looking for something specific? search our archives:
![[Video] Gold Class - "Twist In The Dark" (Official Video)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671498494401-Q55740ZLEFTINCYOXBUQ/image-asset.jpeg)
[Video] Gold Class - "Twist In The Dark" (Official Video)
photo credit: Jules Christie
Aussie rockers Gold Class have delivered a one-two punch today. In addition to unveiling the video for their latest single, "Twist In The Dark", the band also announced their sophomore album, Drum, which drops on August 18th via felte. "Twist In The Dark" follows up the song that initially sold me on them, "Kids On Fire", and packs one hell of a wallop to your eardrums.
I knew from the second The Algorithm™ delivered them to me that Gold Class had the potential to be fast-tracked into being SKOA Fam. After reading the statement from singer and lyricist Adam Curley about his motivation behind the album, well, you read this excerpt and tell me this isn't the kind of band you want to go all in behind:
"I knew what the purpose of the album would be when I wrote the repeated line in 'Get Yours': 'There’s none left here and all I need.' I wanted it to be a record of defiance, a resistance to the idea of scrambling for a place at a table that wasn’t set for you. A sort of a love letter to anyone who not only can’t meet the standard but doesn’t want to. I wanted it to be a record of rage and ecstasy and endless nights and sex and dumb fun and ventures in solidarity. Not just an album of urgency and longing, but one of abandon and a reclaiming of a self beyond boundaries."
No word yet if the band from down under will be reenacting the below performance based music video on US soil AKA touring any time soon, but you kids in Europe will be able to catch them in September at their handful of tour dates.
GOLD CLASS TOUR DATES
09.20-23 Hamburg, DE @ Reeperbahn Festival
09.23 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord
09.26 London, UK @ Moth Club
![[Watch] HUMANS - "333AM"](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671498509556-QIBAPJ9O8VYRBJ68ESIY/image-asset.jpeg)
[Watch] HUMANS - "333AM"
Love love love that I was literally just thinking about HUMANS this morning and then here they are in my inbox with a brand spankin new track!
Rounding out their series of singles that came before this latest track, "Water Water" and "Bout Chu", "333AM" is yet another vibey jam that is begging to be played in the darkest and sweatiest underground nightclub one can find.
In anticipation of the official release of their new track, HUMANS put together another sexy video of people in their dope ass bomber jackets roaming around New York, which you can watch below.
Oh oh and speaking of the dope ass bomber jacket in the "333AM" video, apparently they sold out of the "Water Water" design so now you can buy a "333AM" one which is still as hella tight as it is expensive. Bummer that these are going on sale now that summer is fast approaching, but I guess sometimes we suffer for fashion anyway, right?
ugh I neeeeeeddd it. who wants to get me a belated bday present? ;)
I am also happy to relay that the duo have prepped a series of EPs that will be released this summer courtesy of their freshly inked deals with Haven Sounds and Mom + Pop Music. More on those EPs once I have more deets.
I am going to do my best to ignore that somehow I missed their North American tour and that they were in Brooklyn 2 weeks ago otherwise I am going to get very upset. Good news for you folks in Canada though as they have some dates coming up in late May/early June with , so make sure you're a better fan than I am and hit that shit up.
More HUMANS updates coming soon!
Upcoming HUMANS tour dates:
May 29 - Vancouver, BC - Malkin Bowl w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL and Fakear
June 7 - Edmonton, AB - Union Hall w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL and Beach Season
June 8 - Calgary, AB - Palace Theatre w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL and Beach Season
June 24 - Toronto, ON - NXNE at the Portlands w/ Passion Pit, River Tiber, Yukon Blonde, etc.
![[Listen] VOWWS - "Heartbreaker"](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671498521884-0UQW30UNY3UD92XCHYF6/image-asset.jpeg)
[Listen] VOWWS - "Heartbreaker"
VOWWS @ AVIV days before it closed for good :(
WELL WELL WELL LOOK WHAT THE GRIM REAPER DRAGGED IN!
I don't want to hear about how your Tuesday feels like a Monday WE HAVE NEW MUSIC FROM VOWWS SO THAT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE.
I feel like the last time I saw my little darklings at the second to last show at AVIV (RIP RIP RIP) that they previewed this new song, "Heartbreaker". Either way, uh... shit yes this is so good.
It's been more than a minute since the darkest duo released their debut album, The Great Sun, but you can tell from, "Heartbreaker" that while they've really dug their heels into this sound that they've carved out for themselves that from a lyrical standpoint they're continuing to trek out into deeper waters.
As Rizz explained to Blackbook (or unveiled in a press release that my ass has yet to receive),
"[Heartbreaker is] about cults of personality and the manipulation and control that goes along with them. Devoting yourself completely to someone else’s vision of the world can give a feeling of safety and protection; but it’s false, poisonous and ruins you from the inside. The world is now dominated by extremes that are pulling us further apart, unmooring us from anything real – we’ve created our own disease and are killing off the cure. We wanted to capture that in a song.”
Couldn't agree with you more, girl. KEEP THOSE TRUTHS COMING. We need y'all.
MORE WONDERFUL NEWS: these kids are heading out on tour in February in support of White Lies! I am especially excited that they will be playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 2nd because MHoW is stones throw away from the last venue they played at in NYC (Cameo Gallery) before they packed up and shipped off to LA and actually started getting the attention they so rightfully deserve!
We've come a long way, babykids <3
Which VOWWS show will YOU be at? It's okay if you say all of them. I'll just be jealous forever.
![[Watch] Anoraak - "Heart Out (Official Video)"](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671498527051-09HTVRN06B0DMBHVLG8C/image-asset.png)
[Watch] Anoraak - "Heart Out (Official Video)"
Happy Monday everyone!
If you're like me, you're back behind a desk trying to contribute to society in exchange for a paycheck. If you wish you were dancing instead of working, take a quick break and watch some talented folks bust a move in French producer Anoraak's new video for "Heart Out", from his Figure EP, which was one of my favorites from 2016. I didn't elaborate then about how much I love this EP, but if you haven't given this EP a spin you are truly missing out. It's funny because for how chill this EP is it ends up warming you straight through to your core. This works out quite well today given how stupid cold it is in New York, so I was happy to stumble across this.
From the looks of his Facebook page this isn't the last video we'll be getting from this EP, which pleases me greatly because it gives me more chances to convert you all. If you like what you hear and think he's worth me hunting down for an interview make sure to drop me a comment, mkay?
Ugh why are you still reading go watch + listen!
Befriend Anoraak on:
Twitter | Facebook | Youtube | Soundcloud | Spotify
![[Listen] San Scout - "In/Balance"](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671498532216-CHI5CJA8XTXPZ0OD3Y74/image-asset.jpeg)
[Listen] San Scout - "In/Balance"
HAPPY #NEWMUSICFRIDAY FAM!
FIRST BABY BAND OF THE YEAR GUYS!
YOU READY?
GET HYPE!
So I don't know how you Spotify, but since I accepted that Rdio (RIP) wasn't going to reign supreme I figured I would try to see if there were more interesting ways to use Spotify than what they primarily suggest you do.
You may occasionally peruse your Discover Weekly playlist, but one of the many things I do to take advantage of The Algorithm™ is follow some of my friends' playlists whose taste I trust to see what gets sent their way.
Enter: London duo San Scout, who I stumbled across a couple of days ago amidst my scavenging. I'm bummed I missed out on supporting the launch of their latest track, "In/Balance", which I have since tested on my commute to and from work as well in the shower which I danced happily to. This dropped back in November complete with a fun little activation over on their website that they made themselves (#respect). If you feel like killing some time, upon heading to the site you can create your own "bootleg" of the song simply by typing whatever you feel like into the text box. It's fairly limited in terms of what you can do, but still a fun minute or two.
Right so back to the track lol. This song is absolutely my new obsession. I love how their lush vocals glide along the playfully punchy synths. We know how I feel about harmonies so this was a no brainer. Also they manage to make a dog bark sample seem like it's completely normal to be there. Love love love that.
The band also released an EP last year with some tasty tracks on it called EP1. Definitely worth a listen as well.
Ooo from the looks of things recently they've trying to get people to text them:
UK fam - who wants to text them nice things and tell me how it goes? Wait, does T-Mobile charge for international texts? I'll check later and if not maybe I'll see if they'll do an impromptu interview haha.
Once you fall in love with "In/Balance" be sure to befriend these fine fellows:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | Spotify
[2016 Recap] A Few Of My Favorite Things
bless Topsters for assembling this graphic infinitely easier than prior years
Surpriiiiseee!! I'm going to do my year end wrap up differently than most of the ones I've seen. Mostly because I have so many to share, but mostly because I like to let the music do the talking and help you get better connected to the artists themselves. Instead of recaps of each record, I'm going to point you to my favorite tracks so if any of these are new to your ears you'll have the best starting point I can give you.
Personal Observations for 2016
This was a weird year for me in terms of listening/discovery habits. Instead of fighting against music consumption trends, I decided to play along. I dove head first into my Discover Weekly playlist. I even followed some of my friends' in order to see what I would find and set up an IFTTT recipe to archive everything recommended to me so I could go back and reference it later if I wanted. I barely touched my SKOA inbox, which probably upset a lot of publicists. Anyway, according to Last.FM's data (since Spotify never ended up sending me mine), I listened to 1,919 new artists this year, which is ABSOLUTELY INSANE. But really when you think about how much music Discover Weekly puts in front of you, it's really less than what everyone had the potential to check out (which is 1,560 if you figure we get 30 new tracks a week for a year). I am in the 98th percentile in music listening per Last.FM (meaning I listen to more music than 98% of people who still scrobble to Last.FM) and I found myself panicky and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of music that Spotify thinks I can get through on TOP of the music I already love and want to enjoy, or the random rabbit holes I end up falling into that typically bring me great new baby bands. I guess most people approach Discover Weekly differently than I do, letting artists come and go as they please, but knowing the transformative power that music possesses, I'm always wary of passing on an opportunity to be affected and share those experiences with others.
It's crazy to think that 20% of what stuck with me this year was randomly generated by The Algorithm and not delivered to me by humans. I almost said that the human delivery was through cosmic forces, but really, if music finds its way to your ears/hearts by friend or by Algorithm, both are cosmic in a way, no?
This is my struggle at present. I value the connection that happens when a humans experience music together, whether it be by recommendation or attending shows together. I worry this experience will continue to be diminished the more we silo ourselves into our algorithm-based echo chambers. I really hope I'm just out of touch and someone will point me to where this is the opposite, but I can't ignore how self-serving shows feel now every time I treat myself to a Night Out. This has been on my heart/mind too much lately to ignore it, so expect some changes to how things go down on the site (starting with making more time for this now that my new job isn't crazy busy for awhile).
What music moved you this year? Did you like some of these records but different tracks? I'd honestly love to know so please drop me a comment. Also if you want more than favorite tracks out of me for these records, feel free to bug me on Twitter I am happy to share!
My Favorite Things Of 2016
![[Night Out] Monarchy, Her @ Highline Ballroom (11/06/2016)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671499179398-Z1QE8TE7K6Z0BX3502EI/image-asset.jpeg)
[Night Out] Monarchy, Her @ Highline Ballroom (11/06/2016)
Monarchy @ Highline Ballroom 11/06/2016
🎶 Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face. 🎶
I
SAW
LIVEEEE!
Yes I know they played at Highline Ballroom in 2012 let's not get into the reason why I was not in attendance for that or this update will get weird really quickly.
ANYWAY. This has been a long time coming for me. I remember back in July 2010 getting my watermarked copy of Around The Sun. I've been enamored ever since, anxiously awaiting the day that I would finally get to experience such amazingness live.
You'd think with that kind of buildup that I was setting myself up for failure, but y'all know I don't invest an insane amount of energy into bands that don't deserve it. Every second was electrifying. I couldn't keep my eyes off of them because I was so excited this was finally happening. I probably shouldn't have spent so much time snapping photos, but this is an unfortunate side effe of trying to pass along to the internet why a band is worthy of more than just a few stray micropennies.
I hope Monarchy can come back to the states more often. It sounds like their little tour over ehre went well. After that experience I'm now going to daydream of what their performance would be like in Beacon Theatre, which has officially become my benchmark of when I'll stop incessantly trying to "make Monarchy happen" in the US. You have been warned. #sorrynotsorry
Oh oh! A pleasant surprise was French duo Her opening for Monarchy that night. Their single, "5 Minutes" was delivered to me by The Algorithm™️ (Discover Weekly) a few months ago and I quite enjoyed their set. Part of me would love to see them collaborate with Mayer Hawthorne or someone of that funkability. I think they definitely have something to offer audiences in the US.
Gotta say, I'm kind of glad I'm just getting to writing about this show because the past month has been kind of rough from a personal standpoint and reliving this night is taking me from ❤️ back to 💖, which is how I'd best describe how my heart feels after seeing a band I love live.
What was the last show you saw that really moved you?
![[Watch] SIVIK - "High" (Official Video)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671499181854-KMHFBBRMBOLYASZ8X7SJ/image-asset.png)
[Watch] SIVIK - "High" (Official Video)
Here is another photograph of the side of SIVIK's face....
After over a year of playing this song in unhealthy amounts, Nashville/LA artist SIVIK has finally unveiled a video for his addictive (pun intended obviously) single, "High". The video is...fine. It's your standard "here is a pretty girl dancing in slow motion against a crisp background" for the majority of it. The only payoff for the video in my opinion is I KNOW WHAT MORE THAN PART OF THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD LOOKS LIKE NOW.
Hooded almost the entire time, SIVIK hints that he might actually be ready to step out into the spotlight and take what should rightfully be his if he were aggressive enough. I get that opting to go the mysterious route sounds nice, but if after a year of elusive press/EP photos you decide to appear in your own video and you're being spliced in hooded and poorly lit, it comes off less mysterious and more self conscious. This makes no sense to me because HE'S COMPLETELY ADORABLE.
You can't hide from me, SIVIK. I am an OG nerd so I ripped your video in order to get the best possible screenshot of your cute little face:
Poorly lit but THERE HE IS! Shy SIVIK??
I know this is a weird thing to be critical of, but folks who are committed to being mysterious wear masks, use animations as representations of themselves, etc. They really lean into it.
I think SIVIK wants to be seen.
I think SIVIK needs to be seen.
And heard.
...by lots and lots of people.
It has definitely been awhile since he released anything new so I'm excited that next month he's slated to release a new single, "All Day All Night".
Until then, please feel free to re-watch this video as many times as you need to so you can get the image of the side of his head replaced with his cute little face.