The Matinee ’22 v. 073 is a full house of outstanding music, ranging from epic, cinematic numbers to explosive, cathartic, and propulsive tracks. They all will leave you in a daze.
For your weekend listening pleasure, spin the Songs of June playlist on Spotify and SoundCloud.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” (feat. Perfume Genius) (Brooklyn, USA)
RIYL: epic, cinematic, synth-driven songs
It’s been so long since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released new music that we have not even covered any of their singles – nine years! It’s always interesting to hear what a band will sound like after re-emerging after almost a decade especially paired with the unpredictability of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Each record has been completely different from one another, and it seems like whatever is cooking next will follow that trend.
Their first single since 2013 is “Spitting Off the Edge of the World”. The trio of Karen O, Nick Zinner, and Brian Chase are joined by a perfect guest, Perfume Genius. The result is a lush and dreamy cinematic ride with fantastic synths. Karen O’s vocal performance is just as impactful as anything in the trio’s discography, whether it’s booming over deep synth or delicately floating over the song’s quieter moments. Paired with Mike Hadreas’ distinctive voice and vocal delivery, “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” is special. Its lyrics are a mirror to what’s happening in the world today, presented in only a way the Yeah Yeah Yeahs can.
“Mama what have you done
I trace your steps
In the darkness of one
Am I what’s left
Silver lines whisper to me
Wounded arms must carry the load”
View the video on YouTube. Afterwards, pre-order the band’s new album, Cool It Down, at these links and on Bandcamp ahead of its September 30th date. Secretly Canadian will release it.
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Beacon – “Until Next Time” (Brooklyn, USA)
RIYL: if you want to experience existentialism
Another band that long has been on our radar – but whose music we have shared – are Beacon. Thomas Mullarney III and Jacob Gossett first took our breaths away on a cold December day in 2015 when they shared “Preserve”, and they have since made us feel like we have been levitating through the stars. Their music is pure magic, as how else would one describe experiences that are existential in their quality? The duo display all their tricks on “Until Next Time”.
Like the brilliant amalgamation of M83’s interstellar epics and Cigarettes After Sex’s unbridled intimacy, Mullarney and Gossett’s newest single is simply beautiful. It is an exhibition of how simplicity can still be breathtaking and cinematic, but it takes two incredible composers to execute such grandiose art. They achieve this without massive effects nor explosive moments. They instead rely on patience and the sincerity heard in Mullarney’s soft vocal to create the intended effects of feeling lost in oblivion.
“My face to the glass
The darkness calls
With both hands I dig
Back to the core
No sea’s too far
That I won’t go
Bring embers for you
We’re better off lost”
The single is out on the band’s long-time label, Ghostly. View the cinematic video on YouTube.
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Wy – “High Score” (Malmö, Sweden)
RIYL: a song made for the ending of a great ’90s coming-of-age film
Few bands have ever released an album as powerful as Wy’s Marriage. Their third record was an emotional one, and it was told from the perspective of married couple Ebba and Michel Gustafsson Ågren. It’s not a record about the celebrations, but about how connections between two people can change after exchanging their vows as well as how a relationship can strengthen in even the hardest of times. It’s a record that still feels fresh, and that’s why we’re grateful to hear Wy are releasing a new EP June 17th called Something Amazing. The duo have already shared “Teeth”, a dreamy yet gritty number that is full of heart, emotion, and sincerity.
The newest single off Something Amazing is the fantastic “High Score”. There’s some wonderful guitar throughout, and an infectious drumbeat driving everything. Ebba’s voice paints vividly on that backdrop with its power. The biggest moment is right before the song reaches its end, as Ebba’s voice is drenched in reverb and reaches some incredible heights. Meanwhile, the hypnotic drumbeat gets consumed by a huge wall of sound. In the song’s description, Wy talk about “catharsis”, and, especially in those closing moments, few songs feel more cathartic.
The duo’s new EP, Something Amazing, will be released June 17th on Rama Lama Records. Pre-order it on the Bandcamp.
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AFTER LONDON – “Hurricane” (London & Hampshire, England)
RIYL: gritty, grunge-inflicted, Gothic rockers
In their more than half-decade as AFTER LONDON, siblings Frankie, Byron, and Will Ward plus Jake Palmer and Alex Tiffany have oscillated between under-the-radar gem to a band on the cusp of major things. Regular 9-to-5 jobs and the responsibilities of adulthood have slowed the English alt-rock outfit’s musical productivity, but that might change this year with the band having a few songs in the hopper. One of them is “Hurricane”.
This gloomy number is made for the dimly-lit back alleys of every English city and town. Like walking down these laneways, each second seems to last twice as long, every sound is magnified, and we feel like we’ve lingered way too long in these places. Here, the tingly bass line creeps up our back like a black widow spider, the stuttering percussion are the raindrops falling over head, and the seizing guitars are the flashes of lightning illuminating the pitch-black sky. For Frankie, this dead-end alley is technology, where we continue to return time and time again despite knowing how it intensifies our anxieties while taking away our souls.
If AFTER LONDON continue to deliver such great songs, they’ll soon be devouring more souls in the process. Roadkill Records will help them achieve their objective.
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Viagra Boys – “Punk Rock Loser” (Stockholm, Sweden)
RIYL: those who want to laugh and line dance like a punk kid at the same time
If we had to describe Swedish collective Viagra Boys with just a single word, it would be “fun”. Sebastian Murphy, Oskar Carls, Henrik Höckert, Tor Sjödén, and Elias Jungqvist, of course, are more than just that, as they also write songs that chronicle the world’s gradual demise. They revealed all their traits on the feverish and rambunctious “Troglodyte”, while on “Punk Rock Loser” they add humor to their amusing sound.
This tune could be considered the sequel to Beck’s “Loser” but performed to a country-tinged, punk rock vibe. It’s surprisingly groovy yet trippy, whimsical but outrageously entertaining. As such, the track could kick start a country line dance in a grimy punk bar (or at the OK Corral like shone in the video). We’re not quite sure if the song concerns a specific individual or maybe even one of the band members, but this character is Mr. Bean who acts like he is John Wayne.
“I’m drenched in sweat
When I wake up, need to hang up my sheets
Pour up a beer and walk out with my shoes on my feet
And I don’t need nobody tell me how to dress
I look in the mirror saying, “Man, you’re the best”
And I’m sorry, honey, but I gotta confess
Don’t give a fuck about you, I could really care less
I ain’t your average, normal dude
It sure ain’t glamorous, but I keep things loose
I ain’t your average, punk rock loser
Yeah, I’m a savage, I’m really cool”
We agree that this band is cool. Their new album, Cave World, should also be super awesome. It can be pre-ordered at these links ahead of its July 8th release date. Year0001 has the honors.
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Florist – “Sci-Fi Silence” (Brooklyn, USA)
RIYL: for those who wish to descend deep into the spatial rabbit hole
The music of Florist has always been personal for Emily Sprague. Her last album was the most introspective of all, a solo effort for Sprague after the loss of her mother. The next record for Sprague is named simply Florist, and it features the full band: Sprague, Jonnie Baker, Rick Spataro (Onlyness), and Felix Walworth (Told Slant). From that LP, they’ve shared the stunning pair of “Red Bird Part 2 (Morning)” and “Spring in Hours”. Both feature the band’s trademark warmth and picturesque sound.
On their latest single, “Sci-Fi Silence”, Sprague takes Florist’s typically Earthly folk sound and brings it into space. It’s not exactly an electric track, but it’s one that has a more atmospheric take on Florist’s usual use of synths and keys. There are some wonderfully layered sounds, including some parts played in reverse that creates an intergalactic feeling. Space is part of the intent behind the single, not the sci-fi kind hinted at the title but “the mystical forces that attract us to one another and the spaces in-between words that can hold profound communications” as Sprague puts it. It’s all wonderfully assembled while Sprague sings over gently finger-plucked guitar, which is occasionally accompanied by gorgeous harmonies from Spataro and Walworth.
Florist is due July 29th via Double Double Whammy. Pre-orders available at the label’s store and on Bandcamp.
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De’Wayne – “Good Mood” (feat. grandson) (Los Angeles via Spring, TX, USA)
RIYL: furious alt-rock that unabashedly tackles
When we were first introduced to De’Wayne some four years ago, he went by his full name, De’Wayne Jackson. He blew us away with his hard-hitting lyrics on “Top Man”, which addressed how racism existed in every corner of the planet. At the time, he was moving into the rock spectrum after spending much of his formative years and early musical career in rap, and he’s remained in this arena. In the process, he’s filled the gap that Rage Against the Machine left, and he cements his place with his latest number.
With late-’70s punk-rock undertones and late-’00s electro-rock fireworks, Jackson with the support of grandson delivers an in-your-face banger with “Good Mood”. As whirling guitars and explosive rhythms spin in the air, the trio deliver powerful lyrics for 2.5 minutes. It is part a tale of finding one’s way out of their personal darkness and another about confronting the oppressors of our world. Various images emerge from the vivid songwriting, including in the opening two refrains:
“Let your nails in my back be the same in my coffin
We up all night cuz the games are exhausting
Gone now I’m back tell me more what you were talking
I’m a dead man walking
BANG DOWN THE DOOR
WHEN THEY SHOOT
GET ON THE FLOOR
AND DON’T MOVE
and if you make it ok
you were lucky
I was iN a GOOD MOOD TODAY”
Jackson’s new album, STAINS, is out June 18th via Hopeless Records. He kicks off his tour this Sunday with information and dates available on his website.
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Jaguar Jonze – “Swallow” (Brisbane, Australia via Yokohama, Japan)
RIYL: boisterous, arena-sized rock that is the anthem for the oppressed
Those who followed this space know that Deena Lynch’s project Jaguar Jonze has been covered several times. You also will know her as a survivor, which she has told in her songs and, therefore, adding an extra heft to them. Today, much of her story is told on Bunny Mode, which is her electrifying and powerful debut album. The LP is filled with heavy bangers, and one of the highlights is “Swallow”.
Right off the start, the song explodes, revealing Lynch’s usual cathartic and fiery approach. And the song only builds from them, as the lead guitar goes into overdrive while the rhythms calmly pulse to help keep us anchored. They are not that successful because Lynch’s voice erupts. She yet again is confronting the people who manipulated, abused, and used her. This is her anthem of self-empowerment, where she no longer will do things just to appease others and have them feel good about themselves. The time belongs to Jaguar Jonze, and it is her hour to shine.
Bunny Mode is out via Nettwerk Music Group. Spin it on your preferred streaming service.
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San Fermin – “Tired of Loving You” (Brooklyn, USA)
RIYL: dreamy, heartbreaking ballads told with soul, immediacy, and intelligence
San Fermin did not become one of indie’s most celebrated collectives by playing it safe. On the contrary, they always have sought ways to push the envelope. Earlier in their careers, the focus was creating full-on, multi-sensory experiences, combining the symphony with pop and rock. Alongside the standard guitar, bass, drums, and keys resided violin, cello, saxophone, trumpet, and whoever else might be available. The composition of the San Fermin, as such, constantly evolved, where there may be just four performers to as many as a baker’s dozen.
The one constant, though, is Ellis Ludwig-Leone, the lead composer, conductor, and orchestrator. While he’s composing melodies, the songwriting often involves his collaborator, vocalist and producer Allen Tate. This partnership has resulted in spectacular songs, including “Tired of Loving You”.
At first, the song comes across as a very tender and endearing number with the soft percussion, string echoes, stirring piano, and Tate’s embracing vocal. In typical San Fermin fashion, the track builds to a chest-swelling point, at which time the conflict within Tate’s heart is revealed. The song is not so much about love but coming to terms with not being in love anymore. This realization can be even more heartbreaking than saying goodbye, and Tate beautifully tells it like a grandmaster storyteller.
“It’s a storm I didn’t forecast
On an evening on the beach
It’s the quicksand at the party
And I can’t move my feet
I wish you’d try to use me
Do it quick and make it soon
Don’t know why I’m tired of loving you”
San Fermin are: Ellis Ludwig-Leone (keyboard/composer), Allen Tate (vocals), Claire Wellin (vocals), John Brandon (trumpet), Stephen Chen (saxophone), Tyler McDiarmid (guitar), Aki Ishiguro (guitar), and Michael Hanf (drums).
The single is out on the band’s own Better Company Records.
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