals, deliver a 4 minutes hit of menacing electro-pop. Produced by Henrik Alsér (The Hives, Coldplay).
Explaining the origins of the song, Victoria explains “After the release of the 1st album, we found ourselves covered in debts and lost our home. We were left on our own, and were much disappointed by humans and by some of our close friends reactions. And it’s at those moments you know whom are the friends you can trust on, and those you can’t. ‘Imbecile' came to us as a result of what are the real faces of some people, just to be truthful and to say "you know I’m not an imbecile I know what you are thinking”. Or just to say - you’re a bloody f***ing imbecile!"
The song features vocals from Romain Humeau (french singer who featured the song). Having met Romain in ICP studios brussels almost 10 years ago, Victoria+Jean supported Eiffel (Romain’s band) at the mythical Olympia Theatre venue in Paris, and finally managed to arrange for Romain to appear on a track for their new album after years of trying.
To accompany the track there is a Sebastien Alouf directed video. Having worked with the band on the video for ‘Holly’ which appeared on their debut album, the video saw Sebastien following the band in their everyday life, resukting in a documentary-style music video. Sebastien explains “It has been several years since I met Victoria and Jean, and ever since I have episodically followed their adventures, life projects and music. A choice of life authentically rock & roll. I have long been looking for a pretext to return to immerse myself in the intimacy of this couple, tell the reverse side of the scenery, the little strings that bind these 2 hypersensitive, hypercreative and fusional beings. I wanted to make a sensitive fragment of their existence. It is an intimate clip that borders on the romance of this beautiful couple”.
Orpine are Eleanor Rudge and Oliver Catt. Migratory birds nesting in disparate climates; singing in harmony 300 miles removed. Being outside and keeping off the internet. Mostly apart but never alone. Following brief stints in bands and singing on one another’s records, the pair lost touch. Ceasing to make music, days punctuated by silence, Eleanor made contact. Having not seen one another for years, they ventured to a cottage in the Scottish Borders at the foot of Black Hill. With only a stove for heat and a car full of groceries for sustenance, four days of writing passed.
The result is debut album ‘Grown, Ungrown’, produced by Jonathan Coddington (The Magic Gang, Joanna Gruesome). Delicately branching and bereft of irony and cynicism, the songs have room to inflate and deflate, to meander, and shake loose like an antidote to sagging spirits. Harmonies wash against gentle strums and climb from the ambient to the anthemic as Orpine turn their backs on modern absurdity with nerve and solemnity. Like a tiny figure on the horizon casting a huge shadow on the mountain, there is a humbleness about ‘Grown Ungrown’ that projects awe without hubris.
While the bulk of the record was recorded in The Crow’s Nest in Hackney, all of the strings and brass were added at Greenman Swaler – a secret place Oliver helped some friends build when he was a teenager. Decamping from the studio to a den-like locale befits an album with a narrative that is generously autobiographical. “I’ve worked with Jonny since before we knew what we were doing so we have a good understanding of how the other works. The desk has more channels now but the relationship remains the same.” states Oliver.
First single, ‘Sondern’ is a song about grief and defeat. Written around the time of the first Brexit deadline, the title is a German conjunction that derives from an old Germanic word which meant ‘to separate’. “I liked the idea that this use of the word is outdated and it had morphed into something it was never originally intended to be – which was a lot of the criticism being levelled at the European Union on the Leave side.” Its movements lurch, and contract and expand with an inevitable seasonality, from giddy summer to lunar winter, before melting into the payload of a tender spring: “I love you. I always did.”
‘Two Rivers’ speaks of the purifying feeling of laying on the bed of the River Ouse near Mount Caburn, near Elanor’s home town. Submerged and held quietly in water, the industry of transport links dissolves to be replaced by the sunken stillness of the natural world. “Easier to be, than to be gone.” muses Eleanor. The second river, and namesake, the River Ouseburn runs down the road from Oliver in Newcastle. Two little river versions of each other, hundreds of miles apart, striving for the same creative open waters.
Not subscribers to the cult of modernity, Orpine choose instead to make visors with their hands and squint back to landscapes left untouched. A return to nature is favored over the fatigue of likes and followers, the hum of commerce logistics and temporal edge of diversified eating experiences. The countryside liberates Eleanor and Oliver, enabling them to view the modern world, select all and delete.
In this song, the singer delivers a rejection to an unappealing suitor in the only language he can understand: an official letter declining his services, typed on company letterhead. Thank you for that most generous offer, but you have been declined, and you need not apply again. Enclosed, please find: Declined. Delivered, sealed, signed…Declined! Thanks so much for taking the time, but: Declined! The music video was filmed at Shirk Studios in Chicago and features delightful vintage scenes of male-applicant rejection as well as comically unimpressive experiments in hypnosis.
DECLINED:
Dear Sir: Thank you so much for that most generous offer
But sir: I regret to inform you, there's a lot of competition to fill this position
So many are hoping to fill this opening
And as for you? DECLINED.
And as for you? DECLINED.
You have been DECLINED.
100% DECLINED.
Dear sir: I appreciate your interest in working with me
Dear sir: There is no committee, it's only me
Dear sir: I wish you the best in all your future endeavors
But sir: There is no interest whatsoever
DECLINED.
Please do not apply again, you're DECLINED.
There will be no change of mind. DECLINED.
Dear sir, as I've outlined: You're DECLINED.
Enclosed please find: You're DECLINED.
Delivered, sealed, signed: DECLINED.
On behalf of womankind: DECLINED.
Thanks so much for taking the time, but DECLINED.
Suzy and The Lifeguard have released 'Now' a song that twists and turns between melodic and refined pop to a more rocky psychedelic feel as it works wonders. === Alfie has an intriguing video for 'The Easter Song' a simmering and I quote "homage to Tex Mex music", it's also fabulous. === Sandmoon have a brand new single and video entitled 'Angel' the indie folk/rock band have a distinctive and highly engaging musical feel. === Ahead of a new album due in March Clem Snide has shared 'Roger Ebert' a gorgeously arranged piece where the mesmerising vocals exude real personal feeling. === Sammy Miller and The Congregation have released the wonderful song 'It Gets Better' which is a melting pot of delicious sounds. === From Emerald Park we have 'Rules Don't Apply' a vibrant indie rocker accompanied by some suitably matched old film clips. === Having featured the last two songs, today we have the third and final single from The Ah entitled 'Just Relief' ahead of the 'Mere Husk' album release which arrives on Friday.
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Suzy and The Lifeguard - Now.
Suzy & the Lifeguard lures her listeners into a sci-fi dream world immersed in lagoons of swampy jazz and shimmering 1960’s psychedelic pop. Her iridescent lounge-infused vocals are a siren’s call beckoning to a world where all the senses come alive, inspired and reawakened.
Suzy Paradise created Suzy & the Lifeguard as an alter-ego multi-media music project. Award-winning songwriter, producer, and recording artist Bleu McAuley (Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Michelle Branch) co-wrote and produced the self-titled debut EP released in 2015. In 2016, she was nominated in the 14th Annual International Music Awards for “Best Jazz Song with Vocals.”
In 2020 Suzy & the Lifeguard is set to release the record, ANIMA, produced by Grammy award-winning recording and mix engineer, Phil Joly (Patti Smith, Lana Del Rey, Daft Punk). While the self-titled EP flourished in tropical island breeziness, ANIMA, embarks on a shadowed journey of neon nightlife and moody ambiance. Recorded in Kauai at a friend’s chocolate farm/music studio, Paradise says, “It’s vibier than the last record. It’s a bit darker overall, but it’s also still silly and fun. I feel like it’s an honest reflection of not only what I have experienced in the last five years but also the fun and magical space we were in.”
"Easter Song" is the first single from Alfie's full lenght "If She Could Only Remember My Name", just out Jan. 24th 2020 on Seahorse Reordings. The song is a tex mex homage, filled with trumpets, love and religious obsessions, and guitars tremolos.
Long time collaborator with celeb italian jazzists and songrwiters, Alfie (born Alfonso Anagni) gets his inspirations from the likes of Lyle Lovett, John Moreland, Sturgill Simpson and Calexico.
And from movies. He could easily fit in a Paolo Sorrentino's movie (in another of his lives, he plays with a band at posh weddings in dream locations).
"The Easter Song" video - premiered by italian Rolling Stone mag - is kind of "la dolce vita" remake of The Big Lebowski, shoot at Tiam in Rome, the first bowling built by Americans in Italy back in the '50s.
Sandmoon, an indie folk/rock band led by Lebanon-based musician Sandra Arslanian, have returned with a new single, “Angel”—a treatise to profound love that seamlessly blends propulsive guitars, feedback, and sweet harmonies, with Arslanian’s rich and emotive anchoring vocals. The song will be released digitally on January 24. Sandmoon has also shared an accompanying video to the song shot in Beirut and directed by Tracy Karam. Sandmoon creates songs that are lyrically hopeful and infused with an unerring sense of melodicism and a unique style that springs from Arslanian’s multi-cultural upbringing—born in Lebanon with Armenian roots and raised in Belgium. Produced by Faddi Tabbal at Tunefork Studios in Lebanon, the song also includes Arslanian on backing vocals, synths and keyboard; Sam Wehbi on guitar, Georgy Flouty on bass and Dani Shukri on drums. “Angel” is the second single taken from their forthcoming album, Put A Gun/Commotion, which will be released later this year.
Arslanian describes the song with emphatic simplicity: “’Angels’ is about absoluteness. It’s listening to your higher self, your angels, and fully living your life, with absolute love. For love is the only true thing that remains when everything else disappears.”
The video was shot in Lebanon and tells the story of a young person played by Daniel Aboushakra who experiences intense grief at the loss of his mother and his eventual transition from shock to acceptance through love. The video was produced by Arslanian and Jihad Saade was the Director of Photography.
Adds Karam: “It’s an emotional video about mourning and absolute love. It portrays a twelve-year-old boy trying to cope with the sudden, devastating loss of a parent by finding his way on his own. The pain forces him to face reality, in all its harshness and brutality. Yet in the midst of the chaos, there are moments of love, sparks of light that help him move on and replenish the emptiness.”
Clem Snide will release their new album Forever Just Beyond on March 27 via Ramseur Records/Thirty Tigers. Produced by Scott Avett, Eef Barzelay’s stunning new album under the Clem Snide moniker may just be the most miraculous of them all.
Today they share the first single "Roger Ebert." Joined by Avett on harmonies, Barzelay spins the famed film critic’s final words into a gorgeous meditation on the mysteries of life and death on the track, which, like much of the album, seeks comfort in the acceptance of the inevitable.
“The last ten years have been a rollercoaster of deep despair and amazing opportunities that somehow present themselves at the last possible second,” says Barzelay. “That this record even exists, as far as I’m concerned, is a genuine miracle.”
“About ten years ago, everything just seemed to fall apart,” he explains. “The band bottomed out, my marriage was crumbling, I lost my house, and I had to declare bankruptcy. That started this process of ego death for me, where I realized the only way to survive would be to transcend myself and to try to find some kind of deeper, spiritual relationship with life.
Sammy Miller and The Congregation - It Gets Better.
Sammy Miller and The Congregation release the latest single from their debut album Leaving Egypt, "It Gets Better," which bursts forth with a loping groove, and cleverly unfolds with moody passages that veer into the sunny side of the street. As Sammy states, “This is a song for the tough time, the tough day, the tough moment. It will get better.”
Sammy Miller, a Grammy-nominated drummer for his work with Joey Alexander, convened The Congregation in 2014 at The Juilliard School in New York City where he was getting his master's in jazz. “We all went to Juilliard and have these credentials, but we didn’t like the insular feeling of the jazz scene. We were seeking warmth and connection,” Sammy says. These misfit creatives descended on venues around NYC where the genre was not played. “I wanted to find a new audience,” Sammy says. “We played in dive bars where people were scared of jazz.”
Their live show grew to be something of a mix between a comedy troupe and a dazzling rock band that played a vigorously reimagined strain of jazz. “We let ourselves be free on the bandstand and we took the audience with us,” Sammy says. The band’s boundless energy, inclusive ideals, catchy songwriting, and revue style presentation made them a word-of-mouth buzz band. The septet expanded its reach through adopting the rock band philosophy of touring endlessly in a van to build a fanbase.
One of Northern Europe’s most successful bands releasing music under a Creative Commons license, Emerald Park are back after about 4 years of silence. Emerald Park found their audience on the dark side of the internet when they released the album “For Tomorrow” (2008) as a free download back in 2010 - a choice that has given them almost 8 million listeners and over 1 million downloads at Jamendo.com. Thousands have also enjoyed their music in commercials and YouTube videos with various themes. This success brought Emerald Park to the Midem Festival in Cannes and led them to gigs in London (The Cavern), Hamburg, and Amsterdam - just to name a few.
The band hit the pause button in 2016 but are now back with their brand-new single “Rules Don’t Apply”.
“Rules Don’t Apply” was recorded by Mattias Larsson and Linus Lindvall of Cub&Wolf who attempted to find the band’s musical roots; this effort led them to the ‘90s with lots of guitars and fewer synths than in their previous works. The mixing was performed by the band members Daniel Gunneberg and Tobias Borelius who were joined by Ola Frick (Moonbabies) during the last stages of the process to rediscover the sound of “For Tomorrow”. With his final touch the band found what they had been searching for.
The lyrics are about being true and honest to yourself. Everyone around you will notice if you’re not. People hide behind computers and pretending to be someone else or buying things to impress their neighbors, scared of showing who they really are. That’s a shame.
The Ah—solo project of composer and musician Jeremy Gustin (Rubblebucket, Okkervil River, Delicate Steve, Marc Ribot, Albert Hammond Jr, etc)—shared the music video for "Just Relief" the hypnotic third and final single from the forthcoming sophomore album Mere Husk, releasing January 31st via NNA Tapes.
The video's director, Yuka C. Honda (of Cibo Matto), shared her process: "I approach music and video in the same way as cooking. For me, it’s all about understanding the ingredients and creating something that uses their character to the fullest extent. In other words, I don’t write the story and look for the performers. I write the story based on the characters I am already aware of, with whom I am working. Jeremy sent me this music and asked me to make a video. I love the song very much. Somehow, it made me think about the last scene of the film "Black Orpheus". When the protagonist dies at the end, children emerge. They pick up the guitar that he dropped, then regard the sunrise and start singing and dancing. Life goes on. Death is heart-wrenching. But there are children who will keep on dancing, playing the guitars that we dropped. I thought, "I can make this video!", because I knew I wouldn't mind listening to this song 600 hundred times while editing."
The release of Mere Husk will be celebrated alongside Gustin's forthcoming photography book Foundscapes (releasing with 11A Records) at Brooklyn NY's Step Bone Cut on February 1st.
