Jake Huffman’s debut EP Adderall & Whiskey was released in April 2022. Huffman views the release of this EP as one of his proudest triumphs as an artist, with each song written about a different moment from his past and arranged chronologically.
As stated in an interview with NYS Music, Adderall & Whiskey is inspired by his early 20’s. Lyrically, he writes about the story of the rise and fall of love along with experiencing life in a rock band. Two songs – “Giving it a Try” and “Just a Little More” – preview the intensity of Huffman’s newest project.
As mentioned in a profile in Relix, Huffman said, “Over the last few years, mostly in isolation, I was forced to look inward and found creative inspiration in the process. I always tell aspiring songwriters that the best songs are honest, simple and specific. “Giving it a Try” is my way of practicing what I preach. I took my own emotional arc of living with so much uncertainty in the world and produced and engineered the song myself from my home studio.”
Jake releases his first solo song “Giving It A Try,” a preview of his full EP
The two songs “Giving “it a Try” and “Just a Little More” are two emotional yet comforting pieces. Huffman goes from drums to keys to guitar all while communicating to an audience with deeply personal lyrics and stony vocals. Jake has managed to create a sound with the uniqueness of Arcade Fire, the drive of Tom Petty, and the honesty of Death Cab For Cutie
Tour dates:
May 19 – State House, New Haven CT May 20 – Mercury Lounge, NYC June 24 – Richmond VA, Richmond Music Hall June 25 – Washington DC, Pearl Street Warehouse August 26 – Burlington VT, Foam Brewers
Get tickets for the Mercury Lounge show on May 20th here, located on the Lower East Side of NYC.
Indie artist awfultune has released her newest album, Eden, along with a trio of singles including ‘Sweet Talk’, ‘Wild Tune’ and ‘Sad Love Song’. Eden is the artist’s fifth studio album.
PC : Shervin Lainez
Released on April 29th, Eden is a project that dives deep into awfultune’s personal life and past heartbreaks in a way that many can relate to. The low-key, but engaging composition of songs like ‘picking up’ and ‘sweet talk’ makes listeners reminisce on the shy excitement that comes from a new love interest while ‘shut up!!!’ and ‘soda’ deal with the fall out of a relationship as well as underlying trauma and complications.
Along with an album, awfultune also released an accompanying illustrated storybook. Showcased on her Instagram, each chapter focuses on a different song from the album. The bright and bold illustrations perfectly depict each individual message.
PC : Shervin Lainez
Awfultune, also known as Layla Eden, is an indie pop artist from Upstate NY. As a trans woman, her music is heavily intertwined with her personal journey and adapting identity. She stands as an advocate for anyone who has ever felt alone or at odds with themselves.
The coronation of Fivio Foreign has long been in the works. Since the death Pop Smoke over two-years ago, there has been a void within the New York music landscape and it seems as though Fivio Foreign has been handpicked to carry the torch.
This spring, his debut studio-album, B.I.B.LE., was delivered to the public as an inauguration of sorts. Executive produced by Kanye West, the album’s lead single — the West and Alicia Keys assisted — “City of Gods” attempts to create a moment in New York time. Similar to Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” also featuring Keys. Despite the records contrived feel, it charted at number 46 on the Billboard charts. However “Magic City,” the second single featuring Quavo, failed to do so.
Since the release of his viral hit — Big Drip— in 2019, Fivio has maintained cultural and musical relevance and is the latest bridge in the inevitable marriage between the drill music sub-culture and mainstream hip hop. His debut EP — 800 B.C.— was released in 2020 with features from Meek Mill, Lil Baby and Quavo. There was his guest-spot on Drake’s 2020 hit “Demons,” which charted at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that summer, he teamed with Lil Tjay for the anthemic “Zoo York,” peaking at number 65 on the Hot 100. A year later, he was heralded as having the best feature on Kanye West’s star-studded, Donda, album.
While not the most technically proficient rapper, Fivio has gotten to this point by wholeheartedly personifying New York. His charisma, flow and contagious dialect have made him the preeminent representative of New York hip hop culture.
The results? Well, it depends on what scale is being used. B.I.B.L.E. reportedly sold 29 thousand equivalent album units its first week. Not bad, but low enough for Fivi to remind detractors of his humble beginnings.
My Debut Album is #9 onna Billboards That’s in the whole world.. From where I came from that’s a Win 🏆 pic.twitter.com/W2vCcbMEnY
Nonetheless, it’s easy to see why he was next up on the mantle for New York supremacy. With Pop Smoke gone and Kay Flock in prison, he remains one of the few pioneers and recognizable faces of the drill scene and can steer the genre through its makeover.
This watered down version of drill that is B.I.B.L.E. shows upside as “What’s My Name” and “World Watching” are inviting records but leaves the project lacking an overall grimy-ness. Fivio’s captivating flow is enough to carry him on most songs (“Whoever,” “For Nothin“) but, his lack of variance in his lyrics leave him badly exposed on others (“On God,” “Through the Fire”). Did DJ Khaled need a nearly 2-minute interlude?
With the New York hip hop landscape lacking a leading-man, is Fivio Foreign was tasked with leading the charge for hip hop’s mecca? Are there now reservations after his heavily backed debut failed to make a dent on the Billboard charts?
Despite all of this, B.I.B.L.E. remains a personal success for Fivio. If the King of New York goes to the city’s most visible rapper, then Fivio holds the crown. With features from some of the music indsutry’s biggest names, he has now completed a shedding of the skin. While B.I.B.L.E. will be recognized as a drill album for those not familiar with the sound, Fivio has managed to outgrow that label and has become more of a gatekeeper than an active participant. If a rapper wants to get that New York City drill co-sign, they can go through Fivio.
Remove all context and this is a fine debut. But, just two years ago, Pop Smoke took over the world with the Woo movement. Prior to that, Tekashi 6ix9ine ran riot throughout the industry. There are certain expectations of grandeur that come with being King of New York that Fivio has yet to meet and if he wants that respect then it starts with the music.
They say love is all-around. Sometimes the feeling is as palpable as an embrace. Yet, finding the accurate words to frame love into its proper context remains one of the world’s greater mysteries. Love can be all-encompassing, it can be selfless, it can blossom out of desire and it can even be fickle. Only one thing is certain, once love is in the air, it builds its own cocoon within the consciousness waiting to be explored. And on Winter Nights, we get a first-hand look into how Mo’ Love handles his ever-changing disposition.
Lately I’ve been f****d up, all these feelings got me worked up.
In five swift songs we see the enchanted crooner jostle between lust, desire, commitment and emotional weariness. Beginning with the anthemic “Pgp,” where he wastes no time addressing the point of contention. The record opens with voicemails from various women looking to get in touch demanding that he call them back. Instead, he makes himself readily available to all, where his promiscuous flair is captured.
She think I’m a player cause she like what I’m saying. I’m not into selling dreams, you should buy what you like. And if you don’t, you can return me after the night.
Mo’ Love – Pgp
While the project intros with an emotional free-for-all, the more tightly wounded “The Same” is the inverse of its predecessor. With his distinct singing voice and sultry delivery, the r&b singer confronts the feelings of complacency that comes from a long-standing relationship. From fighting about the same things, noticing changes in a partner’s feelings and behavior, while dealing the subsequent yearn for the person responsible for your pain.
Comparatively, “Slow Dance” is next on the queue and sees the South Bronx native do a complete 180. While “The Same” left him picking up the pieces of his dissolved relationship, on “Slow Dance” he goes from prey to vulture, picking at the remains of a woman’s freshly severed union as he looks to seduce her. As the third of five records on the project, the song placement seems to be indicatory of the middle ground between committed and spending time, as he lulls,
flowing through the vibes, I can it in your eyes, Oh I love.
– Mo’ love, Slow Dance
Mo’ Love shows his talents for performative arts with his thespian-like display of character arc, going from player, to sucker and back to the life of easy virtue in just three songs.
Won’t you slow dance for a n****a yea, if you want these bands from a n***a yea.
We keep fighting about the same thing, I need some space so I could maintain Since you left, I haven’t been the same.
– Mo’ Love, The Same
Winter Nights follows this ebb-and-flow throughout all five records, where each mirrors its predecessor and vice versa. It’s a Ying and Yang of commitment versus freedom and promiscuity, with an intermission to ponder giving up both on “F****d Up Anthem.”
Who doesn’t want to be in a nice healthy relationship? But then, also I like my peace. I’m on a journey, I’m trying to get somewhere and there’s distractions. A lot of people are distractions more than help. Me knowing that, I definitely battle with being in relationships, wanting to take one serious. It takes a big, big person to make that leap and I battle with that all the time.
– Mo’ Love
It can be played frontward or backwards and the same message still echoes, combine that with the concise length of the EP and it is a reflection of the fleeting emotions that we share with one another.
I’m losing myself. The only thing I want in this life is bad for my health.
– Mo’ Love, Dirty Diana
Such is the uncertainty that surrounds many modern-day relationships, with not only the number of options, but the availability of it all. Lust can turn to infatuation, which metamorphoses into commitment, yet can just as quickly transform into weariness.
I deserve more than this, hurt on my mind so it’s hard to reminisce.
I’m hoping they [fans] go through the rides of emotions that I felt when I made it and the attention that I put into it. I know I wanted people to dance to it, I know I wanted people to feel good to it, but also, I wanted people to understand that there’s always a message in everything that I’m saying. There’s a message in every song that I put out and that means the most to me.
Patterns of Decay, a five-piece heavy metal band from New York has dropped their self-titled, second studio album. Their newest project continues to showcase the thrashy and violent metal they have founded themselves on.
The band was first formed in 2014. Moreover, in 2014, Patterns of Decay released their debut EP Malicious Intent. Four years later, the band would go on to release their first studio project, Suicide Notes In Comic Sans.
The band consists of Christian Contello on vocals, who throughout the album showcases his impressive death metal scream. Moreover, Dan Gold is on guitar and Matthew Stirrat is on guitar and vocals. Lastly, Antonio Romano provides the drumming for the band and Jesse Herman plays the bass guitar. Since 2014, the band has kept its same lineup.
Notably, some of the best work on this project comes from the lead guitarist. Throughout the album, the tone of the guitar is rather brittle and harsh. However, the speed and precision at which it is played harmonize every song in a thrashy fashion. One such song, “Ru(m)ination,” goes as far as to showcase this excellence in its entirety.
These skills can also be found on “Of Famine and Plague,” which is easily the best song on this album. Excellent drumming, harsh strings, and demonically screeching vocals all make this track a total moshpit essential.
This project still comes with many flaws, however. Most notably, for every good song on this album, there is also an equally as bad one. Sometimes the instrumentation is too harsh like on “Reguirtate”, and sometimes there may be displeasing dissonance like on “Ocean Black”. However, that should not deter any metal fan from listening though, because there are definitely some hidden gems amidst the filler.
Patterns Of Decay is available on streaming platforms now. For more information on the band, visit patternsofdecay.com.
On his website J. Schnitt, a singer songwriter from Utica, references a quote from an unnamed review that refers to him as “the Bob Dylan of Central New York”. An ambitious claim, a flattering compliment and, as of now, only half true.
Dylan’s greatness was his uncompromising ability to craft songs that made his Nobel Prize winning songwriting its focal point no matter what else surrounded it. In a 2016 profile Rolling Stone said, “what set Bob Dylan apart from everybody was how he wielded language.” Depending on who you ask he either never could or never cared about making the voice that wielded that language sound “good”. But with Dylan it didn’t matter how he sang rather what he sang about.
On his newest release, Winter Gospel, J. Schnitt, delivers complex, lyrics in the best tradition of folk singer-songwriters but he does it with someone else’s voice. The album’s weakest moments are when he masks his true voice and, in turn, his true self. To be like Dylan you have to give your full self over to the music, flaws included. Only then can your virtues shine.
J. Schnitt’s virtues are his nimble guitar playing which offer up a variety of melodies that, while still keeping the album firmly ensconced in the easy listening subgenre, avoid repetitiveness and thus boredom. From the dramatic strumming of “High Crimes” to the subdued melancholy of the legato chords in “The Art of Giving Up” J. Schnitt composes songs that match his undeniable songwriting talent. And when his actual singing doesn’t, he shouldn’t run from it. He should embrace it.
In the album’s standout track, “Skipping Stone”, J. Schnitt sings “I was your skipping stone/thrown across the water/and as I sank below you picked up and grabbed another”. An analogy striking for its originality and descriptiveness. The emotional desolation of being callously replaced by a former lover told through the simplicity of a childhood pastime. It’s a feat of songwriting that should be lauded for its unique depiction of lost love. But it’s a feat that’s dampened by the contrived falsetto J. Schnitt uses when he repeatedly strains the word “thrown” to affect the sentimentality expected from the dulcet tones of singer-songwriters performing acoustic love songs. In fact, the song’s best vocals are the appealing way he coaxes “water” and “another” into rhyming. The soothing naturalness of his voice as he does so leaves you wondering what a full album of J. Schnitt’s moving lyrics sung in his real voice would sound like.
It matters that the voice he uses is entirely his own because the songwriting deserves it. In an interview with 315 Music J. Schnitt said, “it was time for me to get back to writing something from a more personal space. To look inward.” It’s a promise J. Schnitt delivers on throughout Winter Gospel.
On the introspective and crooning “What You Can’t Let Go” he isn’t just insecure but concerned he might always be. “I’m still looking for a way to shake this feeling I’ll always be wrong,” he pleads with himself. And on the album’s closer, the story song, “Rabbit in the Road” he recounts the story of his parents’ enduring relationship. Still, he continues to use the facsimile of another singer’s pitch perfect, choir boy harmonies instead of his own voice. In a well written, evocative song about the frustrating nature of insecurity or an ode to parental love and affection it’s better to communicate through the rasps, yelps, bleats, and caws of your own imperfect voice than by simply trying to sound “good”. That’s the difference between being a great singer and a great vocalist, like Dylan was.
If folk music is the language of Americana and authenticity its currency, then you can’t say anything authentic if you’re faking an accent. The people came for J. Schnitt so give them J. Schnitt.
J. Schnitt’s ballad about folk and rock legend Bob Dylan and his decision to go electric in 1965.
Brooklyn-based PEAK has released their second official live release in the band’s Hot Clips series. They’ll be in Manhattan this on Saturday, April 16, supporting Lespecial at Gramercy Theatre.
PEAK culled together Hot Clips 2 from some of their favorite jams from Summer and Fall 2021, including unreleased songs, songs from previous albums and a cover of Mac Demarco’s “Freaking out the Neighborhood.” The bookends to the album – “Path Paved with Roses” and groovy earworm “Starlight Child” – create a digestible sample of PEAK’s live experience, with a sound that harkens back to 90’s roots of the Northeast jam scene.
The PEAK quartet features songwriter and guitarist Jeremy Hilliard (Turbine), Kito Bovenshulte (Particle) on drums, Josh T. Carter (Haley Jane and The Primates) on bass, and Johnny Young on keys (Mick Taylor Band). The self-described pychedelic indie funk band can be found jamming extensively during live shows, and allow the songs on the album to speak for themselves.
The group released their sophomore studio album, Choppy Water, in October of last year, chocking the album full with groove-based psychedelic rock and plenty of funk, electro-pop, prog, and Americana. The deep, polished grooves from Carter and Bovenshulte complement Hilliard’s and Young’s solos, wailing with searing intensity. Check out their recent show at Brooklyn Bowl on November 30, 2021.
For more live PEAK, stream Hot Clips 2 below and check out their Youtube Channel and Bandcamp pages.
PEAK is currently in the midst of a their Spring Tour and will perform in Middletown, CT, and Stanhope, NJ this Thursday and Friday, then they’ll open up for Lespecial at Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan.
PEAK Tour Dates
4.14 La Boca, Middletown, CT 4.15 Stanhope House, NJ * 4.16 Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY # 4.23 Aeronaut Brewery, Boston, MA% 4.28 Park City Music Hall, Bridgeport, CT** 4.30 Main Pub, Manchester, CT 6.30 Camp Jam, Brunswick ME
When does a band stop being up and coming? When they get signed, when they headline a tour, when they become famous. That’s certainly part of “making it” in the music industry. I would suggest though, that a band stops being up and coming when they understand themselves as artists. That to go from promise to realization happens when you know who you are creatively. CHRMR might still be up and coming in industry terms, but they’re fully established artistically.
CHRMR’s second full length album, Low in the Glow, is hardcore rock that understands where it comes from and where it would like to go. Up and coming artists often only understand one of the two. They’re either so eager to shatter conventions they misunderstand the fundamentals of their genre or they’re ideas are so indebted to their inspirations they fail to deliver originality. CHRMR uses both the dark, occult conventions of doom rock and their own original songwriting to create an LP that elevates the band from aspiring musicians to creative thinkers.
On the classic rock guitar led, Rites, CHRMR offers the tropes of devilry and mysticism associated with doom rock. “The priestess calls the demon/ and the shaman does the dance,” they sing about some dark ritual. It’s not real, though. It’s a fantasy, just some wish fulfilment for fans of the genre. Like rappers with money, or singer songwriters with breakups we rarely interrogate ourselves about why they’re present in our music or even care that they are, but we expect them, which means they have value. To run away from these ideas doesn’t “bust” the genre, it mischaracterizes it.
By incorporating staples of the genre into their album CHRMR allows itself to push up against them as their own voice shines through their songwriting. On the album’s closing track “Grain Ark”, a young boy comes to terms with the solitude of growing up, he’s referred to as a “golden foal”. A deeply poetic line that evokes something fragile but precious, a precocious foal who may become a towering stallion. Its tenderness would be out of place were it not so confidently woven into the rapid guitar riffs and cacophonous energy of the drums on Grain Ark.
Throughout Low in the Glow CHRMR’s artistic intention keep the album cohesive, propelling the listener from one track to the next. It establishes the band as artistically mature because they don’t ask themselves if a certain lyric, or down tempo rhythm might work, they know it will. And when people use the cliché “find your sound” that’s what they mean.
Warden and Co. have released their sophomore album Somewher,e following their 2019 debut Songs for Everyone. The 11 track album covers a range of emotions while helping to develop the band’s Americana identity.
Formed in Saratoga Springs in 2011, Warden and Co. have worked their way into the New York State music scene, with genuine folk influences and steady instrumentals. After starting out as children’s and family artists, frontman Seth Warden, violinist Doug Moody, and drummer Brian Melick changed trajectory to focus on a more mature genre.
This album covers a broad spectrum of human emotions and experiences: love, uncertainty, frustration, desire, fear, and compassion.
Seth Warden
‘Somewhere’ features a sweet duet with Warden’s teenage daughter, Lovella. The father-daughter harmonies go well with the slower paced instrumentals and give listeners a warm, sentimental feeling inside. It’s a comforting reminder that our parents will always be with us, no matter where we travel.
‘PSA’ is a faster paced track that keeps your attention all the way through. The fun cautionary tale warns of a beautiful, but mysterious woman that will have her fun with you and disappear. Moody’s excellent orchestral skills come through toward the end of the song as Melick’s drums provide a much needed foundation.
‘You’ve Got a Way With Love’ closes the album with a more brash sound and it’s easy to hear how the band has grown over the course of the album. Each member’s talents shine in the almost four minute track.
Somewhere is now available on all streaming platforms.
Key tracks : Somewhere, PSA, You’ve Got a Way With Love
Long Island native Jason Flashner has returned with a double album release. Released on the same day, Rocks and Roots work together to provide listeners with a complete musical experience. Rocks was made with a full band and Roots was made as its acoustic partner.
Both albums feature an 11-song tracklist, with optimistic lyrics dreaming of a better future and human resilience. This double release follows his 2014 album, Indie Tale, which displayed Flashner’s budding musical prowess. Rocks and Roots allowed him to gain a deeper knowledge of his recording equipment, while also giving him the opportunity to record all the parts for his album independently.
During quarantine, Flashner chose to immerse himself in the recording process, in an effort to learn more about the equipment and instruments in his studio. After conducting research to see how he could improve his environment, he came to realize that he had more than enough material for an album and chose to express his new found knowledge through these recent projects.
“Alive Awake!” draws listeners in with its upbeat, friendly instrumental. The lyrics contain such an earnest appreciation for life that you can’t help, but to think of all the positives in your own life. This catchy album opener is sure to put you in a good mood.
“Timing”’s relatable message reminds listeners that it’s okay if things don’t go right the first time. There will always be another chance, another opportunity, another day. The strong instrumental and faster pace injects listeners with the added strength they need to get through the day, before closing with a snappy finish.
“Better Day” showcases Flashner’s optimism for the future. This modern anthem for peace serves as the closer for both albums and encourages listeners to leave behind their greedy tendencies. Slower paced instrumentals really allow the message to sink in.
