[Listen] Mayer Hawthorne - "Love Like That"

I see you, Mayer Hawthorne, with your very blatant nods to the dudes who you just shared a stage with at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN in your new track. This SCREAMS "Kiss On Your List" for a second there and I am HERE. FOR. IT. 

I'm so happy that we finally have an album name and release date! As much fun as Jaded Incorporated and Tuxedo were to watch him dabble in, Hawthorne is best when he's 100% being himself.

His fourth solo LP, Man About Town, drops April 8th. April is birthday month for Sprout and I, which means I will probably be pre-ordering this Limited Edition Bundle preemptively. It features a beautiful gray & yellow marbled vinyl, an exclusive album t-shirt, 2 post cards (one already stamped apparently?), a poster, and 2 laser engraved glass whiskey tumblers with his ever popular semi-broken heart MH logo.

Not exactly sure post cards are a thing I consider to be "deluxe worthy", but you know what? I guess Sprout and I will sip some birthday whiskey from my future tumblers and write something heartfelt to Shey and Rocko or something equally sappy. I know, that sounds adorable. You want a love like #SKOAFam has, trust me. 

No major tour to support the album has been announced yet, but you know that should be announced fairly soon. 

Haven't checked out his other new track, "Cosmic Love" yet? I gotchu. 

[Watch] Nodaway - "Chariot (Official Video)"

Nashville you're on a rolllllllllllll y'all! Why weren't the local bands in Nashville all this good when I lived there? I mean damn I would've at least considered stickin' around for at LEAST another... week... maybe.... before inevitably packing my bags and hightailing it to New York. 

After being thoroughly delighted by fellow Belmont alum Nodaway's debut single "Hairspray" and subsequent EP 500 Days of Whatever ***which is still my favorite album name of 2015*** , the band is back with a new single and an even snazzier video than last time. I had already been on board with their punchy poptasticness, but this new track, "Chariot" honestly caught me off guard in terms of how quickly they've managed to develop in such a short period of time. Although I've never had children, I liken it to sending your kid off to summer camp and he/she returning a foot taller. It's clear that they've chosen a artistic direction, both musically and visually, and it more than suits them. 

We know how good I am with artsy videos. I have no idea what all of the elements are supposed to mean in this video but man is it entertaining to watch. WARNING: when the song ends they show some fun footage of the folks involved goofing off and someone gets quite the scrape. If you're squeamish, it's slightly NSFL. 

Either way, enjoy new Nodaway! 

Also a fun thing I learned while trying to make sure I was up to speed on all things Nodaway. Did not know you could actually purchase Nodaway branded hairspray that smells like watermelon and has a QR code so you can download their EP for free. THIS IS VERY CLEVER AND I ENJOY THIS GREATLY. Here is what said b(r)anded hairspray looks like: 

Attraction enhancers, EH? Guess I'll need to acquire a can of this to see if I can attract some attention while I'm shopping for records at Rough Trade on a Friday night. Kiiiiiiind of kidding? Not about shopping for records on Friday night (unless there's a show).

[Download] Noah Kittinger - All I Know"

Good news everyone! I've stopped avoiding the Soundcloud inbox! Honestly I've been avoiding basically all SKOA inboxes like the plague lately because the increasing unread messages that I can't get to give me major anxiety.

I'm happy to report, however, that while testing the waters to see if I could re-train my brain to not be so stressed out that something wonderful happened: I had a mini-SKOA Family reunion! 

Nashville based Noah Kittinger used to go by the name BEDROOM. The homey Adrian extensively showed it all of the love throughout its existence. And rightfully so, the sleepy melancholic jams that I've since rediscovered were as befitting for love as they were the project's name. 

At any rate, Kittinger has re-emerged, this time choosing to release new songs under his own name. Of the two that he's released so far, "All I Know" quickly became my favorite. I especially love his minimalist approach and how the song manages to be effortlessly peppy despite how distressing the lyrics are. 

Kittinger is currently prepping an EP that's slated for a spring/summer release. In the meantime, peep "All I Know" below. Be sure to also check out "N.Y.E" in addition to his BEDROOM creations. 

[Listen] Big Black Delta - "Kid Icarus"

With every PledgeMusic update about this record my chill level goes from zero into negative numbers. Upon unveiling the artwork for his forthcoming sophomore album, Tragame Tierra, Big Black Delta mastermind Jonathan Bates shared a new track, "Kid Icarus" in addition to dates for a tour that kicks off in May. I'm already jittery with excitement at the thought of seeing them at Baby's All Right with the lighting that's already there. No doubt Bates will be drenching us in color. New York fam I hope you're ready to lose you're shit. Dis gon' be good. 

As of late January, the album had finally been mastered and was slated to be put into final production in the next few weeks, which unfortunately means that the timeline for the album release has been pushed back a bit. Hard to be frustrated that they're taking their time considering the quality of each track that's been released so far. 

I know this has been making the rounds for the last few weeks but just to make sure our friendship isn't in jeopardy, feast your ears on this:

OH! Obviously there is still time to help fund the album so get on that. 

Big Black Delta Tour Dates:

May 1 – Minneapolis – Fine Line Music Cafe
May 3 – Dubuque, IA – The Venue
May 4 – Kansas City – Middle Of The Map Festival
May 5 – Chicago – Empty Bottle
May 6 – Detroit – UFO Factory
May 8 – Toronto – Adelaide Hall (Canadian Music Week)
May 9 – Montreal – Bar Le Ritz
May 10 – Burlington VT – ArtsRiot
May 11 – Brooklyn - Baby's All Right
May 13 – Boston – Cafe 939
May 14 – Albany – The Hollow
May 15 – Philadelphia – Milkboy
May 16 – DC – Black Cat
May 17 – Baltimore – Metro Gallery
May 19 – Vancouver – Biltmore Cabaret
May 20 – Seattle – Crocodile
May 22 – Portland – Doug Fir Lounge

[Listen] Future Unlimited - 'Calm Down' (Full EP Stream)

Future Unlimited are back! It's been 3 long years since last we heard from these fine Nashville fellows. My how time flies! 

So I'm a little embarrassed. You see, this EP dropped a few weeks ago. The reason I'm so late to the game on posting this is because I have been obsessively playing it since I got sent the stream a month ago. I've been sitting with a draft of this post for almost a month trying to put into words how this EP makes me feel, but honestly I was just too distracted listening to it to write. 

That said, if this is about to be your first time experiencing the awesomeness that is Future Unlimited, as Sprout would say, "Hold onto your effing hats!" This EP is as powerful as it is spacious. Every time I listen to this with headphones I feel it permeating corners of my brain that I forgot existed. Also the energy level between Calm Down and their self-titled debut is like the difference between a solid cup of coffee and drinking 17 shots of espresso. This is best represented in songs like the opening and final tracks, "Tame" and "Destroyer", respectively. 

Currently there appears to be no plans for a tour to support the EP in sight, so that just means you have to buy the album so they can afford to come visit you. :) 

Did you enjoy this record as much as I did? @ ME at let me know! 

[Listen] HEALTH - 'DEATH MAGIC' (Full Album Stream)

Oh my GOD am I excited that you all can hear what I've been OBSESSING over for the past month. That's right, fam, the new HEALTH album, DEATH MAGIC is now available for streaming in full courtesy of the wonderful NPR (UK folks you can holler at Noisey UK for a listen).

Please tell me that upon listening to this record you feel prepared to go fight an intergalactic war or something else not of this world. I'm not sure if before this album I've ever listened to an album, looked back at the album title, and thought to myself, "Yep, that actually sums it up perfectly." Even the choice of all caps was the right call. I really can't get enough of this record, can you tell?

The wait for DEATH MAGIC to be unleashed on the masses is nearly over as it drops this very Friday (August 8th). There's still a little bit of time to pre-order the album if that is a thing that you do.

HEALTH ON TOUR

EU: 

11/10 - MOJO, Hamburg

12/10 - Pumpehuset, Copenhagen

13/10 - Berghain, Berlin

17/10 - Meet Fcatory, Prague

19/10 - Mousonturm, Frankfurt

20/10 - Wizeman, Stuttgart

22/10 - Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam

UK:

25/10 - Kazimier, Liverpool Music Week

26/10 - Stereo, Glasgow

27/10 - Gorilla, Manchester

28/10 - Heaven, London

30/10    Pitchfork Festival, Paris

[Watch] Nodaway - "Hairspray" (Official Video)

Photo: Zach Gray via 

It's Friday which means it's time to put on some sparkly indie-pop jams and get to makin' out, fam!!! To help get the makeout party started, Nashville's Nodaway have unveiled their funtastic video for their latest single, "Hairspray", which comes from their recently released and oh so cleverly titled EP, 500 Days of Whatever. Nodaway is the brainchild of fellow Belmont University alumni Chris Jobe, who is blessed with the bragging rights for their soothing croonerific vocals, lyrics, and catchy electro-laced indie pop rhythms.

If you're into try before you buy, you can have a listen to their EP over on Spotify, but really just go grab it off Noise Trade because it's great and that's the right thing to do. 

Happy future Friday makeouts! 

[Listen] HSY - "Scratch"

You may remember last year during CMJ when the planets aligned and we had the honor of catching Toronto band HSY right before Weaves at Shea Stadium. We've been feeling their EP and have played "Waffles" a couple of times on #skoaradio but have been eagerly waiting for new music. We are happy to report that the wait is nearly over as Stereogum reported yesterday that the band will be releasing a full-length, Bask, on September 11th courtesy of Buzz Records. They also revealed a taste of what's to come from the album in the form of "Scratch", which steadily pummels your eardrums with its fuzz filled melodies leaving you with the urge to slam down a shot of whiskey and thrash around as soon as physically possible. 

Bask drops September 11th via Buzz Records.