[SONG OF THE DAY] Tom Aspaul - "Going Down"

Photo by Alice Rainis

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It’s the best day of the weeeeeeek! I am happy to alert you to one of the best humans to ever grace the internet. Today London’s Tom Aspaul released his latest single, “Going Down”, a catchy little number surprisingly enough about dealing with grief and depression. He’s really crafted a perfectly pain-filled pop song, the kind of tune that makes you do a double take at what he’s actually saying because you get lost in the poptastic production. I’m one for dancing my problems away and this is going to be one I reach for from now on when I’m having one of those days.

If this is your first taste of Tom, please make sure you get well acquainted with the variety of music projects he’s been a part of.

Also, love yourself and follow him on Instagram. I live for his IG story bubble to come up and I know plenty of friends who stan equally as hard for them.

[SONG OF THE DAY] St. Lucia - "Bigger"

Even though I’m in bed battling what feels like it could be a cold my heart is so full today.

You guys, last night I finally got to see St. Lucia live! 😍🙏🏻💖✨

Unbeknownst to me, I am apparently amongst the top listeners of St. Lucia on Spotify. Jokes on them, because I’m just now looking at my #data on Last.fm and based on the time period that I listened to them most I probably listened to them the most on Rdio (RIP) than I have on Spotify. At any rate, I got invited to a #SpotifyFansFirst event last night where they played their upcoming album, Hyperion, in the background while we snacked and drank for a bit and then played a set full of old favorites and newer nuggets we will be obsessing over in the coming weeks.

Of all the new tracks they played, “Bigger” (which dropped last week) by far encompasses everything that I have grown to love about this band in the past 7 years. There’s something so undeniably heartwarming about Jean Grobler’s voice on it’s own, but the music itself is always ethereal and expansive, as if it were impossible to contain the notes because they just dissipate into the atmosphere. When you factor in the genuinely heartfelt lyrics on this song, well, “Bigger” is just one of those songs that when you hear it you’re briefly concerned that your heart might float out of your chest.

It was truly a magical night and playful streaming-related shade aside I’m very grateful that Spotify facilitated me being able to see one of my favorite bands.

Hyperion drops next Friday (September 21st) as does their extensive tour starting at the Pier 17 rooftop here in NYC. You can see the full routing for their tour over on their website.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Jaded - "Young"

It’s been a little over a year since I casually slipped UK indie electro-pop trio Jaded in diSKOAver weekly with their breakout hit, “In The Morning”. Since then, I’ve followed along with these dope dudes on Instagram, who have been responsible for me laughing to myself like an idiot on the subway no less than twice. It’s only fitting that they would release a song like, “Young” last week, as it’s *almost* as playful as they are. Almost. This is hands down the care-free anthemic song you need in your life. It’s the perfect microdose of escapism that you need amidst the chaos of everyday life.

Fair warning though: if you’re walking around while rocking this jam you might find yourself pouting, shimmying, and mouthing the words in front of strangers at a crosswalk or something.

Not that I am speaking from experience. 😳

[SONG OF THE DAY] Big Data - "Monster (feat. Jamie Lidell)"

I. Am. So. Happy. These. Dudes. Collaborated. Again. 

Y'all remember the awesomeness that was "Clean" off of Big Data's 2.0, which featured vocal stylings of now Nashville-based powerhouse Jamie Lidell. Well the two have teamed up to REALLY own the Black Mirror pop genre that I playfully invented when "See Through" materialized a few months back. I happened to be starting in on the mini stack of books that Big Data mastermind Alan Wilkis has been casually recommending via his Instagram stories, starting with his #1 recommendation: Life 3.0 Being Human In The Age of Artificial Intelligence  just as "Monster" dropped on Friday. 

Y'all.

The second I got to the chorus of "Monster" I couldn't grab that book fast enough. First of all, I was covered in goosebumps because this first person narrative as sung by Lidell is the kind of story that technologists everywhere : creating technology that we later deeply regret because it ends up being really harmful to mankind. We are definitely living in peak "just because we can make it, SHOULD we make it?" era right now. It's very obvious (and honestly really comforting) that Wilkis has spent a great deal of time pondering this about various technologies we're semi-normalizing in culture and giving us plenty to reconsider before blindly believing that every technological advance is inherently good for us. 

Suffice it to say, every second that I have downtime I am reading that book. Already two chapters in I'm already starting to gain a deeper understanding of the concerns Wilkis' has. It's made me hope that other Big Data fans get curious and equally concerned about our future. 

We're currently 3 songs deep into 3.0's album cycle with no concrete release date in sight, BUT our favorite data driven dude will be hitting the road as he headlines the Sirius XM Alt Nation tour starting in mid-October, so my Kibbe-sense says we'll probably have the whole shebang by then. 

Also in 310 pages I will be making our impending interview official, so know that's coming too. 

BIG DATA Tour Dates:

October 14th - Shelter - Detroit, MI

October 15th - HiFi - Indianapolis, IN

October 16th - Chop Suey - Chicago, IL

October 18th - Rumba - Columbus, OH

October 19th - Cambridge Room @ HOB - Cleveland, OH

October 21st - Space Ballroom - Hamden, CT

October 22nd - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA

October 23rd - Foundry - Philadelphia, PA

October 24th - Gramercy Theatre - New York, NY

October 25th - Songbyrd - Washington, DC

October 27th -  Underground - Charlotte, NC

October 28th - The Cowan - Nashville, TN

October 30th - Cambridge Room @ HOB - Dallas, TX

October 31st - Bronze Peacock @ HOB - Houston, TX

November 1st - Antone’s - Austin, TX

November 2nd - Lowbrow Palace - El Paso, TX

November 4th - Valley Bar - Phoenix, AZ

November 5th - Voodoo Room @ HOB - San Diego, CA

November 6th - Resident - Los Angeles, CA

November 7th - Chapel - San Francisco, CA

November 9th - Dante’s (Take Warning) - Portland, OR

November 10th - Chop Suey - Seattle, WA

[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! 

[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.