Nine more songs occupy The Matinee ’18 February 22nd. A couple of indie giants return and plenty of smaller bands that you ought to know. Anyway, let’s get to the music. Speedy Ortiz – “Lucky 88” (Boston, USA) RIYL: Veruca Salt, Hop Along, Girlpool As a band enters the “veteran” phase of their careers, they tend to dial down the […]

The artwork for Weaves‘ sophomore album is rather inconspicuous, but the Toronto-based band could easily have used the image of a middle finger. Or two, three, or four middle fingers because Wide Open is essentially a big “fuck off” record. This isn’t, however, a Taylor Swift-like LP. On the contrary, Jasmyn Burke, Morgan Waters, Spencer Cole, and Zach Bines focus their […]

It’s the last day of September, which means cooler weather, plenty of pumpkin-infused treats, and stores beginning to bombard us with holiday promotions. But you can overcome all of this with the Saturday Sampler September 30th edition. It features nine blustery songs to welcome the weekend. There’s a bit of everything, but as a whole the mini-playlist is as vibrant […]

The Matinee August 3rd heavily features North American artists, which might have to do with me returning to my old stomping grounds. It also reflects how great the new music singles are from this part of the world. Given that I’m on holidays, the descriptions are shorter, and I apologize to the artists and bands.   Annie Hart – “Hard […]

As there is so much good music being released lately, The Matinee September 20th features ten amazing, new songs. The mini-playlist features two songs from Australia, Sweden, and the USA, and one each from New Zealand, Denmark, England, and Canada.   BEATCOMBER – “Sick Breeze” (Wellington, New Zealand) RIYL: Beach Day, Beach Baby, ALVVAYS We kick things off with some […]

The Matinee September 1st rocks, rolls, and swoons with eight fantastic songs. You will recognize several of the artists and bands on the mini-playlist, but there are, of course, a couple of hidden gems. Enjoy the first day of September with this set of great new music.   Taylor Payne – “The Jungle Talks” (Adelaide/Sunshine Coast, Australia) RIYL: LP, Cloves, […]

Eight songs are shared on The Matinee August 16th edition. The artists are from the usual suspect of countries, but you will also find one surprising destination. Mongolia. You read that correctly – Mongolia. We get things started, however, with a favorite of ours.   American Wrestlers – “Give Up” (St. Louis, USA via Scotland) RIYL: The Pains of Being […]

The Saturday Sampler for July 9th has a strong nostalgic feel, buzzing with songs that echo with beauty of the ’70s and hints of the psychedelic surfer ’60s. There are, of course, some tunes that offer a contemporary approach. These ten songs offer a variety sure to make your weekend blissful. The Academic – “Mixtape 2003” (Mullingar, Ireland) RIYL: The Strokes, […]

The Matinee May 12th edition covers a variety of genres – indie rock, garage pop, electro-pop, post-punk, alt-folk, and indie folk. Sit back, relax, and spin some great new music today.   The Bay Rays – “New Home” (Kent, England) I think we need to move The Revue’s base to England because it seems we tend to share an extraordinary […]

The Matinee April 14th is another extended edition, featuring music that spans from Scotland, England, Canada, the US, and Australia. A few of the names you’ll recognize while a couple of “newcomers” crack The Matinee for the first time.   Actor – “Girls Do” (Leeds, England) Louisa Osborn – better known as Actor – has wowed us on several occasions with […]

All six artists / bands featured on The Matinee March 8th edition are all fronted by women. This wasn’t intentional, although today is International Women’s Day. It just happened. What this does tell you is how the music landscape is changing, where women artists are at the forefront in creating the best new music today. Whether it’s fist-pumping garage or […]

“Fever” is from Toronto-based, indie psych-rock band Mexican Slang. It’s a buzzy, blazing single that fits right in with their discography, which consists of several EPs released over the past three years. The highlight is the post-punk, anthemic, mind-bending roller coaster called Inside the Velvet Castle. The EP commences with the aptly named “Blisters” before mellowing out to some trippy psych-rock, highlighted by “Halycon”. Hear the […]