Following the announcement of their new EP, Mojo Thunder, LA-based duo The Peach Kingshave shared new track “Hold On,” which The WILD Magazine calls “a lush journey [packed] into just over three minutes.” Featuring a deep, buzzing bass line and smoky, seductive female vocals, “Hold On” is available to stream & share via Soundcloud. Mojo Thunder, which features three additional tracks and a remix,will be released on June 3rd.
The Peach Kings is made up of Texas-born Paige McClain Wood and Silver Lake native Steven Trezevant Dies, whose dark yet playful sound is influenced by everyone from Nancy Sinatra & Roy Orbison to Led Zeppelin & The Cramps.
“In an era defined by an encroaching feeling of malaise, this EDM cut avoids the genre’s growing pandering to bros and emotionally stilted upper middle class white girls… Okapi Sun have crafted an enjoyable, breezy listen with a seemingly minimalist depth and scope. Their background as classically trained musicians creates a fun interplay between true blue soulfulness and the id of partying.” — INDIE SHUFFLE
Phaedra Records announces the release of tribal dance-electronic pop duo Okapi Sun’s debut album Techno Prisoners. The album was produced by Ethan Allen (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) and Grammy winner Neal H. Pogue (Janelle Monae, Outcast). It is now available exclusively through Phaedra Records’ website (here).
Radio On is a brand new band based in London. They just put out their first track, “Don’t Wait” (listen below) and I am definitely liking it. It makes me think of high school…prom…things of that nature. Molly Ringwald would love it, too. Wild Honey Pie also debuted the track a few weeks ago. You can check that out, here.
I had a short interview (2 questions) with James from Radio On:
MA: Who all makes up Radio On and how did you come to be?
J: We are Adam, Alex, James and Sam. Some of us are from Lancaster and some of us are from Scotland and we met in London. Radio On started in late 2013.
MA: (After he told me that their name comes from a film they love) “If you don’t mind my asking, what is the film that your name comes from?”
J: The film Radio On is an incredible piece of work that a lot of people seem to have overlooked. It was one of the things we bonded over!
“Together they’ve produced some tracks that resonate with the glam that penetrated their ears.” –Prefix Magazine
“Almost as hypnotizing as a full moon, the song’s subtle vocals and vacillating beat take the night.” – MTV Iggy
After success of their stunning video for “After Dark,” Night Drive continues riding high on their musical journey. Night Drive and The Penelopes have been eager to work with one another for quite sometime and decided to do so via a remix swap. The french duo pulls no punches with this dark and sultry, disco reinterpretation. Keep your eyes open for Night Drive’s remix of The Penelopes, due out later this Spring. Fellow Austin and Houston artists, Orthy and Bagheera, produced two excellent remixes of “After Dark”. Since Night Drive, Orthy and Bagheera are all part of the Red Bull Sound Select family, RBSS will be releasing the After Dark EP for free in select record stores. Look for that later this month.
For now, you can listen to the After Dark Remixes over at Prefix Mag — click here to check it out now!
Shot in Denmark by filmmakers Cecile Evert and Simon Lundsgaard, they were inspired by Blue Foundation’s lyric, “… I can describe it all for you, if you got the nerves/guts to look into my eyes.”
The filmmakers enlisted Martin and Louise, a couple in real life, as well as in the video. “We chose them because it was clear to us that they have a very unique relationship. We saw a certain chemistry between them. Their love for each other is very strong and unique, and we expected it to shine through the lens, which we think it did,” says Lundsgaard. He continues, “Sometimes you can be afraid of things that you can’t define or describe. But if you look beyond the surface you will find something you recognize in yourself. That is what this video is about.” Brooklyn-based electronic dream-pop duo Blue Foundation is made up of producer/singer Tobias Wilner and multi-instrumentalist Bo Rande. Best known for their songs “Eyes on Fire,” which appeared in the Twilight saga and was certified double platinum in the US, and “Sweep,” from Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, the band released their album In My Mind, I Am Free on their own Dead People’s Choice Records last year. The release was followed up in January 2013 by remix album In My Mind I Am Reconstructed,which is available via iTunes and other digital retailers.
Over the past several years, Blue Foundation has expanded their audience, embracing both the underground and the alternative mainstream. Along with the Twilight Saga and Miami Vice, the band’s music has been featured in TV series The O.C., So You Think You Can Dance, CSI: Miami, and more.
“…A rising sound that swells like a wave as it blends the spirit of Aretha Franklin into a soulful dance-romp through territories inhabited by Fitz and The Tantrums, Portugal The Man and beyond.” – Crave
This fifteen-piece collective blends blues, jazz and soul for a larger-than-life sound reminiscent of rock greats like The Black Crowes and Joe Cocker.
“…a smoky, uplifting sound that fuses blues, rock, country and pretty much every genre in between.” – USA Today
“…we’re digging her combination of raw, bluesy vocals and glitchy electronics.” – NYLON
“…sultry cyber-soul.” – SPIN
Brooklyn’s captivating modern day siren Arum Rae is gearing up to self-release her Warranted Queen EP next Tuesday, and in advance, she’s rolled out her dynamic new single “Something’s Happening To Me” with Noisey. “Something’s Happening To Me” is symbolic of Arum’s recent transformation from shedding her traditional singer-songwriter roots, to her entrancing new endeavor under her given name.
Her new single follows closely on the heels of her previous stand-out singles “Warranted Queen” and “2001”. Arum’s ability to transcend styles allows the music to resurrect the soul, feel the blues, and then re-invent rock through her deeply rooted foundation as a songwriter. After relocating to Brooklyn from Austin, Arum shed the White Dress moniker and teamed up with producer Sanford Livingston for this new EP (and forthcoming album). Everything Arum has lived through and all of the songs that have been born from it are not meant to impress, they’re meant to lead.
Although being a new endeavor, Arum Rae is no stranger to the stage. She’s toured extensively over the past several years, opening up for and sharing stages with artists like Willie Nelson, Rodriguez, The Kills, Gary Clark Jr., Dan Auerbach, BB King, The Civil Wars, and Peter Bjorn & John, to name a few. With a renewed energy and passion, Arum looks to 2014 to embolden artists and singers like herself to pursue their passions with pause, regret or fear.
Los Angeles electro-pop outfit Tapioca and the Flea (TATF) have premiered the brand-new video for their new single “Take It Slow”, which premiered last week and is available on iTunes. The video shot by ENDS (creative collaboration between director duo Daniel Iglesias Jr. & Zack Sekuler), who is also responsible for The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather” and “Afraid”, chronicles the highs and the lows of a chaotic relationship. “Take It Slow,” which was produced by Crystal Castles’ Ethan Kath, is TATF’s contribution to Red Bull Sound Select’s forthcoming Limited Edition Split 7″, to be released as free gift with purchase on Record Store Day (April 19) at all participating retailers in the US.
PopMatters had this to say about the track, “Just don’t let the title fool you, since “Take It Slow” is a brisk, catchy synth-driven number, a combination of old-fashioned pop-minded songwriting and a state-of-the-art vibe.” TATF will bring their high energy show to Los Angeles’s Amoeba Music (6400 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028) for an in-store performance this Saturday, April 19th at 6 PM.
Tapioca and the Flea began as a bedroom project of Samuel Jacob-Lopez, Jr. As the son of a Puerto Rican DJ and salsa dancer, the LA-based artist fell in love with rhythm at an early age. Growing up skateboarding to the sounds of artists like Syd Barret, Radiohead and Dr. Dre, Tapioca and the Flea, found its own eclectic blend of psych, indie rock, and electronic music. In 2011, he recruited three of his best friends – drummer Matt McClanahan, guitarist Ronnie Watson and bassist/keyboardist Frank Alva – and the full electro-pop band was fleshed out. Tapioca and the Flea gained momentum in their native L.A. on the strength of their psychedelic dance tracks “Mellotron” and “Home” and have opened for such acts as CSS and Young the Giant. The band has won praise and support from OC Weekly, who nominated them for Best New Artist of 2014 and The Owl Mag, who described their music as “the soundtrack to the world’s coolest underwater dance.”
“… a strange sort of calm we can’t deny.” – Earmilk
“… a bass-heavy, atmospheric rock aesthetic and frenetic live shows that draw comparisons to Radiohead and Alt-J.” – BPM
The new video “Winter fell” from Walking Shapes reflects the state of emotional flux, feeling overwhelmed and is depicted by two masked dancers in a confined space.
“The song ‘Winter fell’ came about during a ‘polar vortex,’” singer Nathaniel Hoho tells Village Voice, who deems the tune “much warmer than its subject matter.” It’s a song about being forced to take a break, reflecting and coming to terms with one’s inner demons, while simultaneously embracing the good things and people in life.
Heralded by publications such as SPIN and Earmilk, Walking Shapes was formed by way of mountains, and through the tides of the city. Their fierce and eclectic debut Taka Come On channels their love to their home New York City. Featuring Nathaniel Hoho on vocals and guitar; Jesse Kotansky on guitar, violin, vocals ; Jake Generalli on keys, vocals; Dan Krysa on bass and vocals; and Christopher Heinz on drums, Walking Shapes meld driving guitars, intricate arrangements and visually evocative songwriting into stunning audio refractions on New York’s sonic landscape.
Debut album Taka Come On out next week!
Catch Walking Shapes’ Riveting Live Shows this Spring:
4/3: Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite
4/4: Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
4/5: Ponoma. CA @ Acerogami
4/6: San Francisco, CA @ Brick @ Mortar Music Hall
4/7: Los Angeles, CA @ Bardot
4/8: Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Room
4/12: Dallas, TX @ The Prophet Bar
4/13: Fayetteville, AR @ Smoke and Barrel
4/14: Oklahoma City, OK @ VZD’s
4/19: Nashville, TN @ High Watt
4/21: Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
4/23: Asbury Park, NJ @ The Saint
4/24: New York, NY @ Bowery Electric
4/25: New York, NY @ DROM
Check out this new video from Australian band, Morning Harvey.
Filmed in the Noosa Hinterland in regional Queensland and directed by Nic Mckenzie from Deep Sea Arcade, the clip features cameo’s from some of fellow Brisbane bands, including The Belligerents, The Furrs and The Jungle Giants.
When filming the band had to learn how to play and sing backwards, the clip was then reversed and pace manipulated to give the slowed down, psyched out effect. A mesmerising clip to match the blissed out jams, laced with euphoric girls and surrounded in lush Australian bushland.
“Girl Euphoria (Come Back To Me)” has been making waves at Australian alt radio and is the follow up single to the 2013 Well for Wishes EP.
Musically Amusing 