Coma Regalia – “Another Year In Hell” (Split)

From the inbox:

“‘Another Year in Hell’ is a commentary on the crushing realities of the pandemic as well as a testament to the global, fragile, and deeply personal ties that keep a scene alive. Opening with Overo’s searing feedback and anthemic vocals, the record next threatens to break speakers with Punch On!’s chaotic heaviness. On Side B, Zochor teases bouncy Revolution Summer energy before Coma Regalia closes out with desperate, explosive emoviolence. The result is a cathartic journey that leaves one both nostalgic for the past (after all, nothing says “DIY screamo” quite like a 4-way 12” released by 8 labels) and surprisingly hopeful for the future.”

My relationship with hardcore is varied at best. I mention this because hardcore split records are always hard for me to analyze critically. It mostly comes down to either liking it or not. This record is a solid slab of “I like it.” I like hardcore that still has melodic elements. I like a sound that isn’t just variations of the chugging guitars and RAHRAHRAH vocals. If a band leans into that style, then I like it to be a little weird. All those bases are covered. All four bands are engaging as fuck.

Overo / Punch On! / Zochor / Coma Regalia

From The Inbox (04/21/20) // Carmanah – “Best Interests”

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FROM THE INBOX:

We’ve gotten in touch to share our new single, “Best Interests,” with you.

It describes people living in a state of nature deprivation, one person pulling the other out of the city and running with them to the coastline.

This song questions overconsumption, with its lust for capitalist greed and concrete.

What started out as a lonely guitar riff led to the whole band jamming on it, creating a fun and spontaneous experience that our producers Gus van Go and Werner F. rolled with.

Right now we are all being encouraged to consider the health of us as a community. Now is the time to be caring for each other and to learn from this experience so we can move forward with our collective planet’s best interests in mind.

There isn’t a lot to say on this one. I love the vocals, the music, and the overall vibe. This song is as close to a total package as anything will be for me. I like to type little blurbs about stuff I share in this feature. I don’t know. This is one I just like. It’s just a solid as fuck indie/pop type song. Maybe I should editorialize more, but ehhh.

From The Inbox (10/20/19) // Basement Revolver – “Have I Been Deceived”

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FROM THE INBOX:

Looking back at the religious upbringing that guitarist/vocalist Chrisy Hurn has – for the most part – since left behind, and gazing ahead at the person she hopes to become, “Have I Been Deceived” finds her further questioning “the shit I’ve held on to” in a dreamy country-rock sway.

Speaking on the new track, Hurn says:
“Think about “Have I Been Deceived” as an open letter to God. This past year, I have been feeling like I was brainwashed. I was taught to think in a particular manner, taught to love in a specific way, taught to think about my body and sexuality in a specific (ahem oppressive) way, and quite honestly at the time, I ate that shit up. I was the girl in highschool trying to convert all my friends, telling everyone to stay abstinent, listening to every Christian band that sounded almost as good as the real thing. That was my entire identity. Throughout my twenties, this identity fell apart.

I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable with who I was, so much that being around any type of Christian culture, makes me feel nauseous, or worse.

I want to let that go, I want to think clearly about faith, but I am afraid that I am not able to. I am afraid that I was gaslighted into loving something that is wrong or an ugly version of something that could be good. I don’t know who I am without my past. I don’t know who I am moving forward. I wish I had a more clear answer but I don’t; I am just here.”

Basement Revolver is a band who has been kicking around for a minute now. I posted one of their songs back in 2017. I always wanted to give them a proper write up, but I never did. I love fuzzy sounding indie rock, and their new single delivers that. It also adds a little country twang to the sound too. This particular song has a definite Cranberries vibe to it.

Lyrically, the song is also great. People who grow up in religious environments can really only go one or two ways. They continue with it, or they question and defy it. It’s a personal story that is always compelling to hear. Even in subtle ways.

Finally, the video is great. Stop motion is always a thing I’ll love.

Wax And Digital is out now.

Basement Revolver
Sonic Unyon

From The Inbox (08/19/19) // A. Billi Free – “Flourish”

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FROM THE INBOX:

In theme and style, A. Billi Free effortlessly slides between the present and the future and between earth and space on her debut album I Luma dropping August 12th on Tokyo Dawn Records. Meaning “in front” in the Samoan language, I Luma centers A. Billi Free’s sincere musings on discovery and adventure in her universe over soulful, uplifting, dance-ready jams.

I Luma is backed by an electronic/pop/alternative R&B sensibility entirely composed and produced by Chicago production duo and Tokyo Dawn artists, Tensei. Interstellar jazz multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid on clarinet sets the tone for this enchanted musical journey on the track “Flourish”.

Recorded in New Mexico, Illinois, and Massachusetts, the resulting magic outweighs the challenges of this type of creation as the album’s sonics are strong and richly layered, providing a solid foundation for A. Billi Free’s smooth tone and earnest message to transmit through the cosmos. Rooted in an eclectic blend of hip hop, soul and electronica, she has spent the last decade in the deserts of southern New Mexico and west Texas fusing elements of both the city and the border into her sound.

Video by Scott Iulianelli, Analog Prints.

A. Billi Free is exactly the kind of surprises I like getting in my email. Her new record is absolutely fantastic. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s just a great mix of pop, hip-hop, R&B, and soul.

A. Billi Free
Tokyo Dawn Records

From The Inbox (08/12/19) // J.R. – “PAL”

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FROM THE INBOX:

This song was inspired by the feeling of youth and naive invincibility.
The emotions experienced when you are young and feeling misunderstood.
Stagnant and searching for a reason to keep feeling like the past wont catch up to you.

“PAL” is a rollercoaster of thoughts, trying to make sense of multiple personalities and your own insanity. This song always brings me back to multiple places and experiences throughout my youth/young adulthood. Falling in and out of love. The transition of realizing my parents are flawed people just like you. Driving down a beautiful tree-lined road with my friends, looking for something fun to do and searching for a way to sustain that feeling of invincibility.

Dan Edmonds produced “PAL” at Fort Rose Studio in Hamilton.

Ross Miller (The Dirty Nil) really helped produce and shape the song with me in a way that captures the essence of it to a perfect T – just an added bonus of having grown up together and experiencing the same time-killing nights out. With Jason Bhattacharya on the kit, we all had so much fun adding something special to each session that made our hearts flutter.

Hope you enjoy listening to “PAL” as much as I did making it!

J.R.
~ Julianna Riolino ~

I absolutely love this kind of stuff. I guess you could call this indie rock with a slight folk influence? Either way, it’s 100% my jam. This is the second single J.R. has released this year. The previous single, “BE MY MAN” fucking goes. Make sure to check that one out too. I’m really looking forward hearing more. Hopefully these two singles mean an EP or full length is coming soon. A real press person would probably look into that.

J.R.