Category: New Single

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been frequenting this site over its six year history, you’ve likely made yourself familiar with New York-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and long-term JOVM mainstay artist Rene Lopez. And over the years, Lopez has uncompromisingly refused to be pigeonholed into one particular genre. Over the years, Lopez has managed to mesh salsa, boogaloo, old-school hip-hop, meringue and electronica into one cohesive whole on E.L.S.; salsa and 7os Brazilian music on his most deeply personal effort Paint the Moon Gold; and slinkily seductive synth-based R&B and funk, inspired by Prince, The Gap Band, Rick James, Chic and others on Love Has No Mercy and its subsequent releases.

Now, much like The Raveonettes and several others, Lopez has spent the past year on a single of the month series that he’s dubbed the Jam of the Month. The last and latest single of the series “Who Stole Your Heart” is a swaggering 80s freestyle and hip-hop inspired track that pairs Lopez’s silky smooth vocals with big wobbling, tweeter and woofer rocking 808s and layers of cascading synths to craft a dance floor ready party jam that sounds as though it drew from Herbie Hancock “Rockit” and others.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Although they’ve gone through a number of lineup changes and members relocating to various locations up an down the Pacific Coast — with members currently based in Seattle, Vancouver and Oakland — Happy Diving is a indie rock quintet that initially formed in the Bay Area back in 2013 and within a short period of time, the quintet developed a reputation regionally for high-energy live shows and for being remarkably prolific. Building on the buzz that they’ve received, the quintet reconvened to write and record the material that would comprise their forthcoming full-length Electric Soul Unity which is slated for an August 19, 2016 through Tophself Records.

“Head Spell,” the latest single off Electric Soul Unity is a slow-burning 90s alt-rock inspired ballad consisting of enormous, buzzing and sludgy power chord and anthemic hook that sounds as though it draws from the likes of Pavement, Dinosaur, Jr. and others — while also firmly adding their names to a growing list of 90s alt rock inspired contemporary acts, including Brooklyn-based trio Dead Stars.

The band will be on tour throughout the summer and it’ll include an August 8, 2016 stop at Shea Stadium. Check out the tour dates below.

 

TOUR DATES
JUL 23 – Oakland, CA @ The Rat’s Nest
JUL 24 – Santa Rosa, CA @ Arlene Francis Center (w/ Gun Outfit, Tony Molina)
JUL 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hi Hat
JUL 26 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
JUL 27 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
JUL 28 – Albuquerque, NM @ Small Engine Gallery
JUL 29 – Oklahoma City, OK @ TBD
JUL 30 – Ft Worth, TX @ Purple Palace
JUL 31 – Houston, TX @ Vinyl Edge Records

AUG 1 – New Orleans, LA @ Saturn Bar
AUG 2 – Nashville, TN @ Two Boots
AUG 4 – Richmond, VA @ TBD
AUG 5 – Raleigh, NC @ Pinhook
AUG 6 – Baltimore, MD @ TBD
AUG 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ Lava Space
AUG 8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium (w/ Ovlov, Patio, Peaer)
AUG 10 – Providence, RI @ Tommy’s Place
AUG 11 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott (w/ Kindling, California X)
AUG 12 – Amherst, MA @ TBD
AUG 13 – Montreal, QB @ Poisson Noir
AUG 14 – Toronto, ON @ Smiling Buddha
AUG 15 – Detroit, MI @ TBD
AUG 16 – Milwaukee, WI @ High Dive
AUG 17 – Bloomington, IN @ Jan’s Rooms
AUG 18 – Eau Claire, WI @ TBD
AUG 19 – Duluth, MN @ Northern Isolation Fest
AUG 20 – Minneapolis, MN @ Dead Media (early show)
AUG 21 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Total Drag
AUG 24 – Calgary, AB @ Tubby Dog
AUG 26 – Vancouver, BC @ Antisocial Skate Shop
AUG 27 – Olympia, WA @ TBD
AUG 27 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos (w/ Chastity Belt, So Pitted)
AUG 29 – Portland, OR @ TBD
AUG 30 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill (w/ Creative Adult, Never Young, Plush)

 

Electric Soul Unity is Happy Diving‘s forthcoming album, out August 19 on Topshelf Records. “Head Spell” is the west coast band’s version of a ballad — tender yet loud, the inescapable wall of riffs pummel any shred of sentimentality into a fist-pumping scorcher. The album’s brilliant first single, “Holy Ground” is an onslaught of in-your-face rock.

Formed in the suburbs of San Francisco’s East Bay in 2013, Happy Diving has gained notoriety for their blistering, high-energy performances and prolific release output. Though the band has seen various member and location changes (now with members living in Seattle, Vancouver and Oakland), the five-piece reconvenes this summer for their first ever North American tour, playing shows with Tony Molina, Ovlov, California X, Chastity Belt, So Pitted, and Creative Adult along the way.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of brothers Andrew (guitar) and Steven McKeller (bass, lead vocals and keys), Richard Wouters (drums and percussion) and Kevin Dailey (keyboards and backing vocals), indie rock quartet Civil Twilight initially formed as a at trio in Cape Town, South Africa influenced by The Police, early U2, Muse, Jeff Buckley and Radiohead before recently relocating to Nashville, TN.  And with the release of their critically applauded Story of an Immigrant, the newly constituted quartet have quickly developed a reputation for a soaring, anthemic and broodingly atmospheric songs that sound indebted to The Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree-era U2 — with a subtle bit of shoegaze thrown in.

Building on the buzz that Story of an Immigrant received, the Nashville-based quartet will be re-releasing the album through Wind Up Records on July 16; however, this time with all acoustic versions of the album’s material. And to celebrate both the re-issuing of Story of an Immigrant and the announcement of a headlining tour throughout the Midwest, the band released a bonus track from the re-issue,  a hauntingly spectral, slow-burning cover of Billy Idol‘s “Dancing With  Myself,” which manages to give a completely different reinterpretation of a familiar and overplayed 80s mega-hit, turning the song into a lonely, late night ballad that you’d slow dance to with a lover — or as the song says, by yourself.

As I mentioned earlier, the band will be on tour throughout July. Check out tour dates below:

TOUR DATES:
* with Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness 

7/03 National Cherry Festival – Traverse City MI
7/05 Adado Riverfront Park – Lansing MI
7/07 The Intersection – Grand Rapids MI *
7/08 Blissfest Roots Music Festival – Petoskey MI
7/14 New Daisy Theatre – Memphis TN *
7/19 The Old Rock House – St Louis MO
7/20 Schubas Tavern – Chicago IL
7/21 Wooly’s – Des Moines IA *
7/22 The Blue Note – Columbia MO *
Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Initially formed in 2011 by its founding duo and childhood Brodie J Brummer and Gemma O’Connor, Melbourne, Australia-based indie rock act Flyying Colours first exploded into the national scene with the release of their debut single “Wavygravy” and two critically acclaimed EPs  for a sound that possesses elements of shoegaze, psych rock and grunge. With the recent recruitment of Melanie Barbaro and Andy Lloyd Russell to flesh out the band’s sound, the Australian quartet are set to expand their profile with the forthcoming release of their full-length debut Mindfulness which is slated for a September release through Club AC30.

Mindfulness‘ first single “It’s Tomorrow Now” is a noisy and towering squall of sound in which the band pairs buzzing power chords and incredible guitar pyrotechnics, a propulsive motorik groove and an anthemic hook with an uncanny sense of melody submerged into a song that sounds as though it channels The Jesus and Mary Chain — but with a dreamy sensibility at its core.

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of four singer/songwriters Adrian Olsen, Alexandra Spalding, James Mason and JL Hodges, along with multi-instrumentalist Charlie Glenn, the Richmond, VA-based quintet Avers first caught national attention with the release of their 2014 debut effort, Empty Light, an effort that had them opening for Foo Fighters and J.  Roddy Walston and The Business, along with an appearance at last year’s SXSW that was praised by a number of major outlets including Esquire and The Daily Beast. Building upon the buzz they’ve received, the Virginia-based quintet’s anticipated sophomore effort Omega/Whatever was written,  recorded and self-produced at their unofficial headquarters Montrose Recording — and the album, which is slated for a July 29, 2016 release through Egghunt Records reportedly focuses on struggling through life in the modern world; in fact, the material covers divorce, how technology influences our lives, changing societal norms, corrupt politicians and more. And interestingly enough, the material also manages to continue the creative process that the band established for the sessions that comprised their debut effort — each songwriter brought in sketches and ideas with the entire group then pitching in to flesh out the idea into a song and quickly recording the material that same day, whenever possible. As you can hear on the album’s 90s alt rock-channeling single “Insects,” the result is a song that feels at times hushed and improvised and rousingly anthemic wall of sound-channeling song that captures a sense of powerlessness over the things you can’t control — while saying “Well, that’s life sometimes. Get on with it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of two EPs and their full-length debut Consent released last year, the Vancouver, BC-baesd post-punk trio Lié, comprised of Brittany West, Ashlee Luk and Kati J, have developed reputation for a sound that draws from both early post-punk and noise bands, their hometown as well as each individual member’s own creative side efforts — West’s darkwave project Koban, Kati J’s trash punk band SBDC and Luk’s electronic project Minimal Violence; but perhaps much more important, they also developed a reputation for politically charged material — last year’s Consent was a barbed commentary on rape culture. However, the Canadian trio’s follow-up Truth or Consequences reportedly turns inward to the deeply personal, focusing on the dichotomy between the destructive and fragile elements of the ego. And as a result, the album’s first single “Failed Visions” is a tense, maniacally anxious song that evokes the fucked up inner dialogue we maintain within our heads — the sort in which you may vacillate from cocksure confidence to self loathing. Sonically and structurally, the band pairs slashing, angular guitar chords, a propulsive rhythm section and rapid fire tempo changes and in some way it makes the song sound as though it draws from L7 and Bikini Kill — or in other words it’s abrasive and furiously cathartic.

 

 

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: The Raveonettes Venomous, Post-Break Up Tell Off “Won’t You Leave Me Alone”

The Rave Sound of the Month’s latest single “Won’t You Leave Me Alone” is a bitter tell off from a jilted and exasperated lover, who’s sick of a partner, who just won’t get the hint that she has had enough — and it’s time for them to go. And the song is paired with a towering and jagged soundscape of swirling and buzzing guitar chords, and thundering drumming that reminds me of The Jesus and Mary Chain — but much more anthemic. And while listening to the song I guarantee you that you’ll be familiar with the sentiment from both ends.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the 2010 release of a lo-fi folk project, Talking Machine, North Carolina-based multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Stephen Warwick first caught local attention as the album landed on Shuffle Magazine‘s top 10 list that year. By 2013, Warwick sought out a new musical outlet and when he went into the studio to write and record material, he enlisted friends to join him, including The New Familiars’ Justin Fedor, with whom Warwick set out on tour as Ancient Cities, a project that derives its name from a childhood dream. After recruiting a rotating cast of musicians including Justin Faircloth (organ, synth) and Matt Curl (drums), the band has spent time touring up and down the East Coast while working on their sophomore effort Supermoon Blackout which will drop tomorrow.

With the release of the album’s latest single “Marmalade,” the band has expanded upon the sound that has first caught the attention of the blogosphere — while sounding as though it were inspired by The Black Keys as the members of Ancient Cities pair layers of buzzing guitars, propulsive rhythms, an anthemic hook that you hear a packed house yelling along and a swaggering self-assuredness that gives the song a larger-than-life feel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Over the past 18-24 months or so, New York-based electro pop duo Sofi Tukker have become blogosphere darlings while becoming JOVM mainstay artists. Comprised of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, the duo can trace their origins to when the duo were students at Brown University . Meeting and a local art galley, the duo began writing music around their shared desire of crafting accessible, pop-leaning world music that could reach a wide audience. And much like a number of artists across the country, the duo upon their graduation relocated to New York, where over the next year they began working on material — including the material that would wind up comprising their soon-to-be released EP Soft Animals, which is slated for a July 8 release. 

Earlier this month, I wrote about “Deja Vu Affrair,” a single that drew from 80s s New Order and house music as angular guitar chords played through gentle washes of reverb and delay are paired with four-on-the-floor drum programming, cascading layers of wobbling synths and Hawley-Weld’s sensual cooing. The EP’s latest single “Awoo” is a mischievous collaboration with vocalist Betta Lemme that pairs propulsive and tribal drum samples with samba-styled keys. Lemme and Hawley-Weld’s contribute sultry vocals and gleeful, child-like shouting — as though they were losing their minds to the song in the club.

Sofi Tukker is embarking on a lengthy series of tour dates — some opening for M83 and a number of headlining shows, including a hometown set at Baby’s All Right  at the end of July. Catch them at a music venue near you.

Tour Dates:

Supporting M83*

July 1 – London, UK @ British Summer Time @ Hyde Park (w/ Massive Attack) (TICKETS)

July 1 – London, UK @ White Heat at The Lexington (TICKETS)

July 2 – PITCH Festival Amsterdam (TICKETS)

July 6 – Cesme, Turkey @ Burn Electronica Festival (TICKETS)

July 7 – Milan, Italy @ Festival Moderno (w/ Grimes & Blood Orange) (TICKETS)

July 9 – Zamardi, Hungary @ Balaton Sound Festival (TICKETS)

July 15 – Salacgriva, Latvia @ Positivus Festival (TICKETS)

July 17 – One Love Festival Istanbul (TICKETS)

July 20 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre (w/ Chairlift) (TICKETS)*

July 21 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion (w/ Chairlift) (TICKETS)

July 25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant (TICKETS)*

July 27 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove (TICKETS)*

July 28 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre* (SOLD OUT)

July 30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (TICKETS)

August 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Popscene at Rickshaw Stop (TICKETS)

August 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Pershing Square (w/ Todd Rundgren) (FREE SHOW)

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been been frequenting this site over the course of the last several years, you’d be extremely familiar with JOVM mainstay Rhythm Scholar. And over the years, the wildly prolific New York-based DJ, producer and remixer has developed a reputation for a continuing series of genre-mashing remixes packed with both obscure and recognizable samples in a way that’s reminiscent of Paul’s Boutique-era Beastie Boys. Last year, Rhythm Scholar released an incredible Girl Talk-like mashup of Herbie Hancock‘s “Rockit” and Michael Jackson‘s “Bad,” that the producer, DJ and remixer has dubbed “Bad Rockit” and sonically the mashup possessed a club-banging, retro-futuristic feel with a larger-than-life, I’m going to kick ass, take names and kick more ass-like swagger.

This year, Rhythm Scholar returns to his signature genre-mashing remixes — this time with a shimmering and dance floor-friendly remix of Tears For Fears‘ mega-hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” that also meshes “Mother’s Milk” “Memories Fade” and “Mad World” with an additional bit of funk from Locksmith while retaining elements of their beloved sound.

 

 

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstays, The Coathangers Return with 60s Girl Group Inspired Visuals and Sounds for New Single “Down Down”

“Down Down” Nosebleed Weekend’s latest single will further cement the band’s reputation for crafting incredibly catchy hook in a song that possesses an obvious studio sheen — but without removing the scuzzy and primal feel of the album’s previously released material; in fact, “Down Down” possesses a mosh pit-ready feel while pairing it with a 60s girl group-leaning harmonies and layers of distorted and towering guitar chords.

Directed by Matt Odom, the recently released music video for “Down Down” interestingly enough draws from old footage and videos of 60s girls groups playing on American Bandstand, The Ed Sullivan Show and others complete with the members of the band singing and playing in front of psychedelic and art school projects — but with a clean, hyper-modern feel.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Single: Check Out the Slinky, Seductive and Soulful Electro Pop Sounds of Michigan’s Daniel Wilson

  Up-and-coming, 24 year-old, Michigan-based singer/songwriter and producer Daniel Wilson much like a number of pop artists grew up in a gospel music-loving home. Feeling inspired to create by using file-sharing programs, the Michigan-based Wilson […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Initially known for his work in the Frail, Danny Lannon’s latest project Vacances can trace their origins when Lannon had begun writing material for The Frail and quickly realized that the material didn’t quite fit. Lannon began collaborating with Allen Davis on some additional material and then decided that to relocate from San Francisco to New York — and when Lannon arrived in Brooklyn, he connected with Nic Gonzalez (guitar), who was a member of The Restless Hearts; Dan Bindschedler (bass), who played in Robin Bacior; and Chris Heinz, who was member of renowned New York-based act Walking Shapes. Building on the buzz of their debut show at Bowery Ballroom earlier this year, the new quartet released a single “Runaway,” earlier this year and announced the forthcoming release of an EP this summer.

“Only You,” the quartet’s latest single pairs Lannon’s urgent and plaintive vocals with surfer rock-inspired guitar chords, propulsive drumming and percussion, layers of harmony, undulating synths and an anthemic hook and while meshing 80s-inspired New Wave with surfer rock in a similar fashion to Painted Palms and also drawing from 80s  U2. Sonically and lyrically speaking, it’s the sort of upbeat and earnest song that you can dance to — while making a large, dramatic gesture towards a lover; however, the song to me possesses a bittersweet undertone, as on a certain level there’s a sense of the narrator reaching for something and someone he can’t possibly have again.

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Perhaps best known as the keyboardist and guitarist of Twin Cabins, Los Angeles, CA-based multi-instrumentalist Drew Straus’s solo recording project Onsen recently released his full-length debut Earthquake Weather through Cosmic Dreamer Music. Straus’ solo project and debut effort was inspired by a major career change in which he went went from international police to music, a re-examination of sexuality and a relocation to another city — and as a result, the material captures an artist and a life in transition.

Straus’ latest single “My Own Advice” pairs shimmering and angular guitar chords, propulsive drumming and shimmering and ethereally atmospheric synths ad Straus’ plaintive falsetto in a song that Straus explains to the folks at Culture Collide is about “the end of first love. Written to myself from the perspective of the one I lost.” And as a result, the song possess a wistful “if I had known now what I had known then” vibe while the narrator also recognizes that the experience, despite the heartache, taught him something profound that he’ll take it on to his next relationship.

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: HEATERS Towering and Scuzzy, New Single

Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the better part of the past year, you’d likely be familiar with Grand Rapids, MI-based psych rock trio HEATERS have become a JOVM mainstay act for a sound that draws from 60s […]