Indie Rock
Grace Sings Sludge Shares New Song “Friend to All”: Stream
Grace Sings Sludge, the solo project from Grace Cooper of The Sandwitches, has shared the new song “Friend to All”. It’s the latest single off her forthcoming album Christ Mocked and the End of a Relationship, which just received the new release date of July 17th. Christ Mocked… is her fifth album under the Grace Sings Sludge banner, but the first recorded at a proper studio. If “Friend to All” is any indication, she’s definitely benefiting from crisper production. The new single is a lovely journey into gothic folk. Over gentle, minor-key guitars, Cooper spins an anxious tale of a downtrodden woman who’s “been friends to all,” in her own way. Cooper’s singing is expansive and expressive; she loves to whittle down a vowel until it’s little more than a hum, and then flip her voice upwa...
Mark Duplass’ Band Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! Announce Deluxe Reissue of Carbon Copy EP
Back at the turn of the century, director Mark Duplass was busy playing gigs across the US in his popular indie rock band Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! Polyvinyl still considers them to be one of their “most beloved signings,” and as such they’ve decided to celebrate the band by reissuing their debut EP, Carbon Copy, on vinyl for the first time ever. Featuring singer-keyboardist Duplass, guitarist Byron Westbrook, and drummer John Thomas Robinette III, Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! released Carbon Copy on a small run of CDs back in 2002. Since then, the long out-of-print disc has been tough to track down, especially compared to the availability of the band’s sole full-length, 2004’s self-titled LP. That’s because the group only signed with Polyvinyl after meeting the team in Illinois wh...
Waxahatchee to Play Entire Catalog During Weekly Livestreams
Live music may not return until next year, but for the safety and longevity of music it’s probably for the best. On the bright side, it’s also the reason why everyone will get the chance to see Waxahatchee play her entire five-album discography next month. Today, Katie Crutchfield has announced a new livestream series where she will perform a different record in full each Monday in June. Crutchfield, the singer-songwriter behind the Waxahatchee moniker, plans to dig through her catalog in chronological order over the course of the next month. Starting on June 1st, she will play her debut solo album, American Weekend. Following that on June 8th, she will revisit her breakthrough sophomore record Cerulean Salt from 2013. June 15th will see her play 2015’s critically lauded Ivy Tripp, with a ...
Bright Eyes Share New Song “One and Done” Featuring Flea on Bass: Stream
A release date for Bright Eyes’ new comeback album still hasn’t been set, but that has stopped Conor Oberst and co. from teasing their fans with new music. Following “Persona Non Grata” and “Forced Convalescence”, the reunited outfit is now sharing “One and Done”, and single that once again features cameos from members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Queens of the Stone Age. Similar to last month’s “Forced Convalescence”, today’s offering sees RHCP’s Flea on bass and additional percussion courtesy of QOTSA drummer Jon Theodore. Also like the preceding single, Oberst can be heard ruminating on the current state of the world — specifically the bleakness of its collapse and final days. “This whole town looks empty but we knew it wouldn’t last/ Behind b...
10 Matty Healy Lyrics Every 1975 Fan Knows by Heart
The lights go out, but suddenly everyone starts screaming. From the fog, a neon rectangle — or black and white depending on the era — lowers down and illuminates the stage. Screaming is still happening, of course, until you hear the infamous lines: “go down, soft sound.” Over the past seven years, for the hundreds, maybe thousands of shows they’ve played, The 1975 begins each set in the same exhilarating manner. But for longtime fans, the theatrics are no longer just a spectacle: they’re a routine. This is The 1975 live show experience. Whether it be their 2013 teenage angst-ridden debut, their ‘80s pop sophomore LP, or the more recent culture critique within their third album, The 1975’s live shows are essentially exhibitions, or better yet, manifestations of the general motifs and themes...
HAIM Perform “Don’t Wanna” from Quarantine on Corden: Watch
HAIM Zoomed into The Late Late Show on Thursday night to have a chat with James Corden and perform their new single, “Don’t Wanna”. After awkwardly fawning over the siblings while staring at both his computer and his cellphone, Corden asked the trio who was the worst at handling isolation. Este admitted it was probably her, as she’s gone a little crazy “during Quar.” (And we all shudder together at the “hip” abbreviation.) Apparently, she’s turned a pair of exercise balls into Cast Away-like friends named Ilana and Dunkiel, complete with wigs. Once the brief interview was over, HAIM sat crosslegged on their respective floors or beds to deliever their-first ever performance of “Don’t Wanna”. Much like they did when they played “I Know Alone” on Colbert last month, they e...
Deb Never Surprise Releases New Benefit EP Intermission: Stream
It’s the era of the quarantine album, and Deb Never has added her voice to the chorus. The Spokane native has shared a surprise new benefit EP, Intermission, recorded entirely during isolation. The eight-track effort features sparse instrumentations — largely just Never herself on guitar — though production assistance from Michael Percy, Shlohmo, Nedarb, Hoskins, D33J, and Clayjay give the songs a rich bedroom feel. Lyrically, the collection captures much of the milieu of these strange times, touching on “solitude, post-apocalyptic metaphors, and an overall longing for simplicity.” Available for purchase via Bandcamp, proceeds from Intermission will go to Direct Relief, an organization providing PPE and other essential supplies to workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. The choice of ch...
Woods Return with New Album Strange to Explain: Stream
Indie folk rockers Woods are back with a new album called Strange to Explain. Hear the entire effort below via Apple Music or Spotify. Due out via their own Woodsist label, Strange to Explain marks the group’s 11th (!) full-length to date. In the time since their last LP, 2017’s Love is Love, Woods frontman Jeremy Earl became a father, and guitarist Jarvis Taveniere relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, turning the group bicoastal. The two bandmates also helped produce David Berman’s first and only album as Purple Mountains. Editors’ Picks According to a statement, the new record’s 11 tracks — including lead single “Where Do You When You Dream?” — serve a “sweet reflection for the 15-year-old band, bouncing back to earth as something hopeful and weird and resolute.” Stran...
The 1975’s Notes on a Conditional Form Marks a Definitive Moment in Time: Review
The Lowdown: The 1975 are undeniably divisive. From the start of their roughly 18 years together, frontman and lyricist Matty Healy has generated mass deliberation on whether or not The 1975 are a “serious” band. But that’s typically the case, right? Once something becomes “mainstream,” critics have to re-evaluate, for whatever reason. Can the cult curtains be pulled back to reveal a more substantiated, dynamic legacy? Are fans unanimously delusional to admire a band that talks a lot about crying, erections, and Internet love. I mean, how many times will “she say” something? Spoiler alert: she says a great deal on their latest record, Notes on a Conditional Form. Matty also still cries a lot, too, so don’t worry about that. But to be fair, the skepticism surrounding the band isn’t unwarran...
The 1975 Finally Release New Album Notes on a Conditional Form: Stream
By this point, our calendars are filled with crossed reminders of the release date for The 1975’s new album. After two years and multiple delays, the circle finally takes the square: The 1975 have today released Notes on a Conditional Form. The follow-up to the truly excellent 2018 effort A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships was formally announced last summer with an expected due date of February 21st, 2020. Work didn’t progress as anticipated, however, and a month before the release it was pushed to April 24th. Then the full-length faced another hitch along with the rest of the world when the pandemic hit, forcing The 1975 to delay it once again until today, May 22nd. In her review of the album, Consequence of Sound contributor Samantha Small said that the diverse record is...
HAIM Drop Groovy New Song “Don’t Wanna”: Stream
HAIM have dropped a new bop for summer playlists everywhere. “Don’t Wanna” is the latest single from their upcoming third album, Women In Music Pt. III. Listen in below. While today’s offering has a groovy bit of sun and pep in its step, ultimately it’s about trying to save a failing relationship. “Well we both had nights/ Waking up in strangers’ beds/ But I don’t wanna, don’t wanna/ I don’t want to give up yet,” sings Danielle Haim. The HAIM frontwoman also produced the track with assistance from Rostam Batmanglij and Ariel Rechtshaid. The highly-anticipated Women In Music Pt. III was initially slated for release in April, but was pushed back to June 26th due to the coronavirus pandemic. Still, the three-piece band has been busy promoting the record, having previously shared “I Know Alone...
Local Natives Team with Sylvan Esso for New Version of “Dark Days”: Stream
Local Natives (photo by Jonathan Chu) and Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath (photo by Shervin Lainez) Way back in March — when bands were still able to perform for live audiences — Local Natives debuted a new version of their song “Dark Days” featuring Sylvan Esso’s Amealia Meath on Kimmel. Today, they’ve shared the studio version of the indie collaboration. The update of the track from 2016’s Sunlit Youth finds Meath adding a brand new verse that, as Local Natives puts it, “taps into the nostalgia and the longing we all feel for a different time.” The new take was mixed by Spike Stent, known for his work with Madonna and Björk. “It was a joy to dip into summertime with Local Natives,” Meath said of working with the band. “‘Dark Days’ is a beautiful illustration of being youn...
