Press Releases For February: Here Are The Artists

Ghost Love, Alfa Mist, RIZ LA VIE, Bridal Party, Sunnsetter, Hooray For Earth, and Crocodiles are the artists among these press releases for February.

Ghost Love – “Mourners Disco”: A glitchy synth for an atmospheric and rather dark soundscape habited by melancholic vocals soon evolving into a dancefloor galvanized by 80s synth-pop and lush, spacey guitars. “Mourners Disco” is the lead single from Ghost Love’s first self-produced upcoming album “Mourners Disco,” due in April. Vocalist David Rancourt says: “The song deals with the pain of loss and grief after my mother passed away but also the desire to transcend the pain and to keep dancing and celebrating her life through it. She supported me when I came out as queer and showed me to navigate difficult times in my life so really the song is a tribute to her strength and guidance. It also speaks to the desire to sometimes hold on to the pain or grief as it is the only feeling that sometimes reminds us of the person that we have lost.” The single was produced by Ghost Love in Montreal and mixed and mastered in Montreal by Pascal Shefteshy (Peter Peter, Kroy). The music video for “Mourners Disco” was directed by Aidan McMahon.

Alfa Mist – “BC”: A swelling, nervous track filled with unrestrained percussion and jazzy moody to dark motifs, reminiscent of Bowie’s last album. After “4th Feb (Stay Awake),” “BC” is the second single taken from Alfa Mist’s forthcoming new record. Meanwhile, “4th Feb (Stay Awake)” is a lo-fi offering that pairs Alfa’s reflective bars with a groove-heavy production. Expressing his inner thoughts, he finds solace in solitude before the swoon of strings closes the track. “I’ve been focused on who I am in my music, but now I’m exploring where I am,” Alfa Mist says. “I’m asking: how did I get here?” This is the journeying question that underpins Alfa’s fifth album, Variables. Traversing luscious, big band swing, head-nodding boom-bap rhythms, and yearning vocal melodies, the record is expansive, soulful, and moving, in both body and spirit. On “Variables,” Alfa achieves his most fully-realized, expressive musical work to date, coupling his keen ear for looping, memorably emotive piano melodies with intuitive grooves and free-flowing jazz improvisation. “Variables” sees Alfa Mist offer a diverse listening experience, as he dives into the argument of nature versus nurture on the rhythmic “Borderline” to the airy, crystallic sounds of “Cycles.” The album’s standout features are captivating, with long-time collaborator and band’s bass player Kaya Thomas-Dyke’s gentle vocals adding an ethereal essence on “Aged Eyes,” whilst the South African folk singer Bongeziwe Mabandla drapes the vibrant backdrop and Jas Kayser’s frenetic drum playing with his crystalline falsetto on “Apho.” “Music is an extension of my life; it is the practice of creating” he notes. “Variables” is out on April 21 via Anti.

RIZ LA VIE – “FYP”: A genre-bending song blending elements of hip-hop, electronic, and soul, producing an energetic love letter to New York City, populated by powerful rock guitars. The song expresses the discomfort and fear that accompany a cross-country move, and the aftermath of leaving home to land in a new environment, surrounded by new people while the place once called home remains. This is a track taken off RIZ LA VIE’s highly anticipated debut album “Haven” due out on February 9. LA VIE says the track, “is a representation of my love affair with New York City, even while living in Los Angeles. It reflects my feelings of longing, FOMO, and passion as I see my beloved city moving on without me, such as through concerts and billboards, while LA tries to capture my attention. It’s a story of my longing for my true home and my deep emotional connection to it.” With this new album, the Los Angeles-based alt-pop musician expands on the vibrant sonic world he’s built with previous releases, but this time, shares more of himself with his fans. Experimenting with new production elements and blending genres, LA VIE pushes boundaries like never before, culminating in his most realized, ambitious work to date. Over 15 tracks, LA VIE embarks on a search for a sense of safety and security, both internally and externally–within himself, in his relationships, community, environment, and in the world at large. “The album,” explains LA VIE, “reflects my journey facing the struggles of trying to find a home in a city like New York, during a recession and eventually having to move to another city like Los Angeles. It showcases the ups and downs of forming new connections, and the impact of losing some friends temporarily and some permanently, both for the better and for the worse.” In perpetual pursuit of hope and optimism, the project chronicles LA VIE’s courage in the face of adversity as he ultimately discovers his own strength and confidence. LA VIE continues, “The album also expresses my determination to not fall victim to fear-mongering, and trying to find light and positivity in difficult times.” Collaborators on the forthcoming album include Vic Wainstein (Tyler the Creator, Mac Miller), Daniel Hartzog (Tom the Mailman, ericdoa), Lucy Blomkamp (6LACK, Mallrat), and Johan Lenox (BROCKHAMPTON, Metro Boomin, Shawn Mendes). It was mixed by KES (Ed Sheeran, Jacob Banks) and mastered by Mike Bozzi (Kendrick Lamar, Steve Lacy). Speaking to the album title, LA VIE explains, “It evokes imagery of a safe place for boats and ships, representing the artist’s journey as a metaphor for their own life journey, much like a ship navigating through storms and troubled waters to find a safe haven. The album is a reflection of the journey the artist had to go through to find that inner and outer peace and stability, and it comes across as an album that is relatable, reflective, and empowering.”

Bridal Party – “Baby Anymore”: A laid-back, airy, blissful, sunny afternoon, daydreaming kind-of track, sounding familiar at the first note. “I broke our favorite dishes to pieces / tried to put them back together with glue,” are the first lines and symbolize the rifts that arise in a romantic partnership when certain things are left unsaid. The track has a 90’s avant-pop vibe that precludes a modern indie-pop sound. The track arrives in anticipation of the band’s sophomore effort “Cool Down” due on February 15. The music for “Baby Anymore” began while the band was listening to Stereolab’s Dots and Loops on repeat. “We wanted to create a similar vibe [to Stereolab], but in our own style,” says keyboardist Jordan Clairmont, who composed the original demos that became the backbone of the track. Vocalist Suzannah Raudaschl took this sonic framework and composed the lyrics. She says: “I wrote this song about being very good at loving someone in a certain context and feeling restless in the comfort of our routine. It’s confusing when feelings of doubt creep into a very loving and supportive relationship, but to me, it was a sign that I needed to let things breathe. We learned to create more space in our relationship so our love could expand into it.” On “Baby Anymore”, Raudaschl’s vocals expand beyond the floating melodies of Stereolab’s biggest hits. She ranges from elegant melancholy to a downy whisper, only later to jump towards anxious heights. After a just-whispered “not your baby”, a mood-altering heaviness comes next, the chords reharmonized by producer Connor Head, drawing the tension of the track to its surface. “I think that’s my favorite moment on the album,” says Raudaschl. “Baby Anymore” exists in the same universe as Stereolab’s “Brakhage” while remaining under the influence of tracks like Charli XCX’s “Every Rule”. A pleasing indie pop naivete is questioned by the lyrics’ desirous ruminations.

Sunnsetter – “Always Talk, Never Speak”: Guitars layered with keys and cymbals, while the peaceful vocals capture Andrew McLeod’s own struggles with accepting who you are and being proud of it. Speaking on the new track, McLeod wrote: “I think it’s extremely important to speak your truest self openly and to actually mean it. So many people never really say what they truly mean, or what they feel for fear of ridicule. I’ve lived with the struggle of presenting my truest self to the world for a long time, and no longer want to live that way.” This is a song off “The best that I can be,” the upcoming LP of Sunnsetter — the solo project of multi-instrumentalist, composer, and recording engineer + Zoon/OMBIIGIZI collaborator Andrew McLeod. “These songs are something I have been working towards for the better part of 3 years,” said McLeod of the forthcoming LP. “During this time, I have grieved the loss of a close friend/bandmate and continuously dealt with my journey of sobriety and struggles with mental well-being, concepts around gender identity and queerness; while simultaneously, of course, being thrown into even more chaos via the pandemic. I hope that these songs can make sense to the people who have never heard my music and the people who have supported me along the way. This is simply the best that I can be, through song, and the need to share that feeling with the world is what has kept me going this entire time.” As described by McLeod, much of the album was recorded in a transition period between when he lived in Hamilton with Daniel Monkman (Zoon), and when he and his partner first met. As he wrote: “During 2020, we found the house of our dreams in a rural area of Norfolk County, where we’ve been living since. I have been slowly building a recording studio in my shed, and eventually moving it onto the loft of the barn. The studio is called ‘Garden House Recording.’ The album was written over the course of those 3 years between Hamilton and my new home and mixed here in my new studio.” “The best that I can be” is out on March 31 via Paper Bag Records.

Hooray For Earth – “La Que”: A fuzzy and buoyant song with complex layered synth instrumentation, vocal harmonies, and a triumphant rocking mood. This is a previously unreleased track from Hooray For Earth’s original recording sessions for their 2011 LP “True Love.” The NYC rock band has announced the reissue of the LP (featuring tracks “True Loves,” “No Love,” and “Realize It’s Not the Sun”), and has shared this new single. Speaking on the newly unearthed track, Noel Heroux wrote: “‘La Que’ wasn’t ready in time to fit into True Loves. I went through several old external drives to rescue stems and revisited fragmented lyrics to make them whole. The song is something of a love/war episode with myself and an absolutely tireless inner critic.” Hooray For Earth was founded in 2003 by Noel Heroux with band members Jessica Zambri, Cristi Jo Zambri, Seth Kasper, Joseph Ciampini, Gary Benacquista, and Noel’s dear childhood friend and occasional emergency contact Christopher Principe. Various live configurations toured frequently in the U.S. and internationally, engaged in radio appearances and studio collaborations (Zambri, Twin Shadow, Autre Ne Veut, Oh No Ono, A Place To Bury Strangers) before ceasing activity via an amicable breakup in the fall of 2014. Releases to date include Cellphone EP (2008), MOMO EP (2010), True Loves (2011), Never/Figure (single 2012), and Racy (2014). After eight years away, Hooray For Earth materialized to support Modest Mouse on tour in the summer and winter of 2022. Noel has spent much of the last few years in the studio.

Crocodiles – “Degeneration”: A fast rock & roll song performed with a retro punk vibe, Crocodiles’ slick delivery and infectious tempo, without forgetting a touch of chaos. Brandon Welchez said of this newest track and its inspirational basis: “The heaviness of life on a violent, dying planet can often push us towards our worst impulses. ‘Degeneration’ was written in the boiling, diseased summer of 2020 when I found myself overworked, underpaid, and choking on wildfire smoke. The free time I had was spent doom-scrolling the latest covid death toll or inundating myself with news of literal fascists marching the streets. I found myself floating on a cloud of anger, fear, and frustration. Rather than allow myself to fall into bad old habits or succumb to my negative emotions, I poured myself into my music. Talking about my degeneration beats actively seeking it out.” Crocodiles (Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell) have announced their highly anticipated forthcoming LP, “Upside Down In Heaven” due April 7 via Lolipop Records and shared this single to introduce the record, alongside an accompanying music video, directed by Kate Clover and one half of the Crocodiles duo, Brandon Welchez. “Upside Down In Heaven” is due on April 7 via Lolipop Records.