|
 Photo: Faith Alesia AlvarezVICTORIA, TX | JANUARY 9TH, 2021 - Alternative rock band Velvet Skyline have announced the upcoming releases of their new single "Circles," out January 22nd, and LP "What We Have In Common," out February 5th. "Circles" serves as the LP's lead single, and will usher in the progressive and grunge influenced sound of the album. Led by lead vocalist Taylor Seerden, the quartet is full of fresh, youthful, punky energy. The entirety of the LP will take listeners on an emotional journey, telling an edged-out coming of age story through punk production. About the album, the band states:"This album is all about growing into yourself. There are themes of falling in love, as well as falling out of love; themes of becoming an adult and realizing how tough it can be. This is an album for anyone who may be lost now, but knows that sooner or later things are going to make sense, and everything will be okay." Velvet Skyline is a female fronted, modern-alternative-rock band with grunge influences. The band was formed by lead guitarist Hunter Puentes and by vocalist Taylor Seerden in Victoria, Texas in 2017. Soon after the band got together, bassist Nate Martinez joined, and they started booking shows, mostly as a cover band, just wanting to play in front of a crowd. Eventually their quest for musical permanence led them to Denton, TX, a small college town with an active music scene, they found their current drummer, Chris Ortiz, who brings a solid punk influence to the group. Together they wrote their full length album “What We Have in Common,” which is set to debut in February of this year. The band cites active influences of grunge, progressive and alternative rock throughout the whole album. Velvet Skyline uses music as forms of escape and therapy; using strong and vivid themes and imagery to celebrate empowerment, tackle past trauma and to show strength in uncertain times. Connect with Velvet Skyline here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/velvetskylineband Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/velvetskylinetx/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/velvetskylinetx Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2XoS3Zx
0 Comments
 Monday, December 21, 2020- As the world gazed up at the sky for Jupiter and Saturn to unite in Aquarius, Starbenders have immortalized the Great Conjunction with a live video of their single, 'Holy Mother'. The band captured what they do best, playing live while feeding off of one another's energy. 'Holy Mother' is sonically built upon a Godzilla-sized riff which provides the perfect launchpad for Kimi Shelter's signature raven-winged vocals. Speaking about the music video, Kimi Shelter shared: "We wanted an opportunity to connect with the people, so we set up some microphones and blasted through a raw performance of 'Holy Mother'. Our wish is for you to take Starbenders home for the holidays. The band sends all our love to you as we glow into the fifth dimension." WATCH THE LIVE MUSIC VIDEO FOR 'HOLY MOTHER' HERE There really isn't anyone else out there doing what Starbenders have been since forming in 2014: The intoxicating combination of '70s glitter and '80s glam with new wave and new romantic, seduced into this new decade by four thrilling musicians and, in frontwoman Kimi Shelter, one of the most exciting songwriters in contemporary rock & roll.
The band is completed by bassist Aaron Lecesne, guitarist Kriss Tokaji and drummer Emily Moon. The band's latest album, "Love Potions", sees Starbenders moving in a more adventurous and slightly experimental direction. Keep up with Starbenders online: https://www.starbenders.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starbenders/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/starbenders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starbenders/  Cincinnati rock/punk band Unrivaled is set to release their debut album ‘Quarter Life Crisis’ on January 29th, 2021, available for pre-order now. The band, who draws influence from bands like Rise Against and My Chemical Romance, made the announcement alongside the release of their new single “I’ve Relapsed”.
"We went into the studio looking to record 10+ songs for our debut effort. With very little experience recording beforehand, we took a massive leap of faith with this project. Unsure if these songs would sound better or worse, we went in the studio with an open mind and a willingness to adapt on the fly. Eight months and one pandemic later, we came out with eleven songs we're proud to call our own. Something unique. Something we can't wait to share with the world. It wasn't until about halfway in, we settled on the name 'Quarter Life Crisis'. With the subject matter of these songs, it seemed like the perfect name for this album. Right to the point and something relatable to our audience. The songs were initially written by me, but these tracks wouldn't be nearly as good without Paul and Austin's touch. This was a project where every cog needed to align, and we did just that. With the release on the way, all we can do now is see the reception." - Jimmy Alexander, guitarist Hailing from Cincinnati, Unrivaled is a three-piece band that blurs the lines between punk and metal to create a sound that lives up to their name. Their formation began when guitarist Jimmy Alexander met up with drummer Austin Pflum in an attempt to create a spark in southwest Ohio. Along with the addition of Paul Lipps on bass, the band was born into existence at the beginning of 2019. Drawing influence from bands such as Rise Against and My Chemical Romance, they are looking to reinvent rock in their own image. Since forming, they have been hard at work writing and spending time in the studio recording. When they were able before the pandemic, they had been playing shows throughout the local Cincinnati music scene opening for bands such as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Eyes Set To Kill. The band also just released their new single “I’ve Relapsed” on December 18th, 2020. WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO FOR "I'VE RELAPSED" HERE With no plans on looking back, Unrivaled is determined to make an impact with their debut album ‘Quarter Life Crisis’, set to release on January 29th, 2021. Pre-order 'Quarter Life Crisis' here: https://linktr.ee/unrivaledsound Stream "I've Relapsed" here: https://open.spotify.com/track/2tBieMTd6UHxesmMJoqsHh  NOPES have premiered the rocking new single 'Smile Room', which is taken from the US noise punks' forthcoming album "Djörk" scheduled for release on January 29, 2021.
NOPES comment on 'Smile Room': "This one was originally going to be a YUPS song, our offshoot band on the lighter side, but this riff was too good to not use in the noisier heavier band", reveals vocalist Alex Petralia. "This track is about being stuck in a job you're forced to work and feel like you're living in a 'smile room', where you have to put on a fake front, and grin and bear it." Angst-fueled punk 'n’ roll band NOPES return with their third head-butting album "Djörk", which shows the Bay Area foursome more than ready to bury one of the most disastrous years in recent memory in a cacophony of disaffection and feedback. Bristling with angular riffs and glass-cutting hooks, "Djörk" is as unapologetically weird as it is offensively loud and noisy. True to their punk roots, NOPES bristle lyrically against work, class divisions, and the gentrifying soullessness of city life as youthful dreams are mercilessly stripped away. Completed during the band's pandemic hibernation, "Djörk" offers 13 compact blasts of raw snarl shot through with rock and noise credentials. It calls to mind fellow punk emissaries DRIVE LIKE JEHU and THE BRONX, while still maintaining NOPES' signature assault on the genre's boundaries. 'Smile Room' is now available to listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AtWvy_PaDXg Pre-sales of "Djörk" can be found here: https://mer.lnk.to/nopes-djoerk  'Without Your Love' is the brilliant breakout single from APRE, available now on Polydor Records. Premiering on Annie Mac’s show on BBC Radio 1 (Clara Amfo sitting in), it acts as the second preview of the London band's mini-album project, 'Always In My Head', which will follow on November 6th and was introduced recently by their escapist single, 'Live It Up'. An extensive touring schedule for APRE is additionally being rerouted for 2021, with the band having sold out the Scala earlier this year, played a headline tour around the UK, and also gone on the road with the likes of Sam Fender, Lany, Friendly Fires and Inhaler.
'Without Your Love' is an epic but intimate cut of alternative pop from APRE, as inspired by a lifelong love of 80s icons like The Police with the idea of placing modern relationships under the microscope: a topic that has become even more pertinent to them whilst apart, and a dilemma that Charlie and Jules neatly summarise as ‘"I want to be with this person, but it’s not allowing me to feel myself, and pursue the life I want to lead. It’s kinder sometimes to say goodbye to someone who’s had such a positive impact on your life beforehand, if in the long term it’s better for you both. 'Without Your Love' is about the idea that you shouldn't force yourself to make the relationship work - appreciate what it’s done for you, and keep moving forward in your life." APRE are one of the UK's most astute, fiercely creative new bands. Their innatively massive-sounding songs derive from a more introspective, outsider-status: finding few creative opportunities in their respectively-suburban upbringings, it was the unlikely confinement of a West London chess club where APRE formed, and first found their own outlet for escapism. And it's the harsh reality of the outside world that the band have frequently spun on its head over their projects to date. Whether addressing the turbulent political climate ('Guns Down' EP), the more isolating aspects of technology ('Everyone's Commute EP'), it all comes together on their debut mini-album, 'Always In My Head'; introduced recently by the seemingly euphoric 'Live It Up' (which actually describes "being pushed down by social pressures, and never feeling like you are good enough"). On 'Always In My Head,' APRE refine their eclectic, experimental sound into songs which are as universal and uplifting as they are emotionally open. A band who have always written, recorded, and produced everything DIY on 'Without Your Love', watch APRE truly come into their own.  Vicious, all-female hard rock/heavy metal band, Stormstress, releases brand new single on November 20th, recorded at The Den Studios of North Reading and produced by Liz Borden and Sarah Fitzpatrick. Stormstress is a trio of powerful female rockers. Twins Tanya “Venom” and Tia “Mayhem” co front the band taking turns with lead vocals while playing guitar and bass, respectively. The third member of this group is Maddie May Scott, beating out the drum rhythm and backing vocals. Their second single, “You Can’t Hurt Me Now,” reflects on a sweet situation gone sour and the true empowerment that comes with not only realizing that you’ve been mistreated and that it’s time to go, but also summoning the courage and power to walk out the door, slam it shut, and lock it behind you. "Found out too late Who you really were inside Now I’m shutting the door And locking you out And you can’t hurt me now"  Intense instrumentals come alongside singing about empowerment of the human spirit to know when it is time to make a change. Killer bass grooves and heavy drum beats back the fierce electric guitar riffs.
Along with the release of the song, comes a high energy music video shot by brother-sister team Fuel Heart Productions and Troncat FPV. A mix of rock and roll performance, car driving antics and cool drone shots came together to create a video full of energy. This is the first theatrical release from the band, and comes on the tail of two previous animated videos. The current pandemic has caused the band to put a pause on the plans they had for this year. Working through the challenges of trying to record and film during everything, this release has been a long time coming. Like the storm, these girls can’t be stopped. Follow Stormstress on all platforms Official Website: https://www.stormstressband.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stormstressband Instagram & Twitter: @stormstressband Photo Credit: Timothy Johnson  Following government guidelines surrounding the ongoing pandemic, Mercury Prize nominee Michael Kiwanuka has rescheduled his upcoming tour to 2021.
 Watch video here: https://youtu.be/PkTfst-Lqxo
Giant Rooks’ new single ‘Misinterpretations’ oscillates between melancholy and hopefulness. The track combines thoughtful lyrics with an atmospheric and almost floating soundscape and, together with the three previous singles, gives an idea of the many facets that will await the listener on album length. The song follows ‘Watershed’, ‘What I Know Is All Quicksand’ and ‘Heat Up’, making it the fourth and last foreshadower for the debut album ‘Rookery’, slated for an August release. In 2015, singer Frederik Rabe, guitarist Finn Schwieters, bassist Luca Goettner, keyboardist Jonathan Wischniowski, and drummer Finn Thomas founded Giant Rooks. Since those early days they’ve already come a long way. They won numerous awards in their native Germany, built up a seven- figure monthly listenership on Spotify, and have sold out concerts everywhere from Rome to Paris to Manchester. In Germany, they're already filling venues other artists need years to fill. They took their time with their debut, having played more than 350 shows in recent years, and this has given them the time and space to refine their own sound. The band’s “Rookery World Tour” has been rescheduled for 2021 and the UK dates will be happening throughout April. When it comes to playing music, as well as listening to it, Giant Rooks aren't looking to fit into any one genre or emulate anyone. “You have so many opportunities to discover new music, artists like Celeste or Joy Crookes, not to mention soul. That's been a huge influence for us,” says singer Frederik Rabe. In terms of content, it's an album that looks questioningly into a world of unrest and isn't looking to offer simple answers. Who am I? And how can I find my role in this world? This is mirrored in the lyrics of ‘Misinterpretations’: „Another day on earth to try to make a sense of other lives / don’t know why we are heading west”. Despite these ruminations on ‘Misinterpretations’, one thing is certain after listening to the new song: when ‘Rookery’ drops later this year it’s going to be a perfect and very varied debut. ROOKERY Tour 2021 01.04.2021 IT-Bologna | Locomotiv Club 02.04.2021 IT-Milan | Circolo Magnolia 04.04.2021 LU-Luxembourg | Den Atelier 07.04.2021 NL-Nijmegen | Doornroosje 08.04.2021 NL-Amsterdam | Melkweg 09.04.2021 FR-Strasbourg | La Laiterie (New) 11.04.2021 UK-Liverpool | O2 Academy 2 (New) 13.04.2021 UK-Brighton | Patterns 14.04.2021 UK-London | Village Underground 15.04.2021 UK-Manchester | Academy 2 16.04.2021 FR-Paris | La Maroquinerie 18.04.2021 DK-Copenhagen | VEGA 19.04.2021 NO-Oslo | Blå 20.04.2021 SE-Stockholm | Nalen Klubb 22.04.2021 PL-Warsaw | Hydrozagadka Club 23.04.2021 CZ-Prague | Rock Café (Upgraded) 27.04.2021 ES-Madrid | Independance (Upgraded) 28.04.2021 ES-Barcelona | Razzmatazz 3 10.05.2021 DE-Leipzig | Haus Auensee (Sold Out) 11.05.2021 DE-Berlin | Columbiahalle (Sold Out) 12.05.2021 DE-Berlin | Columbiahalle 13.05.2021 DE-Cologne | Palladium (Sold Out) 15.05.2021 DE-Dortmund | Warsteiner Music Hall (Sold Out) 17.05.2021 CH-Zurich | X-TRA 18.05.2021 DE-Erlangen | Heinrich-Lades-Halle 19.05.2021 AT-Vienna | Arena Open Air (Upgraded) 20.05.2021 DE-Wiesbaden | Schlachthof (Sold Out) 21.05.2021 DE-Hamburg | Sporthalle 23.05.2021 DE-Muenster | MCC Halle Münsterland 24.05.2021 DE-Stuttgart | Liederhalle 25.05.2021 DE-Munich | Zenith (Upgraded) 26.05.2021 DE-Hanover | Swiss Life Hall  Up-and-coming York band, Bull have announced their signing to EMI Records. The band and EMI are working alongside Young Thugs, a York based record label that releases, records and promotes music from the North of the UK.
To celebrate the band have released new single ‘Green’, a blissful slice of jangle-pop with hints of psychedelia and some scuzzy lead guitar. Depending on which member of the band you ask, the song is either a melancholy rumination on decisions made and the grass always being greener, or it’s about “ripping bongs down at the basketball court when you really should be writing the next great American novel.” Make of that what you will… Formed in 2011 by vocalist and songwriter Tom Beer and guitarist Dan Lucas, Bull’s mission is simply to make the music they wanted to listen to, inspired by their 90’s heroes such Pavement, Yo La Tengo and the Pixies. The rest of the band came together through a mix of friendships and happenstance. Drummer Tom Gabbatiss joined after he and Tom jammed together in bars while they were back-packing round Thailand, and Kai West had previously used to jump up on stage with the band and “Bez” (verb meaning to dance badly while intoxicated) before they eventually let him play bass. A unique group within the city’s already eclectic scene, the band’s sound mixes together their alt-rock influences along with Tom’s down-to-earth song writing and a particularly wry sense of humour that comes naturally to the four Yorkshiremen. They’ve played support shows for the likes of Squid, The Orielles, Pip Blom and even one of their long-time heroes in the form of Spiral Stairs (AKA Scott Kannberg of Pavement), and their constant gigging has seen them build up a dedicated local following. Not to be restricted to God’s own county, the band have plied their wares in mainland Europe, playing a series of unforgettable shows in Germany and the Netherlands. With more new music to come, this signing looks to be the start of a beautiful Friendship.  The band had to say on the video –
"We managed to make a video in lockdown even though we haven't been together for four months! Hope our fantasy seaside trip takes you somewhere else for a few mins and gives you that break so you can keep doing what you need to do. We certainly enjoyed covering ourselves with green paint. We miss and love you very much. Big thanks to the wizardry of Jonjo Lowe and his team." The band have released a series of podcast episodes discussing the origins and creation of each album track - listen to Track x Track here. Jules and Celia have also been offering one-on-one music lessons to fans through lockdown via Zoom, with proceeds going to Girls Rock London. For more info on GRL, click here Following recent support tours with Pixies and Bombay Bicycle Club, and their own run of headline dates through late February and March, The Big Moon were due to hit the road in the UK in October of this year. The tour has now been rescheduled for March 2021, kicking off in Glasgow on 1st, taking in Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Cardiff, Brighton and finishing up in London for their biggest headline show to date on 10th March at The O2 Forum. Tickets are on sale now via www.thebigmoon.co.uk, and tickets purchased for original dates remain valid. RESCHEDULED TOUR MARCH 2021 1st – Glasgow, The Garage 2nd – Newcastle, Riverside 3rd – Manchester, Academy 2 5th – Sheffield, The Leadmill 6th – Birmingham, O2 Academy 2 7th – Cardiff, The Tramshed 8th – Brighton, Concorde 2 10th – London, The O2 Forum |