Category Archives: Newest Love

Must Listen: Coast Modern – “The Way It Was”

unnamed (2)

“Coast Modern debuted with “Hollow Life” and followed it up with “Animals” both jaunty, summery songs with lyrics that go deeper than you might think on first listen. (Check out my post from back in May.)

The Los Angeles duo’s new single is “The Way It Was,” and this time they introduce a surprising electronic element towards the end alongside their usual pop/rock blend.

“With so many songs about ‘better times,’ we thought there’d be no better time to write a song about the wetter times—the lush rainforest of the present. In such a turbulent era, it’s easy to get stuck in the quicksand of nostalgia or tangled in vines of worry. Come on this jungle cruise with us as we explore the wonders of now…because we all know it’s never gonna go back to the way it was.”

Coast Modern Tour Dates:
September 2 – Bumbershoot – Seattle, WA
September 19 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR***
September 21 – Commodore – Vancouver, BC***
September 23 – Life is Beautiful – Las Vegas, NV
September 25 – Gothic – Denver, Colorado***
September 27 – Varsity – Minneapolis, MN***
September 28 – Metro – Chicago, IL***
September 29 – Majestic Theatre – Detroit, MI
September 30 – Phoenix – Toronto, ON***
October 1 – The Meadows – Flushing, NY
October 4 – Royale – Boston, MA***
October 5 – TLA – Philadelphia, PA***
October 6 – 930 Club – Washington, DC***
October 8 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA***
October 9 – 3rd and Lindsley – Nashville, TN***
October 11 – Granada – Dallas, TX***
October 12 – White Oak – Houston, TX***
October 13 – Emo’s – Austin TX***
October 16 – Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA***
October 17 – Observatory – Orange County, CA***
October 18 – Belasco Theatre – Los Angeles, CA***
October 19 – Warfield – San Francisco, CA***
*** supporting The Temper Trap

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, listen, Newest Love, Shows

Newest Love: Drop Out Vegas – “Sleep Alone”

0004803573_10

This track from Drop Out Vegas has been hiding in my messages for over a month. Today I finally got around to listening, and whoa! What a hidden gem!

Singer Skyler James explains, “‘Sleep Alone’ is a coming out story of bad relationship and hook up experiences, told in a way to bring a voice to the Tinder & Grindr generation, and to hope for a better day for those with low self confidence.”

It’s so catchy and I LOVE the video, too!!!

Check it out:

(That crescendo at 2:43 though!)

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, Newest Love, video

Newest Love: Busman’s Holiday – “Beach Song”

Busmans Holiday

Busman’s Holiday — made up of Bloomington, IN-based brothers Lewis and Addison Rogers — has spent the past few years touring with acts like Kishi Bashi and Saintseneca and winning over audiences with their heartfelt songs and memorable banter. The duo recently released a 7″ via Joyful Noise Recordings that pairs new single “Beach Song” with the pedal steel-driven ballad “LaVaughna,” and today, they share a video for the A-side.

Shot in the band’s hometown of Bloomington, the “Beach Song” video is lively and celebratory, pairing perfectly with the lighthearted vibe of the song it accompanies.

The Rogers brothers’ vocal harmonies and storytelling lyrics evoke images of their hometown in Southern Indiana and bring their songs’ subjects to life. Known for their spirited live show, they may kick off a set with an exultant, driving harmony or a ballad in a melancholy mode, but not before having a laugh and sharing stories with their audience.

Recorded with engineer/producer Mark Lawson (Arcade Fire, the Unicorns) and arranger Matt Nowlin, the new 7″ comes as a follow up to 2014’s A Long Goodbye and is meant to give fans a taste of the duo’s upcoming LP, due out in October on Joyful Noise.

Leave a comment

Filed under listen, Newest Love, video

Newest Love: Beginners

Beginners

Los Angeles-based indie-pop band Beginners will release their brand new “white-hot scorcher” (Neon Gold) sophomore EP Pleaser on September 16th. A formidable follow-up to their 2014 self-titled debut which garnered over 4 million Spotify streams, numerous TV syncs, and tour dates with artists such as Walk The Moon and Tove Lo, Pleaser features catchy dance melodies with a rock ‘n roll vigor and clever lyrics ranging from feel good to biting. Today, their new single premiered for their underdog anthem “What We Are”.

The sun-soaked indie pop track is “about my childhood in Indiana,” front-woman Samantha Barbera told Interview. “When I was growing up, my mom struggled financially and we were forced to live off of food stamps. Despite being poor in an otherwise wealthy town, she always instilled an impenetrable sense of confidence in me. I still have vivid memories of riding my second-hand bike around my neighborhood, wearing a giant gold medallion from the 70s that I took from my mom’s jewelry box, feeling like I owned the streets. It’s an underdog anthem about being proud of who you are, regardless of what anyone tells you.”

Pleaser is an ode to the thin line between love and hate. Pulsing singles like “Gangsters or Lovers” and “What We Are” leave no choice but to move to the contagious beats and guitar riffs. The Black Keys meet Yeezus in the tongue-in-cheek revenge ballad “I F*cking Hate You” where Barbera’s bluesy vocal melody delivers sultry lyrics with a violent twist. Gritty dance track “Making Love to the Dead” reveals how passion can turn to pain in a soul-sucking industry designed to churn out marketable hits, while hypnotic closer “Melting Into One” evokes the intoxicating power of young love. At first listen, I also immediately heard notes similar to that of Santigold.

Beginners delivers dark garage rock with a shimmery electronic pop veneer influenced by years of cutting their teeth in the LA punk scene. The band’s sound and lyrics ride a line between glossy and gritty, creating hooks that are at once magnetically catchy and unsettlingly honest. Their single “Who Knows” off their first EP launched the band two years ago resulting in buzz from Rolling Stone, Perez Hilton, Huffington Post, and TV syncs on shows including New Girl and commercials for Ray Ban, Skullcandy, and Miller Lite.

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, Newest Love

Newest Love: Litche – “Look Up”

litche

“Look Up” is the stunning debut single from an Australian newcomer who goes by the name Litche, giving us a nice little introduction to his chilled atmospheric electronica.

Litche is the solo project of Sam Litchfield, a producer out of Newcastle (Australia) who some may also know for his role as one-half of Aussie/Hawaiian duo Haliia. Over the last few months Sam has been busy working on a number of new productions that aren’t quite right for the Haliia sound & style.

The initial idea for “Look Up” came about while Sam was jamming with his Swiss friend Elias back in 2015, who he was introduced to by a mutual friend on a surf trip to Bali last year.

“After discovering we both had a mutual passion for making music, we decided we’d get together and have a go at make something. Not much came out of it at that time except a simple 4-bar loop and a few vocal samples, but then back in April this year I became inspired by an Ethnic sample pack I’d found and started working this with the beats and vocals Elias and I had recorded all those months ago, and it all seemed to work so well” – Litche

Inspired by some of his favorite instrumental artists for their use of organic soundscapes mixed with deep electronic production (like Seekae & Shlohmo), Sam continued working this rediscovered idea with a variety of foreign samples & sounds, as he strived to create a song that could transport its listener to somewhere else, a place where they can reflect on the different cultures we have around the world, and show just how music can bridge the gap between them.

Haunting vocal arrangements drift throughout a chilled atmospheric landscape of smooth tribal percussion, dark echoing synths and pulsing electronic beats.

Available for free download (but not for long — so do it now!):

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, downloads, listen, Newest Love

Newest Love: Beware of Darkness

Photo: Cara Robbins

Photo: Cara Robbins

“Imagine the crunch of The White Stripes and the sheer raunch of Prince and you’d be somewhere close to Beware Of Darkness.” – CLASH Mag

LA-based Beware of Darkness reveal album release details today for their forthcoming LP Are You Real? out on September 16th via Bright Antenna Records.  Fans who pre-order album will receive singles “Dope” and “Muthafucka” instantly.

Are You Real? is the band’s biggest and boldest statement yet.  The 12-track collection serves as an urgent call to arms not only for frontman Kyle Nicolaides, but for the band’s sound as well.  The music ushers the rebirth of a sound that is as refreshing as it is addictive, and goes much deeper than riffs.

The album illustrates how a rock star on the rise fought uncertainty and disillusionment to avoid flaming out. And, more importantly, how he has come through the other side revitalized and focused, and with the best songs of his young career.

ayr

Are You Real? Tracklist
Muthafucka
Blood, Sex, Violence, & Murder
Dope
Summer Daze
Tell Me This Is Fate
Are You Real?
Angel
Surrender
Hieroglyphics
Sugar In The Raw
Beware
Delirium

Leave a comment

Filed under Check 'em Out!, listen, new albums, Newest Love

Newest Love: Stone Cold Fox

scf

 
“The five-track effort is likened to a roadtrip, “a collection of journeys” in which Stone Cold Fox venture out to discover who they really are when all the layers are peeled back and they’re forced to look in the mirror.”
– Consequence of Sound

“…delivering dancey and joyful synthesizer beats, overlaid with groovey guitar leads. The band has an innate knack for finding the sweet spot of catchy music that isn’t shallow, leading you to want to teleport from your shitty apartment to an island paradise. “
– NOISEY

“…while it retains energy, [Firing Squad] opts for something far more ethereal. The track basks in a haze of guitar effects and subtle performances, proving that Stone Cold Fox can sound subdued without feeling lethargic…”
– The AV CLUB 

“Amongst the slew of synth pop revivalists, Brooklyn-based four piece Stone Cold Fox are doing things a little differently. By staring their song producing process with an indie-rock core, they craft songs that are essentially guitar led, before channeling that heart into an addictive electronic, synth-heavy format.
– Wonderland Magazine
The best kind of road trips are the ones that are spontaneous. You know where you want to go, you have a final destination in mind – you just don’t necessarily know how you’re going to get there. But that’s ok, because it’s all about the journey, right? Brooklyn-based four piece, Stone Cold Fox want to take a road trip with you- they’ll get you to where you want to go, you just gotta let them take the wheel, because in the end whatever will be, will be. And the soundtrack? Their EP, Tunnel Vision.

Tunnel Vision is a stunning contradiction- a collection of journeys made up of distorted dance synths that bleed with a rock-heavy heart. Written, recorded and produced over a period of two years, the sound of Tunnel Vision resembles a mindset that is anything but narrow minded- instead, it’s a collection of tracks that skew in every which way, that ultimately steer back to it’s original course to create a wistful, cohesive sound. “Tracks started as total rock songs, then turned into chilled electro songs, eventually finding its way somewhere comfortably in the middle,” explains guitarist and vocalist Kevin. “They find middle ground with a rock core and a dancey pulse,” he adds. So, imagine a world where John Lennon is rose from the dead and conceived a love child with The Strokes while listening to LCD Soundsystem and Beat Connection – that’s the kind of world that Tunnel Vision creates.

If you’re digging that sound — check out the EP here and now:

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, Newest Love, video

Listen: Ghost Hours – “For You”

ghosthours

“‘For You’ is a hazy, laid back California summer kind of song. Definitely inspired by the ocean and California sunsets.” — Ghost Hours

Ghost Hours, the moniker of Southern California’s Ron Fountenberry, is an electronic solo project aimed at creating beat driven melodies with a midnight vibe.

Fountenberry is an accomplished composer who has written music for Apple, Ford, Google – as well as projects for television and film.

Ghost Hours is his musical respite; where he can explore electronic, R+B, indie, and pop terrain freely as his imagination takes him.

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, Newest Love

Newest Love: Ancient Cities – “Marmalade”

ancient cities

Following their well-received self-titled debut album in 2014, Ancient Cities returns to bring us Supermoon Blackout, out 7/1 and available to pre-order now. After being invited to play Newport Folk Festival in 2015 by Converse, the band began recording at Converse Rubber Tracks Studio in Boston and Sioux Sioux Studio before taking the record to frontman Stephen Warwick’s home studio to wrap up. What emerged is both raw and organic in the ways you’d expect and enjoy from and fuzzed out rock album like this.

They’ve expanded on a sound that is lively, warm, angsty, and ferocious, and the new addition of organ/synth sounds have only added to the party. Supermoon Blackout will have you swooning, dancing silly, jumping around wildly, or nodding your head and tapping your steering wheel from one song to another. The band is putting one foot in front of the other along the road of psychedelic folk rock laid before them. Each stone placed with road-tested material has landed them features in Vanity Fair, The Village Voice, as well as live video sessions with Paste Magazine and Live & Breathing. Creatively and otherwise, Ancient Cities is following this road to success- polishing their evolving tastes but not straying far from their fuzz rock n’ roll, psyched out pop roots.

Songs like “Sunburn” take you back to the swooning melodies and harmonies of 60’s rock ‘n’ roll, while “Actress” is an instant party starter.  “Midnight” gives you a sense that you’re coming back to life- or realizing that somewhere along the road you lost yourself and just noticed you’re back. “Marmalade” captures the essence of the album musically as an ode to getting lost in rock n roll textures, swooning vocals, and a fuzzed out guitar solo.

Warwick gained acclaim in 2010 with his solo album Talking Machine, receiving local notice as best song-writer and landing on Shuffle Magazine’s top 10 list for albums of that year. Ancient Cities became his new musical outlet that gave him freedoms to break out from lofi alt-folk and pick up an electric guitar with no reservations or apologies. This shift in perspective brought about some foot-stomping rock n’ roll that comes from a thoughtful desire to move you. Supermoon Blackout is the kind of music that beckons you put down your cell phone to just dance, listen, or watch.

Supermoon Blackout
Track List:
1. Marmalade
2. Phases
3. Sunburn
4. Luck
5. Time Traveler
6. Supermoon Blackout
7. All Rise
8. Actress
9. Midnight
10. Sorceress
11. Losing My Mind

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, listen, Lists, new albums, Newest Love

Must Listen: Coleman Hell – “Fireproof”

Photo: Tim Saccenti

Photo: Tim Saccenti

Following the release of his acclaimed single “2 Heads” and self-titled EP which garnered over 100 million streams across platforms, Coleman Hell returns with new single Fireproof. Released on all digital platforms, the track was produced alongside electronic artist La+ch and will appear on his forthcoming debut album via Columbia Records.  Revered for his genre-defying fearlessness, the singer/songwriter/producer has developed a unique style, fusing organic instrumentation with lush electronic textures.

When asked about the inspiration behind the new single, Coleman says, “I was looking through family photos and I came across this image of my parents that immediately resonated with me. That one photo perfectly encapsulates the idea behind “Fireproof.” My parents have been together since high school and have such an old-fashioned relationship. No matter what obstacles came their way, they worked through it because they have this unwavering belief in love, and almost childlike faith in each other which is so beautiful to me. I think growing up around them is what’s made me such a hopeless romantic. I got to witness it first hand so I know it exists. If you love someone enough it really can make you fireproof.”

Anchored by his inspiring and unorthodox approach, the Thunder Bay (Canada) native has forged a prolific reputation as an adventurous outlier with a diverse palate. 2015’s “2 Heads” became a mainstay of multiple streaming and radio platforms, soaring to the Top 5 at US Alternative radio. With an upcoming Columbia Records debut album near completion, new single“Fireproof” signals big things ahead for this burgeoning artist in 2016.

Leave a comment

Filed under Awesome, Check 'em Out!, Newest Love