MUSIC

In Peach Pit's "Shampoo Bottles," Heartache Lives in Inanimate Objects

It's the new single from the Vancouver indie rock band.

Songs about heartache are as old as unrequited love itself.

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MUSIC

FKA twigs Sword Fights and Pole Dances to Purge Heartbreak in Brooklyn

At Kings Theatre, FKA twigs served crowds the most emo pole dancing music of all time.

FKA twigs

At Brooklyn's Kings Theatre, FKA twigs performed magnificent physical and vocal feats and mesmerized a massive audience with her technical acumen and emotional intensity.

During the show, she tap-danced, pole-danced, hit operatic high notes, and even demonstrated an incredible sword-fighting sequence during a musical interlude in the middle of her song "sad day." The show consisted of innumerable costume changes and intricate choreography, mirrored by four talented backup dancers and soundtracked by three impressive instrumentalists. Though she began the show solo, the dancers and musicians slowly became more and more incorporated into the act until they all moved together as a single entity, eventually ending the performance in an embrace.

Twigs was promoting her new album, Magdalene, and she fully leaned into its theatrical and biblical imagery, sporting a variety of traditional, religious, and regal costumes as well as barely-there lingerie for her pole dancing routine. Throughout it all, there was not a single misstep or missed note, but there was one underlying dissonance: How could Robert Pattinson possibly have let someone like twigs slip away? The kind of desperation in twigs' Magdalene songs also seems to be asking this very question. If I can reach such heights, and inspire such devotion from audiences, she seemed to be screaming throughout the show, why don't I do it for you?

Though undeniably impressive, the show may have been better suited to a smaller theatre. During moments of silence, audience members kept screaming and shouting up to the stage, distracting from the show. Then again, it's hard to ask an audience of that size to keep quiet, especially when witnessing someone with twigs' star power.

Perhaps aware that she wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise without someone shouting, twigs only spoke to the audience a few times, once to greet the crowd and once to ask a series of pointed questions. "How many people came here alone? How many people are single? How many people have had their hearts broken?" she asked, waiting for hands to raise between each question, laughing at the enthusiasm of New York City's affirmative responses. "Well, I have."

It was a moment of rare intimacy and rawness which reminded the crowd that, in spite of her superhuman physical and artistic abilities, twigs struggles as much as the rest of us with matters of the heart.

FKA twigs - Cellophanewww.youtube.com

MUSIC

Newcomer Terez Considers Heartbreak in "La. La. La." Video

The Canadian pop artist's debut single has a new music video, a sweet companion to her breakup track.

Terez debuted her first single "La. La. La." earlier this summer, and her new music video is a dreamy reminder of her burgeoning talent.

The Canadian artist's first release exists somewhere between bubblegum-pop and a modern-R&B sound, melting a trap drum into her light vocals. It's a perfect fit for the dreaminess of the video: designated as a "visualizer," it's a collection of images set against the same shade of pink as Terez's hair color. She dismissively pushes a set of Polaroids off a table, gingerly picks up a wine glass, moves slowly to the music balanced precariously on a file cabinet; all of these smaller moments are broken up by her melancholy gazes into the camera. The video loops as the song goes on, providing an interesting visual rhythm.

To have Terez tell it herself, the video "touches on the heaviness of any break up - wine, tissues, old photographs, and all the tears that come along with it." These moments, the video for "La. La. La." itself, underline the least-sung but most relatable parts of heartbreak: the small motions Terez takes, the little pieces she picks up in her attempt to move on.

Follow Terez on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

MUSIC

Artist, Author, and Comedian Anna Akana Is Now a Bonafide Musician

The internet star talks debut album, new single, and her transition into the music scene.

Anna Akana is no stranger to fame.

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MUSIC

Ryélle Grapples with Heartbreak in "Last Call" Music Video

The R&B singer struggles with love and lack of closure in her latest music video.

After the successful release of her 2018 single "Swim," R&B singer-songwriter Ryélle is back to share a cautionary tale of love and heartbreak in her latest music video for her song "Last Call."

The single, which is heavily inspired by Drake's "Marvin's Room," tells the story of a drunken lover trying to reach their significant other to no avail. "This song was actually written over three years ago, but the storyline is pretty timeless," said the singer. "Every girl can relate to this and the frustration of dealing with a guy who is just not good for them."

The video begins with a subtle fade in on Ryélle and her lover eating together at a long wooden table. Viewers then come to realize that this is an emotionally charged memory for the singer, as she begins to sing about her former love and how the tear stains in her clothes won't come out. Despite her best efforts to ease her pain with alcohol and quick dalliances, she still finds herself giving her ex a "last call." Ryélle's signature smooth and sultry vocals take an especially emotive turn to deliver lyrics like, "They say not to mix love and liquor, but I've had both."

"The video was easy to come up with since the song tells its own story," said Ryélle. "We shot for 16 hours straight, overnight at that! But not by choice. We got kicked out of our first location and spent hours looking for a new one. In the end, it worked out and I'm very pleased with how we told the story. I hope this song can serve as a strength to anyone in a similar situation."

The visuals display Ryélle's vulnerability as she grapples with the need for closure and her yearning to be closer to the object of her affection. The video concludes with an open-ended shot of the singer lying in bed with her ex before fading to black.

Check out Ryélle's latest music video "Last Call" below!

New Releases

Coyote Eyes Releases 'Rain'

The LA songstress combines her haunting voice with powerful lyricism.

Shervin Lainez

Press Photo

Coyote Eyes, a.k.a. Jo Eubanks, is a singer, songwriter, and poet from New York City. She began training as a classical singer at age 11 and was dubbed a "young Sylvia Plath" by age 16 for her jarring poetry and memoir pieces.


Her premiere release, "Rain," mixes haunting vocals, evocative lyrics, and hypnotic beats to create a tragic and seductive soundscape. The singer says the song was born from a moment of deep sadness: "I wrote 'Rain' at 5am on one of those rare rainy mornings in LA. My Great Love had left me and I walked through the world like a zombie. For months. It was as I'd imagine coming off of heroin would be like: I would shake and cry and sweat and throw up and pass out and do it all over again. To this day I've never felt heartbreak – or love – like that. One day I turned over in bed next to my new lover and it just hit me – this emptiness, this hollowness. I grabbed a pen and listened to the rain. I would write a line then repeat to myself 'I can't do this,' then write another line and say it again."

Shervin LainezPress Photo

The song is reminiscent of a softer Evanescence or perhaps a darker Alanis Morissette, with powerful female vocals combined with lyrics about heartbreak and self empowerment.

But the world almost never got the chance to hear "Rain." Eubanks said, "I never intended on releasing this song. I never intended on recording it! It is truly one of the most private and vulnerable pieces of my soul and I intended on it remaining that way. But from that first moment in the studio with my producer I AM SNOW ANGEL (Julie Kathryn), I knew there was no going back. Julie is a trusted mentor and friend, and bringing this song to life with her was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life."

She learned an important lesson from the creation of "Rain", a lesson she hopes fans will take to heart. "When you feel something, get it out. Write it, paint it, sing it, play it. All too often we, myself included, run away from uncomfortable feelings and events. As hard as it is, that's where the magic, and the healing, begins."

For more from Coyote Eyes, follow her on Facebook, Soundcloud, or visit her Website.


Brooke Ivey Johnson is a Brooklyn based writer, playwright, and human woman. To read more of her work visit her blog or follow her twitter @BrookeIJohnson.



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