ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Julia Wolf

This week’s artist of the week goes to Julia Wolf.

Good Thing We Stayed summed up in a mood-board!

A singer-songwriter based in Queens, NY, Wolf crafts an extremely unique soundscape by fusing together elements of alt-pop, electronic, and hip-hop to express her narratives. If you’re a fan of K.Flay, renforshort, or Kiiara, then run to add Julia Wolf to your playlists.

Most recently, Wolf dropped her debut album entitled Good Thing We Stayed on Friday, January 13th of this year, which is fitting because with song titles like “Dracula” and “Hot Killer” there’s definitely some spooky nods on the record. To further expand about that theme, Wolf has said that her mood-board for Good Thing We Stayed is infused with her obsession for horror films, Jack Skellington of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the dark suburban streets of New York City where she was raised.

Just as much as Wolf’s fascination with horror presents on the record, her lyrics ooze with nostalgia and biographical content. “The woods back in my hometown and Friday night Blockbuster countdowns,” she sings in “Gothic Babe Tendencies,” a single that also features blackbear. We also get a “the floor was lava” reference in “Virginity,” in which Wolf poetically describes her first time, a nod that’s equally as nostalgic as Blockbuster. While there’s no shortage of those light-hearted, childhood callbacks and Wolf delivers plenty of her lyrics with a cheeky flourish, Wolf artfully contrasts that playfulness with a transparent lens peering into some of her most personal memories. “This album is a collection of memories that have left heavy marks on my life,” Wolf says, and as a listener, I can’t help but be in awe of the amazing balance between hearing a catchy song and being blown away by the vulnerability in the writing every time I listen to these songs.

Once you’ve had your fair share of her debut record, make sure to check out Julia Wolf’s earlier singles and her 2021 EP Girls In Purgatory for more of her incredible work. She’ll also be touring this year, including a stop at Schubas here in Chicago on February 20th. See all of Julia Wolf’s upcoming tour dates here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Cheekface

Photo by Miriam Brummel

Everyone has heard the saying “When life hands you problems, make problemade,” right?  Well, we can thank southern California trio Cheekface for that life quote. Cheekface is a fun and amusing threesome composed of Mark Edwards, Greg Katz, and Amanda Tannen. Presently, they have 3 albums under their belt, with their most recent, Too Much to Ask, just being released this past summer.  A couple of weeks before the album was released, the band sent out postcards announcing the new album and release date, but mine must’ve gotten lost in the mail because it was a delightful surprise to me when my Spotify told me there was new Cheekface out. 

Cheekface, personally, sounds like if Cake, Gustaf, and Mitch Hedberg had a love triangle that birthed a musical, lyrical, and jocular progeny.  Cheekface's songs are a cocktail of jokes, fun, wit, and melody that touch on subjects ranging from politics to instances when life just kicks you in the nads. 

I haven’t gotten the chance to see them live yet, but I’m hoping the stars align so that I can attend their TNK Fest show at Lincoln Hall on January 19.  Cheekface will be treating the Chicago audience to special edition merch and they will even be playing their Too Much to Ask album front to back. You can grab your tickets to catch their show in Chicago tomorrow here, and follow them for more updates.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Grapetooth

Photo by Alex Hupp

This week’s ANCHR Artist of the Week goes to another Chicago group— Grapetooth!

The duo of Twin Peak’s Clay Frankel and Chris Bailoni (Home-Sick) made a splash with Grapetooth’s debut single “Trouble” that released in the summer of 2018. It’s one of those ear-wormy songs with a hook that will latch onto your brain and remain there for hours, or possibly days. “Trouble” featured whimsical synths and an air of giddiness alongside its massive hook, characteristics that rang throughout the majority of Grapetooth’s self-titled debut record, which was released later in 2018. Bailoni and Frankel’s artful blend of New Wave influences and blissful dance beats crafted the perfect recipe for their rowdy and effervescent live performances. Off the back of their album’s release, Grapetooth performed sold out shows across the US and even play at Pitchfork Fest in 2019.

Every time I saw them perform there was an unwavering sense of joy and camaraderie that filled the venue, so it was sad to see Grapetooth take a bit of a hiatus after their bout of success. If you, too, enjoyed Grapetooth’s short-but-sweet stint, then you can rejoice in knowing they’ve made a resurgance at the end of 2022. This past December, Grapetooth released a double single (their first music drop since February 2020) with “Infinite Source,” featuring Knox Fortune, and “Shining,” featuring Squirrel Flower. There’s something slightly refined and subdued about the new material, but at the heart of it, Grapetooth’s wild and youthful nature remains just below the surface. And of course, they’re still just as addictively hooky as before.

Talking about the new track “Infinite Source,” the band says the song captures the “endless well of creativity, gratitude, and positivity that exists within all of us.” “We’re turning that feeling into dance music and feel blessed to have Ella (Squirrel Flower) and Kevin (Knox Fortune) singing on these songs. They’re both so talented and have incredible voices,” they add.

Grapetooth also returned with a live performance at The Empty Bottle on NYE 2022. Be sure to follow them for any additional show or music updates, and tune into the video for “Infinite Source” 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: The Orielles

This week’s artist of the week goes to The Orielles!

Photo by Neelam Khan Vela

Hailing from Halifax, England, The Orielles are composed of Esmé Dee Hand Halford on the bass and vocals, Sid Dee Hand Halford on drums and vocals, Henry Carlyle Wade on guitar, and Alex Stephens on keys. The group’s Spotify bio describes them as “Post-Disco Punk” and I have to say that’s a pretty spot on description of their dreamy, atmospheric anthems. The Orielles achieve their eccentric sound by mixing hypnotic synths with distorted guitar riffs and emotive melodies.

Most recently, the band released an EP this month of remixes of their fourth album Tableau. The remixes featured collaborations from Manchester/Berlin duo Space Afrika, London based DJ/producer Shy One and Edinburgh based producer Eyes of Others. The album Tableau was just released in October 2022 and it was self-produced in partnership with producer Joel Anthony Patchett. The record features singles like “The Room” and “Beam/s,” the latter of which Space Afrika remixed on the EP. Space Afrika says they really loved the vocals on this track, adding, “In our world it makes less sense to take away from that. We approached it as, if this was our song how would we write it. It’s in line with our energy and sound and makes sense as continuation.”

To date Tableau definitely feels the most experimental and boundary-pushing of The Orielles’ catalog, but don’t be afraid to dive into their entire discography. Since releasing their debut full length Silver Dollar Moment in 2018, the band has consistently delivered with albums released in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

If you like what you hear— and you’re bound to like something in The Orielles’ diverse soundscape— make sure to catch the group live on tour next year. They have several upcoming shows on their website and will also be featured as an official showcasing artist at SXSW 2023.

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: 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: Automatic

This week’s artist of the week goes to Automatic, the trio from LA composed of Izzy Glaudini (synths, lead vocals), Lola Dompé (drums, vocals) and Halle Saxon-Gaines (bass).

Photo by Dana Trippe

Automatic released their sophomore record Excess during the summer of 2022, which includes singles like “Skyscraper” and “New Beginning.” When writing the new album, the band began by imagining the time between the 70’s and 80’s that they describe as “that fleeting moment when what was once cool quickly turned and became mainstream all for the sake of consumerism” and reframing it through a modern-day lens. The end result is a glossy blend of cheeky punk, dreamy psychedelia, and hazy pop that encompasses themes of alienation and escapism.

The bandmates collaborated on the songs together before moving on to work in the studio with producer Joo Joo Ashworth. Many of the songs on Excess stemmed from jam sessions, but Saxon-Gaines says that these newer songs didn’t come as easily as their debut record, and that all three band members had to be resilient with trying out new techniques in the studio. Talking about their song “Teen Beat,” Saxon-Gaines says, “To us, the name came to be about Gen Z inheriting the world at the eleventh hour, before they’re even old enough to drink. Before we landed on ‘Teen Beat,’ we affectionately called it ‘Madness’ — the madness you feel with the state of polarization today.” With the song “NRG,” Dompé says it discusses “the unknowingness that comes with testing boundaries and exploring one’s own values while finding your place in the world as an individual.”

Ultimately though, Automatic wants to leave listeners with a sense of hope with the final song on the album “Turn Away.” The band sings “There’s a light in the dark, feel the world open up” in hopes that listeners will “feel empowered to do what they can to save the world, to reject any complacency of watching the world burn,” as Saxon-Gaines says.

See where you can catch the band on tour here, and tune into the video for “Skyscraper” 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: Moon Kissed

This week’s Artist of the Week goes to Moon Kissed, another incredible band I had the chance to see at this year’s Riot Fest.

Moon Kissed is a trio based in NYC composed of Emily Sgouros on synth, Leah Scarpati on drums, and Khaya Cohen on vocals. The band has strived to make their shows an atmosphere where “anyone is free to be themselves, gender isn’t real, and the person you’re dancing next to is your best friend but also could be your next makeout partner.” Their set that I caught at Riot Fest definitely had an intense yet free-spirited vibe to it that was both inspiring and mesmerizing, and it stuck with me as one of the best performances of the weekend.

To date, Moon Kissed has released two full-length albums, including 2019’s I Met My Band At A New Years Party and 2021’s follow up called I’d Like to Tell You Something Important. If you couldn’t guess by the debut album title, Sgouros and Cohen happened to meet Scarpati at a New Years Eve Party, and since that moment, the rest is history—the trio has continued to tour, write music, produce music videos and sell out shows at iconic NYC venues. The band has said that the sophomore record showcases some of their most collaborative writing yet, since Cohen had actually written a majority of the songs on the first record before they all met and banded together. “I think it’s really special that we help bring things to the table and just really zoom out and see them as a work of art or a song and just be excited about them no matter who wrote them,” Cohen says about Moon Kissed’s creative partnership.

The second album highlights Moon Kissed’s limitless range and exploratory creativity throughout its 12 tracks. The introductory song “Bubblegum” has a bouncy, sweet introduction but explodes with a crescendoing chorus, and “Dance” fades in with a hypnotic beat and atmospheric vocals that describe the feeling of unrequited or lost love. Then there’s also “Saturday Night” that’s a punchy, synth-drenched dance anthem about tuning out the real world for a night. The spoken-word track “I’ll Ask for It” vividly captures the too-often experience of victim-blaming that women encounter in its short 39 seconds, once again holding up the album’s promise of telling the listeners something important.

Make sure you tune into Moon Kissed’s entire discography, including their 2022 EP “I’m On My Way” and see where you can catch them live here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Destroy Boys

This week’s ANCHR Artist of the Week goes to Destroy Boys, who I just had the pleasure of seeing perform at Riot Fest earlier this month.

Photo by ASH GELLMAN

Destroy Boys is a trio from Northern California, consisting of Violet Mayugba (guitar/vocals), Alexia Roditis (vocals/guitar), and drummer Narsai Malik. To date, Destroy Boys’ refreshing take on West Coast punk music has seen them selling out shows across the world and garnering nods from none-other than Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.

“California punk rock changed my life. It showed me exactly what I want to do and who I want to be,” Violet Mayugba says about the inception and inspiration behind starting the band with Alexia Roditis. From their early days getting inspired by other bands and playing in crowded garage shows, Destroy Boys have now released three full-length albums, including 2021’s Open Mouth, Open Heart. The band released their latest record via Hopeless Records, and through the label, they’ve still been able to maintain and grow their own vision. One key aspect of their vision, which comes across in both their music and the way the run their team, is that representation of everyone matters. “Men have made the rules, and those rules fuck everyone else over. Having more women and nonbinary people behind the scenes, which is where [a lot of] the power is, will hopefully curtail the abuse in the industry,” Roditis said. “It’s important to have women and queer people, people of color, and differently-abled people in all aspects of the music industry, to have that support.”

Open Mouth, Open Heart is chock-full of amped-up gems—take the distorted lead in and drum-heavy intro to “Te llevo conmigo” or the quick-cadenced and candid lyrics to “Muzzle” and it’s difficult not to get riled up listening to the album.

See where you can catch Destroy Boys on the road next here, and tune into the video for “Drink” below.

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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: Quinn Christopherson

This week’s ANCHR Artist of the Week goes to singer-songwriter Quinn Christopherson, who I recently got the chance to see perform during The Wild Hearts tour with Julien Baker, Sharon Van Etten, and Angel Olsen.

Photo by Emma Sheffer

Christopherson hails from Anchorage, Alaska and is the youngest of four children from his Native Parents; his mother is Ahtna Athabascan and his father is Iñupiat. Christopherson’s impeccable lyricism likely stems from the storytelling he grew up surrounded by at family gatherings. He has shared that storytelling is a key facet of his culture, and a way for one generation to impart values and history to the next. Before putting his words to music Christopherson began writing poetry and continued in that pursuit until his dad gave him a guitar at the age of 20. Eventually, he brought those stories to life at local dive bars and open mic nights. Throughout the years, he has released several singles, including “Erase Me,” “Good Boy” and “Bubblegum.”

Most recently Christopherson released the single “Celine,” which sticks out to me as one of my favorites from his set on The Wild Hearts Tour. The track’s explosive chorus is prefaced by glittering synths and Christopherson’s detailed depiction of his mom’s special moment in the karaoke spotlight and getting compared to the legendary Celine Dion. “The smallest moments can be as important as you perceive them to be. When my mom came back from karaoke saying they told her she sounded just like Celine, it was everything to her - she believed it with her whole heart. Her truth was as important in that moment as anything else in the world,” he says about the inspiration behind the song. If that wasn’t sweet enough, the official music video for the song even features Christopherson’s superstar of a mom.

“Celine” comes from Christopherson’s upcoming debut album Write Your Name in Pink, which will be released September 16th. As a trans man and Native songwriter, Christopherson has said that the album addresses the question of “How do you own the parts of your identity that make you who you are while also acknowledging that they are all mutable and that you are ever-new, always in flux?”

Make sure you pre-order the new record, and see where you can catch Quinn Christopherson on tour here.

ANCHR’s Artist of the Week: Poise

Poise is the brainchild of the NYC based songwriter and musician Lucie Murphy. I recently caught Poise on tour opening up for Pinegrove, and it was one of those support sets where I immediately went to Spotify to save some of the band’s songs because they were that good.

Photo Courtesy of Poise

Murphy grew up in Manhattan, admiring the diverse music scene of the city thanks to her dad’s love for any and all types of music. “He was always keeping an ear to the ground musically,” Murphy says about her dad. Unfortunately, Murphy ended up losing her father in an unexpected and sudden manner, and that grief was the catalyst behind her debut album Vestiges, released in 2021. Murphy displays transparent and introspective outlooks on the record, which also explores her devastation around the start of the pandemic and the cancellation of Poise’s first tour.

Murphy persevered through the challenges and found comfort through this creative outlet, stating that “a lot of this record is about finding confidence and learning to put myself back together when bad things happen.” Murphy primarily wrote the songs on Vestiges in a Vermont cabin that she stayed in during the summer months of 2020, in a space that allowed her to focus more on her artistic process. Once the skeletons of each track were composed by Murphy, she invited fellow musicians Sam Skinner and Theo Munger to help flesh out the arrangements. The end result is a multi-faceted album that showcases both a refined delicacy and a controlled power in Murphy’s vocals, paired with sweeping and exploratory melodies.

If you get the chance to catch a live show from Poise, don’t miss the opportunity. The band will be on tour with Pinegrove throughout most of August, and you can see the full 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: 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: The Linda Lindas

Photo by Zen Sekizaw

The future of punk rock seems to be safe. For live music fanatics like myself, we know and see young punk bands regularly. Every major city in the US has a scene, Chicago being no different with bars and venues like Delilahs, Cobra Lounge, Reggies, and Liars Club. Not the to mention the countless basement, garage, back yard, and living room parties, but with The Linda Lindas breaking out of the LA scene with such incredible talent and ferocity, they have shown us another example of age just being a number.

The Linda Lindas are composed of Lucia de la Garza, age 15, Mila de la Garza, age 11, Bela Salazar, age 17, and Eloise Wong, age 14. The de la Garza duo are sisters, Wong is their cousin, and Salazar is a long time family friend. Many may recognize The Linda Lindas from when their performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy” in a LA public library went viral in 2021. I remember the first time I saw the video was when RATM's Tom Morello shared it on his Instagram. Seeing these teens and tweens rock out like if they were seasoned punk vets was refreshing. The music was raw, loud, and sincere. Learning that the drummer was just 10 made them even more impressive.

I got to catch The Linda Lindas in Barcelona, Spain at the Primavera Sound Music Festival. Salazar did most of the speaking since, I assume, her Spanish is a bit more fine tuned than the others. When she introduced her band mates, along with their ages, there was a collective "Whoa!" from the audience coupled with cheers and adulation. They rocked their entire 50 minute set playing a number of songs from their debut album Growing Up and ended with the crowd favorite "Oh!" There was headbanging, guitar shredding, fist pumping, and even moshing. I've been to my fair share of rock shows, but this was the first time I've seen grown men mosh to a band with an eleven year old drummer. The band is stirring and inspiring. I hope they continue to see success and make great music.

The Linda Lindas are currently on tour. See all upcoming tour dates here, and watch the video for their debut album’s title track below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Amelia Moore

This week’s ANCHR Artist of the Week goes to Amelia Moore, a 20-year-old vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who crafts heartfelt electro-pop anthems.

Moore grew up in Georgia and got introduced to her love of music by singing in a church choir and playing violin, before she eventually decided she wanted to play her own music and also taught herself to play piano. Moore continued to invest in her passion for creating music and went to Belmont University in Nashville for college. At 18, Moore found herself moving to LA and collaborating with artists like Austin Sanders (aka ASTN, a Florida-bred singer/songwriter) and producer Pink Slip—the latter of which she worked with on her debut EP. When the pandemic hit in 2020, it was hard for anyone, including Moore, not to be discouraged about a future in music, but she was able share her songs on TikTok and cultivate an audience in that way.

In a short amount of time, Moore has been able to garner over 3 million streams of her debut single “sweet and sour” on Spotify, and she just released her debut EP teaching a robot to love earlier this month on June 3, via Capitol Records. Talking about the debut project, Moore says ““This project is the culmination of first love, first loss and the recognition that love is what separates us from the robots.” She has also described her songwriting process as therapeutic, and with all of the wonderful reception so far, it’s clear that listeners also find sanctuary in Moore’s storytelling. After all, Moore’s social media handles are “@icryatwork” and if you can’t appreciate that level of emotional honesty, then we can’t be friends.

Despite all her success online so far, Moore only recently played her ever first headline show. Be sure to keep an eye on future show announcements from Moore on her website, and give her a follow on TikTok and Instagram.