BODEGA bring us a “Shiny New Model” with their latest single.

Photo by Kirsten Kay Thoen

Brooklyn-based BODEGA announces their new EP, Shiny New Model, out October 11th on What’s Your Rupture. Today, they share the title track, a buzzy, art-punk song that is set in an actual bodega, and an accompanying video. The video was directed by Brian Ngai and stars the band themselves. Following Endless Scroll, their “debut full of danceable, pop-smooth punk” (The AV Club), the Shiny New Model EP marks a lush new sonic direction for the group – widescreen multi-tracked guitars and a giant sounding rhythm section complement sharp songwriting and yearning vocal melodies. With wild minimalism and laughing wit, they revitalize the rock and roll vocabulary under the influence of post punk, hip-hop, kraut rock, and folk-derived narrative songwriting.

Last winter, Ben Hozie (conductor, vocals, guitar), Nikki Belfiglio (art director, vocals, samples, hi hat), Heather Elle (bass), Madison Velding Vandam (lead guitar, producer), and the new addition of Tai Lee (stand-up percussionist) headed up to Power Station in Connecticut to record. The EP is the band’s first recording done with Tai Lee, its first session at a proper studio, and the first BODEGA release produced within the group (production was handled by Vandam).

The EP covers various thematic ground: history alive in the present, the sadness of modern consumption, and adultery via sexting. In addition to the EP’s breezy hook-filled songs, the LP’s B-side features an extended improvised version of the group’s staple track “Truth is not Punishment” (an abbreviated “radio edit” of this track will be available on streaming services). The band has been using this song as a vehicle for extended live improvisation for a year and decided to use a day of the EP’s session to experiment with it in the studio.

BODEGA will tour across Europe before returning to the states later this year. They’ll appear at the O+ Festival in New York, Toronto’s Adelaide Hall, Brooklyn’s Elsewhere, and Philadelphia’s Kung Fu Necktie. All dates can be found below.

Watch the “Shiny New Model” Video – https://youtu.be/h7_A8fqHNBQ

Pre-order Shiny New Model EP – http://hyperurl.co/t1eo8p

Shiny New Model EP Tracklist: 1. Shiny New Model 2. Treasures 3. No Vanguard Revival 4. Knife On The Platter 5. Domesticated Animal 6. Realism 7. Truth Is Not Punishment (Long) 8. Truth Is Not Punishment (Short)

BODEGA Tour Dates:  Fri. Aug. 23 – Charleville Mezières, FR @ Cabaret Vert Festival Sat. Aug. 24 – Gueret, FR @ Festival Check In Party Tue. Aug. 27 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 Wed. Aug. 28 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare and Hounds Thu. Aug. 29 – Bedford, UK @ Esquires Fri. Aug. 30 – Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival Sun. Sept. 1 – Stradbally, IE @ Electric Picnic Fri. Oct. 11 – Kingston, NY @ O+ Festival Wed. Oct. 23 – Boston, MA @ Once (w/ Starcrawler) Sat. Oct. 26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle (w/ Starcrawler) Sun. Oct. 27 – Washington, DC @ Pie Shop (w/ Starcrawler) Mon. Oct. 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe (w/ Starcrawler) Fri. Nov. 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 (w/ Starcrawler) Sat. Nov. 2 @ New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa (w/ Starcrawler) Tue. Nov. 5 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda (Inside) (w/ Starcrawler) Fri. Nov. 8 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar (w/ Starcrawler) Sat. Nov. 9 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre (w/ Starcrawler) Mon. Dec. 2 – Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall Tue. Dec. 3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Thu. Dec. 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie

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Moon Duo find some “Lost Heads” on the newest single from their upcoming album – “Stars Are the Light.”

Photo by Jasmine Pasquill

Moon Duo shares the second single, “Lost Heads,” from their new album, Stars Are The Light, out September 27th on Sacred Bones. Following up previous single “Stars Are The Light” which featured “an alien disco groove filled with gossamer synth tones and left-field strings” [Paste], “Lost Heads” shimmers with an aura that hints at The Haçienda and makes for a laid-back, airy and distinctly Moon Duo take on 90s rave.

Stars Are The Light has a sonic physicality that is at once propulsive and undulating; it puts dance at the heart of an expansive nexus that connects the body to the stars. These are songs about embodied human experience rendered as a kind of dance of the self, both in relation to other selves and to the eternal dance of the cosmos. Johnson’s signature guitar sound is at its most languid and refined, while Yamada’s synths and oneiric vocals are foregrounded to create a spacious percussiveness that invites the body to move with its mesmeric rhythms.

“We have changed, the nature of our collaboration has changed, the world has changed, and we wanted the new music to reflect that,” says the band’s Sanae Yamada.

Stream “Lost Heads” – https://youtu.be/HlBMsnPi93M

Stream “Stars Are The Light” – https://youtu.be/bYXVk4cEbkY

Pre-order Stars Are The Light – https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/products/sbr228-moon-duo-stars-are-the-light

Moon Duo Tour Dates: Thu. Oct. 17 – Ghent, BE @ Videodroom Fri. Oct. 18 – Krakow, PL @ Malopolski Garden Of The Arts Sun. Oct. 20 – Amsterdam, DK @ Paradiso Noord Mon. Oct. 21 – Berlin, DE @ Volksbuhne Wed. Oct. 23 – Zurich, CH @ Bogen F Thu. Oct. 24 – Vevey, CH @ Rocking Chair Sat. Oct. 26 – Angers, FR @ Le Chabada Mon. Oct. 28 – London, UK @ Earth Tue. Oct. 29 – Manchester, UK @ Dancehouse Wed. Oct. 30 – Liverpool, UK @ Invisible Wind Factory Thu. Oct. 31 – Glasgow, UK @ BAAD Fri. Nov. 1 – Birmingham, UK @ The Crossing Sat. Nov. 2 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Sun. Nov. 3 – Gateshead, UK @ The Sage Mon. Nov. 4 – Brighton, UK @ St. Bartholomew’s Church Tue. Nov. 5 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain Wed. Nov. 6 – Charleroi, BE @ Rockerill Sat. Nov. 9 – Utrecht, NL @ Le Guess Who Tue. Nov. 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Wed. Nov. 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Thu. Nov. 14 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel Fri. Nov. 15 – Kingston, NY @ BSP Sat. Nov. 16 – Montreal, QC @ SAT Mon. Nov. 18 – Toronto, ON @ Longboat Hall Tue. Nov. 19 – Detroit, MI @ MOCAD Wed. Nov. 20 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Fri. Nov. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room Sat. Nov. 23 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish Mon. Nov. 25 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Tue. Nov 26 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Wed. Nov. 27 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue

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Elephant Stone announces November North American tour.

Canadian psych-rockers Elephant Stone have announced their first tour in a few years, hitting many west coast cities in the U.S. and their home country beginning November 5th.  The tour includes two festival stops – Levitation Austin (November 8th) and Seattle’s Freakout Festival (November 16th).  All tour dates are below.

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Blackwater Holylight take us on a “Motorcycle” ride ahead of their new album – “Veils of Winter.”

“An ambient blend of psychedelic vintage poppy hooks and crushingly heavy sludge.” — Metal Hammer

“This quartet has been burning up stages all around their hometown, fueled by their abrasive blend of doom metal, psych rock, goth and a tangy soupçon of pop music… They landed a spot on the 2018 Best New Band poll in alt-weekly Willamette Week, but could quickly take over the world.” — Paste Magazine

“They mesh elements of doom, Krautrock and atmospheric indie into one bewitching rock whole.” —Classic Rock Magazine

Portland, OR quintet Blackwater Holylight announce their forthcoming sophomore album Veils of Winter (RidingEasy Records) today, sharing the lead single. Hear and share the immediately classic hooks of “Motorcycle” via Bandcamp and YouTube.

Blackwater Holylight hit the road hard this Fall, supporting former RidingEasy label mates Monolord throughout the US in November, as well as Thou in September, plus a handful of hometown shows. Please see complete dates below.

Blackwater Holylight, as the name suggests, is all about contrasts. It’s a fluid convergence of sound that’s heavy, psychedelic, melodic, terrifying and beautiful all at once.

As a heavy band, their songs aren’t anchored to riffs, but rather riffs come and go in waves that surface throughout the band’s meditative, entrancing songs. It’s a hypnotic sound, with orchestral structures that often build tension and intrigue before turning the song on its head — not by simply getting louder or heavier, nor by just layering elements. They expertly subvert the implied heaviness of a part, dissecting it and splaying the song’s guts out to seep across the sonic spectrum.

Now, having toured extensively following the band’s wildly-successful breakout self-titled debut in 2018, Blackwater Holylight has honed their sound and identity to a powerfully captivating beast. Their live set is all about the slow build, seeming to combine the melodic tension of early Sonic Youth crossed with the laconic fever-dream blues of the first Black Sabbath album and wiry experimentation of post-punk and krautrock.

The lineup on this album is Allison (Sunny) Faris (bass/vocals), Laura Hopkins (guitar/vocals) and Sarah McKenna (synths), with new guitarist Mikayla Mayhew and drummer Eliese Dorsay fleshing out their sound in exciting ways.

“The process of this album was vastly different from our first record,” says Faris. “One, because we recorded it over the course of a few weeks, whereas the first record was over the course of about a year. And two, this album was a true collaboration between the five of us. Each of us had extremely equal parts in writing and producing, we all bounced ideas off each together, and we all had a say in what was going on during every part of the process.”

“One of our favorite things about this album is that because it was so collaborative, we didn’t compartmentalize ourselves into one vibe.” She continues. “It’s heavy, psychedelic, pop, shoegaze, doom, grunge, melodic and more. The whole process was extremely organic and natural for us, we were just being ourselves.”

Veils of Winter opens with fuzzed-drenched, drop-tuned bass and baritone guitar leading a dirge riff on “Seeping Secrets.” Faris’ lilting and funereal vocals drop in, adding to the mournful atmosphere until a short turnaround progression hints at changes to come, as Faris and Hopkins harmonize eerily and the tune suddenly turns into a krautrock charge. “Motorcycle” kicks off deceptively with a heavy grunge riff building up for about 40-seconds before the song abruptly shifts gears into a synth-led post-punk harmony, sounding something like Lush meets Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd. “Death Realms” is perhaps the poppiest track, based around soaring shoegaze guitars and interwoven light vocal harmonies. Soft piano notes, occasional woozy whammy bar dives and a driving tom-tom beat solidify its hooks. “Spiders” is a creepy-crawly guitar riff and counterpoint keys, while “Moonlit” explores prog-structures with a shredding guitar solo crescendo. The penultimate track, “Lullaby” is exactly that, a lulling, expansive tune exemplifying Blackwater Holylight’s genre smashing sound as it subtly moves across a vast sonic landscape atop a hypnotic 6/8 beat and repetitive 3-note motif. Throughout the album, their songs shirk traditional verse-chorus-verse structure in favor of fluid, serpentine compositions that move with commanding grace.

Veils of Winter will be available on LP, CD and download on October 11th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at www.ridingeasyrecs.com.

BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT LIVE 2019: 08/24 Portland, OR @ Star Theater w/ Kadavar, Danava 09/23 Tallahassee, FL @ The Bark # 09/24 Tampa, FL @ The Blue Note # 09/26 Miami, FL @ Las Rosa’s # 09/27 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub # 09/28 Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic # 09/29 Pensacola, FL @ Chizuco # 10/24 Portland, OR @ Star Theater – Album release show 11/05 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick * 11/06 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress * 11/07 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister * 11/09 Austin, TX @ Barracuda – Levitation Fest – RidingEasy Stage 11/10 Lafayette, LA @ Freetown Boom Boom Room * 11/11 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks * 11/12 Atlanta, GA @ 529 * 11/13 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight * 11/14 Richmond, VA @ Camel * 11/15 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery * 11/16 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church * 11/17 New York, NY @ Saint Vitus * 11/20 Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s * 11/21 Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle Brewing * 11/22 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar * 11/23 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck * 11/25 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater * 11/27 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom * # w/ Thou * w/ Monolord

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Blanck Mass lets us know that “Love Is a Parasite” before the release of his new album due August 16th.

[‘No Dice’] sounds like heaven and hell locked in an arm wrestle, jockeying for attention.”
– Stereogum
Blanck Mass – the solo electronic project of Scotland-based musician Benjamin John Power – shares the final pre-release single / video, “Love Is a Parasite,” from his forthcoming album, Animated Violence Mild, out August 16th on Sacred Bones. The video, directed by Craig Murray, reflects the track’s chaotic energy, and depicts scenes of a commercial shoot that takes an absurd turn. “I wanted to speak to Craig Murray about making the ‘…Parasite’ video as his work definitely bridges that gap between the grotesque and the beautiful that I am so keen on,” says Power. “Presenting the darker theme of global mass consumerism whilst poking fun at the ’80s and starring a Drag Queen overseeing chaos wasn’t going to be an easy task but he nailed it.”

“It was great to be asked by Ben to work on this which instantly led us to bizarrely mirrored ideas… I decided to set the film in 1983 as a nod to Cronenberg and in order to do that everything from the costumes to the shooting and post production needed to fit,” says Murray. “I have a deep nostalgia with this time period and its video formats, so to honour it we shot on a transmission feed which we glitched by plugging and unplugging the cable.  I find emulated effects offensive.

Animated Violence Mild is Power’s fourth full-length as Blanck Mass, and his most emotionally direct statement yetThe album was written throughout 2018, at Power’s studio outside of Edinburgh. These eight tracks are the diary of a year of work steeped in honing craft, self-discovery, and grief – the latter of which reared its head at the final hurdle of producing this record and created a whole separate narrative: grief, both for what Power has lost personally, but also in a global sense, for what we as a species have lost and handed over to our blood-sucking counterpart, consumerism, only to be ravaged by it.
Watch “Love Is a Parasite” Video – 
https://youtu.be/pmMY35HlTAo

Stream “No Dice” – 
https://youtu.be/Lsnb6GBrQP8

Stream “House vs. House” –
https://youtu.be/7DJ12asti2k

Pre-order Animated Violence Mild https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/products/sbr220-blanck-mass-animated-violence-mild
Blanck Mass Tour Dates:
Fri. Sept. 20 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott (w/ Helm)Sat. Sept. 21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (w/ Helm)
Mon. Sept. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA (w/ Helm)
Tue. Sept. 24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe (w/ Helm)
Wed. Sept. 25 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s (w/ Helm)
Thu. Sept. 26 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle (w/ Helm)
Fri. Sept. 27 – Detroit, MI @ UFO (w/ Helm)
Sat. Sept. 28 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground (w/ Helm)
Sun. Sept. 29 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz (w/ Helm)
Tue. Oct. 1 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey (w/ Helm)
Thu. Oct. 3 – Portland, OR @ Holocene (w/ Helm)
Fri. Oct. 4 – Oakland, CA @ Starline (w/ Helm)
Sat. Oct. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (w/ Helm) 

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The title track from Angel Olsen’s upcoming album, “All Mirrors,” is all dreamy dark wave.

All Mirrors cover art / photo by Cameron McCool

“In every way — from the making of it, to the words, to how I feel moving forward, this record is about owning up to your darkest side, finding the capacity for new love and trusting change even when you feel
like a stranger.” 
— Angel Olsen


Angel Olsen will release her fourth full-length album,  All Mirrors, on October 4th via Jagjaguwar. Olsen’s bold and unexpected All Mirrors comes over three years after the release of MY WOMANa top 10 critically praised album of 2016. In conjunction with today’s announcement, Olsen unveils the title track and its video, directed by Ashley Connor and conceived by Olsen.

On her vulnerable new album, All Mirrors, Olsen takes an introspective deep dive towards internal destinations and revelations. In the process of making this album, she found a new sound and voice, a blast of fury mixed with hard won self-acceptance. All Mirrors gets its claws into you on both micro and macro levels. Of course, there’s that singular vibrato, always so very close — seemingly simple, cooed phrases expand into massive ideas about the inability to love and universal loneliness. And then suddenly — huge string arrangements and bellowing synth swells emerge, propelling the apocalyptic tenor.

In creating All Mirrors, Olsen initially planned to work on a dual record release — a set of raw and real solo songs and a full band version of the same songs — both to be released at once. She recorded the solo version with producer Michael Harris in Anacortes, Washington. There, she was determined to keep it bare bones in order to contrast with the not yet recorded full band record. Soon after that was completed, she began work on the more ambitious, fleshed out version with producer John Congleton, with whom she collaborated on 2014’s breakout Burn Your Fire for No Witness, arranger Jherek Bischoff, multi-instrumentalist/arranger/pre-producer Ben Babbitt, and a 14-piece orchestra.

While remaking the album with full production and new collaborators, Olsen developed a new relationship with control, and as she got further into the process, she realized she “needed to separate these two records and release All Mirrors in its heaviest form. . . It was impossible for me to deny how powerful and surprising the songs had become. The truth is that I may have never allowed this much sonic change in the first place had I not already made an account of the same songs in their purest form.

Over heavy synth and oscillating percussion, lead single “All Mirrors” navigates between the perception of what one wants to see and reality. “I chose this one as the title because I liked the theme: the theme of how we are all mirrors to and for each other,” says Olsen. “Even if that is not all of it, there is always an element of projection in what we’d like to see in people and scenarios and in the way we see ourselves in those scenarios, with those people.

The Jagjaguwar limited and exclusive All Mirrors bundle includes the album on opaque aquamarine vinyl and the All Mirrors 7” on silver with black splatter vinyl. The 7” includes two versions of the album’s title track: “All Mirrors” album version and “We Are All Mirrors” solo version.

As previously announced, the All Mirrors tour kicks off on October 28th. A full European leg has been added. All dates are below.
Watch Angel Olsen’s “All Mirrors” Video – 
https://youtu.be/Jjt698Zv5jQ

All Mirrors Tracklist:
1. Lark
2. All Mirrors
3. Too Easy
4. New Love Cassette
5. Spring
6. What It Is
7. Impasse
8. Tonight
9. Summer
10. Endgame
11. Chance

Pre-order All Mirrors – 
https://angelolsen.ffm.to/allmirrors

Angel Olsen Tour Dates:
(new dates in bold)
Mon. Oct. 28 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom &
Wed. Oct. 30 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes *
Thu. Oct. 31 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall *
Fri. Nov. 1 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre *
Mon. Nov. 4 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
Tue. Nov. 5 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre *
Thu. Nov. 7 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s (Levitation) *
Fri. Nov. 8 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater *
Sat. Nov. 9 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion *
Sun. Nov. 10 – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada *
Tue. Nov. 12 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
Wed. Nov. 13 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee *
Thu. Nov. 14 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre *
Fri. Nov. 15 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre *
Sat. Nov. 16 – Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
Mon. Nov. 18 – Montreal, QC @ mTelus *
Tue. Nov. 19 – Boston, MA @ Royale *
Fri. Nov. 22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel *
Sat. Nov. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
Mon. Dec. 2 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren *
Tue. Dec. 3 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park *
Thu. Dec. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Palace Theater *
Fri. Dec. 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Palace Theater #
Sat. Dec. 7 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *
Mon. Dec. 9 – Portland, OR @ Roseland *
Tue. Dec. 10 – Vancouver, BC @ The Orpheum Theatre *
Wed. Dec. 11 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre *
Fri. Dec. 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot *
Sat. Dec. 14 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre *
Sun. Dec. 15 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre *
Thu. Jan. 23 – Lisbon, PT @ Capitólio
Fri. Jan. 24 – Porto, PT @ Hard Club
Sat. Jan. 25 – Madrid, ES @ Sala BUT
Sat. Jan. 26 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Razzmatazz
Tue. Jan. 28 – Geneva, CH @ Festival Antigel
Wed. Jan. 29 – Munich, DE @ Kammerspiele
Thu. Jan. 30 – Berlin, DE @ Huxleys Neue Welt
Fri. Jan. 31 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
Sat. Feb. 1 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
Mon. Feb. 3 – Stockholm, SE @ Vasateatern
Tue. Feb. 4 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik
Wed. Feb. 5 – Hamburg, DE  @ Gruenspan
Thu. Feb. 6 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Fri. Feb. 7 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
Sat. Feb. 8 – Paris, FR @ La Cigale
Mon. Feb. 10 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Tue. Feb. 11 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Thu. Feb. 13 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz
Fri. Feb. 14 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom

* = w/ Vagabon
^ = w/ Madi Diaz
#= w/ Rodrigo Amarante
&= w/ Lean Year

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Jon Spencer announces Midwest summer tour.

Photo by Vivian Wang

Jon Spencer has announced a brief summer tour with his newest band, the HITmakers, of the Midwest United States to promote his solo album Spencer Sings the Hits!

Reviews of his earlier shows mention him playing not only new solo cuts, but also stuff from his massive catalog of other material from the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Boss Hog, and Pussy Galore.

Tour dates are as follows:

Wed 8/28 – Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids MI Thu 8/29 – HI-FI – Indianapolis IN Fri 8/30 – Schubas – Chicago IL Sat 8/31 – H.O.G. National Rally, Harley-Davidson Museum – Milwaukee WI Sun 9/1 – Turf Club – St. Paul MN Mon 9/2 – Vaudeville Mews – Des Moines IA Tues 9/3 – Ignition Music Garage – Goshen IN

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Gabe Gurnsey’s remix of Shura’s “religion” is the perfect amount of summer dance floor heat.

Photo by Hollie Fernando

Shura is pleased to release the Gabe Gurnsey remix of “religion (u can lay your hands on me),”a track from her forthcoming album, forevher, due August 16th.  Gurnsey – a London based producer and co-founder of seminal post-industrial act Factory Floor – adds oscillating beats and a club-driven tempo to the single.

I’ve been a huge fan of Shura’s work since ‘Nothing’s Real’ so it was an honour to be asked to remix her latest single ‘Religion’,” says Gurnsey. “Shura’s vocals alone are a dream element to have in the remix process and that coupled with the amazing textures and production that lie deep in her tracks have made working on this a massive pleasure. The vocal hook ‘Oh girl don’t stop ‘ was destined for the dance floor…

Written primarily about Shura’s relationship with her girlfriend and their long-distance conception, forevher traces everything from the initial pull of desire to that first IRL meeting (“the stage”), before recognizing when the connection develops into something scarily meaningful. It’s a classic NYC-to-London love-story, but one told through the totally modern filter of dating apps, unanswered texts, Skype chats…and MUNA gigs. The album was co-produced alongside Joel Pott – with musical turns from Jona Ma (from Jagwar Ma), Will Miller (Whitney), T-E-E-D and additional vocals from Rosie LoweKerry LeathamReva from Nimmo.
“religion (u can lay your hands on me)” Remixes:
1. religion (u can lay your hands on me)
2. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Remix]
3. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Remix Edit]
4. religion (u can lay your hands on me) [Gabe Gurnsey Dub]

Listen to “religion (u can lay your hands on me)” remix – 
https://youtu.be/IcYMriu4onQ

Pre-order forevher – 
https://shura.ffm.to/forevher

Watch/Listen/Share:
“the stage” –https://youtu.be/wha1nQp2Bvk
Watch Video for “religion (u lay your hands on me)” – https://youtu.be/HHI_WpVLT1g
Stream “BKLYNLDN” – https://shura.ffm.to/bklynldn
Stream “BKLYNLDN” (i_vu London Dub) –https://youtu.be/kAxprvn2IGI

Shura Tour Dates:
Thu. Sept 26 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue *
Fri. Sept. 27 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile *
Sat. Sept. 28 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge *
Mon. Sept. 30 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent *
Wed.. Oct. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *
Thu. Oct. 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar *
Wed. Oct. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle ^
Thu. Oct. 17 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement ^
Fri. Oct. 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage ^
Sat. Oct. 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s ^
Sun. Oct. 20 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern ^
Tue. Oct. 22 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ^
Wed. Oct. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg ^
Mon. Nov. 4 – Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse #
Tue. Nov. 5 – Cologne, DE @ Luxor #
Wed. Nov. 6 – Munich, DE @ Ampere #
Thu. Nov. 7 – Berlin, DE @ Lido #
Fri. Nov. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Mojo #
Sun. Nov. 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil #
Tue. Nov. 12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg #
Wed. Nov. 13 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie #
Thu. Nov. 14 – London, UK @ Roundhouse
Sat. Nov. 16 – Dublin, IE @ Academy
Sun. Nov. 17 – Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
Mon. Nov. 18 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester

*w/ support from Quinn Christopher
^ w/ Support from Hannah Cohen
# w/ support from Rosie Lowe

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Black Belt Eagle Scout presents “My Heart Dreams” and announces North American tour.

Photo by Sarah Cass

“‘At the Party,’ finds a slice of solace in navigating the human experience with similarly marginalized friends by her side. Here, ‘the party’ is the crooked world Paul journeys in solidarity with her fellow POC; together, they make the best of life’s wayward turns.” – Pitchfork

“Katherine Paul delivers hums and oooh’s that melt into the mellow drums, creating a foggy, subdued mesh of pretty sounds.” – FADER on “At the Party”

“[‘At the Party’] is an astounding reverb-soaked number with sprawling guitars that track up and down the length of the neck as Paul easily transitions between near-whispered verses and heady falsetto choruses.” – UPROXX

Black Belt Eagle Scout – the recording project of multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul – presents a new single / video, “My Heart Dreams,” from her forthcoming album, At the Party With My Brown Friends, due August 30th via Saddle Creek. In conjunction, she announces a headline North American tour. “My Heart Dreams” follows lead single “At the Party.” Written in Ohlone land during a transitional part of Paul’s life, “My Heart Dreams” expresses a consuming desire to find new love in the midst of heartbreak. The accompanying video, filmed by Angel Two Bulls and co-directed by Angel and Paul, depicts Paul wandering amongst the Portland Pride parade, the scene eventually turning into a live performance.

“The idea behind this video was to do something fun while showing the resilience of the Indigenous people, particularly women and girls, which is why I chose to have the Black Belt Eagle Scout band be portrayed by young Indigenous girls.” describes Paul. “In an age where Missing and Murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) are finally getting the attention they deserve, it’s important to make their strength visible. The justice around MMIW is something we should all be paying closer attention to and I hope my platform serves to heighten awareness. The girls and extras in the video are members of the Portland Two Spirit Society, a special group of LGBTQ Indigenous and Native American/Alaska Natives and the Portland All Nations Canoe Family.”

Where her 2018 debut, Mother of My Children, was a snapshot of loss and landscape and of Paul’s standing as a radical indigenous queer feminist, this new chapter finds its power in love, desire and friendship. At the Party With My Brown Friends is a profound and understated forward step. The squalling guitar anthems that shaped its predecessor are replaced by delicate vocals and soft keys, sentiments spoken and unspoken, presenting something shadowy and unsettling; a stirring of the waters. The end result presents a captivating about-face that redefines Paul’s beautifully singular artistic vision.

Black Belt Eagle Scout was named a favorite new artist of 2018 by NPR Music, Stereogum, Paste and Under The Radar. She will continue to tour extensively, playing Sled Island, Newport Folk Festival, and Pickathon this summer before embarking on a headlining North American tour. Then, she will support Devendra Banhart on tour later this fall. Tickets are on sale now. One dollar from every ticket sold through presale will be donated to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. All dates can be found below.

Watch Black Belt Eagle Scout’s “My Heart Dreams” Video https://youtu.be/cmGP7WZO4Pw

Listen to “At the Party” https://bbes.ffm.to/atpwmbf

Pre-order At the Party With My Brown Friends https://bbes.ffm.to/atpwmbf

Black Belt Eagle Scout tour dates:  Thu. Aug. 1 – Seattle, WA @ ARTS at King Street Station Fri. Aug. 2 & Sun. Aug. 4 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon Wed. Aug. 21 – Victoria, BC @ Bastion Square Parkade Thu. Aug. 22 – Seattle, WA @ Olympic Sculpture Hall Sun. Aug. 25 – Port Townsend, WA @ Thing Mon. Oct. 21 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios Thu. Oct. 24 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern Wed. Oct. 30 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater * Fri. Nov. 1 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown * Sat. Nov. 2 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater * Sun. Nov. 3 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * Tue. Nov. 5 – Memphis, TN @ The Hi-Tone * Wed. Nov. 6 – St. Louis, MO @ Foam Thu. Nov. 7 – Lawrence, KS @ White Schoolhouse Fri. Nov. 8 – Fort Collins, CO @ Surfside 7 Sat. Nov. 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records Sun. Nov. 10 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux Thu. Nov. 12 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project Wed. Nov. 13 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord Thu. Nov. 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar Fri. Nov. 15 – San Diego, CA @ Ché Café Sat. Nov. 16 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress Sun. Nov. 17 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Bunkhouse Saloon Tue. Nov. 19 – Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Wed. Nov. 20 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Fri. Nov. 22 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda Sat. Nov. 23 – Dallas, TX @ The Foundry Sun. Nov. 24 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Tue. Nov. 26 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge Wed. Nov. 27 – Nashville, TN @ DRKMTTR Sat. Nov. 30 – Detroit, MI @ Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit * Sun. Dec. 1 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall * Tue. Dec. 3 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia * Wed. Dec. 4 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre * Thu. Dec. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * Sat. Dec. 7 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club * Sun. Dec. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer * *= w/ Devendra Banhart

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Beehive’s “When Can I See You Again?” is a manic punk rager to which all of us can relate.

Northern California duo Beehive share the first track from their forthcoming debut EP Depressed + Distressed via The Big Takeover. Hear and share “When Can I See You Again?” HERE. (Direct Bandcamp and Soundcloud.)

It’s the simple things that matter, right? Beehive know this well. The Northern California duo writes short, deceptively simple rock songs in the vein of early Wire, Suicide, The Spits and Television Personalities. Each song seems laser focused on a desperately repeated vocal phrase and repeatedly hammered riff splayed out over the emotional indifference of a Hammond Auto-Vari 64 drum machine.

Vocalist/guitarist Jake Sprecher — who also.played in Terry Malts (SF), Smokescreens (LA) and Business of Dreams (LA), all part of Slumberland Records family – urgently yelps and howls desperate and angry lyrics like a man with no time to waste. Bassist Bud Amenti (also of Shutups) fills in any gaps with subtle walks and fills while holding down the band’s monolithic sound. Beehive never stop the drum machine during their live set, there are no breaks, which adds to the intensity.

Beehive came into existence at the beginning of 2019, but in that short time has been hitting venues hard up and down the West Coast to set up their 7-song debut EP Depressed + Distressed for release in early Fall. The EP was recorded live in the studio in one take to 1/2″ tape. No messing around.

Depressed + Distressed opens with a short intro (“Tick Tock”) leading into the mantra-like wail of “Get Off My Back,” as the duo holds and pummels an A-major chord, as Sprecher chants over the top. Elsewhere, “90’s Trash” sarcastically rips up nostalgia for music of our youth and disposable culture. “When Can I See You Again?” seethes with desperation and obsession we’ve all experienced at some point, the guitars clattering and clawing, perhaps trying in vain to stop the incessant drum machine. “Wasting Our Time” wastes no time getting to the point: Our time, our lives, as a measure of existence, is only wasted by ourselves and each other. Kind of heady and deep, but utterly simple.

Depressed + Distressed will be available on 10″ EP and download on September 6th, 2019 via Jester Records.

BEEHIVE LIVE 2019: 09/14 San Francisco, CA @ Knockout 10/09 Portland, OR @ Valentine’s 10/10 Seattle, WA @ Cha Cha Lounge

On The Web: beehive1.bandcamp.com

instagram.com/beehive_trash

facebook.com/beehivetrash

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