[SKOA PREMIERE] + [SONG OF THE DAY] Niki Black - "Not Coming Up"

IT’S FRIDAY, WITCHES!

Just in time for a weekend that will be undoubtedly be full of Halloween parties I have a song from LA siren Niki Black that is nothing short of supernatural. “Not Coming Up”, the debut single from her forthcoming EP, wastes no time in allowing you to get to know Black, who studied feminist theology in college, as she cries out, “don’t forgive me father”, which I assume is derivative from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Whereas Christ was crying out for God to forgive those crucifying him for sinning against God, Black does not wish to seek for forgiveness, as the song is ultimately an arresting ode to her first queer relationship, which as we know, one does not need to seek any forgiveness for. “I felt the church to be central to the song’s idea of being denied entrance to heaven because of your sexuality,” explains Niki. Spoiler alert / non shocker here: Black is also tremendously involved in women’s rights and LGBT initiatives.

Her forthcoming EP, which is slated for an early 2019 release, offers up Black’s perspective on femme sexuality through her feminist theological lens. “I was enchanted by old Judaism, namely the mythology of the female demon Lilith, and how she mirrors Eve,” shares Niki. “The thousands of years of interpretations of the myths of the religious texts are goldmines in the way that they illuminate my creativity and thoughts, and also how they inform so many of our modern generation's conscience, especially when it comes to sexual politics.”

To a certain extent, the EP is like Dante's Divine Comedy, describing the journey from heaven to oblivion, or hell. “I wanted to retell that descent from a modern feminine perspective, one of the damned, which some of us may feel like sometimes, or all the time....whether it's from religion directly, from a relationship, or from yourself,” shares Niki.

Before today I didn’t have a playlist called “Songs To Sin To”, but here we are…

Have a safe weekend, fam! Happy sinning ;)

[SONG OF THE DAY] HEDEGAARD - "Back To You (feat. Stolar & Ylva)"

Normally I hate shuffle but today it completely derailed my morning. I thought I had a Song Of The Day all picked out and then from the depths of my Release Radar the blessed algorithm delivered Copenhagen producer HEDEGAARD back to me. I tumbled into him late last year courtesy of my well trained Discover Weekly playlist but got distracted being on tour to really spend some time getting to know him and my gateway song, “Ready To Love You”.

Upon the first 15 seconds of his latest single, “Back To You”, I was completely enthralled by the combination of the tight production and the vocal stylings of New York’s very own Stolar (who I will admit I was clueless about until this song but plan to get better acquainted with later). But wait! There’s more! The Dutch DJ also enlists newcomer Ylva to contribute a verse and duet with Stolar. Fun fact: the now 18 year old singer had her breakout debut on the Norwegian talent show The Stream two years ago where she ended up in second place on the popular television show.

In my frantic excitement today I’ve poured over HEDEGAARD’s biggest hits and was consistently impressed at how carefully crafted each song is. It’s definitely worth your time to check out tracks like, “Need You Right Now”, “Salvation”, and “Go Back”.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Pizzagirl - "body part"

Photo Credit: Pizzamum

Pizzagirl (AKA Liam Brown) is the bedroom pop artist of your memes. Over the course of 2018 he’s been releasing music from his Beatzzeria (better known as his bedroom) and has been gaining traction with every release. After releasing his debut EP, An Extended Play, in April, he’s now gearing up to release his sophomore EP, cleverly titled, season 2, which is out on November 30th. “body part” is the third offering from the EP and is a hazy glitched out nostalgia number designed for fans of John Hughes movies and people who used to obsess over their Angelfire pages. It’s a bit more melancholy than previous season 2 tracks, “gymnasium” and “highschool” but still would fit in nicely during the credits of your favorite Brat Pack movie.

For UK folk, Pizzagirl will be taking his show on the road in early December, so be sure to bring your AOL trial CD with you for an autograph.

Pizzagirl Tour Dates

1st Dec – Sound Basement, Liverpool
3rd Dec – The Louisiana, Bristol
4th Dec – The Chameleon Arts Café, Nottingham
5th Dec – The Hope and Ruin, Brighton

[SONG OF THE DAY] XO - "Cherry"

One of my favorite finds from 2016, Stoke-On-Trent-based producer XO (born Sunil Heera) has resurfaced after taking a bit of a musical sabbatical following the release of his debut full-length, Those Who Wander last summer. “I had to sorta take a step back and re-evaluate what it was I wanted to do,” Heera relayed via Twitter DM earlier today. Thankfully he’s opted to come back in full force, kicking things off with a brand new track, “Cherry”, as well as an arsenal of songs he’s been stockpiling during his hiatus. XO first grabbed my attention with his James Chatburn collaboration, “Divine Disaster”, before solidifying his place as someone I’d be prepared to brag about finding first before he blew up with tracks like “No Games”, “Flames Of A Phoenix”, “Keep Pulling Me Under” and “Somethin’ About U”.

Given that XO has decided he’s here for the long haul, you have plenty of time to catch up as he preps to ramp things back up at beginning of 2019. In the meantime, keep an eye out for his name on upcoming releases from some noteworthy UK acts that he’s collaborated with recently.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Yoste - "Blue"

Today in Damn Maybe I Really Should Move To Australia For Their Music Scene we have Brisbane-based chanteur Yoste (pronounced like 'lost’)’s “Blue”, which is the second single from his forthcoming EP try to be okay, which is slated for release on February 19th, 2019 courtesy of Akira Records. The title is an excellent representation of the song itself, which is gentle little melancholy-filled electro-pop tune. Yoste’s vocals are perfectly delicate and earnest, which further builds on the song’s sad but soothing vibes. “Blue” is a follow up to the lead single, “Arc”, which was released earlier this year and worth checking out as well.

[SONG OF THE DAY] LP GIOBBI - "Kupsa Kupsa"

If you’re not yet familiar with Los Angeles based producer, DJ, and fashion designer LP GIOBBI, allow me to get you well acquainted. After launching her project earlier in the summer with “Amber Rose”, a “fuck the haters”-esque anthem centered around reclaiming the world’s gaze in the same way that the feminist icon has in the past 10 years, LP GIOBBI (née Leah Chisholm) has continued to release songs over the last few months that promote self-love and champion inclusivity.

Her latest release, “Kupsa Kupsa” is a playful take on the central theme of her music. As LP explains, "The commonality in my tracks is a diversity of perspectives from the top lines,” Collaborating with Parisian rapper and producer H3RY LÜCK, the song features purely French lyrics that were written spur of the moment in the Uber ride to the studio. It’s been way too long since I was in AP French Lit so as with listening to any Yelle album I can only pick up bits and pieces, but I’m told the lyrics capture H3RY's love of cooking and detailing recipe steps for creating a perfect song. Apparently LP is in the same boat as I am regarding the lyrics, as she details,

“French and Malagasy are H3RY's first languages, and it was awesome to see him work so quickly and fiercely to throw down on this track. I was so impressed with his talent and how clever he is. It was further proof to me of how universal music is, because even though I couldn’t understand what he was saying, I could still feel it."

NY fam if you’re looking for a bomb ass night of dancing on Friday night you can come find me at Output catching sets from LP Giobbi, Crush Club, and SOFI TUKKER. You’ll be able to spot me easily as I will most likely be doused in all of the body glitter. ✨

LP GIOBBI Tour Dates:

* Supporting SOFI TUKKER​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

October 18 - Ledyard, CT  @ Foxwoods Casino*
October 19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Output*

October 21 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa*

October 24 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West*

October 26 - San Francisco, CA @ The Midway (support for MK + Camelphat)​​​​​​​

November 1  - San Francisco, CA @ August Hall (FEMMEHOUSE Show)

[SONG OF THE DAY] Ry Jones - "Choose"

Yooo check it out we got a baby band that’s so fresh that his debut single is less than 24 hours old!

Fam, please meet Ry Jones. Despite being raised on grunge in Seattle, Jones opted to immerse himself in R&B and pop upon moving to London. As he devoted his time to working on songs, he happened to meet Blair MacKichan (who wrote/produced Sia’s “The Greatest” featuring Kendrick Lamar) and things really started to fall into place.

His debut, “Choose”, was written about the crossroads we sometimes face in deciding between pursuing what we're truly passionate about and what is expected. Of his decision to become an artist Jones says, "I knew music had to be part of my life. But I want to find a way to make it all work together, bring people together from all fields and perspectives who wouldn’t otherwise. To solve problems and communicate meaning and a message that we couldn’t while we’re all isolated in our own worlds."

Very much looking forward to hearing more from this project as it unfolds, amirite?

[SONG OF THE DAY] Yak - "Bellyache"

Photo credit: Zackery Michael

I have been cheering along London’s Yak for quite some time now and I am SO THRILLED that their latest single, “Bellyache” was released on Third Man Records last week. These dudes are the real fuckin’ deal and I genuinely hope that being on a label like TMR will get them to the audiences that they deserve.

Believe it or not, the song was written while frontman Oli Burslem was living out of the back of his car. As he explains, "I was living out the back of my £205 car, completely broke as I had put all the money we had from the label into the band. It really felt like the last piece of music we would ever make and that we had to put everything we had into it. That's where the last lyric "if you're going for broke just make sure you don't choke" comes from."

Real. Fuckin. Deal.

Love them!

The band will be hitting the road in the UK at the end of the month. Hopefully they’ll make it to the US of A early next year. Fingers crossed!

Yak's upcoming tour dates:

October 23rd: The Crescent, York
October 24th: Think Tank?, Newcastle
October 25th: Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh
October 26th: Picture House Social, Sheffield
October 27th: Deaf Institute, Manchester
October 30th: The Horn, St Albans
October 31th: The Exchange, Bristol
November 1st: Heartbreakers, Southampton
November 2nd: The Haunt, Brighton
November 7th: Bethnal Green Working Mens Club, London