Posts Tagged Indie pop

new music: Perfume Genius

“Pop Song” is the bright, ethereal, lush new Perfume Genius song from The Sun Still Burns Here, a dance and music performance collaboration with Seattle-based choreographer Kate Wallichof. The Sun Still Burns Here is commissioned by Seattle Theatre Group and Mass MoCA and created, in part, with the support of The Joyce Theater Foundation’s Artist Residency Center. Perfume Genius is the stage name of Seattle-based musician Mike Hadreas. About “Pop Song,” Hadreas said: “I imagined an ecstatic pile of bodies preparing to be consumed by the gods. A joyous communal sacrifice of the physical to spiritually level up. The lyric is like a conjuration spell to be sung when the mountain of bodies settles in position and is held still as an offering.” 

THE SUN STILL BURNS HERE – PERFORMANCE DATES:

November 13 -17, The Joyce Theater, New York City (tickets)

December 5 – 7, Liquid Music X Walker Art Center, McGuire Theater, Minneapolis (tickets)

January 17 – 18, ICA Boston, Boston (tickets)

 

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new music: Noah Cyrus; K. Flay

“July”– Noah Cyrus

Written by 19-year-old Noah Cyrus and her friend Peter Harding, and produced by Mike Sonier, ‘July’ details the constant back and forth involved in a toxic relationship. The video symbolizes Noah’s “attempt of letting go and walking away from the baggage,” she reveals. “Even though it’s hard and it hurts, there is something beautiful on the other side.”

 

“Sister”– K. Flay

Following the release of her third full-length album Solutions,  “Sister” is the second part of a visual trilogy that continues the themes of sisterhood and support. It follows up the “Bad Vibes” video.  The video was directed by Clara Aranovichand shot in Downtown Los Angeles. Fun fact: Kristine and her ‘Sister’ are the only ones moving in forward motion while the world around them is moving in reverse – To create this, Kristine had to learn the song completely backwards (in phonetic gibberish).

K. Flay kicks off a fall tour on September 3 in Phoenix, Arizona. She stops in Boston on September 25.

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new music: Friendly Fires

“Run the Flowers” is the latest mesmerizing track off the upcoming album, Inflorescent, from Friendly Fires, eight years after their last album. Childhood friends Ed Macfarlane, Edd Gibson and Jack Savidge, got together in Macfarlane’s parents’ St Albans garage at the end of 2017 and wrote a song based on three scrawled words: “Love. Like. Waves.” They recorded the album at various London studios with co-producers Alongside producers / co-producers Mark Ralph, James Ford and Disclosure. Friendly Fires will be playing New York and Los Angeles in September.

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new music and tour dates: K. Flay

Grammy-nominated K. Flay released a new single– “Sister”– with a dark driving beat and uplifting lyrics. It’s from her upcoming album Solutions which is out July 12, 2019. Her music combines analog synths with live bass and guitar, infusing pop, rock, hip-hop, and electronica.

Here’s what the Illinois native had to say about sisterhood: “Being a sister isn’t about gender or DNA. It’s about unselfconscious love. About saying I’M HERE, I LOVE YOU, IT’S OK TO BE YOURSELF, and hearing those words echoed back. Not because you asked for them, but because they’re true. Girls are sisters and boys are sisters. Dads are sisters to their sons. Mothers sisters to their mothers too. I’ve come to understand that family is created. Family is a verb. It’s something you build day by day, sometimes in the hot sun and sometimes when everything is going wrong.”

 

About the album title, Flay said: “The solution to almost every problem is usually really simple. For me, it’s so basic: staying connected to the people I love, taking care of myself the way I’d want my friends to take care of themselves, and doing things I know are going to make me happy – not what social media or strangers or society tells me. So many of my past records were about problems. Right now I’m in a place where I’m looking for some light. Balance is important. Life doesn’t have to be chaotic in order to be meaningful.”

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
6/7 – Las Vegas, NV – The Cosmopolitan
6/10 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
6/12 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
6/14 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
6/15 – New Orleans, LA – Howlin’ Wolf
6/16 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
6/29 – West Valley City, UT – LOVELOUD Festival
8/2 – West Allis, WI – Wisconsin State Fair
8/3 – Long Beach, CA – Alt 98.7 Summer Camp
8/24 – Cheyenne, WY – Edge Fest
9/3 – Phoenix, AZ – Marquee
9/5 – San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park
9/7 – Oakland, CA – The Fox
9/9 – Vancouver, BC – The Commodore
9/11 – Seattle, WA – SODO
9/13 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
9/14 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma
9/17 – Minneapolis, MN – First Ave
9/19 – Chicago, IL – The Riviera Theatre
9/20 – Detroit, MI – The Crofoot
9/21 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
9/22 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix
9/24 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
9/25 – Boston, MA – Royale
9/26 – Philadelphia, PA – TLA
9/29 – Washington, DC – 930 Club
9/30 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
10/2 – Nashville, TN – Marathon
10/4-6 – Austin City Limits
10/11-13 – Austin City Limits
10/12 – Denver, CO – The Fillmore

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new music: Mae Muller

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North London singer-songwriter Mae Muller reminds me of Lily Allen. She’s edgy and has that speak-sing going on. This new song “Anticlimax” has a grooving beat and a sunny, confident vibes.

Muller said: “Anticlimax is a feel-good song about a not so good situation. I wanted to capture that feeling of disappointment when you’ve liked someone for ages and then you finally end up giving it a go and it’s nothing like what you thought it would be! It all works out in the end though because it made me realise my worth and that I don’t have time for a time waster!”

The 21-year-old gained attention when she posted Rihanna and Frank Ocean covers on Instagram. She’s released two EPs-After Hours and Frankly.

Mae describes music as her weapon: “I won’t write a sad song, I’ll write a bad bitch thing like ‘I’m going to fuck your life up’. It’s my way of feeling strong.”  Very cool.

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new music: Friendly Fires; Molly Burch

Infectious beats and an uplifting song. The video stars British actor Jeremy Irvine (War Horse and Mama Mia). He dances through the streets of London’s Docklands. more info on Friendly Fires.

 

The soulful Molly Burch has an amazing vocal range. “Candy” is from her recently released album First Flower.
Songwriter and actress Nöel Wells (Master Of None / Saturday Night Live) directed the video.
Of the collaboration, Burch says; “I’ve been a huge fan of Noël’s for quite some time so it was a dream of mine for her to direct this video. It’s really inspiring to watch her work. Her mind is so fast and full of ideas constantly. The whole day was mostly female dominated, which is always my preference (shout out to my sister Samy Burch who cast all of the wonderful actors in the video!) It was a glorious experience collaborating and I feel she captured the song so well.”

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new music: Rubblebucket, Jenn Champion

Rubblebucket, “Fruity”

–a wonderful happy/sad song with cool bouncy beat and wistful vocals. The Brooklyn band’s new album, Sun Machine, will be out August 24, 2018.

Rubblebucket is:
Kalmia Traver – lead vocals/baritone saxophone
Alex Toth – trumpet/vox
Dandy McDowell – bass
Maddie Rice – guitar
Adam Dotson – trombone

 

Jenn Champion, “Time to Regulate”

–a beautiful collision of sweet vocals and deep beats from the Seattle indie pop artist. She said: “Sometimes you are sad and you just want to dance about it.” The full-length album Single Rider,will be released Friday, July 13, 2018.

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show preview: Fitz and the Tantrums at House of Blues Boston on November 15, 2016

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Fitz and the Tantrums released a video for the infectious, upbeat single “Hand Clap.” It’s from the band’s self-titled album that came out during the summer. Of the song, Fitz said:  “I was searching for something that felt visceral and edgy. As soon as that moment happened, I was relieved. It felt like the compass — that theme of letting go and losing control — had been set. And it found its way into the rest of the album.” Fitz and the Tantrums formed in 2008. The Los Angeles indie pop band released Pickin’ Up the Pieces in 2010 and More Than Just a Dream in 2013.

Fitz and the Tantrums is: Fitz (Lead Vocals); Noelle Scaggs (Co-Vocals); James King (saxophone & flute); Joseph Karnes (bass); John Wicks (drums); Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards)

venue info:

House of Blues Boston

15 Landsdowne Street

Boston MA 02115

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music review: Lauren Marsh

lauren marsh

Opening track “Promise” features evocative, potent vocals, an upbeat melody and a catchy chorus–“and we’ll be rocking like a rolling stone/ cruising through time zones/ I promise I, I promise I won’t let you stand alone”– that stays in your head in a positive way. Singer/songwriter Lauren Marsh’s impressive and distinctive vocals make this EP a stand-out. She reminds me of Rachel Platten with the combination of powerful vocals and memorable arrangements. Marsh utilizes major vocal range in a pretty, confident, emotional manner.

Veracity means a devotion to the truth and Marsh absolutely remains true to herself and her talents. Many of us have overcome tragedy and faced challenges but can we all write gorgeous, meaningful songs that stem from these experiences? 24-year-old Marsh faced a hostile stalker, recovered from a severe car accident in 2013 as well as a night in NYC, which ended in the hospital ER when someone deliberately drugged her drink. She started writing songs at age 14 using her poetry. It’s natural that she’d continue to write songs and use songwriting to cope with these anxiety-inducing incidents.

“Wildfire” resonates in a more subdued manner. It’s softer and gentle. It sways although Marsh’s voice generates as much sentiment. Retro influences propel the beautiful “We Hit the Ground.” The vocals plead–“You take my time, my heart and my mind, spinning round and around, we hit the ground “– while the song’s arrangement transports the listener back to another decade. Soaring vocals effectively persuade on “Never Let You Go.” Finally the gentle “Dear Love” features a delicate harmony and contemplative vocals–“in this life we’ll never know what to expect.” Marsh remains thoughtful with her lyrics and consistent with her vocal style. Add this to your must-listen list.

–review by Amy Steele

Lauren Marsh
Veracity EP
Release date: January 22, 2016

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new music: Birch

Birch, “Halfway”

electropop/folky/indie pop in the vein of Metric and Chvrches with 60s girl-band vocals. invigorating, infectious and catchy. Michelle Birsky graduated from college with a music composition degree and moved to Brooklyn. She worked at a commercial music house, music supervising an indie film and interned with film composer Elliot Goldenthal. In August of 2014, Birsky went on a two-week solo, silent retreat to her parent’s house in Vermont where she began working on songs for Birch’s debut.

who:

singer/songwriter Michelle Birsky
bassist Mat Towles on bass
guitarist Emma Munger

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The Halfway EP is available for download on August 28.

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