ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Joy Oladokun

This week’s ANCHR artist of the week goes to singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun, in honor of her recent album entitled Proof of Life, which was just released at the end of April this year.

Photo by Brian Higbee

Joy Oladokun was born and raised in Casa Grande, Arizona, but currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Oladokun has had a mix of musical influences during her life, including growing up in a Christian church and being inspired by artists like Tracy Chapman, Lauryn Hill and Bob Marley at a young age. Prior to releasing Proof of Life this year, Oladokun put out the albums Carry, in defense of my own happiness (the beginnings) and in defense of my own happiness (the latter being a sequel to the second album).

A single from her most recent album, Oladokun’s collaboration with Noah Kahan called “We’re All Gonna Die” has become my own personal anxiety lullaby that reminds me we’re all just doing the best we can with our one life. In contrast to the upbeat, jovial melody, the song’s chorus features the blunt and realistic lyrics we all sometimes need to hear “We’re over our heads so I’ll say it loud/We’re all gonna die tryna figure it out.”

Encompassing a mix of folk, pop, and rock genres, the rest of Proof of Life details both the little things that make life an adventure and the more nuanced experiences of life. The record contains collaborations with multiple artists, including Chris Stapleton, Manchester Orchestra, Mt. Joy and Maxo Kream.

You can catch Joy Oladokun out on the road this year performing these songs. See where you can catch the tour next here, and tune into the video for “Changes” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: TOMI

Photo by Julie Pacino

This week’s artist of the week goes to the singer-songwriter and producer TOMI.

The project of musician Pam Autuori, TOMI was born after Autuori had been scammed by other “music producers” while in a band in NYC and decided she needed to take creative control over her music career (with the stage name being inspired by her dead pet lizard named Tommy). TOMI had moved to NYC to start playing music, originally hailing from the suburbs in Connecticut. Thank gosh she decided to take matters into her own hands with her music because only two weeks after posting her debut single “Carry You” to Soundcloud in 2017, TOMI had signed a record deal with RCA records.

Since then, TOMI has released several singles and a couple of EPs that all explore different tones and sonic landscapes, but one aspect of her music that remains constant is her stunning vocal abilities. Whether it’s the flawless falsetto displayed on the track “Stay” or the multi-layered harmonies on “If I Wasn’t Yours, Who Was I,” there’s a stop-you-in-your-tracks quality to TOMI’s voice. If you’re a fan of Gordi, Overcoats, and Kyla La Grange, you should add TOMI to your playlists.

Most recently (as in just today), TOMI dropped the debut single “If You Tried" from the upcoming debut album Late Bloomer, due out this August. Autuori came out at the age of twelve, and she has attributed the songs on her forthcoming record as exploring “coming out, growing up, and the growing and acceptance pains that come with both.”

This album also sees TOMI going back to the creative helm, as this record will be an independent release. Speaking of independence, the theme of the new single "If You Tried" explores the feelings of a tedious and drawn-out breakup, and the realization of an ex-partner who never put in effort (we’ve all been there!)

Tune into the new track below, and see where you can catch TOMI on tour this year here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: The Aquadolls

This week’s artist of the week goes to The Aquadolls, a trio composed of Melissa Brooks, Keilah Nina and Jacqueline Proctor.

Brooks initially formed The Aquadolls ten years ago, and the project started as a way for her to have a creative outlet to escape the angst she felt from being bullied in high school. Brooks remains the lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the group, but she actually released an EP and the project’s debut album Stoked on You in 2013 before she was joined by Nina and Proctor.

In 2018, the trio released the sophomore full-length album for The Aquadolls, entitled The Dream and Deception, which features a whopping 19 tracks. In 2020, the band even put out a remix version of the record, featuring 8 remixes. Outside of the albums, The Aquadolls have put out a handful of singles and EPs, including their 2020 cover version of the iconic “Take Me Away”—which you may originally know from the Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis version of “Freaky Friday.”

A lot of The Aquadoll’s earlier material has a sound that I would describe as bedroom surf rock— it’s dreamy and hazy lo-fi rolled into cheeky beach vibes. Their newest single “Burn Baby Burn,” which came out just this past month, has an edgier and more amplified sound that’s reminiscent of The Donnas or The Runaways. This track acts as the third single from The Aqualdoll’s upcoming third record Charmed, due out June 2nd, and it follows the pattern on a more intense sound for the band.

In celebration of the new music, The Aquadolls are hitting the road for a headline tour, including a stop in Chicago on Friday, May 19th at The Subterranean. Check out all of the upcoming tour dates here, and watch the video for “Burn Baby Burn” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: The Blaze

Oui! Oui! Croissant!  The ANCHR Artist of the Week this week is The Blaze, and since they are French, I thought I would greet all of our French speaking readers in their native tongue. The Blaze is a duo of Parisian electronic musicians and music video creators, who also happen to be cousins.  Guillaume Alric and Jonathan Alric blessed the world with their partnership for the first time when Jonathan was in film school and asked Guillaume to help him out with a music video soundtrack he was making.  Now, they make the smoothest sounding ambient EDM your ears crave.

The Blaze aren’t exactly “new”.  Their first album, DANCEHALL, came out in 2018 and was ridden with bops, but their latest album, JUNGLE, is so hot, I didn’t want to keep them to myself and wanted other people to see if they dig them as well.  When I first started collecting records, one of the first albums I put on my list was DANCEHALL.  Songs like “Heaven”, “She”, and “Faces” are impossible to not move to.  I actually dare anyone reading this to put on “She” from The Blaze and try not to move.  It’s impossible.  JUNGLE, however, is forty five minutes of incredible music. I can’t wait until I get this album.

JUNGLE is a “no skips” for me. Tracks one through ten all hit.  I particularly like “Lonely”.  I feel like if Daft Pank were still active in 2023, they would have made something like this. Thankfully though, we have The Blaze to create this song and make it even better with such lovely singing and lyrics. Some people may be able to relate, but there’s times where I don’t want to do anything except be by myself.  “I’d rather be lonely. Just to be lonely” spoke to me. I have yet to go to France, but listening to this song, makes me think of what going to a club in Paris would be like.   

The first time I saw them live was at Concord Music Hall in Chicago in 2018 shortly after they released DANCEHALL.  I went into the show really liking the album but left liking it even more after seeing them perform the songs.  It turned into a dance party midway through the show.  If anyone’s music that they’ve been exhausting has gotten stale, The Blaze would be a great band to mix it up with.  If any millennials are reading this that had a Sega Genesis, I feel like their music would be in that Ecco the Dolphin video game.  IYKYK.   

They presently don’t have any Chicago dates on their tour, but I’m hoping something will be announced soon.  In the meantime, they’ll be at Coachella this weekend for any of my festies heading out to the desert this year and for anyone who streams Coachella that may want to check them out.   See all of their tour dates here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Disq

Photo by Daniel Topete

This week’s artist of the week goes to Disq.

Composed of Isaac deBroux-Slone, Raina Bock, Logan Severson, Shannon Conor, and Stu Manley, the Wisconsin-based musicians have been making music together since 2016, but Bock and deBroux-Slone have been friends since middle school. Disq’s discography includes two full-length records, 2020’s Collector and 2022’s Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet. Across both of the albums, Disq’s expansive soundscape refuses to be pigeonholed into one specific genre, but I pick up on elements of garage rock, 90’s Britpop, and psych rock. You know how some bands just have that distinct sound that you immediately recognize one of their songs when it comes on? Well, Disq isn’t one of those bands—they constantly surprise me as I listen to their material. If you’re a fan of Post Animal, Dehd, or Wednesday, I’d suggest giving Disq a spin as well.

Disq’s smorgasbord of musical influences likely stems from their unique formation and collaborative nature—on their sophomore album that was just released this past October via Saddle Creek records, Logan Severson and Shannon Conor branched out from their roles of guitarist to share songwriting and singing duties with deBroux-Slone and Bock. The album included singles like “If Only” and “The Hardest Part,” the former of which deBroux-Slone describes as being a song to listen to when there’s confusion about someone’s intent in a relationship, and the goal of the song’s sound was to stir up plenty of nostalgia. “The feeling of the song is longing and I thought some of the wistful chords and moods from the plethora of ‘90s and 2000's indie I'd been listening to at the time would fit just right, so I pulled those influences in,” he says. The latter track was one of the contributions from Severson, which he says originated years ago with the riff and melody, before the lyrics finally and suddenly came to him one night. “Because I just let the words come to me, I don’t know exactly what the song is about, but I can feel what the song is about and it holds deep meaning to me. I’m still in the process of understanding what I was trying to tell myself when I wrote it,” he adds.

Disq will be touring this fall with Shame, but if you’re in Chicago and want to catch them sooner, they’ll be at Sleeping Village on April 20th. See all of their tour dates here, and watch the video for “The Hardest Part” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Bodywash

Photo by Kristina Pedersen

This week’s artist of the week goes to Bodywash, the pairing of Montreal musicians Chris Steward and Rosie Long Decter.

Although Steward grew up in London and Long Decter grew up in Toronto, the two met in college back in 2014, and they used their contrasting musical backgrounds to form their own unique creative style. If you’re a fan of Wild Nothing, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, or Slow Pulp, you should make sure to add Bodywash to your rotation.

Bodywash’s sophomore album entitled I Held the Shape While I Could is slated to be released April 14th, as a follow up to the duo’s debut album Comforter and handful of earlier singles. The band has teased the new album so far with the songs “No Repair” and “Massif Central,” which was the lead single. The latter of these two tracks starts off with a quick-paced and hypnotic guitar riff that melds with Steward’s feather-light vocals to create a dreamy oasis. Steward describes the track as “the sound of wailing into a cliff and not knowing if you’ll hear an echo.” The track was written after Steward lost his legal status to work in Canada due to a typo in a government letter. “With the help of friends, family, music, and a few immigration lawyers (and the rest of my savings), I’m now a permanent resident here. But this song remains as testament to my experience with an exploitative institution,” he adds.

The sense of upheaval that Steward felt as a result of his situation, as well as similar alienating experiences in Long Decter’s life, continued to be a common theme for the new record. This theme gave the duo something edgier to explore in the new material when they recorded with drummer Ryan White and recording/mixing engineer Jace Lasek.

You can pre-order I Held the Shape While I Could here, and catch Bodywash on tour this spring. They’ll be playing a Free Monday show at the Empty Bottle this Monday, April 10th if you’re in Chicago.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: IBEYI

Photo by Melody Berkery

This week’s Artist of the Week goes to Ibeyi, a French duo composed of twin sisters Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz.

The Diaz sisters have woven in multiple languages into their songwriting, including English, French, Spanish and Yoruba—so it’s fitting that their band name means “twins” in Yoruba. I was first introduced to the duo with their single “River",” which was included both on their 2014 “Oya” EP and their 2015 self-titled album. The track includes a hypnotic percussive beat and spotlights the twins’ silky harmonies.

The entirety of Ibeyi’s catalog contains unique features and a variety of textures, meaning they are always keeping listeners on our toes. Besides highlighting their multilingual lyrics, the Diaz sisters weave in elements of R&B, Afro-Cuban, electronic and experimental influences. The pair currently live and have spent most of their life in Paris, but they also lived in Havana for their first couple fo years, as their dad was a Grammy-winning Cuban percussionist. With their mom also being French-Venezuelan singer Maya Dagnino, it’s obvious that music and creativity run in their blood, and their upbringing certainly shapes the characteristics of their sound.

If you’re a fan of FKA Twigs, Perfume Genius, and James Blake, you should immediately add Ibeyi to your musical rotations. In addition to their self-titled debut album, Ibeyi has put out 2017’s Ash and 2022’s Spell 31, which contains collaborations with Jorja Smith, BERWYN, and Pa Salieu. Make sure to also catch Ibeyi on the road this year, including a stop at Thalia Hall on March 19th.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

This week’s artist of the week goes to Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, AKA Pigsx7 (and also, probably the longest band name ever).

Photo by Ania Shrimpton

Hailing from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England and composed of Matt Baty, Sam Grant, Adam Ian Sykes, John-Michael Joseph Hedley, and Ewan Mackenzie, Pigsx7 has a sound that’s impossible to ignore— as in their music packs such a punch that it’d probably be detrimental to your hearing if you went to one of their shows without ear plugs. All jokes aside, Pigs entrances their listeners with a cathartic cacophony that combines the heaviness of metal music with the fuzziness of psych and garage rock.

The band’s booming presence has continued to grow throughout their discography, especially on their most recent album Land Of Sleeper, which was released this past February. Talking about writing for this new record, vocalist Matt Baty says, “Shouting about themes of existential dread comes very naturally to me, and I think because I'm aware of that in the past I've tried to rein that in a little. There's definitely moments on this album where I took my gloves off and surrendered to that urge." 

The push-and-pull tension presents itself when listening to the album on a track like “The Weatherman,” which has a slow, ominous build up that leads into an eventual explosion. This track also has a collaboration with Bonnacons Of Doom vocalist Kate Smith and a choir including Richard Dawson and Sally Pilikington, which further adds to its massive and multi-dimensional sound. The slower moments on Land Of Sleeper also artfully contrast with the urgency felt immediately on tracks like “Mr Medicine” and “Ultimate Hammer.”

If you’re in need of music that will amplify your soul, make sure you throw Pigs on your listening rotation, and if you’re in Chicago you can catch them playing Sleeping Village on March 28th. See the rest of the tour dates here, and don’t forget your hearing protection!

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Fenne Lily

Photo by Michael Tyrone Delaney

This week’s artist of the week goes to Fenne Lily, a singer-songwriter hailing from Bristol, UK.

The first time I heard one of Fenne Lily’s songs, I was both taken aback by her gentle, ethereal vocals and instantly comforted by the sense of coziness that’s threaded throughout her melodies.

Fenne Lily started playing some major UK festivals in 2016, including the BBC Music Introducing stage at T in the Park, which is a Scottish festival I was lucky enough to attend once. From there, Fenne Lily released her debut album entitled On Hold in 2018, and she has continued to deliver more music. Her sophomore album, BREACH, came out in 2020, and Lily recently announced her third album Big Picture will be released on April 14th.

Ahead of the album release, Fenne Lily listeners have been blessed with two singles; “Dawncolored Horse” and “Lights Light Up.” The second single to be released, “Dawncolored Horse,” is inspired by the Richard Brautigan poem “The Horse That Had A Flat Tire.” Lily details the inspiration saying, “[Brautigan] talks about the woman he loves as being a ‘breathing castle.’ I truly don’t know what that means, but for me he’s distilled a feeling of absolute closeness. When you know someone so well it feels like you’re almost living inside them. That can be claustrophobic, but before it’s too much, it’s incredible.”

The entirety of Big Picture was tracked live in Brad Cook’s North Carolina recording studio, and Cook co-produced the record. Just based on the glimpse of the album through these two singles, I can feel the life that Fenne Lily and her bandmates breathed into these songs during the recording process, and I know we’re in for something special. Lily further describes the album and its juxtaposition between theme and tone, adding, “These songs explore worry and doubt and letting go, but those themes are framed brightly.”

In honor of the new music, Fenne Lily will also be hitting the road this spring/summer. Be sure to catch her May 25th at Thalia Hall if you’re in Chicago, and see the rest of her tour dates here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Otoboke Beaver

Photo by Mayumi Hirata

You know those bands that you just know by looking at them that you’re in for a treat? Well upon my first listen of Otoboke Beaver, I was able to confirm my hunch that they rock just as hard as I’d suspected at first glance.

Otoboke Beaver has earned this week’s artist of the week title thanks to their fun and playful spin on Riot grrrl/punk influences. Their sound is like if Bikini Kill, CHAI and The Linda Lindas had a lovechild.

Formed in 2009 in Kyoto, Japan, the four-piece group is composed of Accorinrin (Lead Vocal & Guitar), Yoyoyoshie (Guitar & Vocals), Hirochan (Bass & Vocals) and Kahokiss (Drums & Vocals). The band members all met at their university’s music club, and their band name stems from a local “love hotel” (wink wink).

Since their inception, Otoboke Beaver has released several EPs and three albums, the most recent being Super Champon, which was just released in May 2022. The newest record is a whopping 18 tracks long, but it speeds by in under 22 minutes, thanks to fast-paced and fleeting nature of the songs. The majority of the songs are under 2 minutes, but some are as brief as 12 seconds-long! The journey through these tracks with humorous titles like “Dirty old fart is waiting for my reaction” and “Do you want me to send a DM” flies by in such a flash, it’s a challenge not to get whiplash.

Based on the intensity of their records, I just know Otoboke Beaver will put on a phenomenal live show, but don’t just take my word for it! The legendary Dave Grohl has described their performances as “It’s the most fucking intense shit you’ve ever seen.” To experience the whirlwind for yourself, be sure the catch the band on tour this year. They’ll be a SXSW festival, and stopping in Chicago for a show at Thalia Hall on February 26th. See all of the tour dates here, and warm up for one of their gigs by catching their KEXP set below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Friko

The first Artist of the Week for 2023 is Chicago’s own Friko!

Photo by Nando Espinosa Herrera

I had the chance to see Friko when they opened up for Horsegirl at Thalia Hall, and their set that night proved that Chicago really does have the one of (if not the) best music scenes in the world as they mesmerized the audience with their dynamic indie rock style.

The trio composed of Niko Kapetan, Bailey Minzenberger, and Luke Stamos are relatively new to the Chicago scene, but Kapetan and Stamos have been friends since their kindergarten years. The pair officially became Friko when they joined up with Minzenberger during their senior year of high school. Now they’ve already made a big impact locally and released a steady stream of singles— most recently putting out their debut EP entitled “Whenever Forever” in March of 2022. Songs like “Half As Far” and “IN_OUT” captivate listeners by exploring quieter lo-fi moments that contrast against crescendoing guitar riffs.

Friko has also recorded an Audiotree session, featuring live versions of the majority of their aforementioned EP, and they kicked off on their first ever tour at the end of November last year, which ended with a hometown show at the legendary Metro. The band shared their excitement for getting out there and playing more shows by saying, “After spending a lot of time in the studio, we feel like we’ve really come into ourselves as a band and what we have to say, and can’t wait to share that with as many people that are willing to listen.”

Be sure to give Friko a follow to see what they get up to next, and tune into their music video for “IN_OUT” below. Also, if you’re in Chicago, catch them at Schubas on January 28th, along with a bunch of other Chicago bands, for an abortion funds benefit show.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Inner Wave

This week’s Artist of the Week goes to Inner Wave.

Photo courtesy of Red Light Management

Blending a mix of psychedelia, funk, and surf rock, Inner Wave first started making music over a decade ago with founding members Pablo Sotelo on guitar and vocals, Elijah Trujillo on guitar, and Jean Pierre Narvaez on bass and vocals. In more recent years, the band has expanded to a five-piece group to include Drummer Luis Portillo and Jose Cruz on keyboards.

Inner Wave is based in Los Angeles, which is fitting because the majority of their music evokes cheerful moods and conjures up sunny, laidback vibes. To date, Inner Wave has released four studio albums, starting with III in 2013 and leading to the most recent record, Apoptosis, which was released in September 2021. Prior to the release of Apoptosis, Inner Wave faced many of the struggles and dark times that many musicians faced as the pandemic hit— they had tours canceled and a cloud of uncertainty looming over their next moves. Ultimately, the band persevered and came out of the lowest part of the pandemic in a stronger position. Sotelo says that they reverted back to being very hands on, like they were for the first 11 years of being a band. “Now I feel very confident: we’re like a musical tank,” he says.

The fourth album was recorded over two weeks in which Inner Wave quarantined at the studio True Sound, where Cruz also lived at the time. “Apoptosis is a biological term for the death of cells, which occurs as a normal and controlled part of an organism’s growth or development. Basically, it’s when your body lets certain cells die so that new healthy cells can grow,” Sotelo explains. “It was indicative of what we had just gone through this whole year, with losing a member, losing management, losing a tour, shows, losing friends, losing almost everything. And then starting from the ground up.”

It’s been over a year now since that album’s release, but Inner Wave is currently on tour with Foals, and I’m very much looking forward to hearing some of those songs live. If you’re in Chicago, you can catch them at The Vic on December 2nd and 3rd, or view the rest of their tour dates here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Renforshort

renforshort is the moniker of Toronto-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lauren Isenberg, who crafts emotive alt-pop/bedroom pop tracks.

Photo by Nathalie Benshmuel

Although she wrote her first song as a young teenager and began singing at open mic nights in addition to releasing covers of songs online, renforshort didn’t release her first official single until 2019’s "Waves.” Nearly immediately after its release, the song drew attention from Geffen Records, and she ended up signing with them. renforshort’s debut EP teenage angst was released via Geffen Records and the seven tracks on it really embrace the bedroom pop feel because there’s such an intimate and vulnerable feel to the storytelling and the songwriting.

Earlier in July, renforshort released her debut full-length LP after following up teenage angst with several additional singles. The debut record called dear amelia features my favorite song from the artist to date, called “moshpit.” The song so vividly illustrates the pain of a toxic relationship by metaphorically relating it to getting beat up in a moshpit. The accompanying songs on the album also see renforshort exploring other mental health struggles, such as depression, disassociation, anxiety, and self-erasure, but she delivers it in a way that listeners can relate and find comfort in the message. Each song is tied together by that common thread, but we also experience an expansive sonic range that takes her artistry to another level. The songs move from the dazzling electronic beat of “we’ll make this ok” (featuring Travis Barker) to the mellow acoustic melody of “let you down” (featuring Jake Bugg) to the stunning piano and vocoder-driven title track “amelia.”

renforshort will be on tour throughout the fall in support of dear amelia— see where you can catch her here, and tune into “moshpit” below.

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ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Allison Ponthier

Photo by Julian Buchan

This week’s ANCHR artist of the week goes to singer-songwriter Allison Ponthier, who is currently based in Brooklyn after migrating from the Bible-belt of Texas.

Sonically, Ponthier blends rock n’ roll textures together with the Western twang of alt-country influences and velvety-smooth, rich vocals of pop powerhouses. Visually, Ponthier’s imagery and presentation possess both a classic, vintage feel combined with a surreal, other-worldly sheen. It’s the perfect display of her ability to expand her physical horizons alongside her artistic boundaries, while also giving a nod to the place where she grew up. Ponthier has described her big move to NYC as a creative inspiration for her, but it was also scary and challenging as she moved there without any ties or friends. Once she got settled into New York, Ponthier finally felt comfortable enough to speak her full truth. “Having a very supportive environment to a LGBTQ person is really that important because I didn’t feel safe to come out until I moved to New York. I think that being somewhere where you feel safe in yourself is a priority, and safety is always a number one priority when someone comes out,” she says about her experience coming out after the move.

Nowadays, Ponthier continues to express her vulnerable truths through her songwriting, which listeners have gotten to experience via her 2021 EP entitled “Faking My Own Death” and this year’s “Shaking Hands With Elvis” EP. The latter sees her opening up even more, and Ponthier acknowledges that maturity, stating, “I want to always feel like I can grow, and this project reflects that.” The EP’s title track has Ponthier sharing so much of her emotions with listeners, as she wrote the song following the passing of one of her friends. "Whether or not there's an afterlife, I want to believe that he is not by himself," she says. The lyrics in the song paint a vivid picture of an idyllic afterlife with The King himself, giving nods to Graceland and Elvis’ over-the-top wardrobe.

Throughout the other five songs on the “Shaking Hands With Elvis” EP, Ponthier also broadened her dynamic sound by working with different producers like Mike Del Rio, Dan Wilson, Ethan Gruska, and Luke Fitton. “The exciting part of this job is that you get to do something new every day,” she says. “So I was excited to make harder rock songs, songs that sound like they came straight out of the '70s, songs that are sensitive but that have guitar feedback all over them."

Make sure you tune into the full EP here, and follow Allison Ponthier on Instagram | Twitter | TikTok.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Sault

It seems every couple of years we get bands or artists that create music within a cloud of mystery. The Weeknd started his career this way.— it wasn’t until his music really blew up in the mainstream that the world finally got to see the man behind the stage name. In the electronic world Daft Punk’s whole shtick is that they’re robots. Deadmau5 was similar to the The Weeknd in that his identity remained steeped in mystery during the beginning of his career, but ultimately he couldn’t keep that up with how popular his music became. We still don’t know what Buckethead looks like; and we still don’t really know who all is in The Knife. Then you have artists that try to do the mysterious approach, but no one really cares; i.e. Marshmello.  The latest musical project to endeavor into the mystery realm is Sault. 

When I first heard Sault, I thought they were a DJ, à la Kaskade or Nero, but like many Chicagoans who listen to Sound Opinions, the hosts were reviewing Sault as a British musical group, and I was like “Dang, they’re a band?”  The members of the group aren’t really known. We just know that Inflo seems to be involved in some capacity and Michael Kiwanuka (or members of his band) seem to also be involved in some way. Whoever they are though, their music is hot. 

Sault’s music is funky, soulful, and seems to center around police brutality/BLM subjects. With the memory of 2020 still in our minds, both albums they released in 2020 were very relevant. Untitled (Black Is) was on many publications short list for album of the year until three months later Sault released Untitled (Rise), and that seemed to leap frog the previous album to garner even more praise and attention. Their track “Wildfires” is so beautiful it makes me want to blast it in my house with only candles illuminating my abode. “Free” is another striking song except this one gives me the vibes to remain in that same setting, but add spontaneous dancing. Hopefully when festivals and shows come back we’ll finally get to see who they are.  For now, tune into Untitled (Black Is) below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Rag'n'Bone Man

The best and most inspiring artists are those who consistently push new boundaries and refuse to let their style be pigeonholed into one genre. Rory Graham, better known as Rag'n'Bone Man, released a debut full-length album Human that is heavily rooted in blues and soul, but his extensive music catalog dabbles in everything from pop to hip hop to provide a little something for everyone.

The successful title track off the 2017 record “Human” showcases Graham’s distinct and raw vocal chops while also hooking in listeners with an explosive chorus. On the same album, tracks like “Lay My Body Down” and the A cappella “Die Easy” slow things down to put even more focus on Graham’s gritty and bone-chilling voice, while the groovy bass line in “Your Way or the Rope” nods to Graham’s past work of performing in rap and hip hop groups.

After a bit of a hiatus, Rag'n'Bone Man returned this week with another dynamic shift in his sound. Released on January 29th, “All You Ever Wanted” marks the first single from Graham’s highly anticipated sophomore record. The track puts Graham’s characteristically rich vocals over a bright and buoyant guitar riff that carries a subtle hint to 80’s pop influence. “All You Ever Wanted” gives us the first taster of Rag'n'Bone Man’s 14-track album Life By Misadventure, which is slated to be released April 23rd this year. You can pre-order it here, and be sure to watch the official music video for the lead single below.

Keep up with Rag‘n’Bone Man on Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Shame

Photo by Sam Gregg

As a frequent concert attendee (pre-pandemic), one of my favorite things in life was seeing a band perform live for the first time, especially if there’s been a lot of buzz around them. The band Shame sticks out in my memory as one of those acts that everyone was talking about leading up to South by Southwest festival in 2018, and I can still vividly remember watching them play an afternoon gig under the sweltering Austin sunshine on my first day at the fest. After listening to their debut album Songs of Praise, Shame had won me over as a fan, but there was something particularly magnetic and cathartic about witnessing the band’s lead singer Charlie Steen interact with an audience. Seeing songs like “Concrete,” “Friction,” and “Tasteless” brought to life in front of a crowd added another layer to the band that you can’t get from listening to the record. Following that initial gig, I saw Shame a handful of times throughout the years they toured their debut album, and there was never a dull moment during their shows.

In late 2020, Shame released their first single to follow up their debut album with the track “Alphabet.” With its lead-in of distorted guitar, a bouncy backbone of a drumbeat and the amplified vocals in the chorus, the song sets the tone for Shame’s recently released sophomore record, titled Drunk Tank Pink. The new record came out nearly three years to the day after the band’s first release, and while it stays true to group’s South London post-punk roots, there’s also an added dimension of maturity and intensity. While working on Drunk Tank Pink, guitarist Sean Coyle-Smith said that when he got to the point of finding guitar-playing to be mind-numbing, he began to experiment with writing outside of a conventional “rock” style. His efforts come across in the texturized riffs in songs like “Water in the Well” and “6/1.” Throughout the album, there are moments of frenetic swells and built up tension, with just the right amount of release sprinkled in to keep listeners on our toes.

You can listen to Drunk Tank Pink in full below, and be sure to check out our interview with Shame for more on the band.