7th Level Music

Tinariwen release lovely new single, “Ken Alghalm,” from their new album due May 19, 2023.

Tinariwen—the legendary GRAMMY-winning Tuareg collective—present their new single, “Kek Alghalm,” from their forthcoming album, Amatssou, out May 19th on Wedge. Following lead single “Tenere Den,” an “understated tribute to the desert and to the Tuareg revolution in the highlands of Mali” (WNYC), “Kek Alghalm” opens Amatssou as a call to the Tuareg tribes to unite against present threats, its lyrics calling out complicity in silence: “So where are the Touareg? // And why do they remain silent // In the face of so much disrespect // Perpetrated shamelessly with uncovered face.” Featuring Nashville’s Wes Corbett on banjo, “Kek Alghalm” is a longtime live favorite amongst Tinariwen fans and it’s presented here in its recorded form for the first time.

Watch Video for “Kek Alghalm” by Tinariwen

Tinariwen, composed of founding members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Touhami Ag Alhassane and Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, plus bassist Eyadou Ag Leche, percussionist Said Ag Ayad and guitarist Elaga Ag Hamid, single-handedly invented a guitar style that has captured the world’s imagination. They call it ishumar or assouf (“nostalgia” in Tamashek) but the rest of the world has come to know it as the Tuareg or desert blues. It is music that is imbued with sorrow and longing but it’s also music to dance to, to forget our cares.

Throughout Amatssou, the band’s ninth studio album, they set out to explore the shared sensibilities between their trademark desert blues and the vibrant country music of rural America. Recorded in Djanet, an oasis in the desert of southern Algeria located in Tassili N’Ajjer National Park, with additional production by Daniel Lanois (Brian Eno, U2, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson), Amatssou finds Tinariwen’s signature snaking guitar lines and hypnotic grooves seamlessly co-existing alongside banjos, fiddles and pedal steel. Lanois’ haunting pedal steel and crystalline production add a soaring ambience to Tinariwen’s trance-like desert blues.

For decades, Tinariwen have remained ambassadors for the Tuareg people, a way of life in tune with the natural world, which is under threat as never before. Amatssou is Tamashek for “Beyond The Fear,” and it fits, as Tinariwen have always been characterized by their fearlessness. Though Tuareg culture is as old as that of ancient Greece or Rome, the songs of Amatssou speak to the current and often tough reality of Tuareg life today. Unsurprisingly, there are impassioned references to Mali’s ongoing political and social turmoil. Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. Tinariwen’s message has never sounded more urgent and compelling than it does on Amatssou.

Beginning May 27th at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, Tinariwen’s US tour will see them bringing their cherished songs to cities including New York, Los Angeles, and more before they head overseas for a run of EU/UK dates. All shows are on-sale now with tickets available here.

Watch “Tenere Den” Video

Pre-order Amatssou by Tinariwen

Tinariwen Tour Dates
Sat. May 27 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music
Tue. May 30 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Wed. May 31 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox
Fri. June 2 – Berkeley, CA @ UC Theater
Sat. June 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theater
Mon. June 5 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Tue. June 6 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair
Wed. June 7 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre
Sat. June 10 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
Mon. June 12 – Rubigen, CH @ Muhle Hunziken
Wed. June 14 – Florence, IT @Ultravox
Thu. June 15 – Milan, IT @ Triennale Garden
Fri. June 16 – Turin, IT @ Hiroshima Mon Amour
Sun. June 18 – Dublin, IE @ Body & Soul Festival
Thu. June 22 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Sat. June 24 – Glastonbury, UK @ Glastonbury Festival
Mon. 26 – Lille, FR @ Splendid
Wed. June 28 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel
Thu. June 29 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
Sat. July 1 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
Sun. July 2 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyran
Tue. July 4 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
Fri. July 7 – Bilbao, ES @ BBK Live Festival
Tue. July 11 – Arles, FR @ Les Suds Arles
Thu. July 13 – London, UK @ Somerset House
Sat. July 15 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Mon. July 17 – Glasgow, UK @ St Lukes
Wed. July 19 – Birmingham, UK @ Institute 2
Sat. July 22 – Cheshire, UK @ Bluedot Festival
Tue. 25 – Vigo, SP @ Terraceo Festival
Thu. July 27 – Sines, PT @ FMM
Sat. July 29 – Luxey, FR @ Musicalarue Festival

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Yuri at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Squid release “Undergrowth,” which is both a single and a video game.

UK-based quintet Squid present the new single, “Undergrowth,” from their sophomore album, O Monolith, out June 9th on Warp Records, the “Undergrowth”-inspired video game by Frank Force, and announce a North American Tour. Renowned for their unerring experimentation, Squid continue their idiosyncratic sonic journey with “Undergrowth,” where dubbed-out bass grooves under cinematic synth chops explode into bursts of guitar and frenetic brass. Through the radical meld of textures and tones, Squid drummer and vocalist Ollie Judgestill manages to create an earworm chorus, repeating “Ergonomic for the rest of my days, I’d rather melt melt melt melt melt melt away.” Themes of environmental peril, morality, and the natural world are all present on “Undergrowth” and further explored on the rest of O Monolith.

Judge explains, “I really got into animism, the idea that spirits can live in inanimate objects. I was watching Twin Peaks, and there was the episode where Josie Packard’s spirit goes into a chest of drawers. So ‘Undergrowth’ was written from the perspective of me being reincarnated as a bedside table in the afterlife, and how the thought of being reincarnated as an inanimate object would be dreadful. ‘This isn’t what I wanted/ So many options to be disappointed.’ Even though I’m in no way religious I don’t think anyone who isn’t religious is confident enough to not have had the fleeting thought of ‘Fuck, what if there is an afterlife? What if I’m going to Hell?’”

“Undergrowth” is accompanied by a visualizer directed by Squid’s Louis Borlase. In describing the story behind it, he says, “When we were writing O Monolith we rented a little studio in St Pauls and whichever way we’d walk home, the BRI Hospital chimney would always be standing there – jutting out in front of a disc of countryside beyond. Sometimes it feels like most folklore hides in the countryside’s nooks. At other times it comes in closer, lurking in the bins on the walk back from the shops.”

Watch Squid’s “Undergrowth” Visualizer

Additionally, today, the band unveil “Undergrowth,” the game! A bit like the bastardized love child of Super Mario and Space Invaders, with an English Folklore twist. Who’s gonna get the high score? Who’s gonna defeat the monolith? Creator Frank Force adds, “Imagine the game itself as an interactive music video where gameplay and animation is synched up to the music and changes as the song progresses, moving into different phases.”

Play The “Undergrowth” Game

Produced by long-time collaborator, Dan Carey, and mixed by John McEntire (of Tortoise), O Monolith teems with melodic epiphanies and is a musical evocation of environment, domesticity and self-made folklore. Like its predecessor, it is dense and tricksy – but also warmer, with a winding, questioning nature. Squid began work on O Monolith only two weeks after the release of Bright Green Field while the band were on tour in 2021. The songs continued to take shape in rehearsal rooms around Bristol, where the band were based at the time, eventually moving to Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Wiltshire. This change in environment further pushed the development of the band’s sound from claustrophobic post-punk to something more free-flowing and spacious. Although originating in Brighton and now largely based in South London, every member of the band has a strong connection with the West Country, which only deepened during the recording process. One interpretation of O Monolith is a condensation of the environment into song. “There’s a running theme of the relation of people to the environment throughout,” says Borlase. “There are allusions to the world we became so immersed in, environmental emergency, the role of domesticity, and the displacement you feel when you’re away for a long time.”

“Undergrowth” follows lead single “Swing (In A Dream)” which was recently added to BBC 6 Music’s A-List. As FADER commented, “[‘Swing (In A Dream)’] suggests their new album O Monolith will retain all of the intensity and sense of adventure that made their 2021 debut Bright Green Field essential listening for post-punk fans.” Indeed, like its namesake, O Monolith is vast and strange; alive with endless possible interpretations of its inner mysteries.

Squid have long been praised for their expansive must-see live show, touring extensively in support of Bright Green Field in 2021 and 2022. Following the band’s biggest UK and EU shows yet in support of O Monolith this fall, Squid will return to North America in 2024. This run sees them playing many cities for the first time. Tickets are on sale now.

Watch Squid’s Video for “Swing (In A Dream)”
Watch Squid Perform “Swing (In A Dream)” Live at Scala
Pre-order O Monolith

Squid Tour Dates (New Dates In Bold)
Fri. May 5 – Wrexhman, WS @ Focus Wales
Sun. June 18 – Wicklow, IE @ Beyond The Pale
Fri. June 30 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
Sun. July 2 – Lars, DE @ Fusion
Fri. July 21 – Hertfordshire, UK @ Standon Calling
Sat. July 22 – Oxfordshire, UK @ Truck Festival
Wed. Aug. 16 – Portugal, ES @ Paredes De Coura
Fri. Aug. 18 – Brecon, WS @ Green Man
Sat. Sep. 2 – Vlieland, NL @ Into The Great Wide Open
Tue. Sep. 5 – Cologne, DE @ Katine
Wed. Sep. 6 – Esch-sur-Alzette, LU @ Rockhal
Thu. Sep. 7 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
Fri. Sep. 8 – Utecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg ROnda
Sat. Sep. 9 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust
Mon. Sep. 11 – Aarhus, DK @ Voxhall
Tue. Sep. 12 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
Wed. Sep. 13 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Fri. Sep. 15 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz
Sat. Sep. 16 – Zurich, CH @ Mascotte
Tue. Sep. 19 – Milan, IT @ Santeria
Thu. Sep. 21 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apollo 2
Fri. Sep. 22 – Valencia, ES @ Jerusalem
Sat. Sep. 23 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Copérnico
Sun. Sep. 24 – Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey
Mon. Sep. 25 – Paris, FR @ Elysée Montmartre
Wed. Sep. 27 – Rouen, FR @ Le 106
Fri. Oct. 13 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Sat. Oct. 14 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Mon. Oct. 16 – Birmingham, UK @ Town Hall
Tue. Oct. 17 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds
Thu. Oct. 19 – Manchester, UK @ New Century
Sat. Oct. 21 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom
Sun. Oct. 22 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop
Wed. Nov. 1 – London, UK @ Troxy
Fri. Feb. 2 – Austin, TX @ The Parish
Sat. Feb. 3 – Dallas, TX @ Dada
Mon. Feb. 5 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
Tue. Feb. 6 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Thu. Feb. 8 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Fri. Feb. 9 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Sat. Feb. 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Wed. Feb. 14 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Thu. Feb. 15 – Montreal, QC @ SAT
Fri. Feb. 16 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Sun. Feb. 18 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Mon. Feb. 19 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Fri. Feb. 23 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Sat. Feb. 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Sun. Feb. 25 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Tue. Feb. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
Thu. Feb. 29 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
Fri. March 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Debauch-A-Reno 2023 announces lineup and tickets are on sale now!

DEBAUCH-a-ReNO returns with a two-part festival in Reno, NV, from June 16th – June 18th, and in Virginia City, NV, at Piper’s Opera House on July 14th with performances by The Mummies, Wild Billy Childish, The Kids, The Zeros, and many more.

(Reno, NV) The fifth installment of northern Nevada’s trash rock n’ roll bash is back in its birthplace in The Biggest Little City In The World and split across two weekends, with DEBAUCH-a-ReNO 2023 marking another strong lineup of budget rock delights spanning the old-school genre pioneers with the new.

FULL LINEUP IS AVAILABLE HERE

Weekend one’s shindig kicks off the evening of June 16th in midtown Reno, where the nighttime events will be held at Cypress Bar, and the daytime/afternoon events taking place in downtown Reno at Wingfield Park Amphitheatre on June 17th and 18th.

June 19th is the federal holiday of Juneteenth, a date to celebrate in itself with its significance marking the news of slavery’s abolition in the United States. It’s a three-day weekend for those from many States — and for those with righteous employers!

Anchoring the weekend’s performances are a slew of punk bands from the New and Old with highlight appearances, including Northern California’s budget rock titans, The Mummies, returning to the festival’s stage, notorious Belgians, The Kids, journeying from the EU capitol country back to the United States after a long absence, and one of San Diego’s earliest pioneers of the West Coast punk rock movement with The Zeros making their DEBAUCH debut alongside the guitar twang and dark humor of fellow San Diegans and self-proclaimed “Scariest Band In the World,” Deadbolt, among many, many more!

Along with We’re Loud, the two producing companies behind this festival are marking significant milestones in their history, with Slovenly Recordings turning 20 years old in 2022 and Sticker Guy! celebrating a pearl anniversary in 2023.The second weekend’s one-night stand soiree will occur south of Reno in the time-stamped silver mining town of Virginia City on July 14th and anchored by a man whose work crosses music, publishing, and painting AND whom Kurt Cobain, Jack White, Graham Coxon, and Kylie Minogue have paid tribute to in their own right with Wild Billy Childish & CTMF, making their exclusive US performance for 2023 at Piper’s Opera House (est. 1863) alongside Sacramento’s garage-mod screamers, Th’ Losin Streaks. A goodclosing lineup, right? Well, those two weren’t enough because we’ve got one of America’s more criminally underrated bands flying in from one sweatbox to another, with the gutter minimalist bump n’ grind of Subsonics making a rare and special appearance all the way from Atlanta.

DEBAUCH-a-ReNO 2023 TICKETING INFO, HOTEL INFO

In 2023, BUDGET ROCK is more important than ever, and the organizers are doing everything they can to make their events affordable to all. Here’s how!

TICKETS
Passes are on sale now (full passes gain you access to both the Amphitheatre and Cypress events, while Park gets you in the Amphitheatre) and sold through Eventsmart. This means you’re clear from those non-sensical hidden surcharges and fees a company like Ticketmaster throws at you.

DEBAUCH-a-ReNO PASSES ARE AVAILABLE HERE

ROOM DEALS
Information about traveling accommodations for DEBAUCH-a-ReNO is available in the FAQs area.

DEBAUCH-a-ReNO FAQS HERE

Keep your mind open.

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

[Thanks to Matt at Shared Platter.]

Live: The Well, Firebreather, Blunt, and Unto the Earth – Reggie’s – Chicago, IL – April 05, 2023

I made the chilly trip to Chicago once again, but this time to see a full night of doom metal at one of the best punk and metal clubs in town – Reggie’s. Four bands playing doom and stoner rock? I’m there.

First up were two local bands, the first being Unto the Earth, who played a solid doom and sludge set set with serious shredding (on one of the most metal-looking guitars I’ve seen in a while). They were clearly having a great time.

Unto the Earth

Next, from nearby DeKalb, Illinois, came Blunt, who set up their gear, tuned a bit, and then said, “Hello. We are Blunt.” and then proceeded to unload a thundering set of sludge metal.

Blunt

I admit, I was a little sleepy after Blunt’s set. This was not from their set. It had been a long day and a two-hour drive to Reggie’s from my house, so I was a little drowsy during the downtime after they were taking their gear from the stage. That ended when, all the way from Sweden, Firebreather came out and practically set the place on fire with their blast furnace-like set.

Firebreather

Closing out the night were The Well, from Austin, Texas, who are one of my favorite doom-psych bands out there. I’d last seen them at Levitation Austin last year, and they sounded even better here. Praise must be given to whomever was mixing the sound at Reggie’s that night, because he or she helped pull every note from The Well’s set to help melt our faces and minds. One of the highlights for me was hearing a new song they’re working on (tentatively called “Christmas” or “Christmas Lights”) after hearing it for the first time at Levitation. I could tell they’d been working the song for a while because it was tighter, creepier, and stronger. The whole set roared.

The Well

The Well and Firebreather are still touring together, so get to see this heavy double-bill while you can.

Keep your mind open.

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

Review: Sound Cipher – All That Syncs Must Diverge

What do you get when Tim Alexander (on percussion) of Primus and Skerik (on saxophones and synths) of Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade have a jam session one night and later invite bassist and synth-player Timm Mason from Wolves in the Throne Room to the party? You get something that sounds like Neu! mixed with Aphex Twin. You get Sound Cipher.

Their debut album, All That Syncs Must Diverge, is a wild mix of electronica, pulsing beats, saxophone skronks, and glitchy android synths. “Grind Incursion” is the sound of panic in a robot disco. “Ransomwar” reminds you of faraway desert oasis fires and beautiful dancing maidens…and all of it is a slightly unnerving hologram. The way Alexander’s percussion drifts into “Church Turing” and slowly takes over the song like dusk turning to night is a cool effect.

“Permissive Action Link” starts the second half of the album with bad-ass synth bass and growling percussion that will inspire you to throw on a black faux-leather coat and ride a futuristic motorcycle fitted with flame throwers and rockets into a post-nuclear war wasteland in order to rescue someone lovely from a band of mutants. “God Mode” is the song that plays when that quest takes a strange turn after you accidentally fall into a missile silo that’s now used as an underground temple for a strange cult that worships the AI computer that started the war. The song rolls straight into “Entropy Pool,” threatening to pull you down into an even deeper abyss, but showing you a way out of it: a pulsing light in the distance and the sounds of tribal drumming and smoky saxophone reminding you of the lovely companion you came here to rescue. It won’t be an easy climb out of the old missile silo, but it can be done. It must be done.

So, yeah, All That Syncs Must Diverge is pretty much the soundtrack to a cool 1980s European post-apocalyptic / future dystopia film you found one night while scrolling through a weird Roku channel. I hope this project isn’t just a one-off thing. I’d love to hear more from them.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Kevin at Royal Potato Family.]

Review: Bodywash – I Held the Shape While I Could

The title of Bodywash‘s new record, I Held the Shape While I Could, is a perfect summary of how it feels to be barely holding your life together and then finally, sometimes blissfully, being able to drop that façade when you’re alone and just cry your eyes out.

The record was made as both Rosie Long Decter and Chris Steward were coming out points in their lives that had resulted in dissatisfaction, alienation, boredom, and heartbreak. Opening track “In As Far” sets up a major theme of the album (breaking through ennui by being willing to face it head-on) with Steward’s synths that burst open like the sun through clouds. “Picture Of” has Decter reminiscing about a past lover and how sometimes the memory is better than the relationship truly was (“You were hard to believe, asking everything close. You were hard to prove. Something to see and not know.” / “I decide to lie and wait, picture of desire in a frame.”)

“Massif Central” is Steward’s buzzing shoegaze tale of losing his Canadian work status in 2020 due to a typographical error, thus leaving him alienated and unemployed just as we were all hearing the early warnings of the pandemic. “Bas Relief” is an instrumental, sounding like ocean waves and wind and some kind of early 1990s mall music tape that’s been left near a space heater.

Steward sings about trying to fit in as half-Japanese, half-British (“To feel half is not to feel whole.”) and Canadian. “Kind of Light” is about Decter trying to fit in after after the end of a relationship while others are enjoying love around her (“Pull back all the ways you count her gone. Spend a year living trying to hold yourself to a certain kind of light.”)

“One Day Clear” is almost a spoken word piece as Decter tells a lonely tale and Steward plays simple, hypnotic, looping synths behind her. “Sterilizer” is a tale full of bright shoegaze guitars while discussing the idea trying to make a relationship work, but knowing, in your heart, that, while it feels good now, it’s probably going to make both of you bitter in the long run (“We talk inside of swallowed pride, still I warm your sleep tonight.”).

“Dessents” floats right into the snappy, electro-thumping “Ascents” – which is a lovely song about Decter and Steward’s friendship forged even harder during their long drives to gigs while working out their relationship woes. The shimmering sound and wispy vocals on “Patina” (another song about moving past an ended relationship) remind one of some Besnard Lakes tracks, which isn’t surprising when you consider that Jace Lasek from The Besnard Lakes recorded and mixed the album.

Decter is at least in the process of healing by the time we get to “No Repair.” Her vocals are a bit melancholy, but her voice doesn’t seem to be carrying as much weight, and the instrumentation behind her helps rejuvenate her and us. Lyrics like “And sometimes when I’m quiet and alone, I need no repair. If this is as far as it goes, write it in handfuls of air. You were there.”

That’s a lovely lyric to end a lovely album.

Keep your mind open.

[It would be a massive cool thing of you to subscribe.]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Dry Cleaning – Swampy EP

The cover of Dry Cleaning‘s new EP, Swampy, is intriguing. It’s an image of broken blinds hanging in a window of some boarded up building. We can see an intersection and some sort of building, possibly a store or a house, across the street in the window’s reflection. It could be anywhere, and the blind could be a reflection of something else. Weariness? Depression? The sagging post-Brexit British economy? Or, it could just be an image as intriguing as Swampy‘s music.

The title track begins the record with almost romantic guitar riffs from Tom Dowse until Lewis Maynard‘s bass comes in an changes the mood to something mysterious. Lead singer Florence Shaw tells a story, as she always does, about, I think, politicians who supported the Brexit, but now regret it and are too afraid to admit it for fear of losing a good chunk of their voting base. “Sombre Two” is indeed somber. Dowse’s guitar sounds like it’s slogging through a manic depressive episode. I don’t know how he gets his guitar to make sounds like this.

The next two tracks are remixes of songs from their newest full-length album, Stumpwork. “Hot Penny Day” (remixed by Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul) becomes a fat synth-bass dance track suitable for all you “disco pickles” with Shaw’s voice being pitch-changed now and then to make her sound like a robot, seductress, and ghost – often all at once. The Nourished By Time remix of “Gary Ashby” has male lead vocals for part of the track, which sound jarring at first after you’ve heard Shaw’s spoken-word vocals for so long. She joins the vocal track soon, however, and then both vocals are pushed a bit back so Dowse’s guitar sounds can becoming a bright, shimmering experience. The EP ends with a demo version of “Peanuts” that has fun percussion from Nick Buxton and lounge-like saxophone and electric piano riffs.

It’s a nice little gem from this band who keeps doing their own thing and waiting for you to catch up to them.

Keep your mind open.

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You should let Alex Lahey’s new single, “They Wouldn’t Let Me In,” in right now.

Photo Credit: Pooneh Ghana

Today, Alex Lahey presents her new single/video, “They Wouldn’t Let Me In,” from her forthcoming album, The Answer Is Always Yes, out May 19th on Liberation. Following the “big, bright” (Stereogum) lead single, “Good Time,” the previously-shared “Shit Talkin’,” plus the “volcanic and cathartic” (The New York Times) “Congratulations,” “They Wouldn’t Let Me In” is Lahey’s first song to mine the depths of her queer teenage years. Where Lahey’s beloved debut I Love You Like A Brother and its 2019 follow-up The Best of Luck Club took their focus through the lens of relationships, The Answer Is Always Yes sees Lahey analyzing her otherness through different lenses, from its isolating effect to the surrealism and humor it instills. The “They Wouldn’t Let Me In” video, co-directed by Lahey and Claire Giuffre, is a lighthearted accompaniment to the reflective track. Lahey draws out the absurdity, assuming the role of a furniture salesperson and leading a humorous countdown: “I couldn’t get into the threesome, the foursome, the fivesome, the sixsome.”

“After watching the brilliant tv series ‘Heartstopper,’ I spent a lot of time thinking about my own experiences growing up as a queer teenager,” Lahey says. “Although I was extremely lucky that the majority of my experience was filled with joy, acceptance and love, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. This song is inspired by those tougher moments – not being allowed to attend my high school girlfriend’s school formal, being excluded from conventional romantic rites of passage, moments of isolation and feeling like I couldn’t relate to anyone around me. ‘They Wouldn’t Let Me In’ is by far the most direct song I’ve ever written about this time.”

Watch Alex Lahey’s “They Wouldn’t Let Me In” Video

As a queer person, Alex Lahey learned how to adapt to a world that wasn’t made for her. For those who exist on the fringe, you learn to pave your own way, foster your own community, and create your own joy. With The Answer Is Always Yes, Lahey examines how she finds comfort in the discomfort, whether its reveling in absurdity or turning towards exploration. “Living in a world that wasn’t made for you makes you pretty strong and adaptive, and you find the fun in it,” says Lahey. “It also makes you realize how absurd everything is. With The Answer Is Always Yes, I wanted to get weird because the world is weird, and it’s even weirder when you realize you don’t fit into it all the time.”

Just as Lahey learned to reimagine the world around her, the music of The Answer Is Always Yes is also the product of reimagination. After making a name for herself with heartfelt, witty, and energizing indie rock songs, Lahey felt she had accrued tried and true songwriting tricks. Instead of resting on her laurels, Lahey took a risk by inviting other writers and producers into the early stages of her creative process for the first time. The resulting album is not only Lahey’s most collaborative yet, but also her most dynamic and surprising.

Beginning May 19th, Alex Lahey will embark on a North American tour in support of The Answer Is Always Yes, bringing her captivating full-band performance to a slew of cities across the continent. Full dates are listed below and tickets are on sale now.

Pre-order The Answer Is Always Yes

Watch“Good Time” Video
Watch “Congratulations” video
Watch “Shit Talkin’” lyric video

Alex Lahey Tour Dates:
Fri. May 19 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Sat. May 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
Sun. May 21 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Tue. May 23 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
Wed. May 24 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lous
Fri. May 26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Sat. May 27 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
Tue. May 30 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street entry
Wed. May 31 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Fri. June 2 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Sat. June 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls
Sun. June 4 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Tue. June 6 – Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
Wed. June 7 – New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Fri. June 9 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Sun. June 11 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Mon. June 12 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
Tue. June 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Purgatory
Thu. June 15 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Upstairs
Fri. June 16 – Austin, TX @ Parish
Sat. June 17 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Tue. June 20 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
Wed. June 21 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

Keep your mind open.

[Let yourself into the subscription box.]

[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

CHAI proclaim “We the Female” on their (of course) catchy new single.

CHAI — the beloved Japanese quartet composed of identical twins MANA (vocals/keys) and KANA (guitar), drummer YUNA, and bassist/lyricist YUUKI — are “professional purveyor[s] of whimsy” (The New York Times). Today, the four-piece unveils their first new single/video of 2023, “We The Female!” Following CHAI’s acclaimed 2021 album, WINK, which “exudes a newfound sense of serenity, even as they remain committed to exuberant self-love” (Pitchfork), “We The Female!” continues expanding CHAI’s canon of anthemic dance jams. The accompanying video, directed by Cezan Iseda, is a charming collage of 80s television homages.

Of “We The Female,” YUUKI adds: “We are human and were born as female, but we have both female and male aspects in each of our souls, each with our own sense of balance. We can’t just label ourselves into clear-cut, simple categories anymore! I’m not anyone else but just ‘me,’ and you are no one else but just ‘you.’ This song celebrates that with a roar! Yooooooooo!!”

WATCH CHAI’s “WE THE FEMALE!” VIDEO

WINK followed CHAI’s beloved 2017 debut PINK, and their superb 2019 sophomore effort, PUNK. Surrounding WINK’s release, CHAI was profiled in V Magazine, The New York Times, NPR and more; it was named one of the year’s best releases by Under The Radar and Paste, who hailed: “CHAI make every moment feel like a treat.”

“We The Female!” is a small taste of what CHAI has in store for the year.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Half Cut – Here in Full

Coming in hot from Sydney, Australia, Half Cut‘s first EP for the HOMAGE label, Here in Full, is a great spin – seven tracks of house and electro dialed in and ready to make you cut a rug.

“Player” kicks it off with, appropriately, an electric kick drum, hi-hat, and snare and a heavy dose of 1980s early house music. That thick synth-bass is killer, and then comes in the sample of “This ain’t no game!” to remind you that creating funky house music can be serious business. “Floor Five,” the first single off the EP, moves us from the late 1980s into mid-1990s house music with its joyful synth-piano chords and gospel sound vocals.

Remember that thick synth-bass in “Player?” Well, it’s even thicker in “Free,” which practically jiggles your hips for you. “Noise” thumps and bumps with a slightly dangerous edge that I’m sure gets asses out of seats. The Crosby remix of “Noise” almost completely changes the tune, making it a sexy banger great for dance floors and bedrooms.

“Energy” is the workout song you didn’t know you needed on your cardio playlist until you hear it, and the way Half Cut samples a cut from “Pass the Dutchie” by Musical Youth will make your jaw drop.

Don’t miss this one.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

[Thanks to Peter at Harbor Music Society.]