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[SONG OF THE DAY] White Prism - "Good Man"
Los Angeles based synth pop solo artist White Prism (born Johanna Cranitch) has released a shimmering anthemic single, “Good Man”. The track is the first of many that Johanna ever self-produced since relocating to Los Angeles and found time to work on her own music. After being raised in Australia on classical music, she studied jazz in college and cut her teeth in NYC as an assistant recording engineer in NYC before joining bands such The Cranberries and Nina Persson (The Cardigans) as a background vocalist and keyboard player.
The song is rooted in the theme of fighting for love and what you believe in. “It’s about banding together and two being better than one in times of crisis. I wrote ‘Good Man’ after a difficult period with my then husband,” Johanna explains, “ I was reflecting on our differences and right when I was writing the lyrics. The news came on that trump had started to attack the health care bill in the courts effectively taking away transgender rights to the health care act. It felt like a very ominous sign of things to come.”
#diSKOAverweekly: Week of September 25, 2019
Beck - “E-Pro (CapeLion V2 Remix)
I’m not sure why this remix was being hoarded for so long only to be leveraged in this Destiny 2 trailer, but goddamn if this isn’t the 2 minute burst of energy I needed in my LIFE!!! Also, checked out some of Cape Lion’s stuff. SUPER DOPE.
Ssion - “Heaven Is My Thing Again”
Ugh it’s so hard to keep tabs on all of the NY bbs but imma try harder to make sure that
O Mer - “Repack The Junk”
Brooklyn (by way of Tel Aviv) bb is getting ready to drop an EP titled the same as this track. Should be dropping fairly soon, given I’m just catching up on the handful of tracks he’s dropped this year.
Wrabel - “magic”
My beloved lil bae-bel dropped an EP one of those happy people and I can’t get over how wild of a ride it’s been with this sweetheart since his Sideways days.
All Tvvins - “Divine”
Fresh off tour these dudes hit the studio and started crankin out some hits and this is the first of many to come (per the band)
Wet - “Old Bone (Jim-E Stack Remix)”
Okay so like this is one of those instances where I am just like really taken by how transformative this remix is. Jim-E Stack brought a completely different energy with his take on Wet’s latest single, “Old Bone”. You ABSOLUTELY MUST LISTEN TO BOTH. I’M NOT FUCKING AROUND HERE ABOUT THIS.
Jamo - “Connection (feat. YOUNGSOUL)”
I know you are surprised that I stumbled into a new Australian artist that I am relatively smitten by. It’s cool, you’ll get used to it eventually. Actually I suppose this one’s a 2 for 1 special because although Jamo lures you in with the vibe, singer YOUNGSOUL gets all up in your ear and coats your eardrums with his silky smooth voice and THAT’S WHEN THE REAL SWOONING STARTS.
Dansu - “State of Mind”
I keep waiting for Dansu to take off big time. They’re so fucking perfectly electro-poptastic.
Squid - “The Cleaner”
Feeling v hashtag blessed to have finally checked out Squid this week. Their new EP Town Centre is quite delightful, but “The Cleaner” is by far my fave. It’s super fun, dare I say sassy post-punk. Will probably be grabbing this on vinyl when it’s available on November 15th.
PLANET - “Never New”
Sydney four-piece PLANET make shimmery indie-pop and I would very much like to get on a plane to Australia and just swoon and twirl at all of their shows…maybe forever?
Georgia - “Never Let You Go”
London electro-pop powerhouse Georgia shared the first taste of her forthcoming album Seeking Thrills, which is slated to drop in January 2020. I hope I don’t have to wait that long to hear more of this because this is ✨very much my shit✨.
Keelan Mak - “Sleep Talker”
I think Brisbane’s self proclaimed “22 year old bedroom producer dude” Keelan Mak is tryna seduce us into said bedroom with his latest single. It….might be working. His voice is very swoon-worthy.
Justin Jay - “i know ur out there”
LA house hunny Justin Jay dropped his latest record everything will come together, pt. 1 a few months back. This is the opening track of what ended up being quite a fun run for my earholes, so def don’t sleep on checking out the rest of the record when you find yourself loving this!
Sofi Tukker - “Swing (Crush Club Remix)”
So v v v v v v v v proud to be the president of the Crush Club 💖⚡️Crush Club. This remix is 🔥🔥🔥🔥.
Man Without Country - “Forever Endeavour”
The homey recently launched a Patreon and this was the first single since that all started up. Lucky fans got to hear it before it hit DSPs elsewhere. Very happy he’s sticking it out. I luhhh him.
b.i.g.s.h.r.i.m.p. - “Wyoming (feat. Bunny)”
Another tasty treat from Post Animal guitarist Jake Hirshland’s side project. I wonder how many of these he’s sitting on? I should probs DM him.
Okay fine I’ll post the embed for the archive here too so it’s all in once nice and neat place for you in case you missed last week’s tracks.
#diSKOAverweekly: Week of September 18, 2019
I’ve decided to make more work for myself with diSKOAver weekly! So exciting!
I feel like it’s not fair to the bands I feature in this playlist to not give them the same amount of love I do with all the other features I do so I’ve decided to do a tweets worth of info on each track because after all sharing is caring and boy do I give so many fucks about putting these songs in your hands.
OKAY HERE WE GO!
Moon Boots - “You Won’t See Me Cry (feat. Little Boots)
This cut from the new Moon Boots record is my personal slice of discotastic heaven. The rest of the record is super fun, too.
DallasK - “I Know”
Gonna be honest, kind of embarrassed that I’m just now getting into DallasK but damn I picked a fucking banger to get on board.
Mason - “Rhythm In My Brain”
Honestly it’s not fair that Mason is so perfect. And he’s SO CASUAL about dropping so many bops. This one is SUCH 💥A 💥VIBE💥.
Los Padres - “Boomerang (feat. Nina Sung)”
Holy shit my home state over here making me SO PROUD with this house hitttttttttt. Def gonna be keeping an eye out on this duo for what they do next. 👀👀👀
RAAVE TAPES - “stabs”
I have been OBSESSED with this song since I heard it. They’re like a lovely intersection of The Rapture, Does It Offend You Yeah, Crystal Castles, and Late of the Pier. I WANT MORE DANCE PUNK LIKE THIS. GIVE IT TO ME
CRX - “Walls”
Fun fact: Josh Homme from QOTSA produced this whole record. Love how fucking high energy this is. Oh and Nick Valensi from The Strokes is the singer so you know these dudes aren’t fuckin around.
Tomos - “An Intermission”
If I could float around in space to this I would be pretty hype about it. No, I’m not high.
Cashmere Cat - “FOR YOUR EYES ONLY”
This new single is quite lovely and I’m very happy that they’ll be playing Webby Hall in December.
Sparrows - “Do U Wanna Dance?”
Something about the synths in this makes me think of “Sync” from the FEZ soundtrack but more energetic and that pleases me very much.
Rejje Snow - “LMFAO”
I need to spend more time with Rejje’s last record that this track is from. It’s very much my shit, but I bet you’ll be able to tell why this one was my favorite. 😂
AJ Abdullah - “Oh, the Moon!”
HOW SWEET IS HIS VOICE!? HOW SWEET IS THIS FUCKIN’ SONG!? I’m glad I decided to check my email before I pulled tracks for this week’s update today. This was such a delightful surprise.
MXMS - “What’s My Name?”
This one is a real gut punch. Funeral pop duo MXMS released this on World Suicide Prevention Day and if it doesn’t make your eyes water a little bit you might be dead inside?????????
Sego x Vacationer - “YAH.”
Sego and Vacationer teamed up to cover Kendrick Lamar and it’s just so….. *chef’s kiss*
Hunjiya - “go to bed (feat. Ben Hon)”
My good friend and neighborhood troubadour Jesse Ruben introduced me to Hunjiya (born Alice Kim) when I ran into him on the street a few weeks ago and was like, “you’d fucking love Alice’s music” AND HE WAS RIGHT. Her new EP is FANTASTIC.
Sam Hollis - “Miranda”
I have been sitting on this Sam Hollis jam for way too long (Sorry Sam). Even though he’s homeys with Timi Temple it’s TOTALLY DIFFERENT VIBE A BOY DO I MEAN VIIIIBBBBEEEE.
Hundredth - “Whatever”
So this band gradually pivoted from essentially hardcore to shoegaze and it…..totally fucking works. The older stuff is fine, but they really wear this new direction INCREDIBLY WELL.
IF YOU’VE STUMBLED INTO THIS POST AFTER I’VE SWAPPED OUT THESE TRACKS DO NOT PANIC!! I GOTCHU FAM! You can grab these (and a fuckload more music) over in the archive.
ENJOY! 💖
[SONG OF THE DAY] San Scout - "Sideways"
SKOA favorites San Scout have returned with another dose of downtempo alt-pop, “Sideways” straight from The Pharmacy, which is the band’s forthcoming project that will be dropping shortly for those of you just tuning in. Further carving out the vibe for this batch of songs, the broody bop is, as the band explains, “some sort of dark pop ode to the futility of modern relationships.” As usual you can expect their blend of vocal harmonies, warm synths, and ripping guitars to give you goosebumps in the best possible of ways.
While we wait on the proper release of The Pharmacy, fans can head to the band’s website and explore the virtual abandoned pharmacy that they created in an aptly dreary dystopian world. If you look closely enough while wandering around you can find links to the bands socials, games, and more.
Other cool things going on with the lovely London lads: apparently back in October the duo caught the attention of Emma Breschi who asked them to write the music for her Vivienne Westwood ‘Creatives’ campaign.
If you happen to be in London next week, be sure to check them out at The Lexington on September 19th.
[SONG OF THE DAY] TWINKIDS - "Eighteen"
photo credit: Iván Darío
LA queer pop duo TWINKIDS have returned with a brand new song, “Eighteen”, taken from their forthcoming EP Lizard House, which is slated for a November 22nd release. The scintillating slice of 80s era synth pop follows last year’s pair of poptastic singles, “I’m Sorry” and “Jigoku Tengoku”. As we’ve come to know and love about the dancy duo, the delivery of the group’s candid lyrics by vocalist Gene Fukui offers such a remarkably unique layer of tenderness to their sound and “Eighteen” is no exception to this. A retrospective song about young romance, the mid-tempo production is full of shimmering synths, offering a perfect setup to balance the slight twinge we often feel while reflecting on the past. As Gene explains, “The song is about looking back at your past self and realizing how much you’ve changed and how much other people have changed. I guess that’s terrifying in a way, like nothing really stays the same. Even something you once felt like you were going to devote your entire life to feels really distant, but it still left a hole in your heart."
Upcoming TWINKIDS tour dates:
OCT 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers
[SONG OF THE DAY] Husky Loops - "I Think You're Wonderful"
The Husky hunnies have returned with a new track from their highly anticipated debut full-length I CAN’T EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH, which is now out on September 6th. “I Think You’re Wonderful” is an uplifting track about universal love, which could not come at a more appropriate time in the world’s current state. As singer Danio Forni mused, “I want people to listen to this one and feel encouraged to tell someone they care about that they’re wonderful.[…] Human beings are hard-wired to notice and remember negative news and events, but we need to have hope, we have to fight to stay happy and sane.”
What a lovely bunch of fellas, let me tell you. With an equally lovely song I might add. In the same way that with their previous single, “Everyone Is Having Fun Fun Fun But Me”, the trio has leveraged a catchy ass hook on repeat for the chorus, only this time instead of showcasing anxiety, you just find yourself so overwhelmed with joy. Every time I’ve played this song thus far I have thought of someone new that I want to send this song to so they know how much I care. Not too many songs can evoke that as effortlessly as Husky Loops has on this one.
In addition to the new track, I am happy to report that the band has also announced that they will be hitting the road in support of I CAN’T EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH starting with an album release party on August 15th at Rye Wax in London before hitting the road for most of October.
Also spoiler alert: yours truly has been blessed and has had a chance to give I CAN’T EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH a few spins and I have nothing but wonderful things to say, which I will share through closer to the release date. In the meantime, trust yer girl that you are gonna wanna pre-order this one.
OCTOBER
09 - Manchester, Jimmy’s
10 - Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge
11 - Glasgow, Blue Arrow
12 - Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club
16 - London, Bermondsey Social Club
17 - London, Bermondsey Social Club
19 - Southampton, Joiners
23 - Hamburg, Moloto
24 - Berlin, Maze Club
26 - Rotterdam, Rotown
27 - Amsterdam, Paradiso
29 - Paris, Supersonic
30 - Zurich, Kater
[SONG OF THE DAY] Make Friends - "Ellie"
It’s time you got to know Bristol 4-piece Make Friends, who recently shared the video for their latest track, “Ellie”. The song is taken from their upcoming Hi EP, which drops tomorrow (7/26). The band have been carving out a space for their blend of glimmering indie pop with previous tracks, “Talk Tomorrow” and “Drop Naked”. If you live across the pond you might have caught wind of them on either BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X, Amazing Radio, and BBC Introducing, where they’ve been getting some love.
Speaking of the latest single, lead singer Tom Andrew says "Ellie is the most personal track on the EP. It's a retrospective account of the frustration and emptiness felt from a lack of connection in your relationship. It's also about coming to terms with the fact that maybe it coming to an end was for the best and accepting that they might be happier with someone else."
[SONG OF THE DAY] The New Division - "Fascination"
Last week Los Angeles future synth project The New Division dropped their latest EP Fascination and shared the music video for the title track on the EP. The track is the first single from the band’s forthcoming album Hidden Memories and is about project mastermind John Kunkel’s experiences of being on tour both stateside and internationally, and how sleep deprivation alters the mind.
“I’ve always wanted to write a song that touched on the mental health aspects of being on tour, sleep deprived, and how that starts to mess with your thoughts,” he shares, “The words are a series of lyrics that jotted down on a notepad, which at the time made no sense, but I jotted them down regardless. To me the song is a dream sequence where half of the time I’m enjoying being on the road while the other half I’m kind of hating life, wishing I was home. Touring never feels completely right and never feels completely wrong, and that’s where the fascination aspect of it all comes together. You’re in a constant zombie state where normal life ceases to exist, and your mind begins to adapt to being on the road.”
The accompanying video offers a different interpretation of the songs lyrics, showcasing the isolation that comes with everyone being obsessed with being on their phones.
“One of the things you notice a lot on tour is how little people interact with one another due to constantly being on their phones,” recalls John, “I remember touring 10 years ago and compared to what it’s like now. There’s a huge disconnect that nowadays we accept, but at the end of the day we all crave that real, undistracted human interaction with one another. I’m guilty of it as much as the next person."