Last October New Jersey‘s lauded indie rockers THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM released
their 1st album in nearly 10 years with the excellent HISTORY BOOKS.
Two weeks ago they started their UK/Europe tour. For the occasion they shared a new
4-track EP with some acoustic versions of album tracks (stream below). It also includes a cover of OCEAN EYES, the 2017 massive Billie Eilish hit (more than 1,325 billion streams on Spotify).
Brian Fallon (frontman): “I was driving my daughter to school and she played it for me
on the way and I really took to the song. Then one day we were talking ideas for a cover with our friends and I said, wouldn’t it be cool to do a heavier version of ‘Ocean Eyes’? I tried it out and everybody loved the idea.”
TGA turned the tender musing upside down into a whipped-up
belter with the chorus going sky-high. Bingo!
In order to not miss a beat Turn Up The Volume scans the musical
horizon daily (doing it for years now, actually) to stay in touch with
all new things sonically great and shares the results on a weekly
basis.
Check the 10 new rad cuts just
added to this rad 2023 playlist.
ALL TOGETHER
Steam to Spotify and stream
. TRACK-BY-TRACK
1. Ice Cream (Pay Phone) by BLACK PUMAS (Austin, Texas)
📸 Jody Domingue Studios
The soul pumas have their brand new album Chronicles Of A Diamond
out, with this funky ripper as one of the highs off the record.
Sicilian musician/producer Gae Vinci released his top-notch debut album Lonely Ballads last May, mixing electronica, psychedelia and electric shoegaze
layers.
To keep the momentum going, renowned British darkwave duo The KVB remixed All The Times, one of the album’s highlights. Their atmospheric approach adds a heart-warming Depeche Mode-esque vibe.
The accompanying, eye-catching video was an idea of Gae Vinci, who
chose and edited clips, transposing into visual The KVB‘s sound.
Last Friday these ridiculously productive psych-prog rockers from down under unleashed their 25th album in 13 years. Hallelujah. On The Silver Cord they swapped guitars for electronica.
Swan is a great example of it. Yes, the Aussies go disco.
Stress Dolls is the moniker of American alt/pop/rock artist Chelsea O’Donnell.
Ghostwriter is the 2nd single off her upcoming debut album.
“There are many times where I don’t really know what a song is about until long after
I write it, and “Ghostwriter” was no exception. I came to recognize it as a metaphor about my relationship to anxiety: I want to be the narrator of my own story, but there are lots of times where I feel like my anxious feelings take the reins, even if I don’t want them to. I take the credit, or blame, for my own actions, but the metaphor of anxiety as a ‘ghostwriter’ felt fitting to me.”
Ghostwriter is a speedy, shivering and steamrollin’ indie pop tune with
some surprisingly exciting violin play embedded in an guitar-driven flair.
“I find myself writing about moving on and freeing yourself from bad vibes quite often. I guess it’s just the theme of my life, and these songs are my way of meditating on these relationships and finding peace with it.”
It Goes On is a jangly psych-pop dream propelled by glowing
guitars and has a galvanic chorus that sticks instantly.
Arih SK is an artist living and working in St. Catharines, Ontario. He’s known for writing short, slightly upbeat songs with simple melodies about loss, nostalgia, family, and relationships.
“This song is inspired by Alex The Parrot, who was part of the avian learning experiment. He could tell between different colours and shapes, could count, and he was the first non-human animal to have ever asked a question (what colour am I?). Sadly, the experiment was abruptly ended by Alex’s untimely death. The chorus of the song borrows Alex’s last words, which were the same words he said at the end of every day’s session: “You be good. I love you. See you tomorrow. My daughter Olive sings on this track with me.
‘You Be Good’ is a sweet, tender and catchy father/daughter lullaby. Lovely!
This US outlaw alt-folk group have come a long way since their humble beginnings when they used to busk for loose change, actually taking their name from a time when they were accused of stealing a corner on Tejon Street in their home city of Colorado Springs during a turf war between rival buskers.
Last week they released their brand new
full length, baptized Juxtaposition.
The End Of Apathy is one of the stand out tracks on the record.
A punky folk chant fueled with manic mandolin riffage.
Rough Trade: “Like so many of the most essential rock bands, The Gaslight Anthem have a rare gift for finding glory in the inescapable pain of being alive. On their new album History Books, the New Jersey-bred four-piece bring their soulful breed of punk to ten thrilling songs exploring everything from mortality to mental illness to the more precarious dimensions of human connection.”
Brian Fallon (vocalist/guitarist): “A lot of this record is questioning all the bad stuff we see in the world and the difficult things we go through in life, and asking how to deal with it. I think the answer is that we’re all in this together and that somehow makes it okay, even when it’s anything but easy. The main message of the album is empathy.”
TUTV: Vintage Americana folk-rock delivered with evocative emotions and
heart-whole ardency. Less firework than before, more reflective musings and
twilight meditations. Bruce Springsteen joined them on the anthemic title track
and left his shadow in the studio afterward, as you can hear on touching ballads Autumn and Empires, and on aflame rocker Little Fires .
Brian Fallon‘s impassioned voice brings Bright Eyes‘ Conor Oberst
one to mind. Vocally, he’s the song’s life-experienced painter.
Overall History Books is an affecting record that will grow with every listen,
it features multiple rad tunes you want to go back to more than once.
New Jersey‘s beloved rock 4-piece THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM share their 6th longplayer, baptized HISTORY BOOKS with
the world on October 27. Pre-order info here.
.
They just shared a 4th track, named AUTUMN, off the album.
Brian Fallon (frontman)“I wrote this song on a really beautiful fall day, looking out the window and thinking, “How many days like this do we get to see? So much of life is just trying to get by, but every now and then you have those moments where you can really feel grateful for the small things.”
Autumn is a melancholic, laid-back mid-tempo reverie. Lovely.
New Jersey‘s beloved rock 4-piece THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM share their 6th longplayer, baptized HISTORY BOOKS with
our grim world on October 27. Pre-order info here.
Rough Trade: “Like so many of the most essential rock bands, The Gaslight Anthem have a rare gift for finding glory in the inescapable pain of being alive. On their new album History Books, the New Jersey-bred four-piece bring their soulful breed of punk to ten thrilling songs exploring everything from mortality to mental illness to the more precarious dimensions of human connection.”
Brian Fallon (vocalist/guitarist): “A lot of this record is questioning all the bad stuff we see in the world and the difficult things we go through in life, and asking how to deal with it. I think the answer is that we’re all in this together and that somehow makes it okay, even when it’s anything but easy. The main message of the album is empathy.”
So far we could pump our fists in the air to 2 zealous anthems,
lead singlePositive Charge and the title track feat. The Boss
on vocals.
Single #3, called LITTLE FIRES is a classy corker too.
Brian Fallon: “It’s an empowerment song, about refusing to play along
with the kind of people who always seem to be throwing a grenade into
the room for no particular reason.’”
In order to not miss a beat Turn Up The Volume scans the musical
horizon daily (doing it for years now, actually) to stay in touch with
all new things sonically great and shares the results on a weekly
basis.
Check the 10 new rad cuts just
added to this rad 2023 playlist.
Three renowned musicians came together in their beloved L.A. The former The Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst, the former Siouxsie and The Banshees drummer Budgie and Irish producer Jacknife Lee. They canned an album (out in November) and released the title track Los Angeles with LCD Soundsystem‘s mastermind/voice James Murphy on vocals,
just today.
These three Irish misfits will crash your speakers with this new steaming
speedball. Think Blink 182, Green Day and Sum 41 in their early insane days.
“The song is a reflection on the struggle of falling into habits that once seemed incomprehensible. The lyrics are quite self-deprecating, filled with feelings of self-doubt
and show us trying to confront our own insecurities. The song explores the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts, battling demons that threaten to cause insanity.”
4. ‘Playful Enchantress’ by LOOSE FANG (Vancouver, CA)
Following three mind-bending singles in 2020 these Vancouver rascals return with
their 4th mind-bending slam. It has a punked-up groove that draws your hungry ears’ attention on the spot.
It’s the title track of the New Jersey’s upcoming album (out in October) and features
co-vocals by their longtime superstar friend Bruce Springsteen. It’s a glorious 24-karat anthem. Rock ‘n’ roll streams through these guys’ veins. Rock ‘n’ roll streams through their
veins.
This Montreal-based indie rock 4-piece had their 6-track self-titled debut EP out in 2015.
A couple of singles followed, and this brand-new one should be your favorite summer cracker while you consume fresh margaritas.
Mexico is a mid-tempo funk-punk groover that explodes now and then with
a fiery guitar flare that has the vigor to break down moron Trump‘s racist wall.
City Ghost is a magnetic alt-rock band who use their music
to inspire others to be their true and authentic selves.
This new song is Salt Lake City‘s the band first single
off of their upcoming 3rd EP Cause and Effect.
It’s about “A sentiment for being fed up with mental health struggles and
just wanting to find the light at the end of the tunnel. The song ebbs and
flows through themes of struggle and relief, and crisis and hope.”
Expect a guitar-layered, emotional, mind-boggling meditation, infused with
poignant vocals, that swings forth and back, and has a heart-rending feel.
8. ‘Too Bright To Burn’ by LOVINA FALLS (Boston, US)
Photo by Joan Hathaway
Lovina Falls is the new musical project of Valerie Forgione,
the lauded vocalist of 90s band Mistle Trush.
“I love writing, recording, and performing music, and have spent most of my life doing so. Since Mistle Thrush, I’ve been scoring for theater, independent film, and podcasts, and while it can be rewarding to work with directors and actors to set the tone or mood for a scene, much of it is solitary work. I missed being able to connect with people directly. And I really missed singing. The experience is unmatchable.”
Too Bright To Burn is a trippy, instantly sticky and bass-driven vibe with Forgione‘s crystalline voice flowing all over it. It’s part of her notable debut
longplayer Calculating The Angle Of Our Descent.
This new piece of the Canadian singer-songwriter is about the fear of
trying again when it comes to love. It features Amanda Lyn Parker
on backup vocals.
Reluctant Heart is a jolly-sounding mid-tempo musing with a moody touch.
The kind of zippy guitar-strumming tunes that mesmerize spontaneously.
Formed in 2020, Brand New Mornings mix west coast 3-part harmonies
and English 70’s folk rock results in a modern indie sound with retro charm.
Heart Full Of Tunes is a charming and sepia-colored Americana-resonating lullaby performed the English way. It’s strength is actually that it evokes universal sentiments of mind-relaxing dreaminess. So welcome in these chaotic times.
Last April the first single titled Positive Charge landed.
And now TGA share a 2nd track from the upcoming album.
It’s the title track and features co-vocals by their longtime friend Bruce Springsteen. Well, they always sounded a bit like The Boss.
Brian Fallon said to Associated Press: “I was going to seek the guy on the hill for wisdom, but really, it was Federici’s Pizza in Freehold, New Jersey. But some mythical work was done at that table. We brought the band back together.” Later, Springsteen texted, “Hey, why don’t you write us a duet? I’ll come sing with you.’”
History Books is a glorious 24-karat anthem.
Rock ‘n’ roll streams through their veins.
New Jersey‘s rock squad THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM
are back after a long hiatus of 8 years.
They are back now with the announcement that a new album, their 6th
is canned (no details yet), and the first single named POSITIVE CHARGE.
Brian Fallon (frontman): “‘Positive Charge’ began as a message of joy to
ourselves and to our audience. The central theme is about looking at the things
you’ve come through and feeling like you want to go ahead with an open heart
toward the future, believing that the best years are not behind any of us and
the good we have is worth something.”
Positive Charge is an out-front rocker invigorated with ablaze guitars,
impassioned vocals, and an anthemic chorus. Welcome back.
