TESS PARKS // AND THOSE WHO WERE SEEN DANCING (ALBUM) NARC, LOUDER THEN WAR, FAR OUT MAGAZINE, MAGIC RPM, FILTER, BANDCAMP DAILY, PASTE, EXCLAIM, UNCUT, UNDER THE RADAR, THE STAR, NPR

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.

ORDER : Deezer / Spotify / Apple / Bandcamp
PRESS : NORMAN RECORDS (AotW), GOD IS IN THE TV, SPILL, SECTION 26, LIFE ELSEWHERE, LOUDER THEN WAR, FAR OUT MAGAZINE, NARC, PORT, MAGIC RPM, FILTER, BANDCAMP DAILY, EXCLAIM!, PASTE, UNCUT, THE STAR, UNDER THE RADAR, NPR

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 /// NOWHERE AT ALL (VIDEO) NORTHERN TRANSMISSIONS, BIZZARRE, RAVEN SINGS THE BLUES, FLOOD MAGAZINE, BROOKLYN VEGAN, STEREOGUM

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 IV : PRE-SAVE / Deezer / Spotify / Apple / Bandcamp
PRESS : NORTHERN TRANSMISSIONS, BIZZARRE, FLOOD MAGAZINE, RAVEN SINGS THE BLUES, NICHE, PUNKNEWS.ORG, PRELUDE PRESS, BROOKLYN VEGAN, STEREOGUM

“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 /// PURE SHORES (ALL SAINTS COVER) BIZZARRE, BROOKLYN VEGAN, STEREOGUM, GORILLA VS BEAR

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
PRESS : SIDEWALK HUSTLE, BIZZARRE, THE AUTUMN ROSES, BROOKLYN VEGAN, STEREOGUM, GORILLA VS BEAR

 

PRAISES /// MARCH (VIDEO) THE MOST RADICALIST, INDIE88

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.”

PRE-ORDER In This Year: Hierophant: APPLE / Bandcamp
PRESS: MOST RADICALIST, NICHE MUSIC, WRSZW / OUT OUT, AUTUMN ROSES, INDIE88


YOUNG GUV /// ANNOUNCES GUV IV (ALBUM) & CHANGE YOUR MIND (VIDEO) OUR CULTURE, NORTHERN TRANSMISSIONS, EXCLAIM, PASTE, STEREOGUM, NPR

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.

PRE-ORDER GUV IV : Pre-save / Bandcamp
PRESS : BROOKLYN VEGAN, NEW COMMUTE, RAVEN SINGS THE BLUES, NORTHERN TRANSMISSIONS, TREBLEZINE, OUR CULTURE, EXCLAIM, PASTE, STEREOGUM, NPR

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.

TESS PARKS // DO YOU PRAY (VIDEO) NORTHERN TRANSMISSIONS, BIZZARRE, BROOKLYN VEGAN, UNDER THE RADAR, DORK, THE LINE OF BEST FIT, CLASH, STEREOGUM

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
PRESS: OUR CULTURE, NORTHERN TRANSMISSIONS, XS NOISE, BIZZARRE, INDIE ROCKS, BROOKLYN VEGAN, FAR OUT, THE LINE OF BEST FIT, CLASH, DORK, UNDER THE RADAR, UNDER THE RADAR (2), STEREOGUM

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

TALLIES /// PATINA (ALBUM) HEARTS UNDERGROUND (VIDEO) OUR CULTURE, BROOKLYN VEGAN, INDIE 88, EXCLAIM, PASTE MAGAZINE, UNDER THE RADAR, STEREOGUM

TALLIES return with their new single, “Hearts Underground” and announce their second album, Patina which is out July 29, 2022, via Kanine Records (US), Bella Union (UK/EU), Hand Drawn Dracula (Canada). The latest single, which comes with a video made up of public domain footage, directed by Justis Krar, arrives following a string of recent tracks such as “No Dreams of Fayres” which found support at Clash, Under the Radar, Exclaim, CBC Radio, Brooklyn Vegan with the new record following their self-titled debut which earned acclaim at NYLON, DIY, CRACK, MOJO, KEXP, BBC 6 Music and more.


Stream / Pre-order / Pre-save: HERE
Limited Canadian Signature Edition pressed on Copper Green Vinyl, with Obi Strip and Art Card signed by Tallies: HERE

PRESS: BROOKLYN VEGAN, SIDEWALK HUSTLE, IF IT’S TOO LOUD, SHE MAKES MUSIC, NICHE MUSIC, INDIENATIVE, THE AUTUMN ROSES, GOD IS IN THE TV, OUR CULTURE, INDIE MACHINE, INDIE 88, EXCLAIM, PASTE MAGAZINE, UNDER THE RADAR, STEREOGUM


Produced by Graham Walsh (METZ and Alvvays) alongside Dylan Frankland of the band at Palace Sound, Baskitball 4 Life and Candle Recording in Toronto, the new record arrives as a true labor of love, one that was delayed due to the pandemic but ultimately is a truly rewarding collection for the band. It pricked the ears Cocteau Twins’ Simon Raymonde – a hero of the band – who signed Tallies to his Bella Union label, providing “a light at the end of a dark tunnel” according to Sarah Cogan of the band.

Speaking about the new single, singer Sarah Cogan says: “This song is that little voice that kicks yourself. The voice that says, “why’d you do that?” In this case, it was about how it holds me back, sometimes for the better. It’s about self-sabotage. Sometimes you wish this little voice would speak up sooner and not just after the fact. I wrote a song about that little voice that I’ve heard my whole life; it’s a reflection on times when I’ve held back too much or when I wish I’d held back more.”

May 5 | Wrexham, UK – Focus Wales, GlyndwrTV
May 5 | Wrexham, UK – Focus Wales, Penny Black Room 2
May 6 | Wrexham, UK – Focus Wales, The Parish
May 7 | Wrexham, UK – Focus Wales, Penny Black
May 8 | Glasgow, UK – Hug & Pint
May 9 | Newcastle, UK – Bobiks
May 10 | Hull, UK – Tower Ballroom 2
May 11 | Liverpool, UK – Future Yard Birkenhead
May 14 | Brighton, UK – The Great Escape
May 16 | London, UK – Old Blue Last

YOUNG GUV /// GUV III (ALBUM) STEREOGUM, PASTE MAGAZINE, BROOKLYN VEGAN, RAVEN SINGS THE BLUES, BANDCAMP NEW AND NOTABLE, ALL MUSIC, SPIN, KEXP

YOUNG GUV, aka songwriter Ben Cook (vocalist of No Warning and former guitarist of Fucked Up), new album GUV III out now via Run For Cover and Hand Drawn Dracula Records. ORDER GUV III : Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple


“an expertly crafted set of hook-filled power-pop reminiscent at times of Big Star, combining jangly guitars, buoyant harmonies, sunny melodies and lyrics of love” – KEXP

“Supremely Catchy – an unstoppable collection of starry-eyed garage-pop bangers” – STEREOGUM

“gloms directly onto the pleasure center of the brain on first spin – one of the all-time greats” – ALL MUSIC

“Big hooks and big heart” – BANDCAMP NEW AND NOTABLE


REVIEWS: CUPS’N’CAKE, POP MATTERS, TICKETMASTER DISCOVER, LEFT OF THE DIAL, RAVEN SINGS THE BLUES, JANGLE POP HUB, MERRY-GO-ROUND, CHICAGO READER, BROOKLYN VEGAN, BANDCAMP NEW AND NOTABLE, PASTE MAGAZINE, STEREOGUM, SPIN, ALL MUSIC, KEXP

TESS PARKS // BREXIT AT TIFFANY’S (video) BIZZARRE, CLASH, UNDER THE RADAR, THE LINE OF BEST FIT, DORK, STEREOGUM

Following her highly praised return with ‘Happy Birthday Forever’, Toronto-born, London-based artist TESS PARKS is today sharing a new single and video, ‘Brexit At Tiffany’s’. Following years of international touring and a lengthy list of collaborations with Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe in recent years (most recently the duo’s self-titled 2018 LP), the track is lifted from her incoming solo album, ‘And Those Who Were Seen Dancing’, due out May 20th on Fuzz Club and Hand Drawn Dracula.

Out today, new single ‘Brexit at Tiffany’s’ (video by Robert Ascroft) is a piece of smouldering, organ-soaked psych-pop driven by a husky spoken-word vocal from Parks that channels the gauzy poetics of Patti Smith and Lydia Lunch.


Stream / Pre-Order: HERE / HERE
PRESS: CMU APPROVED, INDIE MACHINE, OUR CULTURE, THE AUTUMN ROSES, XS NOIZE, GIGWISE, BIZZARRE, LOCK, THE LINE OF BEST FIT, CLASH, DORK, STEREOGUM, UNDER THE RADAR, UNDER THE RADAR (SW)


On ‘Brexit at Tiffany’s’, Parks recalls: “We were recording at Rian [O’Grady]’s house and the guys started playing this music which had Francesco [Perini]’s Ray Mananzarek Doors’ sensibilities and Mike [Sutton]’s Neil Young-esque guitar, and then I started reading this poem I had written which pieces together definitions of words I found interesting and had written down. The title is thanks to Ruari [Meehan] who kept saying this over and over and we all thought it was the best thing we ever heard.” She says of the video: “This video was as planned and thought out as its namesake. My friend Robert happened to be in London with a day to spare, so last minute we rallied up some friends who were graciously willing to spend an afternoon wearing these horrific English Breakfast masks.”

Robert Ascroft, a photographer and director based out of California, adds: “Tess and I met up for a coffee while I was on assignment in London. I told her I would love to shoot a video for her brilliant new record. Right from the start of the conversation she had the idea of wearing these English Breakfast masks. The shoot was very loose which is unlike any music video I have ever shot. Without much communication I got the idea and just ran with it. Tess and I have an unspoken way of working together and have similar tastes/references. We had a fun and fast shoot with some great friends both new and old. And we got some odd looks from passersby to top it all off.”

YOUNG GUV // TAKE UP ALL MY TIME (VIDEO) STEREOGUM, PASTE MAGAZINE, BROOKLYN VEGAN

YOUNG GUV, aka songwriter Ben Cook (vocalist of No Warning and former guitarist of Fucked Up), recently announced his new double album, GUV III & GUV IV, with the first installment, GUV III, due out March 11th from Run For Cover and Hand Drawn Dracula Records. Today he’s shared the album’s final single “Take Up All My Time.”

“Take Up All My Time” is the fifth single from GUV III (following “Good Time,” “Only Wanna See U Tonight,” “Lo Lo Lonely,” and “It’s Only Dancin’,” which have garnered attention from the likes of Stereogum, BrooklynVegan, Uproxx, Raven Sings The Blues, and more), demonstrating Cook’s seemingly endless supply of big hooks and chiming guitars. The new song leans towards Guv’s melancholy side but the shimmering guitar washes and longing harmonies will still put a smile on your face. It’s the kind of instantly gratifying songwriting that makes GUV III the perfect entry point for both new listeners and those already initiated into the wide world of Guv.

“a gorgeous passage of guitar melodies that sound like sunshine to the ear” – PASTE


VIDEO: PASTE MAGAZINE, NICHE, BROOKLYN VEGAN, STEREOGUM


PRE-ORDER GUV III : Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple

03/10/22 Oakland CA @ Golden Bull w/ Toner, Scowl, Color Green
03/11/22 Los Angeles CA @ Genghis Cohen w/ Scowl, Kora Puckett
03/12/22 Los Angeles CA @ Genghis Cohen w/ Toner, Color Green
03/13/22 Long Beach CA @ Supply + Demand w/ Toner, Scowl, Color Green

TALLIES // WOUND UP TIGHT + HEAVENS TOUCH (videos) INDIE88, BROOKLYN VEGAN, UNDER THE RADAR

TALLIES return with two new tracks, “Wound Up Tight” (video directed by Christopher Mills) and “Heavens Touch” which make up a mini-EP alongside recent single, “No Dreams of Fayres” (tipped at Clash, Under the Radar, Exclaim, CBC Radio, Brooklyn Vegan and more). The two new tracks are out via Kanine Records (US), Hand Drawn Dracula (Canada) and Bella Union (UK/EU), marking the first from the band since their 2019 self-titled debut that found fans at NYLON, DIY, CRACK, MOJO, KEXP, BBC 6 Music and more.

STREAM HERE: BANDCAMP / SPOTIFY / APPLE

FEATURED: INDIE MACHINE, WRSZW, MUSIC AND RIOTS, INDIE88, BROOKLYN VEGAN, UNDER THE RADAR

“Wound Up Tight” continues to deliver on the promises that their debut record outlined pulling on the shoegaze / dream-pop tropes of Lush, The Sundays, Beach House, placing laser-focused guitar lines below washes of synth and electronics. Produced by Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) and Dylan Frankland (Tallies) at Palace Sound, Baskitball 4 Life and Candle Recording in Toronto.

Speaking about “Wound Up Tight,” singer Sarah Cogan explains: “This song is about being stuck in a constant rotating vicious cycle that makes one want to tear their own hair out. It’s about a feeling towards someone who just doesn’t care enough to make a change.” When discussing “Heaven’s Touch,” Cogan explains: “This song is someone’s pleas for more love, more time, and more effort from their partner. They’re willing to do whatever it takes in exchange for more love.”

March 09 : New York, NY – New Colossus Festival / Pianos (Live Room) 6PM
March 10 : New York, NY – New Colossus Festival / Berlin 11:30PM
March 11 : New York, NY – New Colossus Festival / Pianos (Live Room) 3PM
March 11 : New York, NY – New Colossus Festival / Mercury Lounge 10:45PM
March 17 : Austin, TX – SXSW Festival / Try Hard Coffee 4PM
March 17 : Austin, TX – SXSW Festival / Mohawk Indoors 11:40PM – 12:20AM (Bella Union Showcase)
March 19 : Austin, TX – SXSW Festival / Lazarus Brewing Co 5PM (Bella Union and Heavenly Day Party)
March 25 : Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest / The District 5:20PM
March 26 : Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest / The Hideout 2PM
Apr 05 : Hamilton, ON – Bridgeworks w/ TOPS
Apr 06 : London, ON – Rum Runners w/ TOPS
Apr 07 : St. Catherines, ON – Warehouse w/ TOPS
Apr 08 : Ottawa, ON – Bronson Centre w/ TOPS
May 05 – 07 : Wrexham, UK – Focus Wales