[Video] Fischerspooner - "Have Fun Tonight" (Official Video)

Photo by Asger Carlsen

I TOLD YOU SOMETHING WAS COMING SUPER SOON. 

I THOUGHT I WAS READY FOR THIS DAY TO COME. 

But honestly I wasn't ready for how hard the first *official* single from Fischerspooner would hit me.

I am truly blown away by "Have Fun Tonight". There's seriously so much going on here that with every spin I find Casey Spooner doing a number on my #feels as he delivers each lyrical blow. The song is described as, "a queer dance ballad about polyamory (...or polyagony) encouraging your lover to go out and have fun without you". It was co-written by a Michael Stipe and BOOTS and comes from their forthcoming album, Sir, which will be out on September 22nd courtesy of Ultra. That's right, fam. We FINALLY have a release date. Let the countdown begin!

What's interesting about the performance that Spooner gives on "Have Fun Tonight" is that it can lead you into interpreting the song a slightly different way each time you listen to it. By the end of my first listen I was convinced that this was the perspective of someone feeling trapped in a poly relationship that they didn't really want to be in. Another time I thought this could be taken as a brief moment of insecurity as all long term relationships have. Then in a different instance I considered the lyric, "I can't imagine anyone can love you like I can" to be the hint that the perspective is actually a lot more confident than previously though.  The words are all chosen so carefully that in spite of it being written with a polyamorous relationship in mind that it can speak to people in all walks of life because every intimate relationship has a certain level of complexity to it as this particular one has. 

Another thing I am loving about "Have Fun Tonight" is the context that it has provided to the first Sir-related song that was quietly half-released last year, "Everything Is Just Alright". As previously reported by yours truly, Spooner has said that this record was going to be "unabashedly homosexual". At the time with just "Everything Is Just Alright" as a reference point I wasn't sure where Fischerspooner was planning to take us, but with side by side listens of both EIJA and HFT it sounds like it could be anywhere - from the booze soaked dance floor of a gay bar to bedroom of longtime lovers and everywhere in between. 

In addition to the news about Sir, Fischerspooner have revealed that there will also be a museum show called SIR at MUMOK in Vienna, which will run June 29 to October 29, and that an art book will be released along with the exhibit.

[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

[Artist Playlist] Slum Sociable - Dip Your Head In The Oven (Spotify)

In my ongoing quest to cure my perpetual musical FOMO I have started following some artist playlists on Spotify of artists whose taste I trust to be good. I've decided as I go through their playlists and identify the active + solid ones that I'll share them through here because we know sharing is caring. 

Since Slum Sociable or "Slum fam" as I refer to them on Twitter were essential to making sure I had a final last day of CMJ 2015 during the Australian BBQ (or "Aussie Heaven" as I called it) I decided to give their playlist titled 'Dip Your Head In The Oven' a whirl. There's quite a variety going on here, which can be appreciated in the order they've arranged as well as on shuffle if that's more your thing. I hope this is an indication of what they drew inspiration from for their new album (which is done as of April according to Facebook). BTW - I've checked this playlist out a few times and they seem to keep it updated fairly frequently, so it's one worth following and checking in on. 

This is really hitting the spot for me today while I work. Finding some good gems as I go, too. 

Enjoy! 

[Watch] Prism Tats - "The Liar" (Official Video)

Yoooo how in the world did I miss there was new Prism Tats songs on the world wide web?! I mean I know I am only a whopping 6 days off but I don't think y'all understand how much I enjoyed his self-titled debut album. It was by and large one of my favorite records of 2016. If you have not heard that shit you need to get on that! 

ANYWAY 

Almost exactly one week ago today Prism Tats dropped a double single, which also came with a music video for the A-side, "The Liar". I am a person who typically gets very distracted while trying to watch music videos but this for the first time in awhile this actually held my attention. 

This video will probably make you wince a bit watching the rubber bands go across his eyes and stuff, but at the same time it's hard to take your eyes off of. I think this is the first time I've ever seen someone rubber band their face so I think part of what intrigued me was what on earth would compel someone to volunteer to do this. haha 

I don't know much else around this release other than that he's got some shows in California coming up in August with Pickwick. I'd like to think this means he has plans to feed us music constantly, but that's just me being selfish.

For now, enjoy "The Liar" and "Apples":

Hello, World!

side note: ugh ugh life has been so busy that I have a lot to catch up on which I promise I will do this week but I was so excited to stumble across this that it couldn't wait. 

[Interview] Yuksek Just Wants To Make You Groove

The day that Yuksek's debut album, Away From The Sea, graced my ears back in April of 2009 was the day my standards for what an electronic album should sound like were raised to such an insanely high level that only a handful of artists/records have managed to meet since. 8 years, 12 EPs, 3 LPs, and a plethora of remixes and various other projects later, the French producer and DJ has firmly cemented himself as a staple in the dance scene by meticulously making music that will have you dancing until daylight. Literally. I was literally out until 3am last month at his DJ set at Le Bain a few hours after he graciously chatted with me at his listening party in SoHo for his latest album, Nous Horizon, which was released in February. 

"It's more the music drives me than me who drives the music,"

He explained that his approach for making albums is less intentional and more of the byproduct of constantly creating. "I'm not thinking, 'I'm gonna do this kind of record,'" he said, "I just sit in the studio every day. Sometimes doing production for others. I [also] started to make movie scores and stuff. In between I do some stuff for me, just like tripping on a synthesizer or playing bass or something." He went on to detail how this sort of creative process turns into an album, "I record and record and record a lot of stuff and then something comes together like a puzzle in a way." This may sound daunting for some artists, but for him it's an integral part of the process. "It's more the music drives me than me who drives the music," he said. 

While Away From The Sea and Living On The Edge Of Time were both more on the indie/pop spectrum of dance records, his latest endeavor, Nous Horizon, is definitely more disco-esque than anything he's released to date. Even so, there is one core element to all things Yuksek related: groove. "I'm good for that: making people groove," he noted. As he put it, at the end of the day his music is all about, "feeling good, enjoying yourself, and having a good time." 

Unlike his previous albums, you'll notice that this time around that some quality artists appear alongside Yuksek on Nous Horizon: HER, Monika, Juveniles, KIM, and Roman Rappak, vocalist of SKOA favorite Breton. These were more than just your standard features on dance tracks, mind you. "It's called featuring [on the track listing] but I think the word is not exactly accurate," he said, "[...] featuring is sometimes you make an instrumental, you send it to someone, and then like [they] do your shit. On this we did it really old fashioned. They came to the studio. We worked together on the songs as well."

The only criteria for working with Yuksek in any capacity is fairly straightforward: he has to like the artist both personally and professionally. It's something I've continued to admire about him. It's amazing that for such sophisticated music there's zero pretense to how he operates. This is especially the case for both his album and his label, Partyfine, which he started in 2013 as a way to elevate talent that oftentimes might slip between the cracks otherwise. "I thought about [starting the label] for quite some time. I like to produce music for other people and to make records," he explained, "Sometimes it's a bit frustrating to do it and then the project disappears after I finish mixing it or producing it. [With Partyfine] it's more having relationships with artists and to help them to reach the goal they have with their music."

Considering he's both an artist and a label owner, of course I had to pick his brain about streaming. While most people assume that a record will either be a hit or a dud immediately, he sees releases now from a different perspective, "[...] what you release now, I don't know about in 50 years, but in 3 years people can hear it still and you get money from that. Even if it's a small amount of money but it's here." Moreover, he thinks that streaming gives albums a longer shelf life than what existed prior to streaming. "In the past, when you just released an album on vinyl or CD in a shop, when it's not in the shop anymore it's finished. No one can buy it and so it's long term. That's what's interesting with streaming," he noted, "You create a catalog like you do with a publishing company. You know that [like a publishing deal that streaming is] long term because you [have] tracks that are maybe going to be in a movie or in something in 5 years. Streaming has to be seen in that way I think." 

Funnily enough, as I was writing up this interview I decided to refresh my memory of his earlier EPs, which resulted in me wandering to eBay to pick them up on vinyl. Thinking he might be on to something there.

As you can see, Yuksek is some kind of awesome. Be sure to pick up his latest album, Nous Horizon and follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Soundcloud. Oh! And check out his label Partyfine, which is currently prepping some upcoming releases as we speak! 

[Listen] Mason - "Toucan"

I mean just from this press photo we can already tell that Mason is future #SKOAfam amirite?

yoooooo the sun is shining in NYC and I just found my new favorite track to strut my stuff to! 

Enter: producer/DJ/label owner Mason hailing from Amsterdam! In a completely serendipitous moment I happened to catch BBC R1 Dance's tweet about another song of his, "Rhino" (which I cannot find a full version of on BBC but there is this clip). Being the curious person I am when the BBC claims something is the "Hottest Record In The World " I decided to look into this gentleman myself and WOW WOW WOW WOW there is so much goodness going on that I can't wait to spend some quality time this evening going through all of it. 

In addition to what has me dancing in my chair to presently, "Toucan", Mason also has a label called Animal Language, which appears will be chocked full of artists I will soon be gushing about based on the few clips I checked out on Soundcloud. 

I will report back with more findings once I dig into this but MY EARS ARE JUST SO HAPPY I HAD TO SHARE AS SOON AS I COULD! 

Listen to "Toucan" below! 

SO!? Do we love or do we L 😍 V E!?!?!?! 

[Recap] Um, A Lot Of Music Just Dropped Out Nowhere Today

me trying to keep up with how many songs just keep falling out of the sky today 

lol remember when the RIAA was so proud of themselves 2 years ago because we all agreed on a global release day and we went from #NewMusicTuesday to #NewMusicFriday worldwide? 

lol lol lol #tbt to that cute idea according to Foster The People, Phoenix, HAIM, and Fall Out Boy. 

In an attempt to make your life easier so you don't feel as frantic as I do right now, here is a recap of what just the fuck dropped: 

Foster The People - III

Well this was a nice surprise! Earlier today Foster the People released 3 new tracks globally before bundling them as a cutie lil EP called III. Apparently these are off an upcoming 3rd album that's going to be dropped this summer. No other info there, but they did unveil some tour dates which you can check over on their website because I'm tryna make this update quick and dirty and don't feel like copying and pasting. 

Phoenix - "J-Boy" 

Another album announcement! Another solid jam! Phoenix just unveiled their lead single, "J-Boy" off their forthcoming album, Ti Amo, which will drop on June 9th. This is glittery and summery af, but not quite punchy enough for the coveted title of Song Of The Summer. I will still be drinking in the sunshine to this regardless. 

HAIM - "Right Now" 

If you have been waiting 4 long years for new HAIM music then you best stop everything and peep this video RIGHT NOW. This comes from their just announce upcoming album, Something To Tell You, which drops on July 7th. 

Fall Out Boy - "Young And Menace"

So here is a Fall Out Boy song that I believe would be better suited as a Patrick Stump song than a Fall Out Boy song but it is still pretty dang good. The track follows yet ANOTHER album announcement. You ready for this name, y'all??

It's called

M A  N   I    A

Yes, spaces and all. I don't know either. Bless these dudes. But yeah the record drops on September 15th, so we have plenty of time to get this fucking spelling right. That all said, props to the guys for the video, which features a glimpse into a fictionalized characters somewhat-hard-to-watch home life that tries to escape a home riddled with domestic violence. 

SZA - "Love Galore (feat. Travis Scott)"

LAST ONE (I think?)! SZA also after keeping her fans anxiously waiting for music from her upcoming album CTRL has finally dropped another morsel today for everyone to savor, "Love Galore" featuring Travis Scott. It's been said that CTRL will be the next project released on TDE but other than that there's  not much else we know. 

AM I MISSING ANYTHING ELSE FROM TODAY? Jfc. 

[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.