Straight out of Chino Hills, California comes fakelife, AKA Matt Couchois, with the release of his new EP, Fall Behind, via Wax Ltd.
Teeming with retro '80s pop flavors, Fall Behind offers five tracks. Entry points include the kaleidoscopic "Your Love Is a Flood, the low-slung EDM of "Drugs All Night," and the shimmering synths and wavering piano of "Life Again," which Couchois describes by saying: "I wanted to convey the feeling after a good cry where you feel washed clean."
Since her song "Say So" blew up thanks to a viral TikTok dance challenge, Doja Cat has gone from a cult favorite to one of the most promising voices rising in pop today.
The 24-year-old rapper—who first rose to prominence with the meme-ready "Mooo!" back in 2018—just released the '70s-inspired video for "Say So," which pays homage to the hundreds of thousands of TikToks that helped spawn the hit. As Doja sports a rotation of disco-ready ensembles and a feathered hairdo that'd give Farah Fawcett a run for her money, the retro clip feels perfectly in line with "Say So"'s throwback groove.
About midway through, Doja and her army of backup performers do the dance routine that's been recreated time and time again on TikTok. By the video's end, Doja hits a dance floor that looks straight out of Saturday Night Fever, joined by an equally-stylish posse that includes TikToker Haley Sharpe, who first created the dance routine. Doja has already shown her appreciation for trends from the past—last year's "Tia Tamera" visually transported viewers to an outrageous late-'90s wonderland—but the music video for "Say So" feels like a rightful full-circle moment in pop culture.
Brooklyn-based indie foursome Plastic Picnic continue to share their deep reflections on the intricacies of life with their latest single "After You."
The single is the first off their sophomore EP, Vistalite, out July 19th. The song beautifully blends together celestial, retro-pop synth themes with introspective lyrical writing. Crafted with the help of Sub Pop staple and producer Trevor Spencer (Father John Misty, Fleet Foxes), "After You" sets the tone for what fans can expect from the band's upcoming project.
"After You" begins with an exhilarating and dreamy synth intro that immediately catapults listeners into a sonorous blanket of warm and inviting guitar riffs, steady bass lines, and tenacious percussion. Lead singer Emile Panerio's emotive voice leads listeners on a journey through complex feelings, allowing us to embrace the quartet's developed soundscapes.
Compared to songs found on their 2017 self-titled debut EP, there's an exponential leap not only in sonic direction, but also in lyrical exploration of more mature ideas. According to the band, "'After You' alternates between hope and crippling fear of change. It's a song about seeing the road you're on while also looking out at the paths or exits spread before you. It embraces the exhilaration of leaning into the unknown and asking yourself if you should take that leap."
The band shared that "After You" grew out of a series of demos that they recorded in their bedrooms: "We were inspired by a friend's home studio and wanted to try a similar method ourselves."
"Rather than composing live together in our practice space, we recorded at home as we wrote, adding one instrument at a time. This let everyone focus more on each other's parts and give each new piece space to breathe," said Panerio. "It also gave us time to test out multiple ideas and directions before recreating the song in a full-band setting...There were a lot of ideas that didn't make the final cut, but even if they didn't stick, the song is stronger for having tried them out."
Plastic Picnic will release Vistalite on July 19th. The EP vinyl is available for preorder now and includes the vinyl exclusive "Golden Days."
Sports Coach, the lo-fi synth wave project of Boston native Thatcher May, continues to produce engaging and reflective tracks and beautiful, retro-inspired visuals.
The visual for his latest release, "One For Feinberg," begins with scenes of a sunny California beach intercut with clips of waves, clear skies, and birds in flight. The idyllic locations we are shown match May's signature warm synth tones, which are utilized using analog equipment and tape recording techniques.
"This whole album that I'm putting out...with these tunes I would just wait until I was really inspired and then I would just knock them out," said Thatcher. "With this track, in particular, I wanted to keep it as minimal and as simple as possible so that it can be completely natural and I wouldn't overthink it."
The Blanco Pages directed video continues with scenes of Thatcher enjoying a day at the beach with his girlfriend and dog. The slice of life home video feel of the visual successfully ties together the track's carefree and affectionate mood, without taking away from Thatcher's poignant lyrics, especially on lines like, "If I wander off, I'll find it this time."
According to the singer, using Super 8 film to make the video is the visual equivalent of his choice to never pass his music through a computer unless it's ready to be shared on the Internet. "All the music is made on tapes and I think it fits and it embraces the vintage aspects of things. We went to our favorite spots that we go to every day and we wanted it to be a natural thing that reflected this time in our lives."
Sports Coach's upcoming album, Sports Spirits, is a collection of 12 tunes that will be released by Spirit Goth Records on June 21st. It will be available on limited edition vinyl and cassette tape formats.
Check out Sports Coach's "One For Feinburg" music video below!
Emergency Tiara is not your everyday New York pop ensemble.
Just one listen to their latest single, the retro and catchy gem, "Lighthouse," will make that immediately clear. The band's front-woman, Juri, agreed to answer a few questions about the group's sound, vision, and influences. If you are unfamiliar with Emergency Tiara, it is high time to change that.
So, the first (and obvious) question I have to ask: what is the story behind the name, Emergency Tiara?
I want everyone to get the chance to have a moment where they're released from their daily stresses and acknowledge how special they are individually. So place a tiara on your head and remember that you're a beautiful one and feel like a prince or princess.
Your new single, "Lighthouse," manages to emulate a quality of sound that has been lost to modern recording capabilities, both in some of the backing track and the vocals. How do you manage to resurrect this quality?
One of the many things the ET family (including myself) love and enjoy is live instruments and live recordings. And big thanks to my super talented ET fam! We managed to record "Lighthouse" with all live instruments using vintage microphones. Background vocals are provided by my dear friend, Darcy Callus, another uber-talented musician that I get to work with! We actually used the demo he sent us as a guideline for me to re-record the parts, 'cause he sounded so good!!!
What initially led you to gravitate toward the old-time classics and doo-wop influences that seem to have influenced your signature sound?
I always loved standards and still listen to them a lot. Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Peggy Lee have always been my Idols, so I think the influences are coming from there.
Are there any contemporary artists that you greatly admire or draw influence from?
Yes of course! I love Janelle Monae, Solange, and Lizzo! All the beautiful and strong lady artists!!!
What do you hope to accomplish with your music? What do you hope people get when they listen to you?
Happy and empowered! I hope my music helps everyone to remember how important they are to the world!
Dustin DiPaulo is a writer and musician from Rochester, New York. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from Florida Atlantic University and can most likely be found at a local concert, dive bar, or comedy club (if he's not getting lost somewhere in the woods).
Meet All The Rest, who premiere their new single "Sleeping With The Lights On."
Made up of four best friends who got together in a basement in Senoia, Georgia, a town famous as the filming location of The Walking Dead, All The Rest is comprised of Caleb Smith (vocals, guitar), Baylee Waller (vocals, guitar), Jud Harris (drums), and Tre Housman (bass).
Talking about the inspiration for the song, vocalist Baylee Waller says, "Being alone is a concept we can't escape in life. While some of us can manage, everyone else seems to go mad trying to escape loneliness. Personally, I like to BE alone, but I don't like to FEEL alone. At least that's the mindset that shaped what is now 'Sleeping With The Lights On.' It's somewhat of a cry for help that you don't want answered ... but you do."
In 2018, the band's single, "Waste My Money," hit the top spot on HypeM's chart. "Sleeping With The Lights On" is their first release of 2019, perfectly embodying the band's contagious sound, a blend of '80s retro with luxe modern electro-pop.
"Sleeping With The Lights On" opens on surfacing synths and filtered vocals flowing into a potent measured electro-pop groove. The nostalgia-laden background vocals are accompanied by radiant harmonies infusing the tune with a gleaming wall-of-sound. Waller's voice is rich and persuasive.
Retro filaments lend a distinctive ambiance, suffusing the music with nuances of uneasiness and lonely solitude.
Alluring suggestions of isolation traveling on buttery savors and strident urgency make "Sleeping With The Lights On" hypnotic.
Randy Radic is a Left Coast author and writer. Author of numerous true crime books written under the pen-name of John Lee Brook. Former music contributor at Huff Post.
