I Don’t Know How But They Found Me “Choke”
Feels a little bit like cheating ‘cause I know I just featured I Don’t Know How But They Found Me a short while ago…but I’m so very excited to see them actually getting some REAL airplay on alt radio. “Choke” is a cheerfully twisted “F-U” song that I could totally hear being sung by My Chemical Romance… although maybe not quite as brilliantly as IDKHow delivers it. Glam rock meets goth. Put this one in your repertoire to pull out the next time you really need to tell someone off (with a smile). From the EP ‘1981 Extended Play’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v64-DpcLEvI
Mallrat “Groceries”
Grace Shaw, a 19-year old Aussie from Brisbane (better known to her fans as “Mallrat”) is charming listeners with a song from her EP “In The Sky” that depicts grocery shopping as a quaint metaphor for enduring love. The dreamy electro-pop tune has a sweet simplicity and depicts the inconvenient feeling of being caught between the ideal of a lasting commitment and wanting to remain independent. Her seemingly effortless alliteration tickles the ear just enough to make the tune instantly memorable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssFgYNn0BUA
Parker Bossley “Lifted”
Fascinated by this video. I think it’s partly because I can’t stop thinking that Parker Bossley looks like the androgynous love child of Scott Weiland and John Waite…but never mind. Parker is no stranger to fans of Canadian indie rock, being a sought-after session bassist and talented singer/songwriter who has been a member of several popular bands, including Hot Hot Heat and Gay Nineties. The song “Lifted” is a “shimmery glam pop-rock tune” that keeps threatening to crack the US charts. Just when you think it’s slipped away, it resurfaces. Likewise, I seem to keep being drawn back to it again and again. I’m kinda rooting for this one…I’d like to see more future solo endeavours from Parker Bossley. https://youtu.be/KLuo8WgXYl4
Half Alive “Still Feel”
The Long Beach, California based band Half Alive [aka half.alive] got its start in 2016, and released their debut EP “3” in 2017. The single “Still Feel” was released in mid-2018, but just hit the charts in 2019. The song has gotten a lot of attention due to its simple but clever video, incorporating intricate choreography [but is it dancing…?] and multiple costume changes in virtually a single take. The video was directed and edited by Josh Taylor, who is also the band’s obviously multi-talented singer-songwriter – not least of all for proving that it’s still quite possible to create an impressive video on a relatively small budget. Visuals aside though, the song is a groovy and familiar-feeling little masterpiece of funk-pop that leaves me eager to hear more from this band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOOhPfMbuIQ
Feet “English Weather”
Hot tip for Britpop fans here in the US! The versatile Coventry-based quintet known as Feet may be relatively new to the scene, but the band is already garnering some solid buzz, and being hailed as “Britpop for the next generation”. Feet deliver a dose of quintessential wry British sarcasm/humor in “English Weather”, a catchy indie-nostalgia* tune that will keep you coming back for more. Their full-length debut album is due out later this year. Fans of Britpop will definitely want to check this one out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFKCxZXnceQ
*I believe this emerging genre refers to the plethora of alternative/indie bands putting out songs with heavy “retro” throwback to the sounds of the 60s-80s, something I’ve been noticing for quite a while. Being from those eras, it’s a trend that I both approve of and thoroughly enjoy! 😊
Mental Jukebox 