Premiere: "Strange Actress" by Uma Bloo

Photo by Monika Oliver

Today we’re honored to be premiering the single “Strange Actress” from our friends in Uma Bloo. The Chicago-based outfit of songwriter and vocalist Molly Madden, Uma Bloo was originally Madden’s moniker as a burlesque performer before she started performing as a solo musician with the same name. Nowadays, the Uma Bloo project has blossomed into a full band lineup consisting of Mike Altergott on guitar and keys, Steven Rutledge on drums, and Luke Blanco on bass and keys.

The new track “Strange Actress” comes from the group’s upcoming debut album entitled Don't Drive Into the Smoke. Talking about the song, Luke Blanco describes it as “a piece containing the most quiet of moments; a piece containing the loudest,” adding that “Strange Actress” is exemplary of Uma Bloo’s wide dynamic range. “The drums and bass maintain the beat in lockstep during the second verse without sacrificing the subdued mood. Guitars blare in increasing intensity as the song progresses, overdriven guitars blanketing the listener in a warm, yet heightened emotional state. Uma projects her voice with strength - you can hear her diaphragm hard at work through the speakers - yet it falls into the most beautiful of falsettos as the song concludes,” Blanco says.

The entirety of the upcoming album was recorded over a period of just three days at Chicago’s JAMDEK Studio and co-produced by Madden, Altergott, and Doug Malone. The origin of some of the songs on the record dates back to Madden’s late teen years, when she moved to Chicago to explore her artistic potential and broke free from a conservative and religious upbringing. “The emotions I wanted to express in my art didn’t tie in with my family’s values, but once I accepted the fact that I wanted to create, these songs started pouring out of me,” she says. “In a lot of ways, this album has been in process since I was eight years old without me fully knowing it, unpacking the life I had and what I wanted to build.” While many of these songs have been a long time coming, Madden also credits the collaborative nature of the band and her co-producers with pushing her to expand beyond her comfort zone more than ever before. “There were many moments of trying to express an idea or question without knowing the right language or terminology, which felt lonely at times, but that challenge also created a lot of innovative choices on all of our parts. There was a silent acknowledgement of the very intimate place these songs came from that resulted in very intentional communication between the three of us,” Madden says about the group’s collaboration.

Don't Drive Into the Smoke releases March 23, 2022 via Earth Libraries. Pre-Order your copy here, and tune into the premiere of “Strange Actress” below.

Earth Libraries · Strange Actress - Uma Bloo

Don't Drive Into the Smoke - TRACKLISTING
1. Never Know Me
2. Annie
3. Marguerite's Novels
4. Coming Home
5. Strange Actress
6. Your Pussycat
7. Was I Ever
8. The Actor's Last Question
9. Don't Drive Into the Smoke
10. To Be Vast

Premiere: Charlie Reed's "Don't Drop Me"

Today, ANCHR has the honor of premiering Charlie Reed’s debut single “Don’t Drop Me” from their upcoming record Eddy, out May 1, 2022.

Charlie Reed is Luke Trimble, Colin Croom, Nick Beaudoin, Nora Chin, Nolan Chin, and Justin Vittori

Charlie Reed is the project of Chicago musician and songwriter Luke Trimble, who is joined by bandmates Colin Croom on guitar and pedal steel, Justin Vittori on guitar, Nick Beaudoin on bass, Nolan Chin on piano and organ, and Nora Chin on backing vocals. The collaborative project began after Trimble experienced an apartment burglary that resulted in the loss of his music gear and his self-recorded demos for Charlie Reed. Out of the unfortunate event, Trimble was inspired to partner with his bandmates to work more collaboratively and step out of his comfort zone for a fresh start. “The physical reality of losing my stuff became this emotional metaphor for starting over in every way,” he says— and the end result became the new album material.

The lead single “Don’t Drop Me” came to fruition when Trimble began to reminisce about one of his first long-term relationships in which his partner decided to break things off with him. About writing this song, Trimble says, “I couldn’t believe that it was happening and what I had done to be ‘dropped’  or left behind. In retrospect I realize that I was in such a deep depression that I had no capacity to love this person anymore. In their eyes I was taking the relationship for granted."

Elaborating on the recording process of the song, Trimble adds, “The bones of the song were first tracked live. Bass, drums, acoustic guitar.  Starting off I didn’t think much besides I liked the hook. Since we hadn’t really rehearsed it I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. That enabled me to have some fun with the song. I pieced some of the instruments together at my home. Vocals, electric guitar, and Nolan on My upright piano. Later, Colin added some awesome guitar lead and keys that really brought the song together making it one of my favorites on the album."

You can watch the official video for the song below, and make sure to follow Charlie Reed on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter.

Premiere: "Sweaty" by Catty Cline

We’re thrilled to be sharing the premiere of Catty Cline’s brand new single “Sweaty” today. The project of Kanas City singer-songwriter Anna Redmond, Catty Cline swirls together indie pop and neo-folk with influence from 90’s punk.

The new single drops in advance of Cline’s EP "Scratch,” which is out September 24th via Manor Records. Cline says these songs on the EP are a product of her “guitar song” initiative— where she shifted towards writing music on guitar for the first time, rather than on the piano. Cline only started learning guitar at the beginning of quarantine in March 2020, and she shares, “[These songs] are really special to me. I had help recording some of these songs from some very talented guitarists since I’m a newbie- and I’m super happy with how they’ve turned out.”

Talking more about the single “Sweaty,” Cline says, “I know it probably seems innocent and goofy, but my single ‘Sweaty’ makes me feel very exposed to my listeners because I’m talking openly about my sexuality. It honestly took me a while to decide whether or not to put the song on the EP because I was scared of being too open. The version it is now is even scaled back a bit from the original version because I was nervous it was too raunchy. But now, I’m even brave enough to make it my single, and I’m excited for people to hear it. I think writing and releasing this song has been significant in helping me to censor myself less in the music I release and reveal more about myself.”

Overall, the EP “Scratch” sees Cline in a state of self-examination and contemplation about what makes her happy. When you peel back the lighter and upbeat outer layer of most of these songs, Cline says you can see a crucial aspect of her personality, describing herself as a sensitive, romantic, goofy, and sometimes angry and lonely human being. “It portrays me struggling to be vulnerable, and that’s why it’s so significant that I’m sharing these songs with you. Being vulnerable is difficult even for the strongest of us. But, what better way to get better at being vulnerable than to release music that reveals the most intimate parts of me? I hope you can see a little of yourself in some of these songs and can laugh and have fun with others,” she adds.

Take a listen to “Sweaty” below, and keep an eye out for the full EP next week.

Premiere: Dream Version's "A Mind Can Change"

Dream Version is Alec Harryhausen, Eric Brummit and Michael Kunik

Chicago three-piece Dream Version has always been an ANCHR favorite, thanks to their infectious energy during their live performances and their tendency to push their creative boundaries. That’s why this week, we’re honored to be premiering the brand new video for their single “A Mind Can Change,” from their upcoming self-titled album.

Dream Version says that for their third album, they’ve decided to take a moment to simply inhabit the space they’ve created— calling upon their two mantras of “Don’t waste time” and “Don’t condescend.” Throughout the span of time between this record and 2017’s Fight Fair, the trio has experienced marriage, divorce, relocation, and the Covid-19 pandemic. The band says, “The result is a looser set of songs that represents everything we like and everything we’re capable of.  We decided to name it after ourselves.”

Elaborating on the new single “A Mind Can Change,” Alec Harryhausen says the inspiration stems from his fundamentally cynical attitude. He adds, “A lot of the story of this album started with me looking up at a dirty ceiling fan in my apartment and thinking, ‘That’s just the way life is; the ceiling fan’s dirty and I’ll never have the time or energy to clean it.’  The notion that it can take about 30 seconds to solve a problem like that, believe it or not, has been kind of revolutionary.  It was a fundamental part of my world view that most problems are facts of life, and even that we as a species might not deserve to have clean ceiling fans.”

From there, he began to shift his own mindset and to rewire his perspective. That fresh outlook, coupled with Harryhausen’s appreciation for Plastic Ono Band, led to him working through his demo of “A Mind Can Change” with bandmates Eric Brummit and Michael Kunik to build out the dynamics of it and keep it interesting for the whole run time. “It was a challenge for us to play this slow; we had to practice it a lot,” the band says.

For the music video, Dream Version worked with director Patrick Betzold, who had some experience doing animated work at his job and wanted to try it in a more ambitious way. As the band describes it, the video tells the story of 3 astronauts leaving behind a dead planet and trying to find a new one.

Watch the video below, and be sure to pre-order the self-titled album ahead of its July 30th release date here, or snag a ticket to the record release show to pick up a copy in person!

PREMIERE: "Deadly Stare" by Thompson Springs

Today we’re sharing the first single “Deadly Stare” from Thompson Springs’ upcoming debut album Undertones.

Photo by Kayla Thornton

Lead vocalist and songwriter Matt Smith of the group wrote the leading track while he was living in Memphis, and ultimately the group recorded it in Nashville last year with the assistance of Patrick Sansone (Wilco, The Autumn Defense) on the 12-string guitar and as a producer. “I still have the video of the [“Deadly Stare”] demo, and I remember being really excited about the chord changes. I was new to Memphis and didn't have a lot of friends yet, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I had lots of time to work on songs! It's a slower pace of life down there, and I like to think that influenced the song,” Smith says.

Eventually Smith brought the song to drummer and synth player Jake Bicknase, who added his own melody on the synth that really tied together the track. Smith says he and Bicknase got to that point by just jamming and letting everything fall together. “'It’s kind of my mentality not to talk about it too much or else the magic might disappear,” he adds. The final version of the song came about with the help of Pat Sansone and engineer Andy Freeman in the recording studio. “Originally this song existed just with just vocals, guitar and synth. We went into the studio with that instrumentation, but after showing the song to Pat and Freeman, we experimented with a few different things and decided that the song would have a totally different vibe and edge with this driving drumbeat pushing it along. It definitely became dreamier,” says Bicknase. “It was really cool to see in a matter of hours how the song changed from being stripped down to really full and complete, just by being open to each others ideas,” Smith adds.

To accompany the song, Thompson Springs worked with Chicago director Joe Martinez Jr., who has directed videos of other local acts like Ryley Walker. “I was really pleased to work with Joe after seeing some of his videos with local groups around town. He has that special vibe where you can feel he cares and has an eye that is artistic, not financial. He pulled out all the stops with a low budget,” says Smith. The video was shot in one day between the Pilsen and Logan Square neighborhoods with the help of friends and family.

Take a look at the finished piece below, and make sure you catch Thompson Springs at their next show at Sleeping Village on January 21st.

Video Credits:

Director

Joe Martinez Jr.

@instrajammer

AD

Jessica Batson

@jmayb

Cinematographer 

O’Connor Hartnett

@ohartnett

Movi Op

Michael Monar

@mmonar

AC

Christian Meija

@seemejia

Key Grip

Johnny Weichel

@weichel.jordan

Car Passenger 

Matt Smith

@thompsonsprings

Alley Keys

Jacob Bicknase

@jabickus

Car Driver

Jose Martinez

Kid on Bike

Ben Parks

Basketball Girl

Ellie Parks

Roller-Girl

Danielle Brod

@cptnd

Gas Station Hipster

David Alan Thrift

@thriftayyy

Street Clown

Sean Mills

@sdavidsonmills

Dog walker 

Emily Lindeman

Dog Thief 

Savanna Dickhut

@burroak

Mom

April Brossett

Big Sister

Aaliyah Montana

@aaliyahmontana1

Little Sister

Aria Denali

@ariadenali

Mobster #1

John Mcdonnell

Mobster #2

Michael Bonesteel

Editor 

Joe Martinez Jr.

@instajammer

Colourist 

Lindsey Mazur

@lindseyemazur

PREMIERE: "Tell Me" by Motel Breakfast

Motel Breakfast is Jimmy Drenovsky, Mick O'Donnell, Conor Brennan, Jesse Nasadowski, Drue Devente. Photo by Maddie Houlihan

Ahead of Motel Breakfast’s self-titled album release on February 7th, we’re giving you the first listen of the debut record’s second single, “Tell Me.”

Talking about the single’s origins, the band says it was the first song written as a five-piece after bassist Drue Devente joined in 2018. “It’s the most collaborative song we've written to date. Starting with the goal of writing an interesting and dynamic 3-chord song, it became something that Mick, Jesse, and Jim workshopped into rough form during a weekend at Mick's cottage.” The group then brought the song to Drue and Conor to continue developing it. “It continued to change as everyone put distinct fingerprints onto the piece and it worked its way into live sets. This final form came into being with help from our friend Sam Veren on trumpet, and the studio guidance of producer Andy Goitia,” vocalist and guitarist Jimmy Drenovsky says.

The whole album is a culmination of three years of writing, performing, and recording throughout the Midwest. Every song on the self-titled album was recorded analog in the summer of 2019, with the sessions split between Treehouse Records in Chicago and Williamson Magnetic Recording in Madison. “The aim for the album was to capture the energy and chemistry of our live performance in the same way rock bands have done for decades — straight to tape,” the band says.

Get your first listen of “Tell Me” below, and keep an eye for it on all other streaming services tomorrow, January 3rd.

Cover photo and design by Mike Heinz

Keep up with Motel Breakfast on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

PREMIERE: "Glutton" by The Tomblands

Photo by Victor Von Goethe

Today we’re premiering the brand new video for “Glutton” by The Tomblands. The single drops ahead of their new EP GNAW, which is slated for release on Halloween.

Talking about the new single, the band says “Glutton” began with an opening riff that snowballed as they continued to build on it and gain momentum. “When we got to adding lyrics, we got really Cronenberg-y with it. The song became about a massive, all-consuming blob organism that consumes everything it touches but doesn’t really see any ethical quandary in that, it just sees it as a natural kind of assimilation,” they add.

For the “Glutton” video, the band wanted to channel the same goofy and campy energy of their past music videos, while also showcasing them performing. “We landed on the head-to-head ‘Tomblands vs. Evil Doppelgangers’ concept because we were able to get access to this huge school auditorium space and wanted a fun way to use it,” they say about the video’s plot. “Then we brought on our friend David Arias, who hadn’t done that many videos before, but had absolutely killed all the stuff that he’s done for his band Avantist and a few other artists around town. We pretty much gave him total creative control and he ran with it, taking it in some Edgar Wright-y directions while throwing in a lot of his own lo-fi style. The shoot itself was a hectic two-parter, but we got it done with the help of Morgan Cieselski (the videographer) and a bunch of other friends who showed up last minute to be in the crowd.”

Check out the premiere of the cinematic saga below, and catch The Tomblands’ next show on November 15th at Liar’s Club.

Keep up with The Tomblands on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

PREMIERE: "All You Got" by Modern Vices

Today, Modern Vices shares their new music video for “All You Got,” the lead single off their upcoming album If Only. The new music marks a return for the Chicago band, delivering their sophomore effort as a follow up to their 2014 self-titled debut.

Photo by Kevin Allen

For their highly anticipated follow up, the band primarily worked in their hometown, experimenting with self-production and analog recording at Treehouse Records, which guitarist Peter Scoville says allowed them to approach the recording process from a new angle. For the first album, the band made an DIY record with limited gear, but for If Only, Scoville says, “This time we were able to explore the studio and experiment with different equipment and work in different settings.” In addition to experimenting with advanced gear, the band also ventured out of the city to Nashville and Bowling Green, where they recorded in different studios with new producers in order to also expand upon their writing techniques. “Working with others present really helped to push ourselves harder as songwriters, both in and out of the studio,” says bassist and keyboardist Miles Kalchik. “Having an outside ear to our sound meant we could take a step back on what certain songs needed structurally or sonically and fully flesh out new ideas to their fullest potential.”

Combining their years of experience playing music together and their refreshed approach to songwriting and recording, If Only also sees the band come into a more stylized and refined space, while still maintaining their original intentions. “Lyrically and instrumentally this record displays the different rhythms of love and emotion,” says vocalist Alex Rebek. “One song may be about a friend while the other is about someone closer or something experienced in a dream. The complexity of love and emotion may seem infinite, but expressing it thoroughly through music is our way to shed light on a specific feeling.”

The band will celebrate If Only’s October 24th release date with a show at Schubas. Get ready for the new era of Modern Vices by getting your first look at the video for “All You Got” below.

If Only Tracklist:

1) Of The Night

2) All You Got

3) The Moment

4) Not A Problem

5) If Only

6) For Yourself

7) Telephone TV

8) On My Side

9) Alora

Keep up with Modern Vices on Twitter // Instagram // Facebook

PREMIERE: "Piss Boy" By Discus

Artwork by Clare Byrne and Jake Stolz

Ahead of the release of their debut album Something Has Happened on September 20th, Chicago’s Discus is premiering their third single, “Piss Boy,” below. Brothers Paul and Jake Stolz (Varsity and Pool Holograph) make up one half of Discus alongside Kevin Fairbairn and Arthur Velez, and the new song pays homage to the Stolz family dog, Boudreaux. The single plays on a sense of nostalgia, which corresponds to the sentimental theme that threads through the album as a whole.

Take your first listen of “Piss Boy” below before its wide release tomorrow, and get ready for Something Has Happened by reading Wyatt Grant of Pool Holograph’s poem about the album:

how could I tell you?

a hiss in white caps of residential roofs in winter

having to return in the afternoon

the world came knocking

and strange wheels keep turning

a certain distance

an unknown and unfair science

never could get the timing right

an appeal from the pillar of steam rising

An unlikely design

that keeps you focused on the shape of text

rather than the contents

A train on new years eve

in which everyone is in their heads

A funny portrait of collected features

that watches the clock

A note on the wall that has since

fallen under the bed

as a pit in the terrain

the same as

the spring that was once a river

did not want to rush anymore

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Celebrate Discus’ new album with a Free Monday show at Empty Bottle on September 23rd— details here.

Discus on Facebook // Instagram

PREMIERE: "Closer" by Rainbow James

Rainbow James is Griff Johnson, Charlie Yokom, Mike Cangemi, and Colin Mohr

When I think of the Chicago band scene, a middle school cafeteria comes into my mind pretty instinctually. When I break down the way my middle school cafeteria looked, there are some hard-to-miss parallels to our beloved Chicago musicians. There’s the cool kid table where they are wearing the newest Vans and trading crumbled cigarettes they stole from their big brother for that extra piece of pizza. There is a table with the drama kids where they are all dressed like their favorite Broadway character and communicate with each other with whistle tones and guttural sounds no one understands. I want to draw your attention to one table in particular. At this table, four boys are sitting close together; unreasonably close for lunchtime circumstances. They are typically putting lunch meat on each other’s faces while one braids the other boy’s bangs. If you stumble upon this table, you have oh so luckily ran into the boys of Rainbow James.

The boys of Rainbow James no longer put salami on each other’s faces (that I know of), but they do play music, and they play it well. Breaking into the Chicago music scene can be a big heaping pile of complicated but the boys of Rainbow James have done it with pizazz, creativity, and are sharing some of the catchiest tunes I have heard to date. When first hearing this band name, I was perplexed and more confused than anything. I came to learn that Rainbow James is slang for sprinkles. Maybe you have heard of Rainbow Jimmies? The boys say their time in Boston is what generated this name, but I beg to differ. Sprinkles, in layman's terms, are these colorful pieces of awesome to top off your favorite dessert. Rainbow James has done just that to my favorite playlists. They have finished them off; they are cherry on top, making your plain vanilla cone truly delightful.

With the release of their EP “Songs About James” and now their newest single “Closer”, I asked the boys of RBJ what it was like creating this new track. Mike Cangemi (bass) says, “It is the first song we worked on and recorded with Charlie [Yokom], so it was cool to have one more person collaborating in the songwriting process as well as heading another instrument to think about.” As Rainbow James’ sound grows, so does my affection towards this group of musicians. With their next show happening July 14th at 365-viii, I shall unashamedly be playing their songs on a loop until I can see Rainbow James take the stage, giving us all colors of the rock spectrum a listener could hope for.

Now take a listen to “Closer” early, before its official release tomorrow, July 2nd.

PREMIERE: "Sapphire" by Nativity Beds

Photo by Emma McCall// Album art (below) by Carina Hoyer.

Today we’re sharing the brand new single “Sapphire” by Nativity Beds, the moniker for singer-songwriter Kyle Maurisak’s electronica, chillwave project.

Outside of his work with The Edwards, Maurisak released Nativity Bed’s debut album ghost in April 2018. “The project mainly served as a cathartic outlet for me for a long time, and I had gone through phases through the process of making it of debating whether or not I wanted to share this music or keep it to myself,” Maurisak says. Ultimately, he decided it was important to cap that period of his life and release the music that represented some of the darkest aspects of those times. “I released the album and really only sent it around to some close friends. To be honest, I thought that would be the end of the project. As of late, I've been back in that creative headspace and ‘Sapphire’ is the first of more new material to come,” Maurisak adds.

The song was written, recorded, produced, and mixed by Maurisak, and mastered by Doug Saltzman (Gia Margaret, Denmark Vessey, Mos Def). Take a listen below now!

PREMIERE: "Hoops" by Siblings

Chicago band Siblings is sharing their new their new single “Hoops” today, as an exclusive early premiere.

Siblings is Kevin Greene, Max McKenna, and Sarah Giovannetti

The new track follows up Siblings’ EP, "Revelry," which was released in April 2019, and the band says that "Hoops" is both a love song to the sport of basketball and a play on sports-as-metaphor.

Lead singer and songwriter of “Hoops,” Kevin Greene says, "I was killing time in the Loop last fall when the opening lines of this song popped into my head: 'Fake flowers / real garden / real bricks / James Harden.' I thought, 'Gee, this might hurt James Harden's feelings if he ever heard it.' But as a basketball fan, Harden had hurt my feelings a lot over the past few years, so I decided it was only fair.” The rest of the song then came together in the following few weeks, right around the start of the NBA regular season. “That the song turned into a musical homage to the band’s shared adolescence in the mid-aughts proved serendipitous, as it was during those years that I abandoned a pursuit of athletics, where I never really excelled, in favor of the arts. A smart person once told me that we write the songs we want to hear. 'Hoops' brings together two of my absolute favorite things and is on repeat in my heart and headphones constantly. Now I just need to make sure James Harden hears it,” Greene adds.

Catch Siblings live at Burlington Bar on June 20th, and take your first listen of “Hoops” below!

PREMIERE: Sick Day's Debut Singles

Today we’re sharing the debut singles from Sick Day— the new project of Chicago based musicians Olivia Wallace and Stef Roti.

Photo by Alexus Mclane

“I wrote these songs several years apart. Both explore the desire to break free from others’ narrow definitions, from judgements that can trap us. In ‘Deviant,’ I reclaim and celebrate those labels, whereas ‘Brain’ is more of a forceful plea for autonomy and self-definition,” Wallace says about the songwriting process of the new singles.

Both songs were recorded at Jamdek with producer Doug Malone. “This was the first time I’ve ever tracked my songs live with a full band. Doug Malone expertly helped us capture the raw energy of our live sound, while highlighting textures and intricacies that can get lost in the mix at a concert. The process is intensive, electrifying, and beautifully collaborative. I would never go back to click track recording,” Wallace adds.

Catch Sick Day’s live debut on June 6th and get your first listen of “Brain in a Jar” and “Deviant” below.

Keep up with Sick Day on Facebook and Instagram

PREMIERE: "What Happened" by The Dead Licks

Take your first listen of “What Happened” by Chicago rock band The Dead Licks below.

The Dead Licks are Jack Grbac (guitar), Tom Inzinga (guitar, vocals), Jimmy Gallagher (drums) and Johnny McNamara (bass) / Photo by Cooper Fox

The Dead Licks formed in 2016 at the University of Dayton, and the four members quickly became tight-knit friends as they bonded over their love for Radiohead, The Strokes, Pearl Jam and Wilco. After releasing their debut full length Stay Away From the Aliens in 2018, the group is back with new music for 2019, and they’re starting with the single “What Happened.”

Talking about the new single, lead singer Tom Inzinga says, “What Happened started as my attempt to start writing simpler songs. At the time I had been really into Jeff Tweedy’s style of songwriting, and the chords came one afternoon, like most do, where I just picked up the acoustic and started playing. When I brought it to the band, it transformed into a very powerful, melancholic song about complacency and moving forward. The lyrics started being developed during a time I was unhappy with being complacent. It was my attempt to get out of a songwriting rut. However, as time went on, it turned into a song about heartbreak, and the idea of trying to move forward no matter what the outcome may be.”

The song was recorded at Treehouse Records on analog tape, which was a first for The Dead Licks. “We had a great time recording the song on analog for the first time—it was a learning experience and really pulled the best out of us. This is a new and exciting sound for us and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it,” says the band’s guitarist Jack Grbac. The group’s drummer Jimmy Gallagher says the analog recording gave the track a more live sound, adding, “You can expect a much more natural sound than our previous release.”

Tune into the new song below, and celebrate the single release with the band tomorrow, May 3rd at Harte’s Saloon.

Keep up with The Dead Licks on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram, and view their upcoming live shows here.

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PREMIERE: "Network" by Strange Foliage

Strange Foliage follows up their 2018 album Settle with brand new single “Network,” out today.

“Network” cover art

“Network serves as a turning point for us as we’ve evolved from my solo songwriting to a more collaborative group effort,” Strange Foliage founder Joey Cantacessi says, adding that their new approach in writing is better tailored to the sound of all four members.  “Settle was nearly a direct result of my songwriting, whereas now Strange Foliage has a solidified group of members, and this upcoming release will challenge us all as a band, as well as our fans to approach the new dynamic sound with open arms, or walk away.”

Strange Foliage is gearing up to release more music in the coming months. Keep up with them on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news, and go see them Saturday, April 20th with Blue Dream and Elk Walking in Chicago.

PREMIERE: "So Mad" by Drugs & Attics

Today we have your first listen of Drugs & Attics’ brand new single “So Mad,” from their upcoming album Clean Their Room.

Photo Courtesy of High Dive Records

Talking about the single, the band says, “We wrote the song about getting broken out of an intergalactic prison, where we were forced to break rocks with even harder rocks until we got mad. Then we hitched a ride back to earth from Shaft who documented the ordeal along the way, and that’s how ‘So Mad’ came to life.”

The band recorded “So Mad” at Massive Sound Studio, which has one of the old mixing boards from Stax Studios in Memphis.  “We used this board to record ‘So Mad', and after the recording, the engineer shared with us that the board was used to record The Shaft theme song.  So we have that going for us,” the band adds.

Clean Their Room by Drugs & Attics is out April 19th— pre-order it here, and listen to “So Mad” below!

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Keep up with Drugs & Attics on Facebook + Instagram

PREMIERE: "The Sun Will Come Back" by Faux Co.

Today we’re premiering Faux Co.’s new single “The Sun Will Come Back" from their upcoming album Radio Silence, out Friday, April 5.

Faux Co. is Ben Mackey, Chris Lee, Christian Whiting and Jayson Homyak // Photo courtesy of Faux Co. by Dan Jarvis.

Faux Co. front man Ben Mackey describes the new single’s journey, saying, “[The song] was originally written as a soft acoustic song by our songwriter friend from Canada, Nick Gagne. We completely reworked it into kind of a banger, with his approval, of course. I really like the idea of old rock records from the sixties that had a few covers on them, like a Motown hit reimagined by the Beatles or The Byrds. You really hear what the band is bringing to the table when you hear a classic song reimagined. Nick Gagne might be a lesser known artist from Canada, but to me this song was always a classic soft and beautiful acoustic track and I wanted to reimagine it our way.”

The piano on “The Sun Will Come Back" was recorded in the (now closed) Uptown Underground. “The strings sound like a synth at points which was a happy accident in the mixing process. For some reason, it seemed to fit perfectly with the other songs on the record, so we put it in there. It is one of my favorite tracks on the record,” Mackey adds.

Take a listen to the finished song below, and pre-order the album, out April 5th, here.

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PREMIERE: "Crowd" by The Golden Fleece

Album Artwork by Pete Gowdy // @arcticsun_collageartist

The Golden Fleece are back with new music, and we’ve got the exclusive first listen of their new single “Crowd" below.

The track marks the debut single from the band’s upcoming album, announced today. Out April 5th, the band teased their new full length, saying, “Mind Mirror is the kind of album you listen to once, then throw on a pile of fire.”

Mind Mirror was recorded to tape at Future Apple Tree Studio and engineered by Pat Stolley, original Daytrotter engineer. You can pre-order the album here, and celebrate with the band at one of their release shows:

QC Release April 5th @ Rozz-Tox w/ Condor & Jaybird and Faintlife
Peoria Release April 6th @ Pizza Works w/ Condor & Jaybird and Faintlife

If you’re going to SXSW, you can also catch The Golden Fleece at our showcase on March 14th at Shiner’s Saloon.

Keep up with The Golden Fleece on Facebook + Instagram

PREMIERE: "Stage Fright" By Pool Holograph

Ahead of the official release tomorrow, March 5th, we’re giving you an exclusive first listen to Pool Holograph’s new single “Stage Fright.”

Pool Holograph is Wyatt Grant, Zach Stuckman, Jake Stolz, and Paul Stolz

Pool Holograph’s lead singer and songwriter Wyatt Grant said the new single was written shortly after the release of their last album Transparent World. “With ‘Stage Fright’ particularly we wanted to focus on making a narrative separate from the supernatural themes of Transparent World. The imagery is that of a drama production (curtains, backdrops, decoys, etc.) in which a character experiences both sides of the fourth wall. The instrumentation was a departure from what we had used in the recent past, using a piano, xylophone, sounds of paper, and some layered acoustics,” Grant adds.

“Stage Fright” will officially be released alongside another single on a 7” split later this Spring through Land and Sea Dept.'s Audial LSD imprint, but take your first listen of the track below!

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You can catch Pool Holograph at SXSW this year, including the ANCHR Showcase on March 14th at Shiner’s Saloon— full dates below. They’ll also be preforming at the next ANCHR Chicago showcase at Thalia Hall on March 22nd, tickets and information here.

PREMIERE: "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" By Thompson Springs

In honor of Lou Reed’s birthday today, Thompson Springs has recorded a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” — and we’ve got the exclusive premiere!

Thompson Springs is Matt Smith, Andy Goitia, Jacob Bicknase // Photo by Jake Hanson

Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Treehouse Records by Barrett Guzaldo straight to analog tape, this single comes ahead of Thompson Springs’ debut full length album, to be released later in 2019.

Take a listen to the new single below, and if you’re heading to SXSW this year, don’t miss Thompson Springs at our ANCHR SXSW Showcase at Shiner’s Saloon on March 14th.

Keep up with Thompson Springs on Facebook and Instagram.

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