I feel like I’ve slept on Zella Day. Or maybe it was the right time for me to find her. “Mushroom Punch” is my first introduction to her, despite her name floating around for ages, and this song is great. It’s a part of a bigger trend of singer/songwriters turning pop songs into dramatic journeys while still keeping concise (see Ashe, Mitski) This song is either about a lover that experiments with psychedelics, or it’s comparing the stress of a relationship to that of psychedelic drugs. Either way, this song is “heady.” (God, I hate that word because it makes me think of someone that smells like patchouli and is wearing flip-flops and is trying to convince my vaccines are the government controlling our brains.)
I digress… “Mushroom Punch” is Zella Day’s latest single off her forthcoming record Sunday In Heaven, in stores and on your favorite DSP on October 14th!
One of the craziest things about kids these days is how much they seem to LOVE classic 4AD releases and early 90’s shoegaze in general. “atonement” is the latest single from Samira Winter, who performs under her last name, Winter. Which is also the PERFECT name for a shoegaze artist. For this track she teamed up with Hatchie, another modern shoegaze artist. So, yeah, if you need some slow and loud, here’s some excellent slow and loud.
“atonement” is the lead track from Winter’s upcoming full length, What Kind Of Blue Are You?, which will be spreading joy to your eardrums on October 14th.
We are exactly one week out from Outside Lands, and the schedule is LIVE! I noticed that I had a gap on Friday late afternoon, and I stumbled across this gem of a track. I’ve listened to “Shower With My Clothes On” like ten times today. The gentle acoustic guitar strum over Ashe’s heartbreak vocals builds up gently, with banjos and horns building up in a smooth wash of joy. This track feels like a cross between Morcheeba and Sea Change-era Beck and is glorious.
Ashe is playing the Twin Peaks stage at 3:45 on Friday (a week from today!) at Outside Lands. “Shower With My Clothes On” is the 4th single off her upcoming release, RAE, coming your way on October 14th! You can prepare for its arrival in whatever way you prefer here!
For those of you following this column every week, you’ll notice that I find myself veering towards anxious music. “Cardinal Feather” by New Orlean’s Julie Odell drew me in immediately, but I didn’t pick up on the anxiety at first. Then I read her bio and she said, “Cardinal Feather was born out of a panic attack.” However, this song does not wallow in the anxiety. It’s really a song of optimism and finding your way through the anxiety. Sonically, Odell sounds like the record that Jenny Lewis never did with fellow Louisianans, Givers.
“Cardinal Feather” can be enjoyed in all the usual places. It’s the second single off Odell’s debut album, Autumn Eve, due to your local DSP and/or turntable on September 30th, and can be reserved here.
The Paranoyds were a “deep pandemic” find for me. I caught them in the middle of a deep “I’m never going to dance while immersed in a crowd again” depression, which, sadly still persists. Anyways, it looks like Jack White may have done the same thing, and now this band that feels like it will make for an exceptionally hot and sweaty show is signed to Third Man Records. The first single from this deal is “Lizzie,” a garage rock dance floor anthem that is as much The B-52s and Devo as it is Riot Grrl.
The Paranoyd’s second full-length, Talk Talk Talk, is coming for you on September 9th. Preorder/presave details will be here shortly. You can play “Lizzie” loud enough to annoy the neighbors NOW in all the usual places!
I try to avoid using the same artist for the Single of the Week too soon after the last time. But Tianna Esperanza, daughter of Palmolive of The Slits and The Raincoats fame, has granted us with a song that is so different from the last time she was given this prestigious award that it just makes sense. This no wave, post-punk groove is inspired by the music of her mother. It’s also an homage to the life and experiences of growing up in the punk rock world that allowed her to grow up and live on her own terms and embrace her queerness. It’s as much a pride anthem as it is a Mother’s Day song.
This is the third single from Esperanza’s upcoming debut record. Yes, we are still waiting for a title and a release date. I’ll keep you posted with all the preorder/presave goodness. Until then, you can enjoy “Princess Slit and The Raincoat Prince” in all the usual places.
WHAT?!?! Someone your grandmother has heard of as our single of the week? Yup. It’s been a bit since John Legend has impressed me. But this track is equal parts perky and smooth. It could be dirty, but it could also get played at a wedding. And he’s got a verse from famous venue destroyer JID that’s pretty fantastic.
“Dope” is out now at your favorite Digital Service Provider. There’s a full-length record coming in the future at a time yet to be determined. And, speaking of a place where time doesn’t exist- John Legend is doing the whole Vegas Residency thing, which should be fun.
It’s almost always magical when folks that have worked behind the scenes start releasing material on their own. Carole King’s Tapestry, NERD’s In Search of…, J Dilla’s Donuts just to name a few… These are people with music in their veins, and all three of those records are timeless pieces of work. Spacemoth is the alias of engineer and producer Maryam Qudus who has worked on records by local legends such as Thao Nguyen, Toro y Moi, tUnE-yArDs, and mxmtoon to name a few. This week she graces us with the latest single from her upcoming record, No Past No Future, “Waves Come Crashing.” This track is a big, layered piece of genius that is equal parts “I just want to lay in the grass with headphones and let my brain swim” and “I want to play this loud and dance frantically around my apartment.”
“Waves Come Crashing” is available at all of your favorite places to listen to music. No Past No Future is coming your way on July 22nd and can be preordered here!
I wasn’t sure I was onboard with this whole Pop-Punk / 00’s Emo resurgance… This coming from someone that has seen blink-182 an unhealthy number of times. That being said, Hopeless Records is using this to fuel a really healthy modern roster, first picking up Destroy Boys who are definitely destroy. Now they are blessing us with Pinkshift! This Baltimore-based trio are on the heavier end of this scene, bordering on metalcore. Really, this song as about as effective as a triple espresso chased with a liter of Jolt Cola for getting your heart rate up.
“nothing (in my head)” is out now in all the usual places. I don’t know when preorders for a full length begin, but I’m definitely ready for more of this band.
I was going through press releases on Wednesday, listening to some tracks in order to pick a single of the week. There were some good songs. Then my partner says to me, “I don’t know if our kid will ever go to school at this point.” I thought it was COVID exasperation. I made a comment along the lines of, “not at this rate.” And then she said, “Um. Do you not know what happened?” I did not. But every knows now that somebody went on a rampage killing half a classroom full of 4th graders and their teacher while the cops literally hung out outside doing nothing. Fuckers.
So, I have the “Jeremy” video up there. Because back when this song came out we had an assault weapons ban and never really expected this to be something that happens ON THE REGULAR. I’ve been sick of it for a decade. You probably are, too. I can say with 100% certainty that, until we get 60 Senators that haven’t been bought out by the NRA, freezing them from doing anything right, this will never happen. But there is something that CAN happen, and quickly, too.
We haven’t had a Director of the Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms since 2015. This is the arm of the government dedicated to regulating and enforcing firearm laws. Biden keeps submitting names and they keep getting axed. However, there is a man named Steven Dettelbach that is in confirmation hearings RIGHT NOW. He is pro-gun control and will have the power to do something without getting 60% of the senate on board. Right now, it’s time to contact your local senator to let them know that you need him confirmed. Word on the street is that Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are the Dems that are on the fence, so kindly encouraging them to confirm Dettelbach will get us far. Oh, and donating to Everytown is a good move, too.
