SubmitHub – Page 190 – Queen City Sounds and Art

Eyedress Low Burns Duplicitous Associates On the Lo-Fi Post-Punk “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend”

Eyedress2_crop — Eyedress, photo courtesy the artist

“I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend” is a bit of a departure for Philippino songwriter Eyedress. His unusual pop songs, so fully expressed on the fantastic 2018 album Sensitive G, often have an upbeat vibe even when he sings about gritty real life situations. But this new single about the duplicitous people in your life who seem to thrive on sowing chaos and drama in their social circles. With the simple statement of the title, Eyedress calls out these people and suggests “You better say that shit to my face” instead of the way those toxic people can talk smack about people behind their backs to manipulate their associates and sometimes trying to pit them against each other. The dispassionate vocals processed ever so slightly over a mechanical beat and a bass line that sounds like it’s been put through flanger to give it an odd fluid quality like the disappointed feelings bubbling through a sense of being weary about dealing with the passive aggressive dynamic yet again. Musically it’s reminiscent of early Blank Dogs and that kind of lo-fi post-punk but not much in the world of music sounds like Eyedress and his almost outsider pop sensibilities. Listen to “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend” on Spotify and follow Eyedress at the links provided.

soundcloud.com/eyedress
twitter.com/eyedress
instagram.com/eyedress

Glass Spells’ “Mirrors” is a Darkwave Electroclash Dance Hit in the Making

GlassSpells1_lg — Glass Spells, photo courtesy the artists

Somewhere between late 80s New Order and L.A. Vampires is Glass Spells’ single “Mirrors.” The bouncing melody along with the fuzzy synth pulse and Tania Costello’s well-accented vocals are reminiscent of turn of the century electroclash (think early Ladytron). Too bright and upbeat to be considered darkwave the track nevertheless has that sort of appeal as does the band’s cool, subterranean dance club aesthetic. The higher toned synth figure that runs through the song is like a fluttering mythological creature that comes to sprinkle some joy on the darker low end melody in what is already a nicely layered track. In the last third of the song or it transitions to a different dynamic for a passage or two giving anyone dancing along some breathing room before going back to the song’s dynamic drive. Listen to “Mirrors” on Soundcloud and follow Glass Spells at the links below.

soundcloud.com/glassspells
facebook.com/GlassSpells

The Afro Nick’s Dream-like Video for “Get There Before Noon” Tells the Story of Personal Liberation in Living Symbols

TheAfroNick2_sm — The Afro Nick, photo courtesy the artist

The Afro Nick’s video for his single “Get There Before Noon” seems dreamlike and symbolic with the figures and instruments in a luminous, white room that seems separate from waking reality. The song sounds like it’s about being defined by others in every way down to being on someone else’s schedule. Those boundaries are represented by the chains placed on him by the more menacing figures. And in the logic of dreams another stranger helps free him with a hacksaw. The song mixes evocative synth swells with dramatic guitar work that comes in the moments where the narrative goes into the mode of breaking free of imposed and imagined limitations on one’s identity and aspirations. If at some point The Afro Nick was steeped in blues and psychedelic rock this song transcends that in a creative way that synthesizes all obvious influences. Thematically it also speaks to the power of the imagination to serve as a liberating force in our lives even if it manifests in our minds as odd, symbolic dreams like something out of a mid-80s Robert Palmer video. Perhaps the artist’s childhood in Crete and now living in Los Angeles accounts for the unusual aesthetic but it works. Watch for yourself at YouTube below and follow The Afro Nick at the links provided.

itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-afro-nick/881671482
twitter.com/TheAfroNick
facebook.com/TheAfroNick
instagram.com/theafronick

Will Samson’s Single “Flowerbed” is the Pastoral Sound of the Ego Releasing its Grip on Grief

WillSamson1_crop — Will Samson, “Ochre Alps” cover, image courtesy the artist

The pastoral quality of Will Samson’s “Flowerbed” sounds like the echo of a memory of a dream of a place where the pains and concerns of life are lifted along with the normal limitations of your cognitive framework and intellect. Where broad vistas and gentle breezes and hazy mornings and evenings are the norm. It is there that the painful and frustrating mysteries of your life open up and unravel in your mind. Not as answers given to you but because your mind is able to comprehend for itself those things we can’t accept or otherwise reconcile in our minds and hearts with the world we want. Its effervescent middle section is like the sound of the ego dissolving of its own accord and coming to terms with those knots in our psyche that we can never seem to work through and even if the resolution brings pain we come to accept the pain of loss in a way that doesn’t feel stuck. The song, and the album Paralanguage (due out December 6 on Wichita/PIAS) was written to reflect a time in Samson’s life when, in the wake of the sudden death of his father and his own subsequent PTSD as a result thereof, he decided after some consideration and research to experiment with psilocybin as a form of treating his condition. One day he and his girlfriend went to the countryside and the music is his attempt to express his experience of that time. Impossible to say what the long term results have been but if “Flowerbed” is any indication, Samson found a place of peace in his mind after years of his own psychological hell. Watch the music video for “Flowerbed” on YouTube and follow Samson at the links provided.

facebook.com/willsamsonmusic
instagram.com/will.samson

Seaker’s Stark Yet Powerfully Vulnerable “You” is Like a Beacon of Love and Hope in Times of Struggle

Seaker2_sm — Seaker, photo courtesy the artist

The new Seaker track “You” feels so stark and vulnerable it commands immediate attention. It sounds like you’re in the room with Kiran Hungin and sharing with her a moment of pure emotion bathed in a swirl of melody and delicate textures, her versatile and evocative voice stirring your spirit. Though lush yet minimal the song feels like you’re getting to the core of what you have to cling to to get through troubled times and that being a sense of hope but even more so a sense of compassion for yourself and your struggles alongside those of other people. The sound sounds a little introspective but her words are outwardly aimed seeing the humanity around her and being open to her fellow people and that shared experience, the recognition of such, a foundation for hope and when brought together with love its a subtle but unmistakable strength that can can help everyone endure if they tap into it. This song feels like it’s coming from a very personal place but Hungin’s songwriting is such that it can be heard in a more universal sense as its spaciousness leaves room for multiple interpretations and like the spirit of the song itself, inclusive and warm. Listen to “You” on Soundcloud and follow Seaker at the links provided.

soundcloud.com/seakermusic
twitter.com/Seakermusic
facebook.com/seakermusic
instagram.com/seakermusic

Nia the Rapper’s Second Single “Hugs” Presents a Simple Plan to Turn Bullies Into Friends

NiaTheRapper1_sm — Nia the Rapper, photo courtesy the artist

Nia the Rapper is a seven-year-old artist from Florida and her second single “Hugs” is hopefully an indication of a bright future for Nia. Her message of giving bullies hugs and references to hugging bullies on the playground could only come from a kid. But the sentiment while simple and would be simplistic coming from an adult actually resonates in context. In the song Nia raps about how these bullies never got the love that everyone wants as a kid no matter their background. Rather than cast the bullies as monsters, Nia sees the hurting human in them and wants to give them what they need whether they know it or not and thus “turning hate into love.” Her delivery is strong and the beat built on minimal, accented piano and percussion and well-sculpted bass is spare but perfect. Listen to “Hugs” on Spotify and follow Nia the Rapper at the links below where you can also check out her debut single “Summer.”

hyperurl.co/streamsummer
twitter.com/niatherapper
facebook.com/niatherapper
instagram.com/niatherapper

Ronni Mardor’s “After May” is a Light-Hearted Examination of What It Means to Process Your Heartbreak Without Losing Yourself

RonniMardor_AfterMay_sm — Ronni Mardor, “After May” cover (cropped)

There is an odd quality to Ronni Mardor’s single “After May.” It sounds like a sort of folk pop song with expressive vocals and maybe we’re in for a song of heartbreak of some kind. And maybe we ultimately we are. But “after all I had to go to let my house catch fire, before you know I’ll be back home no flower leaves to die” is a bit reminiscent of Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?” Except the tone isn’t detached so much as the attitude. But in the case of Mardor’s song it’s one celebrating a landmark anniversary of a relationship but without setting the bar too high, “We made it, honey, it’s after May.” It sounds as though Mardor is letting go of her attitudes about relationships and her identity in them as not serving her heart well in an era of casual attitudes toward being together. The lilting melody and start and stop cadence reflects taking those moments to consider where you head really is and if you are letting yourself get caught up in the same old habits. Listen to “After May” on Spotify and follow Mardor on her website (linked below).

ronnimardor.com

Robo Dukun’s Demented and Cartoonishly Funky “I Want My Dinner” is a Bizarrely Humorous Commentary on Mundane, Privileged Class Entitlement

RoboDukun_PlanetRubberneck_Cover_crop — Robo Dukun *Planet Rubberneck* cover (cropped)

Robo Dukun’s new single “I Want My Dinner” has a demented, cartoonishly funky vibe satirizing low rent entitled attitudes. In some ways it’s reminiscent of MC 900 Ft. Jesus’ “Adventures in Failure.” Just the sardonic tone and sense of irony and send-up of the way some people make the most mundane demands seem much more important and significant than they could ever really be. The tone bends and mixture of odd, blippy synth swells and lightly flangered and wah-inflected guitar and bass melody bring to the track an air of taking the piss out of misplaced values and a classic warped view of the world that is blind to the consequences and costs of your way of life. But more than anything it’s a fun and goofy song with some creative musical flow and detail that you can take as choice snark or surreal humor. Listen to “I Want My Dinner” on YouTube and follow Robo Dukun at the link below.

soundcloud.com/robodukun

Wish Master Encourages Us to Ride Life’s Waves as They Present Themselves to Us

WishMaster3_sm — Wish Master, photo courtesy the artist

Wish Master challenges himself and everyone to be prepared for the change that comes for us all eventually whether we’re ready or not on his new single “The Wave’s Coming.” But it’s not menacing so much, his tone is hopeful as in the inevitable flood of energy and events that bring about the forces in our life that we may not recognize as beneficial and which may not be 100% fun in the beginning but which forces out complacency and the norms we’ve come to lean on oftentimes when it is a detriment to our growth. Wish Master celebrates that growth as necessary to personal development. Joined by Buggsy and Tac, Wish Master’s song and its free-flow-y breezy sample beat awash in jazz beats and bits of song processed to give an expansive dynamic is a promise of better times ahead. It is an aspirational song with none of the overblown swagger, it instead highlights the benefits of building something and taking advantage of opportunities that come your way no matter what they look like rather than waiting for a miracle or savior. Watch the video on YouTube and follow Wish Master at the links provided.

soundcloud.com/wishmaster_or
twitter.com/wishmaster_or
facebook.com/wishmasterOR
instagram.com/wishmaster_or