ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Beach Fossils

Photo by Sinna Nasseri

This week’s artist of the week goes to a long-time favorite of ANCHR’s; Beach Fossils, in honor of their new album Bunny.

Released just last week on June 2nd, Beach Fossils’ fourth studio album follows up 2017’s Somersault. The band’s lineup currently consists of vocalist and songwriter Dustin Payseur alongside Tommy Davidson on guitar, Jack Doyle Smith on bass, and Anton Hochheim on drums. Payseur has been releasing music with Beach Fossils since 2009, and their latest release acts as a culmination of their previous works met with a refined lens. Bunny’s opening track “Sleeping On My Own” has the dreamy, epic feeling of a song from a 1980’s coming-of-age film—picture it playing as the main character experiences a pivotal moment. The second track “Run To The Moon” introduces a twangy, western sound and feels like the perfect road trip track. The twangy vibes weave in and out throughout some of the other songs, but as we get further into the album, listeners can also hear some psychedelic rock influences on “(Just Like The) Setting Sun.”

Payseur produced and recorded Bunny himself, and has stated the record was inspired by the psych-pop of early Verve and Spiritualized albums and perennial influences like The Cure, Wire, The Byrds, and The Velvet Underground. Talking about the songwriting structure of these news songs, Payseur adds, “When I wrote the first record, there were no choruses; it was instrumental guitar parts in between verses. This is the first record where I’ve consciously thought about writing a chorus.” Lyrically, the album examines some of his most personal experiences, including a family member’s battle with cancer and the journey into fatherhood.

Tune into Bunny here, and watch the video for “Don’t Fade Away” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Dry Cleaning

This week’s artist of the week goes to South London’s Dry Cleaning, in honor of their brand new sophomore album entitled Stumpwork.

Photo by Guy Bolongaro

Dry Cleaning is composed of vocalist Florence Shaw, guitarist Tom Dowse, bassist Lewis Maynard and drummer Nick Buxton, and the group has garnered popularity since their formation in 2018 thanks to their unique mix of experimental rock, post-punk and Shaw’s signature spoken-word vocal style. In the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to catch the band in a couple of different settings—from a packed and sweaty performance at Empty Bottle to the main stage at Pitchfork Festival, Dry Cleaning put on an unforgettable show in both environments.

The latest record Stumpwork was just released on Friday, October 21st, and the band actually started working on these songs even before their debut album New Long Leg was released. Dry Cleaning worked with producer John Parish on Stumpwork, and before they recorded, they rehearsed for two days at Bristol’s Factory Studios alongside Parish and engineer Joe Jones. Dowse says the group felt more confident during this project, saying, “We could see the bigger picture and knew where to focus our energy more efficiently.” Buxton also stated that their time performing in front of audiences allowed them to think differently. “The cracks show clearer, but the strong elements shine through,” he says. From that new lens, the band set out to make the songs much richer in parts and continue to explore space and a wider dynamic.

Part of that broadened scope included some additional spontaneity from Shaw on her vocals, as she actually improvised many of the lyrics straight to the recording. Shaw says she wrote a lot of lyrics on walks around London in Bristol, and she recalls writing most of the lyrics to “Hot Penny Day” at a flea market.

“I wrote about the things that preoccupied me over this period, like loss, masculinity, feminism, my mum, being separated from my partner for little stretches in the lockdown, lust,” Shaw says. “I think if you make something observational, which I think I do, it’s political. There were two murders of women in London that were extensively covered on the news, and the specific details of one of those murders were reported on whilst we were at Rockfield. That coverage influenced some of my writing and my state of mind,” she adds. The entirety of the band also agreed that some of the musicality may have pulled in some influence from the current political climate. “I do think these things seep into the music if you’re an observant person, even unconsciously,” says Dowse.

Stumpwork also includes the reflections of loss that the band experienced in the past year, including the devastating loss of Lewis Maynard’s mother, Susan. New Long Leg was released a week before she passed away, so she was able to see it reach number four in the charts. “The success of the band became a distraction for the whole family while grieving. And it gave even more importance to what we are doing,” Maynard says.

The end result of the album is a winding road paved in part by loss, darkness, and grief, but intertwined with spurts of optimism and shimmers of joy…Much like life has been throughout the past couple of years; the dark times have forced us to cultivate the brighter times. Shaw says it best on the track “Kwenchy Kups”— “Things are shit, but they’re gonna be OK.”

Listen to Stumpwork in full here, and see where you can catch Dry Cleaning on the road here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Whitney

This week we’re featuring a hometown favorite for our artist of the week—Chicago’s own Whitney.

Photo by Tonje Thilesen

The songwriting duo of Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek is back with their third album SPARK, which follows up their 2019 sophomore record Forever Turned Around. A lot has changed in the world since 2019, so it makes sense that Ehrlich and Kakacek completely revolutionized their sound on these new songs, marking a departure from the signature folk-pop they’d honed in on for their first two records.

I was lucky enough to hear a majority of the new record played back in December 2021, when Whitney performed a handful of shows at several independent venues in the city of Chicago. Since they were performing so much of their unreleased material, the shows were all “no-phone” shows, in which attendees had to put their devices away in locked pouches for the entirety of the concert. These special performances allowed fans to connect more with the music in real time, without any distractions, and it got fans hyped to finally hear the finished product that we now know is called SPARK and will be out this Friday, September 16th.

Ehrlich and Kakacek spent the majority of the time creating the songs on SPARK in the makeshift studio they’d built in the house they’d rented in Portland during the 2020 lockdown. The creative process focused just as much on the visual aspect of the new material as it did on the sonic aspects— they’d often play their new creations while a hardware store disco ball spun overhead and slowed-down music videos from megastars spooled silently on YouTube in the middle of the night— with the goal of testing their new sound against big-budget reels.

Leading up to the album’s release date, Whitney has released a steady drip of singles, including “BLUE,” “TWIRL” and “MEMORY”— each one continuing to lay the new foundation for Whitney. Ehrlich recalls the process of making the album during the lockdown when tour dates and other commitments were getting canceled, comparing it to the no-pressure scenario of creating their debut record. “We had time to just sit and watch the body of work grow in real time. We were just stacking stronger and stronger songs on top of each other,” he says. Listening to the likes of “TWIRL” or “REAL LOVE,” that time and attention comes across via the intricacies of the arrangements and the vivid imagery painted both by the melodies and lyrics. There’s a certain warm glow that embraces each of these songs that are in essence about moving from the past into a present era, emulating the feeling you get when the sun beams down on you after a cloudy stretch, or the sun rising after a particularly long night.

Whitney will be on tour throughout the end of the year in support of the new album, including a three-night stint at Thalia Hall here in Chicago. See all of the upcoming tour dates here, and pre-order SPARK here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: James Bay

This week’s ANCHR Artist of the Week goes to James Bay, who has been a favorite around here since his 2014 debut record Chaos and the Calm. Bay’s debut holds some of his most iconic hits like “Hold Back The River” and “Let It Go,” but his most recent album Leap that came out in July is also full of incredible tunes.

Photo Courtesy of James Bay

To date, James Bay’s career has been packed to the brim with top-notch achievements and highlights that we’re sure most artists have on their bucket lists— from being nominated for a Grammy, winning two BRIT Awards, performing on Saturday Night Live, and joining legends like Alicia Keys, Mick Jagger and Sheryl Crow onstage, just to name a few. But prior to all this success, Bay started out teaching himself guitar as a child, using a guitar he found in a cupboard at home (it’s said he was inspired after hearing the classic “Layla” by Clapton). Eventually, Bay began performing at open mic nights in Brighton, UK and eventually a video of one of his performances caught the attention of Republic Records. The rest is history…

Despite the huge performances that he’s been apart of and all the sold-out shows that Bay has played, that didn’t stop him from returning to his roots before the release of Leap. On the “New Songs & New Stories” tour, Bay returned to perform solo acoustic gigs at many of the venues he first performed at in support of Independent Venue Week. Bay also recently gave some lucky fans a guitar lesson from himself, thanks to his friends at Fender. When asked about his advice for aspiring young songwriters and musicians, Bay said “If anyone wants to learn how to play guitar or get into music, do it for you. I feel lucky to get to a place where there’s fans and people who love what you put out, but you didn’t write your first music for them because they weren’t your fans yet, they didn’t know you existed. So there’s something to be respected for always trying to make stuff for yourself first because that’s what they loved about what you did the first time.”

Bay has achieved that same magic across the songs on Leap, and for third record, Bay enlisted the help of Foy Vance, Dave Cobb, Ian Fitchuk, Joel Little, and Finneas as collaborators and producers. All of the songs were recorded between sessions in Nashville and London, and there were some remote sessions thrown in amongst in-person sessions. Speaking about the album’s process, Bay has said, “It’s been a weird and winding road to get here over the past few years (as it has been for everyone), but all things considered it’s been a wonderful journey making this music. I got the opportunity to write more songs and was able to fully realize what this album was supposed to be.”

See where you can catch James Bay on the road soon here, and tune into the video for “Save Your Love” from the new record below.

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: MUNA

Photo By Isaac Schneider

MUNA’s music will not only make you want to dance, it will make you feel safe to be yourself—what more could you ask for?! If you’re a long-time ANCHR reader, you’re likely already well familiar with MUNA, but the trio just released their third album so they deserve another shout out as this week’s artist of the week.

Composed of Katie Gavin (she/they), Naomi McPherson (they/them), and Josette Maskin (she/they), the three members of the band have been friends for about ten years, and they started making music during their time in college at USC. MUNA released their first album About U in 2017, which features bops like the inclusive anthem “I Know A Place” and “Loudspeaker.” The group’s self-titled third album follows up their 2019 album Saves The World and is their first release on Phoebe Bridgers’ record label Saddest Factory Records. Despite the record label name, most of MUNA conjures up feel-good vibes, especially the first track “Silk Chiffon,” which is the ultimate summer road-trip soundtrack and features Bridgers as a collaborator.

The members of MUNA have said this record brings them out of a period of uncertainty that they faced due to everything going on in the world and other factors surrounding their career, but as I listen to these songs, I mostly hear confidence and an elevated level of maturity in the songwriting and artistry. The third album is essentially the result of MUNA acting as a phoenix rising from its ashes—Talking about this peculiar time, Gavin says, “You have to let things fall apart. And it was only possible because of this tremendous trust. I have so few relationships in my life where I have the kind of trust that I do with Naomi and Jo — where I can trust that there’s a higher purpose, that we can work through all the boundaries and compromises and mess that comes with long-term relationships, and then return to form.” 

If you’re ready to rejoice with MUNA in their latest era, be sure to listen to the new record in full, and catch them on tour soon. They’ll be in Chicago this month playing Lollapalooza, including an aftershow at Thalia Hall.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: BANKS

Here at ANCHR, we’ve been fans of the Los Angeles- based singer songwriter BANKS since before the 2014 release of her debut album Goddess. Throughout her first three records and several other singles, BANKS has continuously proved her ability to explore new sonic territory, often adding a cheeky and edgy side to her vulnerable storytelling. BANKS’ lyrics are emotive and raw, while also being moody and powerful— she showcases her fierce prowess while being open about her flaws.

Last month, BANKS returned with the new single entitled “I Still Love You” from her fourth record, called SERPENTINA— which is out this Friday, April 8th. The new track dives further into the songwriter’s vast vulnerability that we’ve all come to know and love. Talking about the single, BANKS says she held onto the song for more than six years. “It felt like a secret I wanted to keep just for myself. But I finally feel not only ready but so excited to share this with the world. It’s about loving someone you don’t talk to anymore. Missing the little things about them. Even the things you thought you hate. I hope you feel like you are sitting next to me when you listen. And I hope it’s as special to those who hear it as it is to me,” she says.

BANKS also co-directed the music video for “I Still Love You” in addition to co-producing the new album, allowing her artistic expression to expand beyond her captivating lyrics and melodies. With SERPENTINA, BANKS also promises a more loose and freeing demeanor, stating that the album title was inspired by the feminization of the word “Serpentine.” “Snakes represent rebirth and the shedding of one's skin,” she says. “They just move on, and I think that's what life is about. Changing and transforming, with a little bit of danger, but also smooth and silky. It just felt like the perfect representation. This album feels regal to me, but also my most human ever. So I think it kind of touches both ends of the spectrum.”

You can pre-order SERPENTINA here, and see where you can catch BANKS performing live soon here—including a stop in Chicago for Lollapalooza.

ANCHR Artist of the Week: Black Country, New Road

Editor’s note: Please note that the below was written prior to Black Country, New Road’s announcement on Monday, January 31st, 2022 that singer Isaac Wood will be stepping away from the group. In light of Isaac’s departure, the band will be canceling all upcoming tour dates, but they will continue to make music together. Keep an eye on the band’s Instagram for all updates, and send your well wishes to Isaac!

Photo by Ninja Tune

This week, ANCHR’s heading back across the pond for our Artist of the Week: Black Country, New Road. Formed in London in 2018, the experimental rock group consists of Isaac Wood, Tyler Hyde, Lewis Evans, Georgia Ellery, May Kershaw, Charlie Wayne, and Luke Mark— straying away from the traditional band line up. Black Country, New Road adds color and depth to their songs by having Evans on Saxophone and Ellery on violin.

The band’s debut record, aptly called For the first time, only consists of six tracks, but Black Country, New Road strays away from tradition again by having songs like “Athen’s France” that spans over six minutes and “Sunglasses” that lasts just shy of ten minutes. Throughout the record, listeners experience cinematic swells, frantic peaks and hypnotic valleys. In some cases, a singular track feels like it contains multiple chapters or different episodes of a TV season. With Black Country, New Road, you never know what they will pull out of their pocket next.

Keeping up with their spirt of experimentation and improvisation, Black Country, New Road has collaborated with another ANCHR favorite, Black Midi, to form the super group dubbed Black Midi, New Road.

If you like what you hear and can’t get enough of the group’s first album, Black Country, New Road recently released their new single “Snow Globes” off their upcoming sophomore record Ants From Up There— dropping this Friday, February 4th. Make sure you pre-order the record here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: The Wombats

Photo by Tom Oxley

The Wombats have been around for just shy of twenty years, so it’s more than likely you’ve heard one of their many ear worms along the way (especially with their recent resurgence on Tik Tok). The trio composed of Matthew “Murph” Murphy, Tord Øverland Knudsen, Dan Haggis formed in Liverpool, England back in 2003 and have crafted bops like “Let’s Dance to Joy Division,” “Greek Tragedy,” and “Turn” throughout their first four albums—just to name a few. On January 14th, The Wombats released their fifth studio album called Fix Yourself, Not The World, and it’s full of songs that are just as catchy and addictive as their previous releases.

With the pandemic, The Wombats had to figure out a way to adjust to the current times while recording the new record. The trio recorded the songs remotely over the past year, each from their homes across the globe— with Murph in LA, Tord in Oslo, and Dan in London. Talking about the process, the band says they discussed each day’s plan via Zoom, then recorded separately, sending individual files to producers Jacknife Lee, Gabe Simon, Paul Meaney, and Mark Crew. Murph describes the process as “pure madness” but as a long-time fan of the band, the end result has been incredible to listen to. It stays loyal to The Wombats’ true colors and core, but it also encompasses an impressive evolution.

To celebrate the new music, The Wombats are hitting the road, including a show here in Chicago on February 3rd. See all of their tour dates here, and grab tickets to the Chicago show here. 

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Wet

The first song I heard from Wet was 2014’s “Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl” from their self-titled debut EP. The song begins with a swirl of reverb-drenched synths and guitar melodies as lead singer Kelly Zutrau’s vocals fade in and begin to tell the story of recognizing the end of a relationship. Thanks to its hypnotizing production and the vulnerable nature of the lyrics, the track still remains one of their most popular songs and has racked up more than 71 Million streams on Spotify alone.

Composed of Kelly Zutrau, Joe Valle, and Marty Sulkow, Wet officially formed in 2013 in Brooklyn after the members had been introduced through mutual friends. Since then, the band released their 2016 debut record called Don’t You, which has some of my all-time favorite songs on it; “Island” and “Small and Silver.” There’s such a mesmerizing yet calming presence to Zutrau’s voice, which blends beautifully with the electronic production that Valle crafts. Wet followed up that debut with 2018’s Still Run and most recently released their third album called Letter Blue yesterday, October 22nd. The new album stays true to the beauty of Wet’s earlier material, but there’s a subtle refinement that showcases their growth as artists. Their second album was recorded while Sulkow was on hiatus from the group, so this third record also marks the reunion of the original trio.

In support of the new music, Wet will be hitting the road next month, including a stop at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall. See all of their tour dates here, and listen to the new album in full here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Tropical Fuck Storm

Photo by Jaime Wdziekonski

Formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2017, Tropical Fuck Storm was born after Drones founder Gareth Liddiard and longtime bandmate Fiona Kitschin decided to hit the reset button and venture into a brand new project. Erica Dunn and Lauren Hammel joined Liddiard and Kitschin in this new group, and since their inception, Tropical Fuck Storm has created content that boldly discusses and dissects even the most dire of topics. From consumerism to fascism and climate change to the Capitol riot, Liddiard and the band do not shy away from questioning it all.

Liddiard describes Tropical Fuck Storm’s agenda best by stating, “We make pop records that don’t deny we’re all in a bit of trouble here.” Although they didn’t write any new material during the first six months of the global pandemic shut down—due to that ever relatable feeling that they call “give-a-fuck fatigue”— Tropical Fuck Storm has recently previewed their upcoming third studio album Deep States with new singles “G.A.F.F.” and “New Romeo Agent.” Just as no subject is too taboo for them to call out in their music, no genre or sonic territory is off limits for the band with their latest material. With a swirl of art punk, jazz, hip-hop, pop, new wave (just to name a few), Deep States explores a multitude of musical stylings to get Tropical Fuck Storm’s message across.

Out August 20th, the new record follows up 2019’s Braindrops and will be released by Joyful Noise. Pre-order the album here, and tune into the “New Romeo Agent” music video below. Make sure to also follow the band’s Instagram for all the latest updates.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Nation of Language

Photo by Kevin Condon

I am very much looking forward to getting back to traveling and seeing live music soon, so this week’s AAOTW has ties to a near and dear memory of both of those hobbies. Back in 2018, I was in NYC for the weekend and had the chance to photograph The Wombats at Brooklyn Steel. I showed up not knowing anything about the band Nation of Language, who had filled in a supporting slot when UK band Blaenavon had to pull out of the tour. Despite my inexperience with their music, Nation of Language’s set left me blown away with their refreshing spin on the post-punk and new wave eras of music. I remember instantly going to their Spotify to save their songs “I’ve Thought About Chicago” and “On Division St,” which the band had recently released that year.

Nation of Language is a trio based in Brooklyn, fronted by songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ian Devaney and joined by Aidan Noell and Michael Sue-Poi. In the following few years since that show, the band has put out a steady drip of singles, some of which ended up on their highly-anticipated 2020 debut album Introduction, Presence.

There’s a certain magic to Nation of Language’s music; They manage to craft the perfect blend of infectious hooks driven by hypnotic synths and steady bass lines, topped off by Devaney’s robust vocals. The trio’s latest single “Across That Fine Line,” which happens to be the lead single off their newly-announced sophomore album A Way Forward, has that same quality I’ve come to love them for. There’s just something about Nation of Language’s sound that is equally soothing and jolting— their music can make listeners want to dance, yet provides and escape route from worries. Devaney describes his inspiration for the new song “Across That Fine Line” as being about that moment when a non-romantic relationship flips into something different. “Sonically, it’s meant to feel like running down a hill, just out of control. I had been listening to a lot of Thee Oh Sees at the time of writing it and admiring the way they supercharge krautrock rhythms and imbue them with a kind of mania, which felt like an appropriate vibe to work with and make our own,” he adds.

As for the remainder of the upcoming album, A Way Forward, I’m curious and excited to see how the group will push the boundaries on their sound. The band has described their approach to the album, stating, “We aimed to more deeply trace the roots of our sound, hoping to learn something from the early influences of our early influences. Experimenting with how they might be reinterpreted in our modern context.”

Make sure to tune into A Way Forward upon its November 5th release date— you can pre-order here. Additionally, Nation of Language will be heading back out on tour later this year, including a stop at Chicago’s Empty Bottle. See all the upcoming shows here, and tune into “Across That Fine Line” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: The Marías

As artists find new ways to express their vision and experiment with different sounds, it’s become less and less common for a musician or band to become pigeonholed by a single-defined genre. The Los Angeles-based project of María Zardoya, aptly called The Marías, recently released their lead single off their highly anticipated debut album and further proved the vast range of musical styles that they have in their wheelhouse. The track “Hush” showcases Zardoya’s velvety, jazz-infused vocals laid over a hypnotic electronic backbone, but their back catalog features hints of anything from psychedelia to funk.

For example, the song “Only in My Dreams” from the band’s 2017 EP Superclean, Vol.1 has an atmospheric, cinematic sound— which leads nicely into the title of their debut album to be released June 25th: Cinema. Zardoya and bandmate Josh Conway say that the record drew inspiration from classic films and directors that they grew up watching— a la Pedro Almodóvar and Wes Anderson. Even more fitting, Conway and Zardoya originally connected because of their love and appreciation for cinema. “Through a friend, [Josh and I] were connected to a music supervisor who would send us requests for music for films. We’d receive a synopsis of a scene, and then we’d have to write music to it within a couple of days. Not only did that teach us how to write songs together fairly quickly, it taught us how to think like filmmakers. We’d imagine worlds in our minds based on the synopses – the colors in the scene, the lighting, the actors, the set design, and of course, the music,” Zardoya says about her songwriting partnership.

I only had the pleasure of seeing The Marías perform live once, but I still remember the way Zardoya and her bandmates completely captivated the room (enough for the audience to demand an encore despite the fact they were opening the show). I’m hopeful we’ll see some tour announcements released soon so that we can all hear some of their newer music performed.

Pre-Order the upcoming album Cinema before its June 25th release date here, and check out the trail that Zardoya and Conway co-edited and directed here. Lastly, watch the visualizer for “Hush” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Lightning Bug

Lightning Bug is Audrey Kang, Kevin Copeland, Logan Miley, Dane Hagen and Vincent Puleo// Photo by Ingmar Chen

Although Lightning Bug released their debut album Floaters way back in 2015, I only recently discovered their music after the release of their single “September Song, pt, II.” The new single instantly drew me in with lead singer Audrey Kang’s lulling and gentle vocal tones, paired with the dazzling melody, and led me on a deeper dive of the band’s catalog. The softness of Kang’s voice acts as an anchor for all of Lightning Bug’s releases—In the track “Vision Scraps” from the sophomore record October Song, distorted guitars create a juxtaposition with Kang’s voice. We hear a similar contrast with the fuzzed out intro of “The Luminous Plane,” yet we remain grounded by the ethereal vocals.

Mostly based in New York, Lightning Bug is the project of Audrey Kang, Kevin Copeland, Logan Miley, Dane Hagen and Vincent Puleo. Along with the new single release for “September Song, pt, II,” Lightning Bug also announced their third album A Color of the Sky will be released June 25th via Fat Possum Records. The group of musicians recorded most of the album together as a live band, which they say gave this third record a more dynamic and organic feel than their past albums.

About their latest single, Kang said it came to her in the summer of 2018 when she spent a month camping on a small island in the Baltic Sea. “There I was in the north off the coast of Stockholm, the sun was setting insanely late, like at 11pm and it took hours longer than normal. So I'd watch it disappear, this glowing orb sink into the sea every night to the point where I felt kind of insane, like I was hallucinating...and I started reliving memories but they felt like they were right before me and then I felt confused, was I reliving memories, or seeing into the future? I kept thinking to myself, each end is a beginning, each end is a beginning. So this surreal experience with time lay dormant in me, and then an entire year later, I was camping in the PNW, also on the shore, and I watched the sun sink into the sea, and suddenly those sunsets from Sweden rippled through me again very vividly. And when I came back to New York, I wrote this song,” she describes.

In addition to the new album, Lightning Bug has made the exciting announcement of live shows returning! The band will support BULLY on a string of dates in September. Make sure you snag your tickets and preorder A Color of the Sky here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Fauvely

Fauvely is Sophie Brochu, Dale Price, Dave Piscotti & Phil Conklin / Photo by Aaron Ehinger

At this point in the pandemic, we’ve all got our list of “things-we-can’t-wait-to-do-after-Covid.” At the very top of my post-pandemic bucket list sits a night out at a venue like Schubas or Empty Bottle, seeing a bill of Chicago bands perform. It may still be a while before we can all gather and experience the magic of the bustling local music scene together, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t new music continuing to be created in the city.

One group that has been hard at work crafting their debut album throughout the past year is Fauvely, the project of songwriter Sophie Brochu and bandmates Dale Price, Dave Piscotti, and Phil Conklin. Following the 2017 EP Watch Me Overcomplicate This, Fauvely gained traction in Chicago performing everywhere from The Hideout to Sleeping Village and Lincoln Hall. The band had kicked off 2020 with a slot playing alongside Hand Habits at the annual Tomorrow Never Knows festival, with plans to tour in Japan and perform as an official showcasing artist at SXSW festival during the spring.

While those tour dates unfortunately never came to fruition, Fauvely reemerged in early 2021 with “May3e,” the lead single off their upcoming album. The track resonates with vulnerability, driven by Brochu’s reflective lyrics and dreamy vocal range. This same sentiment carries over into the latest single that Fauvely released earlier this month. “There’s always a reason to be sad,” Bronchu sings on “Always,” which I think we all can agree rang particularly true during the year 2020.

These two songs lead up to the release of Fauvely’s debut album Beautiful Places, a collection of songs which the band describes as being “about duality: light and dark, memory and haze, being stuck and running away.” Pre-order the record ahead of its April 2nd release date on Bandcamp and check out the video for “May3e” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Sir Sly

Sir Sly is Landon Jacobs, Hayden Coplen and Jason Suwito. Photo courtesy of Press Here Publicity

One live music trope I can’t stress enough is to always catch the opening band when you get a chance. Back in early 2014, I showed up to St. Lucia’s show at Lincoln Hall having never heard their supporting band before, and now Sir Sly is easily one of my favorite bands.

Since those early days of being the opening band and the era of their debut album You Haunt Me, Sir Sly has continued on a trajectory of slow and steady maturity. Thanks to lead singer and songwriter Landon Jacobs’ vulnerability and transparency as a storyteller, listeners can sense a stark shift in tones from their first album to their sophomore release Don’t You Worry, Honey; An artistic shift that stems from the major changes that occurred in Jacobs’ personal life. At surface value, you could listen to 2017’s Don’t You Worry, Honey and hear glossy, upbeat melodies destined to gain popularity because of their catchiness, but at its core, Jacobs candidly shares his struggles of losing his mother to cancer and dealing with the disintegration of his young marriage. On top of that, Jacobs managed to turn an experience of a panic attack in a hotel room into the hit “High,” which saw chart success and made appearances in shows like 13 Reasons Why and Riverdale.

Almost four years later, Jacobs and his bandmates Hayden Coplen and Jason Suwito are ready to embark on a new chapter with their third album The Rise & Fall Of Loverboy, which is slated to be released on April 23, 2021 via Interscope Records. To accompany the news of the album, Sir Sly released the fourth and fifth singles off the upcoming record last week: “thx.” and “Loverboy.” In contrast to the mellow vocals and faded instrumentals of the former, “Loverboy” jumps right into an effervescent hook that expresses the joy and ease of a new relationship. On the third album as a whole, Jacobs has said, “The Rise & Fall Of Loverboy is an album about falling in love with someone new, and the magic that brought into my world.”

You can pre-order the new album here, and listen to “Loverboy” in full below.

Keep up with Sir Sly on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Middle Kids

Middle Kids is Hannah Joy, Tim Fitz and Harry Day.

Photo by DAPHNE NGUYEN

The Sydney-based trio Middle Kids released their debut album Lost Friends back in 2018, and songs like “Edge of Town” and “Never Start” from that record have remained in my frequent rotation throughout the past few years thanks to their timeless qualities. While I still appreciate their first record and the singles they’ve released along the way, I was excited to learn that Middle Kids will be releasing their sophomore album next month on March 19th.

To tee up the new record, called Today We’re The Greatest, Middle Kids has put out a few singles- the most recent being “Cellophane (Brain).” The track fades in with a slow burn, gradually swelling up over the course of the song. Since their early days, lead vocalist for the group Hannah Joy has displayed a knack for sharing her stories with a captivating sense of conviction, and that’s continued to shine through in the newer material. On the brink of announcing Today We’re The Greatest, Joy has stated “I want to make music that loves its listener. Music that makes people feel seen, seen in the tiny little places that hide away in their hearts,” and that sentiment rings true when I listen to the releases from the upcoming album.

For more on the band, revisit our interview with Middle Kids here, and make sure to preorder Today We’re The Greatest here.

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 Day: BAMBARA

Founded in Georgia and now based in Brooklyn, Bambara is a band you need on your radar for 2020. The three piece formed by William Brookshire and twin brothers Reid and Blaze Bateh has been releasing music since 2010, and so far they have a few EPs and three studio albums under their belt.

Continuing to experiment and develop their style, Bambara will deliver their fourth studio album, Stray, on February 14th via Wharf Cat Records. You can pre-order the new record here, and be sure listen to singles “Heat Lightning” and “Serafina” below.

The group’s sound that blends elements of noise rock and post-punk has made them the perfect fit on tours with bands like IDLES and Girl Band. Bambara’s set that I caught at SXSW 2019 was easily one of the most memorable due to their intense, no-holds-barred approach to performing. They’ll be touring nationally throughout February and March before heading to the UK and Europe in support of the album, including a stop at Chicago’s Sleeping Village on February 28th. Make sure to keep up with the band on Instagram so you don’t miss any upcoming announcements.