Staying For The Weekend – “Alive”
The opening track of the Nashville band new EP has plenty of charm to spare. These guys know how to make listeners feel like family with warm vocals and catchy verses. We imagine this act sounding like a more modern version of The Strokes if they started recording today and not the early 2000’s. Staying For The Weekend have a songwriting sense that is rare in the industry, and given their age, they will only get better with experience. Check out their self-titled EP when you are done rocking out to “Alive”. Your ears will thank us.
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Saintseneca – “Ladder to the Sun”
The Ohio punk/folk act are prepping a fourth release, Pillar of Na (Aug. 31) and if they have not been on your musical radar yet, they will be. The new album is ambitious and brimming with band chemistry in a way that showcases a great band in their prime. “I wanted to use the idiom of folk-rock, or whatever you want to call it, and to try to do something that had never been done before,”” musician Zac Little explains. “I told Mike Mogis I wanted Violent Femmes meets the new Blade Runner soundtrack. I’m looking for the intersection between Kendrick Lamar and The Fairport Convention.” Recruiting renown Mike Mogis to produce has only brought more intrigue to the already highly-anticipated release.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtQDfVXP7co]
Magic Bronson – “Knock it Off”
Taking place in a psychedelic LA bar, the band wrote “Knock it Off” after being inspired by the wild cover art for the debut album by Father John Misty. It is full of wild characters and run-ins as the band develops a sound that jumps genres with ease. The duo are highly capable musicians who can just as easily make you dance as much as laugh. Their descriptive songwriting is unexpected but incredibly refreshing and rare in their lane of music. Be on the lookout for their new EP later this Fall.
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Yacht Punk – “A Dog of Dogs for a Ghost”
The lead single off an upcoming LP Ghosts, the band has a flare for the supernatural. “The idea for the song came from a short story I read called The Haunted and the Haunters by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton,” explains Graham Bockmiller. “Its about a skeptical man who stays a night in a haunted house and is out to prove to himself that spirits don’t exist. He brings his favorite dog along with him.He pays for his brashness and skepticism when the ghost torments him throughout the night, leaving a humbled new-found believer. The ghost ends up killing his dog, a part I was not a fan of, but it made for a pretty metal short story.” The track has a uniquely indie and somewhat familiar sound. It both haunts and comforts with an artistic flare similar to that of Deer Hunter. It is a little heady but also has enough rock stylings to cross over to even the most skeptic of listeners.
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Arms Akimbo – “Virtual”
We have written a lot on this act through the last two years. They have an endearing rock sound that if you have not already heard, then you need to immediately. Taking cues from acts like Walk the Moon and Local Natives, the band met in college and bonded over their shared musical tastes. Fast forward to a sold out show at the famed Troubadour and a successful self-produced EP, the band is readying a much deserved breakout. Lyrically, Virtual has its collective pulse on this modern world we live in and will fit nicely into the current wave of sound.
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DD Walker – “Malibu”
The NY artist is incredible of capturing a space and time for listeners. You can hear nostalgic new wave, mixed with a tinge of modern pop within the impressive single. With enduring guitar, synth, and a tight drum part, this might be one of the more creative and beautiful tracks we have come across lately. It encompasses the title, Malibu, with imagined visuals of sun, beaches, and late night warmth. The track has some major positives that we think a variety of listeners will enjoy.
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Two Feet – “Hurt People”
The project of multi-talented New Yorker Bill Dess, the new track has garnered a lot of buzz. Recently he performed on the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and one listen can show you why. The vocals of Madison Love are extraordinary while the guitar part is incredibly sharp and catchy. Currently Two Feet are touring with Panic! At The Disco and will continue to release music throughout the year.
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Camps – “All My Friends”
We realize this one will not be for everyone (though we think it should). The punk rock style of New Orleans act Camps can be either galvanizing or polarizing. We get it. But we here at Ear to the Ground only share tracks we believe strongly about and think that listeners should be devoting time to discovering. If you miss acts like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, then look no further. Their garage rock stylings mixed with a shoe gazey intro create a track that is sure to be loved by more than a few of you.
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