Single Review by William Ruben HelmsNov 23, 202421:00

New Audio: Riga’s Bēdu Brāļi Shares Brooding and Uneasy “Drošākā vieta”

Jānis Liepiņš (bass) and Pēteris Ozols (drums) — spent their formative years among their homeland’s vibrant mid 00s punk and rock scenes. While the scene’s fiercely independent ethos and the use of Lativan lyrics rubbed off on them, they’ve managed to stand apart from their peers.

The Riga-based outfit’s full-length debut, 2022’s Duende saw them crafting a sound that featured elements of shoegaze, psych rock, post-punk and more. Building upon a growing profile in their homeland, the trio’s highly-anticipated sophomore album Lauskas will be released through I Love You Records.

Deriving its title from the Latvian word for shards, the Riga-based outfit’s sophomore album reportedly sees the band further cementing their boundary pushing sound. The album will feature two previously released singles that I’ve written about over the course of this past year:

“Ikdienas-dzive,” a track anchored around glistening guitars, a chugging motorik groove and a woozy, shoegazer textured guitar solo paired with Tu’s punchily delivered vocal. While recalling Montréal‘s Atusko Chiba, “Ikdienas-dzive,” captures a nagging sense of vacillating self-doubt, bored and uneasy dread and frustration that should feel familiar to anyone who’s slaved away at a soul-sucking day job.

“Pieskaries,” is a brooding, decidedly post punk affair featuring an angular and propulsive bass line, rolling drum pattern and bursts of slashing guitars serving as an uneasy bed for Oskars Tu’s desperate wails. While continuing a run of material that reminds me a bit of Atsuko Chiba, “Pieskaries” captures a modern sense of isolation and unease while being with others.

The album’s latest single “Drošākā vieta” is a tense and brooding song featuring an angular and propulsive bass line, swirling shoegazer textures guitars paired with Oskars Tu’s achingly plaintive delivery before ending with a noisy coda. Deriving its name for the Latvian phrase for “safe place,” “Drošākā vieta” captures the long for a safe place in a mad, mad world.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben HelmsNov 23, 202411:00

New Video: Sade Shares Cinematic Yet Intimate “Young Lion”

Sade Adu, the Queen of Quiet Storm and the frontperson of Sade — yes, the band is her name — recently released her first single in over six years, “Young Lion,” which appears on the Red Hot compilation TRAИƧA.

TRAИƧA may arguably be one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the activist and music production non-profit. The compilation is a concept album and spiritual journey across eight chapters and 46 tracks, spotlighting the remarkable talents of some of the most daring and imaginative trans and non-binary artists working today. Throughout the compilation’s runtime, the material softens the edges of the world we know and invokes the powerful dreams of the futures that might one day thunder from its tracks.

So back to “Young Lion,” right? Because presumably that’s what you’re here for. The legendary artist’s imitable vocal is paired with a meditative arrangement of twinkling piano, atmospheric bursts of synths and gently autotuned vocals at the song’s hook. It’s cinematic yet intimate.

Lovingly dedicated to her son Izaak, a trans man, the song seeks forgiveness for the things that its narrator couldn’t possibly see or understand back then but now sees with the uncanny precision of wizened retrospect. But it’s also a sweet reminder — and offering — of deeply unconditional love and support, as well as the desire to see one’s child be wholly themselves and fulfilled.

Directed by Sophie Mueller, the accompanying video features home movie footage of her son Izaak and her through the years. It’s a powerful document of one mother’s unquestioningly unconditional love of her child.

women who kick ass by William Ruben HelmsNov 22, 202422:00

Live Concert Photography: Slowdive with quannnic at Brooklyn Paramount 11/19/24

Live concert photography of Slowdive with quannnic at Brooklyn Paramount earlier this week.

Single Review by William Ruben HelmsNov 22, 202418:00

New Audio: Phoenix’s Glixen Shares Stormy “lick the star”

Phoenix-based shoegazers Glixen — Aislinn Ritchie (vocals), Esteban Santana (guitar), Keire Johnson (drums) and Sonia Garcia (bass) — was founded back in 2020 by the band’s Aislinn Ritchie, who then enlisted Santana, Johnson, and Garcia to complete the band’s lineup. Emerging from a scene of local DIY artists, the quartet’s unique sound and look set them apart from their counterparts and led to tours across the US alongside bands like Narrow Head, Cowgirl Clue, MSPaint, Hotline TNT, and They’re Gutting A Body of Water.

Glixen’s debut EP She Only Said was released last summer through Julia’s War Recordings. The EP saw the band adding themselves to a list of contemporary shoegaze outfits actively pushing the genre in a new direction — through a approach that incorporates ethereal pop vocals and shimmering guitars that are meant to guide you toward the feeling of true self-expression.

Building upon a growing profile, the Phoenix-based shoegazers’ highly-anticiapted Sonny DiPerri-produced sophomore EP quiet pleasures is slated for a February 21, 2025 release digitally through AWAL and on vinyl through Wichita Recordings. The EP will feature previously release singles “sick silent” and two singles I wrote about on this site:

“foreversoon,” a woozy bit of shoegaze built around fuzzy and melodic power chord-driven guitars, thunderous drumming and Ritchie’s tender and ethereal falsetto paired with enormous hooks and choruses. “foreverspoon” sees the Phoenix-based outfit taking up a much heavier sound that seemingly channels Souvlaki-era Slowdive, Nowhere-era RIDE, and contemporaries like JOVM mainstays Blushing. “‘foreversoon’ represents blissful moments of new love and intimacy,” Glixen’s Aislinn Ritchie explains. “The song harnesses melancholy chords, layered with fuzzy red melodies and gliding guitars that pull you in deeper. I wanted my lyrics to feel like a conversation that expresses my infatuation and sensuality. Time is relentless and memories are fleeting, this song encapsulates those emotions forever.”

“lust” is a woozy track that sees the band continuing to explore a heavier sound — but this time channeling 90s grunge and nu-metal with fuzz and distorted pedaled power chords, down-tuned bass and blissed out rhythms. Ritchie’s yearning vocal ethereally floating over the brooding and muscular arrangement. “lust” is about the yearning and wanting of somebody and the rush that that person makes you feel,” Glixen’s Aislinn Ritchie explains. “It is a feeling that is shallow, yet it feels intense and passionate but only for a moment. We wanted to take the direction of our sound to a heavier place. I wanted the weight of the sound to crush me.”

The Phoenix-based shoegazers celebrate the announcement of their second EP with another single from it, “lick the star.” Beginning with an eerily atmospheric and brooding sound bath-like introduction reminiscent of Cocteau Twins and Slowdive, “lick the star,” quickly turns into a wall of sound of fuzzy and swirling guitar textures, thunderous drumming paired with Ritchie’s ethereal yet plaintive delivery before ending with bursts of feedback.

“This song is special, it begins with a mellow sonic bath of an intro and explodes into a whirling wall of sound and melody,” the band’s Aislinn Ritchie says. “Also, we are excited to announce our first full US headline tour. This is going to be a very busy and fun year for us!”

2024 has been a busy year for the rising Phoenix-based quartet. They’ve played SXSW and Treefort Festval. They’ve also had opening slots for acts like Interpol, DIIV, Nothing., Tanukichan, Turnover, Glare, Glitterer, Softcult and Fish Narc among others.

Single Review by William Ruben HelmsNov 22, 202414:30

New Audio: 802 Returns with Disco-Tinged Ripper “Princess”

Andreas “Slowoff” Asingh was one of the most critically acclaimed electronic artists in Denmark, working with internationally renowned artists like Raekwon while touring the world. Eventually, life’s twist and turns took Asingh back to his roots, the Danish countryside of Mols Bjerge.
Back in 2022, Asingh met Emil Sørensen and Kristian Holbæk, two young dudes making names for themselves in the country’s underground metal scene. Although the the members of 802 weren’t an obvious creative musical match, they bonded over their desire to create a sound that meshes elements of classic heavy metal, hazy shoegazer textures and ghostly synth pop with unashamedly catchy melodies. According to the band, the 802 world is ruled by musical anarchy and is a place for headbangers and pop lovers to unite.
The trio’s first ever show was at last year’s New Colossus Festival. And since then they’ve released three singles that received attention internationally: “My Girl,” and “22 (Velvet Vampire),” which were featured in award-winning horror shorts and “1986.” “1986” saw the Danish trio firmly cementing their sound: dense layers of crunchy metal riffage and thunderous drumming reminiscent of Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets-era Metallica, dreamy and incredibly catchy melodies, the sort of twinkling and atmospheric synths that will remind some of shoegazers like Chicago‘s Lightfoils, BLACKSTONE RNGRS, Hong Kong‘s Lucid Express and Montréal-based JOVM mainstays Bodywash paired some rousingly anthemic, raise-your-beer-in-the-air-and-shout-along worthy hooks.
Over the summer, the Danish outfit took their hook-driven mesh of metal and pop to some of Scandinavia’s biggest festival, including Copenhell and Roskilde. The band has also received New Artist of the Year and New Live Artist of the Year nominations at the Danish metal awards, Den Hårde Tone. Building upon the growing momentum surrounding the band, the rising trio share their fourth single “Princess.” “Princess” sees the band pairing a relentlessly propulsive, Metallica-like chug with glistening synth arpeggios and the band’s penchant for enormous, rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses.