Frank Turner: Haven't Been Doing So Well
The title of his upcoming ninth album,
FTHC, stands for Frank Turner Hard Core, and this advance single is one of his harder-rocking numbers.
Consequence of Sound calls it "a rousing, cathartic track capturing the emotions many people have experienced during the pandemic." Turner says "It’s been a difficult time for a lot of people and their mental health, myself included, and discussing that openly is important to me. So this is a song about anxiety and the struggles that come with that.” It ends with a good reminder not to suffer in silence: "And maybe, just maybe / I'll admit that I could use a little help."
We previously featured a couple of early singles from
Alvarado, the Nashville-based band's fourth LP and the first to be self-produced. We're dipping into it again to pull out this this rollicking track.
New Noise magazine says "there is a rawness and immediacy to
Alvarado that has never been as obvious before on any of their earlier efforts. The driving, guitar-heavy 'Side Street Shakedown' is solid proof that this is much more than just another traditional Americana band."
Love is the drug, lifting me higher, hooked on a feeling, addicted to love... Is there room for one more song comparing infatuation to intoxication? Sure, why not? "One hit / And I'm higher than I've ever been / One kiss / And I'm hooked on your medicine." The duo of Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten previously released two indie albums. They're joined by bassist Aron Kobayashi Ritch and drummer Zach CapittiFenton for this first single on the Polyvinyl label.
The new album
Good for You marks a return to the band's Indiana roots, as
NPR puts it. "The trio avoided a recording studio in favor of their longtime headquarters, a shotgun house from the 1850s, and recruited producer Brad Cook, who helped them take a less-is-more approach in those recording sessions. The result is a recharged band and a refined batch of songs." But
No Depression reports the fresh departure of bassist Zak Appleby, reducing Houndmouth to the duo of guitarist-vocalist Matt Myers and drummer Shane Cody, and describes the album as a potential farewell. It's filled with reminiscences from years of crossing the country on tour, like this song that references several cities along the way.
Coco: Last of the Loving
The members of this band kept their identities secret while releasing a few singles over the past year, wanting the music to speak for itself (or was it just to generate buzz?). With the recent release of their self-titled debut LP, we learn they are a trio of musicians from other bands: Maia Friedman (of Dirty Projectors, Uni Ika Ai), Dan Molad (of Lucius, Chimney), and Oliver Hill (of Pavo Pavo, Dustrider). This song, they say, "portrays the feelings and sentiments of a blossoming relationship.” Although it was written before the pandemic, some lines seem very timely: “The world turns and moves while you exist in a new little bubble."
