After the announcement of his second album Echoes in Bloom (31 May) and the release of the first single off that album, ‘You Are Your Memories’ via Hera & Now Recordings… the multi-instrumentalist and fine artist, Lomea offers up a video to go with the single on 30 April.
The music video is an eery montage of old family photos, edited to flow with the beat of the song. While family memories are meant to be happy, the way the visuals morph in and out as the images burn, boil and move is haunting. About the song,
Lomea explains ‘You are Your Memories’ is “… a techno track, more or less. This album’s Votive (from my debut Narratives), albeit with a much broader, cinematic scope.”
Drab Majesty have announced details of a new album, Modern Mirror, set for release on July 12th via Dais Records, and have shared a first single and touring plans. Over the course of two records the LA-based project of Deb Demure and Mona D has steadily built a devoted fan base worldwide with their singular hypnotic sound and mysterious, constantly-evolving presence. Following intense touring in support of the first two albums, including 2018 runs with The Smashing Pumpkins and Deafheaven, they escaped to the inspirational landscapes of Athens, Greece to channel the songs for their most ambitious album creation yet: Modern Mirror. Blowing the dust off the antiquarian myth of Ovid’s ‘Narcissus’, Drab Majesty used its premise as groundwork for a modern reinterpretation. Each song on the record tells a piece of the story in which the listener’s own self-identity has become warped and dissociated through rapidly expanding technology, losing touch with the origins of their own personalities. New single ‘Ellipsis’ romantically plays up the distorted concept of courting through modern technology in a world that has yet to adapt. It has been brought to life in a video directed by Thomas McMahan. Modern Mirror fuses synth-pop-noir aesthetics within the cautious instruction of Greek mythology and modern science fiction, birthing a hybrid of romantic dreamy malaise, captured for a future moment. It’s a journey of self-reflection, nostalgia, love, beauty, and heartbreak told across eight addictive and emotional synth pop anthems – a seemingly classic tale delivered unblinkingly through the frame of the modern world. It was produced by Josh Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv) and mastered by Dave Cooley, with appearances by Jasamine White-Gluz (No Joy) and Justin Meldal-Johnson (NIN, Beck, M83, Air) with packaging and design by Juan Mendez of Jealous God/Silent Servant.
Modern Mirror will be released on July 12th via Dais Records. Pre-order here.
Drab Majesty tour dates: April 15 – Moscow, RU – Pluton April 6 – St. Petersburg, RU – Serdce April 17 – Rostov, RU – Line May 10 – Austin, TX – KVRX Festival May 17 – Chicago, IL – Garfield Park Conservatory May 28 – Istanbul, TR – Zorlu PSM June 01- Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound June 02 – Dublin, IE – Workman’s Club June 06 – Birmingham, UK – The Flapper June 07 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City (Beta) * June 08 – Glasgow, UK – Audio * June 09 – Guastalla, IT – Handmade Festival June 11 – Roma, IT – Wishlist Club June 12 – Pomigliano D’Arco, IT – Floor Club June 14 – Mosfellsbær, IS – Oration Festival * with She Past Away
‘Modern Mirror’ track list: 1. A Dialogue 2. The Other Side 3. Ellipsis (YouTube) 4. Noise of the Void 5. Dolls in the Dark 6. Oxytocin 7. Long Division 8. Out of Sequence
Eden Samara’s has shared her video for ‘Days’ the title track of her new EP. The Canadian singer/songwriter’s previous singles ‘Robots’ and ‘Days’ were premiered by Line Of Best Fit and Clash Magazine respectively. Prior to that, ‘Upside Down’ was released in February 2018 and caught the attention of Spotify, being placed on several of their editorial playlists. June 2018 saw the release of a second single, ‘High School’ with the video premiered by Exclaim! Magazine and featured in KALTBLUT’s ‘Top 5 Video’s of the Week’, Spotify’s New Music Friday Canada.
‘Days’ EP was inspired by a backpacking trip to Europe, and explores societal expectations and human interaction in the digital age.
The video is a commentary on how the media influences our social norms and identity and analyses the relationship between human behavior and the media. “I wanted to talk about the universal desire to find meaning in life and create genuine connections with each other, in a time when our empathy has been dulled and the media dictates what an ideal life should look like” she says. The video features Samara as a bored housewife, comparing herself to a ravishing blonde french maid, and wishing to be a dangerous femme fatale.
Speaking of ‘Days EP’ Samara says: “The EP looks at a recent slice of my mid-twenties when I had an existential crisis over this, and so did many of my close friends.”
Oh Sees have announced the reissue of Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion which will be out 5/24 on Castle Face Records. The band also recently announced a run of Fall North American tour dates. You can check out where they are playing below and also check out their forthcoming Spring/Summer shows that include stops at Shaky Knees Fest and Solana Beach.
“Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion / Live Performances Sans Stages And Whatnots With Thee Oh Sees (2008), is a film we made just over a decade ago, and this record is the soundtrack. I loved making it, and I love all that were involved. I’m honestly blissed-out proud to hear over the years that it somehow is loved by so many others, too.
I first met John Dwyer on Flag Day. I was blown away by a trio of roving Coachwhips guerrilla street shows that climaxed at the the scenic vista parking lot high above San Francisco atop Mt. Sutro. Amongst the gathered uninitiated hordes of souvenir sweatshirt selling families, and puzzled elderly global tourist translators, and a white weirdo tuxedo wedding party, was the sonic corruption of the Coachwhips that was collaborating with the all-female, fake-pregnancy, jump-rope-y, real-pit-bull-shredding-fake-plastic-baby fantasy majesty of the performance artist crew Double Dutchess. I’m certain that this exact event was the idea seed for Thee Hounds Of Foggy Notion, and that it saved my life a little bit.
When JPD asked me to consider making a video for Thee Oh Sees with the sole stipulation that he didn’t want to do anything fake-y to playback, my head started swimming. What we mutually agreed upon was to essentially reprise Flag Day, and film Thee Oh Sees performing live, but not on stages. My own secret undisclosed personal caveat was to see this as an opportunity to document his process by mixing in some interstitial interviews between the roving live shows. He shut the ‘interview’ idea after I asked the very first question. Instead, what we got was infinitely more true to the free fun reality of the scene in the form of a multitude of glorious stories.
I rented a 15-passenger van, a generator, and the minimal cinematic equipment my trusted cinematographer friend James Wall deemed we needed. Everything sound wise was JPD territory and went through an ancient mixing board that Johnny had housed within a Samsonite suitcase. We ran all the plate mics from the drums, and the lil pedestal mics from the amps through this old mixer, and we all believed that all would be well and swell. As an emergency audio backup, I also grabbed a 12” Sennheiser directional mic in a fluffy wind muff that directly fed into one of our Canon XL-2s. My residual fear that the only thing that ruins docs or indie films is shit sound came true when we discovered that all the multi-tracking through the mixer was hopelessly covered in geiger counter static tics. All of the audio that you hear on the LP is sourced from that single Sennheiser mono mic that we then dual-mono’d in post.
As great as JPD is as a live performer, he was in absolute alpha epic story-teller genius mode during every single spare second of the journey. Brigid Dawson added some delicious gems as she always does. Petey Dammit is a pretty quiet private guy, but even he proved to be very funny when he gets loose. Patrick Mullins on the other hand is literally Castleface. After editing through 40+ hours of footage of live performances and interstitial stories, it became very shockingly clear to myself, and editor Akiko Iwakawa, that his expression never ever ever changes. He is Castleface incarnate.
Massive Love yous and Thank yous to all involved and to all of Yous toos” – Brian Lee Hughes
It’s out on Castle Face Records May 24th
May 3-5 Atlanta, Georgia Shaky Knees Fest
18 Manchester Albert Hall
19 Glasgow QMU
20 Belfast Limelight 18-20
21Dublin Button Factory
23 Cardiff The Tramshed
24 Derby Bearded Theory Festival
June 7 Nelsonville, OH Nelsonville Music Fest
14 Solana Beach, CA San Diego Belly Up W/ Bronze And Fuckwolf
