Indie Rock
Toledo Share New Song “Dog Has Its Day”: Stream
Although they share a name with the Ohio city, Toledo are a band from Brooklyn. The duo of Daniel Alvarez and Jordan Dunn-Pilz are in the midst of rolling out an EP called Jockeys of Love, and today they’re giving fans a preview with a song called “Dog Has Its Day”. The track follows October’s “Challenger” and December’s “It’s Alive!”, which serve as a solid representation of the sounds that Toledo’s music straddles: brisk, slightly surfy dream-pop and crisp, tranquil indie-folk. “Dog Has Its Day” retains the prettiness of the former, but musically it leans closer to the latter sensibility. Over a mellow yet steady groove, Alvarez and Dunn-Pilz stack a whispery falsetto over a mesmerizing acoustic guitar lick and let that ride for a while. Eventually, some beautifully congealed harmonies e...
IAN SWEET Announces New Album Show Me How You Disappear, Shares “Drink the Lake”: Stream
IAN SWEET, the CoSigned indie project headed up by Jilian Medford, has announced a new album. Show Me How You Disappear arrives in March and is being teased today with a single called “Drink the Lake”. The upcoming effort is IAN SWEET’s third overall and follow-up to 2018’s Crush Crusher, which Medford broke down for us track by track. According to a statement, a bulk of the songs on Show Me How came to fruition after Medford completed a two-month intensive outpatient program in early 2020. The rigorous treatment involved six-hour days of therapy and saw Medford looking inward more than ever before — so much so that she even took a break from music in order to focus on her self-care. Show Me How is a direct result of those reflections and the emotional catharsis that came with them. “...
Indie Supergroup Speed Stick Unveil New Song “Protect Your Magic”: Stream
Speed Stick, the indie rock supergroup comprised of Polvo’s Ash Bowie, Bat Fangs’ Laura King, The Love Language’s Thomas Simpson, and The Paul Swest’s Charles Chace, have dropped the new song “Protect Your Magic”. It’s the opening track of their debut album, Volume One, which arrives later this month via Don Giovanni Records. The new single is an instrumental scorcher. “Protect Your Magic” marries Bowie’s sticky guitar riffs with Chace’s free jazz playfulness. Meanwhile the violent, thunderous drum breaks showcase the kind of bonkers percussion that’s only possible with two drummers of King’s and Simpson’s quality caliber. “Protect Your Magic” comes with a cracked music video directed by King. Using a color palette stocked with pinks and greens, she shows odd landscapes, a c...
Beach Slang’s James Alex Accused of Abuse, Now Receiving Treatment Following Suicide Attempt
Last week, Beach Slang frontman James Alex was accused of years of abuse by former manager Charlie Lowe. Now, in a lengthy statement, Alex’s family has revealed that Alex has since been admitted into “an inpatient facility after attempting to take his life.” The note also says that Beach Slang have officially broken up. On Tuesday, January 5th, Lowe tweeted, “I endured constant emotional, psychological & narcissistic abuse from James Alex for years.” She added, “I have learned he sells his too-kind-to-be-true persona to hide that he is truly the most selfish horrible person I will ever meet.” As a result of the alleged abuse, Lowe claimed she was diagnosed with C-PTSD (complex posttraumatic stress disorder).” The statement from Alex’s family, shared this afternoon via Beach Slang’s soc...
The Mountain Goats Perform “Get Famous” On Colbert: Watch
The Mountain Goats made a Friday night appearance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform their song “Get Famous”. The track was included on the second of two albums they released in 2020, Getting Into Knives. Like all late night performances these days, the set was recorded remotely in a studio and submitted to the program. In addition to frontman John Darnielle and his three core bandmates — Peter Hughes, Jon Wurster, and Matt Douglas — the group was joined by two additional saxophone players to fill out the blaring woodwinds in this upbeat anthem. Back when the band released “Get Famous” as a single in September, Darnielle opened up about how fulfilling it was to create: “If I told you all how much fun we had making this one you wouldn’t even believe me, but we hope it comes th...
The Hold Steady Reveal New Single “Heavy Covenant”: Stream
Next month marks the arrival of a new album from veteran indie rockers The Hold Steady. Their eighth overall, Open Door Policy is being previewed today with a song called “Heavy Covenant”. The follow-up to lead single “Family Farm”, this new cut carefully folds in layers of bright synths, rich horns, and driving percussion in such a way that holds your anticipation. And then there’s frontman Craig Finn’s fascinating tale of travel — one that’s simultaneously dark and funny. In a statement, Finn said the track is about “travel, technology, and human connection. The song came out of two different music pieces that THS piano/keyboardist Franz Nicolay brought in, and with the help of producer Josh Kaufman, we combined them.” “It came together quickly, and when our friends Stuart and Jorda...
Phoebe Bridgers and beabadoobee: Artist and Rookie of the Year in Conversation
Our Annual Report continues today with the announcement of Phoebe Bridgers as our Artist of the Year and beabadoobee as our Rookie of the Year. Stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of the year as 2020 winds down. If you’ve missed any part of our Annual Report, you can check out all the coverage here. There wasn’t a single person whose life wasn’t hit by the hard curve of 2020. Countless studies have been conducted and essays written about how this year impacted the music industry in particular, from delayed releases to canceled tours to financial distress. Artists planned, and the pandemic laughed. Yet, even in these darkest of times, there were those who found ways to not just keep the flame lit, but ignite a blaze. In an amazing testamen...
Slaughter Beach, Dog Surprise Releases New Album At the Moonbase: Stream
Merry Christmas Eve! Slaughter Beach, Dog, the side-project of Modern Baseball’s Jake Ewald, has surprise released a new album. It’s called At the Moonbase and it’s available to stream below via Apple Music and Spotify. This is Ewald’s fourth full-length under the Slaughter Beach, Dog moniker. Technically it follows his 2019 album Safe and Also No Fear, but musically this new record is more akin to his 2016 debut Welcome and 2017’s Motorcycle.JPG. Written and recorded alone at home and at The Metal Shop, Ewald’s recording studio in East Kensington, At the Moonbase is an exercise in solitary production and solo songwriting, no doubt in part due to the coronavirus pandemic. Across its 11-song tracklist, Ewald dips into slacker rock, expanded arrangements, and melancholic piano. It’...
Darkside Reunite for New Album Spiral, Share “Liberty Bell”: Stream
After six long years, the wait is finally over: Darkside have returned. The electronic music duo of Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington has announced a new album, Spiral, due out Spring 2021 via Matador Records, as well as shared a lead single called “Liberty Bell”. Formed nearly a decade ago, Darkside found critical acclaim thanks to their 2013 full-length debut, Psychic. Their time in the spotlight was very short-lived, however, as Jaar and Harrington announced their “indefinite hiatus” less than a year later. According to a statement, Spiral was completed in December 2019. It was then mastered by Heba Kadry (Beach House, Slowdive) and mixed by Rashad Becker. Today’s release of “Liberty Bell” provides a first look at what to expect from the forthcoming sophomore album. And it appears to be ...
Mac DeMarco Shares Mellow Cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”: Stream
Christmas is just four days away, which means Mac DeMarco is back to fulfill his annual tradition of covering holiday songs. This year, the Canadian jizz jazzer has shared his take on Judy Garland’s classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, which you can stream below. The original version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is a wistful, tender track about holding on to hope despite being stuck in a tragic place. It always hits home, but this year it feels especially relevant during the pandemic. In DeMarco’s hands, though, the song takes a more laid-back approach, stretching Garland’s original words into a hazy, mellow rumination over a stringy trip-hop-like trance. DeMarco shared his cover alongside a lo-fi music video. In the clip, the Here Comes the Cowboy singer c...
The Bird and the Bee Cover “Little Drummer Boy” with Medium Drummer Man Dave Grohl: Stream
Over eight crazy nights, Dave Grohl and his pal Greg Kurstin performed eight covers of Jewish musicians in celebration of Hanukkah. With the Festival of Lights concluding on Thursday, Grohl and Kurstin turned their attention to Christmas and linked up with Kurstin’s The Bird and the Bee bandmate Inara George for a cover of “Little Drummer Boy” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “The Little Drummer Boy” was composed by the music teacher Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. Apart from the melody, the song is instantly recognizable for the rat-a-tat-tat rhythm played by the titular little drummer boy. But medium-sized drummer man Dave Grohl had other ideas. He kicked off the song with a flourish before settling into a driving rock and roll groove, riding the cymbals and keeping the bass drum thumping. Kurst...
Fiona Apple Considers Boycotting the Grammys Over Dr. Luke Nomination
Fiona Apple singlehandedly delivered the best album of the year when she dropped Fetch the Bolt Cutters, and she was acknowledged for doing such with a handful of Grammy nominations last month. Now, in a new interview, Apple has shared her thoughts about what it means to be honored at the Grammys, her frustrations with producer Dr. Luke, and much more. The Guardian interview with Apple goes deep into a handful of subjects, spanning everything from the impact of her iconic 1997 MTV Awards speech to the very real person who inspired “Shameika”. However, the most topical segment arrived when Apple inadvertently brought up the Recording Academy, their suspended President and CEO Deborah Dugan, and their decision to nominate Dr. Luke (under the pseudonym Tyson Trax) despite Kesha’s allegations ...
