Rock – Page 21 – 7th Level Music

Rewind Review: The Jesus and Mary Chain – Stoned & Dethroned (2009 reissue)

Coming off the 1993 Lollapalooza tour (back when it a tour and still had good lineups), The Jesus and Mary Chain went into the studio in 1994 to record what was originally supposed to be an acoustic record for their fifth album, but making Stoned & Dethroned took longer than they’d expected and was also the first time since Psychocandy that they used a full band in the sessions instead of brothers Jim and William Reid doing everything.

“Dirty Water” (a sort of lament mixed with a sort of challenge) has those acoustic guitars, but the electric guitars and bass, and Ben Lurie‘s harmonica and Steve Monti‘s shuffling drums almost push it into psychedelic country territory. “Bullet Lovers” continues this love affair with the dusty west (I mean, look at that main cover image…).

Mazzy Star‘s Hope Sandoval joins Jim Reid on vocals for “Sometimes Always,” which has Reid begging for Sandoval to let him back into her life after he’s left her yet again. “Come On” is a lovable track with a cool groove and simple, yet completely relatable lyrics about trying to convince a lover that things will eventually turn around and be all right. The electro-acoustic guitar on “Between Us” is a nice touch, once again bridging the gap between western psych and shoegaze.

“Hole” is a dark one, with Jim Reid wishing he had some motivation (“All I want is a dream. Give me something to dream.). Monti’s simple drum beat is perfect for the track, while the guitars grumble like Oscar the Grouch deep inside his trash can. “Never Saw It Coming” might be a song about the end of the world, with William Reid telling us there will be no need of money, clothing, or even running when it comes. The bass groove on this by Lurie is top notch.

“She” is an interesting track (with nice guitar work throughout it) as Jim Reid tries to figure out a woman who “spends her time out of space and out of line, planning some unholy crime that comes to nothing.” Meanwhile, his brother wishes he and a woman could make it work on “Wish I Could.” “Save Me” and “Till It Shines” go heavy on the acoustic guitar chords, with “Till It Shines” again delivering a (mostly) hopeful message (“Junk the junk, love the love.”).

Shane McGowan from The Pogues takes over lead vocals on the sad (Notice the initials of the album’s title?) “God Help Me,” which is a straight-up prayer of someone at the end of their rope. Jim Reid tries to talk a lady friend out of going back to her old addict habits on “Girlfriend” (“We done our time and we had some fun. I want to get things done.”). He expands this to wonder what’s going on not only with her, but people in general on “Everybody” (“Everybody I know is falling apart.”) – a song which I’m willing to bet Radiohead has on a couple playlists. On “You’ve Been a Friend,” Jim Reid is missing someone who’s left him – possibly because of his actions.

William Reid, at least, feels a bit better on “These Days,” in which he claims, “I feel immune to the sadness and gloom.” On the closing track, “Feeling Lucky,” he’s finally found “someone who knows me, and she still wants to hold me.” The Brian Jonestown Massacre probably play this on repeat while on tour.

This album doesn’t have a lot of the loud, fuzzy riffs you might expect from TJAMC, but it does have the introspective lyrics, the good guitar work, and the interesting mix of American southwest vibrations.

Keep your mind open.

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Messiness’ new single, “Previous Life,” is a trip through space and time.

Psychedelic-laced indie rockers MESSINESS present the single ‘Previous Life’ – an upbeat sonic reflection on alienation, sensory excess, and the paradox of nostalgia. At its heart, the song articulates an existential crisis in which the self seeks refuge in an imagined past that is not so much remembered as it is constructed. The band’s debut album will be released later this year via Tarla Records and StoneFree Records. ‘Previous Life’ imbues psychedelic 60s-flavoured indie rock with a raw, rebellious exploration of life.

Based in the gritty underbelly of Italy’s fashion capital, Milan, Messiness revolves around Sicilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist MAX RAFFA. Messiness is the welcome result of his remarkable journey, carved through Europe’s cultural landscapes, from sun-bleached Balearic shores to British harbor towns, as Raffa performed in various rock ’n’ roll bands while conducting the ethnographic research that ultimately shaped his musical vision.

Raffa has assembled a proper motley crew: Rosario Lo Monaco wielding guitars, Filippo La Marca manning the keys, Giovanni Calella thumping the bass, and Luca Anello keeping the beat.

“This “Previous Life” is not a site of historical retrieval but a metaphysical counterpoint to the suffocating present—a liminal space where agency dissolves, aspirations are rendered obsolete, and structure itself is negated. The song thus stages a dialectic between presence and absence, reality and myth, in which the very act of longing for another life exposes the impossibility of its attainment,” explains Max Raffa.

“‘Previous Life’ is not merely a reflection on nostalgia; it is an interrogation of nostalgia’s internal contradictions. The song exposes the futility of retreating into an imagined past, revealing that such a past is, by definition, uninhabitable. The impulse to escape is simultaneously an acknowledgment of entrapment—the longing for a life beyond structure, obligation, and meaning ultimately leads not to liberation but to negation.”

Messiness creates accessible, vibrant feel-good indie rock with Britpop leanings. Incorporating elements of art pop, psychedelic and space rock elements, their harmonic styles bring Canterbury scene experimentation together with Southern European flavours, drawing from both traditional and urban soundscapes.

In ‘Previous Life’, the repetition of “I’m making plans for my previous life” serves as both a mantra and a lament. The author clings to the idea of a different, freer existence, but the sheer act of making plans—a forward-looking action—ironically contradicts the notion of a previous life. Raffa notes, “This contradiction reinforces the song’s central theme: the longing for a life beyond structure, obligation, and meaning ultimately leads not to liberation but to negation; the search for meaning often leads to its undoing, and the past we construct as a refuge is, in the end, an illusion.”

As of March 14, ‘Previous Life’ will be available from fine online music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and directly from the artist via Bandcamp.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR.]

mclusky’s “people person” might be your new favorite song about work…or people in general.

“people person” is a new song from mclusky that they are sharing today, along with a video directed by remy lamont, which you can watch now if you like (https://mclusky.lnk.to/people).

This follows their recent announcement of their first album in 20 years: the world is still here and so are we (may 9, ipecac recordings).

Andrew Falkous says: “’people person’ is the song that gave me tinnitus, so asking me about it is really cruel. It’s probably about being overwhelmed by the world because that’s what all of our songs are about.”

As the song itself says: “a lot of people like to be wise after the event.”

It’s important to state that the world is still here and so are we is the fourth mclusky album (no qualification being needed). they had an asterisk next to the name for a bit – out of respect for past band members and the precious memorial glue of teenage musical crushes – but fuck that, in for a penny, in for a pound. lyrically it touches on subjects as rich and as varied as work-it-out-yourself and impenetrable-inside-joke-for-the-band, but one thing is clear, all of the songs have different words. all hilarious joking aside, the best songs are about things without being precisely about them. mclusky endorse this sentiment. they positively insist on it.

Album pre-orders are available now (https://mclusky.lnk.to/world) with the world is still here and so are we available on multiple limited-edition vinyl variants (marble vinyl and 180 gram black vinyl), an indie store exclusive clear vinyl, as well as a standard blue vinyl. the release is also available on CD and digital formats.

mclusky tour dates:

May 8 – wrexham, uk the rockin’ chair

may 16 – tourcoing, fr le grand mix

May 18 – brussels, be les nuits botaniques (w/ The Jesus Lizard)

May 23 – manchester, uk gorilla

May 24 – leeds, uk brudenell

May 29 – london, uk electric ballroom

May 31 – bristol, uk swx

January 6 – melbourne, au corner

January 9 – adelaide, au lion arts factory

January 10 – sydney, au factory theatre

January 11 – brisbane, au crowbar

Tickets for all shows are on-sale now with links available via ipecac.com/tours.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

Dummy to release a full remix album, “Bubbelibrium DLC,” on June 11, 2025.

Dummy announces a new remix album, Bubbelibrium DLC, out June 11th both digitally and on a limited run of compact discs handmade by the band, and shares the “Unshaped Road (GMO’s Gummy Remix)” via Bandcamp today and available on all streaming platforms this Friday, March 14th. Bubbelibrium DLC reimagines Dummy’s sophomore album, Free Energy, released last fall on Trouble In Mind to acclaim from Pitchfork,Rolling Stone, Stereogum, Paste, Bandcamp Daily, Alternative Press, Treble, and more. Inspired by the notion of collaborating with their community of peers and heroes, Dummy invited GMO, Wishy, Three Quarter Skies (Simon Scott of Slowdive), seminal 90s 4AD band Insides, and more to participate. Bubbelibrium DLC pushes Dummy’s songs further into the electronic, dance and experimental space that showcase each artist’s individual talents.

“Unshaped Road (GMO’s Gummy Remix)” finds members of ex-Captured Tracks’ band B Boys remixing Free Energy standout “Unshaped Road” with a focus on the song’s bassline. GMO says, “We heard you like the bassline in ‘Unshaped Road’ — so do we. Our remix highlights the driving bassline and textured sounds of the original, with a little GMO flavor.”
Stream “Unshaped Road (GMO’s Gummy Remix)”

Dummy — the Los Angeles band of Alex Ewell, Emma Maatman, Nathan O’Dell, andJoe Trainor — is a creatively restless band. Feeling like they had done the best version of motorik pop that they could do, they wanted to get harder, dancier, a little more psychedelic. While creating Free Energy, Ewell and Trainor began experimenting with home recording, using DAW as kind of an instrument for composition rather than simply a tool. O’Dell dug deeper into instrumental/sample composition, in addition to contributing more guitar leads, while Maatman stepped into the spotlight with noticeably foregrounded and confident vocals. The result is a record that celebrates music’s ability to move the body, whether that be through a teeth-rattling wall of MBV-esque noise, a sticky pop chorus, or a joyous drum machine—or, if you’re Dummy, maybe all of them in the same song.

Purchase / Stream Free Energy

Dummy Tour Dates:
Sat. Apr. 19 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriets
Sun. Apr. 20 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
Tue. Apr. 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Linger Longer
Fri. Apr. 25 – McAllen, TX @ The Gremlin
Sat. Apr 26 – Austin, TX @ Austin Psych Fest
Sun. Apr. 27 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
Mon. Apr. 28 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Resonant Head
Tue. Apr. 29 – Lawrence, KS @ White Schoolhouse
Wed. Apr. 30 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
Thu. May 1 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister
Sat. May 3 – Mexico City, MX @ Pitchfork Music Festival CDMX
Sun. May 4 – Guadalajara, MX @ Cuerda Cultura
Thu. Jul. 31 – Sun. Aug. 3 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
Fri. May 16 – Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits @ Botanique
Sat. May 17 – Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling @ Paradiso
Mon. May 19 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus
Tue. May 20 – Berlin, DE @ Badenhaus
Wed. May 21 – Szczecin, PL @ Storrady
Thu. May 22 – Warsaw, PL @ Chmury
Fri. May 23 – Krakow, PL @ Green Zoo Festival @ Klub RE
Sat. May 24 – Brno, CZ @ Art Bar
Sun. May 25 – Katowice, PL @ Piąty Dom
Tue. May 27 – Bratislava, SK @ Nova Cvernovka
Wed. May 28 – Kreuzlingen, CH @ Horst Klub
Thu. May 29 – Bern, CH @ ISC Club
Sun. June 1 – Toulouse, FR @ Le Labo Des Arts
Mon. June 2 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Tu. June 3 – Madrid, ES @ Wurlitzer Ballroom
Thu. June 5, – Porto, PT @ Maus Habitos
Fri. June 6 – Lisbon, PT @ ZDB
Sat. June 7, – Andoain, SP @ Andoaingo Rock Jaialdia
Wed. June 11 – Ravenna, IT @ Beaches Brew Festival
Thu. June 12 – Fano, IT @ Bagna Elsa
Fri. June 13 – Vaglio Serra, IT @ Fans Out Festival
Sun. June 15 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Lacie Sue releases “Hush” from debut album due this summer.

Lucie Sue, the female-fronted French rock band who are set to make their festival debut this June at Hellfest, have released a second single in advance of their anticipated late Summer debut full-length album, unveiling “Hush” and an accompanying video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCjSIdIs9Bk).

The Antoine Doyen-directed video, which was shot in an abandoned and untouched ‘70s era hotel, features two mischievous children wreaking havoc and making their mother’s life hell.

“Hush,” which features driving riffs overlaid with powerful, infectious vocals, relays the chaotic struggle of a single mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown, facing the rebellion of her children. Lucie Sue explains: “’Hush’ is meant to be taken with a pinch of salt. I reject the idea of ‘parental sacrifice’ or ‘compromise,’ which creates unnecessary guilt. Kids should know how to cook, get around and organize themselves, forging a strong character.”

Lucie Sue previously released the song, and hockey-infused video, for “Battlestation.” New Noise said the track is “unapologetically fierce” and speaks to “femme empowerment,” while Riff Magazine said the track is “for those of us who always wished grunge was more metal,” and in Lucie Sue’s native France, Rolling Stone said the music is “direct and powerful, it mixes modern and vintage influences without forgetting the musician’s signature style…”

A child of the MTV generation, Lucie escaped to the sounds of L7, Metallica and PJ Harvey after her cello lessons at the Lyon National Conservatory. An accomplished visual artist, she pivoted to music during the COVID lockdowns; her stylish, DIY releases quickly gaining a devout following via social media.

A 13-track album is due for release later in 2025, with European tour dates to be announced soon.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

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.]

Night Beats release a spooky, sexy new single – “Behind the Green Door.”

Night Beats announces a new 7″ single, “Behind The Green Door,” out April 11 on Suicide Squeeze. The video features the directorial debut by Danny Lee Blackwell, which was heavily inspired by Giallo films.

Watch the new video for A-side single “Behind The Green Door”

On side A, we’re treated to a down-tempo, minor key track drenched in the haze of vice, as if some aspiring Motor City outfit had traveled down to Austin and snuck into the studio to cut a song while The 13th Floor Elevators were on a smoke break. Or perhaps it’s more akin to a meeting between Ray Charles, Skip Pence, and Link Wray. Or maybe it’s Joe Tex grappling with Gram Parsons. Or Duane Eddy pairing up with Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Or maybe it’s just years of Blackwell distilling and translating the sounds around him into his own concoction.

Danny Lee Blackwell explains the story behind “Behind The Green Door”:

“This song started as a lone star instrumental, something I pieced together in my studio in 2024. I imagined dusty roads and dimly lit dance halls. I wanted the guitars to shimmer like heat waves on an open road. The rhythm to pull like footsteps across a wooden floor, soaked in smoke and neon. The lyrics followed, drawn from past and present—unwavering love, transcendence. The ‘green door’ is that threshold between devotion and disillusionment. The story lives not just in the words, but in the tones and textures, if uncovered.”

Watch “Behind The Green Door” video

Stream the track

Under the moniker of Night Beats, Texas native Danny Lee Blackwell has spent the last fifteen years exploring a nexus of vintage rhythm & blues, after-midnight soul, and sun-scorched psychedelia. On Night Beats’ latest offering, Blackwell presents two markedly different renditions of his song “Behind the Green Door.” On side A, “Behind The Green Door” is an invitation to enter the kingdom and dwell in the garden while the shadow of doubt looms nearby, a subconscious journey into the delights and pitfalls of unknown territories made manifest in the music of Night Beats.

Side B features the Rah John version of “Behind The Green Door.” According to the Night Beats camp, Rah John was discovered by Blackwell on his recent expedition to the island Koh Khram Yai, located off the coast of Pattaya in the Gulf of Thailand. Not much is known about the young artist besides his love for 70’s Thai disco and dancehall tapes received from local sailors. Hearing a streak of revelry buried in the Night Beats tune, Rah John summoned a sunnier, breezier, and more exotic side to the Rhythm and Blues sway of the original.

Suicide Squeeze is proud to offer up Night Beats “Behind The Green Door” b/w “Behind The Green Door (Rah John Version)” out April 11 on seven-inch transparent violet vinyl, limited to 500 copies.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Suicide Squeeze Records.]

Slumbering Sun are “Together Forever” on their new single from their upcoming album.

Austin band Slumbering Sun share the first single from their forthcoming sophomore album today via Invisible Oranges. Hear and share the single “Together Forever” HERE. (And, now on all DSPs.)

Slumbering Sun also plays SXSW on Thursday this week at the annual Stoner Jam.

Hear and share the band’s debut full length The Ever-Living Fire via Bandcamp and Spotify. Watch and share the video for “Dream Snake” via YouTube.

Slumbering Sun is a powerful new melodic doom entity formed by members of underground mainstays Temptress, Destroyer of Light and Monte Luna. Their resulting sound explores broader melodies and sonics than their other bands, inspired as much by Celtic folk standards as by doom, grunge and shoegaze.

Slumbering Sun makes music for crazy romantics. Keegan Kjeldsen, James Clarke, Kelsey Wilson, Garth Condit and Kelly “Penny” Turner joined forces in 2022 in order to weave a dreamy kind of doom that would incorporate shoegaze, grunge and prog. All were friends in the Texas metal scene, assembled from bands in Austin & Dallas, who sought to elevate the love and camaraderie they’d found over the years into an artistic vision.

After releasing their debut, The Ever-Living Fire (2023, #20 debut on Doom Charts), Slumbering Sun played their first show at Stoner Jam during SXSW, embarked on a series of regional tours, and capped off the year with an appearance at Ripple Fest. The band spent all of 2024 making their second effort, Starmony, in between touring the Midwest, and releasing their single “Out of the Blue & Into the Void” — a brilliant mashup of Neil Young’s and Black Sabbath’s classic tracks. With no plans to slow down, and the band intends to make more metalheads than ever pound their fists and cry about their exes.

Starmony will be available on limited edition LP and digital on May 6th, 2025. Orders are available HERE.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

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.]

Review: Babe Rainbow – Slipper imp and shakaerator

Recorded in an abandoned warehouse on a banana farm, and named after a towable tractor plough made by the Bunyip company (“…a revolutionary ripper of great strength.”), Babe Rainbow‘s new album, slipper imp and shakaerator, is a trippy affair that blends psych-rock with surf vibes.

The album starts with a question: “What is ashwagandha?” Elliot O’Reilly‘s bass groove hooks you right away as you “swim around like yin and yang” and “plunge into oblivion” with them. “Long Live the Wilderness” encourages us (with great yacht rock guitar riffs from Jack Crowther) to take it easy and get outside now and then. Or maybe it’s “Now and Zen,” as the next track adds in some vocal echoes and warps the instruments to produce a neat effect.

“Sunday” dips into astrological themes and spacey, jangly guitar chords backed by Miles Myjavec‘s zero gravity-drifting drums. The instrumental “Apollonia” is a lovely transition to “Like Cleopatra” – a fun love song about taking your girl to outer space and treating her like a queen.

“When the milk flows” (featuring King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard‘s Stu Mackenzie – who mixed the album) is a bouncy track designed to get you to shake off your troubles. Mackenzie returns on “Mt dub” – which seems to be a song about surfing in Australia (which Babe Rainbow do often, as well as in other parts of the world) and learning that “You’re more loved than you know.”

“Aquarium cowgirl” has a fun beat and sounds ready for radio play as the band sings about how amazing it is to be alive, despite what many others would tell you. It’s interesting that there’s no apostrophe in the title of “Rainbows end.” It’s a sentence, and song (featuring Camille Jansen on guest spoken word vocals), about impermanence with dreamy synths to help you relax with the idea that all things pass. The album ends with “re-ju-ven-ate,” in which Angus Dowling asks the bold question, “What are you paying for?…Abundance, abundance for everyone.”

This is a fun record, possibly the most fun one I’ve heard so far in 2025. Have a good time with it.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]