[SONG OF THE DAY] Trunky Juno - "Small Town"

Any fam of Summer Heart is fam of mine, so please get to know the soon to be homey Trunky Juno. His debut track, “Small Town” is very much in the aesthetic of the likes of Pizzagirl, Mac Demarco, MGMT, and obvi Summer Heart. His blend of catchy lo-fi bedroom indie synth-pop leaves behind traces of 80s nostalgia in all the right places.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Bedstudy - "s_M00n"

Friday cannot come quickly enough for y’all because you need Bedstudy’s debut EP dot wave in your life ASAP. Lucky for you, the Brooklyn-based trio have shared my favorite song on the EP, “s_M00n”, a dreamy little lo-fi love song that is a must-have in your playlist for your Valentine. Speaking of lovers, the accompanying video for the song leans into the vibe of the song, alternating between performance shots of the band and following around a pair of lovers.

dot wave drops this Friday, February 15th courtesy of Grand Jury Music.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Young & Sick - "Jet Black Heart"

On Friday, Los Angeles-based artist Young & Sick released their latest track, “Jet Black Heart”, which is about the kind of love that is so intense that it can be paralyzing. As project brainchild Nick Van Hofwegen explained, “[It’s the sort of love] that makes you lose it completely. It’s the love I feel for making music and art.”

The band is currently on tour with The Knocks in North America. Lookin like yer girl is gonna have to get her ass to Brooklyn Steel in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of tours, I’m just gonna throw this out into the universe, but I feel like a tour with Summer Heart and Blackbird Blackbird could be something really lovely for these guys. I am just sayinggggggg.

Off to get ready to keep up with my tradition of obnoxiously livetweeting The Grammys. :)

Feb 8 // Dallas, TX @ Dada Dallas
Feb 9 // Austin, TX @ Historic Scoot Inn
Feb 10 // Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock Room
Feb 12 // St. Louis, MO @ The Ready Room
Feb 14 // Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
Feb 15 // Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
Feb 16 // Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
Feb 17 // Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Feb 20 // Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
Feb 21 // Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Feb 23 // Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel

[SONG OF THE DAY] Dan D'Lion - "BETTERMAN"

IT’S VIBE O’CLOCK ON FRIDAYYYYYYY MY SWEETIES!!!

Hoxton’s fast-favorite of mine, Dan D’Lion has decided to show us a softer side of him this time around with his latest offering, “BETTERMAN”, which comes from his upcoming EP due later this spring. This more downtempo track was the perfect opportunity for Dan to really open himself up to his rapidly growing fanbase and he does not shy away from the chance in the slightest. It is not lost on me at all that after two singles featuring artwork that feature close-ups of his signature smile that we now zoom out and see Dan sitting confidently before us.

In addition to the level of prowess he wields with his production skills, I can’t get over how much I love his voice. I tend to stan for really unique voices that you could always identify regardless of the composition or collaboration. That falsetto of his man…..😍🤩

Exciting news for the alt-pop powerhouse in the making: he’s announced his debut headlining show at London nightclub Laylow on March 7th. Get this: it’s already sold out! Not bad, my guy. Not bad.

[SONG OF THE DAY] I Know Leopard - "Heather"

photo credit: Lisa Businovski

Folks who have seen my Tweetdeck setup often give me the side-eye like I’m a nutcase with all my different columns going, but my FOMO-driven nosiness on Twitter dot com is how I end up with absolute fucking gems like the latest from Sydney four-piece I Know Leopard. Given the level to which I love Slum Sociable’s songs so hard some days I’m afraid I might break them, this would lend you all to agree that I’d be more likely to trust their taste if they’re talking about music. One casual tweet from them, a few moments of digging around later, and I was HOOKED.

I’m still getting caught up on everything that makes this band amazing, but we’ll start with their brand new track, “Heather”. This earworm of a song is three minutes and twenty-four seconds of indie pop perfection. Taken from their forthcoming [apparently] highly anticipated debut full-length, Love Is A Landmine, the song is a totally #relatable love song, with frontman Luke O’Loughlin lamenting a lover who has obviously been playing some serious head games. The song follows lead single, “Landmine”, another infectious poptastic track about the perils of love. Actually according to O’Loughlin, "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't an album full of love songs, but not always in the classic romantic sense.” He adds, "It reflects on experiences where attempts at love are met with confusion, pain and alienation. The record also explores the importance of learning to love yourself before you can successfully love someone else."

Imma keep it 💯 with you guys, I would endure SXSW just for this band if the opportunity presented itself. If you’re going, you must see them. I will get more info as I get more acclimated to this hit factory of a band and share though, trust.

Love Is A Landmine is out on April 5th, because of course this is dropping during birthday month.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Grand Pax - "Bunk"

photo credit: Netti Hurley

Yesterday London synthwave artist Grand Pax unveiled her latest single, “Bunk”, a dark pulsating introspective track with little bits of fuzz and warped pitches in all the right places. The blend of ambient, trip-hop, and synth-pop vibes throughout the song showcase the energy of a range of emotions that one experiences while having a moment of self-reflection. Speaking on the track, she explains, “‘Bunk’ for me depicts the struggle with the darker aspects of myself. I find I’m typically at either side of the extremes; destructive, or hopeful. The process of landing at either end can be hectic.” She added, “[It] for me was something of a milestone to write. It’s my own personal anthem.”

Folks on the other side of the pond can catch on tour over the next month or at The Great Escape festival in Brighton.

GRAND PAX 2019 TOUR DATES:

Feb 23 | AMATA Building, Falmouth^ 

Feb 25 | Green Door Store, Brighton^

Feb 26 | Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham^

Feb 27| Headrow House, Leeds^ 

Mar 1 | YES! (Basement), Manchester ^ 

Mar 2 | Crofters Rights, Bristol^

May 9-12 | The Great Escape, Brighton

^with IDER

[SONG OF THE DAY] Swimm - "Windows Up"

Last week LA indie rockers Swimm decided to surprise fans by releasing a reinterpreted version of their well-loved single, “Windows”, which comes from their debut full-length, Sentimental Porno. This updated version, which they’re calling “Windows Up” builds on what was already a breathtaking song and by injecting a bit more energy into it turned it into something more anthemic feeling.

The rework comes just days before their performance at the 3rd annual Love You Down festival in LA, which will also include  Warpaint, Gardens and Villa, Sego, Goldensuns and Rugby Wild on the bill. If I were in LA this would be the thing I would go to, mostly so I could go hug Sego lol.

2/7 – Los Angeles, CA for Love You Down III

2/8 – Los Angeles, CA for Love You Down III

3/7 – Sarasota, FL @ Ringling Underground Museum

5/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar

5/23 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

5/28 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst

5/30 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop

6/1 – Las Vegas, NV @ Backstage Bar & Billiards

[SONG OF THE DAY] Midnight Pool Party - "Slow Down"

Sydney synth-pop duo Midnight Pool Party shared their latest track, “Slow Down” last week, which is a cut from their forthcoming EP, MOTIONS, which is currently in the works. The song, which features some additional work on keys from their friend Allan McConnell of Close Counters. Speaking on the track, singer Darren Morilla said, “Slow Down’ was written at the time I was working things out with an ex-lover and wanted to take things slow. It’s about getting caught-up in the heat of the moment but realising you need to take a step back, slow it down and try to appreciate the situation more.”

I’m really gonna have to move to Australia, aren’t I? Ugh.