Kristin Hayter is one of those rare artists who creates music strictly on their own terms. She uncompromisingly puts her heart and soul into everything she creates under her “Lingua Ignota” project, never wasting a second on insincerity. The way she explores the many facets of the human condition and human mind, the darker and more disturbing parts of humanity make themselves visible naturally, but in a way that feels therapeutic and rewarding as she exorcises her demons, so when she releases a new track, you can bet the song will either be a tearjerker that will render you an emotional mess, or a Hellish and disturbing experience that will scare the living shit out of even the toughest of metalheads. Today she has unveiled the details of her upcoming album SINNER GET READY, which will be released on August 6th via “Sargent House,” and the album’s first single “PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE” is of the tearjerker variety featuring Hayter’s hauntingly beautiful operatic vocals. You can watch the music video for “PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE” below:
Following his “Side Street” teaser video which was released earlier this week and left many to believe new music was on the horizon, Tyler, The Creator has released a brand new single titled “Lumberjack.” Still no word on whether or not there’s a new album coming, but it is nice to hear new music from Tyler to help us cope with these trying times. You can watch the music video for “Lumberjack” below:
The wait is finally over. Alexis Marshall of the band “Daughters” has unveiled the release date of his highly anticipated solo debut album. The album is titled House of Lull . House of When, and will be released on July 23rd via “Sargent House.” A new single titled “Hounds in the Abyss” was also released today, which follows last year’s “Nature in Three Movements,” a relentlessly intense, but enticing tune. “Hounds in the Abyss” carries that same anxiety-inducing energy, and I’m here for it. You can watch the music video for “Hounds in the Abyss” below:
After being delayed by almost a year, Chrystia Cabral will release her new “SPELLLING” album The Turning Wheel on June 25th via “Sacred Bones Records.” This follows up her critically acclaimed 2018 album Mazy Fly, an album rich in dreamy synths and instrumentation that felt both futuristic and nostalgic, offering a Sci-Fi-heavy cinematic experience like no other. For her follow-up, Cabral produced the album herself, while collaborating with a total of 31 musicians, and you can definitely hear the contributions from said musicians on her new single “Turning Wheel.” This is a short, but grand ballad that lets its ensemble of musicians be heard. You can watch the music video for “Turning Wheel” below:
At this point it’s no stretch to say Annie Clark A.K.A. St. Vincent is music’s greatest shapeshifter right now. Five albums in and this imaginative visionary continues to reinvent herself with each album both musically and aesthetically, very much in the same vein as legends David Bowie and Prince. Clark is set to release her sixth St. Vincent album Daddy’s Home this Friday via “Loma Vista Recordings,” and today she has released a new track off the album titled “Down,” and much like her single “Pay Your Way in Pain,” this track features 70s-inspired grooves drawing from Young Americans-era Bowie and synth-driven Funk. You can watch the music video for “Down” below:
There’s no denying the fact that Oslo, Norway-based band “Flying Rabbit” stand on their own musically, lyrically, and aesthetically as they plunge themselves into a musical realm they’ve created on their own, not succumbing to any contemporary musical trends. Seriously, what other bands out there right now can you say “Flying Rabbit” sound like? I bet you can’t name any, and on top of that how do you categorize their music? Is their a name for Psychedelic-tinged Swing music with theatrical vocals that soar high and topical content that has no interest in sugar-coating the issues brought on by the current state of our species? It’s refreshing hearing a band this unique in this day and age of recycled ideas. The band have dropped another refreshing new track titled “In the Middle.” Unsurprisingly, much thought is provoked after hearing the line “Stand in the middle with me” from said track. What is the middle? Does it represent centrism in politics? Is this a cry from a class that appears to be fading due to the cost of living rising while most citizens can’t rely solely on the low wages they receive to live comfortably? Or does this represent unique personal identity, art, and ideas that separate themselves from the zeitgeist of the modern world? These are all loaded questions that arise when hearing “In the Middle,” and yet, the band have no interest in bombarding us with lectures or sloganeering. Instead, they offer skillfully upbeat instrumentation with a slightly sinister melody filled with the band’s signature Jazz soaked rhythm section combined with guitars that range from groovy to Southern Gothic to back the lyrical themes of corporate greed and the evils of cutthroat competition. This is music to dance to while the world falls apart, and in the midst of it all lead vocalist Emily C. Brannigan urges us to stand in the middle with her where our mind, body, and soul are intact, devoid of greedy corruption. It’s hard to make a song like this and not fall into cheap anthem territory, but “Flying Rabbit” do it so seamlessly, which makes their music that much more genuine.
Dancing Soviet soldiers in space. Need I say more? “Flying Rabbit” have released a new music video for their track “Don’t Oppress Me,” which appears on their new E.P. Eclectic Playground, and being one of the EP’s most standout tracks, it’s only fitting that the video reflects its zany nature. The video consists of captions for you to sing along to, repurposed footage of dancing Soviet soldiers from God knows where, and spacey visuals that are quite hypnotizing. This is more proof that “Flying Rabbit” are an incredibly unique band that demands your attention. You can watch the music video for “Don’t Oppress Me” below:
Geneva Jacuzzi’s Casket is a short film that has been described as a “futuristic head trip” by the director of the film, Chris Friend, and no other description rings more true. Within a little over six minutes the viewer is delightfully bombarded with impeccable visuals that evoke the feeling one would get when reading a Philip K. Dick novel. Geneva Jacuzzi’s song “Casket” itself sounds like the kind of music replicants from the film Blade Runner would listen to. It’s robotic but filled with personality as if it were an android that has become self-aware. Chris Friend understands this music, so he perfectly mirrors the song’s tone with dystopian imagery, but instead of relying solely on trippy imagery, this film has a plot featuring characters with magnificent costumes and makeup, all played by Geneva Jacuzzi herself. The plot is intriguing, but frustrating, frustrating because it’s hard to follow due to the constant visuals being thrown at you, but that frustration is part of the film’s charm. Upon watching it my frustration got me thinking about the idea of “control.” Control is something we all like to think we have at any given moment. Much like the visuals in the film that derail your goal to follow the plot all the way through, life is filled with distractions and left turns that render us vulnerable as we try to work around the obstructions to reach our goals, and who knows how many secret forces are already controlling us right now. How does this relate to the film? Well, what is the sole purpose of robots? To control them. To have them do things for you to make your life stress free and convenient, but what happens when your Pleasure-U BioDrone contracts a mental disease and you’re forced to amputate its head? Well, our main character in the film who goes by the name Kate Shaw faces this dilemma, making the decision to keep the body of the drone alive in what is called a “Pleasure Center Casket” as an attempt to regain control of the situation, but sure enough that control diminishes as the BioDrone’s head continuously calls to Kate’s brain with hallucinatory visions. This could symbolize all of things that are used to brain wash us from various forms of media, constantly telling us how to think and how to feel. If that isn’t control, then I don’t know what is. Maybe that’s not even close to what director Chris Friend was getting at with this film, but this film is the work of a director who clearly has no interest in spelling things out for the viewer, so in the end you’re forced to formulate your own interpretation, and even if your interpretation is wrong, that’s okay, because you have no control over that either.
Italian band “Vanarin” have returned with a new single titled “Care.” Set to appear on their upcoming full-length album Treading Water, “Care” is the most adventurous the band have sounded musically with a synth-driven outro that brings to mind 80’s Sci-Fi/Horror á la John Carpenter. The track is lusciously dreamy, and the lyrical content reflects the moody yet groovy tone of the music speaking on those moments where we get lost in our own thoughts, and i’m sure most will agree with me that we’ve had plenty of self-reflection to deal with thanks to our current pandemic. You can watch the music video for “Care” below:
“Tarah Who?” have been on a roll this year so far. Not too long ago they released their superb rage-filled song about the unfair treatment most of us face in the workplace titled “Swallow That Pill,” and today the band have released their follow-up single “Manners.” This track is less aggressive in nature, but no less impactful than “Swallow That Pill.” The song is inspired by lead singer Tarah Carpenter’s mother who was abandoned as a child and raised by nuns who were really strict. “She always puts herself last and tries to understand everyone, which is a real strength. It occurred to me one day that she was taught to be a good citizen, with good manners, but no one really cared for her as a parent would,” explains Carpenter. You can watch the music video for “Manners” below:
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