It was the end of the first leg of Earthless‘ U.S. tour, and it turned out to be guitarist Isaiah Mitchell‘s birthday. It also turned out to be another stunning performance by them.
My friend and I go to the venue too late to see the first opening band, Ancient Days, but we did catch The Heavy Company (otherwise known as THC) play a blues-infused rock set that impressed the enthusiastic crowd.
The Heavy Company
Earthless played for a little over an hour, and that set was three songs. If you’re new to Earthless, you need to know that two of those songs were over twenty minutes long, and the third was nearly fifteen minutes long. They don’t skimp anything during a show. They give all every time. I yelled, “I can’t feel my face.” after the end of the second track.
L-R: Isaiah Mitchell, Mario Rubalcaba, Mike Eginton
It’s difficult to describe how much heavy power they unleash. I was reminded during their performance of an analogy my wife heard once about a full jar. Take a large, earthenware jar and fill it with rocks. Is the jar full? No. It may seem like it is, but you could fill the space between the rocks with water. Full now? No, because you could slowly add sand to the jar to absorb the water and take up all the remaining space. Now the jar is so heavy you’d need Hulk-like strength to lift it.
Now change the venue to a music venue that holds about 200 people and change the rocks to Isaiah Mitchell’s bass riffs, the water to Mario Rubalcaba’s drum fills, and the sand to Mike Eginton’s heavy bass riffs and you’ll get the idea.
Imbued with that warm afterglow of reflection that arrives with the Autumn season, the newest single from the Paris-based artist delivers both a tender tribute to the late Jimi Hendrix (who died on September the 18th. 1970) on the one hand, and a sepia-tinted recollection of endless Summer’s past, on the other.
As Caesar elaborates of the song:
““Isn’t That What Jimi Said” is a reminiscence about Summer holidays, and in my case, the ones spent in the South of Sweden. It’s about the Summers you have when you’re 16 years old. You fall in love with a strange girl and then you break up. Was it true love or just a Grease-style Summer loving fling? You’re not really sure and you don’t really know how to handle it.”
“The Jimi in question is actually Jimi Hendrix. It refers to the apocryphal idea that he smashed up his guitars out of sheer frustration because they weren’t able to sufficiently express the sounds he had in his mind. It’s the idea
that the emotions you feel are sometimes so strong that you have no ability to express them in a reasonable way. You’re limited by the tools you’re given. That can be painful to experience but it’s also something that can drive great art. Consider the DIY punk ethos. The technical ability you have to play is less important than the glorious, anarchic energy and sound you’ve created. It’s an imperfect statement of intent which sometimes sounds more authentic and beguiling than something that has been perfectly crafted.”
Featuring the talents of critically acclaimed French star Jean Felzine (Mustang) and his partner Jo Wedin (who delivers the song’s affecting Swedish monologue in her native tongue), its musical arrangements are resplendent in their Procol Harum-hinting hammond organs, lackadaisical guitar strums, loping basslines and retro-soundbites seemingly plucked from seaside holidays gone-by. Think of Traffic’s Paper Sun revisited in 2022.
Directed by Gaétan Boudy, the single’s official music video utilises old 8 mm film of Caesar Spencer as a child in Sweden and intimately ties-in with the undercurrent of themes explored in the track.
As warmly nostalgic as it is winsomely reflective, “Isn’t That What Jimi Said” finds itself right at home on Caesar Spencer’s much-anticipated debut solo album: ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ (coming soon via New Radio Records); a record that shines a light on French musical artistry, while still finding place and purpose to pay homage to classic English pastoral-pop.
As an Englishman born in Peru, with Swedish roots, who now finds himself in France; the debut from Caesar Spencer continues in a long line of songwriters, from Scott Walker to Lee Hazlewood, Morrissey to Peter Doherty, who have long looked beyond their patch for a deeper sense of connection. Broadly echoing his own journey to date, Caesar’s debut ‘Get Out Into Yourself’, is a concept-album-of-sorts; inspired by those with nomadic origins and their search for identity. With a loose narrative that follows a protagonist journeying through different cultural landscapes, it unspools a tale laced with existential questions and the quest to find yourself in an ever-shifting world.
Whilst its a record that often switches from vintage British pop to gnarly West Coast surf-rock with a dextrous flick, above all else ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ is an homage to the musical heritage of his newfound home in France.
“It’s simply a love letter to France. I wanted to give something back to a country that has given me so much. And I really wanted to shine a light on this incredibly sophisticated French musical artistry.” says Caesar.
Recorded at the Studio La Fugitive (where acclaimed French band Les Rita Mitsouko recorded) with esteemed producer Gaétan Boudy (Zaz, Alex Renart, Emel Mathlouthi) and his formidable backing band of Fred Lafage (Tony Allen, Paris Dernière) and Frantxoa Erreçarret (Askehoug, Barcella); the album also sees Caesar joined by a raft of prominent special guest appearances. Alongside Jean Felzine (Mustang) and Jo Wedin (who both appear on “Isn’t That What Jimi Said”); a collaboration with 60’s ye-ye chanteuse Jacqueline Taïeb can be heard on previous single “Waiting for Sorrow”). Elsewhere, French punk icon Gilles Tandy (Les Olivensteins), the multi-talented Mareva Galanter, opera star Aurélie Ligerot and FAME’S PROJECT (Jarvis Cocker, Chilly Gonzales) all lend their talents to the album.
Deftly bridging the channel between British and French pop, ‘Get Out Into Yourself’ is a record with a timelessness of sound that dares to dream beyond typical boundaries in its quest for true identity. New Radio Records will shortly confirm the release date. All physical editions of the album will also be accompanied by an elegant conceptual storyboard illustrated by French artist Thierry Beaudenon.
Keep your mind open.
[I think Jimi also said that you should subscribe.]
I’m going to listen to your record if your band is described to me as “Black Sabbath meets Portishead.”
Such is Cleveland, Ohio’s Frayle and such is their second album, Skin & Sorrow. The album is as dark and haunting as its cover image of lead singer Gwen Strang, who apparently has walked off the set of a lost Hammer Studios film from the early 1960s. Ms. Strang, and the rest of the band (Sean Bilovecky – guitar, Jason Knotek – bass, and Jon Vinson – drums), immediately give you a sense of, “Do not fuck around with these people. They can be your cool friends who will help you through a lot of stuff, though.”
Which is what Skin and Sorrow does. It’s an album about processing grief and heartbreak. It’s a haunting record, but it does seem to offer hope and beauty. Again, the cover image of Strang dressed as mournful ghost conveys death and dread, but she’s holding white roses. Yes, they’re wilted roses, but they haven’t lost all of their color and pedals. They’re still a bit hopeful.
Bilovecky’s opening riff on “Treacle and Revenge” is almost a Godzilla-like roar and Strang’s voice is like smoke curling around your ears as she sings “You promised to love me.” It sounds like the beginning of a curse. The song goes from doom into a brief tear of stadium rock, showing they have serious chops. Knotek’s bass seems to hit extra hard on “Bright Eyes” while Strang sings lullaby-like vocals drifting from an abandoned hospital that’s overgrown with ivy. The title track starts with Link Wray-like guitar chords from Bilovecky, and Vinson’s drums sound like they were recorded late one night / early one morning in the store room of a bar run by warlocks.
It’s interesting how “Ipecac,” a song whose title is the name of medicine that purposefully induces vomiting, is one of the loveliest on the record. Strang sings about purging past wounds and things that are slowly poisoning her, but does it with a sensuality you can’t ignore. The heavy, cosmic “Stars” is a crushing track, both lyrically and sonically.
“Roses” and “Sacrifant” are equally heavy and mesmerizing. “Sacrifant” also has this buzz to it like an angry queen hornet following you around the room. “All the Things I Was” has the queen hornet turn into a raven flying away from Strang and carrying her past trauma on its back to eventually cast into the sun. You’re fully expecting “Song for the Dead” to be creepy and guttural, but it’s more like emerging from a mausoleum as a lovely sunrise has begun. Yes, you might be emerging from it as a ghost, but you’re realizing that it’s going to be okay. The closing track, “Perfect Wound,” reminds me a bit of Nirvana‘s “Something in the Way” with its guitar strums and subject matter, but it’s far more otherworldly than Nirvana’s song, and Strang’s vocals come from under a bridge guarded by sirens instead of trolls.
Skin & Sorrow is beautiful and dark, lovely and sad, uplifting and haunting. How many other bands could pull off a sound like that on just their second record? Not many.
The first thought I had after hearing Flasher‘s new album, Love Is Yours, for the first time was, “They could change their name to Lusher.” because they’ve crafted a lusher sound from their previous work, but not lost any of the post-punk fuzz or angular guitars.
Opening track “I Saw You” combines these fuzzy guitars from Taylor Mulitz with sci-fi movie ray gun synths as drummer Emma Baker asks, “Do I sound sincere? Do I make myself clear?” The title track brings out dance floor beats in a song about embracing peace that’s right in front of you (even during a pandemic, as the lyric of “I’m seeing 20-20.” seems to take on a different meaning now). Speaking of lyrics that take on new meaning, Baker’s lyric of “I’m spinning out at home.” on “Little Things” is, on its surface, about a bout of vertigo she suffered, but, through the lens of the pandemic, describes pretty much all of us for a period of about two years.
Mulitz is back on lead vocals for “Nothing,” layering them with spacey synths and sizzling beats from Baker. “I’m on fire. You’re underwater,” he sings on “Still Life,” one of many examples of witty lyrics about the complex nature of romance on the whole record. “All Day Long” has a nice chugging guitar sound to it. “Living is so hard lately,” begins “I’m Better.” You’re not sure about the truthfulness of the title after an opening lyric like that, but the peppy nature of the track can’t be denied.
“Sideways” is a stand-out on the record, with its breezy, bouncy guitars and that lushness I mentioned earlier. It sounds like friends roller skating down the street while eating bomb-pops they just bought from an ice cream truck. “Damage” gets a bit darker, mainly through Multiz’s warped guitar strumming, but Baker’s beats keep your toes tapping. Baker mixes beats from her kit with electro-beats from Owen Wuerker on “Dial Up,” with Mulitz singing about how he can barely stay awake, yet he can’t bring himself to get offline. The closer, “Tangerine,” sends us off on a lush note, but with a bit of a tart edge.
Love Is Yours is a good album from Flasher, even more so when you consider they went from a three-piece to a two-piece after former bassist Daniel Saperstein left the band, Mulitz moved to the west coast, and, oh yeah, there was a pandemic when they recorded it.
Mexico’s ALF CHAMPION and MDHNTR take us on a wild journey through the subconscious with two spellbinding tracks, packed with distorted organic beats and technical wizardry on Midsummer Day’s Nightmare.
The introspective opening track “Gnic Nad” (Drum Version) is filled with wonder and promise, the synth’s overtones opening you out into a world you’ve never seen before. Self reflection and mystery shroud the humming chords while the percussion is precise and insistent, cutting through the reverie.
From the first beat, the tribal drums and meticulous rhythms in “Alaib Do” (Dream Version) grab you by the shoulders and implore you to dance. The trippy, almost demonic voices and the relentlessly pulsing bass lines transport you to a cave in the middle of the Mexican wilderness, your surroundings ever changing and morphing with the music. Stabs of jazz infused chords jolt you to focus just for a second, before squealing synths and relentless percussion pull you back into the trance.
TRACKLIST
1. Gnic Nad (Drum Version) 2. Alaib Do (Dream Version)
Midsummer Day’s Nightmare was released on the 10th of June, mastered by Sam at The Green Door and is distributed digitally on all major platforms by EPM.
Today, Los Angeles-based artist Rochelle Jordan presents the Kaytranada remix of “All Along” from Play With The Changes Remixed, a reimagination of her acclaimed 2021 album Play With The Changes, out this Friday on Young Art Records. “All Along” (Kaytranada Remix) sees the former tourmates joining forces for a sleek reshaping of Jordan’s futuristic sonic landscape. Play With The Changes Remixed doubles down on Jordan’ original thesis: without experimentation, innovation is impossible. Along with Kaytranda, Jordan taps LSDXOXO, Sango, Byron The Aquarius, Soul Clap, and more for the remix album.
Defying categorization to create a project full of slinky, dancefloor-packing burners that channel her U.K. roots, Play With the Changes is reminiscent of Jordan’s childhood nights spent listening to her brother’s 2-step hymns from the other side of the wall. Garnering year-end praise from Billboard, Bandcamp, and more, Play With The Changes presents Jordan as a modern heir in a lineage of powerhouse vocalists with style and imagination. Play With The Changes Remixed precedes Jordan’s upcoming North American tour supporting Channel Tres, which begins September 27th, and includes stops at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, and more.
The Bobby Lees offer a final preview of their forthcoming album, Bellevue (Oct. 7, Ipecac Recordings), with today’s release of “Ma Likes To Drink” and its companion video (https://youtu.be/ITo2lETlQfk).
Drummer Macky Bowman said of the track: “To paraphrase John Berger: there is a stark difference between being naked and being a nude. To be naked is to be natural. Stripped of societal confines you are free to be as languorous or wanton as you wish. Even in naked acts of exhibition the primary spiritual benefactor will be the model, not the voyeur. Conversely to be a nude is to be reduced to no more than your physical form, displayed as a trite odalisque for the pleasure of greasy slobs. On an unrelated note we are all very proud of this song and video! We really hope you enjoy. Love you!”
The static shot clip, featuring singer Sam Quartin on a stationary bike sandwiched between a pair of mannequins, was directed by John Swab who also created the band’s videos for “Dig Your Hips” (https://youtu.be/ny6Q-mTsk0g), and the video-meets-film short, “Hollywood Junkyard” (https://youtu.be/7dnTajHLeyQ).
The Bobby Lees recently wrapped up a European tour that included the Woodstock, N.Y-based band’s first stint in the UK. The four-piece band have several shows coming over the next few months including a free show on Sept. 17 at Rockefeller Center for Indieplaza Fest and an Oct. 9 performance at Aftershock 2022.
The Bobby Lees tour dates:
September 17 New York, NY Rockefeller Plaza (Indieplaza Fest)
September 18 Durham, NC The Pinhook
September 20 Atlanta, GA Masquerade Purgatory
September 22 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle
September 23 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
October 9 Sacramento, CA Aftershock 2022
October 25 Brooklyn, NY Baby’s All Right
October 28 Woodstock, NY Colony
November 5 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
September 18 to 23 w/Geese
“I named the album Bellevue because when I listen back, I hear someone going through that stuff, who is now able to laugh about it and have fun re-telling the stories,” Sam explains. “It’s a reminder for me that the most painful and intense things I go through end up being the most rewarding creatively.” The 13-song album, which was recorded live in-studio, was produced by Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, The Raconteurs).
Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, Henry Rollins…these are just a few of the punk icons who have shown support for Woodstock, NY based band The Bobby Lees. Sam Quartin [vocals, guitar], Macky Bowman [drums], Nick Casa [guitar], and Kendall Wind [bass] — make music that is punk in spirit and soul; unfettered and resolutely honest. To say their sound is wild and untethered is an understatement. It’s the kind of aural exorcism any listener can tap into, something that struck a chord with Henry Rollins who brought them to Ipecac Recordings where Mike Patton and Greg Werckman signed them.
Album pre-orders, which include three vinyl variants: standard black, and limited-edition white and Coke bottle clear as well as a limited-edition white cassette, CD digipak, and digital pre-saves, are available now: https://thebobbylees.lnk.to/bellevue.
Today, Australia’s prolific atom-splitting polymaths King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard exceed even the most hyperbolic projections and announce the upcoming release of THREE new albums, all set for flight during the month of October via their own KGLW label. The first to drop will be the Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava, out October 7th. Following that will be Laminated Denim,dropping somewhat unconventionally on October 12th, a Wednesday. Finally, on October 28th the band will release Changes, their 5th album of the year. Additionally, they have shared a video for one of the songs off the first of this album triumvirat, “Ice V.” This will all be happening during the height of Gizz’s North American Takeover, as the band traverses across the continent playing their largest venues yet, including three shows at Red Rocks Amphitheater (2 of which are sold out) and New York’s Forest Hills Stadium (where Dylan went electric, no less). As a special treat to those who come and see the band live at some of their biggest shows, limited stock of Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava will be available at their Greek Theater show in Berkeley, copies of Laminated Denim will be available at Red Rocks, and Changes can be obtained at the Orpheum in New Orleans. Additionally, bundles of all three albums can be pre-ordered here.
Things move fast in the Gizzverse, and before Stu Mackenzie and his bandmates had even completed work on their recent mammoth double album Omnium Gatherum, they’d started sketching out this next record. Their Omnium Gatherum single “The Dripping Tap” had begun life as a handful of ideas and riffs that had arisen at pre-pandemic soundchecks and demos recorded through lockdown. For this new album, however, the group wouldn’t be bringing in any pre-written songs or ideas; instead, they planned to cook up all the music together in the studio, on the spot. “All we had prepared as we walked into the studio were these seven song titles,” says Mackenzie. “I have a list on my phone of hundreds of possible song titles. I’ll never use most of them, but they’re words and phrases I feel could be digested into King Gizzard-world.” Mackenzie selected seven titles from his list that he felt “had a vibe,” and then attached a beats-per-minute value to each one. Each song would also follow one of the seven modes of the major scale: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian.
Over seven days, the group recorded hours and hours of jams, dedicating a day to each mode and BPM. “Naturally, each day’s jams had a different flavor, because each day was in a different scale and a different BPM,” Mackenzie says. “We’d walk into the studio, set everything up, get a rough tempo going and just jam. No preconceived ideas at all, no concepts, no songs. We’d jam for maybe 45 minutes, and then all swap instruments and start again.” The group ended each day with four-to-five hours of new jams in the can. Mackenzie auditioned those jams after the sessions were done, stitching them together into the songs that feature on the 21st studio album by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava (the initials of the title, IDPLMAL, spell out a mnemonic for the modes). Having assembled full working instrumentals from these jams, Mackenzie and his bandmates began overdubbing flute, organ, percussion and extra guitar over the top. The lyrics, meanwhile, were a group effort. “We had an editable Google Sheet that we were all working on,” says Mackenzie. “Most of the guys in the band wrote a lot of the lyrics, and it was my job to arrange it all and piece it together.”
The result of this radical, experimental creative process is one of the densest, most unpredictable statements from a band whose work always rockets in from unexpected angles accompanied by a wealth of subtext and theorems. But you don’t even need even a passing understanding of those Ancient Greek musical modes to appreciate this adventurous new music.
TRACKLISTING 1. Mycelium (7:36) 2. Ice V (10:16) 3. Magma (9:07) 4. Lava (6:41) 5. Hell’s Itch (13:28) 6. Iron Lung (9:05) 7. Gliese 710 (7:49)
“Laminated Denim is an anagram of Made In Timeland” – Stu Mackenzie
TRACKLISTING 1. The Land Before Timeland (15:00) 2. Hypertension (15:00)
For half a decade, the sextet has been haunted by one elusive conceptual project that had bested their every attempt (of which there had been several). They first conceived the album back in 2017, a busy year for the group. Within a mere twelve months, they recorded and released five albums of new material, but the band had intended to see out the year with a different album. That album was called Changes, and it’s finally arriving now. “I think of Changes as a song-cycle,” says band-member Stu Mackenzie. “Every song is built around this one chord progression – every track is like a variation on a theme. But I don’t know if we had the musical vocabulary yet to complete the idea at that time. We recorded some of it then, including the version of “Exploding Suns” that’s on the finished album. But when the sessions were over, it just never felt done. It was like this idea that was in our heads, but we just couldn’t reach. We just didn’t know yet how to do what we wanted to do.”
The group abandoned Changes and instead prepared the beguiling Gumboot Soup(the last of five albums the band released in 2017), and were then quickly ensnared by about eight other outlandish ideas that sent them in infinite new directions. But the concept of Changes did not go gently into that good night. “We really have been tinkering with it since then,” Mackenzie adds.
“It’s not necessarily our most complex record, but every little piece and each sound you hear has been thought about a lot,” Mackenzie adds. Indeed, the album has gestated over a fitfully inventive five years. Originally imagined as the group’s fifth album of 2017, it has ended up the fifth album King Gizzard will release in 2022. Coincidences like this, Mackenzie says, wake up the latent numerologist within him. But the album has taught him that projects operate to their own schedules and are ready when they’re ready.
Good things come to those who wait, and the magnificent Changes is worth every one of the 2,628,000 minutes King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard invested in it. Soaked in the warm sonics of 70s R’n’B and guided by simple chord-changes that contain multitudes and rounding out another remarkable year for the group, Changes is a luminous, soft-pop marvel. Come lose yourself in its slow-cooked brilliance.
TRACKLISTING 1. Change (13:04) 2. Hate Dancin’ (3:16) 3. Astroturf (7:34) 4. No Body (3:42) 5. Gondii (4:57) 6. Exploding Suns (4:41) 7. Short Change (2:51)
TOUR DATES Fri. Sept. 30 – Perris, CA @ Desert Daze 2022 Sun. Oct. 2 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre * SOLD OUT Tue. Oct. 4 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater * SOLD OUT Wed. Oct. 5 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum * Thu. Oct. 6 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre * SOLD OUT Mon. Oct. 10 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre * SOLD OUT Tue. Oct. 11 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre * SOLD OUT Fri. Oct. 14 – St Paul, MN @ The Palace Theatre * SOLD OUT Sat. Oct. 15 – Chicago, IL @ RADIUS * SOLD OUT Sun. Oct. 16 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple * Tue. Oct. 18 – Toronto, ON @ History * SOLD OUT Wed. Oct. 19 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia * SOLD OUT Fri. Oct. 21 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium % Sat. Oct. 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall * SOLD OUT Sun. Oct. 23 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem * SOLD OUT Mon. Oct. 24 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit * SOLD OUT Wed. Oct. 26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * SOLD OUT Thu. Oct. 27 – New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater * Fri. Oct. 28 – Austin, TX @ Levitation – Stubb’s * Sat. Oct. 29 – Austin, TX @ Levitation – Stubb’s $ Mon. Oct. 31 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion # Wed. Nov. 2nd – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre # Thu. Dec. 29 – Tauranga, NZ @ Wharepai Domain Sat. Dec. 31 – Wanaka, NZ @ Rhythm & Alps Wed. Jan. 4 – Auckland, NZ @ The Matakana Country Park Thu. Apr. 6 – Byron Bay, AUS @ Byron Bay Bluesfest Fri. Apr. 7 – Byron Bay, AUS @ Byron Bay Bluesfest Sat. Apr. 8 – Byron Bay, AUS @ Byron Bay Bluesfest Sun. Apr. 9 – Byron Bay, AUS @ Byron Bay Bluesfest Mon. Apr. 10 – Byron Bay, AUS @ Byron Bay Bluesfest
* w/ Leah Senior % w/ black midi, Leah Senior $ w/ Tropical Fuck Storm, The Murlocs # w/ The Murlocs, Leah Senior
Today, Los Angeles-based artist Ruth Radelet announces her debut EP, The Other Side, out October 7th. Today, she presents its lead single/video, the cinematic ballad “Stranger.” Best known for fronting the influential and beloved group Chromatics, Ruth solidifies her next chapter as a solo artist with The Other Side. Written over the course of two years and recorded with friend and producer Filip Nikolic (formerly of Poolside), The Other Side showcases Radelet’s timeless voice and classic take on songwriting.
Following the single “Crimes,” “her ethereal and poignant debut” (Gorilla vs. Bear), “Stranger” is a love letter to LA. The stark black-and-white video, directed by James Manson and shot on 16mm Kodak film by Freddie Whitman, features Ruth exploring the city alone. “Stranger” is about a specific kind of loneliness that I have only felt in Los Angeles. Although the song is very much about longing, it’s more about a place than a person,” she elaborates. “The lyric ‘I could never hold you in my hands’ is about the feeling of always being on the outside looking in, of the city never fully opening its doors to me.”
Exploring themes of love, death, and rebirth, “The Other Side represents a side of my personality as an artist that most people haven’t seen until now,” explains Radelet. “It also represents my coming out the other side of a traumatic experience, gathering what I could from ‘Before’ and figuring out how to exist ‘After.’ This record was forged in the fire of a transformative two-year period during which I lost almost everything, including my father who was a huge influence on me. Most of the songs were written just before I was caught up in a storm of big changes, and they were all finished just as life started to feel sweet again. It feels right to share some of the last chapter before moving into the next, and though it’s a melancholy record, for me The Other Side is a step into a bigger and brighter future.”
Radelet is a singer, songwriter, and musician with diverse influences ranging from Joni Mitchell to Frank Ocean. She has been performing and releasing music for over a decade since joining Chromatics in 2006 for their acclaimed album Night Drive released the following year. Chromatics’ music and aesthetic has notably been used in numerous films, television series, and fashion shows. The band appeared on screen in multiple episodes of David Lynch’sTwin Peaks: The Returnwhile Radelet was recently featured on a Chromatics’ 2020 remix of the Weeknd’s #1 hit single, “Blinding Lights.”
Last month, Hudson, NY-based band Babehoven announced their debut album, Light Moving Time, out October 28th on Double Double Whammy. Today, they present a new single/video, “Stand It.” There’s an incredible emotional intelligence across Light Moving Time, and this glows throughout “Stand It.” Maya Bon verbalizes an imperfect yet loving relationship that burns bright, but may no longer serve the people involved. Its sonics are coated with My Bloody Valentine’s wobbly shoegaze, as she sings: “I wish there’s something that I could say / I love you but I hate you anyway / I’d rather stand outside getting old / Then learn to love and let you go.” The glitchy, atmospheric accompanying video was made by Babehoven’s Ryan Albert.
“As time moves forward, I feel the fractures deeper: home, bonds, semblances of familial care that slip away from me,” says Bon. “‘Stand It’ is about trying to push through the challenges to be there for one another, to call out for support, to sift through the losses and find the humanity within the dysfunction.”
Watch Babehoven’s Video for “Stand It” Bon views light as one of life’s few fundamental truths. In times of pain, we often look to simple things we can rely on, and light is as reliable as they come. Light Moving Timerevolves around Bon’s view of life as a confusing, jarring, and kaleidoscopic experience filled with contradictions, loss, and change, so it’s no wonder Bon often looks to light — not so much for specific answers, but as a pillar of continuity and a marker of time. The album encompasses tributes to loved ones and the power of community, experiences of trauma, and explorations of changing relationships, with self-reflections scattered throughout. It’s less about how to deal with pain and more about how we all experience life as a simultaneously cruel, beautiful, and illogical beast — full of complex emotions and a perpetual sense of subjectivity that leaves us unsure of what’s real. But Bon is reassured by the fact that all of us are capable of generosity and a level of connection that’s impossible to articulate with words.
Bon has built a solid partnership with her Albert, her musical collaborator producer, over the last few years, releasing several EPs since 2018. On their full-length, songs alternate seamlessly across styles – some have the wispy ambient calm of a Liz Harris track, another contains the plucky indie-folk warmth of Hovvdy, and lead single “I’m On Your Team” falls somewhere between a flowy country song and an ‘80s power ballad. Light Moving Time rests on lyrics that zoom in and out, inviting listeners to bring their own experiences to these songs when her writing is more cryptic and stew in the moments when Bon presents her entire heart on a platter.
