The Matinee ’22 v. 056 menu starts and finishes with some fiery and raucous punk and indie rock while in the middle are three mouth-watering palette cleansers from some of music’s most influential and talented artists and bands. Enjoy this sonic meal as you prepare for the forthcoming weekend.
For more delectable audio treats, spin the Songs of April playlist on SoundCloud and Spotify
Bad Waitress – “Spit It Out” (Toronto, Canada)
RIYL: Bikini Kill, Slaves, The Paranoyds
A year ago, Toronto punk-rockers Bad Waitress released an awesome, frenetic album No Taste. The LP reflected the genre at its peak, where there was no room for niceties and pop melodies. On the contrary, it was pure intensity. The rest of the world will get to hear that great album and why they’ve become a Toronto underground favorite, as they’ll be touring with Gustaf starting today and then opening for Amy and the Sniffers, when the Aussie greats hit Toronto on May 16th. In addition to the record, Kali-Ann Butala, Katelyn Molgard, Nicole Cain, and Eva Moon have one more treat to share.
Just like the punk rockers of the ’70s and ’80s, “Spit It Out” is a raging banger. Every element explodes, inducing listeners to sweat even if just sitting idly in one’s seat. Of course, such a feat is impossible – that is sitting down to this track that is meant to heard standing up, dancing frantically, or, better yet, moshing with your new best friends. Together, you can take on the naysayers and mockers, challenging them on their “toxicity” and flicking away their negativity like mosquitos on your back. All the while, you can be who you were born to be.
This single is out on Royal Mountain Records, who also released No Taste.
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CLAMM – “Bit Much” (Melbourne, Australia)
RIYL: Iguana Death Cult, Amy and the Sniffers, Viagra Boys
Let’s keep the intensity cranked up, but this time we head to the other side of the world. While Melbourne may be known more for its jangle-pop and outstanding singer-songwriters, it is developing a reputation as a punk rock mecca with the likes of Amy and the Sniffers and Cable Ties changing the Emerald City’s music scene. Another band to keep an eye on is CLAMM, whose expansion from a duo to a trio has made them even more explosive than before. Listening to “Bit Much” is all the evidence once needs to be convinced Jack Summers (guitar, vocal), Maisie Everett (bass, vocal), and Mile Harding (drum) will one day be performing on a US Late Night show.
Feverish is one word to describe the single. The ratcheted-up guitar, the booming bass, and the pounding drumming will cause involuntary head-banging and moshing. It’s an adrenaline rush made for Friday nights, where we get to release all our stresses and tensions by losing our minds. Summers’ lyrics, too, capture our oppressed feelings associated with the 9-to-5 routine. We constantly are searching for the right things to say in order to not hurt other people’s feelings, lose our jobs, or possibly worse things. But for 187 seconds, we don’t need to say a single word to feel liberated because CLAMM do the talking for us.
The band’s sophomore album, Care, will be released August 19th on Meat Machine (UK & Europe) and Chapter Music (ROW). Pre-orders available at these links and directly on Bandcamp.
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Cherokee Death Cats – “Work It Out” (Gothenburg, Sweden)
RIYL: L.A. Witch, Death Valley Girls, The Kills
After moshing around, it’s time to loosen up the arms and prepare those air-guitar windmills and poses. This does not mean one should settle in and think they can relax. Oh, quite the contrary, as we’re going for a trifecta of energizing rockers. But instead of the punk-rock variety, we’re treading down the path of psych- and witch-infused rock ‘n roll with Swedish duo Cherokee Death Cats and their raucous new single, “Work It Out”.
Whether you adore the psychedelic garage rock of L.A. Witch or the arena-sized anthems of The Kills, you’ll love this tune from Bea Persson and Rat Westlake. There is nary a millisecond where the song slows. The guitar flames, the percussion explodes, and Persson’s voice wails like a young Siouxsie Sioux. Like the legendary artist, Persson does not back down from the racists, micro-managers, mansplainers, playboys, and posers. Her lyrics are simultaneously humorous yet biting since this world increasingly has become overrun by the old boys club and draconian laws. But with bands like CDC, maybe, just maybe, we can stop them.
The single is out on Duchess Box Records. Watch out for this duo.
Angel Olsen – “Big Time” (Asheville, NC, USA)
RIYL: Angel Olsen… if pressed Patsy Cline, Gillian Welch, Hand Habits
What can we say to introduce an Angel Olsen track that we haven’t already? We’ve covered Olsen’s career since the early days of The Revue, and she since has remained a favorite. Today, she is one of the most popular and influential singer-songwriters. Olsen seems well on her way to claiming that title for another decade after sharing “All the Good Times” last month, which is the lead single from her upcoming record, Big Time.
Like the previously released single, Olsen’s latest number, “Big Time” is a country love song at heart. Pedal steel, acoustic guitar, distinctively western drums, and chiming piano set the plate perfectly for Olsen’s voice. Its choruses boom with Olsen’s voice accompanied by harmonies. No longer constrained by trying to hide her true self, Olsen finds herself finally able to love with her whole heart. It has a music video that matches that theme as well, with a diverse cast of mostly non-gender conforming dancers.
“And I’m losin’ I’m losin’ I’ve left it behind
Guess I had to be losin’ to get here on time
And I’m living I’m loving I’ve loved long before
I’m loving you big time I’m loving you more”
Big Time is due out June 3rd on Jagjaguwar. Pre-orders and pre-saves are available here.
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Kevin Morby – “A Random Act of Kindness” (Kansas City, USA)
RIYL: Bob Dylan, Night Shop, Rufus Wainwright
Kevin Morby, as we have stated many times before, is one of the great singer-songwriters around. For that matter, he’s one of the very best of his generation, right up there with the artist above him and the likes of Father John Misty and Destroyer. He is a modern-day Bob Dylan, and one would be hard-pressed to refute this opinion. Every album he’s written has been remarkable, and This Is a Photograph looks to be another stellar output if “This Is a Photograph” and “Rock Bottom” are indications. Well, “A Random Act Of Kindness” is more evidence of what awaits us on May 13th.
After a pensive beginning with just an electric organ playing and Morby’s voice soft and endearing, the track gradually builds momentum. The rest of the band joins in and a sense of summertime wonder develops. The approach is the perfect canvas for Morby’s tale of unbreakable companionship. His words are equally as heartwarming as the superb melody.
“Shut me up
If you can
Shut me up
Take my hand
Shut me up, be a friend,
Through a random act of kindness”
This Is a Photograph will be released May 13th on Dead Oceans. Pre-orders available here and directly on Bandcamp.
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Mogwai – “Boltfor” (Glasgow, Scotland)
RIYL: Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, Ride
A year ago, post-rock legends Mogwai released one of our Favorite Albums of 2021 with As the Love Continues. The LP had a few surprises with Stuart Braithwaite lending his voice on a track. The Scottish quartet, however, do not need to say a word for the power of their music to be felt. Their ability to craft grand, sonic adventures is only rivaled by a few bands (e.g., Explosions in the Sky), and they take us on one of their trademark cosmic journeys with “Boltfor”.
There isn’t a whole lot to say about this track. For those familiar with Mogwai’s music will know what to expect – a captivating, tranquil opening that draws us in immediately. This leads into a middle portion that is mesmerizing, like we are peering outside the car windows and watching the beautiful landscape rush by. Then the moment we’ve been waiting for arrives – a supernova-like climax that leaves us in awe, as the song bursts into a dizzying array of gauzy guitars and pulsating rhythms. It’s a ride like no other – well a ride that only Mogwai repeatedly can creating with dazzling effect.
Stuart Braithwaite (vocals, guitar), John Cummings (guitar), Barry Burns (guitar, keys), Dominic Aitchison (bass), and Martin Bulloch (drums) are Mogwai. The visualization for this song is worth watching on YouTube. Tickets to the band’s forthcoming European tour are available here.
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Iceage – “ All The Junk On The Outskirts” (Copenhagen, Denmark)
RIYL: Radiohead + Fontaines D.C. + Spoon
In the beginning, Iceage were peerless when it came to post-punk. As the genre experienced a renaissance and new, outstanding bands emerged in the past four years, the Danish quintet changed pace. Their origins remained, but they extended themselves into Brit-pop and Brit-rock. They did this with extraordinary results as heard on Seek Shelter, one of 2021’s finest LPs. The seeds for this more expansive sound, however, were planted much earlier than that. Specifically during the 2018’s Beyondless sessions (one of that year’s best albums), Iceage started to experiment. A song that didn’t make the last two albums is “All The Junk On The Outskirts”, which yesterday was unveiled for the first time. And it is awesome.
Sounding like a song that could be from Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief, the track rumbles with a bleak urgency for its entire 3.5-minute duration. This is a journey through the neighborhoods of the places we once knew but have turned into desolate dead-ends. Elias Bender Rønnenfelt’s songwriting is, as always, on the point and poignant.
“And at that moment when the poetry is too lost
Behind shuttered windows and closed doors
All you want is women and song
And pacing these four walls don’t find you none
Then the collected loneliness of the world strikes me
A finger on the doorbell at the apartment housings of defeat
All the junk on the outskirts, all those yet to emerge”
Iceage are Elias Bender Rønnenfelt (vocals/lyrics), Jakob Tvilling Pless (bass), Johan Surballe Wieth (guitar), Casper Morilla (guitar), and Dan Kjær Nielsen (drums). The single is out on Mexican Summer.
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Body Type – “The Charm” (Sydney, Australia)
RIYL: Cable Ties, Hana Vu, early Warpaint
To turn up the temperature, we head back Down Under to hear a band that has the potential to be one of Australia’s most celebrated musical exports. For starters, Body Type can rock out hard or deliver melodic yet engrossing fare. Second, they possess the attitude that they will do things their own way. Third, they’re not just singing about the usual fare, but they address more important issues, such as what it takes to succeed in 2022. If this sounds like a band from LA, then you wouldn’t be far off. Body Type, indeed, could be the Australian version of Warpaint, and their newest single, “The Charm”, is their testimony.
This snarling, melodic rocker sucks you in with the superb guitar work, the throbbing rhythms (the bass line is awesome), and Sophie McComish’s gritty lyrics. It’s a four-plus minute head-noodler that will help you garner the courage to face all the disbelievers and those who leave obstacles in your way. For Body Type, they focus on the music industry, and how the people in suits try to mould artists and bands into a specific archetype. The Sydney-based quartet, however, are having none of it, choosing instead to let their own charm speak for itself. Awesome.
Body Type are: Sophie McComish (guitar, vocals), Annabel Blackman (guitar, vocals), Georgia Wilkinson-Derums (bass, vocals), and Cecil Coleman (drums). The quartet’s new album, Everything Is Dangerous But Nothing’s Surprising, is out May 20th on Poison City Records. Pre-orders available here and on Bandcamp.
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Francie Moon – “In the Light” (New Jersey, USA)
RIYL: Shana Cleveland, Holy Motors, La Luz
We’ve admired Francie Moon mastermind Melissa Lucciola’s hard work for quite some time now. Whether it’s her home recordings from almost a decade ago to her recent records, So This Is Life and All The Same, Lucciola’s music is captivating right from the moment it hits your ears. Lucciola’s combination of garage and psych rock just kick a lot of butt and it’s exciting to hear new music from her, in the form of the latest Francie Moon single “In The Light”.
“In The Light” starts out with a pretty badass bass riff before drums join and a single guitar chord rings out. Lucciola’s voice has a layer of distortion on it, and is a perfect contrast to the smooth sounds underneath. The song picks up for the choruses, and it feels like the whole thing is swept up like a whirlwind. The song builds up to its final moments with a great little guitar solo capping things off, peaking and glitching out before it all comes to an end. It’s a great single but leaves the listener wanting more.
Luckily, Lucciola has announced that a new Francie Moon record is on its way. What Are We Really Even Doing? which will be out on June 22nd. Until then, you can check out the record’s first single, “In The Light”, available for purchase on Bandcamp via Sifter Grim.
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