Riding a wave of industry excitement by a self-coined genre of 'Britainicana', Westside Cowboy's pairing of 90's alt-guitar and folkish lyricism has brought about one of the most thrilling bands in the UK who find themselves in every music conversation. WtHB
Joe Newman, the band’s singer/guitarist/songwriter says “'Hard Drive Gold" is a slightly tongue-in-cheek song written at what we thought was the height of the cryptocurrency gold rush. It’s the story of the ultimate childhood fantasy, the schoolboy who becomes a millionaire overnight, and the different interactions he has with people in his life from teachers to neighbors. How ironically you interpret its message is entirely up to you…”
The song is accompanied by a video that is Newman’s directorial debut. Throughout the band’s career, Newman has been involved in developing the ideas of a number of alt-J videos, and now with “Hard Drive Gold”, he takes the full step up to directing. His partner, Darcy Wallace, who choreographed for both film and music videos co-directed the video. Newman says of the video, “Growing up enjoying cinema greatly I saw our music videos as opportune moments for directors to create stories purely and so we the band did not appear in our videos. By avoiding cuts to a band playing in an 'airplane hanger' the audience could focus on the cinema over the indie band music video tropes.”
Expressionist rather than psychedelic in intent, they say that the songs on ‘El Refugio’ “allude to childhood, dreams, desire, loneliness, paranoia and hope. A longing for a different reality that breaks the monotony of daily life. It's more about sensations than something you can describe in words. I think what makes music great is that it has to be experienced so we try to part from a specific mood or emotion, which is something very abstract that people can interpret in their own way.”
"If you've been paying attention to the world of Australian music over the last few years, then the chances are good you've heard of WA duo The Money War." Tone Deaf
"You make this one feel comfortable as a well warmed doona while hiding deceptively barbed lines amongst it that suddenly make you a little forlorn... a little sad."
4 / 5 (Tommy Faith, Triple J)
"I've got so much time for this band and how can you deny this optimistic, hopeful warmth. it's faith and trust is contagious, love it!" 4.5 / 5 (Declan Byrne, Triple J)
"Are you two kidding me with this pop pureness? An instant charmer that I'm gonna be humming all week." 4 / 5 (Dave Ruby Howe, Triple J)
Earlier this year Tudzin teased new music with “MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA”, a song which received widespread critical acclaim including Pitchfork's Best New Track status, but nothing has come easy for Tudzin who’s talent for songwriting is only matched by her technical ability and production experience. She then dropped the undeniable "u v v p" a song which the New York Times hailed as “"As Illuminati Hotties, Sarah Tudzin has been rolling out deliriously catchy, high-octane summer jams for the past few months… the versatile Tudzin is proving there’s no genre she can’t make her own."
"Friendship are a Philly-based band centered around Dan Wriggins’ narrative pull. His stories tend to be long-winded but confined to small moments, and the rest of the band — currently made up of Peter Gill, Mike Cormier, Evangeline Krajewski, and Jon Samuels — play into this in an unobtrusive but all-encompassing way." - Stereogum
Dreamin’, recorded during the summer of 2018 with the help of The Low Anthem’s Jeff Prystowsky, maintains Friendship’s trademark contemplative alt-country sound – its lyrics painting vivid images of human emotions that rock between intimacy and loneliness. But there is also nuanced continuity here; Dreamin’ moves away from the digitally programmed drums and Rhodes piano of the past, in order to adopt a feel that’s somehow starkly warm.
I Made a Place is Bonny’s first LP of original songs officially released on Drag City since his 2011 record Wolfroy Goes to Town. Since, he’s self-released a 2013 self-titled album, reworkings of older material, a collaborative record with Bitchin Bajas, a double-album tribute to Merle Haggard, and most recently, a collaborative LP with the National’s Bryce Dessner and Eighth Blackbird. Last year, using his name Will Oldham, he released an album called Songs of Love and Horror. pitch
Opting for spontaneity and simplicity over the exploration of layers and textures that defined the first record, the band architected an incredibly intimate sound for these new songs. The album was tracked with minimal overdubs or production flourishes, constructing a frame that is spare and understated. The songs on Longwave amble through moonlit fields of melancholy guitar leads and self-reflection, the collection unfolding almost as one uninterrupted conversation with self. The session aimed to capture the band at their essence. With the superfluous stripped away, a gentle but steadfast spiritual core is revealed as the backbone of Bonny Doon’s cosmic American music.
The Detroit band brings a light touch to the melancholic alt-country songs on this album, which emerged from a spontaneous session in the woods.
Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, some of Jenni Cochran’s earliest memories are of writing songs. Returning to the USA after working in Vietnam for a few years, she met Aaron Craker (guitar, keys, vocals) who was performing with his band Dr. Vitamin. The two immediately bonded over their shared love of Elliott Smith and The Beatles. They formed Frederick The Younger a few years later, releasing their first full length record “Human Child” in 2017.
27-year-old Johanna Samuels broadens the definition of pop music. The melodically and lyrically focused singer-songwriter stands on the shoulders of the great musicians of the 1960’s and 70’s she manages to create a sound and sense of musical place that is completely her own.
