[SONG OF THE DAY] Valley - "Closer To the Picture"

Toronto quartet Valley released the video for their catchy ass single, "Closer To The Picture" this week, so I am taking advantage of this loophole to write this up (I'm tryna make SOTD just be for things that are a week or so old tops). If you've been on a LANY or The 1975 kinda vibe lately, this will definitely be right up your alley. 

Formed by a serendipitous overbooking at the studio that the (initial) two pairs were going to work music on, this single follows up their debut EP, The Room Is White, which was released in 2016. Described as "an anthem for outcasts", you'll see that the video for "Closer To The Picture" leans very hard into this aesthetic. 

When (not if) you find yourself enamored by their infectious poptastic sensibilities, you can try to give the band a ring at 1 (888) 903-8765, which is their dedicated number for fans to call in to chat.  

Happy Saturday! 

[SONG OF THE DAY] Henry Nowhere - "Good Thing"

We return to our regularly scheduled programming with this Bay Area born (now LA based) bb.

Fam, please get to Henry Nowhere. He is about to be a very very good thing for your ears. His latest offering, "Good Thing", comes from his forthcoming EP titled Not Going Back, which will be out on September 14th. This lovely little lo-fi jam explores the space that being in a long-term relationship gives for love and vulnerability to grow. It's effortlessly catchy and makes you feel like you just woke up from a really sweet dream about your lover. 

If you want to be in a further happy haze, make sure to have a listen to his previously released tracks that are also on Not Going Back, "Not Going Back" and "Problems Of The Heart". 

I'm off to swoon over these a little more. Happy Friday! 

LIFE UPDATE: Things Are About To Get More Awesome Around Here

GUESS WHO MADE IT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DARK AND TWISTIES Y'ALL? 

OOF.

When you get so depressed that you can't even find joy doing your most favorite thing (sharing music with people) you KNOW you're in the thick of it. 

I won't lie, it's been a really rough 6 months. I had a bunch of crushing life changing experiences happen to me, BUT the good news is yer girl made it through! 

For awhile now I've been thinking about how much has changed since SKOA came in to existence and how much I've changed personally. At my core, music is still the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. That said, the ways in which I choose to love music and the community around it have changed quite a bit. The longer I work in music the more I see how much work that needs to be done so that music is without a doubt the safest space for all of us. I have always valued the power that the music community wields when put to good use and I would like to do my part in focusing that incredible energy on creating lasting positive changes. 

I'm still working on my game plan for putting all of my ideas into action, but know that in addition to sharing songs that make my heart swell I will be making an effort to do what I can to make the music community a more inclusive and positive space. 

So yeah, lots of really awesome things coming. Oh also diSKOAver weekly and Song of the Day are officially coming back full time starting T O D A Y so GET HYPE! 

I look forward to starting this next chapter with you guys. 

<3 <3 <3 

kibbe!

[SONG OF THE DAY] The Wild Wild - "Stereo"

Bless The Algorithm™ and the wonderful ways it sends me songs. As much as I love to shower affection on Discover Weekly, have you ever just sit back after a song ends on Soundcloud and see what autoplay sends your way? 

Last week it sent me LA's The Wild Wild and subsequently one of my favorite all time lyrics from today's SOTD, "Stereo": 

"You can touch my body but you can't touch my stereo"

I feel like this corner of the internet lives and dies by this sentiment sometimes, no? lol 

Right back to more about The Wild Wild: Benjamin Dunn is the brainchild behind the project. Per the little amount of info available on his Soundcloud, apparently his latest album, Love Is God, was written and recorded in what's described as a recycled tiny wooden house studio in Highland Park in Los Angeles where he also lived. Kind of sounds like this dude made this all in a shed, which, once you feast your ears on this... is insanely impressive. Like seriously, fuck bedroom producers. Garden shed producers are what's up now! 

No but really, this is some perfectly polished power pop. Major labels spend a shitload of money to make records sound this tight and this dude was just chillin in his not-exactly-a-shed-but-mostly-a-shed and crushed it 

Love Is God is a followup to last year's release Into The Sea, into the Stars, which I cannot wait to get better acquainted with along with the rest of his various EPs and singles from the past couple of years. 

I wish I knew more about this dude but he left me on read on Instagram and there's no other way to get in touch with him to learn more sooooooo. 

[SONG OF THE DAY] Client Liaison - "Survival In The City"

No, I am not going to shut up about Client Liaison until every single last one of you is converted. It is one of my personal goals in 2018 to help this band take over America, like not even joking. I thank the Lorde every day that Slum Sociable brought this band into my life. Every time I see Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller's faces pop up in my feeds I am just overcome with joy. Everything about their aesthetic is so effortless and yet so clearly well thought out that it doesn't come off as just some overt gimmick they're using as a marketing ploy. They have essentially created a parallel universe that just so happens to nestle right on top of this one. Playing their music, watching their music videos, or wearing their high fashion merch are those magical moments where you become a part of said parallel universe where extravagance is status quo and having a good time is the #1 priority. "Survival In The City" is essentially the anthem for those of us called to be living our best night lives in our respective big cities. 

Last month during Australian Fashion Week the band put on a fashion show for their aforementioned high fashion merch line, Client Liaison Deluxe Line, which ended with a live performance. Yes, I was so excited to watch this in real-time on Facebook live that I SET AN ALARM TO WAKE ME UP AT 6AM FOR IT. I am committed. Since you likely missed it, please check out how incredibly badass it was:

Seriously, I can't wait for you to join me in the non-stop party that is Client Liaison. We are going to have the best time together. 

[SONG OF THE DAY] Colouring - "Time"

Please understand, I have been supportive of London's Colouring since I stumbled into, "White Whale", off last year's Heathen EP. 

BUT THIS SONG NEEDS TO MAKE ROOM FOR OTHER SONGS IN MY BRAIN. IT WON'T LEAVE ME. IT'S TIME FOR "TIME" TO LEAVE ME BE. 

You know those nice quiet moments when you're by yourself and not listening to anything where all you hear is...nothing? 

That hasn't happened since my first listen over a month ago. 

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT'S LIKE FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME?! I'M LOSING MY DAMN MIND. 

I'm to the point now where I'm debating hopping on a Bolt Bus to Philly to see if catching them live on Friday might finally satiate the craving for them, but I worry that it'll just make things worse. 

[SONG OF THE DAY] Moullinex - "Dream On"

If you thought I was going to stop loudly loving Moullinex after the initial high from Hypersex, which was one of my favorites of 2017, D R E A M  ON. 

I know I should be saying all of the wonderful things about his recently dropped remixes for "Painting By Numbers", but my sleep deprivation has his latest original, "Dream On" hitting the spot today. A slight departure from Hypersex, "Dream On" is a lush landscape of hazy hypnotic sounds that could be the perfect soundtrack for you stumbling home at 4am from a night of raving. 

As is the story of my life, no US dates for this dope dude, but for everyone across the pond please go see him and tweet me photos from the show so I can be seething in jealousy. 

MOULLINEX ON TOUR

Sat 23 Jun // Rock in Rio Lisboa 2018, Lisbon, Portugal (FULL BAND LIVE) 
Sat 21 Jul // Brixton Jamm, London, UK (FULL BAND LIVE) 
Thu 26 Jul // Mêda + Mêda, Portugal (FULL BAND LIVE) 
Sat 28 Jul // Low Festival, Benidorm, Spain (FULL BAND LIVE) 
Fri 17 Aug // Sol da Caparica, Lisboa, Portugal (DJ Set)

[SONG OF THE DAY] Big Data - "See Through"

🚨🚨🚨🚨BIG 🚨DATA 🚨IS 🚨BACK 🚨🚨🚨🚨

Yo but #realtalk look how fuckin sharp the dude Alan Wilkis looks in this press photo tho! That looks like the kinda dude I'd like to have long thoughtful conversations about the future of artificial intelligence with. 

Spoiler alert: I am probably going to do this very thing and put it on this part of the internet. 

Following up his full-length debut, 2.0, we have our first sampling from 3.0, which will be out sometime this fall. "See Through" features “L1ZY” on vocals and explores the ever blurring lines between technology and reality that can be hard to navigate. Throughout the song, L1ZY becomes more obsessed with virtual reality and ends up being her preferred "reality". As Wilkis continues to carefully pour over the available #data about artificial intelligence and present some possible futures in these songs, with "See Through" he's really challenging us to take a closer look at how subjective our ever day reality actually is. “We wanted to play with the idea of seeing things from the other side and the idea that we all inhabit our own realities,” says Wilkis. “Whether real or virtual, they are always subjective.”

From the looks of the below teaser clip where Big Data is presented in the form of a smart speaker with L1ZY as Big Data's version of Amazon's Alexa, I can already sense that the themes in this album are going to be just as relevant and thought provoking as we saw in 2.0. I am personally super excited about my favorite Black Mirror pop star is back (yes I am going to try to make "black mirror pop" a thing, HUSH). 

Now if you'll excuse me I need to go purchase all of the books I've screenshot from Big Data's Instagram stories and read all of them so I am adequately prepared for our inevitable nerdy sit down.