Go-Jo

no image

Go-Jo

"Mrs. Hollywood"

In just a month, Go-Jo’s habit-forming good time “Mrs. Hollywood” has already cracked 7.5 million total streams, pulled in an add from Australian forward-thinker Triple J, and reached Top 7 Singles at SubModern specialty!

 

These first strides at radio come hot on the heels of the down under artist having spent the start of 2023 quickly building his online (and offline!) audience with an engaging use of social media, with this latest fast becoming a global, viral sensation hitting speeds of 30 Million Plus views across all platforms, huge pre-save numbers, and an explosion of followers.

 

Feels like summer’s just over the horizon don’t it?

 

+ SPOTIFY – The New Alt, New Noise, Indie Arrivals, Breaking Hits, New Music Friday

 

+ APPLE – Breaking Alt, New In Alt

 

+ AMAZON – Fresh Indie, Brand New Music

Listen: Go-Jo – “Mrs. Hollywood”

Go-Jo – “Mrs. Hollywood”

Protomartyr

no image

Protomartyr

Formal Growth In The Desert

Protomartyr’s return last month finds them “sounding vital as ever” (Stereogum), and the Detroit four piece have just presented their new single “Elimination Dances” from the forthcoming “Formal Growth In The Desert” (out 6/2)!

 

This new reveal off the album is named after a chapter from a 1950s teen dance manual, where you ‘get tapped out when you lose the dance,’ and which feels a powerful and apt metaphor for life survival. “You might as well keep dancing until the tap comes,” says the band’s frontman Joe Casey.

 

“My dad once told me ‘Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end the faster it goes.’ That idea along with the lyrics led to the idea of a choreographic pattern that repeats as it grows outward in an expanding spiral. The choreography repeats with each cycle but has to be danced faster and faster to keep pace with the ‘pale youth’ until eventually devolving into chaos. I recently learned that the toilet paper quote was actually by Andy Rooney.” – Yoonha Park (director of the video)

 

Protomartyr have mastered the art of evoking place: the grinding Midwest humility of their hometown, as well as the x-rayed elucidation of America that comes with their vantage. Though Casey did have a humbling experience staring at awe-inspiring Sonoran rock formations and reckoning with his own smallness in the scheme of things, the group’s sixth album is not necessarily a nod to the sandy expanses of the Southwest. “Formal Growth In The Desert,” recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, proves Detroit, too, is like a desert. “The desert is more of a metaphor or symbol” Casey says, “of emotional deserts, or a place or time that seems to lack life.”

 

On “Formal Growth In The Desert,” the desert brings an existential awareness that is ultimately internal. The “growth” came from a period of colossal transition for Casey, including the death of his mother, who struggled with Alzheimer’s for a decade and a half. Now 45, Casey had lived in the family home in northwest Detroit all his life. Immortalized in Protomartyr’s essential SPIN cover story, the neighborhood informed many of Protomartyr’s acclaimed albums, serving as a base through the band’s growth from scrappy punks to ones capable of touring the globe or bringing in the Breeders’ Kelley Deal as a touring member in 2020. In 2021, though, a rash of repeated break-ins signaled that it was time to finally move out.

 

Protomartyr’s music — more spacious and dynamic than ever — helped pull Casey up. “The band still being viable was very important to me,” Casey adds, “and it definitely lifted my spirits.” Having long served as Protomartyr’s unofficial musical director, guitarist Greg Ahee co-produced “Formal Growth In The Desert” alongside Jake Aron (Snail Mail, L’Rain).

Listen: Protomartyr – “Elimination Dances”

Protomartyr – “Elimination Dances”

Magdalena Bay

no image

Magdalena Bay

"mini mix vol. 3"

Just prior to their big Coachella Debut in April, Magdalena Bay’s New “mini mix vol. 3” has just seen release! A series the duo began in 2019, well before release of their self-produced, and critically acclaimed debut album “Mercurial World” (followed by #1 Billboard chart positions and sold-out headlining tours), these mini mixes are collections of short tracks accompanied by homemade videos on YouTube—and as always from the pair, perfection in the art of DIY!

 

While the band’s whirlwind success has catapulted them into the mainstream, they remain deeply rooted in their humble origins, and thus returns the beloved mini mix.

 

It’s been little over a year since “Mercurial World” debuted, but Magdalena Bay return with “mini mix vol. 3,” an extension of the series begun in 2019, when Mica Tenenbaum and Matt Lewin spontaneously released the first collection of short tracks accompanied by homemade videos on YouTube. And after the glossy video shoots for “Mercurial World,” Magdalena Bay are back to basics: making DIY visuals in the comfort of their apartment, the setting that garnered viral attention on TikTok years ago. By design, “mini mix vol. 3” offers listeners a spontaneity that defies the traditional album release, giving fans the thrill of an unanticipated drop.

 

Over seven tracks, “mini mix vol. 3” traverses a sonic galaxy, tracing new constellations in the Magdalena Bay cosmography. The sultry stylings of “Top Dog,” the jagged guitar riff featured on “EXO,” collide with the decadent production on the mournful “Wandering Eyes,” and each song offers a glimpse of Magdalena Bay in a state of repose, making music for the sake of itself, free of narrative cohesion.

Listen: Magdalena Bay – “Top Dog”

Magdalena Bay – “Top Dog”

Housewife

no image

Housewife

“F*ck Around Phase”

Toronto-based Housewife reveals their new single, “F*ck Around Phase,” the first taste this year of new music from 20-year-old Brighid Fry (she/they), and introducing an intentionally more mature sound on this stealthily infectious song, which is guided by a lush mix of distorted guitar riffs, and pop-flavored melody. Following several independent Canadian music awards for prior releases, and last year’s ‘You’ll Be Forgiven’ EP, which received praise from FLOOD Mag, Brooklyn Vegan, FLAUNT, and more.

 

“This song is about learning to enjoy yourself and be present after going through a difficult time. I want to embrace being messy and not take things too seriously!” – Housewife

 

ALREADY ROLLING ON: 

 

+ SPOTIFY – The New Alt, Ready To Rock, New Noise

 

+ APPLE – Breaking Alternative, New In Alternative, Breaking Rock, The New Rock, New In Rock

 

+ AMAZON – Breakthrough Alternative, Fresh Alternative, Breakthrough Indie, Fresh Indie, Apologies

 

Housewife‘s music regularly touches on the experience of being a young, queer, AFAB person existing in a male-dominated industry. In addition to exploring these themes in their music, Brighid Fry (she/they) is also an advocate for 2SLGBTQ+ rights, reproductive freedom, and environmentalism, proudly fighting for immediate government response to protect ecological catastrophes as a founding member of the Canadian chapter of Music Declares Emergency.

 

The new single “F*ck Around Phase” reunites Fry with frequent co-writer and producer Gabe Simon (Lana Del Rey) in Nashville, TN and includes a co-write from fellow singer-songwriter Savana Santos.

Listen: Housewife – “F*ck Around Phase” (radio edit)

Housewife – “F*ck Around Phase” (radio edit)

Bully

no image

Bully

Lucky For You

Bully aka Alicia Bognanno has shared “Lose You,” a new, gorgeous and fuzzy melancholic rocker. Recorded in 2022, at MMK Studios and Alicia’s House in Nashville, mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound, and features vocal harmonies from Sophia Allison aka Soccer Mommy.

 

Bognanno says, “When ‘Lose You’ came about it was the first time I’ve considered having someone else sing on a Bully song. I love Sophie’s voice and have always admired everything she does so to me it was a no brainer. Watching her soar out of the Nashville scene and dominate indie music world wide has been a joy. Writing ‘Lose You’ was a way for me to work through the pain and reality of impermanence. It doesn’t make it any easier but reflection is often followed by growth and to me that’s what life is all about.”

 

Bully has announced new tour dates for the Spring and Summer of 2023. Highlights for this run of shows include: March 16th in Nashville opening for The Breeders, April 15th at the High Water Festival in North Charleston, SC, UK & EU dates May 20th-28th, and a 13-date run as main support for the Pixies and Franz Ferdinand June 8th-25th. See a full list of dates on our tour page.

Listen: Bully – “Lose You (feat. Soccer Mommy)”

Bully – “Lose You (feat. Soccer Mommy)”

Debby Friday

no image

Debby Friday

Good Luck

Nigerian-born, Toronto-based DEBBY FRIDAY’s “So Hard To Tell” is the cosmically sublime, “intoxicating” (Stereogum) lead single from the newly signed Sub Pop artist’s debut album “GOOD LUCK”. Co-Produced alongside Graham Walsh (METZ, Holy F*ck), you can catch her roaming through rocky hillsides, psychedelic forests, and stone temples in the accompanying visuals below for Pitchfork’s ‘Best New Track’!

 

“I have a lower register and speak with vocal fry so I don’t know what came over me when I made this track. I have never in my life sung like this before and I had no idea I could even make these kinds of sounds with my voice. There’s no pitch effects on ‘SO HARD TO TELL,’ it’s all me.” – DEBBY FRIDAY

 

“a more grounded and vulnerable side to her music that shows a new side to her personality. Themes of loneliness and a need for emotional support take center stage on this new single. Friday appears to be parenting herself in the lyrics, wiping away tears and offering up heartfelt advise about how ‘big girls don’t cry’.” – TheFADER (’Song You Need’)

 

“Even a context-free listen to new single ‘So Hard To Tell,’ however, reveals one of the young year’s most audacious bangers, a daring and cacophonous piece of pop that wants to entrance (or maybe pummel) its listener with its percussion.” – Billboard

 

“As whirring clatter dissolves into bubbling synths, she creates room for private reflection. She rebukes and reminisces, thinking about her stubbornness and past difficulties….the loping beat and looping vocal melodies provide an atmosphere for easy vulnerability.”– NPR Music

Listen: DEBBY FRIDAY – “SO HARD TO TELL” (radio edit)

DEBBY FRIDAY – “SO HARD TO TELL” (radio edit)

Royel Otis

no image

Royel Otis

Sofa Kings

Sydney pair Royel Otis“Sofa Kings” EP is Out Now, and just pre-release the band Continue their streak of showing a hits-to-misses scenario simply does not exist for the duo, as they share off it the sunny “Going Kokomo”!

 

The band’s Otis Pavlovic and Leroy Bressington say of the newly revealed song: “Going Kokomo is about letting go. Not sweating the small stuff. You’re a mere mortal trying to get a decent squeeze from this giant blue sauce bottle so just enjoy it while you’re here.”

 

Royel Otis have unleashed their short play “Sofa Kings,” and the new EP spans seven tracks of sunny alt-pop, and is a progressive leap forward from the infectious melodies and quick-witted songwriting the pair are known for. Produced by Chris Collins and Royel Otis, the EP captivates with visceral stories and quick wit atop blissful guitar-fuzzed haze.

 

Prior to “Going Kokomo,” the band dropped the popular EP singles “Sofa King,” “I Wanna Dance With You” and “Kool Aid,” providing doses of summery perfection that earned praise among TheFADER, FLOOD Magazine, Paper Mag and others, and in addition to full on embrace from U.S. new music specialty shows, garnered consistent airplay from BBC Radio 1 and Apple Music 1.

 

These singles followed the release of Royel Otis‘ sophomore EP, “Bar ‘N Grill” in 2022. They have since amassed over 10 million streams, and garnered widespread playlisting support across community radio, US college radio and BBC Radio 6. Capping off a career-high year, the duo have also been named in Matt Wilkinson’s (Apple Music 1) ‘Ones To Watch’ list for 2023, after also featuring in his 2022 ‘Hidden Gems’ list with fan favorite, “Oysters In My Pocket.”

Listen: Royel Otis – “Going Kokomo”

Royel Otis – “Going Kokomo”

Weyes Blood

no image

Weyes Blood

And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Sub Pop has released the astonishing new Weyes Blood full-length And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, with ten new tracks written by Natalie Mering, and album production from Mering along with Jonathan Rado (all songs except for “A Given Thing,” produced by Mering and Rodaidh McDonald).

 

The release is her follow-up to the acclaimed “Titanic Rising,” the first album of three in a special trilogy. Where “Titanic” was an observation of doom to come, “And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow” is about being in the thick of it: a search for an escape hatch to liberate us from algorithms and ideological chaos (spoiler alert: the next one will be about “hope”). “We’re in a fully functional shit show,” Mering says. “My heart is a glow stick that’s been cracked, lighting up my chest in an explosion of earnestness.”

 

The album was mixed by Kenny Gilmore at 101 Studio, mastered by Emily Lazar and Chris Allgood at The Lodge, and features guest appearances from Meg Duffy, Daniel Lopatin, and Mary Lattimore.

Listen: Weyes Blood – “Children Of The Empire”

Weyes Blood – “Children Of The Empire”

modernlove.

no image

modernlove.

Nightlife

Young, Irish 20-somethings modernlove. pack an emotional punch that already feels arena bound on “Only Ever Only You.” The habit-forming new single bursts full-throttle from the word go, in a blur of rapid fire melody and heartfelt nostalgia, telling the tale of realization (just a bit too late) that the object of one’s desire isn’t always as infatuated as you are.

 

“Only Ever Only You chronicles the breaking down of communication in a relationship. It’s about being in love when it’s too late and trying to communicate with someone who has moved on and simply isn’t there anymore. It’s probably the most sincere and direct we’ve been as a band in a song and the music speaks to that.” – modernlove.

 

With larger than life indie-pop anthems born of small town boredom, coming of age, big nights out and young love gone wrong, modernlove. are a new generation’s brightest hope – already racking up streams in their millions and selling out shows, simply by singing about what they know and having a good time doing it. From playing dingey rural pubs to working with super-producer Luca (of Arlo Parks and Lana Del Rey fame), this Irish band of young 20-somethings are about to show the world the true heights of their ambition.

 

Formed in Drogheda near Dublin in 2016 of childhood friends and mutual pals, the modernlove. came together as “the only people in town we knew who liked music”. Their shared influences of the game-changing future-pop of The 1975 and The Japanese House, the new wave sounds of The Cure and New Order, the danceable indie of Bloc Party and Bombay Bicycle Club, the experimental ambience of Jon Hopkins and Aphex Twin ,and a whole lot of day-glo pop-punk took them from jamming covers for the hell of it to carving out a monolithic, genre-shifting sound of their own to lift them out of the doldrums of their sleepy hometown.

 

“We’ve found out that whenever we’re writing songs about our worst feelings and the sh*ttest things that have happened to us, people are listening, investing in it and singing it back,” says frontman Barry Lally. “That connection and realization that people are relating and sharing something with you means you never feel silly or wrong for feeling how you do. You’re not alone. We want to keep doing that. I just want all of my feelings to be mirrored by thousands of people!

 

Do Not Miss modernlove. Live here in the U.S. for the first time next month (dates are Already Selling Out Fast-check the Tour page for where you can catch ‘em!).

Listen: modernlove. – “Only Ever Only You”

modernlove. – “Only Ever Only You”