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Where are you currently based?
I am living/working in Melbourne, whereas Thijs has moved back to Utrecht in the Netherlands!
How did you first start playing music?
My dad plays guitar, and so I had always taken an interest in watching him play music when I was a child. I think when my friends started playing guitar in about year 7 or 8 (Age 13-14?) that really motivated me to pick it up and try to play though! At one point I started learning from a book to read proper music notation etc, but then guitar tabs appeared that let me learn to play ‘Scar Tissue’ from RHCP, and then I was done with learning properly! Sort of regrettable in hindsight not to learn more music theory, but once I could play the songs I loved I just couldn’t be bothered learning the ‘proper’ way. I do often think that my lack of formal musical knowledge allows me to think outside the box a bit though in terms of song writing, without being bounded by what ‘should’ follow a certain chord etc. But it also limits me, which is why working with a classically trained musician (Thijs) worked so well for our songs, I could have the crazy idea, and then he would be able to add really clever additions to the chords/progressions to tie it all together! ☺
What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?
I have been super busy with my work in science and also promoting our album! My Covid experience has been very fortunate compared to a lot of people, as I have maintained my employment throughout the entire lockdown in Melbourne. I was able to work from home for many weeks and then get back into the lab occasionally as well because medical research is an essential service. Although working from home was great for a while, I think being able to go back into the workplace was really good for me, and I feel very lucky for it. It was tough not being able to see my parents for around 6 months, as they were outside the ‘ring of steel’, but we have seen each other again now and it was just awesome to get back and say G’day! ☺
Your new album ‘Yours to Lend’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
There are a huge amount of different influences on this album, as is demonstrated by the range of different sounds within the 10 tracks. The sounds on our album range through rock music like ‘Storm’ to piano ballads like ‘Dork’ and acoustic guitar/harmonica sounds like ‘Rory’. The influences behind all those sounds are so varied it’s hard to describe, but I guess for me personally, my strongest influences are probably as follows: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus (I love the percussive vocal lines in both of these bands, and I often try to include percussive vocal sections in our songs), Ben Harper, Neil Young, and basically anything that makes me feel emotions! I think I can speak on Thijs’s behalf to say his largest influence as a pianist/keyboard player is definitely Supertramp.
How did you go about writing the music?
For 9 out of the 10 tracks I had lyrics/chord structures written already in an acoustic form, and I would bring these ideas in to work with me where we would find a quiet room and start putting piano lines to them. But as the songs developed the piano would quickly become the driving force behind the songs, and I would then really reduce the amount of guitar I was playing to a minimal amount to leave room for Thijs’s beautiful piano lines ☺ As a guitarist who has played in guitar heavy punk/rock bands before, it was a really fun experience actually to play in a very minimalistic way, just trying to compliment the piano and vocals. For the song ‘Storm’ our roles were switched…Thijs came in with the whole chord structure on piano and initial lyrics, and we jammed to it, I added some guitar and played around with the lyrics/vocal style until we had what you hear on the album ☺
Where and when did you record/produce?
We recorded the whole album with Steve Vertigan at Soggy Dog Recording Studios in Upwey. I have worked with Steve before on some other recordings and I knew he has a great ear for mixing, and vast musical knowledge to draw from during the recording process. The bulk of the recording was done across 2 days in March 2019, where the session musicians Jason Vorherr and Peter Maslen were present to record the bass and drums. Once the ‘skeleton’ of the tracks were down, we raced to get Thijs’s piano/harmonica and backing vocals down before he had to leave for the Netherlands in about May! After that, I basically went back into the studio once a month or so to add in my parts and work on the mixing with Steve. I also had around 7 weeks overseas in the middle of 2019 where I could listen back to the mixes and come back with fresh ears. The final mixes were sent off for mastering with Ross Cockle from Sing Sing Studios in about March 2020, so it really was an album recorded across an entire year! ☺ Although an unusual process, I love writing/recording and it was really great to have a creative project going along on the side whilst I continued working in science.
How did you approach the recording process?
I like to approach recording with an open mind to the fact that the songs might take on completely new forms during recording. It’s actually what I love most…the spontaneous things that arise in the studio, whether it’s a little guitar line or a particular take of the vocals, I just love it when you can drive away from the studio listening back to something that didn’t even exist when you drove there in the morning! ☺
What programs/equipment did you use?
I have no idea! (Steve?)
What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the creation of the album?
Most challenging was probably holding back from rushing the recording. After almost a year of recording/mixing there’s a real desire to get the music out and show it to people, but I really tried to hold on until the music was absolutely finished and mastered before I showed it to most people. I really wanted an end product that I was completely happy with, and it was totally worth the wait in the end, so I guess that is the most rewarding part…there really isn’t anything on the album that I listen to and go ‘Oh no! What were we thinking! Why didn’t we change that bit?’ Which has always been my previous experience with more rushed recordings.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Spotify tells me that recently I’ve been switching mainly between Thundercat, Bad Mother Nature, Jackson Browne, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, John Frusciante, Karnivool and Queens Of The Stone Age.
What do you like to do away from music?
I’m a mad scientist in most of my hours away from music. I actually really enjoy my work and particularly microscopy. I get to make time-lapse microscopy images of immune cells attacking their target cells and it’s just an incredible thing to visualise. I have a lot of fun and pour a lot of my creativity into trying to develop new techniques of visualising these events more clearly so that we can learn more about them ☺
What’s planned for the remainder of 2020 going into 2021?
I think like most people I just want to get through 2020 and then have an awesome 2021! It’s actually been pretty handy getting all of the album out this year, so that hopefully if gigs are allowed in the new year, I can start to focus on remembering how to play guitar and get a band together to perform Dutch Monks songs at live gigs! I’m actually really excited about that, can’t wait to perform these songs!
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Oh gee, anyone that knows me knows that I love most food! (a little too much tbh). But I think my favourite would have to be home-made pasties that my Mum makes ☺ As for a place to hangout, this year it’s probably been the research laboratory that I work in at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre! Other years it would be a quiet place in the bush though…as a kid who grew up in the country the city is far too busy for me, I like to get away from it and gather my thoughts ☺
Website
https://dutchmonks.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/DutchMonks
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/dutch_monks/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/DutchMonks
YouTube
http://bit.ly/DutchMonks_YouTube
Spotify
http://bit.ly/DutchMonks_Spotify
Apple Music
https://music.apple.com/au/artist/dutch-monks/1522421212
Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/user-305369583
Triple j Unearthed
https://www.triplejunearthed.com/artist/dutch-monks
Bandcamp
https://dutchmonks.bandcamp.com/releases
The event will take place on Sunday 22nd November in the Sant Llorenç mountains.
The streaming will broadcast on her Facebook page and will be supported by more than 40 international channels.
Anna Tur’s creativity keeps opening new horizons. She announced “On Air with Anna Tur”, her new radio adventure, a few months ago and now the DJ and producer announces the celebration of the most special live streaming of her career.
The chosen location is Ibiza. But not the most well-known and commercial Ibiza, but the Ibiza she carries in her blood, the Ibiza she is passionately in love with. On Sunday 22nd, November, Anna Tur will be heading to Sant Llorenç, the island’s highest mountain, because that is where Ibiza’s broadcasting center is located. To explain both the importance of this place and the streaming, there’s no one better than Anna Tur herself:
“It’s difficult to express my feelings when all you can probably see and imagine is a load of iron, frequencies and radiation. Behind this cold yet mind blowing place, is where my beginnings in radio can be felt. Not only my experience, but a family story.
This place that I perceive as sacred, is the temple of my journey, of my beginnings, of repeatedly going as a little girl with my father to turn the power back on when we had broadcasting issues. There was no working remotely, no alarms… I saw him drive up at any time of day or night to turn on his radio, the radio that never stopped playing. A place that scared me not only because of its impressive structure, but because I knew that when there was a storm or lightning, I interpreted that life was at stake, there could even be a hurricane, but his stubbornness always made its success, the radio could not be stopped.
In the last few years, I have been here many of times. For technical issues and sometimes alone to meditate and feel memories, because here I still have my place, where I can come to listen to the sound of filters, exciters, transmitters or the murmur of electrical tension… sounds that have always made me have so many feelings.
I am a radio woman, because it runs through my veins. That is why today, in this very special place where it all began, I want to dedicate this set to all of you who have been part of my journey and to those who are with me now and hopefully in the future. But above all, I want to pay a tribute to you, after 2 years that you have gone. My angel… Juan Tur.
Welcome to this musical and emotive experience, from the highest mountain in Ibiza.”
More than 40 channels will be in charge of broadcasting this event, including Amnesia Ibiza, Egg London and Dreambeach Festival. On top of that, important international media such as Mixmag will support the broadcast. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/
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“Fool was written as a continuation from Pure, I loved working with Laure to create the imagery for the first single and knew we could further develop something really sincere, powerful and vulnerable for Fool. Our main focus was to do something really stripped back that made the song the star.” – Paige Valentine
Written with collaborator Dylan Ollivierre, mixed by Myles Wootton and mastered by Greg Calbi, as a metaphor, ‘Fool’s tale of ascending from heartache and desperation is fitting of the world into which it is born. While the rest of the planet is still in lockdown, Paige’s home of Western Australia has already emerged on the other side of the tunnel, more or less unscathed. Live music has returned and with it, people are again able to bask in the electricity of being in an audience. As much as ‘Pure’ was Paige’s bookmark for isolation and lockdown, ‘Fool’ is the anthem of her emancipation from it and Paige is now preparing for her upcoming run of WA shows and her performance at Nannup Music Festival in 2021.
‘Fool’ Single Tour Dates
Friday 4 December
Harvest Moon Festival Esperance
Free Entry
Friday 11 December
Assembly Yard Fremantle
With Riley Pearce
7pm
Tickets via Moshtix
Friday 20 December
Clancys Dunsborough
Free Entry
Saturday 21 December
The Quill Collective Vasse – SOLD OUT
Other Upcoming Shows
Nannup Music Festival, WA
26 February – 1 March 2021
Tickets via Nannup Music Festival website
‘Fool’ is out now via AWAL
Spotify / iTunes / Apple Music / Bandcamp
‘Fool’ Video Credits:
Directed/Produced by Luna Laure
DOP – David Le May ACS
1st AC – Ben Berkhout
Grip – Ollie Lo Monaco
Prod. Assist – Thomas Wilkinson
HMUA – Bee Rizzi
Flowers – Rose & Bud
Photographer – Westerly
Edit & Colour – Luna Laure
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Introducing 700 Feel, a Sydney-based electronic duo who today share their debut release ‘T1 Western’ / ‘Back 2 The Area’. Listen HERE, watch HERE.
Comprised of Jonny Hawkins and Juan Villamor, 700 Feel bring together UK garage, hip hop, dub, and house with subtle shadings of footwork and jazz interspersed throughout. Together, they channel the organic electronica of Four Tet, the shuffling production of Jamie xx and Nicolás Jaar’s ability to move from ambient soundscapes to bass-heavy club beats and back again. Enveloping a diverse range of influences, the sound is united by the duo’s appreciation for genres and styles which are deeply rooted in the places and communities which birthed them. Threading together London, Chicago, Kingston, Bristol, and Western Sydney, these musical threads all come together in the meeting point of 700 Feel.
Like their musical influences, the duo behind 700 Feel are themselves the product of global movement and cultural interconnectedness. Hawkins, who grew up in the UK in Ipswich, and Villamor, who was raised in North Carolina, were initially introduced through Juan’s brother, Jose, a high school classmate of Jonny’s. The two began making music together for fun, fusing their individual influences without a clear image of what form their art would eventually take. Instead, they let themselves be guided by feeling, pushing their music to reach a blissful, transportative state that’s as human as it is synthetic, equally at home in the headphones as it is in the club.
Despite possessing a sound pieced together from around the globe, the duo aims to ground the 700 Feel project very firmly in their Australian roots of Western Sydney. Energised by community and collectivism, they find inspiration in their surroundings and the people and stories that populate the city, with their debut AA-side centered on that feeling of coming home. Filtered through the perspectives of two migrant kids growing up on the outskirts of Sydney, 700 Feel is an authentic, affectionate homage to the melting pot of the area, the kind of exchange of ideas and culture that could’ve only happened there.
‘T1 Western‘ / ‘Back 2 The Area‘ is out now,
buy/stream it here.
Stay connected with 700 Feel:
Instagram | Bandcamp | SoundCloud
Artwork credit: Carl Breitkreuz
Dearly loved Australian singer songwriter, Bob Evans has today announced his new single Born Yesterday, a gorgeous, nostalgia-soaked rambler of a track, out today, Novermber 19. Born Yesterday is also accompanied by a beautiful, glowing video clip which serves as an ode to touring during a year where it was impossible. Bob Evans, the ARIA-winning alter ego of Jebediah frontman Kevin Mitchell, has graced the Australian music scene for more than two decades and has written some of the country’s most beloved songs and Born Yesterday will not disappoint his loyal audience.
Born Yesterday is perfect for that classic Aussie drive to the beach – it feels like summer holidays. Glistening guitars spread luxuriously as Mitchell’s idiosyncratic vocal hits those brilliant notes in the hook-laden chorus – then the track hits unprecedented highs with a killer sax solo right in the middle of the song. Produced by Steven Schram (Paul Kelly, Kate Miller-Heidke), Born Yesterday is a stunning addition to the Bob Evans discography, as Mitchell explains the inspiration behind the song, “I was backstage at a Jebediah gig when an old housemate from Perth messaged me with a link to our old share house we lived in that was for sale. We couldn’t believe it when looking through the photos of the house that it hadn’t changed at all since we lived there in the late 90’s. What followed was a slew of messaging between us, as well as the other two friends I used to live with in that house. It was my first share house after leaving home and the whole exchange between us and seeing the house again just brought back a lot of great memories from that time and age, my late teens and early twenties. I already had the music for the song pretty much written at that stage so all I needed was the lyric to go with it. It’s a deeply nostalgic song for me, looking back at a stage of my life that feels so long ago now, but at the time it felt like it would last forever.”
The clip for Born Yesterday captures this nostalgia flawlessly. Shot as though on a vintage super 8 camera, the viewer follows the Bob Evans touring party through gigs, travel, and recording, as the handwritten lyrics fade in and out as the melodies pass. It’s a perfect reflection of the mood of the song, as Mitchell describes, “My friend Arlo Cook has been taking footage of me at shows and in the studio for years and he came in to the studio while we were recording and took footage, not with anything in particular in mind. I knew the song would really suit a more abstract kind of video, because it’s about memories, so lots of home made visual snapshots was how I imagined it and then as COVID happened and lockdowns happened, it became more and more obvious that we should make that kind of video. So it mixes footage from the last few years with footage from during lockdown. There’s even a couple of seconds of my two kids at the beach in there as well. It will forever be a document of this strange year we’ve lived through, which I’m really happy to have captured.”
Born Yesterday is out now via Dew Process.
Bob Evans is Kevin Mitchell.
Watch: BORN YESTERDAY
Smartlink: BORN YESTERDAY
BOB EVANS SHOWS
SAT 12 DEC | THE PELICAN BAR, QUEENSCLIFF, VIC | 18+ | 3:00-5:00pm
Tickets available from https://www.
SAT 12 DEC | THE PELICAN BAR, QUEENSCLIFF, VIC | 18+ | 5:30-7:30pm – SOLD OUT
Tickets available from https://www.
SAT 12 DEC | THE PELICAN BAR, QUEENSCLIFF, VIC | 18+ | 8:00-10:00pm – SOLD OUT
Tickets available from https://www.
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After premiering via BBC R1 this week, UK grime-metal quintet HACKTIVIST have released a video for new single ‘Armoured Core’ today. The band teamed up with rising artist Kid Bookie on the track, following his recent collaboration with Corey Taylor, as ‘Armoured Core’ marks the beginning of an exhilarating chapter for the five-piece.
On the single, co-vocalist J. Hurley comments: “It’s like a shield against anyone attacking us. Anyone can say anything they want, but you can’t get through the armoured core! Talk shit if you want, but it ain’t gonna affect us. I listen to a lot of other rappers and I know that my lyrics are strong. I know that no-one can fuck with this.”
“This is a song for anyone who is going through a hard time and needs building up. It’s motivational. It makes you feel like, ‘Nothing can touch me, I can do this’, but it’s personal to Hacktivist as well,” adds co-vocalist Jot Maxi. “With what we’ve been through, a lot of other bands might have broken up, but we’re back with this new record and a new dynamic, which even I think is great and I’m super self-critical. As long as you’re alive and still breathing, your core is armoured and protected by something. This song is a reminder to stay strong.”
Kid Bookie concludes: “Glad to be working with the boys, man! When you have an eclectic bunch pushing a sound I love forward, why the FUCK would I never want to share some sonic space with a bunch of beautiful, sexy, iconic men?! Fuck the free world, HACKTIVIST up in this bitch.”
Question everything. Consider your sources. Be wary of ulterior motives, insidious media narratives and even your own unconscious bias. Trust sparingly and try to make smart, informed choices. As the world slides further into ruin at the behest of old, rich white men ruling with catastrophic, zero-sum thinking, it’s more important than ever to be vigilant and fight back against the forces that be who seem hell-bent on creating a dystopian future for us all.
Luckily, HACKTIVIST are back to help cut through the noise and bullshit, tooled-up and ready to attack with renewed vigour and reinforced ranks; with Jot Maxi and J. Hurley now sharing the vocal and lyrical load, drummer Rich Hawking and bassist Josh Gurner bringing the beats and rhythms, and guitarist and production don James Hewitt fleshing out the group’s genre-fluid muscle. With a brand new album in the works, scheduled for release in 2021, Hewitt played a very active role in HACKTIVIST’s writing and recording process, bringing a new and compelling dynamic to the table.
When HACKTIVIST initially set sights on their enemies with their 2016 debut album Outside The Box, the world wasn’t fully equipped to heed their warnings and pay attention to its timely rallying cries. They return into a very different one, however – a world that’s sadly now all-too-finely-attuned to the horrors they first forecasted four years ago. In the wake of a global pandemic that has sharpened collective senses and exposed the systematic flaws across society, these should be times primed and ready for the truth-bombs that HACKTIVIST are about to drop. But recent hardships only amplify the band’s messages – these dispatches from the edge were written way before a virus brought humanity to its knees.
Keep your eyes peeled for more news on HACKTIVIST soon.
CLICK BELOW TO STREAM
‘ARMOURED CORE’ ft. KID BOOKIE NOW
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Tassie legends Luca Brasi have gifted us with a fresh new single ‘Every Time You’re Here (I’m Gone)’, lifted from their fifth album, Everything is Tenuous, out February 12 via Cooking Vinyl Australia.
Everything is Tenuous is a natural progression from 2018’s breakthrough ARIA nominated album Stay, which soared to #10 on the ARIA chart and catalysed the biggest tours of their career. Uplifting, powerful and sophisticated, Everything is Tenuous is the Luca Brasi record fans have been pining for.
The album’s next single ‘Every Time You’re Here (I’m Gone)’ is another top shelf Luca Brasi number that hugs the soul and doesn’t let go. A stirring ode to the most important people in life, ‘Every Time You’re Here (I’m Gone)’ is a timely reminder that life flashes by fast, so stop and let them know how vital they are, no matter how difficult it is.
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The charity fundraiser includes the almighty Sasha playing from an iconic Ibiza location, Carl Cox sharing a Set For Love from Australia and Detroit techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson bringing a world exclusive of his new project, “The Saundersons”. Kevin will be playing back to back with his sons “The Saunderson Brothers” with his wife Ann Saunderson performing vocals.
Kevin said, “This is what music is all about, bringing people together for the greater good. I’m looking forward to playing alongside Carl Cox, Sasha and my musical family again, all the way from Detroit.”
Carl Cox said, “I’m happy to play a Set For Love for World Children’s Day on Beatport. Please check us out this Friday 20th November and support the cause, it’s going to change a child’s life forever and all the while having fun with the music we’re playing. Let’s make this one the biggest it can possibly be!”
Sasha said, “I’m happy to support this great cause with a Set For Love. It feels good to see music bring people together, especially after the tough year everyone has had. You can catch my set this weekend alongside Carl Cox and Kevin Saunderson.”
Funds raised will go to support grassroots projects in developing countries including Tanzania, Uganda, The Philippines and Nepal. These projects are focussed on creating a sustainable future for children, young people and their families and will be delivering food and water, education, safety and trauma rehabilitation.
So far, more than 700 DJs from over 50 countries have registered to play their own Set For Love during the weekend and will be participating in what is potentially the world’s largest simultaneous livestream event. DJs of all abilities are invited to get involved and can register to play their Set For Love at www.setforlove.org. Donations can also be made through that link.
Participants are reaching out to their followers, friends and families to ask for donations, helping LNADJ demonstrate that the power of music really can make a difference to the lives of those who need it the most.
This will be the third Set For Love event organised by LNADJ and organisers are hoping it will be the biggest one yet. The previous two held earlier in the year raised over £80,000. These funds, raised for the charity’s Covid-19 Relief Appeal, provided food, water and medical supplies to vulnerable communities in developing countries.
Industry heavyweights including Beatport, Pioneer DJ, Bop DJ, Point Blank, Digital DJ Tips, Funktion One, Mixmasters, Plug In Boutique, Loopcloud and Izotope have teamed up to support the global event.
For further information and to donate visit setforlove.org. Join the Facebook event for more details and set times https://bit.ly/setforlove3
Streaming starts on Beatport’s Twitch channel from 3pm – 1:00am GMT / 4pm – 2am CET / 10am – 9pm EST https://www.twitch.tv/
The Last Night A DJ Saved My Life foundation is a registered charity in England Wales no 1142478.
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Image: Tori Styles
The follow up to their February debut album Mindless Joy, Melbourne’s LOSER return with new single ‘Upside Down’ today.
With lockdown cancelling their plans to tour Mindless Joy, LOSER brothers Tim and Will Maxwell took to their parents’ garage to build a new home studio from scratch. After coining Restless Noise Studios the duo doubled down, self-recording and producing a new body of work including today’s release. On ‘Upside Down’, the band teamed up with ARIA award winning mixing engineer Anton Hagop, whose work credits include the likes of Silverchair, Powderfinger, Missy Higgins and Birds of Tokyo.
After ‘Upside Down’ premiered via triple j’s Home & Hosed on Monday, today’s official release comes alongside the announce of the official video premiere, happening at 6pm tonight via the Domestic La La youtube channel.
On ‘Upside Down’, Tim Maxwell explains that while their recent album was an introspective exploration on mental health, this track finds LOSER examining the chaos of the world as they see it.
“‘Upside Down’ is about your own personal response to the state of the world. You can either let it consume you, or you can find safety within yourself and watch as the chaos ensues… I guess this is my first political song, I don’t really like to write that way usually but seeing all the news that was shoved down our throats at the time and just being left there to deal with it made me angry,” he shares.
Following the release of Mindless Joy, LOSER performed their album via livestream and were handpicked to support none other than Violent Soho at their sold out Melbourne show in February. Later, mid-year round ups by The Music and Wall Of Sound saw the album classed as one of the Best Of 2020 So Far, meanwhile it recently clocked a nomination for the coveted Australian Music Prize.
LOSER is Tim Maxwell (vocals/guitar), Dragon Maxwell (guitar), Craig Selak (bass), Jake Farrugia (guitar) and Chris Cowburn (drums). ‘Upside Down’ is out now via Domestic La La.
PRAISE FOR ‘MINDLESS JOY’
“A beautiful cross-over of Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins, mixing melancholic guitars with powerfully adamant vocals.”
The Music
“This album has absolutely no lowlights. 9.5/10”
Wall Of Sound
“Mindless Joy harbours a big character, big sound, and even bigger potential for this band to go very, very far. 9/10.”
Hysteria
“There’s something truly remarkable about LOSER’s ability to talk about serious issues while simultaneously making their listeners want to rock out.”
Forte Magazine
http://loser.lnk.to/
https://24hundred.net/
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