PREMIERE: "Deadly Stare" by Thompson Springs

Today we’re sharing the first single “Deadly Stare” from Thompson Springs’ upcoming debut album Undertones.

Photo by Kayla Thornton

Lead vocalist and songwriter Matt Smith of the group wrote the leading track while he was living in Memphis, and ultimately the group recorded it in Nashville last year with the assistance of Patrick Sansone (Wilco, The Autumn Defense) on the 12-string guitar and as a producer. “I still have the video of the [“Deadly Stare”] demo, and I remember being really excited about the chord changes. I was new to Memphis and didn't have a lot of friends yet, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I had lots of time to work on songs! It's a slower pace of life down there, and I like to think that influenced the song,” Smith says.

Eventually Smith brought the song to drummer and synth player Jake Bicknase, who added his own melody on the synth that really tied together the track. Smith says he and Bicknase got to that point by just jamming and letting everything fall together. “'It’s kind of my mentality not to talk about it too much or else the magic might disappear,” he adds. The final version of the song came about with the help of Pat Sansone and engineer Andy Freeman in the recording studio. “Originally this song existed just with just vocals, guitar and synth. We went into the studio with that instrumentation, but after showing the song to Pat and Freeman, we experimented with a few different things and decided that the song would have a totally different vibe and edge with this driving drumbeat pushing it along. It definitely became dreamier,” says Bicknase. “It was really cool to see in a matter of hours how the song changed from being stripped down to really full and complete, just by being open to each others ideas,” Smith adds.

To accompany the song, Thompson Springs worked with Chicago director Joe Martinez Jr., who has directed videos of other local acts like Ryley Walker. “I was really pleased to work with Joe after seeing some of his videos with local groups around town. He has that special vibe where you can feel he cares and has an eye that is artistic, not financial. He pulled out all the stops with a low budget,” says Smith. The video was shot in one day between the Pilsen and Logan Square neighborhoods with the help of friends and family.

Take a look at the finished piece below, and make sure you catch Thompson Springs at their next show at Sleeping Village on January 21st.

Video Credits:

Director

Joe Martinez Jr.

@instrajammer

AD

Jessica Batson

@jmayb

Cinematographer 

O’Connor Hartnett

@ohartnett

Movi Op

Michael Monar

@mmonar

AC

Christian Meija

@seemejia

Key Grip

Johnny Weichel

@weichel.jordan

Car Passenger 

Matt Smith

@thompsonsprings

Alley Keys

Jacob Bicknase

@jabickus

Car Driver

Jose Martinez

Kid on Bike

Ben Parks

Basketball Girl

Ellie Parks

Roller-Girl

Danielle Brod

@cptnd

Gas Station Hipster

David Alan Thrift

@thriftayyy

Street Clown

Sean Mills

@sdavidsonmills

Dog walker 

Emily Lindeman

Dog Thief 

Savanna Dickhut

@burroak

Mom

April Brossett

Big Sister

Aaliyah Montana

@aaliyahmontana1

Little Sister

Aria Denali

@ariadenali

Mobster #1

John Mcdonnell

Mobster #2

Michael Bonesteel

Editor 

Joe Martinez Jr.

@instajammer

Colourist 

Lindsey Mazur

@lindseyemazur

PREMIERE: "Glutton" by The Tomblands

Photo by Victor Von Goethe

Today we’re premiering the brand new video for “Glutton” by The Tomblands. The single drops ahead of their new EP GNAW, which is slated for release on Halloween.

Talking about the new single, the band says “Glutton” began with an opening riff that snowballed as they continued to build on it and gain momentum. “When we got to adding lyrics, we got really Cronenberg-y with it. The song became about a massive, all-consuming blob organism that consumes everything it touches but doesn’t really see any ethical quandary in that, it just sees it as a natural kind of assimilation,” they add.

For the “Glutton” video, the band wanted to channel the same goofy and campy energy of their past music videos, while also showcasing them performing. “We landed on the head-to-head ‘Tomblands vs. Evil Doppelgangers’ concept because we were able to get access to this huge school auditorium space and wanted a fun way to use it,” they say about the video’s plot. “Then we brought on our friend David Arias, who hadn’t done that many videos before, but had absolutely killed all the stuff that he’s done for his band Avantist and a few other artists around town. We pretty much gave him total creative control and he ran with it, taking it in some Edgar Wright-y directions while throwing in a lot of his own lo-fi style. The shoot itself was a hectic two-parter, but we got it done with the help of Morgan Cieselski (the videographer) and a bunch of other friends who showed up last minute to be in the crowd.”

Check out the premiere of the cinematic saga below, and catch The Tomblands’ next show on November 15th at Liar’s Club.

Keep up with The Tomblands on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

PREMIERE: "Dream Milk" by Sunshrine

Sunshrine is Bryson Foster, Jeramie Anderson, and Ryan Simpson

Today, we’re sharing the first look at Sunshrine’s complete video album for Dream Milk, which was directed by Sunshrine and Kelsey Gould.

In the days leading up to the premiere, the band teased the video album with clips for individual songs, like “Will You Give it Away?” and “Salty Lace.” The songs and their corresponding videos are a “culmination of directionless creativity,” the band says. “We did what was easy and fun and this is what came out. After all the content was compiled we saw a story…we saw a drama, and it needed to be shared with the world,” they add.

Sunshrine’s next show is on October 18th in Lawrence, Kansas— Keep up with them Facebook and Instagram for more updates, and watch the video album in full below.

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PREMIERE: "Something Teenage" Video by Dream Version

Today we’re bringing you the first look at the video for Dream Version’s latest single “Something Teenage.” The trio from Chicago has an unwavering knack for crafting fun and catchy tunes that are guaranteed to get stuck in your head or get you dancing, and “Something Teenage” achieves both.

Dream Version performing at ANCHR’s September Showcase

Although the lyrics read as a love letter, lead singer and guitarist Alec Jensen says it was not written for a romantic interest. “It's a love song for Iggy Pop, and references some things he said in this John Peel lecture,” Jensen clarifies. “In general it's supposed to be about the way I listened to music in high school, and how exciting it is now when something hits me that viscerally. Usually, it's nothing particularly smart or highbrow. Blah Blah Blah is a super glossy, plastic 80s record Iggy made with Bowie, and it's singing in the shower music.  ‘Something Teenage’ sounds more like Yo La Tengo than Iggy, but it's our little love letter,” he adds.

The video, shot and directed by local musician Emily Jane Powers, captures the buoyant energy of the track as it cuts back and forth between the band members enjoying a carefree, summer day at Montrose Beach and performing the track. Talking about the inspiration behind the video, Jensen says, “I came to Emily with the idea of basically doing the ‘Can't Buy Me Love’ sequence from Hard Day's Night,” adding that they wanted the video to focus in on the friendship between himself and bandmates Eric Brummitt and Michael Kunik. “Emily did a great job. She made us seem really funny, which is good, because we, like, are.”

Now that you know the backstory, get your first look at the video below!

Keep up with Dream Version on Facebook + Twitter + Instagram

PREMIERE: "Apple Tree" by Dreamboats Music Video

Photo Credit: Reilly Drew

Today we’re sharing the first look at Dreamboats’ debut single and video for “Apple Tree.” Dreamboats’ current line up recently came together when siblings Jeremy and Maddy Marsan and bandmate Dave Hubbell (formerly known as Maddy, Dave & Jerry) joined forces with John Duray.

The new four-piece blends together influences of country and shoegaze music to create a unique sound that they dub as “dream pop western.” The track “Apple Tree” gives listeners a sneak preview of what is to come on Dreamboats’ upcoming debut album. With the help of filmmaker Reilly Drew, the accompanying video for “Apple Tree” shows a juxtaposition of real life and daydreams, cutting back and forth between dreamy scenes and clips that showcase a mundane reality. Check out the finished product below, starring Dreamboats, Kubrick the dog, and Sheila the cat.

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Keep up with Dreamboats on Facebook and Instagram

PREMIERE: Chameleon Treat "Honey Bee" Music Video

Today we have your first look at Chameleon Treat’s video for “Honey Bee,” which is the first song off the duo’s upcoming album BASKETPUSHER.

Chameleon Treat is Andrew Kruske and Jake Edwards

Andrew Kruske, who makes up one half of Chameleon Treat, says that he and his counterpart Jake Edwards were influenced by bands like Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, and Spiritualized for this album. “I really just wanted to make a solid set of straight up ‘dream pop’ songs. This song in particular is about avoiding a bee that was trapped in my house…it’s about me going way out of my way for an insect, essentially. Through that lonely bug, the song broadly explores empathy (for bugs and/or human beings), stress, and avoidance,” Kruske says.

After writing the song, Kruske and Edwards were tasked with the challenge of making a visual accompaniment to the track on a very low budget. “We were faced with the struggle many independent bands are faced with: how can we make an interesting video with a budget of 0 dollars?” In order to do so, the band had to get resourceful and put in some remarkable DIY effort into the project. The answer involved a “rickety-yet-stylish” tandem bicycle, an oversized stuffed animal, and a lot of patience. “Aside from a few bad snowboarding videos in high school, this video was my first attempt at filming or editing something. It took a lot of planning, guessing, and tinkering, but I’m definitely happy with the end result,” Kruske says.

Kruske even got creative and crafty enough to add some special effects to the video. “The visual effects for the bridge section of the song were produced with an overhead projector and a variety of dyes. I attempted to give a visual indicator of a 60’s psychedelic feeling, in order to enhance the Beatles-sque vibe of the instrumentation of this section of the song. I’ve been consistently drawn to ‘liquid light’ as an art form, and I definitely want to work with it more in the future,” they say.

Although Kruske really spearheaded the efforts behind this video, he also had some help from his friends he says. “I’d also like to give a few shout outs really quick: first, to Emily Henley for playing the harp on this song. My good friend Susie helped me out while filming wherever I needed it. Jake [Edwards] was also there to help out and play the drums in a few of the shots near the middle.”

Now that you have the background story, check out the finished product for yourself with the exclusive premiere of “Honey Bee” below!

Keep up with Chameleon Treat on Facebook

PREMIERE: "Knockout" by Seasaw Music Video

We’re bringing you the first look at Seasaw’s brand new music video for “Knock Out,” just in time for the ANCHR Showcase this Friday.

Meg Golz and her photo-collaged twin

The video stars Seasaw’s Meg Golz and Eve Wilczewski, and the duo describes the video as a visual examination of a battle taking place within one’s psyche. “The song is an arresting narrative of a person dealing with depression and the video that accompanies the song brings the reality of that fight to life,” they say. In the video, Golz is seen boxing a life-sized, photo-collage replica of herself, fighting to reveal the beauty within. Eve Wilczewski sculpted the replica herself, and was able to make the collage using large format newsprints printed by Parabo Press. Leading up to the filming of the video, Golz was kept in the dark about what the finished project would look like, and the fight scene with the replica was all shot in one take.

Talking about her experience filming the video, Golz says, “In order to prepare for this role, I took an hour long one-on-one boxing lesson (at Canvas Club Boxing in Madison - where we shot this video), where I did high intensity training, along with learning the correct form and pattern for boxing sequences. I'm not an athlete, so it was truly one of the hardest athletic experiences I've had. At one point in the class, I was running back and forth across the gym with a medicine ball and my coach shouted ‘I know you can do better than this! GO! GO! GO! GO!’ He told me after the fact, that he wanted me to have this experience to really understand how hard a boxer trains every day. It was seriously so intense, but definitely made me feel ready and comfortable to box in the ring!”

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Now that you know the background, check out the music video below, which was filmed by Mike Palzkill and directed and edited by Nate Chappell.

Get your tickets to see Seasaw in Chicago this Friday, along with Dream Version and Uma Bloo here.

Seasaw Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

PREMIERE: "Don't Wanna Hurt Anymore" by Anthony Worden Music Video

Photo by Joshua De Lanoit

Today we have your first look at the brand new video for Anthony Worden’s song “Don't Wanna Hurt Anymore.” The single comes from Worden’s sophomore album, Slouching Towards Tomorrow, out September 21st.

Talking about the video, Worden says, “The concept for the video was primarily based upon 70s late night talk show appearances because the tune sort of has that same vibe. Shows like the 'Midnight Special' and the 'Old Grey Whistle Test' were the main inspiration but there are so many other wacky shows (especially German ones) that featured some of the biggest pop acts of the times that also inspired the video. We were able to work with a local vintage stylist, hair dresser, and theatre to pull this off and I think we're all happy with the end result. Its fun to play a little dress up and make-believe that we are in another time." 

Check out the exclusive premiere of “Don’t Wanna Hurt Anymore” below!

Worden will be celebrating the new album with a release show on 9/21 in Iowa City- get details here, and catch him on the road in October:

10/10-Columbia, MO

10/11-St. Louis, MO 

10/12-Memphis, TN

10/13-Nashville, TN

10/14-Nashville, TN

10/17-Oxford, MS

10/18-New Orleans, LA

10/19-Jackson, MS 

10/20-Shreveport, LA

10/21-Oklahoma City, OK

10/22-Witchita, KS

10/23-Kansas City, KS

10/24-Lawrence, KS

10/25-Omaha, NE

Follow Worden on Facebook + Instagram + Twitter

PREMIERE: "Fixie" by Kalm Dog

Today, we're giving you the first listen a brand new track from Kalm Dog via the brand new label, Birthdiy, which is a net-label that will be launched under the indie-famous tape label, Spirit Goth Records.  

The primary goal for Birthdiy is to support smaller DIY bedroom artists by giving them a platform to release music and gain listeners. Releases will be obscure, digital-only, and promoted through the audience that Spirit Goth has organically grown since their start in 2016. 

The first release from Birthdiy comes from Kalm Dog, the project of Californian Kris Nguyen. After taking a break from playing packed basement and house shows in Davis, CA, Nguyen is back with his third release; a catchy, garage-pop EP that was written and recorded entirely in his bedroom after he moved to the San Francisco area last summer. The melodies and riffs came easy to Nguyen, but the most challenging part was finding the time to record without bothering his seven other roommates with take after take.

The single “Fixie” is about those times in Davis, CA when Kris would ride his bike from his house to the liquor store, to the house show, and back to the liquor store with his college friends.

Accompanying the DIY-aesthetic of his music, the video for "Fixie" follows suit with footage shot using some thrift-store bought items, a fixie, half-broken Christmas lights, and a phone.

 

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Get your first listen of "Fixie" and your first watch of the video Nguyen made below. If you like what you hear, be sure to preorder the EP, out 5/29, here.

PREMIERE: Music Video for "I Want It Back" By Mountain Swallower

What do cheeseburgers, human flight, and space travel have in common? They're all a part of Mountain Swallower's first ever music video. The group, which is one of our favorite rock bands from the Quad Cities, has allowed us to give an exclusive first look at the video below, which was done in partnership with a music video production course at Augustana College.

The vision was able to come alive with the help of five students; Jacob Pecaut, Bryan Ross, Nicolette Hampton, Paige Oucheriah and Kalena Willems. The students were grouped together and tasked with creating a music video for the band. The class, Song to Screen, requires various groups to help a band create, shoot and edit a music video while getting crash courses on production, directing and editing. The group says they had a great time with Mountain Swallower as they were easy to work with, had a clear vision, and easily accessible. The video features members of the band Garrin Jost, Steve Maule, and Kirby Calamari and was shot over a two day period in two different locations in the Quad Cities. 

As you watch the video below, Mountain Swallower has provided a pro tip: Replace "I want it back" with a phrase of your choosing. Examples include but not limited to: "I want a snack", "My fanny pack", "I'm Bernie Mac", "I bought a yak", "I'm joining track", "This song is wack", or "I hurt my back."

Keep up with Mountain Swallower on Facebook + Instagram and if you're around the Quad Cities, make sure you catch Mountain Swallower and so many of our other favorite bands at Birdfest on June 1st! Get your tickets for this stacked line up here. 

PREMIERE: Music Video for "Where Were You Where They Were Also" By The Slaps

This morning our fellow Chicagoans in The Slaps have a new video for their song "Where Were You Where They Were Also," and we're thrilled to present the premiere of it. 

Talking about the process behind this music video, the band says the whole video came about really spontaneously. "We found out we were gonna get to shoot in this abandoned church like two days beforehand, and we called up our friends Cooper Wehde and Tommy Garrett, who helped direct our last music video for 'Houses.' They scrambled to get the camera equipment in time." they say. "The day of we just got together and did a one shot live take. Jake Tarlov did the audio engineering for it. We used one mic in the middle of the church as the only audio," they continued. 

The Slaps also say that they started playing this song differently during their live show after filming this video. "Before that day we had never played it the way it sounds in the video, but I guess being in a church with the big, empty acoustics it sort of inspired us to switch it up." 

Get your first look at the video below, and keep up with The Slaps on Facebook and Instagram. 

If you like what you hear, make sure you grab tickets to come see The Slaps at our June showcase at Schubas, also featuring Rookie and Jude Shuma. 

PREMIERE: Thompson Springs Veltway Sessions

The Chicago-via-Madison trio Thompson Springs released their new EP Fond Regards on August 10th. Grooving guitar riffs and infectious rock melodies guide the five-track EP, which features Wilco's Pat Sansone and was mixed by Rob Laakso of Kurt Vile and the Violators. The trio, composed of Matt Smith, Andy Goitia, and Jacob Bicknase also recently recorded a live version of one of the tracks, "Overloadin' My Heart," at a Veltway Session. To celebrate their European tour, we're bringing you the exclusive first look at their session here. 

Thompson Springs' European tour starts Wednesday. See all of the dates below.

10/11 Cologne, DE  Kulturcafe Lichtung
10/12 Berlin, DE  Artliners Berlin w/ Rosie Haden
10/13 Copenhagen, DK  Studenterhuset
10/14 Svendborg, DK  Spillestedet Harder's
10/15 Malmo, SE  Folk å Rock (Official)
10/16 Breda, NL  Sofar Sounds Breda
10/18 Aachen, DE  Langer Turm
10/19 Luxembourg City, LUX  Crossfire - The Nordic Bar
10/20 Brussels, BE House Show
10/22 Utrecht, NL Tivoli

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Last week, we also caught a live set from Thompson Springs at Subterranean. Check out some portraits and live shots from that show here. Photos by Catalina Florea

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Thompson Springs will return for a hometown show on November 5th and Schubas Tavern. Grab tickets here.