THE PORTABLE INFINITE

SILVERSUN PICKUPS SHARE NEW SONG, “TOY SOLDIERS”

BAND RECORDS MARTIKA’S CLASSIC SONG, PRODUCED BY
BUTCH VIG, AND SHARES NEW VIDEO

PERFORM “DON’T KNOW YET” ON FULL FRONTAL WITH
SAMANTHA BEE

5^TH STUDIO ALBUM WIDOW’S WEEDS OUT NOW

“…it seems pretty obvious that, nearly 20 years into its career, the band is humming with renewed energy.”
-The Los Angeles Times

“…it’s long past time to acknowledge the group’s evolution over its past two albums… finds the band sounding more vital than it has in years.
- The AV Club

Today, Silversun Pickups share their new song “Toy Soldiers,” a reimagined version of Martika’s classic track, which was produced by Butch Vig and recorded in January. “We were thinking about songs from the ’80s that we loved growing up, that had a big radio moment and was part of our cultural DNA,” Brian Aubert of the band says. “A song that you know right away when you hear it. We thought of ‘Toy Soldiers’ as a great example of this and decided we should try and record it.” Listen to Silversun Pickups’ “Toy Soldiers” here.

The band also shares their original music video for “Toy Soldiers,” directed by Claire Marie Vogel and Aaron Hymes, with animation by Hymes. Vogel reveals about the making of the video: “Creating a video from a distance makes for many limitations, but I love how limitations can shape an idea. The song's melancholy nature and the sense of isolation permeating the world right now were both very influential when writing the treatment. The video we made speaks to that collective sense of yearning and disconnection many of us are experiencing.” Hymes adds, “The overall tone and feeling of isolation in the video is a pretty clear reflection of how we were feeling while making it. In a way, it was really therapeutic to take those feelings and put them on screen.” Watch the new music video for “Toy Soldiers” here.

Brian Aubert further reveals about the song:

This version doesn’t feel bombastic and over the top, it’s crackling and tiny at times. Butch really helped with this. I dont think I’ve ever sung this intimately before. The guitar solo during it was very important to me, and we quickly realized that the solo worked during that time period, but not when we did it. We threw in a curve ball, some weird things, inspired by Johnny Greenwood. We put our weird stamp on it and it really came together.

There’s something about this song that hits me emotionally - this song has always hit me that way. At first, it wasn’t about the lyrics, but the feel of it. To be honest, I was not initially aware what the song was about, but listening to the lyrics, it was clearly about addiction. Someone else’s addiction. It’s pretty painful and very personal. You realize it doesn’t matter what the shell is, what the production is, what the era is…this is obviously a very personal story that at first I wasn’t sure we could touch. We ended up framing it into our own world and we think it works.

Butch Vig adds:

I was psyched when SSPU asked me to produce a cover of Martika’s “Toy Soldiers.” It’s great pop song and I have always had a soft spot for it. I read Martika wrote the song about a friend battling addiction, so knowing what Brian has gone through the song seems even more potent. We put our own spin on it. I hope Martika digs it!

Silversun Pickups recently performed their latest single, “Don’t Know Yet” on Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. The band taped the stripped down version while socially distanced in their respective homes, and were joined by Samantha Bee who contributed finger snaps to the song. Watch the band’s performance of “Don’t Know Yet” for Full Frontal With Samantha Bee here.

Silversun Pickups’ 5^th studio album, Widow’s Weeds, is out now via their own New Machine Recordings label. The band enlisted Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth) to produce their latest, an extroverted and open album about rebirth and renewal. Said lead singer Brian Aubert about Widow’s Weeds: “This was the first album where we were open. We were exposed. I see how that can be scary to people, but for us we really thrived on that.” Widow’s Weeds is available for purchase on all formats here. Upon release, lead singer Brian Aubert also provided an in depth look at the at the album’s origin and influences in a track-by-track guide via Consequence of Sound.

Bursting out of the Silverlake, CA music scene in the early 2000s, Silversun Pickups– lead singer Brian Aubert, bassist Nikki Monninger, drummer Christopher Guanlao and keyboardist Joe Lester– have maintained their independence throughout their storied career. They released their first three albums on the local label, Dangerbird Records, before founding their own label, New Machine Recordings, for the release of their most recent albums, Widows Weeds and Better Nature. Now almost two decades into their career, they remain a vital and important rock band and have racked up ten Top 20 hits on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart, as well as over a million records sold in the US.

Official site
Spotify
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Twitter

BECK Receives Khruangbin Remix of “No Distraction” for his Birthday

To commemorate Beck’s July 8 birthday, Khruangbin is gifting the seven-time GRAMMY-winner with a singular interpretation of a beloved song from his lauded catalogue:

“No Distraction (Khruangbin Remix)” features the Houston TX trio reconstructing this deep cut from Beck’s Best Alternative Music Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical GRAMMY-winning 2017 album Colors. The track is available now across digital platforms.

Beck’s current album Hyperspace was released November 22, 2019 on Capitol Records, and has been uniformly hailed as yet another in a series of nearly 30 years of creative peaks. The ASSOCIATED PRESS raved “There is not a boring moment on the entire album,” USA TODAY added “14 albums into his career, Beck has rarely been better than he is on Hyperspace,” while David Fricke of ROLLING STONE’s 4-star lead review likened Beck’s voice on the album’s lead single “Uneventful Days” to “David Bowie’s Major Tom checking in from distant orbit.”

NANA ADJOA

ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM BIG DREAMING ANTS

TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 24TH

RELEASES NEW SONG “NO ROOM”

(Credit: Robbert Doelwijt Jr. - download high res here)

Singer-songwriter Nana Adjoa is a sonic explorer, armed with a deft poeticism and a fierce sense of musicianship. But behind her bold approach to songwriting is an unflinching sense of curiosity and an openness to endless possibility. All of this is demonstrated on Adjoa’s debut full-length, Big Dreaming Ants which will be released September 24th. On her debut album we see the Amsterdam-based multi-instrumentalist find herself contemplating such profound themes as identity, love, and our modern global society. The album is available for pre-order here.

Released today is the gorgeous new single and video for the powerful song “No Room”. The video is a nod to her Ghanian heritage and was premiered on Complex UK who call it a “beautifully calming rack — built around little more than a guitar and Adjoa's stunningly gentle voice.”

"No Room"

Creative Director Rudy Asibey says, "The vision was to bring Nana’s duality in culture and music together. Her name stands for so much more in Ghanaian culture. Nana means king/queen and Adjoa is her day name (Monday) which stands for peacemaker. For me, Nana’s music is a journey to finding the answers to life. Nana guides us with music to help us find those answers. I wanted to bring that journey to life in the visuals. In this video we see more of her Ghanaian culture and a journey to finding self— even though people want to put you in a box or want you to become someone else. In the end, she chooses herself. As Nana’s name represents, I hope her music guides people to choose for themselves, to learn more about their heritage in order to gain learnings from heritage and grow. Especially in these times, it is important to know where you’re from, in order to know where you’re going. We could all use a peacemaker."

"She's Stronger"

Big Dreaming Ants is an impressive body of work which shows an artist poised to make a clear and concise artistic statement as seen on some of the songs already released. “She’s Stronger,” for instance, is about a friendship, which, she recalls, “Made me realize that I wasn’t as strong, or as independent as I thought I was.” In awe of her friend, she was forced to confront her own insecurities. “She made me aspire to be the best version of myself,” says Adjoa. On “Throw Stones,” the artist sings about the phenomena of online trolls and digital clashes. “They can vent all of their emotions and there aren’t any rules,” she explains. “It’s a conflict. You want to react but you also want to keep a moral high ground.”

"Throw Stones"

Praise for Nana Adjoa:

"powerful" - The FADER

"The music will envelop you like a warm hug while Adjoa's lyrics make you feel like you are loved and in the safest of places" - Refinery29

"It’s Joan Armatrading by way of Mazzy Star, intimate and glossy, simple and surreal." - Consequence of Sound

"Her lyrics are honest and relatable” - Stereogum

“Her resolute ballads wrestling with race, gender, and sexuality... accruing a well-earned audience along the way.” - FLOOD

Follow Nana Adjoa:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

MATTIEL

Premieres New Video for “Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun (Beastie Boys Cover)”

Double Cover 7-Inch Out Now

Also Featuring “Guns Of Brixton (The Clash Cover)”

Photo credit: Jason Kofke

Mattiel, the Atlanta-based rock band fronted by vocalist Mattiel Brown, premieres the incredible video for their new cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun” today. Brown directed the video and stars in it alongside bandmate Jonah Swilley. “In the video for ‘Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun,’ we hoped to capture the energy of the song in our own way,” says Brown. “The circular shots are a bit of a nod to the Beasties’ love for using a fisheye lens in so many of their videos. A sense of ‘dark psychedelia’ also comes through in the distorted, stretchy elements. For the shots of Jonah, we used this old broadcast camera (lent to us by Zach Pyles - Thank you Zach!). So those parts were recorded onto a VHS tape and played back on a monitor and digitized. All the digital parts were done on my Canon 5D Mk II, so the whole thing was a pretty barebones setup without any fancy equipment. We shot this during a pandemic, and we’re all still waist deep in global crisis - so I feel grateful that we were able to get good results during a time where video production can be especially challenging.” Watch “Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun” below:

Mattiel - Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun (Official Video)

“Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun” appears on Mattiel’s Double Cover 7-inch, which is available now digitally and on limited-edition vinyl (shipping in August). Double Cover also features an explosive cover of The Clash’s “Guns Of Brixton,” from their classic 1979 album London Calling. Purchase Double Cover HERE.

Mattiel’s sophomore album Satis Factory was released on ATO Records last year, winning instant acclaim for its gritty and provocative rock-and-roll sound. Rolling Stone compared Brown’s “gorgeously yearning, full-voiced alto range” to Nico, and NPR raved, “There's something delightfully unique about Mattiel's music. A pinch of garage rock, a touch of psychedelia, some galloping honky-tonk and at the lead, Mattiel Brown's powerful and assertive vocals.” Satis Factory is available HERE.

mattiel.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

PINEGROVE

SHARE NEW VIDEO FOR “ENDLESS”

MARIGOLD (Expanded Edition) OUT NOW

Pinegrove have just shared the video to “Endless,” from their already critically lauded new album, Marigold. Watch the video for “Endless” HERE.

“In this video we wanted to explore tenacity & endurance of spirit.” Says singer Evan Stephens Hall. “In this moment of turbulence in our country, as many of us are banding together to fight racism, to stay healthy in a pandemic, & to live with dignity through economic oppression, we believe in the power of resilience and perseverance. Keep going. It's working.”

Director Brian Paccione also had this to say about the video:

“I learned so much from nature while making this for us — I learned to listen to it, respond to it, and collaborate with it. I was not in charge — and I hope this special relationship is reflected in the work. I hope you all see a part of your own emotional life in our little seed’s journey.”

Pinegrove - "Endless" (Official Music Video)

Pinegrove have also released an expanded version of Marigold which is out digitally now. Marigold (Expanded Edition) includes an alternate version of “No Drugs” from the Skylight album sessions, and an acoustic version of “Phase.” Listen to Marigold (Expanded Edition) HERE.

(photo credit: Daniel Topete)

Formed in 2010 in Montclair, NJ by childhood friends Evan and drummer Zack Levine, Pinegrove have released three previous albums - Everything So Far (2015), Cardinal (2016), and Skylight (2018) - to massive critical acclaim, garnering them a widespread and devoted listenership. Hall named the band after a “beautiful and regulated, yet natural and messy” grid of pine trees on his college grounds. ‘The Pinegrove’ was a place of introspection, repose and spiritual serenity, and a place he had established to be creatively fertile. That influence - the peace found in nature and contemplation - is a theme in his songwriting.

Zack describes Pinegrove as a constellation of “soulmates.” At 30 years old, Zack and Evan have known each other for 25 years and have been playing music together for twenty, communicating via a “telepathic musical connection.” Nearly everyone they work with are friends and collaborators from way back. Marigold features Evan, Zack, Nick, as well as Josh Marre (who, outside of his usual guitar duties, doubles on bass for this record), Sam Skinner, Nandi Rose, Evan’s dad Doug Hall, and Zack & Nick’s dad Michael William Levine. Sam also engineered and co-produced the record, as he has on every Pinegrove recording since 2015.

While there is room for ambiguity in Evan's hypnotic storytelling, its thesis is anchored as always in radical empathy. This is music that makes a humble yet confident case for inclusiveness and community, for tenderness and patience in a world that sometimes seems to have other plans.“This is a lifelong project,” Zack says, “We’re always thinking about how to be better humans and humanists. It’s about how to keep going, and to respond to the world as it is right now.”

Praise for Pinegrove:

"...this ruddy cheeked collective rekindle the guileless spirit of mid-90s alt rock (Wilco; Buffalo Tom)...a surge of power-chord melancholy. (4 Stars)" - MOJO

"The mournful peddle steel, keening harmonies and thumping analogue rhythms that ornament the deeply introspective songs of Marigold transform...into a vibrantly emphatic experience. The band is in peak form...ruggedly handcrafted tracks that capture charged moments in real time, just as Hall's trenchant, minutia-filled lyrics do." (8/10) - UNCUT

“Evan Stephens Hall writes poetic, diary-ish lyrics, and the rest of the band burnishes them in a sound that’s like the Promise Ring gone country, and heartwarmingly so.” - Rolling Stone

“There's a confessional quality to the songs of Pinegrove that feels reassuring. The problems that swirl around Evan Stephens Hall's head feel universal” - Bob Boilen, NPR

“Pinegrove...revolves around Hall’s ability to break your heart and put it back together again in the span of a single song.” - Consequence Of Sound

“Pinegrove (recall) some of the most consistently likable rock bands of the past 20 years in their most easy going phases: There’s the rootsy shamble of early Wilco, the wiggly guitar solos and general guilelessness of pre-prog Built to Spill. But beneath the amiable surface is an intense work about one of the most important things imaginable: how to make our friendships really matter.” - Pitchfork

“Pinegrove has a very big future ahead of them and...anyone attendance at their Brooklyn Steel performance last month could’ve showed you that as the packed audience sang along to every single word, nearly overwhelming the vocals of frontman Evan Stephens Hall on occasion. It’s an amazing thing to witness, the sort of emotional experience that heightens the already very emotional songs that the band produces with such genuine heart.” - We All Wants Someone To Shout For

“The Montclair, New Jersey's band's sound--off-the-cuff, loose heart-on-sleeve indie-rock cut with Americana--is the perfect vessel for that kind of premature twilight, anxiety and loss. Above all else, it feels so goddamned natural.” - Exclaim!

“Simple and understated, Pinegrove grafts unassuming banjo and pedal-steel textures to classic slacker indie rock, making each moment as engaging as the next.” - Boston Globe

Keep Up With Pinegrove:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK


	*NAPALM DEATH ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, THROES OF JOY IN THE JAWS OF DEFEATISM; ARRIVES SEPT. 18 VIA CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS*

Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism album cover


	July 8, 2020, Birmingham, UK - U.K. grindcore pioneers Napalm Death are delighted to announce their upcoming studio album, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, is slated for a Sept. 18 release via Century Media Records. Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, the band’s highly-anticipated follow-up to Napalm Death’s critically-acclaimed 2015 album, Apex Predator – Easy Meat, was again recorded with long time producer Russ Russell and features artwork by Frode Sylthe. Napalm Death vocalist Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway checked in with the following comment about the upcoming album and its theme: “The phrase sticking in my mind when I started thinking about the lyrical direction for this album was ‘the other.’ You could recognise at the time that there was a rapidly growing fear and paranoia being generated about everybody, from migrating people to people with fluid sexuality and this was starting to manifest itself in very antagonistic reactions that you felt were almost verging on violence. Not everybody resorts to such reactions of course, but even the basic lack of understanding can become toxic over time. I’m not saying that this is an entirely new phenomenon, but it has been stoked in recent history by some particularly attack-minded people in more political circles and, as ever, I felt that it would be the natural antidote to endorse basic humanity and solidarity with all. The artwork specifically uses a white dove as a centrepiece, which of course is a commonly recognised symbol of peace and cooperation. The dove has been mauled very violently by a sterilising hand and in death appears particularly broken and bloodied. However, through the violence you can see an equality symbol in blood on the chest of the dove, which perhaps demonstrates – visually at least – that equality cuts through in the end. A positive amidst many negatives then, much like the album title itself being a bit of an oxymoron – the celebration of humanity even in the mangling jaws of negativity.” From the pinnacle of confrontational instrumental extremity and steadfast lyrical humanity, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism warps musical landscapes all over again. The 12-song album is seething with caustic evolution and unrelenting scope. Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism track list: 1. F*k the Factoid 2. Backlash Just Because 3. That Curse of Being in Thrall 4. Contagion 5. Joie De Ne Pas Vivre 6. Invigorating Clutch 7. Zero Gravitas Chamber 8. Fluxing of the Muscle 9. Amoral 10. Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism 11. Acting in Gouged Faith 12. A Bellyful of Salt and Spleen A first single off Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism* will be launched on July 24 as pre-orders become available. Look out for further details and the various album formats to be revealed soon. Napalm Death most recently released a quickly sold-out 7” / digital EP titled Logic Ravaged By Brute Force to coincide with the band’s most recent European tour. Check out “Logic Ravaged By Brute Force” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecqiuhmHeK0 or stream the EP via Spotify here: http://open.spotify.com/album/57fFOIV2veGlPlQuZNNJnZ. The group previously released Coded Smears And More Uncommon Slurs in 2018, a special compilation gathering a total of 31 songs in a playing time of over 90 minutes, including rarities and exclusive earworms spanning 2004-2016 from the whirling gene pool of noise that is Napalm Death. Check out a few Coded Smears And More Uncommon Slurs samples here: “Standardization” (video): https://youtu.be/FNlWLtZMvko “Call That An Option?”: https://youtu.be/qugUJQUzma0 “Oh So Pseudo”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZzrZtOd2Po And order the release here: https://napalmdeath.lnk.to/CodedSmearsAndMoreUncommonSlurs

Photo credit: Gobinder Jhitta; left to right: Shane Embury (bass reverberations, barks and moans, noise-testing everyday objects), Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway (bawling, shrieking, intermittent baritone), Danny Herrera (turbulent beat throes)


	# # # Napalm Death online: http://www.napalmdeath.org http://www.facebook.com/officialnapalmdeath https://twitter.com/officialND https://www.instagram.com/theofficialnapalmdeath

Watch Eyedress' new "Last Time I'm Falling In Love" video; a surrealist fever dream directed by Bobby Astro; Let's Skip To The Wedding is due 8/7

Let's Skip To The Wedding is out on 8/7 via Lex Records
pre-order the LP here

WATCH: "Last Time I'm Falling In Love" (Dir. by Bobby Astro) -
YouTube / Spotify / Apple / Bandcamp / SoundCloud / More

Today, Eyedress shares his new fever dream video for "Last Time I'm Falling In Love" directed by Bobby Astro (Zack Fox/Father). In just two and half minutes, Eyedress takes us on a love fueled car chase through constantly shifting worlds, starring himself as a getaway driver and his pregnant girlfriend, Elvia, as a mermaid.

Eyedress' upcoming full length, Let's Skip To The Wedding, is due out on August 7th, 2020 via Lex Records. The album is his first since relocating from Manila to LA in late 2018. A passionate exploration of his love and fears as he prepares to welcome a child into this ever changing world.

Bio:
Eyedress is the alias of Filipino artist Idris Vicuña, formerly lead guitarist of psychedelic indie/noise-pop band Bee Eyes. Born in 1990 in the city of Makati, Philippines. Vicuña relocated to the US with his family at the age of 6. He was raised in Phoenix, Arizona before moving to San Clemente, California at the age of 13, where he started playing bass in a Crass-influenced crust-punk band.

In 2005, Vicuña moved back to Manila - He released his first solo record entitled Hearing Colors in 2013. Well received by music blogs, it led to him signing his first record deal with XL Recordings imprint Abeano. He followed up in 2016 with his second full length, Shapeshifter. The title track featured King Krule under his Edgar The Breathtaker alias.

The follow up was released in November 2018. Sensitive G is a deeply personal reflection on the joys and pains of his life in Manila told through the styles he was influenced whilst growing up in the US; R&B, dream-pop, indie rock, punk rock and G-funk. A more solitary affair, Sensitive G was recorded almost entirely by himself in his bedroom and demonstrates a more refined and visceral approach to his process and palette.

Following the release of Sensitive G he relocated from Manila to LA, and began collaborating with kindred spirits like Cuco and Inner Wave. 2019 found him sharing stages with acts like Homeshake, Enjoy, Jasper Bones, N8NOFACE, and B Cool Aid, as well as supporting Inner Wave on their 13 date west coast summer tour.

Eyedress' upcoming LP, Let's Skip To The Wedding, is the first album he’s created since moving to the United States. A passionate exploration of the themes of love, settling down, adjusting to life in a new city, and preparing to welcome a child into this ever changing world. Let's Skip To The Wedding channels the uncertainty of 2020 into an eclectic collection of songs and loved up remedy for the times.

Eyedress
Let's Skip To The Wedding
(Lex Records)
[click here to pre-order]
Street Date: August 7, 2020

Track List:

1. Let's Skip To The Wedding
2. Skateboarding Day
3. Never Want To Be Apart
4. Can I See You Tonight?
5. Romantic Lover
6. X-Girl
7. I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend
8. Jealous
9. Last Time I'm Falling In Love
10. Pop The Question
11. Happy Hour
12. Trauma
13. My Girl The Finest
14. Never Been To Prom
15. Mystical Creatures Best Friend
16. Pick Up Your Phone
17. Self Improvement
18. Kiss Me Like It's The Last Time
19. Anything For You

EYEDRESS LINKS:

Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
SoundCloud

SOME DAYS ARE DARKER DEBUT “TAKE ME ANYWHERE” VIDEO VIA NEW NOISE https://newnoisemagazine.com/video-premiere-some-days-are-darker-take-me-anywhere/ *LOVE+TRUTH* ARRIVES JULY 31 VIA INFERNO CHOIR “The solo endeavor of singer/songwriter Lear Mason, Some Days Are Darker illustrates a rich soundscape colored by hues of love, loss, and rebirth, an era-ambiguous amalgamation of goth-rock gloom and modern-day crooner.” – New Noise

To view the “Take Me Anywhere” video, click the image above or follow this link:

https://newnoisemagazine.com/video-premiere-some-days-are-darker-take-me-anywhere/

July 9, 2020 – Phoenix, Ariz. – Some Days Are Darker, the Phoenix-based outfit that The Entertainer described as having “a sound that lies between Nick Cave and Chris Isaak,” debut the video for “Take Me Anywhere” via New Noise (https://newnoisemagazine.com/video-premiere-some-days-are-darker-take-me-anywhere/).

“Take Me Anywhere,” which is the second preview from the forthcoming release Love+Truth (July 31, Inferno Choir) with a video for “Wolves” (https://youtu.be/MKVTpKAQhdA) released in early June, has been described by singer/guitar player Lear Mason as an exploration of “the thrill of forbidden love. We don’t get to choose who we fall in love with, and there’s a danger in that. How far are you willing to go?" Album pre-orders are available here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/somedaysaredarker/love-truth.

“I grew up across the river from Detroit, my mom exposed me to Motown while my dad was a fan of The Stooges and MC5,” said Mason upon the announcement of Love+Truth. “Growing up with that combination of music in our house made what now seems like an unusual pairing seem natural to me. I think you can hear that freedom and those influences in the music I make. I’m getting back to the early fifties style of recording where you just stand in front of the microphone, hit record, and play the song.”

Dubbed “an era-ambiguous amalgamation of goth-rock gloom and modern day crooner,” Some Days Are Darker’s debut release is “like the True Detective soundtrack meets the Pretty in Pink soundtrack.”

# # #

Somedaysaredarker.com

Facebook.com/somedaysaredarker

Instagram.com/somedaysaredarker

Photo credit: Lauren Bradley

“Better Man” was written as a cathartic release after finding the courage to cut ties with a person who I entrusted with my career.

Hear “Better Man” via your preferred streaming platform now.

Follow along onInstagram, Facebook and Twitter

https://kandlemusic.ca/

Manipulation is emotional blackmail. They use certain behaviours to influence how you think, feel and act until you are broken down to a fragment of what you once were. When your success is monopolized by someone else holding the key, you find yourself making deals with the devil without a clue how you got there.

After wallowing in solitary shame and indignation for years, I decided to flip the script. It is my hope that this song will inspire those in an inferior position to no longer normalize the silent epidemic of abuse of power. And if you’ve been a casualty of career manipulation, seek redemption by waving the red flag and being resilient.

🖤 Kandle

Press Photo by Maya Fuhr

Vampire Weekend Releases
Amazon Original EP Live In Florida

July 9, 2020: Today, Vampire Weekend released an Amazon Original EP, Live In Florida, available now to stream and purchase only on Amazon Music. Recorded last year on their Father of the Bride Tour, the EP captures selections from the band’s two Florida performances at The St. Augustine Amphitheatre and at the James L. Knight Center in Miami. The EP features live versions of songs that span Vampire Weekend’s discography, including Father of the Bride standouts “Sunflower,” “How Long?,” and “2021,” as well as other classics like “A Punk” and “White Sky.” The EP is now available across all tiers of Amazon Music— including in immersive, 3D Audio, on Amazon Music HD.

Listen to Vampire Weekend’s Live In Florida only on Amazon Music: http://amzn.to/VampireWeekend

“Vampire Weekend has had a long and healthy relationship with the Florida music fan, and last summer's Miami/St. Augustine run was no different,” explains drummer Chris Tomson. “These shows were a little sticky in the August humidity but I had so much fun playing and the really great crowd vibes always help (especially, but not limited to, Nick from Orlando's inspired assistance on A-Punk). These shows stayed with me like the pepper sauce from O'Steen's or a Cubano Doble from Enriqueta’s.”

Vampire Weekend released their acclaimed fourth album Father of the Bride on Columbia Records in 2019. The band’s first release in six years quickly became their third album in a row to reach #1 on the Billboard 200 and garnered their second Grammy award for Best Alternative Music Album. Father of the Bride received an enthusiastic reaction from the press, including Rolling Stone, Vulture, The New York Times and Esquire, who proclaimed “Vampire Weekend have gone and made another masterpiece,” as well as The Guardian, who called them “A band pushing past their boundaries with striking results,” and GQ, who said “One of the most ~important~ bands of the 21st century…the group has expanded itself and the conception of what a band can be.” Capping off a banner year, Vampire Weekend embarked on their most ambitious tour to date, selling out arenas and amphitheaters around the world.

Amazon Music listeners can find Vampire Weekend’s Live In Florida on the playlist Control Alt Repeat, providing a global stage for alternative fans to find new releases from established acts, or discover their next favorite band. Customers can also simply ask, “Alexa play the Amazon Original by Vampire Weekend” in the Amazon app for iOS and Android and on Alexa-enabled devices. In addition to Vampire Weekend, Amazon Music listeners can access hundreds ofAmazon Originals featuring both emerging and established artists across numerous genres, available to stream and purchase only on Amazon Music.

Live in Florida Tracklist:

1. White Sky (Live in Miami)

2. How Long? (Live in St. Augustine)

3. Sunflower (Live in Miami)

4. Nick from Orlando Intro

5. A-Punk (Featuring Nick from Orlando) (Live in St. Augustine)

6. 2021 (Live in St. Augustine)

THE HOLLYWOOD STARS ANNOUNCE
HALLOWEEN RELEASE FOR LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP

Recorded in July 2019 at Hollywood’s Whisky A Go Go, Live on the Sunset Strip features a dozen tracks spanning the band’s trio of albums, including rousing versions of “All the Kids on the Street,” “Escape” and “Shine Like a Radio”

During the 1970s, The Hollywood Stars toured with THE KINKS and played support gigs to such legends as THE NEW YORK DOLLS, BO DIDDLEY, THE RAMONES and IGGY POP; In turn, a cavalcade of newcomers opened shows for The Stars, including VAN HALEN, JOURNEY, THE RUNAWAYS, THE KNACK, and QUIET RIOT, among others

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / July 2020 — Building on the success of last year’s Sound City archival release, The Hollywood Stars today announce details of the band’s first live album, Live on the Sunset Strip. The 12-track collection will be released on CD and digital download via Burger Records on October 31, 2020.

Pre-order Live on the Sunset Strip: HERE

The Hollywood Stars were originally assembled by rock impresario Kim Fowley in 1973. According to an essay written by Fowley for Who Put the Bomp! fanzine, he envisioned the group as a “West Coast version of The New York Dolls.” The reality turned out to be a bit different as the Stars were more conventionally handsome, and quickly gained a huge female following on the Sunset Strip glam rock scene. The Stars also differed from the Dolls in that their music was mostly free of grit and jagged edges, and instead gained instant pop appeal with its combination of soaring bubblegum hooks and sharp powerpop arrangements.

The Whisky A Go Go on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip had been The Hollywood Stars’ home base from 1973-1977. After an absence of 42 years, the reformed Stars made a triumphant return on July 18, 2019, a gig that will soon be preserved for posterity as Live on the Sunset Strip. The band was introduced to the stage that night by Rodney Bingenheimer, the legendary local deejay and current host of Sirius XM’s “Rodney on the Rock.”

The lineup of The Hollywood Stars which appears on the live album is Scott Phares (vocals), Ruben De Fuentes (guitar), Terry Rae (drums), Michael Rummans (bass), and Chezz Monroe (guitar). All but Monroe were part of the group in the 1970s.

Phares says, “Playing the Whisky again brought back memories of all those amazing people who saw us there in the early days—John Lennon, Angie Bowie, Iggy Pop, Danny Hutton, and all of our great fans. It was a true homecoming.”

In the days leading up to the Whisky reunion, LA Weekly’s Brett Callwood published an interview with Phares and designated the show as one of the paper’s weekly “Concert Picks.” The following month, Callwood chose the newly-released Sound City as his “Album of the Week.” Sound City was a “lost” album the group had recorded in 1976 but it went unreleased until August 2019. It then joined an album discography which also includes The Hollywood Stars (Arista Records, 1977) and Shine Like a Radio: The Great Lost 1974 Album (Last Summer/Light in the Attic, 2013).

The Hollywood Stars were the first musical group to record the classic rock anthems “King of the Night Time World” and “Escape,” songs which were later covered on multi-platinum albums by Kiss and Alice Cooper, respectively. Both songs appear on Live on the Sunset Strip and were co-written by Fowley and original Hollywood Stars member Mark Anthony. Two additional tracks on the album, “Supermen Are Always Gentlemen” and “Tough Guys Never Cry,” were written by Canadian musician Mars Bonfire who is best known for writing the rock anthem “Born to Be Wild” for Steppenwolf.

Live on the Sunset Strip: Tracklist

1. King of the Night Time World (Mark Anthony, Kim Fowley)
2. Escape (Mark Anthony, Kim Fowley, Alice Cooper)
3. Sunrise on Sunset (Mark Anthony, Kim Fowley, Skip Battin)
4. All the Kids on the Street (Mark Anthony, Kim Fowley)
5. Supermen Are Always Gentlemen (Mars Bonfire)
6. Modern Romance (Terry Rae, Scott Phares, Kim Fowley)
7. Tough Guys Never Cry (Mars Bonfire)
8. Shine Like a Radio (Kim Fowley, Peter Lyons)
9. Too Hot to Handle (Mark Anthony)
10. I Can’t Help It (Mark Anthony)
11. Make It to the Party (Ruben De Fuentes, Mark Anthony)
12. Habits (Mark Anthony)

Recorded on July 18, 2019 at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, CA
Engineered at Kitten Robot Studios in Los Angeles by Paul Roessler

THE HOLLYWOOD STARS (Clockwise from upper left): Terry Rae, Chezz Monroe, Scott Phares, Michael Rummans & Ruben De Fuentes.
Photo: Harmony Gerber / Photo-Grafitti

SHARE: Video for "Escape" live at the Whisky A Go Go

CONNECT WITH THE HOLLYWOOD STARS

Website | Artist Page | Facebook | Spotify | Twitter

ERASURE

LAUNCH NEW TRACK
“SHOT A SATELLITE”

NEW ALBUM
THE NEON

OUT AUGUST 21

credit: Phil Sharp

Recent praise for first single “Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling)”:

"...[an] appropriately neon-streaked synth confection."– STEREOGUM

"…another irresistible, modern synth-pop stunner..."– BLACKBOOK

“Clarke's gurgling synthpop + Bell's powerful pipes never seems to get old.” – BROOKLYN VEGAN

ERASURE (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) have shared the second track to be taken from their eagerly awaited new album, The Neon. Listen to “Shot A Satellite” here.

Launching off a bed of stuttering, percussive sci-fi synths, “Shot A Satellite” is the latest taste of what to expect from The Neon – out August 21 on Mute. The record will be released digitally and on standard and deluxe limited editions of vinyl, CD and cassette. Pre-orders via Mute or the band’s shop will give priority ticket access to future tour dates. Pre-order The Neon here.

The band recently released a remix EP for the first single, “Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling)” featuring reworkings from UK-based DJ and producer Philip George, Nimmo, and Daybreakers – aka Ric Scott and Alex Hush whose previous remix credits include Madonna and U2. Listen to the original track here and the remix EP here.

MORE ABOUT THE NEON
The Neon is a place that lives in the imagination. It could be a night club, a shop, a city, a cafe, a country, a bedroom, a restaurant, any place at all. It’s a place of possibility in warm, glowing light and this is music that takes you there.

Written and produced by Erasure, the album’s initial sessions saw Vince and Andy reunite to work on the follow up to 2017’s World Be Gone with a fresh optimism and energy, in part born from their own recent personal projects. Vince goes on to explain, “Our music is always a reflection of how we’re feeling. Andy was in a good place spiritually, and so was I – really good places in our minds. You can hear that.”

Taking inspiration from pop music through the decades, from bands Andy loved as a child through to the present day, he explains, “It was about refreshing my love – hopefully our love – of great pop. I want kids now to hear these songs! I wanted to recharge that feeling that pop can come from anyone.”

The Neon offers us warmth and a brilliant brightness in our times. It connects us to our pasts and our futures as it glistens with hope. It creates beautiful places where our imaginations can roam, bringing us together, twinkling and beaming. The Neon transports us to a celebratory world, now and forever, illuminated and alive.

The Neon Tracklist
1. Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling)
2. Nerves of Steel
3. Fallen Angel
4. No Point In Tripping
5. Shot A Satellite
6. Tower of Love
7. Diamond Lies
8. New Horizons
9. Careful What I Try to Do
10. Kid You’re Not Alone

Pre-order The Neon
Listen to “Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling)”
Listen to “Shot A Satellite”
Stream and purchase the Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling) Remix EP

*PRE-ORDER NOW*

"The beauty of Blonde Redhead's music fries my brain. They are my only friend."
- Guy Picciotto -

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Blonde Redhead's classic album, Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, Touch and Go Records will release a deluxe vinyl edition on September 4, 2020. This limited edition of 2000 is pressed on 180-gram opaque magenta pink vinyl at RTI and packaged in a full-color gatefold jacket with revised cover art and never-before-seen photos from the original recording sessions.

Originally released 20 years ago on June 6, 2000, Blonde Redhead's third Touch and Go Records album was recorded earlier that year at Bear Creek Studio in Washington state from January 15 to February 18 with Guy Picciotto and Ryan Hadlock. With Guy helping to shape the sound of the record, Simone, Kazu, and Amedeo found themselves in an ideal environment to create the iconic album that emerged from those sessions.

Since 2017, the album has gained a rabid new fanbase after the popular TV series Rick and Morty used the song "For the Damaged Coda" as the "Evil Morty" theme music.

Orders will ship to arrive on or before September 4, 2020.

From the first notes of "Equally Damaged", you are drawn in - starting wtih a simple, twisted melody, augmented bit by bit with the rhythms and distinctive vocals and lyrics which are the center of these songs. Moved dramatically to the front of the mix, the vocals on this record are rich and melodic, sometimes recorded with three mics at once to get the depth of the sound. The instrumentation and presentation of each song create intricately layered, provocative, and genuinely emotional songs that continue to play themselves in your head for days.

The mix of the guitars, the power of the drums, and the infectiousness of the rhythms, combined with the remarkable vocals and lyrics, make Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons a true masterpiece.

A Side:
Equally Damaged * In Particular * Melody of Certain Damaged Three * Hated Because of Great Qualities * Loved Despite of Great Faults

B Side:
Ballad of Lemons * This Is Not * A Cure * For The Damaged * Mother * For The Damaged Coda

Listen to Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons: Spotify / Apple Music

Contact
Touch and Go Records
www.touchandgorecords.com

follow us
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPT 1985
a film by Alexander Laurence

This is an early version of the film I made in 1985. It was basically a collaboration between myself and Greg Yalch (of The Bell Jar) and Ann De Jarnette (of Mneumonic Devices). I wrote the script soon after watching some Surrealist films. Mark Held and Chris Mehess had both shot three films each of their own. I helped edit and shoot those films and we all used the same equipment. Mehess had taken a film class at Golden West College.

The original film I wanted to shoot was violent and obscene. The original film was lost when I left it over at a friend's house. A VHS copy I made with a soundtrack was given to Greg Yalch and he lost it. Chris Mehess lost his trilogy of films in the 1980s. Mark Held and Steve Zweig created a video called DOG FOOD TRILOGY 1985 which I have previously uploaded.

We used to show these films at Poetry Night at Safari Sams in 1985 and 1986. My film used a soundtrack of songs by Can, and also Brian Eno Ambient 4. Ann De Jarnette and I recorded a ten minute track that was meant to use for showings. But I never used it. 25 Years years had passed and there was only a faint memory of this film. In 2020, I finally discovered the original super 8mm film. It was mainly outtakes and footage cut from the other films that I had kept for some reason. It still retains the energy and the original vision of the original films, and may be possibly better. The Immaculate Concept was a cut up montage film. So it's like the vague remnants of my film mixed with similar films by Chris Mehess and Mark Held.

Chris Mehess died in June 2018

SINEAD HARNETT
RECRUITS MASEGO AND VANJESS
FOR NEW SINGLE ‘STICKIN’

LISTEN HERE

Sinead Harnett - known for her powerhouse vocals and major collaborations with Disclosure, Kaytranada, and Rudimental to name just a few - has recruited Masego and renowned contemporary R&B sister duo VanJess for her new single 'Stickin’, which is available now on all digital streaming platforms.

CLICK HERE to listen to the stunning collab, co-produced by Sunny Kale and Mike Brainchild, which marks the first single off Sinead’s highly anticipated sophomore album due out later this year.

On the inspiration behind the new track, Sinead shares, "When we were making the track it felt like summer to me, and I wanted to bring a little contrast to that lyrically. Often the people that most get on our nerves are the ones we’re closest to. The ones we’ll always stick by. I loved how VanJess made their own spin on that notion, and how Masego gave his side to the story in response.”

‘Stickin’ ft. Masego & VanJess is out now: https://orcd.co/stickin

‘OM RECORDS - 25 YEARS’

AN ALBUM CELEBRATING OM RECORDS’ 25TH ANNIVERSARY

FEATURING RELEASES BY KASKADE & COLETTE, GROOVE ARMADA,

PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS, MARK FARINA, J BOOGIE’S DUBTRONIC SCIENCE,

MING & FS AND MORE

AVAILABLE TODAY, JULY 10

LISTEN NOW HERE

Today, July 10, Om Records has released Om Records - 25 Years, the album celebrating their 25th anniversary as a label. With now a quarter of a century under their belt, Om Records is one of America’s first and longest-running dance music brands.

Over its 26 songs, the compilation features new songs, unreleased material, and classics from artists on Om’s roster, as well as a few singles which have already been released leading up to the album. These include Mark Farina & Homero Espinosa’s “The Story,” Reptile Room’s “Sunlite,” Brooklyn’s Body Language with “Let’s Try,” J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science’s “Be Free” featuring the flute talents of Carlos Araiza and a dazzling new track from Kaskade and Colette with “When I’m With You.”

Listen to the album here: https://smarturl.it/OmRecords25years

Before labels like Dirtybird, OWSLA and Monstercat there was Om. Legends in the game and survivors of the past twenty-five years, Om—with over 700 releases under its belt--has withstood 9/11, the Dot Com bubble and burst, Napster, the birth and impending death of downloads, the recession and now a global pandemic all the while still releasing great music. The 25 Years compilation highlights some of the best Om has to offer.

Discover the music and get a guided tour of the release via this track by track now featured by Forbes here.

Om Records – 25 Years

Kaskade & Colette – “When I’m With You”
Body Language – “Let’s Try”
Chuck Love & Fourfeet – “Let’s Go Back”
Mark Farina & Homero Espinosa – “The Story”
People Under The Stairs – “Turfbuilders” (Demo)
Colossus – “This Is How We Do”
King Kooba – “Want Your Love” (The Jazzual Suspects Remix)
J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science – “Be Free” Feat. Carlos Araiza
Shiny Objects – “Believe In Somebody” Feat. Jesse Rennix
Rithma – “Spin Cycle”
Blackbird Blackbird – “Vector”
Reptile Room – “Sunlite”
Rocket Empire – “On A Bridge”
People Under The Stairs – “Acid Raindrops”
Mark Farina & Sean Hayes – “Dream Machine”
Kaskade – “It’s You, It’s Me”
Marques Wyatt – “For Those Who Like To Get Down” (DEEP Sunday Retro Vibe Mix)
Groove Armada – “Love Lights The Underground”
Colette – “Feelin’ Hypnotized” (Kaskade Mix)
Body Language - “Social Studies” (Plastic Plates Remix)
TWINKIDS – “Overdressed”
J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science – “Movin’ To My Beat Feat. People Under The Stairs”
MING & FS – “Hell’s Kitchen”
Colossus – “Thrupenny Bits” (The Jazzual Suspects Remix)
King Kooba – “Fooling Myself” (Easy Access Orchestra)
Soulstice – “Fall Into You”

About Om Records:

Om is a San Francisco based music and lifestyle company. We are artists and producers of music, design, and events for a global community of forward-thinking people. From our humble beginnings in 1995, Om has grown to become a highly recognized and respected brand in the global music scene. Om's mission is to find, release and promote music that is refined, innovative and always pushing boundaries.

Follow Om Records:

www.om-records.com

Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram

Apple

KACY HILL’S SECOND ALBUM

IS IT SELFISH IF WE TALK ABOUT ME AGAIN OUT NOW

SHARES VIDEO FOR

“EVERYBODY’S MOTHER”

photo credit: Lauren Dunn

July 10, 2020—Kacy Hill’s second album Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again is out today—listen here. She also shares the music video for the previously-released track “Everybody’s Mother” today—watch here.

“Everybody’s Mother” follows “Unkind,” “Porsche,” “I Believe In You” featuring Francis and the Lights—which EW called a “soothing balm”—and previously unveiled tracks “Dinner,” “Much Higher” and “To Someone Else.” In addition, Hill collaborated with Bon Iver on his latest track “PDLIF,” which was made in quarantine by piecing together contributions sent in from artists in self-isolation and benefitted the humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief.

In December 2017, Hill connected with Francis and the Lights and producer BJ Burton (Bon Iver, The Japanese House) in Minneapolis, where they started laying the foundations of Hill’s forthcoming record, Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again. In the following years, the remainder of the record was completed between L.A. and Minneapolis, with the help of another of Hill’s collaborators, the producer Jim-E Stack (HAIM, Caroline Polachek). Between Hill’s revitalized approach to making music, recently parting ways with G.O.O.D. Music—the label she initially signed to in 2014—and the Olympic-style competitive weightlifting she picked up a couple years ago, her forthcoming album marks an exciting new era in her career.

The Phoenix-born, Los Angeles-based artist got her start in 2014 when her self-released single “Experience,” the second song Hill had ever recorded, went viral. After being on the road with Kanye West and Vanessa Beecroft for the YEEZUS tour, she signed to G.O.O.D. Music. Her EP Bloo came shortly thereafter, showcasing the range of her voice on tracks like “Foreign Fields” and the anthemic “Arm’s Length.” She was featured on Travis Scott’s “90210” and Kid Cudi’s “Releaser,” she covered V Magazine, GQ wrote she was “barreling toward the big time” and New York Magazine named her “one to watch.” In 2017, Hill released her official debut album, the R&B-hinged, synth-laden ode to all the shapes femininity can take, Like A Woman, to critical acclaim.

KACY HILL—IS IT SELFISH IF WE TALK ABOUT ME AGAIN

1. To Someone Else

2. Much Higher

3. Just To Say

4. Porsche

5. I Believe In You feat. Francis and the Lights

6. Everybody’s Mother

7. Told Me

8. Unkind

9. Six

10. Palladium

11. Dinner

TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS RELEASE NEW SINGLE ‘WARNING WARNING,’ OUT TODAY

FIRST STUDIO ALBUM IN A DECADE TO BE RELEASED VIA TROJAN JAMAICA/BMG ON AUGUST 28 – PRE-SAVE/ORDER

LISTEN
‘WARNING WARNING’

PRE-SAVE/ORDER
‘GOT TO BE TOUGH’ LP (OUT 8/28)

“A reminder to stay strong when corrupt systems rear their heads.” – Rolling Stone Magazine

“The song is an inspirational anthem during a time as hectic as now.” – PASTE Magazine

"It continues Toots’ longstanding interest in social justice.” – Consequence of Sound

"A call to action and a reminder to stay strong for the cause.” – Exclaim! Magazine

Legendary Jamaican artist Frederick “Toots” Hibbert today unveils a brand new single ‘Warning Warning’, the second offering from his highly anticipated first studio album in a decade Got To Be Tough, set for global release via Trojan Jamaica/BMG Records on August 29 [PRE-SAVE/ORDER].

The new track comes in the wake of an incredible global reception for both the album announcement and release of its title track, the video for which was unveiled last week on International Reggae Day (watch here).

During a time of global social and political unrest, Toots’ welcomed return and voice couldn’t be more needed or necessary than ever. Harking back to the start of Ska, during the civil rights movement era in America and Jamaican independence in the 1960s, he has sung iconic truths such as ‘Monkey Man’ and ‘54-46 Was My Number,’ a wry but not bitter response to his unjust incarceration for ganja. Since then Toots has gained insight into the corrupt systems that try to dominate our bravest endeavors, and it is in his new resistance music, that his anger at and sensitivity to injustice in 2020 is clearer than ever. ‘Warning Warning’ encapsulates this in a clear message for the world, with no apology – a warning.

"I want to ask everyone to keep their focus in this time of wonders. Make such focus be of good faith. Love each other, take it as a warning and exercise brotherly and sisterly care for each other of all race, religion and creed.” Says Toots.

The energizing provocation of Got To Be Tough renews the near six-decade career of the man who launched a new sound and genre with his 1968 release, ‘Do The Reggay.’ It’s a reminder that through Toots’ creative veins run all the roots and shoots of the Black Diaspora. Blues, soul, r’n’b, funk, jazz, reggae, African griots – Toots honors, embodies and owns them. Throwing down an authoritative guide: how to survive and thrive among our earth challenges.

He hipped our heads in the 1970s with the dynamic pan-Africanism of ‘Funky Kingston’ and the early warning message of ‘Pressure Drop’; re-defining soul with the ‘Toots In Memphis’ LP in the 80s.

Toots has constantly evolved while staying uniquely the same.

The multiple GRAMMY® Award nominated and winning musician, vocalist, songwriter, producer and icon has made the wait worthwhile, crafting a stubborn groove, designed to inspire tenacity, while splendidly balancing joy and anger, pain and healing. Produced by Toots himself, who also plays many of the instruments on this album, alongside Zak Starkey on guitar, drums from one half of Sly and Robbie, Sly Dunbar, percussion from Cyril Neville, and a mighty horn section arranged by Toots himself.

Tough, though the message is, your body has to respond to these songs, and your mind will follow. An impeccable performer himself, Toots knows that the dance itself is a primal exorcism; a greater guarantee than any that, helped by heeding this warning, we will live to ‘Do The Reggay’ into the 21st century and beyond.

Got To Be Tough the album will be available worldwide from August 28.
PRE-SAVE/ORDER HERE.

‘GOT TO BE TOUGH’ TRACK LIST
Drop Off Head
Just Brutal
Got To Be Tough
Freedom Train
Warning Warning
Good Thing That You Call
Stand Accuse
Three Little Birds Ft. Ziggy Marley
Having A Party
Struggle

OFFICIAL WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

QUINN XCII UNVEILS THIRD ALBUM
A LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF
TODAY VIA COLUMBIA RECORDS

LYRIC VIDEO FOR ALBUM OPENER “AM I HIGH RN” (FEAT. BLACKBEAR) OUT NOW

ADDITIONAL FEATURES INCLUDE LOGIC, ASHE AND MARC E. BASSY

The third studio album by Quinn XCII. Written and recorded in the years 2019-2020 in Los Angeles, CA, but inspired by a lifetime of experiences and events. “I wrote a letter to my younger self; I hope you read it when you don’t feel well.”

The third studio album from Quinn XCII, A Letter To My Younger Self, is officially available everywhere now via Columbia Records.

With the album release comes a new lyric video for the warped and woozy track “Am I High Rn” feat. blackbear. “This song is song about being high for the first time and dealing with the feelings of paranoia, excitement, worry,” says Quinn XCII. “It really encapsulates the ability to just accept what you’re observing and let things be as they are.”

With his new album, the Detroit-bred artist expands on the soul-baring honesty of his 2019 sophomore effort From Michigan With Love, sharing a candid look back on the chaos of adolescence. And while his lyrics focus in on so many formative experiences— the confusion of a hopeless crush in “Stacy”, the pain of dealing with paralyzing shyness in “Notice Me”, moving on from relationships in “Meeting Strangers” —A Letter To My Younger Self ultimately attests to the joy of living in the moment and learning to trust your instincts at any age or phase of life. It unfolds with a nostalgia-soaked but forward-thinking collision of pop, hip-hop, alternative, and soul. The result is a body of work that radiates an undeniable hope even as Quinn XCII dives into painful subject matter, each track elevated by his warm vocal presence, kinetic rhythms, and complex yet addictive melodies.

“The message I want to get across is to not beat yourself up too much when things in life aren’t going your way," Quinn XCII adds. "In those moments, some things may seem like the most intense and important thing you’ll ever go through, but try to remember that it’s all just a very small chapter in a much greater life story.”

A Letter To My Younger Self is available now.

TRACK LIST:

Am I High Rn (feat. blackbear)
Stacy
Sleep While I Drive (feat. Ashe)
Second Time Around
Coffee (feat. Marc E. Bassy)
Notice Me
A Letter To My Younger Self (feat. Logic)
More Than Friends
Mad At Me
Two 10s
Meeting Strangers
Everything I Need

APPARAT

RELEASES SOUNDTRACKS: EQUALS SESSIONS

OUT NOW

LISTEN TO APPARAT ON THE
SONG EXPLODER PODCAST

credit: Phil Sharp

Apparat, aka Sascha Ring, today concludes his 2020 Soundtracks series with the release of Soundtracks: Equals Sessions. An American film starring Kristen Stewart and directed by Drake Doremus, Equals premiered at the 72nd Venice Film Festival in 2015. This release is possibly the biggest production of the series and includes an OST by Ring and Nackt (the co-producer and co-writer of the soundtrack).

The fourth and final chapter of Apparat‘s Soundtracks series, Soundtracks: Equals Sessions is based on the original recordings but was rearranged, re-recorded, mixed, and updated by Ring and collaborator Philipp Thimm in May and June 2020. The score also contains several songs by US musician, composer, and producer Dustin O ́Halloran who became a good friend of Sascha‘s during this time. Stream and purchase Soundtracks: Equals Sessions here.

Apparat’s Soundtracks series began in May 2020 with the release of Soundtracks: Capri-Revolution and continued with Soundtracks: Stay Still, and Soundtracks: Dämonen.

Reflecting on his work with Ring, O’Halloran says:

After first moving to Berlin, I became familiar with Apparat’s music and loved his sense of space and the sounds I found in the music. There was somehow a kinship before we even met. We had some mutual friends and had both worked with my long-time sonic collaborator from Italy, Francesco Donadello, who introduced us. Serendipity happened again when director Drake Doremus, whom I had already collaborated with on a few films, asked Sascha to work on his new film Equals. We worked as independent halves on this project in a way, creating our own sound worlds, but always with the idea that it should sound cohesive and from the same world. I pulled inspiration from the sonic foundation Sascha had laid down. It was a chance for me to get away from acoustic instruments and work on a purely electronic soundscape, which was exciting for me, and I think this music was a highlight of the film. I am glad this music will finally see the light and be shared.

The Soundtracks series further solidifies Ring's status as a prominent modern composer for theater, film, and TV. His track "Goodbye," originally released on 2011's The Devil's Walk, serves as the title theme for the German-language sci-fi series DARK whose third season premiered on Netflix at the end of June. Song Exploder recently spoke with Ring, Anja from Soap&Skin, and the music supervisor for Breaking Bad (which also used the track) to explore this cinematic song. Listen here.

In 2019, Apparat received a GRAMMY nomination for the Best Dance/Electronic Album with LP5, his first release since 2013’s Krieg und Frieden (Music for Theatre). Stream LP5 and purchase physical formats of the record here.

Soundtracks: Equals Sessions Tracklist
1. Glass
2. Love Theme (Live in Paris)
3. Slice Jam (Live in Paris)
4. Sad Mug
5. Infected
6. Big Romance
7. Dark Anthem (Live in Paris)
8. Knowing
9. Escape From Den
10. A Nightmare
11. The Past

Stream and purchase Soundtracks: Capri-Revolution
Stream and purchase Soundtracks: Stay Still
Stream and purchase Soundtracks: Dämonen
Stream and purchase Soundtracks: Equals Sessions

Silversun Pickups Share Cover of Martika's Song, “Toy Soldiers”

BECK Receives Khruangbin Remix of “No Distraction” for his Birthday

NANA ADJOA Announces Debut Album 'Big Dreaming Ants' + Shares "No Room"

Mattiel Premieres New Video for Beastie Boys Cover “Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun"

PINEGROVE SHARES NEW VIDEO FOR “ENDLESS” - WATCH

Napalm Death Announce New Album, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (Sept. 18, Century Media Records)

Watch Eyedress' new "Last Time I'm Falling In Love" video; a surrealist fever dream directed by Bobby Astro

Some Days Are Darker Debut "Take Me Anywhere" Video via New Noise

Hear “Better Man” by KANDLE via your preferred streaming platform now.

Vampire Weekend Releases Amazon Original EP 'Live In Florida'

THE HOLLYWOOD STARS ANNOUNCE HALLOWEEN RELEASE FOR LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP

Erasure Launch New Track "Shot A Satellite"; New Album Out August 21

Blonde Redhead - Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons (20th Anniversary Edition) Available September 4, 2020

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPT 1985

Listen to new Sinead Harnett single, 'Stickin' ft. Masego & VanJess > Out now!

'OM RECORDS - 25 YEARS' Celebrating One of America's First Independent Dance Music Labels Out Now

Kacy Hill's Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again out now, unveils "Everybody's Mother" video

Legendary Toots and the Maytals Release 'Warning Warning'

QUINN XCII UNVEILS THIRD ALBUM 'A LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF'; LYRIC VIDEO FOR “AM I HIGH RN” (FEAT. BLACKBEAR) OUT NOW

Apparat Releases "Equals Sessions"; Final Soundtracks Series Installment Out Now