Illuminati Hotties - Violent Vickie - Ketch Harbour Wolves

It's almost a case of "gotta love the song title, gotta love the song" and with Illuminati Hotties and 'will i get cancelled if i write a song called ‘if you were a man you’d be so cancelled' that resonates well and with this short blast of punk attitude, the new album is extremely anticipated. === Violent Vickie was featured here for the first time in May and it's a big welcome back with 'The Blame' her new single where the Dark Synth Riot Girl once again delivers and impresses with class. === Ketch Harbour Wolves have shared 'Little Magic' from their brand new album 'Avalon' and this well established band continue to create gorgeous indie music that exudes personable feeling with high quality musical landscapes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Illuminati Hotties - will i get cancelled if i write a song called ‘if you were a man you’d be so cancelled.

Coming off their critically acclaimed 2018 debut Kiss Yr Frenemies, tour-tight and ready to funnel those skills into festival dates and their second record, L.A.’s illuminati hotties instead found themselves in an immovable contract with a publicly collapsing record label. Songwriter and producer Sarah Tudzin began to write her way through contract purgatory, channeling personal and global anxieties into a vibrant mixtape filled with themes of aggression, claustrophobia and loss. As the mugshot-centric album art cheekily informs, this is NOT the record you’ve been waiting for (though you’ll hear that one soon). This is FREE IH.

The first track off FREE IH, “will i get cancelled if i write a song called ‘if you were a man you’d be so cancelled,’” is streaming everywhere and pre-orders for the LP are available now. Though it was tracked locally between drummer Tim Kmet’s rehearsal space and Tudzin’s home, FREE IH sounds like an homage to the bands you’d catch on club stages during a sleepless, electrifying cross-country tour. It’s a product of Sarah’s wide array of influences, ranging from snotty Californian forebears Dead Kennedys and Black Flag to the innovation and bravado of Death Grips and Cardi B.

It’s an instant cult classic, too––or should I say, it’s an occult classic. Last week a SoundCloud leaked under the name Occult Classic featuring the 12 songs on FREE IH, fans went into a frenzy. Soaking in the sheer audacity of one of the year’s best and most surprising records being released out of nowhere while also trying to work together to figure out who the mystery band was, they got a mere 24 hours with FREE IH before the link went dark again.

The LA-based band helmed by songwriter and producer Sarah Tudzin made waves with 2018’s Kiss Yr Frenemies, a debut of quirky, poppy rock lovingly fan-dubbed as “tenderpunk.” The record brought illuminati hotties critical acclaim and tour dates alongside contemporary heavyweights PUP and Lucy Dacus, pulling Tudzin away from the recording studio where she’s built up her C.V. engineering and mixing for artists like Weyes Blood, Slowdive and The Kills.

And while a follow-up record does loom on the horizon, someday... FREE IH plays an essential role in the illuminati hotties story; a giddy and meticulous document of a band that’s ready for what’s next, and making beyond-catchy music while they wait.

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

Violent Vickie - The Blame.

After being featured on The Electricity Club, Radio Wigwam, and Discovering Bands for her last single "Circle Square", Violent Vickie returns with "The Blame", a distorted synth and guitar driven track about letting go of an unhealthy relationship.  The third single from her upcoming Division LP, The Blame is reminiscent of the sounds of Joy Division, Bauhaus, Sleater Kinney, Sonic Youth and Le Tigre.

Violent Vickie is a Los Angeles based Dark Synth-Riot artist consisting of Vickie and co-producer/recording guitarist E.  Vickie has toured with Hanin Elias of Atari Teenage Riot and supported Jessie Evans (The Vanishing), Trans X, Them Are Us Too, Aimon & The Missing Persons.  She has toured the US & Europe and played Insted Fest, Solidarity Fest, Shoutback Fest & Gay Prides and Ladyfests.  Vickie’s tracks have been released by Crunch Pod, Emerald & Doreen Recordings (Berlin), Riot Grrrl Berlin, & LoveCraft Bar (PDX).

Her track "The Wolf“ was featured in a National Organization for Women film and she was interviewed for the documentary “GRRRL”, part of the museum exhibit “Alien She”.  Her LP "Monster Alley” was voted best album by KALX and her tracks have been remixed by 25+ artists.  Violent Vickie’s “Division” LP will be out in September of 2020 on Crunch Pod.

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

Ketch Harbour Wolves - Little Magic.

Ocean fog. A city in decay. The dark humid valley that whispers ominous tales of impossible love. These place-specific images, evoked through personal narratives and set alight by driving indie-rock arrangements, have been the signature of Toronto/Hamilton based Ketch Harbour Wolves since their formation in 2007.

The band’s fourth studio release explores themes of social upheaval, love and loss, economic collapse, exile and mid-life crisis. “Avalon” is at once a utopia, a tarnished mirror, a possible future, a place of renewal and a swan song. The album began as the third instalment of the band’s Queen City project, exploring Toronto’s psycho-geography through song. Recorded and produced by Ketch Harbour Wolves over a painstaking 5-year period, reworked and then re-recorded, the album evolved from a short selection of location-based songs into a dense full-length effort capturing the band’s mature sound in 12 tracks. The record moves through an eclectic mix of genres, from the impassioned electric rock of “Reptilian” and synthetic dance of “Fever Shed,” to the slow atmospheric build of “Exodus” and intimate anthemics of “Little Magic” and “Yours, Still”.

Now in their 14th year, with a string of 3 critically acclaimed records to their name, “Avalon” exhibits the band writing and performing from the rung of life on which they stand, striving for sincerity and unconcerned with risking pretentiousness. The album was released July 10, 2020 on Dead Calm Records (independent). Ketch Harbour Wolves are Jonathan Tyrrell (lead vocals/synth/guitar), Liam Brown (guitar/vocals), Scott Winter (bass), and Brian Urbanik (percussion).

Ketch Harbour Wolves · 03 - Little Magic

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

Planet For Sale - Hailey Whitters - Xanthe Alexis - Big Little Lions

Planet For Sale share 'Old Father Time' which has a gentle rock vibe and notable vocals, the band enjoy a cult following in Iran, what other band can claim that! === Hailey Whitters has a new video for her stunning song 'Janice At The Hotel Bar' it's one of those Nashville tracks that just needs an immediate second listen. === From Xanthe Alexis we have 'Compass' and the indie artist really impresses both vocally, lyrically and through the understated musical arrangement. === Big Little Lions have released 'It's Amazing' ahead of a new E.P and the dual vocals and harmonies are gorgeous from this creative pair.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Planet For Sale - Old Father Time.

Planet For Sale are a Brighton based musical universe whose artful fusion of rock and blues is a mix of compelling lyrical imagery, incendiary guitar solos and trippy psychedelia. They are the anguished sound of the feverish fire sale that’s happening on planet Earth, this tiny rock hurtling through the vastness of space.

Planet For Sale was formed in 2017 by British-Iranian singer/songwriter Rooz Golpa, nephew of Akbar Golpa, the celebrated Persian vocalist whose career of more than 50 years earned him a legendary status in Iran and a Golden Rose for his worldwide contribution to music.

Planet For Sale were the first band in Iran to debut original music performed/sung in English since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and enjoy a cult following in the country. As a music student in Brighton’s Northbrook College, Rooz fell into a heated musical debate with fellow students Jim Cannings and Jamie Snelling, only to discover that they were all able to connect the dots between 1960s Brit Rock, Led Zeppelin, Abba and Joy Division.

Planet For Sale released their debut album Earth in 2018 and continue to perform regularly in clubs across the South East.

Planet For Sale's musical inspirations include The War On Drugs, Delta Blues, The Beatles and Sigrid. With their wide range of musical inspirations, PFS’s ambition is to create their own musical universe where the “odd misfits of the working-class regime can dream.”

The Animal Farm Label · Planet For Sale_Old Father Time

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

Hailey Whitters - Janice At The Hotel Bar.

Iowa-born, Nashville-based artist and singer-songwriter Hailey Whitters has released the official music video for “Janice at the Hotel Bar,” a standout track from her critically-acclaimed album The Dream that was named a “Song You Need to Know” by Rolling Stone and included on in Paste Magazine’s “The 25 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far)" list.

The video was directed by Erica Silverman, in partnership with creative director Harper Smith, and shot on location in Austin, TX.

“Given that this song was based on a real encounter with an 80-something-year-old woman named Janice, we felt it was important to keep it as rich visually as it is lyrically,” Whitters explains. “Erica and Harper were able to capture the individual eccentricities that make up the collective female experience in living a life well-lived.”

Recently, American Songwriter and Paste Magazine both spotlighted THE DREAM on their “Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)” lists, while SPIN marked “All The Cool Girls” on their list of “The 50 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far).” The Washington Post called THE DREAM “the year’s deepest country album,” and Pitchfork included it on a list of “Great Records You May Have Missed.”

The video release follows a recent feature in Rolling Stone that announced Whitters’ new partnership with Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters – Nashville’s first-of-its-kind female-driven label formed by Big Loud Records and BMI Songwriter of the Year (2019) Nicolle Galyon. Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters will continue marketing and promotion of THE DREAM, which was originally self-released via her label Pigasus Records.

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

Xanthe Alexis - Compass.

Whether she’s guiding patients to recovery as a trauma therapist or transporting audiences to transcendence as an acclaimed indie artist, Xanthe Alexis has devoted her life to healing others, and her extraordinary new album, ‘The Offering’ (out 8/21), is no exception.

Recorded in Alexis’s adopted hometown of Colorado Springs, the record pairs soaring melodies with lush, hypnotic soundscapes as it grapples with anxiety and strength, worry and comfort, heartbreak and hope. Hinting at everything from Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten to Julien Baker and Feist, it’s a deeply compassionate, unflinchingly honesty collection, one that finds Alexis baring her most vulnerable self in a timely and much-needed act of radical empathy and connection.

Keep an eye out for an upcoming spotlight from Seattle NPR station KEXP, and take an early listen to lead single “Compass” (out 7/21), which prompted American Songwriter to rave that “her voice is somehow burnt at the edges. Her melodies yellowed from years in the light. But there is something so fundamental about taking in the stuff word by word.”

Xanthe Alexis · 04 Xanthe Alexis Compass 24bit48k

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

Big Little Lions - It's Amazing.

Big Little Lions have spent the past few months writing and recording a brand new EP full of songs inspired by the current times. Are We There Yet? will be released on July 23rd.

Although these are much different times, Big Little Lions have been used to recording remotely - it's what they've always done!

Helen is based in BC and Paul is based in Ohio. With the lack of touring they dove into recording a new album and this is the result.

This week they released a video for their single from the album It's Amazing. Including a new video.

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

The Jayhawks - The Commander In Chief - Lara Taubman - Ci Gofod - KEYS

The Jayhawks have released their album XOXO today and taken from it we have the new single 'Bitter Pill' with the bands thirty year track record of creating great music remaining easily intact. === We featured The Commander In Chief in May with two songs 'Non Si Sa Mai' and 'The Manager' both taken from her brand new album 'Berit Vol.2' which is released this week, she also shared 'The Lockdown' recently which is another example of The Commanders exceptional talent. === From New York we have a new album 'Revelation' by Outlaw Folk Americana Musician Lara Taubman it's streaming in full below and put simply it's a gorgeous collection of wonderful songs. === Ci Gofod shared 'TV Screens' today and it's accompanied with a fine video that does justice to this very catchy song. === We featured KEYS twice last year and now have their new single 'This Side Of Luv' to enjoy, described by the band as an "attempt at joyous early 70’s Midlands pop" that description kinda makes sense.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Jayhawks - Bitter Pill.

The Jayhawks have released “Bitter Pill,” the latest song from the band’s most collaborative album to date – XOXO, out today July 10 via Sham/Thirty Tigers. Written by Gary Louris, Tim O’Reagan and Karen Grotberg, “Bitter Pill” is a harmony-rich, infectious new track that illustrates the never-ending search for happiness. Parade featured it last week, praising the “sweet and sorrowful tune that captures the heart and moves the soul.” The Jayhawks also appeared on this weekend’s CBS This Morning: Saturday, performing two songs off the new album, “This Forgotten Town” and “Living In A Bubble,” in addition to their 2018 song “Gonna Be A Darkness.”

"This is a rare example of me writing a story song,” Louris explains. “I tend towards stream of consciousness writing, but 'Bitter Pill' is a linear lyric that explores the tendency for some of always searching for the next fix of happiness, the missing piece...never being happy with what one has. It is really a continuation on the theme of my song 'Lovers Of The Sun' from our Paging Mr. Proust album. It is a theme that hits close to home for me. And the song really blossomed when my old pal and forever Jayhawk Stephen McCarthy played such beautiful and blistering B-Bender guitar on it.”

After 30 years together, The Jayhawks have delivered their most diverse and wide-ranging set of songs to date. XOXO marks a new era for the band, with all four members contributing to lead vocals and songwriting for the first time. Showcasing The Jayhawks’ unrelenting ability to evolve while staying true to their authentic sound, the new album reminds us why they continue to be such an influential and respected band. XOXO has already garnered early coverage from MOJO, HuffPost, BrooklynVegan, Billboard and Rolling Stone, who praised the opening track “This Forgotten Town” as a “jangly roots-pop gem.”

Carrying on their success since returning to the core members from the late-90’s lineup, The Jayhawks released Paging Mr. Proust in 2016 and Back Roads and Abandoned Motels in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim. The culmination of five years spent growing even more together, XOXO is a sonically and emotionally cohesive album that stands as a testament to the band’s consistent forward motion.

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

The Commander In Chief - The Lockdown.

Internationally acclaimed, trail blazing 7 string guitar virtuoso,singer, songwriter and pianist “The Commander In Chief” is releasing her much awaited new album; “Berit, Vol. 2” on July 9, 2020. It’s the 2nd album in a series of 4, with new, original music.

As always, it is impossible to place her album in just one genre, as it has elements reminiscent of the great rock bands of the -70s, European pop and her very own mix of catchy hooks and innovative songwriting. Her smooth electric guitar-sound, blistering guitar technique and dramatic piano arrangements give the listener a taste of her virtuosity, without giving into the temptation of showing off, as the main instrument on these “acoustic” albums is her four octaves, soulful, crystal clear, Norwegian voice.

By brilliant use of humour, satire and self irony, The Commander In Chief stands tall like a lighthouse, beaming confident rays of hope, laughter and compassion to a world engulfed in the darkness of political correctness; where everyone is afraid of offending someone - no matter how innocent their intentions are. She reminds us how important it is to be able to laugh at ourselves, and be humble, as she does with the songs “Messin’ It Up,” “Change of Seasons” and “The Manager.”

She assures us that even when we find ourselves under attack by evil forces, or when facing the potentially devastating consequences of someone else’s wrong decision, there is a way to turn something horrible into something funny, by looking at it through the lens of dark humour, as she does in the very personal songs “Trailer Trash” and  “Go Back To Norway.” In those 2 songs she introduces her brother, William, as the voice actor and background singer.

She displays her big heart and compassion in the heartbreakingly beautiful “The Lockdown” - dedicated to everyone affected by the Corona Virus, and she challenges us all to do more in “So He Set Out Walking.” In the only Italian song on the album, she asks the big questions about life. See the video for “Non Si Sa Mai” here.

As always, there was no use of Auto Tune, or other means of “lack of talent compensation,” on “Berit, Vol.2.” While she has been a trailblazer with international success in heavy metal and classical crossover music; with TV show appearances, viral videos and major press, this is - perhaps - her most important release. It comes at a time when humour itself is under relentless attack, and artists no longer know what to do or what to say.

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

Lara Taubman - Revelation (Album).

New York-based Outlaw Folk Americana Musician Lara Taubman's new album 'Revelation' represents a momentous rite of passage for the artist (both physically and spiritually).

Following an inner nudge, Lara travelled to record the album in Wolfe Island, Canada with Wolfe Island Records founder and producer Hugh Christopher Brown. She's still following that nudge, using her music and lyrics as alchemy while working through emotional pain and trauma.

With a signature sound that is all authenticity and effortlessly classic, Lara Taubman's haunting lyrics and melodies should appeal to fans of artists like Gillian Welch and Joni Mitchell.

From the Artist: “Revelation” is about my journey to heal through making music. Following a call to begin singing five years ago led me to a series of fortuitous events that created this album. Music always saved me, now I hope to return the favor. Due today July 10th on all platforms, "Revelation" will also be available on vinyl.

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

Ci Gofod - TV Screens.

Ci Gofod is a bedroom project nested in the valleys of South Wales, although I have become familiar with the local scene, I have tried to utilise as much time as i could writing and recording any material that I could. What may make this project different is that I still have made it a goal to collaborate.

So, while still isolated, I have ensured to use the magic of technology to make frequent collaborations (while distanced of course). With this release we see a guest appearance from Lloyd Bastian from the band Pseudo Cool.

The new release is about monotony and I try to reflect this in the songwriting. The tune begins modest with a repetitive riff, but as the song draws to a close there is an explosion of sound. I hope that the ever changing dynamic of the song is worth your time.

This project has had great acclaim from the BBC, such as getting frequent airplay on BBC Radio Wales and hopes to turn heads with this latest release, particularly you of course.

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

KEYS - This Side Of Luv.

“The hiss is another instrument” and it’s an instrument integral to the new recordings, sounds and songs by KEYS. Over the next few weeks we will be unveiling the latest collection of songs by the band, as Matthew Evans vocals / guitar / songwriter explains: “We recorded these tracks on Cassette four track machines during lockdown. Let’s not pretend we had access to an expensive studio, we didn’t.

It was a time to connect with bedroom songwriting again. These are not band arrangements worked out in a rehearsal room – these were written and recorded simultaneously. Not demos but songs that took shape during the "recording process.”

The hiss of the cassette turning is the sound of the endless possibilities and magic of the pop song spilling out in vivid colours at the exact moment inspiration took hold. No second guessing or over thinking, only the joy of creating.

A perfect example of this is the first single ‘This Side of Luv’. “This was our attempt at joyous early 70’s Midlands pop. 3-day weeks, winters of discontent, a Tory government…yet out of that bleakness came some heroic, ecstatic British pop music.

Music has the power to lift the spirit, if we can do that for 3 and a half minutes then we’ll feel our efforts were not in vain.” Matthew summarises this collection of songs, also written in trying times, as: “something to help us get through this lockdown. Hopefully you can use it too.”

Libertino · KEYS - This Side Of Luv

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

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.

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