[SONG OF THE DAY] Spacey Jane - "Cold Feet"

Prepare yourselves fam for I have found the perfect little bop to trick you into believing it’s actually warmer outside than it actually is. Western Australia’s Spacey Jane have crafted the perfect blend of indie pop in the form of their song, “Cold Feet”, which is off their EP, In The Slight, which was released last week. Fans of Car Seat Headrest, Alvvays, and the like will def catch a vibe from their EP. From the looks of things these Aussie babies are quickly gaining some good momentum in the land down under with no signs of slowing down and I’m HERE FOR IT. They just secured a slot at Falls Festival in Freemantle early next year so if you happen to be down that way do not miss these little indie darlings.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Sure Sure - "Idiot"

No one in music right now is having as much fun being in a band than LA’s Sure Sure.

No one. It’s just not possible.

This band is so pure that it’s next to impossible to not get the warm and fuzzies from merely thinking about them. I have had the pleasure of catching these guys twice and their live shows are jam packed full of laughs and super fun synchronized dance moves. We love good people making equally as good (if not better) music. We love them even more when their hoodies are the softest thing of your entire life.

As the band explains, their latest single, “Idiot”, is a song “about judging a person from afar and then realizing you are that person. It’s also about embracing your dysfunctionality and ripping a guitar solo.”

The band has been out on the road with other SKOA favorites Wilderado and there’s just one show left of the tour. If you happen to be in Salt Lake City and could use a posi-party then head to Kilby Court on Friday (11/16)….and definitely grab a hoodie good Lorde that thing is seriously so soft. I’ve barely taken mine off since I got it.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Chris Ayer - "Need Somebody"

Last week Cali crooner Chris Ayer shared his latest single, “Need Somebody”, which will promptly deliver a swift hit right in the feels so prepare yourself. The song details the feeling in your gut when you know that you’re in a relationship that’s bad for you but you don’t want to break up because you’ve gotten so attached to them.

Been there, bro. It fucking sucks.

I really admire the amount of vulnerability that’s been coming through with the last few singles he’s released. If you haven’t peeped “Ringing In My Ears”, “11:59”, and “Stranger” definitely love yourself enough to go have a listen to those as well.

NY fam mark your calendars: Chris Ayer will be opening for Matt Simons at Mercury Lounge this Thursday (11/15) which means you have more than enough time to learn all of these new songs. 😎

[SONG OF THE DAY] Bay Ledges - "Electric Dream"

Photographer credit Meddy Hurd

It’s been a minute since I checked in on LA’s Bay Ledges. Like many who’ve come to love the band, my gateway drug into their lush melodies with synths and punchy beats scattered throughout was “Hearts”. Last year the band released two EPs, The EP and Fountain Tropical. Yesterday they unveiled their latest single, “Electric Dream”, which comes from their forthcoming In Waves EP, which will be dropping at the end of the month on November 30th. The single follows songs “Whenever You Sleep” and “I Remember”, which will also be included on the EP.

On Thursday singer and mastermind behind Bay Ledges Zach Hurd spoke to PopMatters about the song, where he explained,

“It's about going out and dancing. The whole scene - standing in line at some club, hoping you might meet someone that night and trying to break out of your self-awareness. For me, there's always been this hump I have to get over of forgetting about what I look like to other people when I'm dancing. The song observes that conflict of not wanting to be judged but also really wanting to move and be free.”

Bay Ledges is currently on tour with Magic City Hippies in the southeast. Make sure you go check them out if you’re able. Dates below!

BAY LEDGES LIVE

November 10—The Southern—Charlottesville, VA*

November 11—Metro Gallery—Baltimore, MD

November 14—Aisle 5—Atlanta, GA

November 15—Jack Rabbits—Jacksonville, FL

November 16—The Social—Orlando, FL

November 17—The Orpheum—Tampa Bay, FL

*with Magic City Hippies

[SONG OF THE DAY] Pat Lok - "Know Me (feat. Kate Stewart)"

We’re just a mere hours away from the weekend and it’s time to D-A-N-C-E, y’all!

You know how I love throwing a vibe on my way out the door on Friday and who better to put you in the mood to get your groove on than Vancouver’s very own Pat Lok. Over the past few months Lok has been dropping sporadic singles (and their accompanying remixes) such as “Might Be On Fire” and “WYG (4 ME)”. On Wednesday he unveiled his latest track, “Know Me”, which features vocal stylings from songstress Kate Stewart.

If you’re just tuning in to the musical stylings of Pat Lok, please live your best life and spend the rest of the weekend dancing to his debut album Hold On Let Go.

Happy weekend!

[SONG OF THE DAY] SG Lewis - "Again (feat. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs)"

Today in Everything SG Lewis Makes Is So Perfect It’s Almost Unfair we have his latest single, “Again”, which is a collaboration with the ever loved Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. The track follows “A.A.T” which featured Drew Love of THEY fame and is part of the second phase of his upcoming three-part concept album Dusk, Dark, Dawn, which chronicles the trajectory of a night out through its different moods and genres and serves as a tribute to club and youth culture.

Earlier this year he released Dusk, which was a blend of glimmering disco and electro pop. As you’ll hear on “A.A.T.” and (more specifically) “Again”, this second phase, Dark, is exploring much heavier sounds.

After wrapping a massive US tour, SG will be heading to Europe for a string of dates starting in late November including Bristol and Manchester shows before closing out the tour with a special headline show at London Printworks on December 7th. Dates below Euro fam!

SG LEWIS ON TOUR

Nov 24 2018 - Waagenbau - Hamburg, Germany
Nov 25 2018 - Lille Vega - Copenhagen, Denmark
Nov 26 2018 - Badehaus Szimpla - Berlin, Germany
Nov 28 2018 - Yuca - Cologne, Germany
Dec 03 2018 - Thekla - Bristol, United Kingdom
Dec 04 2018 - Club Academy - Manchester, United Kingdom
Dec 05 2018 - Green Room at The Academy - Dublin, Ireland
Dec 07 2018 - The Printworks - London, United Kingdom

[SONG OF THE DAY] Dan D'Lion - "Give What You Take"

Oooo y’all I just found a brank spanking new baby band for you!

Fresh out of the box with his debut single only a few hours old, please meet London newcomer Dan D’Lion. His debut single, “Give What You Take” is a vibey blend of electro-pop and nu-funk that deals with the idea of capturing polarizing aspects of your personality. Over the past few years he’s been writing/producing for artists like Salen, Punctual, Delilah Montagu, Zilo, and Feder, all the while working on his debut release.

Drawing inspiration from his time working with artists, writers and producers, both in London and internationally, the music for his personal project is written, produced and performed in full by himself. "This was the first track I wrote for myself where everything started to make sense,” he noted, “As it all came together it felt like a real turning point, and the lyrics actually ended up becoming motivational to myself in a way, taking away the daunting aspect of crafting something for myself."

This is one hell of a first impression. Very anxious to hear what else this Dan D’Dude has up his sleeves.

[SONG OF THE DAY] + [INTERVIEW] Too Many T's - "Patterns"

photo credit: Phoebe Montague

The loveliest London lads known as Too Many T’s are some of the most creative people I’ve had the pleasure of coming in contact with. When they’re not releasing cheeky videos rapping about bees to the tune of Destiny’s Child’s “Jumpin’ Jumpin’” or enlisting Alexa (yes THAT Alexa) to rap with them, the duo have been working tirelessly on visuals to accompany their debut full-length, South City, which was released last year. I delightedly tuned in for the debut of “Hang Tight”, the first ever one-take video shot on Facebook live and have been consistently inspired by their persistence in taking their innovation to new heights with the release of every video.

Their creation to accompany “Patterns” is their latest tour de force, which will be premiering live on YouTube Premier, a feature that allows the creator set its upload like a premiere and watch together with their viewers when the video goes live, and like a live stream on YouTube, both the creator and viewers will be able to engage in a discussion at the comments section. 

Yours truly got a sneak peek of the stunning video, which is the first time that gaming hardware has been used to both capture and render a music video. Get this, y’all: it was painstakingly put together over the course of over 600 hours of production and rendering with the help of triff (born Stuart Trevor), a video game artist who had been exploring motion capture using an Xbox Kinect camera, more conventionally seen attached to a games console. His work repurposes the camera to capture both movement and depth, which he then places within CGI environments created using visual effects software such as 3ds Max, Redshift and After Effects – which is then output through two powerful gaming-orientated graphics cards.

The final result is nothing short of insanely impressive. “Patterns” is a song about overcoming mental health issues and the struggle to escape patterns of bad habits which the band fell into on tour. The scenes throughout the video are meant to showcase how dark and isolating this uphill battle can be. I’d say they absolutely nailed that aesthetic. As if this wasn’t already mind blowing enough, the jaw dropper of a video is set premiere at the prestigious BBC Amplify event at The Rattle in Tobacco Dock with three daily screenings on November 8th - 10th. The screening will include a presentation by the duo on how new artists should innovate and collaborate with emerging technology, and will also include a demonstration by Play On Player - a new interactive app allowing users to immerse themselves within the song by experimenting with the stems of the track, creating their own fan versions. 

As can be expected I had too many Qs for Too Many Ts about all of this but managed to contain myself enough to only shoot over a few to these dope ass dudes. Peep our convo below!

still from “Patterns” video courtesy of Too Many T’s

How did you manage to link up with triff?

Standaloft: On the information highway.

Leon Rhymes: We knew we wanted to create something special for the “Patterns” video - something we’d not seen before. So from the start we knew we needed more brains than just our own.

Standaloft: We began by reaching out to our extended community to see what and who people knew. One of those people was the legend that is Stuart Trevor or as we like to call him, Triff.

In the past you guys have rapped with Alexa, now with Triff's help you've essentially hacked a Kinect to shoot mo-cap for "Patterns", what inspires you to tinker with new technologies in unconventional ways? 

S: Creativity and limitations. 

LR: And the desire to explore opportunity. 

S: We always want to create something that we’re proud of musically and visually and by incorporating new technologies it forces us to think outside of convention.

LR: Couple this with financial limitations of an unsigned band and you get to a special place of creative innovation. 

“We always want to create something that we’re proud of musically and visually and by incorporating new technologies it forces us to think outside of convention. ”

— Standaloft, Too Many T's

How does video extend the narrative of your music? 

S: With the rise of affordable professional camera equipment the accompanying music video to the track has become almost expected.

LR: And the a visual is such a powerful tool - just take a walk down the street or a train across town to see the amount of adverts everywhere. Not only is the visual expected we’re also fighting against more visuals than ever to stand out. 

S: So it’s important to do try and make something different or something only you can do. 

LR: I think the idea of a story is important - it’s why stories are still read and will survive all digital technology. So if you can create a storyline to run alongside the song I think that’s really strong. 

S: That’s something we did with the music video for “Panther”. 

LR: For “Patterns” the video enhances the mood and feeling within the song. For “Panther” it was more of a simultaneous (and different) storyline running alongside the track. 

still from “Patterns” video courtesy of Too Many T’s

What's the symbolism behind the different scenes depicted in "Patterns"? 

LR: This was very much led by Triff. We’d always seen the song as a whole but he broke the track up into  6 scenes + an epic intro. 

S: What this did though was treat all the scenes and characters in isolation which really works in the world of the song and that feeling of being alone with no one to turn to but your demons. 

LR: It enhances the overall feeling throughout the song.

How do you manage life on tour so you don't fall into the same patterns that inspired the song?  

LR: Honestly!? Not gonna lie, it’s difficult - can resist anything but temptation! 

S: Late nights can help you lose the days and we’ve had to be professional when on tour this year. We’ve grown up (slightly) and learnt to know our limits. 

LR: You need to make mistakes sometime to learn about yourself. 

What's next for you guys? 

LR: We’re certainly not stopping here and really excited about the next 12 months!

S: We’ve had a really successful year in France so we’re working on a French connection project with our label Banzai Lab and all the artist we’ve met out there - stay tuned for that cos its gonna be sick! We’ve recently started writing some new tunes for the second album as well. Watch out 2019, you’re getting had!

LR: More immediately we’re going on tour in Australia and South East Asia for three months January to March with gigs in Melbourne, Sydney, Bangkok, Chang Mai, Hanoi, Phnom Pehn, Tokyo and more TBC.

UPDATE: “Patterns” premiered LIVE today (11/6) on YouTube at 7:30PM GMT (2:30PM EST). Check out the video below!