Independent pop act Pretty Killer premiered its latest single this week.
The band debuted its new single, ‘Blossom‘ Friday. The single is a light, pop style composition that will appeal to fans of acts, such as Kulick, Machine Gun Kelly, and Set It Off. It features a guest appearance from Kellin Quinn (Sleeping With Sirens) and Monty Xon.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme.
‘Blossom’ is available to stream and download through YouTube and Apple Music, as well as Spotify.
Punk rock band Chief State premiered its latest single and video this week.
The band debuted its new single, ‘Out For Me‘ and the song’s companion video Thursday. The song is the third single from the band’s forthcoming album, Waiting For Your Colours, which is scheduled for release July 1 through Mutant League Records. Pre-orders and pre-saves are open.
The album has also produced the singles, ‘Burning Out‘ and ‘Team Wiped‘ along with their respective videos.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Out For Me’ is a full-on pop punk opus. Its up-beat presentation, complete with infectious vocal harmonies and equally engaging instrumentation will appeal to any pop punk fan.
No information was provided about the song’s lyrical theme in the press release announcing the debut of the new single and its video. The lyrics presented with the song’s video hint at the theme centering on a person battling depression and negative thoughts and feelings in general.
The video that accompanies the song hints even more at that theme as it presents a man who at the song’s beginning is sad and depressed. As the story progresses, he adopts a canine friend, who in turn changes the man’s life for the better, leading him to even be more sociable and make more human friends. It is a story that is sure to appeal to a wide range of audiences.
Courtesy: Mutant League Records
In other news, Chief State has announced a new slate of live dates for this summer. The band’s tour is scheduled to launch June 3 in Vancouver, BC and to run through July 9 in Salt Lake City, UT. The tour’s schedule is noted below. Tickets are available here.
Tour Dates:
Fri, Jun 3, 2022 Vancouver, BC – Buddha’s
Sat, Jun 4, 2022 Seattle, WA – Funhouse
w/ Calling All Captains
Wed, Jun 8, 2022 Portland, OR – Mano Oculta
Thu, Jun 9, 2022 Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Midtown
Fri, Jun 10, 2022 Cupertino, CA – The X Bar
Sat, Jun 11, 2022 Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction
Sun, Jun 12, 2022 Los Angeles, CA – Los Globos
Tue, Jun 14, 2022 Mesa, AZ – Rebel Lounge
Wed, Jun 15, 2022 El Paso, TX – Raves Club
Thu, Jun 16, 2022 Arlington, TX Mavericks
Fri, Jun 17, 2022 Houston, TX – Acadia Bar & Grill
Sat, Jun 18, 2022 Austin, TX – Mohawk
Sun, Jun 19, 2022 New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
Tue, Jun 21, 2022 Atlanta, GA – Smith’s Olde Bar
Wed, Jun 22, 2022 Greer, SC – The Spinning Jenny
Thu, Jun 23, 2022 Columbus, OH – Big Room Bar
w/ Settle Your Scores & Wilmette
Fri, Jun 24, 2022 Canton, OH – The Auricle
Sat, Jun 25, 2022 Covington, KY – Madison Live
Sun, Jun 26, 2022 Indianapolis, IN – Hoosier Dome
Tue, Jun 28, 2022 Louisville, KY – Mag Bar
Thu, Jun 30, 2022 St. Louis, MO – Duck Room
Fri, Jul 1, 2022 Des Moines, IA – Lefty’s
Sat, Jul 2, 2022 Chicago, IL – Subterranean
W/ Brooklane
Sun, Jul 3, 2022 Madison, WI – TBA
Tue, Jul 5, 2022 Fargo, ND – The Hall at Fargo Brewing Company
Wed, Jul 6, 2022 Minneapolis, MN – Midway Saloon
Thu, Jul 7, 2022 Lincoln, NE – 1867 Bar
Fri, Jul 8, 2022 Denver, CO – Moe’s Original
Sat, Jul 9, 2022 Salt Lake City, UT – The Loading Dock
More information on Chief State’s new single, video, album, and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Skatepunk band Handheld unveiled another single from its upcoming album, A Canadian Tragedy this week.
The band debuted its new single, ‘Leaving Candyland‘ Tuesday. The song is the second single from the band’s new album, which is scheduled for release June 14 through Thousand Islands Records. When released, the album will be the band’s first new music in 14 years. The band released the album’s lead single, ‘Bend The Iron‘ in March.
The song’s musical arrangement is an immediately infectious pop punk style composition that lends itself easily to comparison to works from the likes of Blink-182, Sum 41, and others of that ilk. That is evidenced through its upbeat, positive energy and overall instrumentation.
The positive vibes generated through the song’s arrangement do well to illustrate the positivity in the song’s lyrical theme, which the band talked about in a prepared statement.
“Certain people can leave a lasting impression on you and make you laugh,” the statement reads. “‘Leaving Candyland’ is about Thanksgiving, travel, sales, coaching, polka, family, a radio dj, being your own friend, Christmas, and more polka, oh… and eating a giant steak.”
Another well-known act from the 90s has been added to the bill for the inaugural “Flannel Nation Festival“.
Sugar Ray has been named a special guest headliner for the event, which is scheduled to take place Aug. 13 at the Port of Los Angeles. The one-day festival is also scheduled to feature performances from famous 90s acts, such as Candlebox, Filter, Fastball, and Everclear.
Sugar Ray has sold more than 10 million records over the course of its life. The band has four Top 10 songs, and has had its music streamed millions of times, too.
Also added to the lineup this week is StarZero. Fronted by Josh Paskowitzh (ex-The Flys), the band also features his brother Adam.
Another support act, X Wire, was also announced this week as part of the still-growing lineup for the “Flannel Nation Festival”.
Pop punk band Big Drink is scheduled to release its new EP, It Was Supposed To Be Easy next month, and in anticipation of its release, has unveiled the record’s lead single and video.
The band debuted its new single, ‘Different Circles‘ and its video Friday. The song features a musical arrangement that can only be described as intriguing. It is essentially a two-movement song, with the first movement being a clear pop punk approach that has a heavy, hard rock instrumentation. That in itself is unique because of its contrast.
The second movement is the polar opposite, with the band’s co-vocalist bringing some clear metalcore style screams that are far more fitting with the instrumentation.
Vocalist “Jim” talked about the song’s lyrical theme in a prepared statement.
“‘Different Circles’ is a twisting journey exploring the thoughts and feelings behind giving up,” he said. “Aimed at trying to explain the upwards battle faced in life and creative endeavours, the track hints at dissatisfaction and isolation in making music during lockdown and the piling pressure of trying to push through bad habits and repetitive behaviours to succeed. All bundled up into a pop-metal track.”
In other news, Big Drink has a series of live dates coming up in support of its new EP. The band’s upcoming live schedule is set to launch May 20 in Bristol, UK and to run through Nov. 4 in High Wycombe. The band’s tour is noted below.
Upcoming shows:
May
21st – Bristol – The Crofters Rights w/ Sharkbait and Trashed
24th – Manchester – The Peer Hat w/ Youth Illusion
25th – Liverpool – Jimmys w/ Youth Illusion
27th – Leicester – Firebug w/ Youth Illusion
28th – Northampton – The Lab w/ Youth Illusion
June
18th – Bromley – Carved Dive w/ Neversaid
19th – Brighton – The Pipeline w/ Neversaid
24th – London – Engine Rooms w/ The Bottom Line
July
2nd – Nottingham – The Angel Microbrewary
November
4th – High Wycombe – Pick It Up Festival
More information on Big Drink’s new single, video, EP, and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at https://www.facebook.com/bigdrinkuk
Independent punk rock band Five Hundred Bucks debuted the video for its latest single this week.
The band premiered the video for its new single, ‘Follicles’ Friday through New Noise magazine. The single is featured in the band’s brand new album, $500. The single is the album’s fourth behind, ‘Animal,’ ‘Spinal,’ and ‘S*** Shaped Heart.’ The entire album is available to stream and download here.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Follicles’ is a sort of neo-folk-meets pop punk/rock style composition. The first comparison that comes to mind in listening to the song is to some of Pearl Jam’s songs.
Front man Jeff Riddle said the song’s lyrical theme is a deeply contemplative rumination about his parents.
“It’s about my parents and their shortcomings as a mother and father,” Riddle said. “It’s about growing older and having perspective on the situation and realizing who they were and what they were going through and despite my best efforts to separate myself from them at an early age and not want to be like them, fighting some of the same battles that they fought — depression, anxiety, addiction etc.”
The video for the new single is a unique presentation that involves an alien and a man befriending one another. It should be noted that there is a very direct drug reference in the video, so viewer discretion is advised.
“The video is a narrative driven video about a lonely person who lives in rural America and a UFO crashes and he finds this dead alien.,” Riddle said of the video’s treatment. “He brings it inside and cleans it up and develops an attachment and friendship with it and it’s the closest he’s ever felt to being accepted by anyone. We didn’t make the video as a direct correlation to the song, but it has a lot of thematic parallels.”
In other news, Five Hundred Bucks is scheduled to launch a tour in support of its new album May 4 in Richmond, VA. The band’s tour schedule is noted below.
Upcoming Shows:
Richmond, VA 5/4 @ Hot For Pizza
with Bashful and Dead Format
Charlotte, NC 5/5 @ Spoke Easy
with Paint Fumes, Comino, ACNE, and Dipstick
Atlanta, GA 5/6 @ The Earl
with Reconciler, New Junk City, and The Howdymen
Gainesville, FL 5/7 @ Loosey’s
with Reconciler, New Junk City, and The Howdymen
Pittsburgh, PA 5/14 @ Polish Hills Tennis Court
with Big Baby, Lizard Academy, Go. No. Go
Philadelphia, PA 7/19 @ Silk City
with Signals Midwest and Downhaul
More information on Five Hundred Bucks’ upcoming tour, its new album and single is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Veteran punk rock band Pulley is keeping itself busy this year.
The band announced Friday, it is scheduled to release its latest album (its sixth), Golden Life, next month. In anticipation of the record’s release, the band premiered the album’s lead single and its companion lyric video Thursday. The album is scheduled for release May 13 through SBAM Records.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Golden Life’ is an infectious guitar-driven punk composition. The subtle vocal harmonies alongside the catchy guitar riffs, solid time keeping and low end from the bass line makes the song fully engaging and entertaining.
Frontman Scott Radinsky talked about the song’s lyrical theme in a prepared statement.
“Golden life; Observing a generation of kids who have seemingly been robbed of an experience,” he said. “Life without ease of access to good, and/or bad. Much of what they have seen in the world has been negative, unimaginable terrorist acts, war and violence, a division of people. In regards to music, our generation really had to earn it if we wanted to get a proper listen or visual. Technology, although having its good aspects, has removed an experience that offered a deeper appreciation of life.”
The lyric video for ‘Golden Life’ is a simple presentation. It features the song’s lyrics over images, such as a $5 bill, Donald Trump blindfolded, and silhouettes of people over stock market figures.
In other news, Pulley recently announced an extensive tour of Europe and Canada in support of its new album. The tour’s European leg is scheduled to launch May 18 in Valencia, Spain and to run through May 29 in Mannheim, Germany. The Canadian leg is scheduled to launch June 1 and to run through Aug. 28 in Edmonton, AB.
More information on Pulley’s new single, album, and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at https://www.facebook.com/pulleymatters.
Independent punk band Omni of Halos debuted its new single and video this week.
The band kicked off the weekend with the premiere of its new single, ‘Care Free‘ and its companion video. The song and its video are the second from the band’s forthcoming EP, Care Free, which is scheduled for release May 20 through Lovely Records. The band premiered the EP’s lead single, ‘You Suck‘ and its companion video last month.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Care Free’ is a unique presentation that sets itself apart from ‘You Suck.’ The fuzzed effect from the guitars is once again evident. The use of the slide guitar is even more evident, too. It gives the song an intriguing blend of influences that is just as certain to engage and entertain audiences.
Guitarist/vocalist Henrik Hjelt Rostberg said of the song’s lyrical content that it is “about a close friend that I’ve lost.”
The video for ‘Care Free’ features live footage of the band performing as the song plays over the visualization.
More information on Omni of Halos’ new single, video, and EP is available along with all of the band’s latest news at https://www.facebook.com/omniofhalos.
Independent rock duo Wild Wild Wets debuted the second single from its forthcoming album this month.
The band premiered its new single, ‘Holding‘ April 11, along with the song’s video. The premieres follow those of the album’s lead single, ‘Say So‘ and its video April 4. Both songs are featured in the duo’s its new album, Love Always, which is scheduled for release May 27.
The musical arrangement featured in ‘Holding’ is an almost dreamy style composition. The light guitar riff and the vocals from the duo — Mark Turi and Taejon Romanik — sort of create a sound and style that conjures thoughts of works from Chris Isaak, yet still holds its own identity separate from Isaak’s works.
Romanik said in a prepared statement, the song’s lyrical theme is about “holding in feelings and still holding your head up high.” Considering that, the song gains even more interest. That is because of the contrast in that deeply contemplative theme and the song’s much lighter arrangement.
In related news, Wild Wild Wets is scheduled to perform live May 21 at the Casbah in San Diego, CA in support of its new album, which is the duo’s third full-length studio recording. Tickets are available here.
More information on Wild Wild Wets’ new single, video, and album is available along with all of the duo’s latest news at:
Ryan Hamilton will re-issue his latest album on vinyl this week in celebration of Record Store Day.
Hamilton will re-issue his album, 1221, on blue vinyl in a limited quantity of 1,000 copies. Hamilton had the following to say about the album’s re-issue.
“I’m a big supporter of local record stores, and I’m a huge fan of Record Store Day,” Hamilton said. “I would have been there anyway, so to have my album as a Record Store Day exclusive is not only a HUGE deal for me and Wicked Cool Records, it’s dream come true territory.”
Record Store Day is Saturday. A full list of the stores taking part in Record Store Day is available along with more information on Record Store Day at:
In related new,s Hamilton is scheduled to celebrate Record Store Day with a live in-store performance at Good Records in Dallas, TX. The performance is scheduled for 4 p.m. The store’s address is 9026 Garland Rd. Dallas, TX 75206.
In addition, Hamilton has a series of live dates scheduled for next month. Those dates are noted below.
5/5 Sellersville Theatre – Sellersville, PA (with Soraia, Kurt Baker)
5/6 Berlin – NYC (with Soraia, Kurt Baker)
5/8 Daryl’s House – Pawling, NY (with Soraia, Kurt Baker)
5/13 Dingbatz – Clifton, NJ (with Soraia, Kurt Baker)
UK:
6/2 Northcourt – Oxford, UK
6/3 Leestock Festival – Suffolk, UK
7/2 Maverick Festival – Suffolk, UK
10/12 Rescue Rooms – Nottingham, UK
10/13 Water Rats – London, UK
10/14 Waterloo Music Bar – Blackpool, UK
10/15 The Patriot – Newport, UK
10/16 Thekla – Bristol, UK
10/18 The Musician – Leicester, UK
10/19 The Crescent – York, UK
10/20 The Railway – Winchester, UK
10/21 The Greystones – Sheffield, UK
10/22 The Greystones – Sheffield, UK
10/23 Bannermans – Edinburgh, UK
10/26 Cluny – Newcastle, UK
10/27 The Stables – Milton Keynes
10/29 Stromness Town Hall – Orkney Islands, UK
10/30 – Green Hotel – Kinross, UK
More information on the album is available along with all of Ryan Hamilton’s latest news at:
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