FAKE PALMS, the project helmed by Toronto-based artist Michael le Riche, is today returning with his new single “Satellite” (video directed by Justis Krar) and word of a new record.  Lemons is set for release via Hand Drawn Dracula on September 16, 2022.

Michael le Riche called upon a veritable who’s who of Toronto indie-dom for Lemons, drawing from the ranks of Dilly Dally (Ben Reinhartz), Ducks Ltd (Evan Lewis), Sauna (Braeden Craig), and Twist (Laura Hermiston). Taking to Candle Recording studio with long-time contributor, co-producer, and engineer Josh Korody (Breeze, Beliefs), the songwriting dove headlong even further into dream-math-punk sensibilities.

Just the third proper release from a one-man band that le Riche routinely manifests in the flesh onstage in Toronto as a sort of amorphous, all-star underground-Toronto noise-pop “supergroup,” this is an album that fully derives its antisocial scorch through the increased clarity and precision of the Fake Palms vision. Lemons is slippery, spiky, not a little psych-y and more than a little lyrically sour, not to mention frequently, subtly tricked-out from a minimalist, nerdo-instrumental perspective that doesn’t demand that you dork out over the arrangements but will always leave the option open if and when you decide to do so.

“Satellite” is sonically Magazine meets A Flock of Seagulls. Captained by a jagged, muscular guitar part that’s surrounded by an atypical rhythm section it thematically tackles modern technologies, mob mentality and safe havens from doom scrolling. Speaking about the new album, Michael explains: “This record is the most direct thing I’ve ever done,” says Le Riche. “All the distorted guitars playing 16th-note riffs in different time signatures, washes of noise and buried vocals are basically gone. In their place, we made a record that’s lean and a punch to the gut. There are still some moments where the guitars get a little tricky but, in general, we tried to be as immediate as possible. The songs are all fairly short and there are almost no extra production tricks. I was inspired by records like the Dead Boys’ Young, Loud and Snotty and the Buzzcocks’ Another Music in a Different Kitchen. Maybe because of what was going on in the world at the time, or maybe just as a reaction to the last Fake Palms record – which was flush with production flourishes – it just felt necessary to kick the door down instead of knocking.”

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Today YOUNG GUV has shared the third single, “Cry 2 Sleep,” from GUV IV. The new album is due out June 24th from Run For Cover and Hand Drawn Dracula Records. The track follows “Change Your Mind” and “Nowhere At All” (which drew praise from the likes of Stereogum, Paste Magazine, Uproxx, BrookylnVegan, New Commute, and more) and sees Ben Cook combining hazy pedal steel with bubbling keyboards and his gentle harmonies to make something that spans the many different moods of Guv.

Young Guv has also announced a run of UK shows in June. Guv will be touring around his performance at Outbreak Festival, including shows with One Step Closer, Chastity, and more.

GUV IV : PRE-SAVE / Deezer / Spotify / Apple / Bandcamp (limited one time pressing)
PRESS : BROOKLYN VEGAN, PRELUDE PRESS, NORTHERN TRANSMISSIONS, STEREOGUM

July 22 Toronto, ON @ The Monarch w/ Kali Horse, Tange
June 24 Glasgow, UK @ The Rum Shack w/ Chastity
June 25 Manchester, UK @ Outbreak Festival
June 26 London, UK @ Windmill Brixton
June 27 Leeds, UK @ The Lending Room w/ Chastity
June 29 Birmingham, UK @ The Victoria
June 30 Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin w/ One Step Closer

PRAISES, the project helmed by Toronto-based artist Jesse Crowe, is today sharing their new single and video for “Life is Just a Picture”, which comes as another glimpse of their second album In This Year: Hierophant – out June 17.

When discussing “Life is Just a Picture“, which layers eerie vocals with decayed electronics and haunting synth, Crowe says: “Eventually we all live on in smudged still images on phones or in frames. This song breathes both the sorrow and joy of a lifetime of memories. Written in dedication to the intermingling stories of Grandma Upton and Granny Crowe.” It’s a foggy, gothic addition to the forthcoming album which at times touches on the sounds of Low, Zola Jesus and Chelsea Wolfe.

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TALLIES share “Special“, the latest single from their forthcoming album Patina. Out July 29th, 2022 via Kanine, Bella Union and Hand Drawn Dracula Records. “Special” arrives following a string of recent singles which have found support at Clash, Under the Radar, Exclaim, CBC Radio, Stereogum, BBC 6 Music and more.


Stream / Pre-order / Pre-save: HERE
EXCLUSIVE VINYL: HERE / Canadian Signature Edition, Copper Green Vinyl, Obi Strip, signed Art Card (100)

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Special’ is about longing to be seen and heard by those who matter to you most. Sometimes feeling invisible is particularly painful when the indifference comes from someone whose opinion means a lot to you.” – Saraha Cogan (Tallies)

The juxtaposition of light and dark is a strong theme in the music of Tallies and certainly apparent once more with this new single, “Special” – another fine example of their gliding, shoegaze-adjacent jangle-pop reminiscent of The Sundays, Galaxie 500, Ride, etc. While many of their songs are upbeat, with Frankland’s breezy guitar lines drenched in reverb, soaring over Cian O’Neill’s propulsive drumbeats, Sarah’s lyrics can add a hint of shadow to even their most jangly tunes.


*** RELEASE SHOW : July 29 – The Garrison, Toronto ON – TIX

Toronto-born, London-based artist TESS PARKS today returns with her long-awaited new album ‘And Those Who Were Seen Dancing‘ on Fuzz Club and Hand Drawn Dracula Records. Alongside the new album, Parks has also announced UK/EU tour and festival dates in support. Following years of international touring and a lengthy list of critically-acclaimed collaborations with Brian Jonestown Massacre‘s Anton Newcombe in recent years (most recently the duo’s self-titled 2018 LP), the new album will be Parks’ first full-length solo offering since her much-loved debut album, ‘Blood Hot‘, was released back in 2013. Trailing the highly-praised singles ‘Happy Birthday Forever‘, ‘Brexit at Tiffany’s‘ and ‘Do You Pray?‘, ‘And Those Who Were Seen Dancing’ is out now.


“In my mind, this album is like hopscotch”, Parks says of the album: “These songs were pieced together over time in London, Toronto and Los Angeles with friends and family between August 2019 and March 2021. So many other versions of these songs exist. The recording and final completion of this album took over two years and wow – the lesson I have learned the most is that words are spells. If I didn’t know it before, I know it now for sure. I only want to put good out into the universe.”

A creeping disillusionment with the state of the world paired with an injury that stopped Parks from being able to play guitar and piano for months meant the album was nearly shelved. “I really felt discouraged to complete this album. I stopped listening to music for honestly about a year altogether and turned to painting instead. I really had to convince myself again that it’s important to just share whatever good we can – having faith in ourselves to know that our lights can shine on and on through other people and for other people. The thought of anyone not sharing their art or being shy of anything they create seems like a real tragedy to me. Even if it’s not perfect, you’re capturing a moment.”



Recorded over two years between 2019 and 2021 but with songs, lyrics and ideas dating back over a decade in some form, the incoming ‘And Those Who Were Seen Dancing’ is an album full of such moments, people and places. The album is out now on digital and the vinyl is released June 24th.

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06/08 London, UK • South Facing Festival
14/08 Copenhagen, DK • Common Ground Festival
03/09 Manchester, UK • Manchester Psych Festival
09/09 Normandy, FR • Rock In The Barn Festival
14/09 Nantes, FR • Le Ferrailleur
15/09 Paris, FR • La Maroquinerie
16/09 Lille, FR • Strawberry Fields Festival
25/09 Amsterdam, NL • Paradiso
02/10 Norwich, UK • Norwich Psych Festival
25/10 Brighton, UK • Green Door Store
26/10 Newcastle, UK • Cluny 2
28/10 Glasgow, UK • Stereo
28/10 Leeds, UK • Hyde Park Book Club
29/10 Liverpool, UK • Phantasmagoria
18/11 Hamburg, DE • Molotow
19/11 Berlin, DE • SynÄsthesie Festival
22/11 Cologne, DE • Bumann & Sohn
23/11 Stuttgart, DE • Merlin
24/11 Munich, DE • Import Export
25/11 Graz, AT • Dom Im Berg
26/11 Vienna, AT • Flex
28/11 Konstanz, DE • Kulturladen
29/11 Zurich, CH • Bogen F
30/11 La Chaux-de-Fonds, CH • Bikini Test
01/12 Numberg, DE • Z-bau
02/12 Damstadt, DE • 806qm

YOUNG GUV shares another early taste of GUV IV, with “Nowhere At All.” The track follows lead single “Change Your Mind” (which drew praise from the likes of Stereogum, Paste Magazine, Uproxx, BrookylnVegan, New Commute, and more) and finds Cook right at home with a shimmering, drum-machine-led pop tune that glides right into your head and never leaves. GUV IV, due out June 24th from via Run For Cover and Hand Drawn Dracula Records.

GUV IVPRE-SAVE / Deezer / Spotify / Apple / Bandcamp
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“This was the very last song written for these records in Los Angeles. Another nice co-write with James Matthew VII and Tommy Major on the lead guitar. I feel I’ve always hinted at new wave and sophistapop with the Guv project, and it’s definitely something I will be exploring much more on my next albums. Lyrics were taken from a little notebook I kept on me while in Taos – I actually had written this originally as this Tom Petty folk joint and they then were tried on a side project song for a jokey psych rock band we were calling Taosman 5 – but eventually found their home on this track. I think it’s my favorite single.”

NO JOY and Marsfade cover All Saints’ 2000 classic “Pure Shores.” The original dream-pop sleeper hit, produced by William Orbit, is best known as the soundtrack to the 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio film The Beach. Over twenty years later, while trapped in another lockdown, Jasamine White-Gluz (aka No Joy) dreamed of sunnier days and produced this warm electro-pop cover. Between Tara McLeod’s (Kittie) surfy guitars and guest vocalist Marsfade wall of harmonies, the song evokes nostalgia, hopefulness, and finding solace on the beach.

Pure Shores (ft. Marsfade) : Bandcamp / Deezer / Spotify / Apple
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PRAISES, the project helmed by Toronto-based artist, Jesse Crowe is today returning with their new single/video, “March” which comes alongside news of their second studio album, In This Year: Hierophant – out June 17. Through instinct, talent, and of course, blind luck, Praises – who now operate as a full band – harnessed their sound through the course of the pandemic, leaning into the creative spirit and a recording process reminiscent of a Bad Seeds project where key players wrote their parts from only a demo track and a feeling. The result pushes beyond their industrial synth-based offerings, incorporating the intensity of their highly regarded live performances with an intimate, collaborative, and distanced songwriting process.

As with their acclaimed debut album, In This Year: Ten Of Swords, Jesse Crowe works with career-long collaborator Josh Korody (Beliefs, Breeze, Candle Studio) on the mix and with Heather Kirby mastering (Dreamlands). Every new year Crowe draws a tarot card to represent what is to come, shaping the character of the coming album and its title. On In This Year: Hierophant, Praises delves deeper into a world of hypnotic vocals, textured synths, and arrangements to transcendent effect. This album expands Praises’ sonic palette stylistically and lyrically, exploring themes of human reckoning and hope.

The songs on this new record grew both slowly and reflective and this first single, “March” acts as a call to action and a sister song to “A World on Fire” from 2021’s EP4. The song explores the gaslighting of colonial extraction industries and the culpability of those who stay silent, beginning with a motorik beat and crafting the tension with a full band in tow. When discussing the new album, Crowe says: “This record dances like a storybook, flirting with vignettes of hidden gender, through the birth of a child, a poisonous new world, matriarchal death, and transcendent love. A graduation beyond a solo project.”

Praises first emerged at a time when Beliefs co-front, Jesse Crowe, struggled to find an outlet to release their inner conversations into a public forum. Into a place where their creative outlet has evolved and spanned over a course of four EPs and two albums. Dark and theatrical, Crowe’s influences move through the hum of Rachel Goswell’s shoegazing, the drive of Patti Smith’s poetic delivery, blending the art-gloom of Beth Gibbons’ sultry jazz with Annie Lennox’s avant-gardism found on a “Night Full of Tension” and “Sweet Surprise.”

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Just last month YOUNG GUV (aka songwriter Ben Cook) released his latest masterpiece, GUV III, and today the ever-prolific musician is already back to announce its sequel, GUV IV, due out June 24th from via Run For Cover and Hand Drawn Dracula Records.

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Where GUV III encapsulates Cook’s most instantly accessible guitar pop songwriting (earning praise from the likes of Stereogum, SPIN Magazine, Paste Magazine, Uproxx, and many more), GUV IV represents the most sonically adventurous side of Young Guv. Cook has an unparalleled ability to write perfect power pop but GUV IV highlights his expertise with the many other sounds and styles that have dotted Young Guv‘s expansive catalog over the years. The record effortlessly moves between hazy, Madchester-inspired rave ups, twangy California jangle, and even homemade sophisti-pop–while always retaining Cook’s undeniable melodies. GUV IV‘s lead single “Change Your Mind” blends pedal steel guitar with a nearly psychedelic mood that transports the listen to the New Mexican desert where it was written.

Following the highly acclaimed singles “Happy Birthday Forever” and “Brexit At Tiffany’s“, Toronto-born, London-based artist TESS PARKS releases “Do You Pray?” (video directed by Gsus Lopez w/ dance by Mark Wagner) from her new album And Those Who Were Seen Dancing out May 20 (digital) and June 24th (vinyl) via Fuzz Club (UK) and Hand Drawn Dracula (Canada).

Stream / Pre-Order: HERE / HERE
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Recorded over two years between 2019 and 2021 but with songs, lyrics and ideas dating back over a decade in some form, And Those Who Were Seen Dancing – Parks’ first solo LP since 2013’s Blood Hot – is an album full of moments, people and places. Taking constant inspiration from interactions with those around her, “Do You Pray?” is a perfect case in point.

“My friend Annie just asked me one day out of the blue, ‘Do you pray?‘, and I thought, ‘Wow, yes I love that and yes I do, every day.’ The song is a mix of two traditionals: ‘My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean’ and ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’. This is one of a few songs on the album where my dad can be heard playing my grand-fathers old piano.”

* Due to manufacturing delays and reigning pressing plant chaos, the vinyl is unfortunately delayed and will now be released June 24th // photograph by Katy Newcombe