garage rock trio that dog don’t hunt brings some refreshingly raw fuzzed out hooks
It’s time for your daily dose of lo-fi indie rock! That Dog Don’t Hunt is a Dallas band made up of siblings Laura Hale and Tommy Busby with drummer Patrick Cone. They serve up retro soul-inflected indie rock refreshingly free of the pop pretensions that often goes along with that these days. This is the real DIY shit. Anchored by tracks like “Soul Shakin’” and “Shot at the Title,” their Soul Shakin’ EP is loaded with fuzzed out hooks and garage soul riffs. Their new EP drops next month, and if the lead single “Tattooed Feather” is any indication, the band turns up the rawness. Don’t sleep on this.
psychedelic funk singer nombe’s debut ‘they might’ve even loved me’ is an eclectic tribute to the women in his life
“I’m Oscar Wilde with with lights and chrome.”
NoMBe is not the sort of artist you can put in a box. Over 17 tracks, the singer-songwriter-producer skips from lo-fi folk to punk rock to Prince-inflected future-funk to chillwave and R&B. He credits They Might’ve Even Loved Me as a tribute to the women in his life (including his godmother, the immortal Chaka Khan), kicking off with the feminist anthem “Man Up.” As the record skips between genres and sounds, NoMBe’s skill with a hook (and some seriously sweet guitar tone) transcends his musical meandering, tying it all together in a way that could easily fall apart in another artist’s hands.
Highlights like the retro rocker “Can’t Catch Me” find NoMBe not just exploring a sound, but making it his own. While the nostalgic trip to a certain late night double feature picture show puts the spotlight on NoMBe’s guitar and voice for a truly heart-melting tribute to a highschool love. The glam-inflected “Signs” boasts one of the records strongest hooks, while “Bad Girls” is so ambitiously off-beat it’s hard not to love. Who knew the world needed some 60’s French pop by way of late 90’s God Lives Underwater with electrofunk vocals? They Might’ve Even Loved Me is electrifying and eclectic; one of those rare records that’s hard to categorize but couldn’t be mistaken for anyone else. Through the highs and lows of love, nostalgia, sex, and regret, NoMBe’s singular voice and effortless charm carries it. Stream it below on SoundCloud.
premiere: indie rocker mélissa laveaux explores her haitian roots on the unforgettable ‘radyo siwèl’
Raised in Canada by Haitian parents, Haiti has always been an important part of Mélissa Laveaux’s identity. The singer and guitarist returned to her roots in 2016 and became immersed in the history and folk music, exploring recordings, and notebooks of old songs. Radyo Siwél was born out of that need to reconnect with her history. The album interprets traditional Haitian songs through Laveaux’s diasporic lens, inspired in part by the experiences of Haitians during the US occupation from 1915 to 1934. As Laveaux explains:
“At heart, I think I am at my best when I share stories – Haitians got jokes for days. Radyo Siwèl is my interpretation of how the US military occupation of Haiti 1915-34 might have felt like, using mostly traditional Haitian songs. Some are from my childhood, some came to me after a great deal of reading and research, and some were compositions by songwriters who really fought back against the oppressive weight of the Occupation with the mocking humour, dry wit, and infectious melodies.”
The album’s highlights are often when Laveaux and her collaborators pull out the most unlikely threads from the songs, like the surf rock strains in “Kouzen” and the early 60’s Motown nods of “Tolalito.” But the comparatively lo-fi “LaSirèn LaBalèn” and the raw “Jolibwa” stick closer to a traditional interpretation of the songs for some of Radyo Siwél‘s most striking moments. It’s an album that’s born out of occupation, displacement, and homesickness that’s almost unbearably joyful and effortlessly fun. Mélissa Laveaux has created something totally unforgettable with Radyo Siwél. Stream it below, and check out her web series exploring how it all came together on Youtube.
intersectional soul-rockers the coolots face their demons in gritty video for ‘doors’
The first video from Washington DC rockers The Coolots’ album ‘Rebirth’ is out.
I the visuals for ‘Doors’, five friends face their demons: “The Coolots make a calculated decision to film in an abandoned neighborhood, symbolic of the sense of dystopia we may feel when approaching matters of our mental health.”
Check it out:
uk hard rockers dead man’s knee are all about ‘pleasure’ in new single
By Dein Moore*, AFROPUNK Contributor
‘Pleasure’ is Dead Man’s Knee’s no-holds barred hard rock debut single that lyrically sets out to explore the shame prevalent in rock and roll over its hedonistic past.
I had found out about this band through a friend of mine and have been really hooked on their delivery, power and presence. There are not many black lead rock bands in UK but as someone who is also in a black lead band I felt a certain kinship to that fact and they’re also really good and totally worth a listen.
Now with their latest single, I’ve had the ‘pleasure’ 😉 to listen in first and I have to say There’s a freewheeling sense of experimental progression akin to Funkadelic, and a contemporary hard rock edge like QOTSA at their most Led Zeppelin, but frontman Del’s vocal approach recalls the rootsy body singing of Chuck Berry and Little Richard. It all combines to make a fearsome three minute head banger that’ll have you shaking out on to the streets, bopping to your nearest dive bar to break every new years resolution you thought you were serious about.
I’m quite excited to hear what comes next and here’s you can also have a listen in too:
* Dein Moore on Instagram: @deingerous
don’t let anyone use you in post-punk uk rockers shopping’s new video ‘suddenly gone’
Post-punk band Shopping’s new visuals for their track ‘Suddenly Gone’.
“It’s about feeling used and undervalued in a relationship or, more generally, as a queer and/or a person of colour making music or art in the UK and how that can feel very draining. You can feel overlooked for years and then suddenly tokenized when your identity becomes buzz-worthy or fashionable”, says band member Rachel Aggs.
Tour Dates:
Thu. March 1 — Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
Fri. March 2 — Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre *
Sat. March 3 — Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel *
Sun. March 4 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
Tue. March 6 — Washington, DC @ Union Stage *
Wed. March 7 — Asheville, NC @ Mothlight *
Thu. March 8 — Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover *
Fri. March 9 — Atlanta, GA @ 529 *
Sat. March 10 — New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa *
Sun. March 11 — Houston, TX @ The Secret Group *
Mon. March 12 — San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger *
Wed. March 14 — Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Annex (SXSW) (11:25pm)
Thu. March 15 — Austin, TX @ Latitude 30 (SXSW) (10pm)
Fri. March 16 — El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace *
Sat. March 17 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge *
Sun. March 18 — San Diego, CA @ Whistle Stop *
Tue. March 20 — Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Wed. March 21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Resident * #
Thu. March 22 — San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop #
Fri. March 23 — Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar #
Sat. March 24 — Seattle, WA @ Vera Project #
Tue. March 27 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Wed. March 28 — Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen &
Thu. March 29 — Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar &
Fri. March 30 — Toronto, ON @ Baby G &
Sat. March 31 — Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz &
* = w/ French Vanilla
# = w/ Lithics
& = w/ Tyvek
brooklyn rock and soul quartet harville are out for “blood” on their debut single
Brooklyn alt rock quartet Harville has been tearing it up since high school classmates Jonathan Singletary and Jay Troop reconnected. Their debut single “Blood” finds the band merging their punk and soul influences into a sound that’s got flashes of Van Hunt and hints of Fugazi. With a jagged beat and a razor edged guitar line, the band is definitely out for blood. Check it out below.
celebrate male sensitivity on the hook-filled “boys poop too” by party rock quartet baby baby
Let’s say you’re a beloved party rock band and you want to write a song about the toxic masculinity that forbids men from showing emotion, you’re probably going to call that song “Boys Poop Too.” You just are. Probably a lot could be said about the meta fact that Baby Baby hides their most emotionally honest song behind a joke title in service of dissecting the same patriarchal impulse that drives them to hide self-same emotions, but more importantly: the song fucking rules. It matches one of their best hooks to a passionate performance from frontman Fontez Brooks and the band at their tightest. Emotional honesty has never been more joyful.
The band explains:
“Boys Poop Too is metaphor for the idea that men are emotion creatures. This song personifies sensitivity. Imagine a world where men didn’t try and “play it cool” in the dating scene. A world where men say things like “Hold my hand as you look me in my eyes.” Well this world exists in this song.”
indie rock goes back to its jangly raucous roots on marvin the robot’s ‘commercially viable jump music’
Growing up an acolyte of the Lou Barlow and J Mascis school of indie rock, I will always have a soft spot for the earnest lo-fi stylings of bands like Marvin the Robot. The Columbus, OH collective has been kicking around since 1999, always with singer / guitarist Miles Curtiss at its center. Their latest, Commercially Viable Jump Music, is Curtiss’ music at its best: stripped down, unpretentious, and raw.
It’s an album that harkens back to an era when the term “indie rock” wasn’t just code for “pop, but with guitars.” There’s a personality here. Songs like “Girls Can Tell” and “Shouldn’t Have To Be So Brave” couldn’t have come from anyone else. Jangly acoustic guitars peek out from behind the sludged leavy lead, and drums have exactly two modes: loud or not playing.
It’s as it should be. Curtiss sings like a bewildered time traveller from 1992 trying to make sense of the world around him; all confounded shouts and frustration. On the band’s best songs, like “Get Out Of The Good Life” and the brilliantly titled “Liberals! Can We Riot Now?” their chemistry locks in and they find the right balance of indie jangle and punk attitude.
Commercially Viable Jump Music by Marvin The Robot
Stream it if you must, but this is the kind of album you really need to listen to on vinyl. Luckily they have some of those.
adia victoria turns blues staples into a biting indictment on her epic new ‘baby blues ep’
Since dropping her debut single “Stuck In The South,” Aida Victoria has been captivating ears with her signature gothic take on classic blues. On her latest Baby Blues EP, Victoria pay back the blues and country luminaries that inspired her. Taking 3 songs from Robert Johnson, Victoria Spivey, and Lee Hazlewood, Adia Victoria teases out threads she brings to her own songs. Through the murk and washes of feedback, her inimitable cry breathes new life into songs that have transcended time. The band turns up the noise into an ominous gloom, giving space to chilling lines like “I’m going to beat my woman / Until I get satisfied.” Robert Johnson may have sold his soul for guitar skills, but Adia Victoria lays evil bare.
Nowhere is that more present on the album’s centerpiece, her interpretation of Victoria Spivey’s “Evil Hearted Me.” The song let’s Adia Victoria stretch her gift for storytelling; snapping in and out of focus, letting the noise arc and burst with the song. Her impressive backing band keep the songs anchored, letting melody give way to noise and back again. On “Ugly Brown,” Victoria repurposes country icon Lee Hazlewood’s song of loneliness into a biting indictment of racism in the music industry. Lines like “Nobody wants me in this town / I won’t swim in the river and that’s a fact / Cause every time I come out you’re pushing me back / And you call me Ugly Brown” carry far more weight in Adia Victoria’s voice than the white oil tycoon scion who wrote them. The song ends with one of Victoria’s original poems, shining like a beacon through the grime of droning distorted guitars. There is hope here, but you have to dig to find it.