Rock – Page 85 – 7th Level Music

Review: TV Priest – Uppers

The four members of London’s post-punk rockers TV Priest (Nic Bueth – bass and keyboards, Charlie Drinkwater – vocals, Ed Kelland – drums, Alex Sprogis – guitar) started making music when they were young lads, but they put their musical aspirations aside to get “real jobs” and do various adulting things. Luckily for us, the four of them got back together, with a bunch of “real life” experience under their belts, to create and release their solid full-length album Uppers.

The album is solid from beginning to end, full of bangers, heavy riffs, and witty, scathing lyrics. Bueth’s opening bass on “The Big Curve” alone is enough to shake you out of your cubicle chair and make you want to smash that damn copier / fax / scanner that always smears your papers. Kelland’s drums on “Press Gang” are like an anxious heartbeat of a sprinter before the starting gun (which is the sound of Bueth’s bass and Sprogis’ guitar).

“Leg Room” has krautrock synths and Drinkwater singing above, under, and around, Bueth’s bass stabs – which hit like Michael Myers’ knife. “Hey, buddy, normalize this,” Drinkwater sings / chants on “Journal of a Plague Year” – a song about dealing with you-know-what and how it altered all of us, for good or bad (“And the new normal sets in…”).

After the brief, instrumental “History Week,” “Decoration” comes in with its clever lyrics about everyone seeking their fifteen minutes of fame (“I’m through to the next round. Yes, I’m through.”). “Well, all I can do is talk. My God, I’ve never had an original thought!” Drinkwater claims on “Slideshow” – a rocker that skewers the emptiness of online culture.

“How you feelin’?” Drinkwater keeps asking while Sprogis’ guitar drones and squeaks like a robotic animal of some sort and Bueth and Kelland’s rhythms match the anxiety everyone’s been feeling since 2019. “Powers of Ten” fades into what sounds like radio or communications satellite static – a fitting image of everyone looking for something in the ether during the pandemic.

“This Island” brings in brighter synths to dance alongside the bold guitars as Drinkwater sings about creating a new reality, albeit a possible guarded one, out of life-altering events. The album ends with “Saintless” – the longest track on the album – which swells and swirls like a whirlpool of guitars and cymbal crashes amid Drinkwater’s steady, yet slightly nervous vocals.

To sum it up, Uppers is one of the best post-punk records of 2021.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Weak Signal – Bianca

Bubbling up from NYC’s underground music scene, Weak Signal‘s new album, Bianca, roars with dark post-punk energy mixed with early 1990s alt-rock riffs.

“I’m the enemy of the world. Nothing ever really dies,” they sing on the album’s opener, “I’m a Fire,” putting down loud guitar riffs alongside their lyrics. The chugging bass on “Voice Inside My Head” is infectious.

“I don’t wanna go to work. Me and my friends were out all night…” opens the heavy, sludgy “Drugs in My System” – a song about dealing with party aftermaths. “Barely a Trace” sounds like a somewhat dusty, slightly warped record you’d hear playing on a jukebox at the back of a diner in a David Lynch film. “Come Back” is a simple, yet haunting track about regret and loss accentuated by rising synths and mantra-like guitar riffs.

“Zones” has this same kind of mantra sound before the bolder, faster “Don’t Turn Around,” which wouldn’t be out of place on a record from A Place to Bury Strangers. “Borderzone” is probably the mellowest track on the album, drifting in and out like smoke. “Devotion” brings back sharp-edged riffs that come into the track, rattle you a bit, and then meld back into the shadows.

“I’ll go where I want to go, and I’ll love who I want to love,” Mike Bones sings on “I’ll Stay,” a beautiful track about finding freedom through self-realization. “Sorry” is a nice companion to it. It’s still mellow, but a bit upbeat, and it’s a nice warm-up before the loud, weird finish of “Too Strong.”

It’s cool record, and perfect for certain moods (gray days, late nights).

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jake at Ramp Global.]

Review: Jealous – Lover / What’s Your Damage?

What’s bold? Releasing your debut as not just an EP, but as a double EP. Berlin’s Jealous did exactly that with their Lover / What’s Your Damage? release for Oliver Ackermann‘s Dedstrange label. It’s a wild mix of shoegaze, synthwave, post-punk, art rock, and other things you can’t quite define.

Uri Rennert‘s heartbeat drums on “K-Hole II,” the opening track of the Lover EP, set up a dark tone for the entire record. Paz Bonfil‘s guitar is perfectly suitable for a spaghetti western villain’s theme music. Adi Kum‘s vocals spin around you like playful ghosts. Her bass on “Blackeye” is thick enough that it might give you one. “Debbie Downer” has, as you can imagine, a dark vibe, and the fast and furious “Fast Cars” isn’t a cover of the Buzzcocks rocker, but rather a fierce rocker of their own with Bonfil’s guitar sounding like he’s strangling it at some points. It builds to a wild pace, with Rennert almost dismantling his kit as he plays.

Kum’s somewhat grumpy bass starts off “Gravity,” the first song on the What’s Your Damage? EP. It builds to a heavy-hitting, pulsing track that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go for about four minutes. “Cowboy ‘Kelly’ Katastroph” is a straight-up post-punk bliss, as is “Sharp Bones / Broken Claws” – with Bonfil’s guitar riffs as sharp as its title. “Slaughterhouse 3000” ups the fuzz a bit and the playfully bratty vocals even more. The EP ends with “Thunder,” which highlights the dual vocals from Bonfil and Kum.

It’s good stuff, and many thanks for Dedstrange for bringing it to us.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: The Beths – Auckland, New Zealand, 2020

Matching with an accompanying concert film, The Beths‘ Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 captures the band’s performance at Auckland Town Hall during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in one of the few countries that took the pandemic seriously at the time and was still able to hold live music events. The band’s joy at performing in front of a home crowd, and after so long of not being able to do so, is heard in every note – as is the bliss of the crowd.

The cheers before the opener of “I’m Not Getting Excited” are infectious, as is the opening guitar riff from Jonathan Pearce as Elizabeth Stokes actually encourages the audience to get so excited that their heads might explode. “Great No One” rocks and rolls straight into “Whatever” – with the whole crowd yelling / singing the title (and pretty much everything else) along with the band. “It’s not just the dawn that breaks,” Stokes sings on the sizzling “Mars (The God of War)” – a song about wishing she could move beyond a bad break-up.

The live version of “Future Me Hates Me” is as bouncy and loud as you’d hope it would be. “Jump Rope Gazers” is just as lovely live as on the album of the same name, if not more so. “Uptown Girl” blasts by you with some of Tristan Deck‘s fiercest drumming. His beats on “Happy Unhappy” get you dancing.

“Out of Sight” makes the turn toward the final act of the show, with Stokes thanking everyone behind the scenes at the show afterwards. You can hear the emotion in Stokes’ voice as she thanks the crowd before the band launches into “Don’t Go Away.” Benjamin Sinclair‘s bass line on “Little Death” is like a hummingbird zipping around the room. “Dying to Believe” closes the show, with the entire crowd singing along, before the band comes back for an encore of “River Run” that fades into a blissful state.

Not only is this a joyful recording, it’s also a good-sounding one. Stokes points out at one point that the sound crew has to work in a large, echoing chamber – and they do it quite well.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

CHAI announce North American tour…which is already sold out in most locations.

Earlier this year, CHAI released WINK, their Sub Pop debut that “maintain[s] the unwavering commitment to self-love and community that makes their music so endearing” (Pitchfork). This embracement of community is often found in their electric live shows, and today, CHAI announce their WINK TOGETHER NORTH AMERICA TOUR, plus a sold-out west coast run supporting Mitski. For a preview of what to expect at one of CHAI’s fun, aesthetic driven shows, watch the tour trailer below.
WATCH CHAI’S TOUR TRAILER

WATCH/LISTEN/SHARE:
PURCHASE WINK
“DONUTS MIND IF I DO” VIDEO
“PLASTIC LOVE” VIDEO
“IN PINK” VIDEO
“ACTION” VIDEO
“NOBODY KNOWS WE’RE FUN” VIDEO
“MAYBE CHOCOLATE CHIPS” (FEAT. RIC WILSON) VIDEO
“miniskirt” VIDEO

CHAI TOUR DATES (NEW HEADLINE DATES)
Fri. Feb. 4 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Sat. Feb. 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Sun. Feb. 6 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Wed. Feb. 9 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Fri. Feb. 11 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Sat. Feb. 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
Sun. Feb. 13 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. Feb. 15 – Brooklyn NY @ Elsewhere
Thu. Feb. 17 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * – SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 18 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz * – SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 19 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * – SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 21 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * – SOLD OUT
Tue. Feb. 22 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre * – SOLD OUT
Thu. Feb. 24 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Outside Lawn) * – SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 25 – Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory * – SOLD OUT
Sat. Feb. 26 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater * – SOLD OUT
Mon. Feb. 28 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * – SOLD OUT
Wed. March 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * – SOLD OUT
Thu. March 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * – SOLD OUT
Fri. March 4 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * – SOLD OUT
Sat. March 5 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * – SOLD OUT
Mon. March 7 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall * – SOLD OUT
Wed. March 9 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * – SOLD OUT
Thu. March 10 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * – SOLD OUT
Sat. March 12 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Sun. March 13 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Tue. March 15 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
Thu. March 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
*= supporting Mitski

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

BODEGA release “Doers” ahead of new album, “Broken Equipment,” is due in March 2022.

Brooklyn band BODEGA announces its long-awaited second album, Broken Equipment, out March 11th, 2022, on What’s Your Rupture?, and shares the infectious lead single/video, “Doers.” Inspired by self-help books and vlogs, it tackles the toxic side of forced productivity and slyly pokes fun at Daft Punk with its central mantra of “bitter, harder, fatter, stressed out.”

Of ‘Doers’, the band’s Ben Hozie offers: “Sometime on tour near the end of 2019 I found myself reading and watching a plethora of self-help books and Youtube vids. This started from a genuine desire for spiritual and physical improvement but I soon started noticing how advertisements everywhere were utilizing the language of self-help. I was being programmed. This ideology of constant productivity forces you to treat your own body, mind, time, and friends as products to mine. As a result the world becomes a smaller, duller place. All artists (all people) desire to be productive. Yet… If a photo is taken of you in the woods: for all millennia you’ll always be stuck in the woods.”

The accompanying video – directed by Ben alongside BODEGA co-founder Nikki Belfiglio, and drawing inspiration from Ryan Trecartin, Hype Williams and Slipknot – continues to take aim at the 21st century’s incessant productivity/positivity cycle.

Ben explains: “For the advertisement (music vid) for the track we teamed up with our old pal Joe Wakeman (who used to perform with me and Nikki in BODEGA BAY). We shot at the old abandoned IBM offices in Kingston, NY (where Nikki and Joe were born and raised) and a gym and a parking garage in Bushwick. The video stars Dr. DOER, a misunderstood monster who simply wants to issue directives and inspire his team of ghouls to #greatness.”

Watch BODEGA’s “Doers” Video

The follow-up to the band’s acclaimed debut album, Endless Scroll (2018), and 2019’s Shiny New Model EP, Broken Equipment was inspired by a book club. In the early months of 2020, the Brooklyn art-punk incendiaries gathered together with close friends to study the works of a wide range of philosophers. Passionate debates lasting long into the night became a regular occurrence, motivating the band to become as ideologically unified as the weighty tomes they were reading. Broken Equipment is BODEGA’s attempt to interrogate the external factors that make them who they are, propelling existential quandaries with tongue-in-cheek humour, highly personal lyrics, and irresistible grooves.

Since BODEGA’s formation in 2016, Ben and Nikki have experienced a rare meteoric rise. The duo double as filmmakers, earning acclaim for their 2020 erotic drama PVT Chat starring Peter Vack, Julia Fox, and other recognizable faces from the Safdie Brothers’ cinematic universe. When the pandemic forced them to hit pause, they used the opportunity to regroup with drummer/performance artist Tai Lee, bassist/book club leader Adam See, and lead guitarist Dan Ryan. Broken Equipment was produced by Ben himself with Bobby Lewis, BODEGA’s NYC live sound mixer. The record was mixed by Bryce Goggin, whom the band sought out for his work with Pavement, and Adam Sachs (WIVES).

The album’s 12 songs are set in present day New York City, packing in references to contemporary issues of algorithmic targeting, media gentrification, and the band itself.
Watch BODEGA’s “Doers” Video

Pre-order Broken Equipment

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Ovlov release “The Wishing Well” from upcoming new album – “Buds.”

Last month, Ovlov emerged from a long layoff following their beloved 2018 LP TRU to announce their 3rd full length Buds, with a track called “Land of Steve-O.” Described by NPR as a “track that transcends into an unhinged, euphoric catharsis before fading and forcing us back into reality,” the single was warmly received by outlets like Stereogum, FADER, Uproxx, Paste, MTV and BrooklynVegan, and set the stage for the Connecticut band to release one of the more anticipated full lengths of the fall on November 19th via longtime label home Exploding In Sound. Today, Ovlov are sharing their second single from the LP, a track called “The Wishing Well,” alongside a Stereogum feature that dives into the band’s history, and speaks to some of their peers about their enduring influence.

LISTEN
to Ovlov’s “Wising Well” on YouTube
&
READ:
Ovlov’s interview w/ Stereogum

Combining the band’s signature squall with singer/guitarist Steve Hartlett’s engaging sense of melody and backing vocals provided by Erin McGrath of Exploding In Sound label mates Dig Nitty, the track explores the way society treats people who are experiencing mental health issues.

“‘The Wishing Well’ is about how much I dislike and disagree with certain ways cops and some people of the DIY indie rock scene respond to a situation involving a person with mental health issues,” explains Hartlett. “”Ideally, only people who are well educated in mental health should be dealing with these situations, with methods that attempt to avoid harm on anyone involed, rather than these blanket procedures that are only designed to punish and seem emotionless.”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Tom at Hive Mind PR.]

Live: Protomartyr and Erik Nervous – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – Kalamazoo, MI – November 12, 2021

Zipping over from their native Detroit (and sold-out shows there), Protomartyr came back to Kalamazoo, Michigan to make up for a cancelled show that was dropped due to, what else, the pandemic.

Opening for them were some other Michiganders, the punky trio of Erik Nervous, who might have the greatest kick drum head ever designed.

They played a fun batch of post-punk, full of weird guitar riffs, pogo-inducing beats, and snappy bass. They even got in a fun jab at Protomartyr, referring to them as “Joy Division 2.0.”

Erik Nervous showing no stage fright whatsoever.

Protomartyr (who lead singer Joe Casey claimed to be “Back in, well, not fighting shape. More like competitive eating shape.”) packed in a good crowd, and were soon flooring everyone with their mix of post-punk, prog rock, spoken word riffs, angry shouts, and spooky chants – most of those, by the way, were provided by the one and only Kelley Deal joining them onstage to sing and play guitar and synths.

Standouts included “Cowards Starve,” which came out like a sermon from the end of a bar, “Jumbo’s” – a song about a bar, the crowd-favorite “Michigan Hammers,” “Processed by the Boys,” and a new track – “Graft V.”

Protomartyr letting us know that frightened people go hungry.

It was a solid show, and Mr. Casey and Ms. Deal were a pleasure to meet afterwards. Catch them live if you can. Protomartyr sound like no one else – live or otherwise.

Keep your mind open.

Joe Casey kept pulling drinks out of his suit jacket like a stage magician.

[Thanks to Jim DeLuca for the press credentials.]

Mandy, Indiana present “Bottle Episode” video from their upcoming album.

Today, Manchester, UK-based trio Mandy, Indiana unveil the video for “Bottle Episode,” the lead single from their debut EP, ‘…’ out digitally November 19th via Fire Talk Records (physically out December 10th). “When I first heard ‘Bottle Episode,’ the driving drum beat immediately spawned dizzying, restless images. We created visuals that matched the track’s chaotic energy by physically putting a camera through torment,” says director Max McLachlan.

The band elaborates: “A key element of the track is movement and finding interesting ways for the camera to move was an idea we thought was worth exploring. The shoot was all very improvised with extras fighting over a camera, launching it in the air, smashing it on the ground, and attaching it to a drill. The camera becomes as much the subject of the video as the people and locations.”
Watch Mandy, Indiana’s Video for “Bottle Episode”

Valentine Caulfield (vocals/lyrics) and Scott Fair (guitar/production) met a couple of years ago when their respective previous bands shared a bill. Caulfield was drawn to Fair’s aspirations to write beyond genre, while Fair was instantly taken with the singer’s magnetic stage presence and harsh, visceral vocals delivered in her native French. The pair also enlisted Liam Stewart (percussion), a touring musician who’s powerhouse rhythmic presence compliments the pair’s vision—emphasizing raw energy and emotion over meticulous composition to create a singular cathartic experience. The songs on ‘…’ EP were recorded in a variety of spaces, from rehearsal rooms and home studios to cavernous industrial mills. Including new remixes by Daniel Avery and Club Eat, as well as previously released singles “Alien 3” and “Nike of Samothrace,” the EP finds Mandy, Indiana bridging the worlds of post-punk, noise, and industrial dance music to create their brutal pop sound.

Mandy, Indiana will play their first shows in the US at SXSW 2022 as part of the official lineup.
Pre-order ‘…’ EP

Mandy, Indiana Tour Dates
Sat. Nov. 20 – Salford, UK @ White Hotel #
Fri. Nov. 26 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall %
Fri. Dec. 3 – London, UK @ Electric Ballroom %
Sat. Feb. 26, 2022 – Leeds, UK @ Dark Arts Festival
March 14 – 20, 2022 – Austin, TX @ SXSW

# = supporting Part Chimp
% = supporting The Horrors

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Century Egg are “Moving On” with their new single.

Century Egg is a band of escape artists with a focus on playing visceral punk rock. Today the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based quartet are sharing their new single, “Moving On” which makes up the first half of a double A-side single release, the second of which will follow next month. The new track, released via Forward Music Group, marks the return of the band following their Bandcamp Daily and Exclaim-tipped EP, Little Piece of Hair which was released earlier this year (watch the video for “Do You Want To Dance?” here)

Following previous spots opening for the likes of Lido Pimienta – a self-proclaimed fan of the band with Robert Drisdelle, guitarist in Century Egg producing a track on her Polaris Prize-winning album, La Papessa – Partner, Julie Doiron, and more, Century Egg will be performing at Toronto’s Handlebar on November 14 and La Sala Rosa as part of M for Montreal (Mothland’s stage) on November 19 to celebrate the release of these new tracks. This new single, “Moving On” further cements their inspirations taken from Asian pop and rock artists such as Faye Wong, Jun Togawa, Spitz, Cui Jain, Pu Shu, along with the driving post-punk rhythm section and blistering guitar work taken from The Stooges, Thin Lizzy, etc.

Speaking about the new single, Century Egg says: “This is a song about trying to detach yourself from your past and let go of the trauma that holds you back from finally feeling better.”

Century Egg is made up of singer, Shane Song (she/her), bassist/backing vocalist, Matty Grace (she/her/they/them), guitarist, Robert Drisdelle (he/him) and drummer, Megumi Yoshida (she/her). Away from Century Egg, Song works as a visual artist/video game artist, Grace plays in numerous bands including Cluttered (tipped by Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!), Drisdelle plays and arranges with Lido Pimienta (amongst other projects) and Yoshida performs in Bad Vibrations, Dog Day, Not You and more.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Gabriel at Clandestine Label Services.]