The Matinee ’22 v. 064, or Part II of our doubleheader for May 16th, offers another grand selection of new music, featuring a few new names and the return of one of indie’s most influential bands. Oh, each song features some stellar songwriting, which goes without saying.
Part one can be found here. As always, these tracks are included on the Songs of May Playlist. It is available on SoundCloud and Spotify.
Miss Nöyd – “Run, Run, Run (Leaving The Village)” (Berlin, Germany via Lofoten Islands, Norway)
RIYL: Cat Power, OkayKaya, Mary Lattimore
Tour around any town or city, and one is bound to encounter a great songwriter. All that are required from us are time and an open mind. If we stopped for ten minutes to listen to the performer on the street or in the little corner café ten minutes, we just might be listening to the next Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan, Angel Olsen or Father John Misty, or Cat Power or Destroyer. We just might be listening to a future star like Bente Kristine Lorentzen and her project Miss Nöyd.
The Norwegian-born, Berlin-based artist is a throwback. She is a storyteller first and foremost, who conceives of grand tales that take multiple songs to communicate. Or in the case of Leaving the Village, an entire EP. The mini-album’s four songs are part autobiographical and part sociological, as she examines how life in a small, isolated village affects its young citizens. Its centerpiece is “Run, Run, Run (Leaving the Village)”, on which she describes one young girl’s desire to escape.
Beautifully and hauntingly melancholic, the protagonist’s pain and hopes can be felt in every little patter of the drums, pluck of the mournful steel guitar, and Lorentzen’s striking, jazz bar-worthy vocal. She describes how her mother “is drunk at the local store” while no one pays attention to “who bruises you and everybody is calling you, Gypsy or Gay”. This place is not home. It is a prison, and all she can do is wish that one day she can get away.
Brilliant.
Leaving the Village is out now on Westergaard Records. Listen to the EP at these links or head directly to Bandcamp to pick it up.
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Lauran Hibberd – “Step Mum” (Isle of Wight, England)
RIYL: Sidney Gish, Wallice, Oceanator
Lauran Hibberd’s upcoming record, Garageband Superstar, is one of our most anticipated records of this year. It’s easy to hear why when you go back and check out what we’ve said about her previous singles. We’ve been captivated by her fun, smart, and super creative music, and all these qualities ring loudly on “Step Mum”.
Like everything we’ve heard from Hibberd so far, “Step Mum” is an absolute blast to listen to. The track flashes by with its short runtime, but it also leaves quite a lasting impression. Bouncy guitar chords start things out, and killer guitar riffs define the whole song. Hibberd’s voice entangles itself with guitar distortion, and it adds even more to the song’s fun edge. The lyrics are just as energetic as the music, as Hibberd sings about jumping around the living room and disowning a needy step mum. There’s a millennial energy that radiates throughout the single, and it wouldn’t feel out of place either on either an early-’00s comedy or Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack. And that’s a big compliment to Hibberd!
Garageband Superstar is scheduled to drop August 19th via Virgin Music. Pre-order it here.
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Rosie Carney – “tidal wave” (London via Hampshire, England)
RIYL: Siv Jakobsen, Madi Diaz, Tiny Ruins
It’s no secret we’ve dug Rosie Carney‘s music for years. We’ve been drawn in by her sound and powerful lyricism that tend to stick with anyone who hears one of her songs. Carney is gearing up to release her sophomore record, i wanna feel happy, in a couple of weeks, and the tracks she’s released so far, “dad” and “break the ground”, don’t stray too far from what makes her such a promising young songwriter.
The most impactful song so far from the record may be its latest single, “tidal wave”. Gently strummed acoustic underlines Carney’s lyrics, which cut as deep as ever. Carney describes the number as being about abandonment issues. The lyrics paint those moments of uncertainty, of pain, as Carney watches someone she loves drift away, and the tears that accompany those moments. Each time the chorus comes around, the lyrics change just enough to mirror the growing distance in the relationship. It’s among Carney’s most striking and heart-wrenching songs, and that’s saying a lot.
“The water is high and I’m getting older
And I thought by now that I would be stronger
But I cry when the lights go out
Yeah, I cry though my tears run out”
The single is taken from Carney’s sophomore album, i wanna feel happy. It will be released May 27th on Color Study.
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Hazlett – “Even If It’s Lonely” (Stockholm, Sweden via Brisbane, Australia)
RIYL: S. Carey, Haux, Nilüfer Yanya
As we slowly put the pandemic behind us, we get to reunite with the people we have not seen for years. These two-plus years, however, have reminded us just how important our family and friends are, and that we should not take for granted the time we have with them. As we have personally learned the past ten days, the time we do have should be cherished. Offering the perfect song for these moments is Hazlett, who is a name to not forget.
With the support of Nettwerk Music Group, the Brisbane-born, Stockholm-based artist will be heard for a long time. With a folktronica approach that resides between S. Carey and Haux and a voice as tender and endearing as these two, his music will leave a long-lasting impact. His songs, like “Even If It’s Lonely”, for instance, belong on TV shows, film soundtracks, and commercials.
Hazlett’s latest single would be perfect on the final episode of This Is Us, where the Pearson siblings gather together around their dying mother, Rebecca, and say not goodbye but see you later. The episode will be a tear-jerker, yet it also be one of celebration of a great life. It will be a celebration of “one love” that they hold. We, too, can experience these feelings with our own loved ones, holding on to each other tightly, listening intently to every word, and saying the appropriate things at the right time. All the while having Hazlett providing the soundtrack to the moment.
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Death Cab for Cutie – “Roman Candles” (Seattle, USA)
RIYL: Death Cab for Cutie
During the pandemic, Ben Gibbard performed several free, Instagram-live shows where he covered popular songs and offered acoustic versions of Death Cab for Cutie‘s most popular tunes. He, Nick Harmer, Jason McGerr, Dave Depper, and Zac Rae also were busy preparing the famed indie band’s tenth LP, and at the end of last week they shared the first single from Asphalt Meadows.
While a conclusion cannot be drawn from one single, “Roman Candles” signals the influential band returning more to the rock side as heard on Kitsugi. The track brims with an edgy desperation, highlighted by the pulsating rhythms and the searing keys. The arrangement gradually builds and intensifies, as an over-electrified guitar emerges and the percussion turns militaristic. Gibbard’s trademark vocal, too, is drenched with urgency, as he sounds like a man who has been alone for too long. The images he paints with his words are masterful, as he shares his experience of watching people fade away while he’s stuck in a place faraway.
“I used to feel everything like a flame
but now it’s a struggle just to feel anything
I watch the world from a window on a hill
everyone moving as I’m standing still
But I am learning to let go
of everything I tried to hold
Too long ‘cause they all explode
like Roman candles”
Pre-saves and pre-orders of Asphalt Meadows ahead of its September 16th release are available at these links and on Bandcamp. Atlantic Records will distribute it.
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Dune Rats – “Melted Into Two” (Brisbane, Australia)
RIYL: DZ Deathrays, Wavves, Twin Peaks
Australia has no shortage of flamboyant and exuberant bands. But like their famous singer-songwriter counterparts, outfits like King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, POND, and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets also have front-people who excel in the songwriting category. Dune Rats, too, sit comfortably under both categories, as Danny Beus (lead vocals, guitar), BC Michael Marks (drums, backing vocals), and Brett Jansch (bass) can simultaneously appeal to the beach partygoers and the songwriting enthusiasts. As proof of their talents, they share a unique take of romance with “Melted Into Two”.
Usually a rambunctious garage-rocker isn’t the canvas by which a love story is told, yet Dune Rats do just that. The song is an ear-worm through and through with the threesome laying down sugary notes with their instruments. Meanwhile, they holler in unison to tell the story of two people who have a natural chemistry. Now this is the Dune Rats, so there are not lovey dovey moments. Au contraire, their tale is one of accidental love and how a night looking for a buzz led to a spark. Kind of sounds like a tale straight out of Byron Bay.
“Our heads got so messed up they melt in two
Melted into two
Your wide eyes sewn right shut, I can’t see you
I can’t see you too
Our heads got so messed up they melt in two
Melted into two
Your wide eyes sewn right shut, I can’t see you
I can’t see you too”
The trio’s new album, Real Rare Whale!, on June 24th. Pre-orders are available here.
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iamamiwhoami – “Changes” (Stockholm, Sweden)
RIYL: I Break Horses, Kelly Lee Owens, Bat For Lashes
It seems wild to say this considering they haven’t released a record since 2014, but it’s been almost impossible to keep up with what iamamiwhoami has been releasing lately. Seemingly every few days a new single pops up, whether it’s the stark and stunning “A Thousand Years” or the lush “Flying or Falling”. Jonna Lee, consequently, has more than made up for her project’s long silence. During that time, Lee worked under a new project, ionnalee, but hearing news that a new iamamiwhoami audiovisual album, Be Here Soon, was on its way felt a long time coming.
One of the recent singles released by iamamiwhoami is “Changes”. It’s a song that wears a lot of the early sound of the project quite proudly. Not only are there nostalgic tones, but the track also shouts out some of Lee’s influences. There are references to Fleetwood Mac and Springsteen, and the title is derived from a David Bowie track, which, too, is referenced in the lyrics. “Changes” is a superb reminder of Lee’s genius, as even with a minimalistic approach she invites us into an intoxicating yet vulnerable place.
Pre-orders for Be Here Soon are available on iamamiwhoami’s website and Bandcamp. It drops June 3rd. Stream the already released videos via this YouTube playlist.
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