When I say to you Black Lightning — premiering above ahead of its release tomorrow, October 18, via Barsuk Records and Solitaire Recordings — comes on the back of Common Holly’s 2017 debut Playing House, which saw Naggar examining her first major relationship and noticing that the growth she was seeing within herself was in fact a natural manifestation of life itself. The songs sounded both cathartic and starry-eyed, like dreams lifted from a young person’s notebook. Listen HERE!

Dumb: The funny thing is, Dumb are a really smart band. The Vancouver quartet is restless and ruthless, making rowdy post-punk that questions and analyzes everyday life.
Joanna Sternberg: Armed with an extensive compositional background from the New School, Sternberg turns their worries and daily battles — depression, suicidal ideation, self-hatred — into lo-fi folk jaunts.
More HERE!

““You Fall Away” is droopy and melodic, like a wilting flower or a fading sunset. Sean Posila has hurt in his voice, each word sinking into the inevitability of a departure. “Youm you fall away/ Tomorrow I’ll miss you/ Today I’ll just wait,” he sings. “You, you fall away/ Into the darkness/ On a sunny day.” Listen to it HERE”

“The song’s soft touch and nostalgic tones invite the listener in, despite its forlorn, heartbroken subject matter. “You Fall Away” combines two of Henry’s songwriting instincts, the melody-forward songwriting of Bob Pollard/Guided by Voices and the effortless grace of Big Star, into a pitch-perfect rock ballad.“ Listen HERE // A Jump From The High Dive comes out the day after Halloween on Double Double Whammy

“Crazy OK” revolves around the repetition of a single lyric that, out of context, could be construed as gaslighting, but is instead a vulnerable cry: “Don’t leave me, I’m crazy, okay?” She sings it as a mantra first over quiet acoustic guitar, before transitioning into a bridge that expands upon what the line means; “‘Cause I’ve been staying up late/ trying to pull it all together/ And I don’t know what to do/ And I don’t know whether/ I got lucky meeting you/ Or it’s just another reason to feel crazy.” Watch HERE

When I say to you Black Lightning comes out this Friday, via Barsuk Records.

“Matt Valentine and Pat Gubler (AKA PG Six) are back with another serving of deep fried psychedelic hijinks — six messily brilliant jams that sprawl, skronk and choogle their way to heady heaven.” Listen to “Disco Bev” HERE!

Brian Sullivan says about the track: “Somewhere in there is a Bruce Springsteen song with a bum leg. Just cruising with a slight lag every cycle. It can be about a lot of things…transportation, beach towns, campaign stumping, commerce…there’s definitely not enough songs about stevedores anymore. But it’s definitely 3 minutes of shimmering guitar curtains chugging along.” Their fourth LP Coma to Coma arrives Nov. 8th on Drawing Room Records!

Strange Negotiations premiered at SXSW this year. It’ll have its theatrical premiere in Seattle on 11/15, following a festival run this fall with official selections from Nashville Film Festival and Minneapolis’ Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival. It’ll see a digital release on 11/19. And now, you can watch its official trailer and see a list of screening dates HERE

“There is something poignant in their mathematical rigor; they may treat songs like spreadsheets, but they fill the cells with neon.” Read the full review HERE. My Star is out now on Trouble in Mind Records.