Originating from Asheville, North Carolina and now based in Los Angeles, Adriana McCassim introduced her distinctive brand of folk rock back in 2020 with the EP Quiet Sides. It was a release equal parts visceral and ethereal which looked for sparks of beauty and solidarity amid difficult circumstances. With debut full length See It Fades coming next year, McCassim has shared the new single ‘TOUCH’. A track which builds upon the previous releases, stripping out all excesses to place the vocals front and centre, left to work through unreciprocated desire with nothing to hide behind. “This song is about finally allowing myself to take up space,” McCassim explains. “To be naked, ugly and loud.”

Arima Ederra – Steel wing

Discovering the Ethiopian spiritual music mezmur in a Las Vegas Ethiopian Orthodox Church during childhood, Arima Ederra was convinced of the power of music from an early age. Her work since 2016 debut Temporary Fixes has been geared towards capturing this joyous, healing force, and latest album An Orange Colored Day feels like the most confident yet, applying everything learned from a life steeped in music to process any and every pressing issue at hand. Single ‘Steel wing’ is a good place to start for a window into what this entails, its inventive and relaxed style imbued with an infectious, toe-tapping rhythm, inviting you in to sit a while and leave your concerns at the door.

Credit Electric – summit sipper

Fresh from single ‘here 4 u‘ on the Royal Oakie Records tenth anniversary compilation, Bay Area outfit Credit Electric have released their latest full-length record, out of love in the face of a shadow. Germinating within the limitations imposed by the global pandemic, the album represents a new era for the Credit Electric style, their moves to adapt to the novel conditions opening up new avenues of inquiry. Which is how the liner notes can describe the album as one drawing from acts as diverse as Hiroshi Yoshimura, American Football, Dire Straits and Magnolia Electric Co. Single ‘summit sipper’ is just one snapshot of this style, a laidback yet affirming pop number penned after a hike in the Sierra Nevadas, overcoming mountains both figuratively and literally to delve into themes of resilience and recovery.

Denitia – My Weakness

We’ve previewed Highways, the new album from Denitia, a few times in recent months, first with the title track in April and then ‘All the Sweet Tea‘ a little later. Wrapped in a wistful atmosphere, the latter “tap[ped] into bluegrass sensibilities to evoke the American landscape in all its nostalgic idealism,” we explained, and served as an introduction to the bittersweet tone of the album and Denitia’s quest to reimagine the concept of home. Final single ‘My Weakness’ sits at the heart of the record, another track of conflicted moods which possesses real depth beneath its controlled burn.

Grace Hellen – Bubblegum Pink

Hailing from the coast of North Carolina and now based in Nashville, singer-songwriter Grace Hellen cut her teeth in jazz and bluegrass but is now turning toward a more indie pop/rock style. Latest single ‘Bubblegum Pink’ is a great introduction to this aesthetic. A combination of psych and surf sensibilities laid over pop tones sweet enough to live up to its title, though the sugary energy belies the tension beneath the surface. “Bubblegum pink when you spit in the sink this morning,” Hellen sings, twisting the tone. “Flash forward, last night’s an empty dream.” Because this is a song “about fighting depression with hyper-femininity and candy-coated optimism,” as Hellen describes it. As though to keep moving is to stay ahead, no matter how exhausting.

‘Bubblegum Pink’ is out now and available to stream from the usual places.

h. pruz – what a long way i’ve come to be destroyed

h. pruz is the recording alias of Brooklyn-based Hannah Pruzinsky, who will soon release debut EP again, there via oof records. Lead single ‘old car’ introduced the style, which finds emotional power in a gentle, intimate hush. Now h. pruz has unveiled the record’s second single, ‘what a long way i’ve come to be destroyed’, another folk-slash-bedroom-pop song that burns with quiet intensity. Lyrically sparse, the song captures one of the EPs main themes—of recognising life’s cycles and rhythms and the feeling of uncertainty experienced after breaking out of them and moving on.

Jenny O. – The Natural World

Following on from ‘Prism‘, a single we described as allowing “us to see fine cracks in a seemingly unscalable wall of disempowerment, and begin to realise we might not be completely helpless after all,” Jenny O. is back with a brand new single on Mama Bird Recording Co. No less ambitious and heartfelt, ‘The Natural World’ confronts the ecological emergency from a new angle. Turning away from the usual visions of doom and destruction to instead offer a vision of what might be. “This is a declaration of wonder and reverence for the living Earth,” Jenny O. explains. “As we phase out fossil fuels, the way through the climate crisis is by the regeneration of this planet’s incredible natural systems. This song is for alignment with life on Earth (including one another). The future requires us to consider everything and everyone; love and curiosity are key.” Check out the suitably celebratory video filmed and edited by Sam Gezari below:

‘The Natural World’ is out now via Mama Bird Recording Co. and available from Bandcamp.

Joe McCarthy and the Faders – Hey Dom

With new release Outpost Truck Stop out later this week, Joe McCarthy and the Faders have unveiled new single ‘Hey Dom’ to raise the anticipation. An ode to friendship, the track captures the road trip spirit of the EP. One following in the footsteps of Craig Finn or The Boss himself, built on a togetherness and camaraderie which faces down life’s difficulties through equal parts compassion and momentum. The result is bittersweet but undeniably joyous, and better yet its triumphant energy invites the listener along for the ride. Check out the video edited by Zach Pulls below:

You’re just as dumb as me
And we’re as thick as thieves when we can stand
Hey dom!
Why don’t you take my hand

Outpost Truck Stop is out on the 21st October and you can pre-order it now.

Poolblood – shabby

Back in July we wrote about ‘twinkie‘ by Poolblood, their first single since signing with Next Door Records. Now the project (Toronto‘s Maryam Said) has announced their debut album, mole, which will release early next year. To celebrate the announcement, Poolblood has unveiled a brand new single ‘shabby’, a song which they says “celebrates the intimacy of friendship.” Fittingly then, the song is reflective and introspective, pairing bedroom pop sincerity with just the faintest hint of country twang. There is also a video featuring friends and collaborators Shamir and Drew Harmon, which you can watch below:

mole will be released on 13th January and you can pre-order a copy from the Poolblood Bandcamp page.

The post Weekly Listening: October 2022 #3 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Tracklisting:

Twelve Gardens – maria
Gorgeous Bully – oh why
Girl K – Neighbours
Kintsugi San – Time
Brunch – The Goose
Young Jesus – Feeling (Half Stop Session)
Wych Elm – School Shooter
Steve Maloney – Exits
Haley Heynderickx – Oom Sha La La
M.A.G.S. – Mexico
Iris Jupiter – Buzz Cut
Ylayali – Cherry Tomatoes
Anamon – Stubborn Comfort
Micah Vaultz – endless rain, for limitless pain
Pavey Ark – Leaf By Leaf
Henry Jamison – The Last Time I Saw Adrianne
Shamir – 90s Kids
SALES – Talk a Lot
Nassau – Ain’t It Time
Long Neck – Cavity
Pastel – Silhouette
Old Earth – Pit Dynamics

You can find all of of monthly mixes here, plus an assortment of other playlists and song collections. Stayed tuned for October!

The post September 2017 Roundup appeared first on Various Small Flames.

A new volume will be posted every few weeks and will offer a collection of really great songs that we’re determined not to let slip past our radar.

Girl K – Neighbors

Girl K is the recording project of Kathy Patino from Chicago, and ‘Neighbors’ is the first single from the forthcoming album, SUNFLOWER COURT. Starting slow and hesitant, the track unfurls like a flower at dawn, growing into a retro-flavoured indie pop number with skippy drums and sugary vocals. Detailing doubt and the self-sacrifice required to give to others, the song ends with a contagious sense of momentum, so that when Patino sings that she doesn’t care, we certainly believe her.

“It’s only me and you in this house for the neighbors.
Will they tell us the truth or continue to leave us?
Cause I don’t care, and I don’t care.”

The single is available now from the Girl K Bandcamp page, which is also the place to keep an eye on for news about SUNFLOWER COURT.

Pavey Ark – Leaf by Leaf

Pavey Ark are a folk five-piece from Hull who utilise finger-picked guitars, crooned vocals and two violins to weave their atmospheric sound. This spring the band put out their debut EP, Leaf By Leaf, and the title track, which happens to be the latest single, is the perfect introduction. Rising out of the warm, autumnal strings, the vocals emerge with a fluid calm, creating a song which is equal parts welcoming and wisftul, like a past time remembered fondly. Check out the the nice video from Patrick Mateer below:

The ‘Leaf By Leaf’ single is out on the 29th September, and the EP is available now from the Pavey Ark Bandcamp page.

Anamon – Stubborn Comfort

Ahead of an album of the same name, Rochester’s Anamon has recently unveiled a single, ‘Stubborn Comfort’. The new songwriting project of Ana Emily Monaco, Anamon uses what the press release describes as “poignant vignettes of heartbreaks and dreamscapes,” a hybrid of folk and rock infused with an empty house ennui and pressing immediacy. The result is a raw and intimate sound that plays like the airing of grievances in private, perhaps a rehearsal or else some cathartic release.

Stubborn Comfort will be released on the 10th November and you can pre-order it via Bandcamp.

Wych Elm – School Shooter

Described in their bio as a “modern, lethargically menacing take on classic lo-fi indie rock”, Bristol’s Wych Elm make music that creeps up and over you, the half-paced vibe holding a kind of ominous energy that invariably spikes and spills over in a clatter of guitars and feedback. Their new EP, a two-song release via Quit Yr Job records, is therefore equal parts spooky and hypnotic, the disaffected drawl of lead Caitlin Elliman worming it’s way beneath your skin in a manner both charming and creepy.

The EP is out now via Quit Yr Job Records and you can get it from Bandcamp

M.A.G.S. – Mexico

Hailing from Buffalo, M.A.G.S. is the recording project of multi-instrumentalist Elliott Douglas. His self-titled sophomore album was released earlier this month, consolidating his beguiling blend of noisy rock and radio-friendly pop into something riotous and relentlessly energetic. Lead single ‘Mexico’ serves as a great starting point for those unfamiliar, dealing with themes of growing up and taking on adult responsibilities, though through a prism of bouncy garage rock that suggests leaving childhood might not be the dour experience you thought it to be.

The self-titled album is out now via Admirable Traits Records and available from the M.A.G.S. Bandcamp page.

Kintsugi San – Time

Based in London, Kintsugi San makes a lo-fi brand of pop based on electronic instrumentation that relies as much on the spaces between notes and beats and words as the sounds themselves. ‘Time’, their latest single, is a song that sounds at once intimate and detached, like those odd occasions where you become mindful of the world around you, an almost heightened state where you grow suddenly conscious of how brilliant everything looks, when ordinary, quiet rooms becoming wonderful and strange. Such sensations are invariably inexplicable and short-lived and all the better for it, small pockets where you pull free from the way of things. Kintsugi San’s music is somewhere between celebrating and recreating this feeling, and begging for its return.

“What it was
I just can’t say
I just listen
And feel the whole
Of what it was
Give me a year
And a day
Give me all time”

You can grab the single now from the Kintsugi San Bandcamp page.

Shamir – 90s Kids

The lead single from a new album, Revelations, ’90s Kids’ shows how the sound of Shamir Bailey has morphed since his major label pop smash debut, Ratchet. Swapping out the good time shine of his dancey previous work, the track finds Shamir writing more personal, intimate lyrics with a cutting edge, wrapped in a semi-ironic sound reminiscent of CHUCK. ” Check out the meme-filled video below:

Revelations is out on the 3rd November via Father/Daughter Records and you can pre-order it now from Bandcamp.

Henry Jamison – The Last Time I Saw Adrianne

In preview of his debut album, The Wilds, New England’s Henry Jamison has given us a glimpse of his delicate folk sound and nuanced lyrics with single, ‘The Last Time I Saw Adrianne’. The song shows Jamison’s songwriting style as one rooted in storytelling. The track came into being after Jamison played a show with Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief, her “incredibly healing and enviably good” songs striking a chord with his lonely headspace, and the opening lines essentially form a tribute to Lenker. The narrative eventually meanders off into other areas, though all the while retaining a poignant, half-heartbroken mood.

“And I knew her singing signalled spring
and where in my heart pounds
for all the want and doubt are now upon me
and I hear it in the sounds
of all the rain in all the baseball games
but it rains out”

The Wilds is to be released on Akira Records on the 3rd November.

Iris Jupiter / Fk Mt. – Split

California’s Iris Jupiter have teamed up with South Carolina stoner band Fk Mt. to put out a split 7″ through Open Door and Bad Break Records. The lead single, Iris Jupiter’s ‘Buzz Cut’, gives us something of an idea as to what to expect from therecord, the frenetic guitars kicking in from the opening seconds and the tumble of vocals descending into communal shouts in the boisterous refrain. Still, beneath the frenzied sound lies something more considered, the lyrics containing a degree of introspection at odds with the outward nature of their delivery.

The split will be released on the 20th October via Open Door Records and Bad Break Records and you can pre-order it now.

SALES – Talk a Lot

Their first fresh music since 2016’s self-titled album, Orlando duo SALES are back with shiny new single, ‘Talk a Lot’. Fans of Lauren Morgan and Jordan Shih will be pleased to find their distinctive sound remains, toeing the line between the lo-fi DIY aesthetic and something a little more refined and minimal to create a dreamy, languid soundscape. As such, the track drips and trickles, the easy-going energy softening all edges and inviting you into its insulated beat.

“Your friends they seem to talk a lot.
You know i’m not that type.
Just pull-up in your shopping cart—
Just throw it all in there, it’s fine.

[Trust the moment]
You’re making it look easy.”

‘Talk a Lot’ is out now and available from… where else? Bandcamp.

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Old Earth

“Has this trance-like quality that is almost impossible to describe…It’s music that isn’t satisfied with making pretty sounds in the background, that gets right to the root of things” – New EP …until they’re called sees Old Earth in typically scintillating form.

The Washboard Abs

“Sad but in a cosy, reassuring way…like being alone in an empty room on a rainy afternoon, when the not-quite-twilight has that blue-grey quality and the only sounds are raindrops on the glass and the shooooshing of passing cars” – WHATEVERLAND by The Washboard Abs is the second great Z Tapes release in a week.

The Tarantula Waltz

“Reminds us that no matter how hard, life holds pockets of goodness and wonder, providing moments of fierce, bright joy which light up the dark” – Lynx EP by Swedish folkster The Tarantula Waltz

Molly Drag

“Sad and remorseful in a child-like sort of way, the existential anxiety of adults not yet formed so that his grief can occupy a pure, selfless sort of level” – ‘Open Casket Hidden Meaning’, the brand new track by Molly Drag.

Furnsss

“A return of the gloriously sloppy rock that Furnsss purvey” – Burlington lo-fi rock act announce new EP via our good pals at 80N7.

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

“Continues with the jaunty, boisterous vibes that set apart Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats from his solo work, sounding like mid-barroom, drunk-but-honest proclamations” – Nathaniel Rateliff gathers his band in anticipation of their debut EP.

Aidan Knight

“Starts off as a smooth and kinda groovy soft rock track which threatens several crescendos before the horned-filled celebratory climax around the halfway mark” – Aidan Knight has put out a new song in preparation for his third album, coming this autumn on Outside Music.

Small Houses

“So here’s the deal. You pledge on small amount of money in return for a digital download pre-order, and Quentin gets to make a new record and eat something other than craisens” – Small Houses needs your help on GoFundMe to make his new album.

Eskimeaux

“It’s about finally feeling okay with not feeling okay” – Impose has a substantial piece on Eskimeaux’s new album, O.K.

The Epoch

“A sweet, introspective sort of songwriting is the tendency, though hardly the rule. As an inspiring support system and model for artistic collaboration, their cult following is quickly growing” – The Epoch Collective find themselves in good company in Brooklyn Magazine’s round-up of the twenty people defining Brooklyn music in 2015.

Matheny / Molina

“Molina always seemed to know exactly which cards not to show, and with his deep body of work created music that is somehow both haunting and comforting in equal measure” – William Matheny of Southeast Engine shares his memories of Jason Molina and serves up a great cover of ‘Just Be Simple’, all over at Common Folk Music.

Best of 2015

A week late on this but the ever-reliable Gimme Tinnitus has put together a list of the best music of 2015 thus far. Well worth digging through to uncover a few unheard gems.

Nick Cave / DrFasutusAU

A few weeks late on this but it’s worth sharing: Artist DrFaustusAU has drawn a Dr Seuss-style cartoon version of Nick Cave’s ‘Red Right Hand’. You can read more about it on Faster Louder or click the image below to see the whole storybook.

Protest Music

“A reminder that soulful dissent can be both entertaining and politically efficacious. Soulful protest is the work of skillful musicians using their gifts and raising their voices to recreate the world so that everyone has an opportunity to fully participate and no one else’s voice ever again has to remain suppressed or unheard” – Jason King over on at NPR Music has put together 100 hours of protest music, using R&B and the genres which came before that helped form the genre.

Frog

“An attempt to engage modern musical ideas from a 1950s style of arrangement… [it] was a complete failure in that respect but a success in most others” – The Line of Best Fit are streaming Kind Of Blah, the new album from Frog that could well be the soundtrack of your summer.

Summer Camp

“Inspired by 90s Point Horror and Fear Street books and teen horror films, and the idea that a bad relationship can be just as terrifying as a serial killer” – Noisey are streaming Summer Camp’s Bad Love before it’s release next week on Moshi Moshi.

Shamir

And finally, Shamir walked around Brooklyn and played some songs for La Blogotheque:

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