Rock – Page 111 – 7th Level Music

Anthology Editions to release “13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History.”

“Their journey still occasions wonder and awe. For so many years, it was hardly told. Here it is, in pictures and words. This is the way, step inside.” – Jon Savage

13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History, written and curated by Paul Drummond and published by Anthology Editions, will be released April 21st, and is available for preorder now. Direct orders of the book through the Anthology website will be shipped immediately. 13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History tells the complete and unvarnished story of a band, which, until now, has been thought of as tragically underdocumented. Drummond has spent years amassing an unprecedented archive of primary materials, including scores of previously-unseen band photographs, rare and iconic psychedelic artworks, and more. A full list of visual assets can be found below.

Preview 13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History

Born out of a union of club bands on the burgeoning Austin bohemian scene and a pronounced taste for hallucinogens, the 13th Floor Elevators formed in late 1965 when lyricist Tommy Hall asked a local singer named Roky Erickson to join up with his new rock outfit. Four years, three official albums, and countless acid trips later, it was over: the Elevators’ pioneering first run ended in a dizzying jumble of professional mismanagement, internal arguments, drug busts, and forced psychiatric imprisonments.

In their short existence, however, the group succeeded in blowing the lid off the budding musical underground, logging early salvos in the countercultural struggle against state authorities, and turning their deeply hallucinatory take on jug-band garage rock into a new American institution called psychedelic music. Before the hippies, before the punks, there were the 13th Floor Elevators: an unlikely crew of outcast weirdo geniuses who changed culture. 13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History places the band finally and undeniably in the pantheon of innovators of American rock music to which they have always belonged.

13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History Visual Assets:
●      Rare photos, including many newly-discovered color shots
●      Family scrapbook photos and clippings
●      Photography and ephemera from the band’s friends, a who’s-who of the 1960s Austin arts scene
●      Stills from the band’s television appearances
●      Contemporary newspaper and underground press clippings covering the band’s rise (and fall)
●      Materials from the books that inspired the band’s unique iconography
●      Internal documents from the band’s label International Artists documenting the disastrous business side of the Elevators’ career in detail
●      Materials relating to the band’s legal troubles, from handwritten drug deal letters to Austin Police Department surveillance photos to mugshots and draft cards
●      The most complete collection of show flyers and handbills ever assembled, including many rare alternate printings of iconic psychedelic posters

About the Author:
Paul Drummond is a renowned antiquarian bookseller based in London. He has spent years documenting every aspect of the history of the 13th Floor Elevators, and is the author of Eye Mind (2007), the exhaustive and definitive biography of the band.

Order 13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History
https://bit.ly/2QY4jgv

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

[Thanks to Pitch Perfect PR!]

CHAI urge us to look past the exterior with a great new single – “No More Cake.”

Today, the Japanese quartet and champions of NEO-Kawaii CHAI are proud to present their newest single and video, “NO MORE CAKE.” As with many of their other songs, the fun veneer is always a bit of a red herring for a deeper, more self-reflective message. The song is “a sarcastic poke about wearing make-up,” says singer MANA. “We feel like that you should wear make-up that you feel suits you. Wearing make-up shouldn’t be based on the orders of someone else.”

The video representation is explained, in part, by bassist & lyricist YUUKI. “Doing your make-up to look like another person is the same as applying cake to your face.” “We wanted the theme for this music video to be ‘make-up meets art,’” adds guitarist KANA. “That’s why at times we had our faces looking like cake and then expressed as art.”
WATCH “NO MORE CAKE” VIDEO
https://youtu.be/ZeiOihSnYCw

CHAI’s most recent album, PUNK was met with resounding praise, being named Best New Music by Pitchfork and receiving glowing reviews from NPR Music, Stereogum, Exclaim, and more. Following its release, the band brought their “undeniable pop energy” (NPR Music) stateside to SXSW. There, the band played several showcases to much fanfare, their vivacious sets deemed one to see by Paste, Stereogum, NPR Music, Austin Monthly, Austin American-Statesman, plus others.

PRAISE FOR CHAI AND PUNK

“PUNK leans hard into CHAI’s gift for spiky, wiry aggression, but the group never abandons its sense of playfulness and light” – NPR Music

“terrifically over the top.” – Pitchfork, Best New Music

“Their songs shapeshift, ping-ponging from one idea to the next with dizzying speed, leaving you no choice but to hang on for dear life and go along for the ride.”
– Stereogum, Album Of The Week

“they’re determined to redefine your idea of ‘kawaii,’ and, in the process, there’s no way you won’t become addicted.” – Nylon

“Punk is a huge step forward for CHAI, and easily one of the best albums of the year.”
– Exclaim!

“Packed with gum-snapping cheerleader attitude and space disco grooves, it’s a potent distillation of serotonin that offers countless surprises across its thirty-minute runtime.” – The FADER

“Bursting with fun, expanded musicianship, and boundless energy, this is one sophomore record that couldn’t exist more in the now.” – The 405

CHAI Online:
http://chai-band.com/
https://twitter.com/CHAIofficialJPN
https://www.instagram.com/chaiofficialjpn/

[Keep your mind open.]

[A subscription from you would be sweet.]

[Thanks to Pitch Perfect PR!]

Review: Flat Worms – Antarctica

Recorded in just six days, Flat Worms‘ fourth album, Antarctica, is a loud, wild, angry, and yet hopeful record about where we’re going as a species. Are we heading for a barren wasteland of a future, a world of people who don’t want to come back out after COVID-19 is gone, or a world where people still have hope and work toward building a better tomorrow?

Those are the questions Flat Worms (Tim Hellman – bass, Will Ivy – guitar and vocals, and Justin Sullivan – drums) ask themselves and us, beginning with “The Aughts.” Remember them? The years 2000 – 2009 seem like more than a decade ago, don’t they? We’ve already forgotten the lessons learned during those years, which might explain why Ivy’s guitar sounds like its growling for the entire song and Sullivan sounds like he’s beating his snare drum to death at some points. “The aughts, the teens, the tens, only a means to an end,” Ivy sings.

Hellman’s bass is like facing a blitz of punches from a boxer on “Plaster Casts.” Up next is the dangerous “Market Forces,” which is currently my top single of 2020. It absolutely flattens anything that comes into contact with it. The lyrics skewer self-isolation via our phones and addicting entertainment long before a different kind of self-isolation became necessary. “I’m like a piece of the puzzle that’s lost in the living room. I’m looking for a catapult to escape the situation, but every time I thought I got out, I’m just stepping in quicksand again,” Ivy sings. Good grief, haven’t we all been there?

The title track starts with what almost sounds like hip hop beats from Sullivan, but then Hellman’s prowling panther bass enters the room and Ivy’s guitar flits around like a vampire bat. “Via” builds with a solid chug and then warps into post-punk madness. Ivy’s guitar on “The Mine” plunges into psychedelia while Hellman’s bass is the jagged rocks below and Sullivan’s drums move back and forth between garage rock and near-metal rolls.

“Ripper One” does indeed rip, reminding me of a high-powered engine that’s pushed to its limits. “There’s nothing to lose, nothing to offer,” they sing amid heavy cymbal crashes and power chords. A lot of us are stuck in that mode of being nowadays and we’re unsure of how to break the cycle. We know that moving into a “Condo Colony” (which sounds like an early Public Image Ltd. cut) won’t bring us much relief, if any. A gated community not only keeps people out, it tries to convince you that you shouldn’t leave. Ivy implores us with warnings like, “And as the towers grow, see the traffic swell. A phantom opera glove is behind the controls. It’s a condo colony! A condo colony! Step out.” and “If I could somehow escape outside of the wall, then I look over my shoulder and everywhere I go it just follows me.” Hot damn. He’s not playing.

“Signals” could refer back to those traffic jams controlled by unseen phantoms. It’s a short instrumental before “Wet Concrete,” which has bass that’s as thick as its namesake. The album ends with “Terms of Visitation,” which sounds like something you might run into on the Home Owners Association agreement you signed to moved into that condo colony. It’s a wild, chaotic tune about the delicate dances we do in romantic relationships. “These are the terms of visitation, fit for prisoners, fit for lovers just the same. It’s just the same.”

This is one of the best albums of 2020 so far. Flat Worms are bringing their A-game right now, and in this time of no professional sports we need serious players for serious times.

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

Ohmme’s new single, “Ghost,” is perfect for blasting on your stereo during self-isolation .

“Ohmme’s music feels experimental and strange yet still accessible, with an underlying gut-level rumble that keeps its songs from floating into the ether.” – NPR Music

“You might think OHMME is a mantra, but it’s in fact the place to be to hear remarkable music from a Chicago band in rare form” – Chicago Tribune

“Their harmonies teem with nervous energy while riding a sweeping rhythmic undercurrent, building up tension that occasionally explodes into fleeting moments of release.” – Stereogum

Ohmme – the Chicago-based duo of Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart – release a new single/video “Ghost,” from their forthcoming album, Fantasize Your Ghost, out June 5th via Joyful Noise Recordings. Following lead single“3 2 4 3,” “one of their darkest, thickest cuts yet” (Vulture), “Ghost” opens with sparse instrumentation, blooming with layered vocals and heavy, experimental guitar licks. Its colorful accompanying video, directed, shot, and edited by Austin Vesely, features the band and shiny, dancing ghosts.

“We’d been kicking around the idea of doing something like the Pop Musik video by M but darker,” says the band. “There’s a lot of darkness these days but it’s important to keep dancing. Austin said, ‘fancy ghosts’ and ‘can I press order on these California King satin bedsheets’ and we said ‘Yes, and YES!’”

Watch Ohmme’s Video for “Ghost”
https://youtu.be/hstB_R4pahw

Fantasize Your Ghost is the direct result of the band spending more time on the road than in Chicago. It’s deeply concerned with questions of the self, the future, and what home means when you’re travelling all the time. Early sketches of Fantasize Your Ghost‘s tracklist were demoed at Sam Evian‘s Flying Cloud Studios in upstate New York through intensely collaborative and open sessions. The album was recorded over a six day session in August 2019 at the Post Farm in southern Wisconsin with journeyman producer Chris Cohen.

Though 2018’s Parts showcased their wildly burgeoning influences and talents, Fantasize Your Ghost captures the astounding magnetism and ferocity of their live show. It encapsulates the thrilling and sometimes terrifying joy of moving forward even if you don’t know where you’re going. It’s an album that asks necessary questions: When life demands a crossroads, what version of yourself are you going to pursue? What part of yourself will you feed and let flourish and what do you have to let go of? This is a record of strength, of best friends believing in each other. Unapologetic and brave, Ohmme are ready to figure it all out together.

Additionally, Ohmme share rescheduled North American tour dates. Following their summer headlining tour, they’ll support Waxahatchee. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets are on sale now.

Watch the Video for “3 2 4 3”

https://youtu.be/n9E9ngQ9lVI

Pre-order Fantasize Your Ghost
http://joyfulnoi.se/FantasizeYourGhost

Ohmme Tour Dates
Fri. June 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon – Record Release Show *
Sat. June 6 – Oakland, CA @ Crystal Cavern *
Sun. June 7 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Atrium at The Catalyst *
Mon. June 8 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s *
Tue. June 9 – Sisters, OR @ The Suttle Lodge *
Thu. June 11 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge *
Fri. June 12 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza *
Sat. June 13 – Spokane, WA @ Lucky You (Upstairs) *
Sun. June 14 – Boise, ID @ The Olympic *
Mon. June 15 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project
Tue. June 16 – Bolinas, CA @ Gospel Flat Farmstand *
Sat. Aug. 8 – Ripon, WI @ Avrom Farm Party
Sun. Sept. 27 – Austin, TX @ Scholz Garten %
Mon. Sept. 28 – Houston, TX @ Satellite %
Tue. Sept. 29 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West %
Thu. Oct. 1 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In %
Fri. Oct. 2 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom %
Sun. Oct. 4 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre %
Mon. Oct. 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer %
Tue. Oct. 6 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere %
Thu. Oct. 8 – Winooski, VT @ Monkey House
Fri. Oct. 9 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre %
Sat. Oct. 10 – Holyoke, MA @ Gateway City Arts %
Mon. Oct. 12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater %
Tue. Oct. 13 – Detroit, M @ MOCAD %
Thu. Oct. 15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center %
Fri. Oct. 16 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room %
Sat. Oct. 17 – Maquoketa, IA @ Codfish Hollow Barn %
Sun. Oct. 18 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre %

* = w/ V. V. Lightbody
% = w/ Waxahatchee

Keep your mind open.

[Slide on over to the subscription box while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Pitch Perfect PR for the press release!]

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to release documentary film and double LP, “Chunky Shrapnel,” April 17th.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have announced Chunky Shrapnel; a feature length music documentary film and accompanying Double LP to be released in April 2020.

The album will be released digitally on April 24th with vinyl pre-orders available on April 10th. The film will premiere online April 17th.

WATCH TRAILER & BUY FILM TICKETS HERE

“Chunky Shrapnel was made for the cinema but as both concerts and films are currently outlawed, it feels poetic to release a concert-film digitally right now. Get the loudest speakers you’ve got, turn ‘em up and watch Chunky on the biggest telly you can find. Get heaps of snacks and convert your lounge room into a cinema.” Stu Mackenzie

A musical road movie dipped in turpentine, Chunky Shrapnel is a point of view/on stage experience from the perspective of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Once a song begins, just like the band, you’re stuck in the adrenaline fueled quick sand that there is no escape from. The film’s contention is clear from the outset, it’s going to be a “journey” not a “lecture”, an incurved experience rather than a linear one.

The band, nor the film-makers were interested in making a self congratulatory “behind the scenes expose” film. It was a direct decision to keep the inner workings of the band’s personality at arms length, it is the music they were interested in exploring. The approach was taken that the film’s protagonist should be the “on stage” performances, that was the focus. With this, they abandoned multiple cameras and cross cutting during performances, turning the camera into a vehicle for the audience to experience the show through, rather than placing them in a crowd or side of stage. At 96 minutes, Chunky Shrapnel more than earns its length. At times gently holding your hand and at other times smashing a bottle over your head and dumping your body in a heaving crowd. There is an inevitability to the film, a driving, ever accelerating spiral that climaxes in a 15 minute medley that spans four countries.

Chunky Shrapnel is directed by John Angus Stewart and scored by Stu Mackenzie.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you split.]

[Thanks to Flightless Records for this press release.]

Review: L’appel Du Vide – Demo 2020

I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my favorite things about writing this blog and being a part-time radio DJ is getting correspondence from bands I’ve never heard, especially ones from outside the U.S.

One such band is L’appel Du Vide (The Call of the Void) from Chemnitz, Germany. Their new EP, Demo 2020, is a solid post-punk guitar assault mixed with krautrock precision drumming. The band is also a supergroup of sorts, consisting of members of Black Lagoon, Die Tunnel, Mvrmansk, and Out on a Limb.

The four-song EP is good from start to finish. Opener “Falle” (“Cases”) is post-punk to the core with its jagged guitar lines, sharp drumming, and wicked bass. “Schweineherz” (“Pig heart”) takes on a distinctly gothic tone and is downright relentless as it comes at you non-stop for about two and a half minutes.

“Einer von hier” (“One from here”) has probably my favorite bass line on the EP. It’s like a freight train roaring alongside you. The guitars are like police sirens blasting by as you’re walking along a rainy German city street. The closer, “Verschlungen” (“Devoured”), growls along with more precision drumming, popping bass, and wall-shattering guitars that pound like engine pistons.

A full-length album from this quartet would be one of the loudest, heaviest records of the year if Demo 2020 is any indication. These four tracks pack more power than many LP’s in the same genre. I’m keen to hear more.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

Review: The Chats – High Risk Behaviour

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, that really is the cover of The Chats‘ full-length debut album, High Risk Behaviour. I love that it looks like a gig flyer you’d see stapled on a phone pole somewhere in Sydney, Australia. Don’t let the simplicity of the cover fool you. These three young Aussie punks have crafted a fun record that blasts out of your speakers and has more attitude than several hardcore bands combined.

Lead track, “Stinker,” starts so fast you almost think part of the track is missing. The Stooges-like chords are immediately apparent as lead singer and bassist Eamon Sandwith sings about waking up after a wild party weekend to discover his place is trashed…again. I’m not sure if his bass riffs or drummer Matt Boggis‘ high-hat work is fiercer on “Drunk and Disorderly.” Guitarist Josh “Pricey” Price takes over lead vocals on “The Clap,” which is, as the band’s press materials state, “the closest you’ll ever hear The Chats get to write a love song.”

“Identity Theft” is a tale of woe as Sandwith sings about his identity being stolen while buying drugs on the internet. What’s he supposed to do? Report it to the police? “Guns” is an absolute middle finger in the eye toward U.S. gun culture. “Little Johnny had V.D., but went on a shooting spree. Learned it from the TV, USA let him free. Kids need guns!” Price’s solo on it is particularly sharp.

“Dine and Dash” is about loading up on food and splitting before you pay. “Keep the Grubs Out” is a spoken-word piece (backed by chugging, fuzzy guitars) about a security guard, a manager, and a business owner telling the band (and I’m sure these are direct quotes) they’re not proper social class and / or look appropriate and thus are not welcome in the venue / restaurant / business. The songs ends with the line, “Feel free to come back when you get a haircut.”

“Pub Feed” is a salute to bar food, not to mention one of the hottest tracks on the record. “Ross River” is a song about picking up a nasty infection from people Sandwith has met at shows and pubs. Good grief, that sounds pretty prophetic nowadays, doesn’t it? “Heatstroke” does indeed sizzle. “I discriminate ’em all the same,” Sandwith sings on “Billy Backwash’s Day” – a track about a guy looking for a fight anywhere he can find it.

“4573” is a great call-and-response punk track. The last two tracks on the album are a nice pairing – “Do What I Want” and “Better Than You.” The first is a song about defiant independence. The other has the band claiming they’re better than those who would sneer down at them because at least they’re honest and not trapped by the constant need to impress anyone else.

It’s a record that will make you laugh, cheer, mosh, and hungry. That’s a winner in my book.

Keep your mind open.

[All I want and all I need is for you to subscribe.]

Review: Melkbelly – PITH

Chicago’s Melkbelly have been through a lot since the release of their last album, Nothing Valley (the death of a close friend of the band, for one), but they haven’t succumbed to the pressures of stress, political theatre, or Madison Avenue. They’ve instead channeled that fidgeting anger and restless energy into an excellent new album – PITH.

The album was recorded with a lot of vintage microphones and Moog synths, as well as Melkbelly’s signature fuzz guitars and panicked drumming. Opener “THC” is about trying to make up for past wrongs with a friend, but failing at every turn. The song’s fuzz sways back and forth as James Wetzel‘s drums roll around like a grizzly bear scratching its back. Liam Winters‘ bass on “Sickengly Teeth” is as heavy as a battleship anchor. It’s a song about keeping a smile and speaking nice when you want to be cruel and lash out. Wife-husband duo Bart and Miranda Winters go guitar gonzo on the track.

The first single off the album, “LCR,” follows it, and it’s sort of a response to the previous track. Miranda Winters sings, “Her teeth were coated slick and sweetly, so thick that it was deafening. I cannot hear above the sugar, but I can watch your mouth move.” The opening riffs of “Little Bug” are straight metal and then morph into shoegaze chords. The lyrics are about someone Miranda Winters can’t get off her mind.

“Humid Heart” has Ms. Winters emerging from a hot relationship to find everyone else has left while she was enthralled with her last obsession (“Now nobody I like is left here. No one that I like’s left around.”). Wetzel’s drum fills are particularly impressive on this track. Liam Winters’ bass is the driving force of “Kissing Under Some Bats,” in which Ms. Winters trash talks people who come to shows and not pay attention to the band (among others). The track builds to a wild tidal wave of distortion and hammering beats.

“Season of the Goose” has Wetzel’s snare taking front and center as Ms. Winters sings more lyrics about heat. Heat, humidity, and arid environments are a prominent theme on PITH. Sometimes the heat is so bad that it’s choking (“Now’s the season when it hurts me to breathe. Did I burn you up?”). It’s all allegorical, of course, and we’re left thinking that the heat Melkbelly is feeling is from stress or the oppressive nature of everyone and everything having to be in our faces all the time.

The dangerous guitars of “Mr. Coda” reflect the dangerous nature of the song’s protagonist (“I showed up with a face and a set of walk-myself legs. Damn gams, can you handle this shit?”). “Stone Your Friends” slows down, but just a bit, to tell a tale of feeling uncomfortable around people who are supposed to be your friends.

“Water, water and me. Speak less, but still say a lot,” Ms. Winters sings on “Take H20.” Is she trying to tame the heat she’s been feeling throughout the whole record (and, I’m guessing, the six-month recording process of the album)? She won’t have much luck if that’s the case, because the whole song burns like a bonfire.

The closer, “Flatness,” is perhaps the most enigmatic song on the album. “I don’t have the patience to understand the shape of flatness,” Ms. Winters sings as she wanders through a field high grass and weeds early in the morning. Is she trying to wrap her head around something metaphysical, or a wide open space where a relationship used to be? It reminds me a bit of some of L7‘s slower tracks that bubble with distortion and barely suppressed power.

PITH is an impressive follow-up to Nothing Valley, and that album was already a blast furnace of Chicago garage-punk. PITH is a brick of Black Cat firecrackers thrown into that furnace.

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re self-isolating? What else are you going to do?]

Melkbelly releases “Sickeningly Teeth” from new album due tomorrow!

Chicago-based band Melkbelly will release PITH, their multidimensional and strikingly textural new album, on April 3rd via Wax Nine / Carpark Records. Today, they offer a new single/video, “Sickeningly Teeth,”which follows previously released singles “Humid Heart” and “LCR.” In conjunction, they share dates for their recently rescheduled North American tour.

“Sickeningly Teeth” is in step with Melkbelly’s unabashed loudness and is “a cough syrup induced self-reflection.” Miranda Winters’ bright vocals are delayed and hazy over raucous instrumentation and periodic tempo shifts.

The accompanying video was directed by Marty Schousboe (Joe Pera Talks With You), who also created the videos for Melkbelly’s “Bathroom at the Beach” and “Kid Kreative.” The “Sickeningly Teeth” video completes the Melkbelly Trilogy and is an obvious homage to the greatest trilogy of all time, “The Matrix”. It stars, among others, John Reynolds (Search Party), and is tastefully laden with delightful gross-outs.
WATCH MELKBELLY’S VIDEO FOR “SICKENINGLY TEETH”
https://youtu.be/ghumw7Ji-P4

PITH was summoned from a place of mourning following the loss of a close friend. Miranda Winters drew from diverse scenes—Grimm-like children’s stories too dark for kids; thorny, mossy forests—to create stories that feel distinctly Melkbellian: philosophically strange, strikingly textural, funny and sad and open-hearted.

Recording in two short sessions six months apart, the band worked with longtime collaborator Dave Vettraino, this time at Bloomington, Indiana’s Russian Recording. Alongside an arsenal of rock gear and airy synth layers coaxed from a Moog Prodigy, PITH’s was refined by the studio’s collection of rare Russian tube mics, which were placed in every corner to capture Melkbelly’s compelling intensity.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “HUMID HEART”
https://youtu.be/4hMYGDBE7sg

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “LCR”
https://youtu.be/sw5IEA8ju88

PRE-ORDER PITH
https://smarturl.it/melkbelly_pith

MELKBELLY TOUR DATES
Sat. Aug. 15 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
Tue. Aug. 18 – Toronto, ON @ Baby G
Wed. Aug. 19 – Montreal, QC @ La Vitrola
Thu. Aug. 20 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theater
Sun. Aug. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Wed. Aug. 26 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
Thu. Aug. 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
Fri. Aug. 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto

PRAISE FOR MELKBELLY

“’LCR,’ the album’s lead single, exhibits their chaotic finesse — it’s an intricately put-together tower of noise, filled with bleary moments of relief from leader Miranda Winters” – Stereogum

“‘Humid Heart’ is adrift in a mesh of interlocking bass and guitar. The chords seem to link up and split on a whim, the aural equivalent of that push-pull of normality that comes with sudden loss. It all comes to a head in the final freakout, which ends like an abrupt snap back to reality.” – Consequence of Sound

“As one of the more exciting bands in recent memory, we’ve patiently awaited their new record and ‘Humid Heart’ is a good reason to believe it’s been worth the wait.”
– Post-Trash
Melkbelly Online:
http://melkbelly.net/
https://twitter.com/melkbelly
https://melkbelly.bandcamp.com/
http://pitchperfectpr.com/melkbelly/
https://www.facebook.com/melkbelly/
https://www.instagram.com/melkbelly/

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you split.]

Why Bonnie release “Athlete” from EP due April 10th.

“At the helm of Why Bonnie, Blair Howerton writes glossy, synth- and string-inflected guitar-pop songs that fit a mighty, beating heart underneath all the gleaming hooks.”
– NPR Music

“‘Voice Box’ is hazy and swooning, a gorgeous introduction to Why Bonnie’s new era that’s equal parts gauzy and fried.” – Stereogum

“…dreamy and immediate rock songs in the style of, say, Alvvays or TOPS, are arresting because of this constant push-pull; each track is like a Sisyphean walk towards dream-pop heaven” – The FADER

Ahead of the release of their new EP, Voice Box, out April 10th via Fat Possum, Austin-based band Why Bonnie share a new single/video, “Athlete.” Following the recently-released title track, Breeders-inspired “Athlete” endeavors self-doubt in a blistering metaphor of failed sportsmanship. Over loud, anthemic guitar and crashing percussion, frontwoman Blair Howerton sings “about the frustration of not being able to keep up with the ‘team’ and learning to laugh when you fumble.“

Its accompanying video, directed by Alex Winker, is essentially a charming, fun day for the band filmed on VHS. “‘Athlete’ is the most ‘rock and roll’ track on the EP so we wanted to make a video that embodied that, but also felt like casual, day-in-the-life footage,” says the band. “Kind of like watching a home movie that you found in a box in your parents’ attic, but instead of you as a three-year old on the soccer field, you’re a grown adult with about the same skill level.”

Watch Why Bonnie’s Video for “Athlete”
https://youtu.be/2wUq5HiJ7e8

The Voice Box EP follows 2018’s In Water EP, which eulogized Howerton’s older brother, who passed away years prior. Follow-up Nightgown expanded the effort, pulling lush Mazzy Star and Cranberries influences. Voice Box celebrates unhindered expression through beguiling, propulsive guitar pop. Fuzzed-out guitars and crystalline vocals drive a tough-edged struggle in the space between suppression and artistic liberty. Howerton explains: “It encapsulates a disconnect between my inner and outer world, and not being able to express myself authentically because of that. But, ultimately knowing I will crash and burn if I don’t.”

Why Bonnie is the dazzling, full-band emotional release of Howerton. In a decisive step to start performing her backlogged material, Howerton moved back home to Texas after graduating college in 2015. In Austin, Howerton joined lifelong best friend Kendall Powell, who she met in preschool. Powell’s classical piano chops swapped to synth for the new project. Both active in the Austin scene, guitarist Sam Houdek and bassist Chance Williams later joined to complete the lineup.
Watch the Video for “Voice Box”
https://youtu.be/Ptt9ZEne38Q

Pre-order Voice Box EP
WhyBonnie.lnk.to/VoiceBoxEP

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe?]