Alt rock – Page 6 – 7th Level Music

Broncho release new single, “I Swear,” and announce North American tour.

Oklahoma-based band Broncho present a new single, “I Swear,” off of Natural Pleasure, their first new album in six years, out April 25th. In conjunction, they announce a massive North American tour. Each track on Natural Pleasure is meticulously crafted, and today’s “I Swear” marries the sing-along energy of their 2014 breakout “Class Historian” with a downtempo, more mesmeric pulse. Its instantly addictive “da da da da da” refrain will feel like a homecoming for longtime fans. “I’ Swear’ had been running around in my head for years until I finally did something about it,” says Ryan Lindsey. “I always knew it would be on this record somehow.” The accompanying video was directed by the band and filmed in their hometown of Tulsa.

Listen to Broncho’s “I Swear”

Broncho – Ryan Lindsey (vocals, guitar), Ben King (guitar), Penny Pitchlynn (bass), and Nathan Price (drums) – has always been synonymous with reinvention, and Natural Pleasure marks their boldest transformation yet. Since 2014, they’ve been at the forefront of indie innovation, finding fans in legends like Josh Homme, Jack White, and Hayley Williams. Their music has been featured in iconic shows like HBO’s Girls and FX’s Reservation Dogs. Despite national recognition, Tulsa remains their spiritual home, a city whose musical lineage—from Leon Russell and JJ Cale to The Flaming Lips—infuses every note they play.

Natural Pleasure, the long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s Bad Behavior, is a kaleidoscopic dreamscape where lo-fi textures collide with psychedelic wonder. One of Broncho’s most defining features is Lindsey’s unmistakable vocal delivery—a phenomenon in its own right. His lyrics are often enigmatic, delivered in a way that feels like an instrument of pure emotion rather than straightforward storytelling. At first listen, it may be impossible to catch a single word, yet the emotional intensity he summons is undeniable. It’s a rare and uncanny ability—one that connects listeners to the music on a visceral level before the lyrics fully reveal themselves. It’s a testament to his singular artistry: instantly recognizable and deeply affecting.

Broncho’s live show is one not to miss. For over a decade, they’ve been selling out shows all across the world, from sweaty clubs to massive rooms while opening for bands like Queens of the Stone Age. They’ll play songs from Natural Pleasure, plus favorites from across their beloved discography. Tickets are on sale this Friday at 10am local time.

Pre-order Natural Pleasure

Watch the “Funny” Video

Listen to “Imagination”

Broncho tour dates
Sat. June 14 – Tulsa, OK @ Guthrie Green
Tue. June 17 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Wed. June 18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Thu. June 19 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club
Fri. June 20 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Sat. June 21 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
Sun. June 22 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Thu. June 26 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Fri. June 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco
Sat. June 28 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Thu. July 17 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tannahill’s Music Hall
Fri. July 18 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
Sat. July 19 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Sun. July 20 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s
Tue. July 22 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Wed. July 23 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Thu. July 24 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Fri. July 25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Sat. July 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Wed. Aug. 6 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
Thu. Aug. 7 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Fri. Aug. 8 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Sat. Aug. 9 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Sun. Aug. 10 – Detroit, MI @ The Shelter
Tue. Aug. 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Wed. Aug. 13 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
Thu. Aug. 14 – Nashville, TN @ TBA
Fri. Aug. 15 – Lexington, KY @ The Burl
Sat. Aug. 16 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Ty Segall opens a “Fantastic Tomb” with his new single.

Ty Segall rides back in with his 16th album, Possession, to be released May 30th via Drag City, and with today’s announcement, releases the lead single, “Fantastic Tomb.” Following 2024’s Three Bells, Possession sees Ty on the hunt for new horizons, hitting the trail beneath the big skies of our frontier empire to take us on a high-octane narrative journey. A literary set of lyrics co-written by his longtime collaborator, filmmaker Matt Yoka, paint an abiding view of quintessentially American stories. All the while, there are invigorated new sounds around every bend – glittering rhythm arrangements feature more of Ty’s own piano woodshedding than ever, joined in battle by sweeping movements of strings and horns. Rife with singing guitar leads and banks of Ty’s vocal harmonies, Possession features some of Ty’s most inspired songs to date.

Tapping Yoka to write with him was one of the keys to this new music. As a non-musician, Yoka’s language sense is different from the one Ty’s amassed as a player of music. With the trust they’ve developed over the years — brainstorming the visual worlds of Goodbye Bread, Manipulator, Emotional Mugger, and music of Yoka’s Whirlybird documentary — they throw the conceptual ball back and forth to translate a general feeling or a vibe into wicked lyric imagery, each acting as writer and editor in the process. Be it de Toqueville, duBois, George H. Nash, Howard Zinn, Bob Dylan or Smile-era Beach Boys, Ty’s sharpened narrative approach and storytelling takes a page from everyone’s history.

Today’s single, “Fantastic Tomb,” is an epic story-song. Desperate for something he can hold onto, our hero takes a job hitting the house of “a man worth more than a country could make,” only to find the treasure hunt to be just another ride to nowhere. The song is a modern American noir-cum-classic rock hoedown, scored with Ty’s burnt-filament lead guitar and ingeniously sealed with Mikal Cronin’s saxophone section.

Listen to “Fantastic Tomb”

Possession is Ty Segall’s own bizarre traversing of the American landscape, taking back alleys through complicated cityscapes and singing about the end of the rope while resisting defeat — suggesting an ecstatic new empire to build as he cruises the countryside. Ty is currently on a solo acoustic tour throughout North America, with a full band fall tour commencing in October. Tickets are on sale now.

Pre-order Ty Segall’s Possession

Ty Segall 2025 Tour Dates (new dates in bold):
Mon. Apr. 7 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips ^
Tue. Apr. 8 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre ^
Thu. Apr. 10 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East ^
Fri. Apr. 11 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel ^
Sun. Apr. 13 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre ^
Mon. Apr. 14 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
Tue. Apr. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club ^
Thu. Apr. 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg ^
Sat. Apr. 19 – Providence, RI @ Fete Ballroom ^
Mon. Apr. 21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre ^
Tue. Apr. 22 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom ^
Wed. Apr. 23 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ^
Fri. Apr. 25 – Minneapolis, MN @ Parkway Theater ^
Sat. Apr. 26 – Omaha, NE @ Scottish Rite ^
Sun. Apr. 27 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre ^
Tue. Apr. 29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall ^
Wed. Apr. 30 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club ^
Thu. May 1 – Reno, NV @ Cypress ^
Thu. May 15 – Big Sur, CA @ Henry Miller Memorial Library *
Wed. Oct. 8 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern %
Thu. Oct. 9 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern %
Sat. Oct. 11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom %
Mon. Oct. 13 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom %
Tue. Oct. 14 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos %
Wed. Oct. 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre %
Sat. Oct. 18 – Sacramento, CA @ Crest Theatre %

^ solo acoustic, w/ Mikal Cronin (solo)
* solo acoustic
% full band

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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

The Ophelias release “Salome” from their upcoming album due April 04, 2025.

The Ophelias unveil a new single/video, “Salome,” off of Spring Grove, their new album produced by Julien Baker, out April 4th via Get Better Records. As first heard on lead single “Cumulonimbus,” a “bruiser of a ‘f*ck-you’ song” (AV Club), there are “zero songs about break-ups” on Spring Grove. Today’s teeth-gnashing “Salome” uses a Biblical story as a lens through which to view the experience of getting involved with an older man: “The knife // Swings heavy in // My hands // Maybe this was a mistake // I want your head on a platter.” It’s an album standout, emanating swagger through rousing guitar and precise, machine-like drumming. In the accompanying video, directed by the band’s Spencer Peppet and Jo Shaffer, shows the band wandering around a city to gather magic objects.

“‘Salome’ loosely follows the biblical story of (you guessed it) Salome, who danced for King Herod at his birthday celebration and was told she could ask for anything in return,” says Peppet. “She asked for the head of John the Baptist. While I personally have never facilitated someone’s beheading, I find the story and the way it has resonated with playwrights, filmmakers, and artists fascinating — a real depiction of ‘female biblical rage,’ as the TikTok girlies would say. The video is our campy camcorder take on that.”

Watch The Ophelias’ Video for “Salome”

While writing Spring Grove, old ghosts were popping up from Peppet’s past. She heard from people she hadn’t heard from in years, reached out to people she didn’t talk to anymore, and found herself dreaming vividly of ex-lovers, ex-friends, co-workers and acquaintances. At a similar time, she was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, which she says created “a hyper-awareness of the body, a sense of removal where I could see myself from outside.” As a result, the album’s lyrics abound with references to premonitions, future-telling, and prophetic dreams. It’s a luminous document of facing the visages that haunt us, whether those of others or our own. Across thirteen tracks that alternately rage and soothe, Spring Grove picks at the nuanced textures of relationships and the multifaceted nature of personhood, smashing through the infinite refractions of the self to find clarity and new perspectives. The lyrics abound with references to premonitions, future-telling, and prophetic dreams.

While The Ophelias – Spencer Peppet (vocals/guitar, she/her), Mic Adams (drums, he/him), Andrea Gutmann Fuentes (violin, she/her), and Jo Shaffer (bass, they/she) – began as an “all-girl” band, they have since shed the reductive mantle of that label. With one queer and two trans members, these four individuals have collectively explored a vast terrain of womanhood, dancing around the center of that identity and what it means to move through the world. To that end, Spring Grove is primed to tackle a wide array of relationship dynamics, emotional negotiations, and power imbalances. There’s a simultaneous intensity and delicacy in its dynamics, and it’s a marked evolution in The Ophelias’ sound and storytelling.

Watch the Video for “Cumulonimbus”

Pre-order Spring Grove

The Ophelias Tour Dates
Fri. April 4 – Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy
Sat. April 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Broadway – record release show
Sun. April 6 – Vienna, VA @ Jammin’ Java
Tue. April 8 – Boston, MA @ The Rockwell
Wed. April 9 – Portsmouth, NH @ Press Room
Sat. May 10 – Lansing, MI @ Stoopfest
Sun. May 11 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G
Tue. May 13 – Montréal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo
Wed. May 14 – Burlington, VT @ Radio Bean

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Psychic Pigs announces debut album due May 23, 2025.

Two decades as one-half of the garage psych-pop duo Crocodiles confined San Diegan musician Brandon Welchez to the mid-fi n’ melodic end of the sonic spectrum, but his new project, Psychic Pigs, shows a different side with how the raw n’ bleeding hardcore punk and power pop bands on the Killed By Death compilations influenced his work just as much as The Jesus and Mary Chain has. Psychic Pigs certainly has a certain Robert Louis Stevenson novella angle to Welchez’s career, but the unhinged nature of the songwriting boils down to Welchez not sticking to his comfort zone.

Psychic Pigs was born from Welchez writing music he knew was too discordant for Crocodile’s poppy sound. Recorded in April 2024 over four days while in London with Jonah Falco (Fucked Up, Career Suicide) handling the production helm and the drum kit, the project went Stateside with the goal mind of forming a band that could replicate the aggressive live sound captured on the recordings. Connections throughout the years proved fruitful as the live band rounds out with Fake Fruits, Surfbort, and Choir Boy members. The march of the Pigs begins this month in downtown Los Angeles on March 19th as they make their live debut at The Escondite with their record release show held at Permanent Records Roadhouse in late May. More dates are to come.

Psychic Pigs will be released on vinyl and through all DSPs on May 23rd. Pre-orders are now running through Slovenly Recordings.

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[Thanks to Matthew at Shattered Platter PR.]

Salem 66 to release new compilation of tracks out of print for decades.

Salem 66 were founded by Judy Grunwald, Beth Kaplan and Susan Merriam in Boston in 1982. A major part of a thriving Boston scene that produced bands like Mission of Burma and Dinosaur Jr (Dinosaur Jr’s first New York show was notably an opening slot for Salem 66 at Folk City), the band were ahead of their time.

They were one of the few women-led bands in their scene, and made their mark with an adventurous blend of arty post-punk (they notably covered Wire’s “Fragile”) and melodic pop. Between 1984 and 1990 they released one self-titled EP, 2 singles and 4 albums, 1985’s A Ripping Spin, 1987’s Frequency & Urgency, 1988’s Natural Disasters, National Treasures, and 1990’s Down The Primrose Path (produced by Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie who went on to produce Radiohead’s Pablo Honey and Hole’s Live Through This), all on the venerable New York imprint Homestead Records, label home to bands like Sonic Youth, Big Black and The Chills. The band earned comparisons to R.E.M., The Talking Heads and The Velvet Underground from The New York Times, and further praise from outlets like Rolling Stone, CREEM, and the Village Voice. They shared stages with The Replacements, Mission of Burma, the Go-Betweens, the Wipers, the Saints and the Raincoats, and toured across the country on multiple occasions, but despite their prominence in the ’80s, the Salem 66 catalog has been out of print for decades and their music has never been available on streaming.

Today, Don Giovanni Records are announcing a new compilation entitled SALT, and have made the band’s music available on all streaming services for the first time. To mark the announce the band are sharing a recently unearthed video for their song “Lucky Penny.”

Beth Kaplan says of the reissue:

“We were a long time putting together this re-release, and it has been a journey – from finding the pictures to not finding the master tapes, from writing up some thoughts to deciding which songs to include here. Judy and I picked the songs and it wasn’t easy. After exploring and rejecting more scientific methods, ultimately we decided to just highlight some of our favorites, or, the songs that felt the most like us. So what you see (or hear) here is not necessarily a representative sampling from all of the recordings but it does feel, to me, like a pretty good Salem 66 sampler. Like a cross-stitch. Or a Whitman’s Sampler.

“I hope you enjoy this record. If you were there with us, on the scene, whether in Boston or another town, I hope this brings you back to those youthful, passionate, perfectly imperfect days. If the band or the songs are new to you, or if you were born a generation or two after the fact, I hope you enjoy a glimpse at this sliver of a sliver of history.”

The band’s catalog is available on all streaming services now, and the SALT compilation will be available on June 6th via Don Giovanni.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Tom at Terrorbird Media.]

Smut releases new single that’s anything but “Dead Air.”

Smut — the Chicago band comprised of vocalist/lyricist Tay Roebuck, guitarist Andie Min, bassist John Steiner, guitarist/synthist Sam Ruschman, and drummer Aidan O’Connor — releases “Dead Air” via Bayonet Records. It’s the first new single from a forthcoming release out later this year and follows their revelatory 2022 Bayonet debut, How the Light Felt, hailed by Under the Radar as “pop perfection.” “Dead Air” starts out with crystalline guitars and fall air-crisp bass. Then Roebuck’s vocals come in. She sounds like Elizabeth Fraser, but more rock ‘n’ roll, shifting her vocals from honeyed and dreamy to a pop punk shriek. It’s patched together Frankenstein-style, with lyrics and riffs the band worked on solo and together. Lyrically, it’s a break up song, a band break up song— a song about relationships ending and changing. “I heard you say forever,” she sings, “Forever.”

Stream “Dead Air”

When setting off to write “Dead Air,” Smut wanted to make something that rocked. They wanted to make something that was as fun to make as it was fun to listen to. They went back to their favorite bands growing up, playing My Chemical Romance and Metric. Green Day and The Fall. Twisting metal riffs into a pop context.

“Dead Air” marks the first track drummer Aidan O’Connor and bassist John Steiner have recorded on as full-fledged members of Smut. Part of what makes the song so electric is the excitement the band felt working in this new iteration. “We have so much energy right now,” says Roebuck. To record, “as live as they could,” they went off to New York to work with Aron Kobayashi-Ritch (Momma) at a studio in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Right before they went off to New York, Roebuck and Min got married. When they were recording, Roebuck had completely blown her voice by the end, chugging lemon and honey and hot water. The band slept on friend’s couches and floors. Smut has always been DIY. Because they love it, they love to work together. They love to collaborate. “Dead Air” is the product of that collaboration.

Formed a decade ago in Cincinnati, OH, Smut have conquered national tours with Bully, Swirlies, Nothing, and Wavves since their founding. Where their 2020 EP Power Fantasy dipped its toe into the experimental, their most recent album, How the Light Felt (mastered by Heba Kadry), dives head-first into 90s influences — brit-pop, shoegaze, and trip-hop, taking Smut’s sound to exciting heights, with more new music to be released in the coming months.

Stream/Purchase How the Light Felt

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Autogramm releases “Randy” – a song about and dedicated to their drummer’s cat.

Autogramm, synth-driven power-poppers from Seattle, Chicago and Vancouver, have just released their latest single on Dirt Cult Records and Germany’s Goodwill Records. The vinyl seven-inch single features the band’s newest composition “Randy” and is backed with the song “Jenny’s In A Sleep World” by Toronto’s punk legends The Diodes. Originally released in 1979, The Diodes enthusiastically endorsed the synthed-up cover version of the song. The new single follows Autogramm’s tradition of crafting sing-along new wave anthems, but this time with a humorous twist. “Randy” was originally slated to be released as part of their latest album Music That Humans Can Play, but was omitted as the subject of the lyrics became inaccurate. Being a self described “cat band” they naturally – after some deliberation – decided to re-record the vocals and dedicate the content of the lyrics to their drummer’s cat, Randy.

Drummer The Silo explains the lyrics he penned for the song. “It’s a letter to a good friend, in need of a little confidence push. Everyone needs an ego boost sometimes. Even if they’re a cat.” Listeners will delight in lines like “If you think you wanna jump up on that countertop, well baby you’ve got the tools. The world’s looking for a pretty cool dude, and maybe that dude is you.” “Randy” will remind listeners of DEVO, with tick-tack rhythms, motorik basslines and a quirky bounce that subtly points to influences like The Dead Milkmen and The Cars. Guitarist Lars Von Seattle aptly describes the new release as, “Nuevo juevo punk pop for allergic feline lovers. Blazing guitars, squiggly synths, bumping bass, and deftly thrashing drums collide in a spirit of uplift for the irrepressible Randy in all of us”. The new Autogramm single comes in conjunction with the announcement of their Spanish tour dates this March.

LIVE IN SPAIN MARCH 2025

Sat March 22 COX – TNT BLUES

Sun March 23 GRANADA – PLANTA BAJA

Mon March 24 SPAIN – TBA

Tue March 25 SEVILLA – EVEN

Wed March 26 CÓRDOBA – HANGAR

Thu March 27 VALLADOLID – CIENTOCERO

Fri March 28 SPAIN – TBA

Sat March 29 MADRID – FUN HOUSE

The Spanish tour will also be in support of their latest album Music That Humans Can Play released on vinyl and digital formats world-wide on Stomp Records (and Beluga Records EU). The album has already graced the pages of international press like Paste, Exclaim, Under the Radar, Goldmine, Austin Town Hall, Visions (DE), Musik Express (DE), Happy Mag (AU), and Rock ‘n’ Roll Army (ES). With their new album Music That Humans Can Play the band dedicated themselves to bringing in sounds from influences like The Fixx, David Bowie, Cheap Trick, The Boys, The Dickies, Jay Reatard, and Prince. The result is a decisively cohesive album that will fit in easily to the 80s section of your record collection, with songs so well-crafted they probably deserve to be on the soundtrack of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Chad at No Rules PR.]

Valerie June brings us “Joy, Joy!” with her new single.

GRAMMY-nominated singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Valerie June announces her new album, Owls, Omens, and Oracles, out April 11th via Concord Records, and releases its lead single “Joy, Joy!” alongside an accompanying video. Rooted in the belief that what we focus on is what we manifest, June dreams a songpath forward with Owls, Omens, and Oracles that leaves no one behind. Halfway through a decade of immense and rapid global change, June asserts a multidimensional Blackness steeped in laughter, truth, magic, delight, and interdependence. This album is a radical statement to break skepticism, surveillance, and doom scrolling – let yourself celebrate your aliveness. Connect, weep, change, open.

June has been softening and clarifying her sound since the 2013 release of Pushin’ Against A Stone, through The Order of Time, The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers, and Under Cover. “A willed and unblinking optimism courses through Valerie June’s songs” (New York Times); this newest work shows her own spiritual growth and the opening of ancestral channels into both her dynamic and distinct voice and her tender lyrics. June is not alone in crafting this sacred field for the contemplation of love and being human. Produced by M. Ward (Mavis Staples, She & Him) and engineered by Pierre de Reeder (Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis), Owls, Omens, and Oracles also features a cast of contributors, including The Blind Boys of Alabama and Norah Jones.

An instant foot-stompin’ hip-shaker, lead single “Joy, Joy!” opens the album with an undeniable exuberance. June, playing acoustic guitar, sings: “And when you feel you’re not enough / Has this old been hard and rough / A golden seed beneath dark soil / To seek the sun is often rough” while backed by Kaveh Rastegar on bass (John Legend, Beck), Steven Hodges on drums (Tom Waits, David Lynch), and keys and horn arrangements by Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band). In line with praise by the New Yorker, “[June’s] every quiver bespeaks emotional honesty.”

Reflecting on “Joy, Joy!,” June says: “Everyone has felt moments of darkness, depression, anxiety, stress, ailments, or pain. Some say it takes mud to have a lotus flower. This song reflects on the hard times we might face: to fail, to fall, to lose, to be held down, to be silenced, to be shut out yet still hold onto a purely innocent and childlike joy. I come from a heritage of ancestors who lived this truth by inventing blues music. Generations after they’ve gone, the inner joy they instilled in us radiates and lifts cultures throughout the world. From the world to home, what would a city council focused on inspiring inner joy for all of a town’s citizens look like? As the times are changing across the planet, what would it look like to collectively activate our superpowers of joy?”

Watch the Video for “Joy, Joy!”

Listen to “Joy, Joy!”

Owls, Omens, and Oracles is expansive, growing from June’s psychedelic folk, indie rock, Appalachian, bluegrass, country soul, orchestral pop, and blues root system into an intergalactic web of wisdom. Every single note she sings is dusted with her “unorthodox, howling tin-pan of a voice” (ELLE), “like raw silk–intimate, elegant and strong” (Garden & Gun). The visceral twists and fierce raw emotion of her voice threads textures and tones through the needle of a multi-genre American quilt. Gracefulness and gentleness harmonize with edginess and precarity, evoking a tenderness within even the hardest heart as June holds the complexity of “My life is a country song,” and “I am multidimensional, beyond category.”

June recently announced the Owls, Omens, and Oracles Tour, which kicks off the week after the album release and runs through late June. All shows are full band; a full list of dates can be found below, and tickets can be purchased here.

Portions of the above text are pulled from an Owls, Omens, and Oracles bio by adrienne maree brown.

Pre-order Owls, Omens, and Oracles

Valerie June Owls, Omens, and Oracles Tour Dates
Thu, Mar. 27 – Gettysburg, PA @ Majestic Theater
Tue. Apr. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
Wed. Apr. 16 – Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere Music Hall
Thu. Apr. 17 – Richmond, VA @ The National
Fri. Apr. 18 – Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head Onstage
Sat. Apr. 19 – Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head Onstage
Tue. May 6 – New York, NY @ Town Hall
Wed. May 7 – Norwalk, CT @ District Music Hall
Thu. May 8 – Brownfield, ME @ The Stone Mountain Arts Center
Fri. May 9 – Albany, NY @ Swyer Theatre @ The Egg
Sat. May 10 – Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
Sun. May 11 – Boston, MA @ City Winery
Tue. May 27 – Ferndale, MI @ The Magic Bag
Wed. May 28 – Chicago, IL @ Park West
Thu. May 29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
Fri. May 30 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
Sat. May 31 – Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
Sun. June 1 – Iowa City, IA @ The Englert Theatre
Tue. June 3 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi Annex
Wed. June 4 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
Fri. June 13 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box
Sat. June 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
Sun. June 15 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Lobero Theatre
Tue. June 17 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre
Wed. June 18 – San Francisco, CA @ Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
Fri. June 20 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Sun. June 22 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll feel joy if you subscribe.]

[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Free Range announces new album, “Lost & Found,” and new single, “Hardly.”

Free Range, the project of Chicago-based musician Sofia Jensen (they/them), announces their second album Lost & Found, out March 28th via Mick Music, and unveils its lead single “Hardly.” Lost & Found follows their sharp 2023 debut, Practice, which “confront[ed] and reflect[ed] on youthful confusion and alienation, and the feelings that inspired them” (Chicago Reader). Lost & Found is about the logical next step of trying to feel like an adult. Much of the album stems from the experiences of 21-year-old Jensen, who formed Free Range when they were 15, moving out from their parents’ house and expanding their world in the Chicago music scene. Amid these changes, Jensen experienced feelings common in one’s early twenties but pervasive throughout adulthood: striving for connection even when you’re surrounded by people, and struggling to be emotionally open.

“I have a pretty easy time being honest lyrically and in music, and it feels like such an avenue for me to just express,” Jensen says. “But in my daily life, I’m a pretty private person and have a hard time telling people exactly how I feel…Being truly vulnerable with other people is a lot harder than you think.” Lost & Found is filled with nuanced, mature reflections on how tough forthrightness can be.

Lead single “Hardly” is a full-on overdriven electric guitar barn-burner about what it feels like to really lean on someone, and how that can lead to an uneven and slightly dysfunctional relationship. Jensen sings “I hardly notice when I measure you / against me / but I could tell when you were pulling me through / the darkness in this room / cause all I wanted was just someone to look to / you hardly notice when I glance at you.” It also navigates the role that broken communication plays in a relationship where two people do care about each other, but can’t seem to find themselves on the same page.

Watch the video for “Hardly”

Jensen demoed most of Lost & Found in October 2023 in Silsbee, Texas, where producer Tommy Read, his sister Hannah Read (Lomelda), and Eric Adams (Acre Memos) helped Jensen whittle down 50 songs to a batch of 15. Jensen returned to Texas in January 2024 to record with the full Free Range band: bassist Bailey Minzenberger, drummer Jack Henry, and new member Andy Krull on pedal steel.

Next month, Free Range will support Horsegirl on a North American tour. A full list of dates can be found below and all tickets are on sale now.

Pre-order Lost & Found

Free Range Tour Dates
Fri. Mar. 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church %
Sat. Mar. 22 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat %
Sun. Mar. 23 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings %
Mon. Mar. 24 – Richmond, VA @ The Warehouse %
Wed. Mar. 26 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom %
Thu. Mar. 27 – Somerville, MA @ Arts at The Armory %
Fri. Mar. 28 – Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater %
Sat. Mar. 29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw %

% w/ Horsegirl

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[Thanks to Jaycee at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Versus Machine unleash new single – “Seafoam” – from upcoming album.

Lancaster, PA trio Versus Machine share the official video today for “Seafoam” from their forthcoming sophomore album via Echoes & Dust. Watch/share “Seafoam” HERE. (Direct YouTube HERE.) (And now on all DSPs HERE.)

It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine recently launched the lead track “Seafoam” in an extensive interview HERE. ProgRock Journal recently hosted “Red Queen” single with an interview HERE.

Versus Machine is an innovative and genre-blending rock band whose members bring together years of experience from diverse musical backgrounds. The band’s core is made up of singer/guitarist Stephen Tilley, bassist Michael James Stipe, and drummer Brian Doherty, with the group’s formation rooted in both past musical connections and newfound collaborations.

Stephen Tilley and Brian Doherty grew up together, forming a deep musical bond during their early years. Although they spent nearly a decade apart from playing together, their shared passion for music never faded. In 2021, Doherty reached out to Tilley, reigniting their creative partnership and rekindling a sense of musical chemistry that had been dormant for years. Their reunion marked the beginning of something fresh and exciting, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become Versus Machine.

To bring their musical vision to life, Doherty and Tilley enlisted Michael James Stipe, a bassist known for his work with the band Babel Map. Stipe, with his distinct style and musical sensibilities, quickly became a key member of the group. It was Stipe who coined the band’s name, Versus Machine, a title that encapsulated the band’s blend of raw energy, modern aggression, and intricate songwriting.

In 2022, Versus Machine recorded their debut album at Noisy Little Critter Studios with renowned producer Mike Bardzik. The album marked the band’s arrival, showcasing their ability to fuse elements of post-grunge, alternative rock and psychedelia with an infectious energy and emotional depth. The record quickly gained attention from both fans and critics for its bold sound and honest, often introspective lyrics.

Following the success of their first album, Versus Machine continued to evolve. In 2024, they recorded their highly anticipated follow-up LP, set for release in February 2025. The new album is shaping up to be an even more ambitious project, blending hard-hitting rhythms, complex melodies, and daring sonic experimentation. The band’s sound has matured, and the new record promises to push boundaries even further, establishing them as one of the most exciting acts in the modern rock scene.

In addition to their work as Versus Machine, Tilley has been involved in several high-profile musical collaborations. He has worked with Kellii Scott, the acclaimed drummer of Failure, on two EPs. The second of these EPs is also slated for release in 2025, further cementing Tilley’s place in the alternative rock landscape.

Meanwhile, bassist Michael James Stipe and drummer Brian Doherty have garnered recognition for their contributions to Babel Map’s new album, Teeth, which was produced by Kurt Ballou of Converge. The duo’s work on the album earned them a prominent feature on the front page of Bandcamp Daily highlighting their growing influence in the underground and alternative music scenes. Doherty and Stipe are also slated to work with Martin “Youth” Glover in 2025 on their 4th album with their band Northern Gloom.

With the release of their follow-up album on the horizon, Versus Machine is poised to expand their fanbase and continue making waves in the rock world. Their combination of relentless drive, musical innovation, and heartfelt lyrics has already established them as one of the most promising and dynamic bands in the genre today. As they prepare to take the stage once again in 2025, all eyes are on Versus Machine, eager to see where their bold musical vision will take them next.

II will be available for download and streaming on February 27th, 2025. Pre-order HERE, pre-save HERE.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]