ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Blondshell

This week’s ANCHR Artist of the Week goes to Blondshell, the musical moniker of Sabrina Teitelbaum. I first got to know and love Teitelbaum as a musician and songwriter with her previous project BAUM, so when she started releasing singles as Blondshell, I had a feeling I’d love them just as much.

Photo by Daniel Topete

Sure enough, her handful of songs to date like “Olympus” and “Kiss City” are all earworms that managed to catch me not only with the melody, but with Teitelbaum’s descriptive lyrical narratives.

Born in New York and now LA-based, Teitelbaum has cited as Patti Smith, Joy Division and the Velvet Underground as artists that provided her with musical asylum as she grew up in NYC. It was also in Manhattan that she got her start singing songs by Imogen Heap and Elliott Smith at open mic nights, and where she found confidence in her queer identity, walking the Lower East Side to a soundtrack of Tracy Chapman and Sophie B. Hawkins. 

The inspiration from those legendary artists echoes in Teitelbaum’s own music, but she’s been able to truly mold her unique sound and articulate her stories in a special way.

Blondshell may only have a few singles released at this time, but she’s certainly made a huge impact in the music scene already. Blondshell will not only be touring with Suki Waterhouse in early 2023, but she’s also slated for SXSW festival in March.

Be sure to look out for more music news and touring news by following Blondshell, and tune into her brand new single “Veronica Mars” below.

ANCHR'S Artist of the Week: Horsegirl

Photo by Cheryl Dunn

Here at ANCHR, we love a good hometown act— and Horesegirl is one Chicago band you should definitely have on your radar. The trio is made up of Penelope Lowenstein (she/her), Nora Cheng (she/her), and Gigi Reece (they/them), and the members all started playing their own original music after playing in a Sonic Youth cover band.

We first got the chance to check out Horsegirl at Pitchfork Music Festival last year, when they only had a handful of singles released, but they still captivated the festival crowd with their blend of shoegaze, grunge and post-punk.

Since then, Horsegirl has signed to Matador records and made the announcement of their debut record, Versions of Modern Performance, which will be released June 3rd and include singles “Anti-glory” and “World of Pots and Pans.” Speaking about the latter single, the band says, “‘World of Pots and Pans’ is the first love song Horsegirl has ever written—or the closest thing to it. We wrote it in Penelope’s basement while preparing to leave for our first ever tour. The lyrics, inspired by the misinterpretation of a Television Personalities lyric, imagine a (possibly unrequited) romance unfolding through references to Tall Dwarfs, Belle & Sebastian, and The Pastels.” The trio worked together to craft the lyric video for the song in just a few hours, which attests to how collaborative the band remains in all aspects of the project.

The debut album was recorded in Chicago at Electrical Audio with producer John Agnello— you can pre-order a copy here, and make sure to come to the release show at Thalia Hall on Sunday, June 5th. Get your tickets here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: poutyface

Photo by Javi Perez

When I think of the alt-pop singer songwriter poutyface, I think of an artist marching to the beat of their own drum. Hailing from Southern California, poutyface first began garnering new listeners and fans by creating songs on the app Voisey, when it was still in beta testing in 2019. Since then, poutyface has released a several singles— including “Fboys Anonymous” that starts off with a beat that sounds like a video game soundtrack and “NEVER FUCKIN KNOW” which features poutyface speaking in a storytelling cadence during the verses before launching into her singing in the chorus.

Every song she’s released has its own unique DNA, but like the artists she admires most, all of poutyface’s songs share a common thread of great lyrics. “I’m a massive believer in the importance of pen game,” she says. “All of my big­gest inspirations are incredible lyricists, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Mereba, to name a few. I’m also a huge fan of Doja Cat… I think I’m attracted to music with a lot of soul, but honestly, I listen to every genre and pull inspiration from every angle. And my taste is constantly changing,” she adds.

Most recently, poutyface released her new single called “Cherry Picking,” which is reminiscent of pop punk music of the early aughts, and tells the story about the ups and downs of a toxic relationship. Poutyface talks about the single, saying, “‘Cherry Picking’ is about being used by someone for their own personal validation. I’ve had relationships and friendships where I gave way too much. This song feels like spinning out. It’s about losing your mind trying to keep someone around who isn’t concerned with anyone but themselves… the ones who pick off your energy whenever the fruit looks ripe enough to feed them.”

poutyface is currently on tour with YUNGBLUD, see where you can catch her upcoming shows here, and tune into “Cherry Picking” below.

Premiere: Dream Version's "A Mind Can Change"

Dream Version is Alec Harryhausen, Eric Brummit and Michael Kunik

Chicago three-piece Dream Version has always been an ANCHR favorite, thanks to their infectious energy during their live performances and their tendency to push their creative boundaries. That’s why this week, we’re honored to be premiering the brand new video for their single “A Mind Can Change,” from their upcoming self-titled album.

Dream Version says that for their third album, they’ve decided to take a moment to simply inhabit the space they’ve created— calling upon their two mantras of “Don’t waste time” and “Don’t condescend.” Throughout the span of time between this record and 2017’s Fight Fair, the trio has experienced marriage, divorce, relocation, and the Covid-19 pandemic. The band says, “The result is a looser set of songs that represents everything we like and everything we’re capable of.  We decided to name it after ourselves.”

Elaborating on the new single “A Mind Can Change,” Alec Harryhausen says the inspiration stems from his fundamentally cynical attitude. He adds, “A lot of the story of this album started with me looking up at a dirty ceiling fan in my apartment and thinking, ‘That’s just the way life is; the ceiling fan’s dirty and I’ll never have the time or energy to clean it.’  The notion that it can take about 30 seconds to solve a problem like that, believe it or not, has been kind of revolutionary.  It was a fundamental part of my world view that most problems are facts of life, and even that we as a species might not deserve to have clean ceiling fans.”

From there, he began to shift his own mindset and to rewire his perspective. That fresh outlook, coupled with Harryhausen’s appreciation for Plastic Ono Band, led to him working through his demo of “A Mind Can Change” with bandmates Eric Brummit and Michael Kunik to build out the dynamics of it and keep it interesting for the whole run time. “It was a challenge for us to play this slow; we had to practice it a lot,” the band says.

For the music video, Dream Version worked with director Patrick Betzold, who had some experience doing animated work at his job and wanted to try it in a more ambitious way. As the band describes it, the video tells the story of 3 astronauts leaving behind a dead planet and trying to find a new one.

Watch the video below, and be sure to pre-order the self-titled album ahead of its July 30th release date here, or snag a ticket to the record release show to pick up a copy in person!

PREMIERE: "Underwater/Outerspace" Music Video by Sugarpulp

Today we’re pleased to share the premiere of the brand new music video for “Underwater/Outerspace” by Chicago’s own Sugarpulp.

Translating their sound from audio to video was a challenge that inspired Sugarpulp and music video director, Kevin Pickman. But the main goal was to have some fun. “When the band and I started discussing the aesthetic, we wanted something that was visually eerie and psychedelic but also didn’t take itself too seriously,” said Pickman. “Our main goal was to have fun with costumes and science fiction tropes.” Sugarpulp singer Deb Chesterman agreed. “Building the costumes and the storyline was like being a kid again and putting on a play for your parents.” To help them play dress-up, Aro Farmilant created the set and costumes. “Dreaming this universe into existence with the group was definitely mind-altering…there’s an ether of infinite possibilities to Underwater/Outerspace.”  Developing a visual world with musical elements posed another challenge to the band’s process. “We all got to use our creativity in ways that don’t manifest directly into music,” said Chesterman. Pickman’s storyline supported this process by combining plot with aesthetic. “I incorporated an idea my brother and I created for a graphic novel: a heartbroken woman travels to another dimension to steal the identity of her parallel self to continue a relationship she had lost.” In the world of Sugarpulp, anything is possible.

Get your first look at the music video below, and keep up with Sugarpulp on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram. The band will also be hosting a release show for the music video at Demons on Damen this Friday, January 31st-details here.

PREMIERE: "Good News" Music Video by Fauvely

Photo by Sean Kelly

Today we’re sharing the first look at Fauvely’s music video for “Good News,” from the band’s 2019 EP This is What the Living Do.

For the music video, the band teamed up with Sean Kelly and Remsy Atassi of Emulsion Lab to shoot the project on an Eclair NPR Ultra 16mm vintage camera, which interestingly is the same model that was used for Texas Chainsaw Massacre. “We've more or less adopted a deer as the Fauvely mascot and wanted to run with this theme, albeit in a really silly way. Our music can be on the sadder side…“Good News” is essentially a tongue-in-cheek anthem of self-defeat, so it was nice to do something absolutely ridiculous to off-set this,” says Fauvely’s lead vocalist and songwriter Sophie Brochu.

Tune into the new video below, and make sure you catch Fauvely at The Empty Bottle on Sunday, December 8th with Say Sue Me.

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Keep up with Fauvely on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter

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. 

Aquilo Release New Video For "You Won't Know Where You Stand"

British duo Aquilo have released a new video for their track "You Don't Know Where You Stand" today, in advance of their debut album's release on January 27th.  

In addition to the new video, the band have also dropped the news that this is the first video of an upcoming trilogy.  Keep your eye's on Aquilo's social media for updates on the next two videos, but in the meantime, check out the first part of the trilogy below. 

You can preorder the album Silhouettes here.