Press Releases For February: Here Are The Artists
adam brian paul, Caroline Kingsbury, Moonchild, Kamasi Washington, The Simps, Eyedress, zzzahara, No Frills, Homeschool are in these press releases for February.
adam brian paul – “The Perfect Life”: A passionate and cathartic pop-rock song with catchy guitar riffs, textured instrumental lines, and anxious vocals. This somewhat familiar-sounding song is a single from the Montreal-based artist’s debut album “For The Good,” out this spring, “The Perfect Life” is about striving towards some sort of perfection, only to realize that perfection is impossible. A slight shift from his typical lo-fi bedroom pop sound, this track sees adam brian paul veer more into the heavier, darker, rock territory, reflecting the themes of the track. On the track, he says, “It was a time when I wanted to be better, better, and better. I pushed too hard and it only led to disappointment and burnout. Tonally it’s probably the heaviest and darkest song I’ve made so far. It’s angsty, it’s rock.” Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, BC, Brian Yim, a.k.a. adam brian paul charts a journey of self-discovery over the course of 10 intimate tracks. “’For The Good’ documents my continued struggle in search for meaning and purpose—and reveals an answer, for now: to strive for the betterment of myself and my neighbors,” says Yim. “More importantly and more tangibly, having a place in this world, a goal to aim for, and a purpose to serve seems to provide a sense of guiding relief.” “These songs are real, they’re sonic journal entries, and they mean so much to me. I would love for you to give it a listen alone—on a walk preferably, with attention and volume.”
Caroline Kingsbury – “Strawberry Sheets”: A dream-pop song building a hazy soundscape for Caroline Kingsbury’s rich vocals. There’s an undeniable ‘80s glam touch to the poignant songs, addressing social injustices and grief. Of “Strawberry Sheets,” produced by herself and Math Bishop, Caroline says: “The song is a beautiful sonic world I created to retreat to during these difficult times. I needed something repetitive and beautiful to get lost in.” The song was supposed to arrive the night she was set to perform at Madison Square Garden, opening for The War on Drugs. Says Adam Granduciel of the Drugs: “Caroline Kingsbury wrote me out of the blue on Instagram asking to open our tour when we announced it back in July. I had never heard of her but I listened to a few songs and I knew SHE NEEDED TO PLAY MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. Big songs, big voice. Great hooks. I loved it.” Out of an abundance of caution with the Covid, WOD decided to go without an opener for the next month. Nonetheless, new Drugs dates will come later this year. “Strawberry Sheets” is the first single of much new music to come from Caroline in 2022, as well as tour dates later this year.
Moonchild – “Love I Need”: Amber Navran’s sultry whisper for a lush R&B soundscape filled with jazzy horns, finger snaps, and sparse keys. The track shifts with the rap lines by Rapsody who takes the song to another level. The new song follows on the heels of the recent single “Tell Him” [feat. Lalah Hathaway], which has earned widespread critical acclaim. The song paves the way for the arrival of the group’s highly anticipated new album, “Starfruit,” out February 11th. In addition to Hathaway, Isley, and Rapsody, Starfruit also notably boasts collaborations from Tank and The Bangas, Ill Camille, Mumu Fresh, Chantae Cann, and Josh Johnson. Alongside the extensive list of featured artists on Starfruit, the release sees Moonchild experimenting with new synths and sounds. While still rooted in their trademark tones, these textures and sound palettes elevate Starfruit to new and impressive Moonchild musical territory. “Max has this arpeggiator synth patch that makes me so happy, Amber incorporated this cool octave pedal patch on her vocals, and I made a keyboard patch I’m obsessed with,” Andris remarks. The band has also revealed an extensive tour with plans to kick off the North American leg at The Vogel in Redbank, NJ on March 29, crisscrossing the country, before concluding at The Independent in San Francisco, CA on Mary 13.
Kamasi Washington -“The Garden Path”: A buoyant jazz soundscape going crescendo with Kamasi’s leading saxophone wandering and taking many paths. “The world feels turned upside down,” says Washington of the song. “There’s so much push and pull in every direction, from everyone you meet—no one knows what to think, who to believe, or how to approach life right now. No matter how smart you are, it’s hard not to feel blind.” The song is Washington’s first new, original music in nearly a year and follows several banner years for the jazz titan. 2021 saw the release of “Sun Kissed Child,” a track made for The Undefeated’s Music For The Movement series, and a cover of Metallica’s “My Friend of Misery” for their celebrated The Metallica Blacklist compilation. In 2020, Washington released his Emmy- and Grammy-nominated score for Becoming, director Nadia Hallgren and Netflix’s documentary profiling First Lady Michelle Obama.
The Simps, Eyedress, zzzahara – “Hold Me Down”: An hypnotic and mellow song with stabbing repetitive keys and hazy vocals. Eyedress and zzzahara met following an Eyedress show in Los Angeles back in 2018 and began jamming together, bonding over their shared musical tastes and Filipinx heritage. This creative partnership lead zzzahara to join Eyedress’ band on guitar while the two continued to write songs together on the side, eventually becoming Siblings. “When I saw Idris, I got a lot of encouragement,” zzzahara notes. “My dad wanted me to be a money-making machine and my mom’s an immigrant from the Philippines, and so to her, a lot of things weren’t possible for me being a person of color and being gay,” they describe—zzzahara is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. “I literally just let Z do their thing,” Eyedress says. “I feel like when we work together, we’re just making the styles of music that we’re a fan of, and because we’re into the same shit, we just end up making something totally new.” He continues, “I’m just proud that we’re Filipino and we get to do this. Most of the artists that I look up to in this indie world are white, and I think it’s cool that we’re amongst these people and we can even connect with kids in the hood who don’t even have a bunch of white friends but still feel the same things. They’re just human feelings. Everyone can relate.” They have also shared another song (“Rainbow After Rain”) from their forthcoming album “Siblings,” out February 14th on Valentine’s Day.
No Frills – “Copy Cat”: An upbeat high Octave synth, dreamy sweet vocals for an overall breezy jangle-pop melody that comes with a colorful animated video, reinforcing the playful side of the music. This is the latest single of their forthcoming album, “Downward Dog,” due April 1. On their debut record, songwriter Daniel Busheikin calls himself names. He’s a bummer, a drip, a dog. It’s the latter that was embraced for the album’s title, Downward Dog – a description of Busheikin’s general malaise, and a nod to the yoga position he attempts every morning as part of a positive mental health routine. No Frills is Maddy Wilde on vocals and synth, Matt Buckberrough on guitar, Daniel Busheikin on guitar, and vocals, and Jon Pappo on drums. When Toronto shut down in the spring of 2020, Busheikin descended into his basement and encircled himself with guitars, vintage synths and a nest of guitar pedals. Six months later, he emerged with fifteen demos and a vague plan. The result is a memorable collage of lo-fi pop that filters themes of depression, despair, and death through a sardonic sense of humor. Jangly indie rock and intimate ballads are woven together by warm analog production and uniquely whimsical defeatism.
Homeschool (fka Active Bird Community) – “Wino”: An alt-folk song with poignant moments, soaring indie rock hooks, and a lush sound. Speaking on “Wino,” D’Agustino wrote: “‘Wino’ isn’t a song about one central message or theme but is a collection of images and moments from various points in a person’s life. The drunk 16-year-old anxiously waiting for their Facebook Wall to fill up with birthday messages, the 22-year-old moving on from a broken relationship, the inner child that comes out at night, when everything is quiet. ‘Wino’ questions why some experiences mean more than others, and whether some of the heavier experiences should be allowed to carry that much meaning in the first place.” Tom D’Agustino’s solo project Homeschool began after the dissolution of his former band, Active Bird Community. This year, he will share an EP entitled “Homeschool: Book II,” a follow-up to his debut 4-track EP, “Homeschool: Book I.” D’Agustino recently signed to KRO Records/The Orchard (Lawrence & Yves Rothman’s label), and his new music has been produced by David Greenbaum (Beck, Cage the Elephant) and Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Sharon Van Etten, Benjamin Booker). The new single comes with an accompanying music video, and Homeschool will be headlining Mercury Lounge (NYC) on March 4th with support from Annie Blackman (Father Daughter Records).
