ANOHNI and The Johnsons have shared a new single, “Silver Of Ice”, off their new album “My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross” out July 7th via Secretly Canadian and Rough Trade.
ANOHNI shared this about the song and inspiration: “A friend of mine expressed to me in the final months of his life that the simplest sensations had begun to feel almost rapturous; a carer had placed a shard of ice on his tongue one day and it was such a sweet and unbelievable feeling that it caused him to weep with gratitude. He was a hardcore kind of guy and these moments were transforming the way he was seeing things. I wrote ‘Sliver of Ice,’ remembering those words of his.”
Blur have shared the first single, “The Narcissist”, off what will be their new album “The Ballad Of Darren” out July 21st via Parlophone.
The album was produced by James Ford who’s worked previously with Albarn on the album “The Now Now” by Gorillaz.
Each band member released a statement on the album and what has lead them to this point in their long career.
Graham Coxon shared this: “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job.”
Damon Albarn had this to say: “This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”
Alex James said this: “For any long term relationship to last with any meaning you have to be able to surprise each other somehow and somehow we all continue to do that.”
Dave Rowntree shared: “It always feels very natural to make music together. With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted.”
Chester Watson has shared the first single, “fish don’t climb trees” off his upcoming album of the same name out June 30th via POW Recordings.
The label said this about the release: “This is an underwater dream of burning incense and red Georgia clay. An otherworldly and eerie new channel, somewhere between the Twilight Zone and Shakespeare.”
Chester Watson shared this about it: “This song is very special to me in a lot of ways. It’s actually the first sample I’ve ever cleared properly and that’s really because of my pops, so thank you. This is one of the more powerful and revealing songs on the album, I find myself circling back to this one for mental tranquility more often.”
Chester Watson has lined up a release show on July 6th at the Resident DTLA with support from VCR, earoh & Vash Noir.
Clark has shared the fifth single, “Medicine” featuring Thom Yorke, off his just released album “Sus Dog” via Throttle Records.
The video for the song was directed by Dylan Hayes from Knucklehead. Dylan shared this about it: “Chris and I have always bonded over a common endeavour to conceal the digital. This is interesting considering we’re using a very digital medium as an element for “Medicine”, deepfake. I was intrigued in using AI in a way that remained subtle. Typically, when deepfake or another AI element is employed, it is the main focus whereas for “Medicine” I wanted to bury the effect and layer it with additional textures, making it just one of the many components. Through the use of the technology Chris and Thom’s characteristics merge, which creates an uncanny synergy of both their faces and voices, causing a question of who’s who and a theme of the malleability of their voices.”
Thom Yorke, who produced the album and played bass on it, shared this about the song and collaboration: “Chris wrote me to say he’d started singing, looking for feedback/advice or whatever, cuz it was kind of new shark-infested waters for him. I’ve been into what he does for years, and I ended up being a kind of backseat driver as he pieced all the oddness of it together, which was fascinating. I wasn’t surprised to discover he came at singing and words through another door completely, which to me was the most interesting and exciting part,” Yorke continues. “The first thing he sent me was him singing about being stuck between two floors and I was already sold. To me the way he approached it all wasn’t the usual singer songwriter guff thank god; it mirrored the way he approached all his composition and recording, but this time it had a human face. His face.”
Clark will continue his tour thru the UK and will visit the USofA for some shows in select cities.
Sparks have shared the third single, “Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is”, off their just released album “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” out via Island Records.
Via a press release Sparks said this of the song: “This song is the exception that proves the rule! It’s written from the perspective of “a 22-hour-old baby petitioning to be readmitted to the womb”
The band will go on tour to support the album starting in May in the UK and coming over to the USofA before hitting Japan.
Capsula have released a new single by the name of “Sombra”.
Capsula shared this about the release: “We’re thrilled to share our new music with all of you. “Sombra” is a very special song for us, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Thank you for your continued support, and we can’t wait to see you soon.”
While trying to think of a way on how to describe this song the only one that comes to mind is to say that this is where garage rock n’ roll meets sci-fi. A song that would fit perfectly well in a Jim Jarmusch film.
The band has continued to tour around Europe with a few surprise visits, in selected cities, in America. We hope that changes soon.
Water From Your Eyes have shared the third single, “14”, off their upcoming album “Everyone’s Crushed” out May 26th via Matador.
TRACKLIST: 1. Structure 2. Barley 3. Out There 4. Open 5. Everyone’s Crushed 6. True Life 7. Remember Not My Name 8. 14 9. Buy My Product
The video for the song was directed by Rachel Brown. Via a press release the band, Rachel Brown and Nate Amos, shared this about the song: “This is a quasi-serial inkblot signifying submission to personal demons and the realization that change is both necessary and inevitable.”
Rachel Brown shared this about directing the video: “The video came together in a little under two weeks from conception to edit. There had been another video idea that was planned by a different director, but due to unforeseen circumstances they were unable to shoot it and due to the time crunch of leaving on tour, it made the most sense to just come up with a video and direct it myself. I was largely inspired by “Meshes of the Afternoon”, “Last Year in Marienbad”, and “Spirited Away” as well as the painting “The Triumph of Baccus” by Diego Velázquez, a favorite of Nate’s. I wanted to capture the feeling of being haunted by one’s own inner turmoils and the act of letting those conflicts go. Despite the little preparation time and the fact that I was in many ways winging it, I am quite happy with what my friends and I were able to accomplish in such a short amount of time and I think it accurately encapsulates the emotions that I feel when I listen to “14”.”
Anohni has shared the first single, “It Must Change”, off the upcoming album “My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross” by Anohni & The Johnsons out July 7th via Rough Trade and Secretly Canadian.
TRACKLIST:
1. It Must Change 2. Go Ahead 3. Sliver Of Ice 4. Can’t 5. Scapegoat 6. It’s My Fault 7. Rest 8. There Wasn’t Enough 9. Why Am I Alive Now? 10. You Be Free
The video for the opening track was directed by Iain Forsythe and Jane Pollard, and it stars Munroe Bergdorf. Anohni shared this about it: “The video stars a personal hero of mine, the British human right advocate Munroe Bergdorf. I’m thinking a lot about our need for resilience during these times, and the courage to be honest with ourselves about who we have been and who we are, as individuals, as consumers, as descendants, as citizens of nations, and as authors of the future landscape. I try to reach for compassion when i am taking a hard look into the mirror at my own complicity in these systems that are overwhelming us all. I find that only by moving with a degree of tenderness through all this imagery can I continue to stay fluid and energized enough to be effective, and not just give up or shut own. A lot is being asked of us, an emergent new maturity. Munroe epitomizes that gracious state to me, in all of her activism.”
About the album Anohni shared this: ” I am releasing a new album in July called My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross. I worked on it with a producer in London named Jimmy Hogarth. I am really pleased with the feeling of it; its a new direction for me, but very much aligned with my heart my previous work. It’s quite a personal record in some ways, and yet i hope that every song finds broader resonance and identification out among the rushes. I just hope that the work will be useful to you, and offer you some energy or solace.”
Esben And The Witch have shared their third single, “A Kaleidoscope”, off their album “Hold Sacred” that was released May 12th via Nostromo Records.
TRACKLIST:
The Well In Ecstasy Fear Not Silence, 1801 True Mirror A Kaleidoscope Heathen The Depths Petals of Ash
The band shared this about the song: “A group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope. This song felt like something being born, a creature opening its eyes for the first time, innocently seeing the world and how beautiful it can be. A butterfly doesn’t live for long, a fleeting dream, soaking up the beautiful things. We wanted the song and the video to capture this spirit. The hazy, psychedelic warmth of summer. The vivid colours of the meadows and the thrum of activity within.”
The band will go on a European tour later this month. No additional dates have been announced yet, and no USofA (nor Tijuana) dates yet.
i think i better follow you around 