February 2021

West-London artist Lava La Rue (they/them) has shared their long awaited new EP Butter-Fly, out via Marathon Artists. Recorded in L.A. and London with producers including Isom Innis (Foster The People), Dan Holloway and Courage, Butter-Fly is self-described as Lava’s attempt to ‘redefine what queer music can be; setting the agenda for queer music in the 20s’. Across five dexterous and confident tracks, from the euphoric ‘Angel‘ featuring Deb Never, to the dreamy dopamine hit of ‘G.O.Y.D‘ (with vocals from Clairo and production from Vegyn), the release marks a new milestone in Lava’s already stellar multi-disciplinary career.

Speaking on the project, Lava explains;
‘The whole project was made in a transitional time where I felt like I had finally found my wings and settled into a place where I was able to practice a lot of the things I believed in. I musically had pushed myself further than i had done before to capture a dreamy emotion of falling in love, entering my 20s, shrugging of insecurities you carry through your teens and recognising the kind of person I want to be in this world.’

‘So the word “butterfly” made sense, but I specially split up the word into “butter” and “fly” with the hyphen because both those words by them self it has both ugly and beautiful connotations; the word butter makes me think of grease and excess but also smoothness and taste (smooth like butter), and the word fly makes me think of the insect and it’s connection to death & excretion but also to literally fly and be liberated. I guess it represents the process to join those words together and be transitional. The hyphen is the growing pains. Then finally it’s the follow up project after “Stitches” ….butterfly stitches, the healing of wounds’

The EP lands with an incredible accompanying video for ‘Magpie’.

On the video, Lava explains; “The ‘Magpie’ music video is London’s subcultural history timeline personified into a person walking through a tube carriage. Showing many elements of how British Caribbean sound system culture, UK black punk, Notting Hill carnival, 2000s Grime & more, would become the blueprint of the contemporary music scene we know today. Pay close attention as each small detail represents moments of both the rise & sometimes the decline of these movements.”

Butter-Fly showcases Lava’s incredible dexterity as an artist – flitting between a honey-tinged vocal and trademark rap flow. A collection of queer love songs in various guises, Lava takes us on a journey of their sonic capabilities; from the 2020 dream-like intro ‘Magpie’, through the 2020 love ballad ‘Goofy Hearts’, to the psychedelic pop of ‘Lift You Up’ ft. Karma Kid.

Butter-Fly Tracklist 1. Magpie 2. Angel (Feat. Deb Never) 3. Goofy Hearts Club 4. G.O.Y.D 5. Lift You Up (Feat. Karma Kid) — Fans will be overjoyed to have a solid body of work from Lava and the first collection of tracks since 2019’s STITCHES mixtape. A truly matured sound, Lava’s Butter-Fly is an iconic moment for the young star, who is truly cemented as a firm one to watch for 2021. Without a doubt, one of the UK’s most exciting artists, Lava’s success far outweighs their young years. The West London musician has seen themself collaborating with, and recognised by, the likes of COLORS Berlin, Converse, The Tate, ELLE, Noisey, The Guardian, Dazed, British Vogue, i-D, Crack, Aries, Henry Holland, Calvin Klein, Aries and more. A true creative, and multi-hyphenate talent, musician, singer and artist, Lava La Rue has been making music for the past few years as both their self, and a part of their collective NiNE8. It was only two years ago that they began a true journey of creative releases, with their debut single ‘Widdit‘ flooring critics – a song that went on to feature on the coveted COLORS. Since then, their catalogue has gone on to accumulate millions of streams. As the founding member of the creative group NiNE8, Lava has curated incredible projects across the worlds of art, music and fashion- perhaps most notably a show at Men’s Fashion Week, and a TATE Modern “LATE” takeover. Lava is setting the pace, with their motivated, all-encompassing creativity – introducing themself to new fans, old fans and critics alike. An incredible performer, Lava is set to announce new dates for 2021. Having sold out their solo shows and after supporting 070 Shake, Christine and the Queens, Clairo, not to mention hosting a party takeover with Tyler The Creator, Lava is set for world domination. LAVA LA RUE BUTTER-FLY OUT NOW VIA MARATHON ARTISTS

Praise for Lava La Rue ‘It’s a real tour de force, thoughtful pop music illuminated by Lava La Rue’s sense of soul’ – Clash Magazine ‘a flawless queer love song’ – The Guardian ‘A heady mix of the U.K. artist’s fast-paced bars and melodic choruses’  – The Fader

February 22, 2021 0 comments

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“Given how dark things are nowadays, The Antlers couldn’t have timed this pursuit any better.” – Paste

“It’s a warm, lovely song, and it’s always nice to immerse yourself in the familiar vocals of Peter Silberman.” – BrooklynVegan on “Wheels Roll Home”

New York’s The Antlers have recently returned to sharing new music after a seven year hiatus, revealing a handful of singles with what Stereogum has called “twinkling and soothing instrumentation.” Today they have shared “Just One Sec”, another reassuring track from their upcoming album Green to Gold, out March 26 via ANTI-. The song’s bucolic new video was created in collaboration with directors Derrick Belcham and Emily Terndrup and world-renowned contemporary dancers Bobbi-Jene Smith and Or Schraiber.

Watch it HERE.

“This song’s about the difficulty of escaping your reputation with someone you’ve closely known for a long time,” lead singer and songwriter Peter Silberman said. “The sentiment of “Just One Sec” is an experiment with temporarily dropping the story between the two of you, offering and receiving momentary forgiveness, and experiencing that freedom. The idea was born out of a meditation retreat we attended a couple years ago, and the instructions of one meditation that I found particularly powerful.”

Conceived and written almost entirely in the morning hours, Green to Gold is the band’s most luminous music to date. “I think this is the first album I’ve made that has no eeriness in it,” singer and primary songwriter Peter Silberman asserts. “I set out to make Sunday morning music.”

Unlike other Antlers albums, Silberman didn’t feel compelled to turn a human experience into a circuitous mythology. He chose a more direct approach: documenting two years in his life, without overthinking or obscuring what the songs were about. “Most of the songs on Green to Gold are culled from conversations with my friends and my partner. It’s less ambiguous about who’s speaking and who’s listening,” says Silberman resolutely.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Green to Gold and The Antlers’ back catalog is its arrival at a kind of quiet normalcy after a number of rather anxious records, in the same way Neil Young’s Harvest Moon does; a softer, gentler album that the august artist made after recovering from a case of tinnitus, an affliction that Silberman has also recently dealt with.

“There’s some David Lynchian quality to every Antlers album, too, but I think this one is our Straight Story — it’s heartfelt and melancholic, and possibly the only film of Lynch’s that’s entirely devoid of creepiness and dread,” Silberman said. “I thought it’d be interesting this time to see what would happen if we excluded that unsettling quality from our work as well.”

LISTEN

EVOLVE IS THE LATEST RIPPER FROM MELBOURNE’S DREGG

Melbourne based anomalistic collective DREGG, have shared their new track “EVOLVE.” Drenched in heavy guitars and raging drums the band bang out their frustrations with a sound that hungrily consumes metal, hardcore and rap.

Dregg are definitely one of the most original bands going right now. From day one the band have done everything on their own terms, and for that, we love them!

The video, sponsored by EVOLVE Energy and premiered via ROCKSOUND, involves a god damn TANK! One the best videos you will see this year by any Australian artist.

WATCH IT HERE 

E V O L V E 

“Humans have a long history of adapting to situations and environments they’ve been thrown into. 2020 was no exception and it pushed humanity into new and interesting territory. Without the ability to allow thoughts, feelings and the fundamentals of innovation to advance and improve, the world would have come to an unimaginative decline in ingenuity,” says DREGG on the meaning behind the new track.

CHECK OUT “EVOLVE” NOW
WATCH | LISTEN

DREGG make powerfully energetic music, driven by themes of fierce individualism, with a sound that hungrily consumes metal, hardcore, and rap, only to heave it back up in a colourful rainbow of bombastic brutality and iconoclastic absurdity, lovingly fed to the audience like mother birds. The thought provoking five-piece, known for tongue-in-cheek take on the current state of the world, continues to push the boundaries of hardcore by making music and art intended to provoke and inspire.

DREGG is Christopher Mackertich (vocals), Jordan McQuitty (guitar), Sam Yates (guitar), Aiden Zovic (bass), and Horhay Delalopez (drums).

 

Sydney’s Yuma X – the musical project made up of vocalist Lucy Washington and producer Jake Smith – are swelling emotions with their glistening new single ‘We Could Be So Good’. A levitating, energetic pop song that once again redefines the duo’s capabilities as songwriters and producers, ‘We Could Be So Good’ is their most confident yet

In what can only be described as a bittersweet moment, comes the news that after 5 years of collaboration, Yuma X is coming to an end. ‘We Could Be So Good’ will be Washington and Smith’s last release as a duo.

Since their impressive arrival in 2015 with the haunting ‘Matchstick’, the pair have been carefully expanding their sound. Last year’s ‘Chasing Patterns’ was a bold, pulsating moment and it was furthered by the electronic experimentations of ‘What You Want’. In 2020, they had been even bolder though with the captivating single ‘Secret Lover’ upping the tempo, ushering us into the club and ‘We Could Be So Good’ extends on that. Over twinkling synths and heartbeat-raising percussion, Washington delivers an instantaneous chorus – one that circles your head long after the song has passed.

‘We Could Be So Good’ was born in a period of experimentation for the group as Smith explains. “We’d been trying out new sounds and seeing what works,” he says, continuing, “We’d definitely been moving towards a sound that’s more fun and dancefloor-centric.” The reason for this is a strive to create music that is tailor-made for an energetic live crowd.

Accompanying today’s release is a nostalgia-steeped lyric video that follows the duo through their everyday adventures, documenting their creative processes and offering an insight into their personal lives outside of the band.

For Lucy Washington, “WCBSG is a real feel good song, and the visuals in the music video capture that perfectly. I think this song is my favourite we’ve written and it feels like the perfect high note to end on. I’m so grateful for the last 5 years we’ve had and the music we’ve released and everyone who has supported us along the journey. I’m really proud of this one because it’s something so positive and happy that came out of the hardest and strangest year. I hope it puts a smile on people’s faces and is the background song to many fun memories people make in the future.”

Studio experimentation has resulted in new material that’s even more accessible while still retaining Yuma X’s individual, warm aesthetic. “It’s uncharted territory for us,” says Washington, explaining that it’s the first time they have played with traditional pop song structures. On top of that, Smith adds that it’s been important for them to “incorporate more live instruments.” The updated sound is just as dreamy as ever but the live instrumentation adds an earthiness to it that is sure to shimmer in the live arena.

The new material has been inspired by the visceral songwriting of artists like Frank Ocean and Lana Del Rey while also soaking in the music being made on this side of the world. BENEE, Parcels and Mildlife are name-checked by the pair who have long been inspired by the musical community that surrounds them in Australia.

Washington and Smith met at a New Year’s Eve party in 2009 and started releasing music as Yuma X in 2015. Since their debut EP Home Recordings, they have amassed over 6 million streams and become an exciting force within the indie-electronica space. In that time, they have also supported some of the most transcendent live acts on the planet including RUFUS Du Sol, ODESZA and Boo Seeka. They count triple j, FBi Radio, Pilerats, Radio Adelaide and Fashion Journal among their growing list of tastemaker fans.

The rollout of their music over the past five years has been careful and considered as they took time to hone their songwriting. ‘We Could Be So Good’ proves that the wait has been worth it as they return with their final and most spellbinding release yet.

Watch the ‘We Could Be So Good’ lyric video here: