Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 166
January 24, 2025
Nina Nesbitt Announces Deluxe Edition of "Mountain Music." Releases New Single 'Enough'
NINA NESBITT ANNOUNCES DELUXE EDITION ‘MOUNTAIN MUSIC (THE SUMMIT)’ OUT FEBRUARY 21[APPLE TREE RECORDS]
FEATURING THE NEW SINGLE “ENOUGH”
OUT NOW
LISTEN
“ENOUGH”
PRE-ORDER/SAVE
MOUNTAIN MUSIC (THE SUMMIT)
Pages
I’m Coming Home
Mansion
On The Run
Painkiller
Anger
Alchemise
Big Things, Small Town
Treachery
Hard Times
What Will Make Me Great
Parachute
Enough*
The Mountain & The Man*
Crooked Teeth*
Good Years*
*New Tracks
From exceeding a billion streams to being championed by Taylor Swift and playing shows with everyone from Coldplay to Stevie Nicks, Nina Nesbitt’s career has taken her from highlight to highlight - with her most recent being the release of ‘Mountain Music’ last year. PASTE Magazine hailed the album as “Cinematic” and “Americana-inflected,” adding “her inherent gentleness and earnestness make this an album that will speak to many” while saying “her empathy connects the songs on Mountain Music, weaving a silvery gossamer web that is just as dainty yet strong as her magnificent voice.” This week, Nina Nesbitt announces that the deluxe edition ‘Mountain Music (The Summit)’ will be released on February 21 via her new independent label Apple Tree Records.
Pre-save/pre-order ‘Mountain Music (The Summit)’ HERE.
The new deluxe edition features four new tracks including “The Mountain & The Man,” “Crooked Teeth,” “Good Years,” and new single “Enough” which is out now. Each track will be accompanied by a new live session video, filmed at Middle Farm Studios as part of the Mountain Music Sessions.
Listen to “Enough” HERE.
Speaking about the new deluxe edition of ‘Mountain Music,’ Nina reveals, “I'm so excited to be releasing a new edition of Mountain Music this February. Mountain Music (The Summit) includes 4 brand new songs that I wrote shortly after delivering the album. These songs explore different topics from the initial album drop and are some of my favorites yet. I'll be releasing 'Enough' as the first song you'll hear which is all about learning to accept yourself in a society that makes it near impossible. It feels like the perfect way to start the year.”
Last week, Nina Nesbitt also shared a special release for fans as she shares her take on the beloved Scottish folk ballad, “Caledonia.” Widely requested by fans since she posted a teaser on socials, the track comes as Nina prepares to perform as part of BBC Scotland’s Burns Night celebrations on January 25th.
Listen to Nina’s version of “Caledonia” HERE. Watch the lyric video HERE.
Mountain Music is a record in which authenticity flows through every moment. Its impetus was a moment of crisis: Nina had become overwhelmed by the need to be always active on social media and realized it was a huge distraction from her songwriting. So instead, she paused and went back to basics. What emerged was a set of songs which were informed, in part by the two years she spent touring the States in support of her second studio album: the critically acclaimed The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change , and partly by the Americana and US folk music that she has always loved. Their narratives also became more personal than ever. She reflected on everything that has happened in her life: growing up in a small Scottish village, breaking into music while living in the bustle of London, and now looking back at all of her life experiences from her new home in the countryside. While it might sound strange that Nesbitt was drawn to the music of Appalachia, heard echoing through the vast, verdant mountain ranges of the eastern United States, it makes more sense when you consider how traditional Scottish ballads and hymns are threads in that rich tapestry.
The album’s organic, resonant feel also comes from a recording process which placed a sharper focus on the importance of live performances. Accompanied by a band of musicians, Peter Miles and Nina produced sessions at Middle Farm Studios in South Devon in the UK, with Peter completing the record with mixing and mastering.
Speaking about the album, Nina Nesbitt shares, “’Mountain Music’ feels like the most authentic and honest piece of work I’ve created so far. I was inspired by a lot of the American folk music I grew up listening to, and revisiting it made me fall back in love with writing music again. I knew I wanted to take inspiration but to also write my own story. This album celebrates that small town girl, puts an arm around the big city twenty-something and looks back at the view with me now from the calm and the quiet. ‘Mountain Music’ held my hand through some of my hardest moments and I hope it can hold yours too.”
Stay tuned for more music and live dates, coming soon!
The deluxe edition of Mountain Music (The Summit)’ will be available on February 21. Pre-order/save HERE .
Nina’s new track, “Enough” is available to stream worldwide right now.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | X | INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | YOUTUBE
Wet announces co-headline tour with Julie Byrne + shares new single
SHARES NEW SINGLE
“COFFEE IN THE MORNING”
ANNOUNCES U.S. CO-HEADLINE TOUR WITH
JULIE BYRNE
NEW ALBUM TWO LIVES DUE SPRING OF 2025
Photo Credit: Reid Calvert
“Coffee In The Morning”
LISTEN: https://wet.ffm.to/coffeeinthemorning
WATCH: https://youtu.be/HNtnQYA8dv4
(January 24, 2025) - Following the announcement of the forthcoming album Two Lives due this Spring, New York’s Wet shares the new single “Coffee In The Morning.” The latest offering from Kelly Zutrau follows the previously released singles “Signs,” “Double,” and “Rosy” the latter of which was made in close collaboration with musical confidants Buddy Ross and inc.’s Daniel Aged (Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs, and Rosalía) and Rob Akroyd (Florence And The Machine). Each of these new songs will appear on Two Lives.
Alongside the new single, Wet announces the co-headlining U.S. tour with Julie Byrne taking place this May. The eight-date tour will see Wet and Julie Byrne perform in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City and Boston. Tickets on sale Friday, January 31st at 10am local time HERE.
About Two Lives:
The name of Wet’s fourth album, Two Lives, originated during a dramatic moment in 2022. Singer-writer Kelly Zutrau was in Portland with the producer Buddy Ross (Frank Ocean, Haim), and the two were struggling to focus on music. But Zutrau was jolted into action when she received some surprising news: She was pregnant. At first, she felt overwhelmed by grief. Her future suddenly felt narrow and constricted, the limitless potential of youth yanked from her in a single moment. That day, she wrote the lyric that would define the mood of the entire record: “I wish I could live two lives.” Zutrau and Ross wrote most of Two Lives in the days following the positive pregnancy test. Two Lives is a document of the uncertainty that surrounds life’s major transitions.
Wet fans will hear Zutrau’s personal evolution across Two Lives, an album on which she grapples with memories of her own childhood as she faces the daunting transition into motherhood. In a recent interview, she recalled her early experiences growing up in Boston as the first of four daughters to her young single mother in the 1990s. “We were constantly moving around and lived with a certain amount of unpredictability, but my mom was very encouraging of anything artistic. Always signing us up for local plays, and taking me to singing auditions.” Zutrau said. You can feel this sense of unpredictability on Two Lives, as Zutrau explores ideas of home, restlessness, and the eternal search for something that’s been missing. Zutrau taps into the surreal space between the past and the present, creating a dreamy collage of memories and emotional ephemera.
Wet’s sound has evolved, too: During Wet’s early days, the group established themselves as savvy pop songwriters with a knack for genre-defying production. As Zutrau has evolved, she’s retreated from the polish and tidiness of her earlier songs. She still has a pop sensibility and an ear for hooks, as demonstrated on “Nostalgia,” her 2023 collaboration with rapper Rod Wave and her first appearance on a Billboard chart-topping album, along with her recent appearance on Fred Again’s Actual Life 3 album. But now, after a decade of making slicker-sounding albums and collaborations, Zutrau has accessed a deeper, messier realm of her artistic psyche, and seems to be more interested in working at the unfinished fringes of pop. The album was produced and recorded with Zutrau's longtime collaborators Joe Valle and Marty Sulkow, along with Daniel Aged (Inc. no world, Rosalia), Amber Coffman (Dirty Projectors), Buddy Ross and Aidan Spiro. The result of these collaborations is a project that is sometimes melancholic, sometimes bright, and always soulful.
“Coffee In The Morning” single artwork
US tour poster
Upcoming Live Dates
co-headline with Julie Byrne
5/7 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
5/8 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
5/10 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre
5/11 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
5/16 - Chicago, IL @ Outset
5/28 - Washington, D.C. @ Union Stage
5/29 - Brooklyn, NY @ 99 Scott
5/30 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Connect with Wet:
EDVARD GRAHAM LEWIS releases new solo album TODAY on Upp Records. Listen in full now.
- Listen in full here!
“Outstanding… An intriguing mix of simmering songs, flickery electronica and much melody.” - Prog Magazine“Stirring art-pop powered by chilly synths and processed guitars.” - Uncut
"Edvard Graham Lewis can be characterised as a ceaseless experimental spirit with special ability to balance pop and the avant-garde. His uniquely skewed creativity oozes from every song on ‘Alreet?’" - Boomkat
"Alreet?’ feels as raw and as singular as any record Lewis has previously made. And it might be one of his best too, which I appreciate is a bold claim." - The Quietus
"Eight slices of experimental electronic alt-pop” - **** MOJO
"There is much to enjoy here. We hear a sort of Sparks-style wryness, a timbral richness - everything from glitchy electronics to cello to hurdy-gurdy - and copious examples of Lewis’ lyrical deftness.” - Electronic Sound
Today Maverick musician and artist Edvard Graham Lewis, best known for his work with post-punk titans Wire, returns with his new solo album, ‘Alreet?’, available now via Upp Records.
The cheery North Eastern greeting of the album’s title belies the tension and drama that lies within this album of majestic, experimental pop. Here, you’ll find visceral rhythms, warm electronics and multiple melodic layers, with words that are sometimes sung, sometimes spoken. Lewis’s deep, distinctive voice has matured into a rich baritone: portentous yet immediate - and it serves his material exceptionally well.
Listen to/buy 'Alreet?': https://edvardgrahamlewis.bandcamp.com/album/alreet
Although Edvard Graham Lewis is perhaps best known as bassist/vocalist/lyricist with Wire, Lewis’s solo work is equally powerful. Lyrically he remains one of our finest wordsmiths. His desire to edit his text to its essentials is smartly counterbalanced by an ability to seed double or triple meanings in his phraseology. Consequently, 'Alreet?' is studded with lines and couplets that snare our attention with unexpected hooks and barbs.
The album was co-produced with Swedish songwriter, producer and musician Max Lorentz, who has worked with everyone from acclaimed composer Magnus Lindberg, to ABBA’s Agnetha Faltskog. It features contributions from Wire cohorts Matthew Simms and Robert Grey, cello by Kevin Kirs Vestege, hurdy-gurdy by Harald Pettersson and guitars sampled from ex-Wire member Bruce Gilbert.
Aside from his work with Wire, Lewis has previously released a string of solo albums, under both his own name and the He Said and H-A-L-O monikers. Meanwhile, in partnership with Wire’s Bruce Gilbert, he created five albums of industrial strength studio manipulation as Dome. He has also recorded scores for documentaries, dance pieces and art installations, as well as recording collaborative albums with various musical luminaries, including Mike Watt, Jean-Louis Huhta, Ted Milton and Anna Livia Löwendahl-Atomic.
As ‘Alreet?’ clearly demonstrates, Lewis is still firmly facing the future and determined to unearth new sonic treasure. Indeed, this is one of the most starkly original albums you will hear all year.
‘Alreet?’ track list:
1. ‘Kinds of Whether’
2. ‘Diamond Shell’
3. ‘Switch’
4. ‘Last Scene of All’
5. ‘Bang!’
6. ‘I Still Remember’
7. ‘Key Weapon’
8. ‘Who the Hell’
'Alreet?' album artwork:
Links:
https://edvardgrahamlewis.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/earl_of_upp
Rare Psychedelic Gem from 1960's Bay Area Singer Jeannie Piersol Out Today
HIGH MOON RECORDS RELEASES
ENIGMATIC SAN FRANCISCO SINGER’S JEANNIE PIERSOL'S
FIRST-EVER ANTHOLOGY TODAY - LISTEN
12-TRACK COMPENDIUM, THE NEST,
COLLECTS VINTAGE STUDIO OUTTAKES,
DEMOS, LIVE PERFORMANCES, AND SOUGHT-AFTER SINGLES
EXTENSIVELY ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET FEATURES LINER NOTES
FROM 5X GRAMMY® AWARD-NOMINATED ARCHIVIST ALEC PALAO,
NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTOS, AND MORE
***
"1960s San Francisco singer Jeannie Piersol is getting her time in the sun this month thanks to a re-release of her collected works
by High Moon Records...precisely the type of psychedelic soul single
you’d expect of the era. It’s a welcome escape."
– KCRW
"The singer, who was known for her cool mix of rock, soul and Indian music styles, was part of an early incarnation of iconic S.F. rock act The Great Society...
“The Nest” serves as a great introduction
— or, in some cases, a reminder — of this great vocal talent."
– The Mercury News
High Moon Records is proud today to release the enigmatic 1960s San Francisco singer Jeannie Piersol’s eagerly awaited anthology, The Nest. The first-ever full-length compendium of Piersol’s distinctive, rarely heard body of work, The Nest, arrives today on CD, vinyl LP, and digital download, accompanied by an extensively illustrated booklet that includes liner notes from 5x GRAMMY® Award-nominated compilation producer Alec Palao (featuring exclusive interviews with Piersol and many of her musical collaborators), plus lavish artwork, never-before-seen photos, memorabilia, and more.
LISTEN TO THE NEST
PURCHASE THE NEST ON VINYL/CD
With her hip hybrid of rock, soul, and Indian flavors, Jeannie Piersol is one of the enigmas of the mid-1960s San Francisco scene. Though little known, the distinctive singer emerged from the same Marin County community that nurtured the principals of the Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Big Brother, and other leading lights of the Bay Area’s future rock meritocracy. Close friends with Grace Slick and her brother-in-law Darby Slick, Piersol duetted with Grace in an embryonic line-up early Bay Area outfit The Great! Society before leaving to front her own bands, The Yellow Brick Road and Hair, both of whom worked the clubs and ballrooms of the emerging SF circuit, including such legendary venues as The Matrix.
The Nest gathers together the handful of tracks Piersol recorded during her all-too-brief but blazing career, including a pair of sought-after singles released on Chess Records’ psychedelic Cadet Concept subsidiary, plus studio outtakes, demos, live performances, and material by The Yellow Brick Road and Hair. Highlights include the slow-burning, psychedelically informed 1969 single, “The Nest,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. An official music video is streaming now on YouTube. A siren song marked by its ear-catching flourish of sarod, funky backbeat, and – seemingly out of nowhere – Piersol’s honeyed, hypnotic, eminently seductive voice, “The Nest” has become a chill-out favorite in recent years, lionized by DJs, reprised by indie rockers, and frequently pondered in blogs and podcasts. For decades, the backstory to this alluring track (also featuring backing vocals from iconic soul singer Minnie Riperton) was ambiguous at best, but it can now be revealed as a landmark by-product from the crucial formative years of the fabled Bay Area rock scene.
The album also includes "Gladys," which features backing vocals by Riperton, drums by Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, and orchestral arrangements by Charles Stepney (Rotary Connection, Ramsey Lewis) – and is also joined by an official music video streaming now on YouTube. The clip is a new transfer of an original 1968 16mm film, directed and produced by Ray Andersen, to promote the single. Andersen, along with his wife Joan, were founders of the legendary “Holy See” light show in San Francisco that ran light shows at the Fillmore in the late 60s, and he employed some of Holy See's hypnotic visuals as backgrounds in the promotional film.
“Gladys” was written by Piersol and she sent a demo of it to Jefferson Airplane for potential inclusion on After Bathing At Baxter’s. When the band decided not to record it, she re-recorded it for herself and released the new version as her first single. Both the demo and recorded versions are available on The Nest anthology.
“A full 55 years since its release, ‘The Nest’ still entrances, and perhaps has now found its true place in a world where records this disarmingly ingenuous can probably no longer be made,” write Alec Palao in his liner notes. “Along with most everything else Jeannie recorded, it’s something to be justly proud of.”
LISTEN TO “GLADYS”
WATCH “GLADYS” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
LISTEN TO “THE NEST”
WATCH “THE NEST” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
Jeannie Piersol’s tale may be just one of the multiple strands that make up the fabric of West Coast rock ’n’ roll mythology, but it nonetheless remains instructive. There is the distinct air of unfulfilled potential that spills from The Nest, but the singer was subject to the variegates of an industry that still flung new acts at the wall and would happily abandon anything that failed to adhere commercially. So, like many of her generation, rather than succumb to the showbiz grind, Piersol decided to walk away and live a normal life. Now, High Moon’s welcome release of The Nest, what for decades have been Jeannie Piersol’s own personal keepsakes and memories are now something we can all appreciate.
# # #
JEANNIE PIERSOL
THE NEST
(HIGH MOON RECORDS)
TRACKLIST:
Side 1
1. The Nest
2. Joined In Space
3. Gladys
4. Quivering
5. Everyone Needs Love
6. Shot Me Through
Side 2
1. Your Sweet Inner Self
2. Gladys (Demo)
3. Mr. Bright Eyes
4. Heading For The Sun
5. With Your Love
6. Light Sinking Down
CONNECT WITH HIGH MOON RECORDS
HIGHMOONRECORDS.COM | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
January 23, 2025
ST. VINCENT, BEN GIBBARD, EARL SWEATSHIRT & MORE JOIN NOISE POP FESTIVAL 2025’S LINEUP - Tickets On Sale Tomorrow
NOISE POP FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FINAL ADDITIONS TO 2025 MUSIC LINEUP
ST. VINCENT, BENJAMIN GIBBARD, EARL SWEATSHIRT, FANTASTIC NEGRITO
& MORE JOIN AMERICAN FOOTBALL, SOCCER MOMMY, DANNY BROWN, DIIV, LANKUM,
WITH 50+ FESTIVAL CONCERTS NOW CONFIRMED
PLUS FIRST-EVER COLLAB WITH SF SKETCHFEST
FEATURING RED ROOM ORCHESTRA TRIBUTE CONCERT TO DAVID LYNCH
& L.A. FIRES FUNDRAISER
New Concert Tickets On Sale Tomorrow, January 24 via NoisePopFest.com,
With Festival Badges On Sale Now
Bay Area’s Premier Independent Music & Arts Festival Celebrates 32nd Anniversary
February 20-March 2, 2025 Featuring City-Wide Music & Arts Celebration
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 23, 2025) – Hometown organizers behind Noise Pop Industries are thrilled to announce the final additions to the 2025 music lineup as the 32nd annual Noise Pop Festival, the San Francisco Bay Area’s premier independent music and arts festival, returns Thursday, February 20 through Sunday, March 2, 2025.
Heralded as one of America’s premier independently-owned music festivals, the multi-venue multi-day music celebration will welcome an impressive variety of artists spanning numerous musical genres.
Highlights from Noise Pop Festival 2025 newly-announced concerts are listed below, with tickets on sale tomorrow via www.noisepopfest.com:
Noise Pop Festival’s return to Grace Cathedral featuring a pair of intimate concerts from indie rock icons St. Vincent (February 23) and Benjamin Gibbard (February 25), each of whom will celebrate a highly-anticipated return to the festival having played years prior (St. Vincent in 2009; Benjamin Gibbard in 2011 and 2015). Each concert is presented in partnership with Great American Music Hall.
Back-to-back nights at the Great American Music Hall featuring critically-acclaimed hip-hop artist Earl Sweatshirt (February 25-26)
Rare film screening, Q&A, and pre-festival performance at 4 Star Theatre with Grammy Award-winning musician and beloved Bay Area artist Fantastic Negrito (February 14) in support of White Jesus Black Problems, a film set to the album by the same name that was written, recorded, and filmed in Oakland.
Late-night dance party at 1015 Folsom featuring UK-based DJ/producer SOSA (February 28)
Furthermore, as part of the pre-festival programming this year, Noise Pop Festival is joining forces with long-time local comedy festival SF Sketchfest to host a one-night-only tribute concert to honor the late David Lynch featuring the Red Room Orchestra and special guests. Formed by San Francisco producer and multi-instrumentalist Marc Capelle in 2017, The Red Room Orchestra is a collective of popular, jazz, classical, and electronic composers and performers, who offer live renderings and musical reinterpretations of the music of popular TV shows and films, most notably David Lynch’s "Twin Peaks”.
Presented alongside Vinelands on KEXP-FM and Great American Music Hall, proceeds from Red Room Orchestra: A Tribute to David Lynch at the Grreat American Music Hall (February 19) will be benefit Carel Struycken, perhaps best known for his role as The Giant in the iconic cult TV show Twin Peaks, who recently lost his home in the Los Angeles fires.
These final additions round out Noise Pop Festival’s 2025 music lineup, which includes previously announced headliners American Football, celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album LP1 with a rare two-night concert (March 1-2); two consecutive nights with indie rocker Soccer Mommy (February 28, March 1) - both of whom are returning as festival alumni having played the festival years prior.
Other 2025 lineup highlights include first-time festival performers from acts like the Irish folk group Lankum and critically acclaimed MC Danny Brown; as well as The American Analog Set with the indie-rock pioneers hosting back-to-back shows after a 20-year hiatus from performing in San Francisco.
Attendees can also catch some familiar faces as Noise Pop welcomes back festival-veterans DIIV following the release of their first new album in five years called Frog in Boiling Water; as well as Bay Area favorites Flamin’ Groovies (February 22).
Additionally, in partnership with SFJAZZ for the fourth consecutive year, the festival will host multi-night concert series featuring acclaimed artists like Dani Offline (February 27), Sirintip (February 28), August Lee Stevens (March 1), MeloDios (March 2) - all of whom will perform two concerts each night.
“This year’s Noise Pop Festival is shaping up to be something truly remarkable, especially with the addition of these iconic performances from St. Vincent, Benjamin Gibbard, and Earl Sweatshirt. This festival is about celebrating the heart and soul of the Bay Area music scene—from special shows like these to discovering the incredible local artists who make this community so vibrant. We’re thrilled to share even more amazing acts in the weeks to come and can’t wait for everyone to experience it all,” said Noise Pop’s CEO Michelle Swing.
Tickets to each newly announced concert are available for purchase starting tomorrow, Friday, January 24 at 10:00 a.m. PST via www.noisepopfest.com, with festival badges on sale now.
Along with VIP and SuperFan badge packages also available, festival badge-holders will have complimentary access to a full schedule of happy hours, art exhibitions, retail pop-ups, exclusive after-parties, and more throughout the week. Available in limited quantities, these festival badges ultimately offer music lovers a rare opportunity to explore many of the Bay Area's most iconic concert halls and landmark performance venues next February
Noise Pop would like to thank this year’s venue partners for playing host to so many of its festival events including returning venues like Great American Music Hall, The Fillmore, August Hall, 4 Star Theater, 1015 Folsom, Public Works, Rickshaw Stop, Bottom of the Hill, The Lab, Gray Area, Grace Cathedral, SF Jazz and Cal Academy of Sciences.
Organizers would like to also show appreciation for the many sponsors supporting this independently-produced festival including Montucky Cold Snacks, Fords Gin, Slane Whiskey, Diplomatico Rum, Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur, and Z Hotels including Hotel Zelos, Hotel Zetta, Hotel Zeppelin.
As part of Noise Pop Festival’s 30-year-plus tradition of supporting artists, celebrating fans, and creating community, organizers will be donating a portion of proceeds to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a nonprofit that assists all types of career musicians and music industry workers who are facing financial challenges amidst physical or mental health issues or disability. Since 2020, the organization has provided over $450,000 to Bay Area residents working in the music industry with more information available at sweetrelief.org.
Stay tuned for more festival announcements by visiting the official festival website at www.noisepopfest.com and following along on social media channels at @NoisePop.
AUSTIN PSYCH FEST Announces 2025 Lineup: Dinosaur Jr, Kim Gordon, Explosions in the Sky, Darkside, Yo La Tengo & More
AUSTIN PSYCH FEST
APRIL 25-27, 2025 • THE FAR OUT LOUNGE • AUSTIN, TX
FEATURING
DINOSAUR JR • EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY • DARKSIDE • KIM GORDON • YO LA TENGO • STRFKR • GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR • GEORDIE GREEP • BÔA • BLACK MOUNTAIN • LOS MIRLOS • DEAN WAREHAM PLAYS GALAXIE 500 • LA LUZ • SASAMI • BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT • WOMBO • DUMMY • HOLY WAVE
AND MANY MORE…
3 DAY PASSES and SINGLE DAY TICKETS available HERE, with a limited number of Early Bird options available now!
Artwork by Catie St. Jacques
Austin Psych Fest 2025 brings another slate of indie rock icons, experimental rock and tripped-out sounds - from shoegaze to psychedelic rock and cumbia - to the big South Austin backyard at The Far Out Lounge.
The event has always taken an expansive interpretation of psychedelia, exploring the outer edges of the musical spectrum that continue to be informed and inspired by 1960s sonic experimentation, and a penchant for loud guitars and plenty of reverb. This year's lineup is no different. Friday night is topped off with post-rock titans EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, and GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR, two artists who have conjured up wildly emotive and ethereal music, without any words - a testament to the sheer power of music. Heavy psych rockers BLACK MOUNTAIN and KADAVAR round out Day One, with Austin experimentalists OCTOPUS PROJECT and more. Saturday night brings electronic psych explorers DARKSIDE, indie icon KIM GORDON fresh off her recent Grammy nomination, the cosmic grooves of electro rock outfit STRFKR, art rock auteur GEORDIE GREEP plus WOMBO, SASAMI and more on Day Two. Day Three brings it all together with 90s guitar rock icons DINOSAUR JR playing their landmark album Without A Sound, co-headlining with beloved indie rock trio YO LA TENGO, joined by Peruvian cumbia legends LOS MIRLOS, viral UK alt rockers BÔA, Seattle quartet LA LUZ, luminary DEAN WAREHAM of GALAXIE 500 playing tracks from the band’s legendary discography, and more incredible tunes from MYSTERY LIGHTS, HOLY WAVE and more, with additional acts for the weekend to be announced.
Tickets are on sale now! 3 DAY PASSES and SINGLE DAY tickets are available along with a limited number of Early Bird options HERE.
FRI APRIL 25
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR
BLACK MOUNTAIN • KADAVAR • OCTOPUS PROJECT • BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT • FEDERALE
JESSE SYKES & THE SWEET HEREAFTER
SAT APRIL 26
DARKSIDE • KIM GORDON • STRFKR
GEORDIE GREEP • SASAMI
CORRIDOR • WOMBO • DUMMY • ALEX MAAS • COLOR GREEN • WINDOWS
SUN APRIL 27
DINOSAUR JR PLAYS 'WITHOUT A SOUND' • YO LA TENGO
BÔA • LOS MIRLOS • LA LUZ
DEAN WAREHAM PLAYS GALAXIE 500
THE MYSTERY LIGHTS • HOLY WAVE
GARRETT T. CAPPS & NASA COUNTRY
& MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED...
Video Art + Installations From:
MAD ALCHEMY • TV EYE
DRIP//CUTS • BILL GAZER • SLIM REAPER • VIDEO DREAM
DEEP TRIP • ATTIC SPACE • SHELUSHY • & MORE
AUSTIN PSYCH FEST will be held April 25-27, 2025. The Spring event precedes the renowned LEVITATION in the Fall, and marks the 3rd year of APF’s return to Austin, with an intimate setting and two stage lineup at South Austin’s The Far Out Lounge.
Austin Psych Fest began in 2008, as a DIY event and quickly expanded over the years into an international destination for the underground music scene. The event was rechristened LEVITATION, in a nod to the Austin’s psychedelic rock godfathers The 13th Floor Elevators. Austin Psych Fest returned in April 2023 celebrating its 15 year anniversary with a 3 day throwback to the original multi-stage, single venue format - bringing an intimate gathering on the Spring side of the calendar, and LEVITATION in the Fall. APF honors the city’s 1960s psychedelic rock heritage and brings it into the here and now - bringing indie rock icons, experimental rock and tripped-out sounds to an appropriately laid-back South Austin setting.
Since Austin Psych Fest’s inception, organizers have sought to create a thriving center for the independent music scene locally and internationally, in the original home of psychedelic rock: Austin, Texas.
For updates and additional information, keep up with Levitation on Instagram here.
_________________
THE HISTORY OF LEVITATION & AUSTIN PSYCH FEST:
Founded in 2008 by members of The Black Angels and friends, Austin Psych Fest sparked a movement, inspiring the creation of similar events across the globe. Austin Psych Fest was renamed LEVITATION in honor of Austin’s psychedelic rock pioneers The 13th Floor Elevators, who reunited and performed at LEVITATION 2015 for the band’s 50th anniversary. The event has stayed true to its original mission - to be a hub for the psych rock scene - while expanding into the worlds of metal, electronic music, punk, and all manner of independent and underground music.
For over a decade, LEVITATION has delivered lineups that span psych, dream pop, punk, indie, metal, darkwave and electronic music – helping carry the spirit of 1960’s sonic experimentation into modern times. It’s a beloved record collection manifested into a 4 day weekend, with lineups that span continents and generations: a heady amalgamation of vintage gear, immersive light shows and visuals, buzzing amps, moody synths, good vibes and good times in Austin, Texas. LEVITATION returns this Fall: September 25-27, 2025.
2025 will also mark the 12th edition of LEVITATION FRANCE, taking place June 27 & 2 in Angers, France - debuting a new expanded venue. Lineup details to be announced in early 2025.
The Reverberation Appreciation Society is the record label and creative collective behind the curation, artwork and aesthetic of Levitation and Austin Psych Fest. Since 2010, the label imprint has been releasing records with key bands in the psych, shoegaze and garage rock scene such as Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Ringo Deathstarr and Night Beats, and kicked off its Live at Levitation archive series in 2021 with live releases from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Kikagaku Moyo, The Black Angels, Primal Scream and more. Levitation Sessions, the imprint’s live album + film series, captures bands like Osees, Ty Segall, SLIFT, Goat, Windhand, Dead Meadow, Death Valley Girls and more, performing in unique locations and pressed to limited edition vinyl. RVRB’s online shop offers an ever-expanding selection of LEV and APF official merchandise, limited edition vinyl from other labels, guitar pedals, turntables, art prints, one of a kind tie-dyes, and more.
Hannah Cohen Announces Album ft Sufjan Stevens, Clairo, More | 'Earthstar Mountain' Out March 28th via Congrats Records
HANNAH COHEN ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM
OUT MARCH 28 VIA BELLA UNION / CONGRATS RECORDS
SHARES LEAD SINGLE “EARTHSTAR”
ALBUM PRODUCED BY SAM EVIAN
FEATURES CONTRIBUTIONS
FROM SUFJAN STEVENS & CLAIRO
Photo Credit: Josh Goleman | download high-res press photo HERE
Acclaimed singer/songwriter Hannah Cohen today announces her fourth full length album, Earthstar Mountain, due March 28, 2025 via Bella Union / Congrats Records. Produced by Sam Evian at Flying Cloud Recordings and featuring many collaborators such as Sufjan Stevens, Clairo, Liam Kazar, Oliver Hill and Sean Mullins, Earthstar Mountain is a love letter to the Catskills and in the interconnectedness of all things: in her past, present, future and alternative selves, in her friends––here and gone––and in the mountain that peers through her windows.
The lead single “Earthstar” is available today. On the track, Cohen highlights the risk of love and how you can never really know someone, even those closest to you. The kaleidoscopically serene synths tell us there is a peacefulness, a beauty, in facing this truth. Change is hard, but changing alongside someone is a divine privilege. Cohen went on to note “For me “Earthstar” is about the complexity of connection, the risk and vulnerability of love. The song grapples with the idea that ultimately, we will never completely know someone.”
“Earthstar” arrives with a gorgeous video directed and filmed by CJ Harvey. Of the video, which summons the magic of Cohen’s idyllic home in the Catskills, Hannah tells Paste Magazine, “Photographer CJ Harvey and I set out to film a love letter to the Catskill Mountains over four seasons. We took our time over a year to capture moving portraits in some of our favorite swimming holes, creeks, waterfalls and fern gullies deep in the Catskill Mountain forests. The entire video for Earthstar was all shot on 16 mm film."
Listen to “Earthstar” HERE and watch the video HERE and below.
WATCH & SHARE "EARTHSTAR" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Since her move to the Catskills in 2018, Hannah Cohen hikes with her rescue dog Jan every day. In the woods, they witness the color of change, the verdant resilience of softness and the necessary cycles of demise and vitality. It’s been five years since her last full length record and in that bubble of time, Cohen has learned the patience of her environment; to stay quiet until the noise starts to make sense. Her new collection of songs, Earthstar Mountain, is a keepsake of Cohen's time in the Catskills, built over the course of 2020-2024, as blurred, shimmering memories come into focus to produce a collage of echoes and sonic souvenirs.
Hannah Cohen is nestled in the center of a creative community. On one side is Cohen and her partner and collaborator Sam Owens––performing under the moniker Sam Evian––and on the other is their carousel of collaborators and friends. Cohen’s parents reside just down the street, and she sees them almost every day––“unusual, I know but we’re an unusual family” she says. Fittingly, after releasing her 2019 album Welcome Home, Cohen and Owens converted their mid-70s home and barn into a studio and retreat, Flying Cloud Recordings. Between sessions with artists like Big Thief, Cass McCombs, Blonde Redhead, Palehound and Helena Deland, tours with Owens and renovations in their home, and the nurturing of new friendships, Cohen maintained her ritual; she found quiet moments with her guitar, with the mountain as her witness.
Drawing from their shared love of Dusty Springfield, Gal Costa, Minnie Riperton, Ennio Morricone, Neil Young and Sly & The Family Stone, Cohen and Owens began to experiment with arrangements that feel both familiar and entirely new. They welcomed friends to the process––Sufjan Stevens, Sean Mullins, Oliver Hill, Claire Cottrill (Clairo), Liam Kazar and more––and it was the encouragement of those who most inspired her, and the quietude of her beautiful life, that the pieces of Earthstar Mountain started to make sense.
Earthstar Mountain is an ode to curiosity. It asks what it means to live a life: how do we decide which direction to take? How do we stay there? And what happens when the rug is pulled from under our feet? This indecision is embraced and emphasized, underlined in a wandering doodle. “I’ve always wanted a certain life, but then I also want another kind of life,” she says. “They both hover over me all the time.” There is power and release in this observation: the duality of self, of light and dark, stillness and movement, lovers and strangers. A life exists because these dualities cohabitate––the universe within ourselves and the universe outside. The struggle is where clarity is formed and Cohen, ever-open to the possibilities, invites us to take a walk in the woods with her. Like the 1882 lithograph adorning the cover, there’ll be a beautiful view waiting for you whichever path you choose.
Earthstar Mountain Tracklisting:
01 - Dusty
02 - Draggin’
03 - Mountain
04 - Earthstar
05 - Rag
06 - Una Spiaggia
07 - Summer Sweat
08 - Shoe
09 - Baby You’re Lying
10 - Dog Years
Follow Hannah Cohen:
The Warlocks Live @ Harvard & Stone FEB 2025
Greetings! Happy New Year! Hope everyone is doing awesome! We are very excited to announce our month-long residency at Harvard & Stone fridays in February 2025. Advance tickets just 15$ Day of Show $20. Doors are 7:30 with Support on at 8pm The Warlocks on at 9pm followed by Club Decades starting at 10PM! (attendees can stay for the afterparty) More stuff in the works but that's it for now come on out and hang! xoxo The Warlocks
www.thewarlocks.com
Polish slowcore band Bagdad announce debut EP
POLISH SLOWCORE GROUP BAGDAD
JOIN RITE FIELD RECORDS
ATMOSPHERIC DEBUT SINGLE OUT NOW
“VALLEY OF DRY BONES” - LISTEN
THEY DON’T KNOW
EP ARRIVES MARCH 27, 2025
Photo credit: Łukasz Gołąbek
Hailing from Wrocław, Poland, Bagdad are excited to announce their debut EP, They Don’t Know, set for release on March 27, 2025 via Houston’s tastemaking Rite Field Records. To celebrate the announcement, they’re sharing their first-ever single, “Valley of Dry Bones.” This gritty, hypnotic track encapsulates the angsty sound of 90s grunge, giving listeners a brooding atmospheric experience. A trio consisting of guitarist and vocalist Franciszek Drobiński, bassist Wojciech Stach and drummer Jakub Gadamski, Bagdad bring their unique, Eastern European sensibilities to songs bursting with melancholy and emotional resistance.
“I wrote this song in 2021, I was just sitting at home playing guitar and this theme popped into my head, which later became the main riff,” frontman Franciszek Drobiński explains. “Later, when I was writing the lyrics to it, a picture I saw once in some book as a child came to mind. It was a scene from the Bible, depicting Ezekiel’s vision of The Valley of Dry Bones. The song was a bit about something else, but the image stuck in my mind so much that it became the title.“
LISTEN TO “VALLEY OF DRY BONES”
PRE-ORDER THEY DON’T KNOW
Recorded in the summer of 2024, They Don’t Know brings a nostalgic fusion of grunge’s explosive guitars and slowcore’s poignant depth. Bagdad’s distinctive edge crafts a sound that is so distinctive and undeniably their own.
BAGDAD
THEY DON’T KNOW
RITE FIELD RECORDS
Release date: March 27, 2025
They Don’t Know artwork by Waldemar Cwenarski
TRACKLIST
1. Valley of Dry Bones
2. Somewhere, Nowhere
3. Knight Errant Block
4. Ash Pan Nocturne
5. Heartland
ABOUT BAGDAD:
Bagdad is an alt-rock group from Wrocław, Poland, formed in the fall of 2023. What began as a collaboration between school friends Franciszek Drobiński (guitar, vocals) and Wojciech Stach (bass) quickly evolved into a dynamic partnership when drummer Jakub Gadamski joined the fold. The group’s sound blends the raw energy of early 90s grunge with the introspective weight of slowcore, all filtered through the unique lens of Eastern European melancholia. In the summer of 2024, Bagdad began work on their debut EP, They Don’t Know, a collection that captures their blend of atmospheric tension and explosive catharsis. With an ear for mood and a taste for familiar melodies, the band crafts songs that balance quiet, introspective moments with explosive bursts of sonic guitar intensity.
ABOUT RITE FIELD RECORDS:
Rite Field Records is a musician-led independent record label, music consultancy and merchandise distributor based in Houston, Texas. It was established in 2023 by Joseph and Parker Hernandez, founders of Gneiss Sounds, and Abraham Valladares, founder of End on End Prints. The label's mission is to develop equitable opportunities for diligent artists by providing them with the essential resources to advance their music careers. In addition to providing a creative outlet for artists, Rite Field Records is committed to fostering a sense of community among musicians and fans alike. We believe that music has the power to transform lives, and we are committed to providing a dedicated platform for our talented artists to share their music and the vision that comes with it.
Photo credit: Łukasz Gołąbek
CONNECT WITH BAGDAD
CONNECT WITH RITE FIELD RECORDS
V**GRA BOYS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, DROP SONG + VIDEO
V**GRA BOYS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
v**gr aboys
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “MAN MADE OF MEAT”
v**gr aboys OUT APRIL 25TH VIA THEIR NEWLY LAUNCHED LABEL SHRIMPTECH ENTERPRISES
INFINITE ANXIETY TOUR TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Stockholm post-punk band V**gra Boys (**= "ia" because of spam filters) have announced a new album v**gr aboys (** = ia here too) for April 25th via their newly launched label Shrimptech Enterprises. Co-produced by frequent collaborator Pelle Gunnerfeldt with the V**gra Boys, v**gr aboys channels the band’s sharp observational humor and unique ability to dismantle everything and nothing at the same time, while juxtaposing real life with high art. The album art, created by Leo Park, digs further into that concept. The album’s first single, “Man Made of Meat,” draws inspiration from vocalist Sebastian Murphy’s experience cruising through Walmarts while touring the U.S. with Queens of the Stone Age last year. The track is powered by masterful basslines and guitar riffs as Murphy mocks your mom’s OnlyFans and dreams of scoring free women’s sweaters from L.L.Bean. As the chaos escalates, so does Murphy’s sense of complicity, culminating in his bleak yet relatable confession: “I hate almost everything that I see, and I just wanna disappear.”
The single arrives alongside an incredible video that finds Murphy as an accidental artist. Director Daniel Björkman notes: Imagination is gone. Creativity is a concept. Stealing is caring. Theft is priceless. Money a means to an end. Art is a lie. Computers are useless. Music is the ultimate teacher. Taste the enemy of creativity, and a better future. Artificial imagination is here. The world doesn't make sense, so why should we make images that do? (About TGE, The director / studio) The Great Exhibition is a celebration of the unexpected. Our Ideas are designed to create memories. We playfully discover the unforgettable & remarkable in life.
In 2022, the band released their third album Cave World, the volcanic satire taking shots at the conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers that surrounded him. That album saw the band’s Late Night TV debut via Jimmy Kimmel Live! along with coverage from the likes of NPR, Pitchfork, Fader, V Magazine, Needle Drop, and so much more. With v**gr boys frontman Murphy has shifted focus inward. “The whole political thing was exhausting,” Murphy admits with a chuckle. “This is like a self-titled album but a bit simple and stupid—because that’s how I am.”
The band recently announced their infinite anxiety tour of 2025. The tour kicks off at Coachella on April 12, followed by a stint across Europe and the UK in April and May. They’ll then return to the U.S. and Canada for their first headline shows in the territory in two years, beginning September 10 in Vancouver. The 23-date North American leg includes stops in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, and many more (full dates below). Tickets for the tour on-sale now.
Photo Credit: Fredrik Bengtsson
v**gr aboys Tracklist
Man Made of Meat
The Bog Body
Uno II
Pyramid of Health
Dirty Boyz
Medicine for Horses
Waterboy
Store Policy
You N33d Me
Best in Show Pt.IV
River King
V**GR ABOYS - 2025 TOUR DATES
COACHELLA
Apr 12 Indio, CA, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Apr 19 Indio, CA, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
EU/UK
Apr 25 FR, Paris, Zenith
Apr 26 BE, Brussels, AB
Apr 28 UK, Bournemouth, O2 Academy
Apr 29 UK, Birmingham, O2 Academy
Apr 30 UK, Cardiff, Arena
May 1 UK, Manchester, O2 Victoria Warehouse
May 2 IE, Dublin, Olympia
May 3 IE, Dublin, Olympia
May 5 UK, Glasgow, Barrowlands
May 6 UK, London, 02 Brixton Academy
May 8 DE, Berlin, Columbiahalle
May 9 NL, Tilburg, 013
May 10 LX, Luxembourg, Rockhal
May 11 CH, Zurich, X-tra
US
Sep 11 Vancouver, BC, Malkin Bowl
Sep 12 Seattle, WA, Showbox SoDo
Sep 13 Seattle, WA, Showbox SoDo
Sep 14 Portland, OR, Grand Lodge
Sep 17 St Paul, MN, Palace Theatre
Sep 18 Chicago, IL, Fairgrounds at the Salt Shed
Sep 19 Royal Oak, MI, Royal Oak Music Theatre
Sep 20 Toronto, ON HISTORY
Sep 22 Montreal, QC, MTELUS
Sep 23 Boston, MA, Roadrunner
Sep 25 Brooklyn, NY, The Brooklyn Mirage
Sep 26 Washington, DC, The Anthem
Sep 27 Philadelphia, PA, Franklin Music Hall
Oct 23 Oakland, CA, Fox Theater
Oct 25 Phoenix, AZ, The Van Buren
Oct 27 Salt Lake City, UT, The Union Event Center
Oct 28 Denver, CO, The Mission
Oct 30 Houston, TX, White Oak Music Hall
Oct 31 Austin, TX, Venue TBA
Nov 1 Dallas, TX, House of Blues
Nov 3 Raleigh, NC, The Ritz
Nov 4 Asheville, NC, The Orange Peel
Nov 6 St Louis, MO, The Pageant
Nov 7 Nashville, TN, Marathon Music Works
Nov 8 Atlanta, GA, The Eastern
FOR MORE ON V**GRA BOYS
