Cassette Rewind

Toronto band, PONY’s cover of Blink-182’s “Feeling This” is light but energetic. The vocals channeled 00’s Pop while the slight deviation of the guitar riff adds a bit of a Surf Rock feel. Paired with softly reverberated vocals, added emphasis to the background vocals fills out the arrangement. Where DeLonge’s vocals felt angsty, anxious, and breathy, Bielanksi’s are sensual and quietly excited.  It offers a softer, smoother twist to a modern classic; the mixture of familiarity, nostalgia, and freshness makes this a track you’ll want to listen to again and again.  

The track comes from The Grey Estates and Negative Fun Records: Sugar Rush due out February 29th. The compilation of covers includes eleven artists including Kississippi, Sundae Crush, and Pearl Earl with covers of bands like Fleetwood Mac, TLC, and Keel Her. Pre-orders for a special edition lavender cassettes are available now through the Negative Fun Records Bandcamp.

Joria Smith // Blue Lights

To call Jorja Smith’s debut powerful seems like an understatement because it encompasses so much in such a short time. Unsettling and haunting, “Blue Lights” is a dose of reality that many have the privilege to be unaware of and Jorja Smith tells it in a way that’s hard to disregard through her hypnotizing vocals. With a Fugees leaning, nightmare inducing production courtesy of fellow UK resident Joice, the track bares itself in a way that most tend to avoid and thankfully so because it’s exactly the thing to put Jorja Smith in a place to be heard. While many are still reveling over albums like Summertime ‘06 and To Pimp A Butterfly, there’s an open door for someone else to step in and tell their story and Smith could very well be the person to deliver a release that’s held at the same regard.

The Golden Tongues // Always On My Mind

When your first single echoes the best parts of a Real Estate album, things can only get better from there. LA’s Christopher Garcia is set to drop his  debut two sided release titled Novella under the moniker The Golden Tongues sometime next month and with “Always On My Mind”, he couldn’t have offered up a better first impression. Garcia’s voice is almost weightless alongside the glossy landscape but it’s the latter moments of the track, when everything melts into a picturesque dream, that begs for the most attention. This year is sure to bring a ton of promising new artists and even though it’s only January, it wouldn’t be surprising if The Golden Tongues became someone that you couldn’t hear enough of. 

Music, especially alternative music, has long been a cis white man’s club. The 90s brought the riot grrrl movement and in part of the documentary Beautiful Noise it is argued that the early years of shoegaze and emo (late 80s to early 90s) was a sexism free time period due to important bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive having women in them. Yet if that were true, emo, other alternative genres, and music in general as we now know it wouldn’t still consist largely of cis white men. 

I have often heard people say that women’s vocals do not belong in emo, that it doesn’t fit the genre, and that they are off put by emo music with a front woman. We see and love bands like Cayetana, Tacocat, Chastity Belt, Girlpool, and Chumped (note these usually consist of white women, but that calls for another article) who’s singer even wrote about how women took over punk in 2014 and while we want to say that it’s over, that sexism in music has started to come to an end, unfortunately that’s not the case. Althought blatant misogyny (like women being assaulted on stage) and other forms of subtle misogyny (assuming the women in bands are the “merch girl” ) has been discussed, we as audiences, we as critics, we as fans, still perpetuate sexism every time we talk about ‘girls’ in music and use the phrases (all) girl band and girl fronted. These phrases and descriptions may seem innocent enough, but they still perpetuate unequal treatment and ideologies behind women in music.

When a band consists of all men we don’t label them a boyband, that is unless it’s a group largely followed by young women. You could classify ‘boybands’ as all men singing groups who don’t play their own music; see Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and our modern holy grail of boy bands: One Direction. But then we see artists like 5 Seconds of Summer, a band, a “real band” comprised of four young men who write their own music and even play their own instruments, but because their fans are mostly young women they still get constantly referred to as a boy band. Once again, these seemingly innocent intentions, ultimately demean and dismiss the musical interests of young women by claiming them as crushes developed simply by catchy melodies.

The term girl band isn’t used in such a narrow frame. It’s not as simple as categorizing singing groups such as Destiny’s Child, Fifth Harmony, and the like. Instead girl bands are used to refer to any group that consists mainly of women. When men make music collectively they are simply referred to as a band, but when women make music as a collective unit it has to be stated that they are women making music, only they don’t even get the respect of being called women. Instead women are referred to as girls to further marginalize and degrade them. Girl refers exclusively to female identifying individuals who are still children (more or less under 18), so by referring to bands that are comprised entirely of women as girl bands we are purposely downplaying their importance, putting them further into a box, and intentionally placing them lower than bands that consist of all men.

You can easily find articles and lists of women fronting bands (just google it) but it is harder to find information on bands that women play in (save for this wonderful tumblr post). Not only does this come of as insulting but it also dismisses the work of women who play in bands but aren’t at the forefront. It gives this idea that if a woman isn’t the one at the mic then her music has no relevance or importance. Women are to be seen and heard (most importantly seen), but not heard if not seen.  

While referring to bands as girl bands or all girl bands is a way of intentionally oppressing the work done by these bands it also leaves out and forgets that women can play in bands that don’t only consist of women and they are just as vital to the music world. It’s creating this idea that in order for women to defy sexist realities in the music industry they need to be defying men in the industry entirely by not playing alongside them. All women in music are important and should be treated as such and taking away from this for not exclusively being in a group full of women is perpetuating sexism. Putting down women’s work by having to label their band with anything other than them just being a band is perpetuating sexism in music. Referring to women who make music as girls is perpetuating sexism in music.  It’s time to let go of these descriptors and talk about women in music like the powerful people they are.  

PREMIERE: Kip Wild // Goodbye

Jay Som // Our Red Door

With police brutality at an all time high and black lives matter becoming the topic of many conversations both in and out of social media, I couldn’t have came across Philly’s SOUL GLO at a better time than this year. With harsh vocals marching along to the backdrop of frenzied yet well composed hardcore, the raw and impassioned prescence of this Philly four piece is unmistakably powerful and neccesary. I recently caught up with vocalist/songwriter Pierce Jordan to chat about the uncomfortable parts of being in a socially charged band, what groups should get back together, and why you probably shouldn’t wear glasses in a mosh pit.

<a href="http://soulglophl.bandcamp.com/album/-">" " by SOUL GLO</a>

GLOE // Professional Avocation

Falling under the self made genre known as mathgaze, Salt Lake City’s GLOE may be fresh out on the scene but one listen to their debut track “Professional Avocation” and it’s clear that this isn’t the beginning for any of them. Made up of members from various local bands (Dustbloom, Rile, Grass, Visitors), GLOE could easily be seen as a supergroup of sorts but even if you’re unfamiliar with any of their other bands, it won’t take long to find much to love about their new project. Taking the rich, layered atmospheres of shoegaze, blending it with the meticulous signatures of math rock, and polishing everything off with a subtle yet aggressive post hardcore finish, “Professional Avocation” sounds like a thrilling six minute journey that’s just as addictive as all of the eclectic styles that give it such a solid composure. 

GLOE’s debut EP, Vestige, is due out on August 25th.

Saskatchewan // Delusive

Before the surf pop sway of Case Work or the silky R&B mood of Dromes, Chandler Strang was coasting along lush soundscapes with Orlando’s Saskatchewan. It’s been awhile since the band has released anything new but last week that silence was broken with “Delusive”, a resplendent sliver of dream pop that’s brimming with an infectious new wave touch. The track shows a slight departure from Saskatchewan’s previous work but even still, “Delusive” has no problem blending right in and finding a seat among the other hazy gems that made the band unforgettable in the first place. 

sleepercub // Rain Through

Amidst the daily hustles that come along with just getting by from day to day, we often forget to simply sit back and appreciate the small things. Whether you’re capturing a sunset or a hidden picture etched into the clouds, it’s thing such as these that we take for granted but would surely miss if they were gone. 

Those same small moments of bliss are exactly what made me love, and ultimately hold onto, the debut release from sleepercub early on. Hailing from Ventura, the group has a tender and inviting disposition that makes their music so easy to fall into and it’s on tracks like “Rain Through” where they really shine all throughout. From the beginning, "Rain Through” quickly finds solace in rich,ambient textures that play out like the soundtrack to a dream, and as the dual vocals delicately bounce around their lush fabrication, sleepercub sweeps listeners away into an ethereal haze that’s completely enrapturing. 

Each listen seems to bring something more promising than the last and because of that, sleepercub is well on their way to good start.

EP1 is available via bandcamp both digitally and on tape.

Connie Constance // Stars

Coming out of London with an intoxicating sound and a voice brimming with soul, Connie Constance is making her debut one thats certain to sit well above many. With her In the Grass EP dropping soon on Black Acre Records, “Stars” is the first taste of the future for this newcomer and with Constance already drawing comparisons to the likes of Amy Winehouse, FKA Twigs, and Erkah Badu, it’d be a mistake to miss out. Driven by delicate piano chords, foreboding electronics, and pitch shifted vocal samples that could otherwise induce nightmares, “Stars” sees the 20 yr old experimenting with the whole galatic sea at her disposal while her distinctive voice and poetic words guide listeners home through dark streets paved with flickering lights.

SOUL GLO // Guilty of Being... Wait

While Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly brought a perspective of the black experience to the masses earlier this year, more voices are making themselves known on a smaller scale, carrying the same weight of importance. I first caught wind of Philly’s SOUL GLO through a friend while the protests of the death of Freddie Gray were going on in Baltimore. I was in a constant state of sadness, anger, and paranoia and even though I didn’t know it at the time, SOUL GLO echoed exactly what I needed. 

Opening with the track “Guilty of Being...Wait”, SOUL GLO sets the tone for everything to come in an abrasive manner as fervent screams ride on the back dingy guitars and frenzied guitars . Listening to the twelve tracks that follow, you get the sense that this is what punk was made for and though the issues of what it can mean to be black in the US aren’t easy to swallow, SOUL GLO paints this reality in a way that you shouldn’t easily turn away from. 

You can grab “ “ from bandcamp for a name your own price and pick up a tape through Girls Cartel Records for $5. 

No Vacation // Dræm Girl

In a short few months the bay area based group No Vacation has without a doubt become one of my need to know artists for this year, Now a full fledged band, No Vacation’s carefree yet tight knit approach to dream pop is hard to sleep on and even harder to forget. No Vacation finds solace in those lingering emotions that we’d all wish we could do without, but there’s also a certain reassuring warmness and unbridled vibrancy to it all, as if each track is a little way of saying that somehow everything will be okay. 

No Vacation’s latest release, Summer Break Mixtape, is available via bandcamp along with their prior mixtape , Amo XO. You can also pick up Amo XO on cassette from their newly formed collective, Sensitive Boys.

If you’re in LA and looking for plans to make your Thursday night, our good friends over at Shoeboxx Recordings will be bringing their unique style of “pillowy beats between the sheets” to Los Globos. Show starts at 8 and with artists like Tapes, Imprintafter, Real Cosby, and Eest Coast taking the stage,there’s no doubt that it’s gonna be a show to remember. You can also catch a live stream of the event courtesy of alaya so if you can’t make it out, there’s bound to be a party going on online as well.

Jamaican Queens // Never Felt Love

“Never Felt Love” finds Jamaican Queens singer Ryan Spencer struggling for air. He has a macabre way of reimagining exchanges with ex-lovers, but the simplicity of his storytelling has an eerie sense of truth to it. I find common ground with a lot of what he’s saying, and as the track progresses, more  and more of the morbid lyrics agree with me. Who am I, who is this tortured person I seem to have become. Spencer reminds me at the end of each verse, “It’s scaring me, too.”

Jamaican Queens’ newest album Downers is a drug cocktail equal parts elation and depression with heaving, fuzzy synth lines sprinkled throughout. At some points it goes down sweetly and smoothly, while at other times it has quite the bite, but there’s no denying this record’s ability to balance the harsh with the pleasurable. It is emo, paranoid, and self-indulgent: all the things we wish we weren’t, but we know that we are. The band leaves the listener with a simple insight: it’s kind of hard, but we can deal.

Wildfront // January

Within the opening moments of their latest track, “January”, I knew that Nashville’s Wildfront would end up being a band that I’d fall for without a doubt. Blending glittering synths torn from a neon decorated past with infectious, indie rock clad hooks , it’s hard not to sway along and hum the words before breaking out into a full out sing a long a few plays through. For a band that just dropped their first release at the beginning of this year, Wildfront has already found their way into the hearts of plenty of dream pop lovers and with time, everyone else will be along for the ride. 

AIYA // If I Could Get

They’ve already been pinned as Australia’s call to FKA Twigs, but with their breathtaking debut single, “If I Could Get”, newcomers AIYA have way more to offer up than just simple comparisons. Made up of Ayten and Felicity, the track introduces the duo with shuffling bouts of deep, piercing electronics and soulful vocals that add a layer of beauty to an already absorbing delivery. Even though AIYA hasn’t been out on the scene for more than a month, there’s no denying that we’re only hearing the beginning of a group that will only get continue to get better with time.