The Menzingers have shared an upbeat new single, ‘Bad Actors.’ Chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles as part of the official ‘Eagles Gameday Series Soundtrack’, the song was played in stadium and was also featured on the team’s socials leading up to the Super Bowl, further cementing the band’s hometown roots.
Featuring bright guitars, melodic riffs and uplifting lyrics, the track was written during sessions for the band’s sixth studio album ‘Hello Exile’ (2019). Tom May explains, “It’s one of the last songs we wrote for the album and finished it in the studio. It’s an ode to a dear old friend that passed.”
Paderborn, Germany’s KID DAD have released a third track, ‘Wire & Guns‘, from their upcoming EP ‘Bloom’ – out 10th December via Long Branch Records – alongside a powerful music video.
The band’s recent singles ‘Apartment‘ and ‘As Soon As America’ showed a whole new side of the band, both musically and lyrically, moving away from the usual distorted guitars and exploring the indie/pop landscape more… However, ‘Wire & Guns’ sees KID DAD return to their roots: Brute guitars, pounding drums, and crackling emotions. Accompanied by a music video filled with a lightning performance that sees the band stunningly release their pent up fears.
There are moments when your own thoughts are the worst place on earth to be and ‘Wire & Guns’ sounds like that exact moment when love turns into insanity. When you feel misunderstood, not heard or seen, ignored or rejected, it’s often hard to control your own impulses and the line between what reality and what you are imagining becomes blurred. This new track sets these feelings to tune.
First, the synthesizers relentlessly push forward and the lyrics tell the story of grinding self-doubt. Shortly after, the bass-drum is added and the long awaited outburst finally sets in. Distorted guitars and desperate vocals then take over the song in which the poetic persona further loses itself in an obsession with deserving to be loved.
But the situation seems pointless: “My head’s just my torso’s crown / so I’m the king of my body / take it off me.”
Check out ‘Wire & Guns’ below.
KID DAD have also revealed that they’ll be touring the UK in January 2022. Dates below.
UK HEADLINE TOUR DATES: 12/01 – Rough Trade, Bristol 13/01 – Subside, Birmingham 14/01 – The Castle Hotel, Manchester 15/01 – Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds 17/01 – Hug and Pint, Glasgow 18/01 – O2 Academy Islington 2, London
Essex based singer/songwriter Cassyette have dropped a new single ‘Prison Purse’, which arrives ahead of her appearance at the Download Pilot this weekend.
On the track she says:
“‘Prison Purse’ is a fuck you anthem to anyone who has ever violated you. It’s about not letting SA define you, and taking your power back.”
Bay Area metal titans MACHINE HEAD have released a 3-track digital single titled “Arrows In Words From The Sky” today.
Written against the backdrop of a once-in-a-century pandemic, and the long and painful death of frontman / guitarist Robb Flynn’s mother, these songs represent one of the darkest chapters in MACHINE HEAD history.
Flynn states: “The lyrics to these songs took to me places inside I didn’t want to go, from the bile and negativity on “Rotten,” to nothing-will-beat-me-down fury of “Become The Firestorm,” to the title track “Arrows” being one of the saddest songs I’ve ever written, yet somehow has the power to lift me up out of what was a very dark time in my life. My hope is that by sharing these dark experiences with the Head Cases of the world, it can save someone else out of that same dark place.”
Iceland’s finest modern prog/psych export THE VINTAGE CARAVAN have just released their truly catchy third single, “Can’t Get You Off My Mind”, cut from their upcoming album, Monuments, out this Friday via Napalm Records.
With their upcoming full-length, THE VINTAGE CARAVAN have inarguably catapulted themselves to the spearhead of the genre – critically acclaimed, they have created their own modern footprint and are more than ready to share their refreshing, guitar-heavy sound with all the disciples of the genre and the whole world.
Their new offering “Can’t Get You Off My Mind” takes its listener on a blistering ride through pounding drums, intense guitar solos and an undeniably catchy chorus, showcasing their ability to generate a potent and bold prog/psych rock sound-swirl. With their cinematic new video, the band not only displays their intoxicating soundscapes, but their vital sense of humor as well.
On 11 diverse tracks, these youngbloods from Reykjavik truly cast a spell on fans of bewitching, guitar-driven classic and blues rock influences. The album opener, “Whispers”, clearly showcases the band’s musical progression without sacrificing their tried-and-true, retro-inspired sonic trademark. “Crystallized ” convinces with light blues influences, encircling the listener in enchanting guitar lines and quickly rising to the full extent of its power while evoking anecdotes of retro nostalgia. “Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind” takes its listener on a blistering ride through pounding drums, intense guitar solos and an undeniably catchy chorus, while tracks like “This One’s For You” represent a stunning blueprint in THE VINTAGE CARAVAN’s musical universe with unconventional, surprisingly calm melodies and Óskar’s gripping, tranquil vocal power. In contrast, bold drumming merges with fast-paced riffs, enveloping an impressive galloping vortex and pronouncing tracks like “Dark Times” and “Said And Done” as top notch rock pieces. The soft plugging, atmospheric sound of album closer “Clarity” symbolizes the crowning culmination of a 60-minute journey through the eternal landscapes of Iceland and the poetic lyricism of the trio.
With their new studio-album Monuments and its captivating, stellar arrangements, these rising stars definitely know how to put their very own stamp on the retro rock wave!
Order your copy of ‘Monuments’ via the following link.
“I wrote it in two minutes and as soon as we jammed it out together, we knew that it felt right” explains lead singer Kathryn Woods of the track. “Themes include power, not being taken seriously by male musicians and bands, and being tokenised. It’s also about seeing through performative male allyship, owning your space in punk music as a woman and venting your frustrations through good old-fashioned rock and roll.”
UNFD is thrilled to announce Australian rock trio Short Stack as its latest signing, alongside the reveal of the band’s new single + video ‘Burn You Down’ today.
On reforming and creating new music together, Short Stack vocalist Shaun Diviney shares:
“Everything about how we approached this was different… where we used to find a lot of pressure to deliver something specific, we approached this with the thought that this is our chance to be the band we’ve always wanted to be.”
On the signing, UNFD General Manager Luke Logemann shares that the label has long-admired Short Stack for the intense fan culture they’ve built around their band.
“I’ve always admired Short Stack for their ability to build such a loyal and enthusiastic fanbase, and for how unapologetic they were in doing so. That’s always been the ethos of UNFD as a label and our bands, to care about the music and the fans first and approval last,” he says, adding:
“I saw them play Festival Hall over ten years ago, and I remember being overwhelmed by how passionately the fans sang every word back at them. They wrote huge bangers that you could never get out of your head, even if some people didn’t want to admit it. The best thing is, all of that still rings true – they still have crazy fans, they still sell out venues and they still write huge bangers. Based on how good the new material is, I reckon they’ll be doing this long into the future as well.”
On ‘Burn You Down’, Diviney explains that the track is part a reflection on the breakdown and rebuilding of the band and part observation on the world around them.
“‘Burn You Down’ is about the duality of being young and feeling both indestructible and fragile at the same time,” he says. “I don’t think the world needs another happy pop song at the moment, because I don’t think the world is a happy place at the moment. This song comes from a place of anger and destruction, about wanting to tear something down and begin again.”
Describing this comeback as even more significant than the first (see the 5 year gap and a few Short Stack kids now born), he adds that this time recording found the band paring everything back to their roots.
“I think a lot of bands at the time when we first broke out were put together by labels and a lot of people threw us in that basket, but we were just a bunch of dudes that went to high school together and played Blink covers and it snowballed from there,” he says.
“To go back to our roots now and really just strip things back and play together in a room was really important to us. The reason we broke up was that it just wasn’t fun… it’s been a fair chunk of time now, so coming back finds us in a different stage of life with a different idea about what we want out of music.”
From beginnings in a Budgewoi garage at 16 to their explosive debut album ‘Stack Is The New Black’ at just 20, Short Stack quickly made a playground of the Australian landscape and were one of the biggest names in the country by the late ’10s. Beyond ascending to #1 on the ARIA Album chart with their debut record, the band claim credits including Channel V’s Oz Artist Of The Year (twice), a coveted Rolling Stone Magazine cover, two certified Platinum records and tens of thousands of tickets sold throughout their career.
Speaking on how the band now approach music with another decade behind them, Diviney concludes that the goal posts have shifted.
“At one point we were one of the biggest bands in the country, you know we’ve done so many things that you can’t really top, so our goal is really just to do something that we believe in and have fun doing it.”
‘I Know Something’ is a very cathatic comination of rock and hip-hop to fuse into something which makes De’Wayne a powerhouse and exciting artist to be listening to right now.
Here’s what he says on the track and the visual:
“The song is a reflection of my nature. I find that most times before anything happens, like a big change, you personally have to embody that. Write it down or even say it out loud… and that’s exactly what I’m doing on this record. Knowing something is coming or about to happen is very exciting especially when you’re the first one that believes in it.”
“The video was about allowing myself to put my guard down and poke fun at the things going on around me. I didn’t want to take it too seriously. I love the idea of impressing parents, cause it’s so damn weird to me but I truly think it’s something you have to do your whole life and I love challenges! For the video, the thought of pouring champagne and dancing on their table seemed way more fire than talking with them about a degree I don’t have.”
With a swirling combination of ’60s and ’70s-era classic rock and blues with the sunny sounds of SoCal-soaked surf rock, Carpool Tunnel have shared their new single, ‘Dreaming Still’ that is sure to tug at the heartstrings of 90’s sitcom fans.
“’Dreaming Still’ pushes listeners to dream more, while also posing a question about how easy it is to overindulge as a way to escape reality,” says the band on the new single. “As musicians, we understand how tempting it is to get caught up in daydreaming about the future, but we’ve come to understand the importance of breaking through that mental fog and working hard to reach success.”
The new single offers another look at the band’s debut album Bloom, due out February 26, 2021, via Pure Noise Records. The albumputs the quartet’s sandbar psychedelic sound on full display creating something that’s both nostalgic and fresh and is available for pre-order HERE.
Check out the track ‘Dreaming Still’ below.
Like many 21st-century relationships, Carpool Tunnel started with the swipe of an app.
Just two weeks after an ad for Vampr – hailed as Tinder for musicians – came across Daniel Stauffer’s phone in 2017, the Bay Area drummer was in the studio along with two fellow Vampr users, guitarist Bradley Kearsley and singer/guitarist Ben Koppenjan, recording their debut single “Afterlight” with Grammy-nominated producer Billy Mohler.
One new member – bassist Spencer Layne – and a $400 Craigslist van later, the brilliantly named band hit the road, bringing their California cool aesthetic and classically retro sound up and down the coast. In this live setting, free-wheeling and bereft of perfectionist attitudes, the quartet began laying the foundation for their long-awaited debut full-length album, Bloom.
Months of road-testing the album’s 11 tracks in front of fervent audiences imbued a sense of spontaneity and looseness into the songs, letting them effortlessly evolve into the versions heard on the album. Across the set, the band brings the California coast to life through breezy rhythms and soothing melodies, from the slinky, bossa nova-flavored “Tarot Cards” to the bouncy, angular “Flora.”
The songs on BLOOM are of that same uncertainty, about navigating life’s newness and seemingly omnipresent obstacles heading into adulthood. They’re sentiments and situations the band experienced firsthand in 2018 after moving in together in San Francisco. As responsibilities like school and day jobs piled up next to the more joyous task of writing an album, the close quarters taught the members a lot about themselves – and one another.
“We were all trying to come out of adolescence and find ourselves,” Koppenjan says of the mindset while writing the album. “The message we came up with was, ‘Like a flower, you too shall bloom.’ We were all blooming into ourselves and finding our sound at the same time.”
Bloom Track Listing
1. Learning to Listen 2. Impressions 3. I’ll Be Your Friend 4. Dreaming Still 5. Better Now 6. Flora 7. Forget My Name 8. Empty Faces 9. Tarot Cards 10. Nostalgia 11. Closer
Wild Pink are teasing their upcoming record,’A Billion Little Lights’ with their latest single, ‘Oversharers Anonymous’. The upcoming record release will be the bands first with Toronto-based label Royal Mountain Records, due to be released on 19th February 2021.
Frontman John Ross says: “This is one of the first songs I wrote for ‘A Billion Little Lights’ and was inspired, among many things, by Ken Burns’ “The West” and the book “The Earth Is Weeping” by Peter Cozzens. Also inspired by a drive on the Taconic Parkway.
“Recording everyone’s parts on the outro was one of my favorite parts of making this album. Libby Weitnauer and Sarah Williams Larsen’s violin playing was incredible. This song, in part, is loosely about the confusing nature of social media and also about how close the distant past actually is to us.
“I knew early on when making this album that I wanted to have more places for instrumental parts and nearly half this song is instrumental.”
Holding Absence have started 2021 on a massive high with the release of their latest track, ‘Afterlife’.
They’ve combined their haunting atmosphere which the band are known for with a performance that just elevates themselves to new heights which show just what they’re capable of.
Lucas Woodland (Vocals) says:
“We truly believe this song to be one of our best yet, with its pounding chorus and emotive vocals. Just listening to this song is making us itch for the return of live music so we can get out and play it to you all!”
Almost Anything Music 