As reassuring as a “Thumbs Up” from an old friend, THE HOWL & THE HUM return this Autumn with a quietly resplendent new single.
“”Thumbs Up” is the confession that us men don’t know how to talk to other men about important sh*t. This song was written in the silence after suicides of friends, during depressive episodes, and over non-existent conversations about how we communicate our feelings: our highs, our lows, our loves and losses. It also references 80s movie icons Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, a brief admittance of vulnerability in the face of what we call masculinity.”
Out now, “Thumbs Up” was produced and mixed by Jolyon Thomas (Slaves, Kendrick Lamar) at Mash, before mastering by Kevin Tuffy at Alchemy.
The single is the first original music to emerge from The Howl & The Hum since the release of their acclaimed debut album “Human Contact” (released via AWAL in 2020). Marrying uniquely affecting lyrics to expansive musical backdrops, the band earned praise from the likes of DIY, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, Wonderland, Music Week and more. Also winning-over champions at radio including Huw Stephens, Annie Mac, Tom Robinson and John Kennedy; the band have accumulated north of 10 million streams on Spotify and counting.
Appearing at The Great Escape and SXSW, as well as selling-out The Scala in London and the hallowed York Minster in their hometown, the band have earned a reputation for being an essential live act.
Preparing to take the songs of their debut on the road for what will be their first UK tour since its release, The Howl & The Hum are now sizing up a significant run throughout the Autumn.
Rolling back into earshot with a mesmeric new offering – GILMORE TRAIL – present: “Ruins”. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
A record that finds a band uncompromisingly true to their natural identity, yet embracing change for all the goodness it can bring, ‘Impermanence’ is the sound of Gilmore Trail in evolution and taking flight. Lead single: “Ruins” is out now.
This Thursday, Montana-based singer-songwriter Satsang will kick off the All. Right. Now. 2021 Fall Tour with special guest Tim Snider and Wolfgang Timber. The 23-date tour takes Satsang lead singer and songwriter Drew McManus across the the United States in support of All. Right Now., the new album available now on SideOneDummy Records.To celebrate the start of the tour, Satsang will share two acoustic versions of songs from All. Right. Now. including the title track and “This Place” featuring Trevor Hall this Friday on DSPs.Halfway through the tour, Satsang will head to warmer weather for the Soulshine At Sea concert cruise with Michael Franti & Spearhead. The Norwegian Gem will set sail from Miami to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas for 4 days of music alongside artists including Fitz And The Tantrums, Allen Stone, and Niko Moon.
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SaintAhmad is a Brooklyn-based rapper, singer, dancer, and songwriter who creates soulful, innovative R&B songs mixed with throwback hip-hop aesthetics. Being somewhat of a hopeless romantic, his music has undertone themes of love and sex, where he explores the fantasies that ruminate in his head.
SaintAhmad’s upcoming track “Slow” is provocative and empowering, dripping with sultriness, style, and rich, hypnotic dancer soundscapes. SaintAhmad confides, “With every record that I work on I want to touch on the fact that I am multifaceted and capable of so much. I currently work as a go-go dancer at Q-Club in Hell’s Kitchen New York and It’s my dream job. Every night I’m there I get to feel sexy, make money and entertain the crowd. I really wanted to express that on this record and even create a strip club in the video, which was filmed in the living room of my apartment. ‘Slow’ is a stripper anthem that you hear at the club around 2 am when you’re lit and feeling yourself. You get to shake ya ass and even make some cash!”SaintAhmad’s musical influences include Tyler the Creator and Frank Ocean, and he has genre fluidity that definitely puts him in the same lineage as these experimental thinkers.
CODA FACTO are a rock band from Hamilton, Canada founded by Alexander DeRoo and Jonathan Harley. CODA FACTO fuse melodic Brit-Rock and Americana with modern vocals and lyrical stories.
Alex and Jon began gigging in 2010 after meeting as classmates at Hamilton’s McMaster University. In 2016, they formed the band ALEXR with Adam Rogerson (guitar), Mark Korczynski (bass) and Luke Ormond (drums).
They caught the attention of Glen Marshall and the late Bob Lanois at The Mule Spinner, a local venue in The Cotton Factory creative hub. The band would often rehearse, perform and record early tracks there gaining seasoned insights from both producers.
In 2018, the band was joined by Kaitie Allinger (vocals) and renamed STRATHCONA after the city’s west downtown neighbourhood. The band performed regularly at local music venues; including The Casbah, the former This Ain’t Hollywood, and The Mule Spinner. They recorded “Rock ‘N’ Roll Sounds” and “Hidden Treasure” with the artful guidance of producer Carl Jennings of Westmoreland Recording Studio.
Early 2019 saw the group disband as several members chose to pursue other interests. Alex and Jon continued arranging and recording with Jennings for a debut EP as the band, CODA FACTO.
Dreamy melancholic shoegaze meets alt-pop singer/songwriter Catbells engages her listeners with soft hypnotic vocals, lush soundscapes, and moody melodies that capture her deep, heartfelt emotions in the most intimate of ways. Gifted with a voice like an angel, Catbells gently immerses her listeners into a world of sweet nostalgia and velvety sentiments.
The singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist was introduced to the piano at age five, and by the 7th grade she was playing the guitar and writing songs about her middle school heartbreaks. After performing in several bands throughout her early music career, Catbells recently decided to focus on her own solo project.Catbells is a somewhat enigmatic, shy wallflower type, with her name itself being an alter-ego. Named after the popular hiking spot recited in the famous children’s book The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter, Catbells’ cinematic music is influenced by the vast natural wild. Raised in New England, Catbells often revisits the times of her childhood in her music, where she reflects on fond memories of the seasons changing, swimming in the eastern lakes, canoeing down the river, and working on the family farm.Her deeply personal and introspective single “Fade – Rainy Day Demo” is an intimate and open-hearted reflection of lost love. “The song really wrote itself and the music needed to match the feeling of how the words felt. There are few people who are lucky enough to escape the feeling of a completely broken heart, and feeling like the person you loved so much just moved on like it was nothing, leaving you left there with a hole where your heart once was” confides Catbells. This emotionally raw and poignant narrative and accompanying music video features innovative illustrations of a sad cat saying farewell in a starry evening background. While on the single “Wilderness” Catbells’ soft-powered honeyed vocals float above stripped down melodies and dreamy lush acoustic soundscapes. The track was mixed by acclaimed producer Ali Chant (Aldous Harding, Perfume Genius, Soccer Mommy).
Catbells’ single “It’s Not Hard” explores deep-seated emotions and feelings of escapism in one’s life. Catbells confides, ” It’s a song about that feeling of wanting to run away from all your problems and to be totally free from the past. Not looking back and not feeling the regret of the past. But ultimately it’s about also realizing it’s not possible to really run away…when doing what you want to do is quite hard or even impossible, but feeling like you want to do it is not hard at all.”
Her upcoming release “Same As You” is a sweeping dream pop single about longing for a lost love. Featuring lush arrangements, warm and penetrating layered vocals, “Same As You” is a raw heart wrenching yet cathartic acceptance of past memories.With influences ranging from 60’s folk like Nico and Donovan to 90’s shoegaze artists including Mazzy Star, Catbells has combined the best of these genres into a potent fusion of lofi “sad girl” indie rock beloved by many.
neillfrazer@hotmail.com
