[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] Steady Holiday - "Open Water"

From her forthcoming debut album, Under The Influence, LA songstress Dre Babinski aka Steady Holiday has unveiled the video for her latest single, "Open Water". It's possible that in the recent past you've caught a glimpse of Babinski perform live as she's been in a several LA bands in addition to opening for the likes of Fitz and the Tantrums and Fun.. Since then she's decided it was high time to step out on her own, thus here we are today. 

"Open Water" is equal parts seductive, melancholic, and almost saccharin-level-sweet. In this particular instance, I liken Babinski to a siren who is breathlessly luring us all out into open water, where the depths of our darkest memories could swallow us whole. The accompanying video is just as entrancing as the song itself. 

If you're heading to Coachella for either weekend, Steady Holiday will be performing on both Sundays, so be sure to keep an ear out. LA fam who aren't going to Coachella can catch her at her residency at The Satellite every Friday in May. 

Under The Influence is out June 24th courtesy of Infinite Best Recordings. 

Steady Holiday On Tour
04/17 - Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/24 - Indio, CA @ Coachella
06/06 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite
06/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite
06/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite
06/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite

[Night Out] YAK @ Berlin (03/30/2016)

Sometimes I don't want a big fancy show where I'm singing along with 700+ other people smart enough to like the same artist as me. 

Sometimes I just want to sweat and have some sassy guitarist randomly fling himself in the middle of a crowd and almost knock me on my ass in the process. 

This was the case with last Wednesday night at Berlin. As a #teen this was a regular occurrence for me, so where some people would get really irritated to have someone fling their entire bodyweight in your direction or get sprayed by a bottle of water, but these kinds of shenanigans leave me squealing in delight. 

Fresh off their stint at SXSW, London's noise-rock trio YAK has thrashed their way around North America and directly into my heart. As soon as singer Oli Burslem wandered onto the stage with his pants and belt undone yelling about how he just needed to take a piss before they started their set, I immediately knew that I would need to be on high alert for the next 30something minutes of my life or else I might get kicked in the head or something of that nature. 

YAK are as playful as they are loud. Burslem made sure to multitask his beer breaks, occasionally playing guitar using his beer bottle or enabling the occasional sip for drummer Elliot Rawson like he was giving a baby some milk. This was before the occasional thrash about into the crowd, which sent other folks snapping photos into a frenzy every time.

The nice thing about being a band who doesn't give a fuck is if you feel like playing a song over because you think you could do it better the second time around, you just do it. This was an added bonus for me considering of all of their songs I attempted to learn as quickly as possible, my favorite is "Victorious (National Anthem", which is the one that received the special do-over treatment. 

YAK's debut album Alas Salvation will be dropping on May 14th, courtesy of Octopus Electrical. Be sure to have a look at my photos from the show below to see all the fun you missed out on / prepare yourself for awesomeness for when they roll into your city! 

YAK ON TOUR

Apr 7       Amsterdam Paradiso w/The Last Shadow Puppets
Apr 15      Festival Printemps de Bourges
May 11      Birmingham The Rainbow
May 12      Sheffield Bungalows & Bears
May 13      Glasgow Stereo
May 14      Manchester Deaf Institute
May 15      Leeds Brudenell Social Club
May 17      Reading Purple Turtle
May 18      Bristol The Exchange
May 19      Leicester Cookie
May 20      Southampton Joiners Arms
May 21      Oxford The Bullingdon
May 24      London Dingwalls
May 26      Paris Point Ephemere
May 28      Lille La Peniche
May 29      Gent Big Next Festival
May 30      Nijmegen Merleyn
May 31      Amsterdam Paradiso
Jun 1         Hamburg Molotov
Jun 3         Nimes This Is Not A Love Song
Jun 4         Clermont-Ferrand Europavox
Jun 30       Garorock Festival
Jul 2          Eurockennes
Jul 7          Lyon Les Nuits De Fourviere

[Night Out] HONNE @ Bowery Ballroom (3/11/2016)

photo credit: Liz Morrison 

Oh hello there, HONNE fam! Nice to see you again. When last we met these huggable fellows they were keeping us warm on a cold cold night at the Mercury Lounge. Last night, however, Sprout and I witnessed them keep us sweaty on a semi chilly night in a sold out room that is more than double the size: my most favorite of spaces, the Bowery Ballroom. You can tell that they've been touring a good bit since November because they were a lot more at ease than previously witnessed. I guess once you conquer that first show crossing the pond it's hard to feel unstoppable.  

Amidst the collective booty shaking I was able to be reminded of how INCREDIBLY AWKWARD it is to accidentally make eye contact with a complete stranger while singing lyrics such as, "we could be getting frisky girl til 3 o'clock in the morning." I've joked previously about their music making me pregnant, but there's nothing like remembering what you're singing along to while making eye contact with a stranger and subsequently trying to visibly chuckle and glance away as quickly as possible. 

Near the end of their set the duo debuted their next single, "Someone Who Loves You", which they dedicated to [presumably] a fan named Ricardo who has apparently been having a rough go at it. The single, which prominently featured their fierce backup singer, is expected to be available for the rest of the world to hear in the coming weeks. 

I had a nice #rockmom moment during their final number, "All In The Value", when James went to perform his *ahem* HONNE-SOLO (sorry) which prompted an eruption of excited lady screams as he wailed on his guitar. Definitely not the same band I saw less than 6 months ago, that's for sure. 

Check out the photos Sprout snapped from last night below. The band has a handful of sold out shows left in North America, so hopefully you'll be at one of them. 

Get acquainted with the fellas if you haven't already courtesy of their latest EP. 

[Listen] Mossy - "Electric Chair (Slum Sociable Remix)"

Check it out you guys we have a new Aussie to enjoy! Also because I'm nice I'm giving you a bit of a 2 for 1 special where you try out a new Aussie and you get a remix from the ol' Slum Sociable fam for $FREE.99! 

For those of you who are just catching up like me, MOSSY, who hails from Sydney, unveiled this GORGEOUS video a few weeks back for his debut single, "Electric Chair", which comes from his self-titled debut that will be dropping on May 13th courtesy of boutique label I OH YOU. The video got past me the first time, but thanks to this sophisticated rework by the Slum guys you can enjoy both side by side as I did. 

Because I'm a stickler for knowing a particular song before I hear the remix first, watch this dreamy video below. 

Then enjoy this rework from Slum Sociable (who are apparently working on a remix EP of their favorite artists). 

[Watch] You Wont - "Ya Ya Ya (Official Video)"

As a self-proclaimed lover of all things weird but totally awesome I can't begin to tell you how equally confused and delighted I am by the video for Massachusetts duo You Wont's single, "Ya Ya Ya". I am always the first to admit that I am bad at "getting" videos, but honestly I don't think there was an actual point to this video other than to make something for the sake of the lulz. I get that the powdered wig getup is a hint towards their forthcoming sophomore album, Revolutionaries, which drops on April 29th. Anything past that though? I'd rather not overthink it and just enjoy it, which you absolutely will. This tune will leave you involuntarily swaying and head bobbing. You'll also probably attempt to yodel along and feel embarrassed that you won't be as good at it. That may or may not have actually happened to me. This is probably a silly way to describe their sound, but I liken them to Wilco's more upbeat cousin. I think you'll hear what I mean courtesy of the video below. 

Like any good hard working band should, You Wont will be hitting the road in support of the album, which kicks off the day of its release. NY fam you have 2 different chances to catch these guys live so you have no excuses. I will probably go to both because I love myself, so I look forward to seeing you there! 

You Won't Tour Dates, Spring 2016

4/29 - Portland, ME @ One Longfellow Square

4/30 - Portsmouth, NH @ Birdseye Lounge

5/03 - Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory

5/04 - New Haven, CT @ BAR

5/06 - Boston, MA @ Sinclair

5/07 - New York, NY @ Berlin 

5/08 - Northampton, MA @ Parlour Room

5/10 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake

5/12 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

5/13 - Madison, WI @ Frequency

5/14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club

5/16 - Bloomington, ID @ Bishop

5/17 - Nashville, TN @ Hi Watt

5/18 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl

5/20 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle Back

5/21 - Washington, DC @ DC9

5/22 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot and Saddle

[Listen] Summer Heart - "Pretty Haze" x "The Forbidden"

It's so damn lovely out in NYC and these are the jams you should be playing as you twirl around in the sunshine. Like the name of the song hints, "Pretty Haze" sure to leave you in a lovesick haze.  Likewise "The Forbidden" continues to envelope you in subtle serenity. Both tracks come from Summer Heart's forthcoming EP, which drops later this year. These songs going to be the soundtrack to couples cuddling on blankets in McCarren Park this summer, so if your relationship survived cuffing season, you're welcome in advance for the inevitable swoonfest you'll experience from this. 

Per his tweets and snaps, the Swedish mastermind behind the project, David Alexander is currently in Brooklyn working on more music, so it's most likely that yours truly is going to be making him #SKOAfam very soon. 

If you're one of those patient people with money heading to SXSW in the next couple of days, make sure to add at least one of his performances to your daily agenda alongside the BBQ eating and standing in long lines. If SXSW isn't in your sights, you can always come to the Knitting Factory near the end of the month and hang out with me. 

Summer Heart On Tour
16 – The Townsend (1:05am), SXSW, Austin
19 – Icenhauer’s (1am), SXSW, Austin
23 – The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NYC

[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.