Category: Video Review

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Riya Gadher Shares Cinematic and Introspective “Own Way Home”

Riya Gadher is an emerging Leicester, UK-born, London-based singer/songwriter, who spent five years quietly developing her sound and approach, including graduating with a degree in songwriting and performance, before stepping out into the spotlight as a solo artist earlier this year.

Sonically, the emerging British artist has often felt like she was an old soul, from a different era — but she has readily embrace a sound that meshes elements of alternate pop with conventionally classic undertones. Her latest single “Own Way Home” is a slow-burning, cinematic track that pairs sleek, contemporary electronic production featuring skittering beats, glistening synth arpeggios and twinkling and percussive piano with Gadher’s plaintive and expressive delivery. At its core, is a songwriter, who displays a remarkable sense of insight and wisdom beyond her relative youth with introspective lyrics informed by her own life.

Sonically, the self-produced track reminds me quite a bit of Gravity Pairs and Along the Lethe-era Beacon. Thematically the song as the British artist explains “is about embarking on a journey of self-discovery to find mental peace in a world that’s face paced, while not being afraid to cut your own path and do what’s right for you. It’s about faith, hope, female empowerment and courage.”

“I really believe when your mind is still and at peace you can better deal with the challenges that life throws at you,” Gadher adds. “I feel it’s not always possible to change your physical space but your mind has the ability to take you anywhere.”

Directed by Daniel Alexander, the accompanying video for “Own Way Home” follows the pensive and emerging British artist wandering London and the English countryside, seeking a sense of peace — and her own sense of power.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Eleanor Kelly Shares Sleek and Anthemic “Sentiments”

Eleanor Kelly is a New York-based singer/songwriter and musician, who has spent stints in Belgium and Israel. “Fueled by coffee, cat cuddles, 80s synth and metal,” Kelly has been writing and performing songs from a young age. Those songs have frequently featured lyrics inspired and informed by her personal life and her immediate environment — especially in a politically-charged environment like Israel.

When Kelly turned 13, she submitted a song to Eurovision Song Content. That song received positive feedback but was eventually declined because it was deemed “too political.”

After playing a variety of roles in a number of different music projects throughout her life, Kelly stepped out into the spotlight as a solo artist with the release of her debut single “Daisy Chain” earlier this year, which showcased an artist influenced by Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Garbage, Deftones with subtle nods to European and Middle Eastern music.

Kelly is currently working on her debut EP, which is slated for release next year. She’s also preparing for a series of live shows around the New York Metropolitan area. But in the meantime, her latest single “Sentiments” is a sleek and slinky number built around a sinuous bass line, swirling shoegazer-like guitar tones and glistening synth oscillations paired with Kelly’s sultry delivery and an enormous, remarkably catchy hook. Sonically, “Sentiments” channels a synthesis of It’s Blitz-era Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Garbage and Dum Dum Girls among others, while displaying a seemingly effortless craftsmanship.

Created using AI, the accompanying video uses 90s Anime and follows a female protagonist desperately trying to survive through a series of evil and bad scenarios and cartoon baddies.

“‘Sentiments’ was written as a song of empowerment. I originally wrote these lyrics as an outlet for my frustration with the current state of the world, which also has a major impact on my personal life as a young woman on this planet (as well as that of many others),” Eleanor Kelly explains. “The lyrics deal with a faltering reality, where it seems hard to find the positive things to hold on to, and to find the ability to make a change. When it came to the instrumentation, the writing started out with a funky bassline and was built from there. I wanted the listener to feel more energized and empowered as the song went on. To do so I chose to use various synths, fuzzy guitars, a deep bass, and loud drums, building up to the last chorus, which is layered to produce the most energizing moment in the composition. While all my previous songs have been produced solely by me, I worked with co-producer, Harper James, on the final stages of this song. Harper also mixed and mastered the track.

“When thinking about the music video, I wanted to emphasize the message that ‘Sentiments’ presents,” Kelly adds. “Using AI, which is currently a controversial topic in most creative fields, I decided to present the lyrics in the form of a 90’s vintage Anime – an ode to my childhood, which felt like a simpler and more innocent time. The story follows a lead female character, haunted by various bad scenarios in her existence on Earth, which are represented by the shifting characters that chase her through space and time. Fed up with this reality, she decides to fight back, eventually destroying the bad with her own inner power. The ability to do so through animation, which unfortunately, I do not have the power to do in real life, complemented the empowering aspect of the song.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: SPELLES Shares Brooding and Uneasy “Night Terrors”

SPELLES is a mysterious Los Angeles-based band that has released two EPs, 2015’s self-titled EP and 2021’s Machete, as well as a standalone single, 2017’s “Dead in the Water.” Their material has amassed over 5 million streams across DSPs while being praised by the likes of Consequence, CLASH, BBC, NME, NPR and others. And adding to a growing profile, they’ve had songs appear on shows like Good Girls, Pretty Little Liars and several others.

Their full-length debut, Diving Into the Arms of the Divine is slated for a November 15, 2023 release. The Los Angeles-based outfit’s latest single, the anthemic and brooding “Night Terrors” sees the bad pairing powerhouse soulful vocals with a bluesy bass synth riff and propulsive, pulsating drums. The song’s choruses feature glistening organ textures and eerie string, which emphasize a creeping and uneasy sense of dread throughout. Sonically, the song sounds like a trippy synthesis of The White Stripes, The Black Angels, Amy Winehouse and Suicide while rooted in seemingly lived-in lyricism.

As the band explains, the song touches upon a familiar dichotomy: “the feelings of hope and hopeless that one inevitably experiences when chasing an elusive dream.”

Fittingly, the accompanying video features occult and creepy imagery, stock imagery of eclipses, the band’s lead vocalist being chased by an unseen and elusive attacker and more.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Paris’ Autómata Shares Cinematic “Mad Motor”

Paris-based quarter Autómata formed back in 2019. And since their formation, they’ve specialized in a post-rock sound that blends elements of metal, pop, prog rock and electronic music.

The French quartet’s recently released sophomore album sees the band crafting a dark and brooding sound that blends elements of post-rock, prog rock, pop and metal. The album’s latest single “Mad Motor” is a slow-burning, meditative composition featuring shimmering guitar work, a supple bass line, twinkling keys paired with dramatic drumming and a sultry vocal sample. Sonically speaking, “Mad Motor” sees the French outfit channeling Public Service Broadcasting, Mogwai, Collapse Under The Empire and others, while possessing a similar cinematic quality.

The accompanying video is comprised of slickly edited stock footage from the early days of The Space Age with cigar-shaped space ships, astronauts landing on new worlds that dimly resemble Earth and more.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Drab Majesty Shares Shimmering and Cinematic “Cape Perpetua”

Initially known for his work drumming in Marriages, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Clinco founded  Drab Majesty back in 2011 as a way to create music as a solo project, with him recording every instrument himself. Clinco created the androgynous character Deb Demure for himself, as the face of the project. Alex Nicolaou, a.k.a. Mona D (keys, vocals) joined on in 2016, expanding the project into a duo.

Since signing to Dais Records, the Los Angeles-based duo have released three albums, 2015’s Careless, 2017’s The Demonstration, 2019’s Modern Mirror, which saw the project combining androgynous aesthetics and commanding vocals with futuristic and occult lyrics, to create a style and sound that the band’s Demure refers to as “tragic wave.” 

Released earlier this through their longtime label home Dais Records, and clocking in at 32 minutes, the duo’s latest release An Object in Motion sits somewhere between an EP and mini-album while also marking a new chapter in the project’s story: Written during a 2021 retreat to the remote costal Oregon town of Yachats, the band’s Deb Demure leaned into the neo-psychedelic resonance of a uniquely bowl-shaped 12-string Ovation acoustic/electric guitar. 

After early morning hikes in the rain, Demure would record ambient guitar experiments the rest of the day, tapping into “flow states,” in which he would let the sound lead the way. Those sessions were then refined or recreated and then later elevated with contributions from Slowdive‘s Rachel Goswell, Beck’s, M83‘s and Air’s Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and Uniform’s Ben Greenberg. Fittingly, the EP reportedly holds true to its title, as it captures Demure and Drab Majesty in a transitional state, and evolving while showcasing a series of potential futures from the project. 

I’ve managed to write about three of the EP’s singles:

  • The effort’s first single, “Vanity,” featuring Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell. Built around shimmering, reverb-drenched, 12 string guitar and gated reverb-soaked drum patterns. Demure’s plaintive yet commanding baritone is paired with Goswell’s imitable and expressive vocal, which seamlessly intertwine in an uncannily gorgeous, swooning harmony. To my ears, “Vanity” seemed like a synthesis of Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne‘s “Close My Eyes Forever,” Sisters of Mercy, Disintegration-era The Cure and Goswell’s work with Slowdive — or in other words, something that will warm the cold hearts of any goth. 

  • “The Skin and The Glove,” a lush, Smiths-meets-Slowdive/RIDE-like song built around reverb-soaked, shimmering 12 string guitar, a driving groove paired with the Los Angeles-based duo’s uncannily unerring knack for gorgeous harmonies and catchy hooks. But under the lush soundscapes is a song that thematically touches upon the endless march of time, and our inevitable mortality. 

  • Clocking in at a little over 15 minutes, An Object in Motion‘s closing track, the expansive “Yield To Force” is built around glistening, cycling strings, ominous slide guitar and shimmering synthesizer. The result is a composition that’s intuitive yet meditative with the instrumentation that spirals, sways, crests and ebbs like waves crashing into the shore.

Coincidentally, the EP’s last single “Cape Perpetua” is also the second instrumental track on the effort. Built around sparkling acoustic finger-picked guitar melody played through delay pedal, “Cape Perpetua” sonically is one-part brooding flamenco, one-part reverie, one-part raga with melodies and mood crash, congeal and dissipate throughout. The result is a something gothic, melancholy and cinematic.

Direted by John Elliott and shot on Super 8, the accompanying video for “Cape Perpetua” is a fittingly a brooding slow-burn that’s meditative, and mind-bending.

“‘Cape Perpetua’ is a slow-rolling track with tessellating psychedelia which inspired me to channel my Joseph Cornell and late-era Brakhage appreciation,” John Elliott says. “The goal was to capture simple objects moving in and out of stillness reflecting the ebb and flow of the widescreen guitar patterns. Upon discovering a partially dilapidated cemetery near my house, I found spinning pinwheels askew in the ground and late blooming flowers laced with synthetic flowers, all against a backdrop of partly cloudy skies and autumnal foliage. We explored this simple and profound surrealism by performing in-camera lap-dissolves and double exposures in an attempt to marry the ethereal magic of the song with the film we shot. The simplistic nature of Super 8 camera lenses paired with the imperfect nature of Super 8mm film creates a window into a world that feels like a distant cluster of memories, or a dream-like state complete with blurred edges and extemporaneous world-building.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay MAGON Shares Intimate and Introspective “Chasing Dreams”

Over the past couple of years, I’ve managed to spill quite a bit of ink on the remarkably prolific, Israeli-born, singer/songwriter, musician and JOVM mainstay MAGON. Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site during that period, you might recall that shortly after the release of his fifth album A Night in Bethlehem, the Israeli-born JOVM mainstay, along with his partner and young daughter relocated to Costa Rica, where he continued upon his long-held reputation of being prolific, and released his sixth album Did You Hear the Kids?

Did You Hear The Kids? featured what may arguably have been the broadest and most expansive sonic palette of any of his previously released work — and a collaboration with Paris-based indie duo SOS Citizen.

The Israeli-born, Costa Rican-based artist recently found creative and musical simpatico with local indie rock outfit Las Robertas, which led to his latest single, “Chasing Dreams,” the album title track of his forthcoming seventh album, Chasing Dreams.

Chasing Dreams reportedly sees the JOVM mainstay continuing a slow-burn expansion of his sound with the addition of string arrangements, which helps add a lush quality to the material.

Built around strummed acoustic guitar, shimmering pedal steel, gentle drumming paired with Magon’s dreamily laconic delivery, the JOVM mainstay’s latest single continues a run of material that sonically sounds a bit indebted to Exile on Main Street-era Rolling Stones and Harvest-era Neil Young with the song featuring nods to country, folk and psych rock. Much like the material on his latest two albums, “Chasing Dreams” is rooted in the deep, heartfelt introspection informed by getting older and living a life well-lived with the song touching upon themes of maturation, love and cherished family bonds.

The accompanying video for “Chasing Dreams” features tender and lovingly shot family footage filmed in Sinai, Egypt. The video offers an intimate look into the artist’s life and his personal journey.

Chasing Dreams is slated for a December 1, 2023 release.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Phoenix’s MRCH Shares Anthemic “Wild”

Phoenix-based shoegazer outfit MRCH (pronounced as March) — Mickey and Jess Pangburn — can trace their origins to when the duo met at a music store. Their backgrounds at the time were polar opposites: Mickey was a singer/songwriter and Jesse was a prog metal musician. But their differences became a strength — not only in regards to their genre backgrounds, but also their personalities: Mickey longed to make an emotional connection while Jesse loved to experiment with new sounds. 

The pair studied jazz in Phoenix before shared influences like Cocteau Twins, New Order, Metric, Phantogram, St. Vincent, Purity Ring, and Beach House led to the creation of MRCH. 

Their latest EP, the recently released TV Bliss is the follow-up to 2020’s No-Holds-Barred EP. The new EP represents a bold new era for the Phoenix-based duo: They delved much deeper into collaboration, first developing demos with the help of Jimmy Eat World‘s Jim Adkins. They also enlisted the assistance of Grammy-nominated producer Tony Hoffer and mastering by Dave Cooley. 

The EP’s lyrical themes and visual aesthetic were inspired by Mickey Pangburn’s childhood memories of being lost in the escapism of television. Fittingly, the band has had songs appear in a number of TV shows including Shameless, Guilt, The Vampire Diaries, Famous in Love, Search Party, 13 Reasons Why, and The Twilight Zone. 

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about EP single “Cherry Painted Eyes,” a dreamy bit of shoegaze that brings back memories of 120 Minutes with the song being built around glistening synth arpeggios, Mickey Pangburn’s yearning delivery, buzzing guitars, thunderous drumming and rousingly anthemic, shout-along worthy choruses. But as the band explains, the upbeat nature of the song is actually deceptive. 

“‘Cherry Painted Eyes’ is a song riddled with anxiety. Describing a series of panic attacks and bloodshot eyes . . .,” the band explains. “We wanted to make the video a little more lighthearted than that thought. Set in the void of space, complete with near hit from a passing comet, and a drink to take the edge off. This vid is a DIY playful nod to classics from The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins.”

TV Bliss’ latest single, the swooning “Wild” immediately channels Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness-era Smashing Pumpkins with Mickey Pangburn’s ethereal falsetto floating over a dreamy yet dramatic arrangement featuring painterly shoegazer textures paired with thunderous drumming and enormous hooks and choruses. Thematically, the song is about taking chances and being adventurous. As the band says of the song: “Life’s short. Do the thing.”

Directed by the band’s Mickey Pangburn and shot by Frank Thomas in Arcosanti, AZ, the video follows the duo through some eye-catching futuristic architecture on a glorious sunny day. According to the band, the video encapsulates the sentiment at the core of the song: “Growing up in the middle of the Arizona desert, Arcosanti is a well known artist community. Kind of Star Warsian. We wanted to feature something uniquely home state with a futuristic element cause we’re looking forward… maybe even allowing ourselves to be excited about what’s next ~ which is really what ‘Wild’ is about. Taking a chance on an adventure.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Toronto’s Hot Garbage Shares Bombastic and Malevolent “Snooze You Lose”

Back in early 2020, following the release of 2017’s Max Blonda EP and 2019’s Coco Paradise, the members of Toronto-based psych outfit Hot Garbage — Alex Carlevaris (lead vocals, guitar), Juliana Carlevaris (bass, vocals), Dylan Gamble (keys, synths) and Mark Henin (drums) — went into the studio with Juno-nominated producer and Holy Fuck‘s Graham Walsh to cut a selection of tracks live and off-the-floor. The result was the blazing standalone single “Easy Believer,” and their full-length debut, 2021’s RIDE, which was released through Mothland.

RIDE quickly made its way into SiriusXM rotation through CBC Radio 3 and The Verge while also climbing to #3 on the Earshot Top 50 and #82 on the NACC Top 200. The album also received praise from internationally renowned outlets like Aquarium Drunkard and Louder Than War.

The Canadian psych outfit has also toured extensively across Canada, the United Staes, Europe and United Kingdom, playing sets at festivals like LEVITATION, SXSW, Treefort Music Fest, Freakout Fest, Sled Island, Sappyfest, FME, M for Montréal, Pop Montréal, and opening for L.A. Witch and Frankie and The Witch Fingers. They’ve also shared the stage with Osees, Ty Segall, JJUUJJUU, Mdou Moctar, Wand, Kikagaku Moyo and Dead Meadow.

Hot Garbage’s highly anticipated sophomore album, Precious Dream is slated for a January 19, 2024 release through Mothland here in the States and Canada and Exag’ Records across the UK and European Union. Written during pandemic-related isolation, Precious Dream was recorded late last year and sees them continuing their ongoing collaboration with acclaimed producer Graham Walsh. The album’s sprawling material reportedly sees the band retaining the signature tinge of moody, psychedelia that has won them attention both nationally and internationally but while careening into darker, searing post-punk inspired riffage.

Thematically, the material grapples with and touches upon dread, loss, the resilience of the human spirit and the highs and lows of solitude. The result is an album that will offer a new breath into the worlds of post-punk and modern psychedelia and a listening experience that’s equally introspective and cathartic.

“Snooze You Lose,” Precious Dream‘s breakneck first single sees the band meshing elements of seething post punk, relentless motorik krautrock and swirling shoegaze to create a bruising, nasty and downright malevolent ripper that’s face-melting and bombastic. Underpinning all of that is a song that’s features some of the most sardonic lyrics I’ve heard in some time. “The song is about how time passes when you stand still. Sometimes all you can do is laugh,” the band says.

Directed by the band’s Alex Carlevaris, the accompanying video for “Snooze You Lose” is frantic and decidedly lo-fi visual that’s playful, absurd and yet somehow menacing and uneasy. “Here Hot Garbage can be seen playing completely real instruments in their day-to-day attire. Seen in the video is: a live performance, a swing set, and a candid perspective of the daily grind,” Hot Garbage’s Carlevaris explains. “The video, with a budget of under $50 (mostly spent on fake blood), was shot on a cheap plastic toy camera and uses homemade props and movements from the camera and lights, resulting in a frantic, lo-fi presentation that is playful yet intense.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Elephant Stone Share Radiant “The Spark”

Brossard, Québec-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rishi Dhir is a grizzled indie rock and psych rock veteran , who has played in a number of bands, including The Datsons and The High Dials. He is also an in-demand sitarist and bassist, who has collaborated with Beck, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, The Dream Syndicate, psych rock supergroup MIEN and countless others. 

Dhir founded the acclaimed psych rock outfit and JOVM mainstays Elephant Stone back in 2009. Along with collaborators and bandmates Miles Duper (drums), Gab Lambert (guitar), Robbie MacArthur (guitar) and Jason Kent (keys, guitar), the Montréal-based band has released six albums, including 2013’s self-titled album and 2020’s acclaimed Hollow. They’ve also released a handful of EPs including last year’s Francophone Le Voyage de M. Lonely dans la Lune. Each of those efforts has seen them develop, refine and then firmly cement a sound that frequently incorporates elements of traditional Indian classical music with Western psych rock paired with introspective lyrics rooted in Dihr’s personal experiences.

Dihr’s own journey in music frequently found him tryin to find a place that fit him, until he decided that what he made was worth sharing in the space that he had created for himself. “I only write about what I know and think I understand. As long as there’s Rishi, there’s going to be Elephant Stone,” Dhir says in press notes. 

2023 has been a busy year for the Canadian psych rock outfit: Earlier this year they released Dawn, Day, Dusk, which featured “Godstar,” and “The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody In The World.” Those two tracks saw the band continuing their narrative journey through crating material that deftly balanced human complexity with introspective themes paired with an evolving sound.

They followed that up with “Lost In A Dream,” a song built around a Tame Impala-like groove, while continuing their long-held reputation for dexterous guitar work, catchy hooks and introspective lyrics. “Creating ‘Lost In A Dream’ has been a thrilling journey for us, one where the fascination with dreams and their mysterious ties to reality took center stage,” the band’s Rishi Dhir says. “While there are subtle hints of inspirations like The Nazz’s ‘Open My Eyes‘ and Echo and the Bunnymen‘s ‘Killing Moon,’ this song is really about charting our own musical course. We’ve woven an auditory landscape that we hope allows listeners to dive into their thoughts and dreams. It’s all about losing yourself in the music, in the narrative it spins, and finding a resonance within your own life.”
 

Elephant Stone’s highly-anticipated seven album, Back Into the Dream is slated for a February 23, 2024 release. The album will reportedly feature a harmonious blend of introspective lyrics and entrancing melodies that represent the latest culmination of their musical evolution. Thematically, the album explores the mysteries of dreams, capturing the cycle of sleep and wakefulness. As the band’s Dhir puts it, “Our music aims to bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.” Previously released tracks “Godstar” and “The Imajinary, Nameless Everybody in the World,” draw from the themes of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, delving into the intricacies of human existence, creation, life and death while “Lost In A Dream,” is an exploration of dream-like states and blurred realities.

Back Into the Dream‘s latest single “The Spark” is a breezy, power pop-meets-jangle pop-like take on psych pop built around soaring electric guitar, strummed acoustic guitar, Dihr’s earnest, plaintive falsetto and the band’s unerring knack for crafting enormous, remarkably catchy hooks and choruses.

“Crafting a song is like tapping into a kind of magic that exists beyond the realm of the ordinary. I’m in perpetual pursuit of that elusive sensation—the spark that turns fleeting thoughts into something immortal,” the band’s Rishi Dhir admits. “’The Spark’ is my love letter to the art of songwriting, a tribute to the creative process itself. It’s about that serendipitous moment when time and space align, allowing you to capture lightning in a bottle.”

Directed by Laurine Jousserand, the accompanying video for “The Spark” is indebted to 1960s futurism while mischievously referencing the album’s overall themes: At one point we see opened eyes slowly drifting off to sleep as the band performs the song.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Montréal’s Choses Sauvages Share Icy and Uneasy “Pression”

With the release of their Emmanuel Ethier-produced 2018 self-titled, full-length debut, Montréal-based dance punks Choses Sauvages — Totalement Sublime‘s Marc-Antoine Barbier (guitar), Theirry Malépart (keys), Tony Bélisle (keys), Philippe Gauthier-Boudreau (drums) and La Sécurité‘s Félix Bélisle (vocals) with Foreign Diplomats‘ and Frais Dispo‘s Charles Primeau (bass) as a touring member — exploded into the local and provincial scenes. The album was a critical and commercial success with the album topping Independent Radio Charts across Québec while receiving widespread critical applause. In 2019, the Montréal-based outfit landed Association Québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la video (ADISQ) Félix Award nominations for Alternative Album of the Year and Indie Rock Album of the year, with a Félix Award win for Indie Rock Album of the Year.

Over the course of 2019, the quintet along with touring bassist Charles Primeau supported their full-length debut with a relentless touring schedule across the province. And through this tour, the band quickly developed a reputation for a must-see live show that they’ve since brought across the global festival circuit, including stops at Reeperbahn, MaMA, FIMPRO, SXSW, Le Printemps de Bourges and Wide Days.

2021’s Choses Sauvages II saw the French Canadian outfit boldly pushing their sound more towards electronic dance music and nu-disco influences like L’Imperatice and Lindstrøm while still drawing from their love of funk, Bowie and Bee Gees while balancing a rigorous and meticulous songwriting approach with a rebellious spirit.

The acclaimed Montréal-based outfit’s latest single “Pression” (“pressure” in French) sees them continuing a new trend of pushing their sound into new directions. Sonically, “Pression” features a unique blend of their long-held disco punk sound with glistening and icy techno-like synth oscillations and subtle LCD Soundsystem/New York 00s indie dance punk scene nods. While being rooted in a dance floor friendly groove, the song possesses an underlying tense, unease air that should feel familiar to those prone to overthinking and self-doubt.

“At its core, ‘Pression’ is all about the anxiety and the sense of paranoia that accompanies it whenever you’re looking to prove yourself,” the band explains. “It’s that sense of feeling like you try and try but never quite succeed to hit that nail on the head. Even with how amazing this year has been, from making quite a bit of buzz at SXSW 2023 to embarking on our first-ever large-scale tour in the United States, that anxiety-induced ‘pressure’ still lingers.”

Directed by Philippe Beausejour, the accompanying video for “Pression” employs a distinct style through the application of several different animation techniques — i.e. paper cutouts, computer graphics, hand drawings and rotoscoping — and then processing the final video onto VHS, which creates a dated feel while translating the song’s anxious air into visual unsteadiness.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Toronto’s SWiiMS Shares Fuzzy and Swooning “All I Die For”

Toronto-based indie outfit SWiiMS — founding duo Mai Diaz Langou (vocals)and Colin Thompson (guitar) along with Cian O’Ruanaidh (bass) — can trace their origins back to 2018 when the band’s founding duo began writing songs together that blended Thompson’s fuzzy and jangling guitar swirl with Diaz Langou’s textured melodies and languid vocal. When O’Ruanaidh joined the band, he brought a unique blend of influences and hooky bass lines.

Sonically, the Canadian trio draw from a diverse spectrum of artists and elements including 80s New Wave, 90s Shoegaze, indie rock, Brit Pop and Dream Pop to create a sound that’s uniquely theirs.

SWiiMS’ debut EP, 2019’s Through Waves was released to critical praise and landed on the North American College and Community College (NACC) charts. Building upon a growing profile, the trio’s full-length debut, Into The Blue Night is slated for a November 10, 2023 release through Mint 400 Records.

Into The Blue Night‘s latest single, the swooning “All I Die For” sees the Toronto-based indie outfit firmly cementing their sound as fuzzy and swirling guitar textures are paired with glistening synth arpeggios, a propulsive rhythm section and languid vocal melodies to create a song that’s simultaneously dreamily uplifting and moody. While channelling 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rock, the song as the band explains is about “the beginning stages of a relationship, and how you try to make yourself more intriguing or impressive than you are in order to keep that person interested. It also describes the feeling of hopefulness, bliss and loss of control that the start of any new relationship brings.
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The accompanying stylishly shot video for “All I Die For” features the band in a local park with Diaz Langou brooding in a climbable structure and with her bandmates on a swing behind her, stylishly shot footage of the band playing the song and footage of Toronto at night.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New VIdeo: FOLLO Shares Meditative “Nôma”

FOLLO (born Lucas Dubiez) is a 20-something video director and self-taught, emerging, electronic music producer, who can trace the origins of his music career to meeting fellow French electronic music producer Zerolex (born Jeremey Vieille). As the story goes, Vieille encouraged Dubiez to write and record his debut EP, 2021’s Lumen. 

Dubiez’s sophomore EP, last year’s Écume features five instrumental tracks inspired by French 79, Rone, The Blaze, and the films of Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino and Hayao Miyazaki, including “Divine,” a cinematic yet dance floor friendly track that nodded at post apocalyptic sci-fi soundtracks.

The French producer will be releasing his third EP Sense through Odeva Publishing next year. The EP’s first single “Nôma” is a sleek and meditative composition built around a glistening, reverb-soaked, synth arpeggio-driven melody, and a relentless motorik groove paired with skittering beats. The result is a trance-induing song that manages to be simultaneously lounge and club friendly with an escapist quality.

Dubiez explains that “Nôma” “is an ode to nature, travel and escape. Its progressive melody and layers of synthesizers drowned in brilliant echoes offer a glimpse of vast landscapes and infinite expanse. There is then no limit to what the imagination can create on this soft and airy rhythm.”

Directed by the French producer, the breathtakingly beautiful, accompanying video for “Nôma” features some gorgeous natural scenes shot in lingering and longing takes before we see a hoodie wearing person looking at the expansive scenery around them.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Nico and The Red Shoes Share Sleek and Slickly Produced Bop “Mathilda”

Led by a true global citizen, who has spent stints living in Douala, Cameroon, Rome and elsewhere, the Paris-based outfit Nico and The Red Shoes specializes in a sound that draws from and meshes several different influences, including New Wave, electro pop, cyber pop, house music and more, paired with catchy melodies.

The French outfit emerged into the scene with 2015’s self-titled debut EP, which featured material that meshed elements of New Wave and pop. “Mathilda,” the project’s latest single is part of the first batch of new material from the electro pop project in eight years — and will be part of their long-awaited and highly-anticipated full-length debut. Hopefully those details with be forthcoming. But in the meantime, let’s talk about the new single, right?

“Mathilda” is a sleek, slickly produced, Afrobeats-inspired, club friendly bit of pop built around glistening synths, bursts of funk guitar, skittering beats, tweeter and woofer rattling low end paired with a deep house like breakdown, remarkably catchy hooks and Nico’s soulful delivery. If this one doesn’t make you get up and dance, there’s something deeply wrong with you.

Directed by Andrew Superview and Valeria Michetti, the accompanying video is an Afrofuturist fever dream starring dancer Pierre Man’s wearing a robotic costume designed by Precy Numbi and wandering around various industrial and dilapidated locales.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay Robert Finley Shares Slow-Burning Ballad “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely”

69 year-old Winnsboro, LA-born, Bernice, LA-based singer/songwriter and JOVM mainstay Robert Finley‘s highly-anticipated fourth album, Black Bayou is slated for an October 27, 2023 release through Easy Eye Sound. Black Bayou sees the JOVM mainstay continuing his wildly successful collaboration with Dan Auerbach. Much like its immediate predecessor, the new album’s material is a deeply personal portrait — but this time of Finley’s Louisiana, from an insider, who has lived there all of his life. Sonically, the material coalesces all of the vibrant sounds of the bayou, including gospel, blues, rock and more. 

The result is a vivid collection of songs that depicts life in North Louisiana — with Finley playing the role of charismatic and knowledgeable tour guide. “I think that’s one of the biggest things about the album is it tells the truth and the truth will set you free,” Finley told American Songwriter.

“It’s amazing to realize how much of an impact Louisiana has had on the world’s music,” Dan Auerbach says in press notes, “and Robert embodies all of that. He can play a blues song. He can play early rock and roll. He can play gospel. He can do anything, and a lot of that has to do with where he’s from.”

Recorded at Auerbach’s Nashville-based Easy Eye Sound Studio, Black Bayou saw the pair adopting a much different creative process. Rather than write songs beforehand, as they did on 2017’s Goin’ Platinum and 2021’s Sharecropper’s Son, they devised everything in the studio, with Auerbach leading a backing band of some of the world’s best players, including: Auerbach’s Black Keys bandmate Patrick Carney (drums), G. Love & Special Sauce‘s Jeffrey Clemens (drums), Eric Deaton (bass), legendary Hill Country blues guitarist Kenny Brown and vocalists Christy Johnson and LaQuindrelyn McMahon, Finley’s daughter and granddaughter.

They worked quickly, devising their parts spontaneously and usually getting everything in one take. “I started singing, and they started playing,” Finley explains. “That’s how we made the album. It wasn’t written out. Nobody used a pencil and paper. We just sang and played together in the studio.”  The album and its material reveals Finley as a truly original Louisiana storyteller, who evokes the place and its unique — and deeply influential culture — for the rest of the world. 

In the lead up to the album’s release, I’ve managed to write about two of the album’s singles:

“What Goes Around (Comes Around),” a swampy, blues rocker that subtly recalls Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Green River” built around an irresistibly funky and shuffling 12 bar blues-driven groove paired around the collaborators’ unerring knack for anthemic hooks and choruses. The song serves as the perfect vehicle for his whiskey soaked gospel-like croons and shouts warning the listener about the weighty impact of karma.

“You gotta reap what you sow… do to another what you would have done to you. Be real, tell the truth. For all those out there hurting, you just have to keep the faith,” the JOVM mainstay says of the song. “I’ve seen it over the years, especially with my career – you got to put joy out into the world and it will come back. It’s never been anything short of the truth for me.” 

“Sneakin’ Around” is a classic blues and soul tale of deception, deceit and a bit of deserved comeuppance, featuring Finley’s heartbroken yet defiantly proud narrator describing how he found out his lover was repeatedly cheating on him. This is paired with a swampy and gritty, Motown-meets-Muscle Shoals-like groove complete with a big horn line, and a scorching guitar solo. 

“Whatever is in the dark is gonna come to the light, so don’t play around,” Finley says. 

Black Bayou’s third and latest single “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely” is an old school, fried slice of deep southern soul built around R&B/soul guitar licks, a laid back funky groove and a steady drum pattern paired with Finley’s achingly tender vocal. The song offers a message of understanding, resilience and hope in the face of isolation, aging — and our inevitable mortality. Although rooted in some of Finley’s experiences and those of folks he knows, the song speaks of a universal, deeply embittering experience.

“This song is about the many people who have been forgotten,” Finley explains. “Their kids drop them off and go with their lives. I go down occasionally and perform at the old folks home in Bernice. Just take my guitar and play for thirty minutes or so, try to get them to dance, try to bring some joy to them.”
 

Continuing his ongoing collaboration with director Tim Hardiman, the accompanying video begins with Finley waking to a Dear John letter from his lover. But all is not lost. Throughout there’s a sense of hope: We see Finley reunite with a bunch of old pals to play the song. Sunlight streams through the dark halls that Finley walks down, as well.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Phoenix Shoegazers MRCH Share Anthemic “Cherry Painted Eyes”

Phoenix-based shoegazer outfit MRCH (pronounced as March) — Mickey and Jess Pangburn — can trace their origins to when the duo met at a music store. Their backgrounds at the time were polar opposites. Mickey was a singer/songwriter and Jesse was a prog metal musician. But their differences became a strength — not only in regards to their genre backgrounds, but also their personalities: Mickey longed to make an emotional connection while Jesse loved to experiment with new sounds.

The pair studied jazz in Phoenix before shared influences like Cocteau Twins, New Order, Metric, Phantogram, St. Vincent, Purity Ring, and Beach House led to the creation of MRCH.

Their forthcoming EP, TV Bliss is slated for an October 13, 2023 release through Vertex Music Ltd.. The follow-up to 2020’s No-Holds-Barred EP, the Phoenix-based shoegazer outfit’s forthcoming EP reportedly represents a bold new era for them: The duo delved deeper into collaboration, first developing demos with the help of Jimmy Eat World‘s Jim Adkins. They also enlisted the assistance of Grammy-nominated producer Tony Hoffer and mastering by Dave Cooley.

The EP’s lyrical themes and visual aesthetic were inspired by Mickey Pangburn’s childhood memories of being lost in the escapism of television. Fittingly, the band has had songs appear in a number of TV shows including Shameless, Guilt, The Vampire Diaries, Famous in Love, Search Party, 13 Reasons Why, and The Twilight Zone.

TV Bliss‘ third and latest single “Cherry Painted Eyes” is a dreamy bit of sheogaze that brings back memories of 120 Minutes. The song is built around glistening synth arpeggios, Mickey Pangburn’s yearning delivery, buzzing guitars, thunderous drumming and rousingly anthemic, shout-along worthy choruses. But as the band explains, the upbeat nature of the song is actually deceptive.

“‘Cherry Painted Eyes’ is a song riddled with anxiety. Describing a series of panic attacks and bloodshot eyes . . .,” the band explains. “We wanted to make the video a little more lighthearted than that thought. Set in the void of space, complete with near hit from a passing comet, and a drink to take the edge off. This vid is a DIY playful nod to classics from The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins.”

The video sees the pair employing AI — for good. “We built the sets out of paint, paper, quilt batting, and insulation boards. Then coupled it with AI-generated fill and sketches on ProCreate to help expand the world,” the Phoenix-based duo say. “There’s been a lot of talk in the arts lately about the negative aspects of AI. And there are for sure elements of it that are scary. Ones that can lead to really negative outcomes. But, we’re interested in using it as an opportunity to create beyond our budget. A lot like the approach we take with our music. We use whatever tools we can. Whether it’s the cheapest gear or the newest techniques. It’s all fair game. Some of this new tech kind of gives us a way to realize bigger ideas. The song and video are both a bit about bridging those gaps between fear and opportunity.”