Ecce Shnak Find Liberation in the Dissonance of “Anna O”
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are band names that tell you exactly what you’re getting, and then there’s Ecce Shnak. Even the name feels like an invitation to step into something a little strange. Derived in part from the Latin “ecce,” meaning “behold” or “consider,”…
Haute & Freddy Find Sweet Relief on “Touch Touch”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I’m not going to lie. I’ve been a little slow catching up to Haute & Freddy. I’ve got plenty of pop-inclined friends who have been singing the duo’s praises for a while now, but for whatever reason, I hadn’t really taken…
Cherry Bomb Turns Heartbreak Into a Dance-Floor Banger on “Myriad Reflector”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I kind of wish Cherry Bomb had dropped “Myriad Reflector” in the spring or at the beginning of summer because this thing is a banger. It feels like the kind of song that should have had a few months to work…
bby Leave a Strong Impression With “Ur Bedroom”
LOS ANGELES, CA- This young band first caught my attention because of the format of their music video. But the longer I watched bby perform “Ur Bedroom,” the less I was thinking about the video and the more I started paying attention to the…
Joy Oladokun and Adekunle Gold Find Spiritual Release on “Sage”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I’ve found myself searching for spiritually positive music lately, not necessarily music that preaches or promises easy answers, but music that somehow leaves a little more light in the room than it found. There was something about Joy Oladokun’s “Sage,” a…
Rivkah Reyes Steps Out of ‘School of Rock’ With “Menace”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I’ll admit it. When I first saw the press release for Rivkah Reyes’ new single “Menace,” there was one line that immediately got my attention: “School of Rock’s Katie goes from bassist to frontwoman.” Wait. Katie? I had to look up…
Good Neighbours Get Intoxicated by Infatuation on the Undeniably Fun “Mary Jane”
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are songs that demand a little time before they reveal themselves, and then there are songs that make their intentions known almost immediately. Good Neighbours’ new single “Mary Jane” falls firmly into the latter category. Within the first listen, I…
New Translations Chase a Feeling on “Modern Lovers”
LOS ANGELES, CA- There’s something especially satisfying about a song that makes you wait for it. For nearly the first minute of New Translations’ “Modern Lovers,” the Nashville quintet keeps things remarkably restrained. A steady kick drum establishes the pulse. A simple bass line…
Scott Holiday Rips Into a New Chapter With HOL1D4Y’s “Autonomatic”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I’ve been following Rival Sons since 2009, when Before the Fire introduced me to a band that sounded like it had somehow discovered a direct line back to the guts of rock and roll without simply trying to recreate the past….
Miles Caton Finds Strength in Vulnerability on “Lean On”
LOS ANGELES, CA- “Lean On” is my introduction to Miles Caton. That probably puts me a little behind the curve considering the year he has been having, but there is also something refreshing about encountering an artist without much in the way of preconceived…
