[SONG OF THE DAY] Max Rad - "Flesh & Blood"

As much as it irritates me to no end when artists go the hella illusive route with their online personas, I do delight in reporting on the occasional super sleuthing mission. This me for today’s SOTD —-> 🧐

Earlier this week The Algorithm™ delivered London producer/singer-songwriter Max Rad’s last track, “Rumors”, which as you’ll hear for yourself, is this laid back blend of trip-hop and R&B. As per usual when I find something that’s a delight to my ears I dive head first into their artist profile to see what else they’ve got going on.

Me: Oh! There’s a brand new track, “Flesh & Blood” and it’s just as good (if not better) than “Rumors”! Hell yes! Okay so what is this dude’s deal then?

Fam, there’s just like links to his Instagram and Facebook. No bio. No nothing. But he’s on like so many fucking playlists. His Instagram is meticulous and nothing too personal. But wait there’s a link to his official website on his Facebook where you can enter your email for free tickets (for what I assume is this Camden Assembly show on April 25th in London).

Which of course had me all, Okay no but REALLY who the fuck is this dude?!

Fortunately for y’all I have zero chill so I sat back for a couple of days and started looking for clues. Earlier today, I noticed on IG stories that he was celebrating the fact that London singer-songwriter Nathan Ball hit 4 million streams on his breakout track, “Drifting”. A track that, per some additional casual digging, a one Max Radford co-wrote and co-produced.

From the looks of the personal Twitter account he occasionally still updates, the story here appears to be that the dude has been working closely with Nathan Ball for a minute, lending his services on guitar for Ball as needed. Then early last year he started putting together the project you’re vibing to now under the name Max Rad and started getting some buzz love from around folks like Line of the Best Fit, Blue Walrus, NME, Clash, etc.

You’ll note that when Clash first wrote up his debut single, “Carousel”, that they even go as far to say, “We still don't know a hell of a lot about the newcomer - but that's fine, given that his colourful, lucid pop constructions speak for themselves.”

Well…. now you at least have a bit more to sink your teeth into so when you tell your friends about Max Rad you can say more than, “Yo this shit so so good tho”.

🧐😂💖

[WATCH] Empath - "Soft Shape" (Official Video)

Philly lo-fi rockers Empath have announced their debut full-length album, Active Listening: Night On Earth, which drops in April. On the heels of the announcement, the band have shared lead single, “Soft Shape” along with the accompanying video. Following up their Crystal Reality Vol. 1 & 2 EPs, “Soft Shape” chugs fuzzy bass and plinky guitars through your eardrums, all the while weaving howling synths to and fro.

The video features the band performing in a spooky retro-looking house, including a room full of dolls. As you follow along you’ll find yourself thinking, “Somehow…this….actually….fits….perfectly?”

The band will be performing at SXSW in addition to a handful of gigs on the east coast. Dates below!

UPCOMING SHOWS:

Friday March 8 Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Festival
Saturday March 9 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
March 13 - 15 Austin, TX @ SXSW
Saturday March 16 Dallas, TX @ Not So Fun Weekend
Wednesday March 20 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Saturday April 6 Harrisonburg, VA @ MACROCK Festival 

[WATCH] tiLLie - "faith" (Official Video)

still taken from “faith” music video

tiLLie is back and she’s got some goodies for us! ✨

After releasing her infectious karma-laden anthem, “faith”, the shimmering songstress has unveiled not only the accompanying music video, but also news that she will be releasing her sophomore EP LOUD MOUTH on March 8th.

The video features our heroine cathartically dancing around in her bedroom before taking to the streets. Inspired by an actual evening in her own bedroom, she revealed the inspiration behind the video in a recent interview with Galore,

"I had just gotten home and was listening to the demo as I was washing my face and suddenly I just felt like I was a teenager in my bedroom again listening to a song that was written just for me. I started jumping on my bed and just had this cathartic dance party. So, the video basically became a recreation of that with the help of the ever so talented Erik Rojas. It represents what I hoped this song would feel like to whoever hears it and is going through the emotional rollercoaster of a bad break up or healing from abuse. There’s no endorphin boost quite like carefree dancing through all your feelings. I’ve done it since i was a kid and will do it till the day i can’t dance no more. It gives me a release like no other."

I love the symbolism of her working through her frustration while in her bedroom before hitting the streets celebrating the power that she’s reclaimed.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

March 7th - Portland, OR @ Lola's Room

March 9th - San Francisco, CA @ Brick + Mortar

March 11th - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo

March 12th - San Diego, CA @ Casbah

March 14th - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar

March 15th - Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole

March 18th - Dallas, TX @ Cambridge Room

March 19th - Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock

March 21st - Austin, TX @ Stubbs Jr

March 24th - Atlanta, GA @ Purgatory

March 25th - Nashville, TN @ High Watt

March 27th - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506

March 28th - Washington, DC @ DC9

March 29th - Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge

March 30th - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge

April 1st - Boston, MA @ Great Scott

April 2nd - Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose

April 4th - Detroit, MI @ Shelter

April 6th - Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache

April 8th - Cleveland, OH @ Basement

April 9th - Columbus, OH @ Cambridge Room

April 11th - Chicago, IL @ Schubas

April 12th - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall

April 14th - St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Hall

April 16th - Kansas City, MO @ Encore

April 17th - Denver, CO @ The Globe

April 18th - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court

[SONG OF THE DAY] BABii - "SEiiZURE"

Late last week Margate, UK artist BABii unveiled her karaoke-esque style music video for her recent single, “SEiiZURE”. If you’re having trouble following along with the lyrics, that’s because the words are all written in BABii’s own pictorial alphabet. Speaking about the video, BABii said "FROM MAKiiN THiiS ViiDEO iiVE REALiiSED THAT ii AM JUST TRYiiNG TO LiiVE MY CHiiLDHOOD GiiRL DREAMS WiiTH ALL THE THiiNGS ii MAKE AROUND MUSiiC. iiTS FUN AND ii LiiKE iiT."

Where does one learn to speak fluent BABii, I wonder?? 🤔🤔🤔

“SEiiZURE” comes from her forthcoming debut full-length, HiiDE, which will be released later this year courtesy of Deathwaltz Originals.

Folks across the pond can catch her at a few shows coming up in Berlin, Munich, and London. Those of us in the US of A gotta figure out last minute SXSW plans if we plan on seeing her live any time soon.

See BABii live:
1/3 Gretchen, Berlin (DJ set) w/ Iglooghost + Kai Whiston
2/3 Common Ground, Munich w/ Iglooghost + Kai Whiston 
7/3 Scala, London supporting Crooked Colours 
11/3 - 17/3 SXSW, Austin

[SONG OF THE DAY] Bronze Whale - "Cruising"

Last week Austin groove gods Bronze Whale released their first track of 2019, “Cruising”. Following the slightly more upbeat tracks, “Never” and “One” that were released near the end of 2018, “Cruising” subtly shifts gears with the song’s steady pulsating hypnotic synths and gradual builds. If you were to accidentally put this song on repeat before going for a drive to clear your head you might end up states away from where you started without noticing the amount of time or distance that has elapsed.

“It delivered exactly the feeling we wanted,” the duo said of the track. “That first moment when the lights hit and a show begins. Cruise control on an open highway. Enjoying the night.”

With every song they’ve delivered in the past 6 months I’m very much looking forward to birthday month (April), which is when Benny and Jacques are expected to release their debut full-length, The Shape Of Things.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Ekkah - "Just A Thing"

You know what time it is. IT’S VIBE OCLOCK ON FRIDAY, CUTE PEOPLE!

Been longer than a minute since I checked in on disco-funk duo Ekkah. When last I heard from the pair they had just released their “Ekkah x Real Love” single back in 2016. Fortunately for us they’ve resurfaced this year, dropping “Homesick” early in January under my nose. Today brings us a new track, “Just A Thing”, which is a nice way to end a mostly-unintentional Valentine’s Day themed week. The duo enlisted the likes of SG Lewis and Phairo to collaborate with them on the track and as you’ll hear for yourself it is quite the lovely pairing.

Speaking on the track, the band explained, “‘Just A Thing’ is a song about a relationship that never quite took off. It's about not expecting too much from another person, you don't always have to fall in love, it was just a thing and that's cool sometimes!”

[SONG OF THE DAY] Baby Ariel - "I Heart You"

photo credit: Brett Erickson

Rising pop powerhouse Baby Ariel perfectly timed the release of her brand new single, “I Heart You”, a perfectly poptastic song about the rollercoaster of emotions that is young love. Along with the single, the songstress also unveiled a lyric video that she produced, directed, and edited herself.

If you’re struggling to place where you’ve seen Baby Ariel before, you may have caught a glimpse of her while channel surfing if you happened to land on Nickelodeon during their original TV movie, Bixler High Private Eye. Born Ariel Martin, she’s been making the rounds on TV and YouTube for some time now and has now set her sights on a music career.

After entering the music scene in 2017 with her debut single, “Aww”, her new single, “I Heart You” follows last year’s, “Gucci On My Body”, “Say It”, and “Perf”.

Happy Valentines Day. 💖

[SONG OF THE DAY] Manics - "Eleven Eleven"

Bay Area bopmakers Manics released their latest track, “Eleven Eleven”, from their forthcoming debut EP, Binary, which drops on March 8th. The shimmering nu-disco melodies paired with their ethereal vocals result in a dreamy lovestruck haze of a song. I imagine this is what it would be like to sip a love potion or something comparable whilst in a discotheque. As the duo explained, the song is about, “seeing someone you know in a new light and being instantly infatuated.”