Author: Haylee Farrell

Maya Donovan Captures the Art of Healing on New Single “Lenox”

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Maya Donovan has just released her latest single “Lenox,” a contained ballad that recounts the residual emotions created through trauma. This track sees Donovan embrace rich bass lines, complex vocal harmonies, and a uniquely electric piano tone to establish her signature sonic environment.

Following her 2018 debut EP and her new successful single “We Should Get Dinner,” Maya Donovan is hopeful to bring her mellow compositions to audiences through a string of upcoming single releases. Her music is beautifully made, blended with her heartfeltly modern lyricism.

Maya Donovan is a 24-year-old singer-songwriter raised and based in Brooklyn whose style draws on a host of genres: folk, soul, pop, and jazz. A masterful storyteller, Donovan writes of the most painful parts of life with unflinching honesty, empathy, and humor. Her rich voice, armed with delicate control, will pull you into her music and keep you there.

Since almost as early as she could talk, Maya Donovan has been writing tunes to express her innermost feelings. Most recently, Donovan continues to utilize songwriting to chronicle her battles with anxiety and her constant re-discovery of herself through adolescence and young adulthood.

A graduate of New York City’s prestigious LaGuardia High School for Performing Arts (the “Fame” school), Donovan has been making music for as long as she can remember. Some of her first songs she wrote before the age of 10, hunched over a first-generation iMac computer. Donovan comes from a long line of creatives: daughter of Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Vanessa Roth, and granddaughter of screenwriter Eric Roth, whose prolific work includes the Forrest Gump screenplay.

To enjoy Maya Donovan’s charismatic presence live, you can find her as a resident artist at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, which has been graced by some of her biggest musical influences, such as Carole King, Billy Joel, and Lady Gaga. Additional inspiration for her art comes from fellow contemporary singer-songwriters such as Fiona Apple, Sara Bareilles, and Julia Jacklin.

Listen to “Lenox” by clicking the link here.

For more music by Maya Donovan, click the link here.

July 16, 2023
MIDNIGHTCHOIR Shares “Lovecrimes” Single + Video

NYC electronic act MIDNIGHTCHOIR has just released the single “Lovecrimes,” along with this, a music video to accompany it. Along with this, they have also confirmed the forthcoming release of their second album, Loverboy Molotov, to be released July 14^th.

New York-born and raised electronic producer Patrick Bobilin has been producing music as MIDNIGHTCHOIR since 2014. Bobilin’s love for 80s goth rock and pounding electronic beats combined with his political experiences color the tone and tenor of his music.

Speaking on this new single, Bobilin wrote, “After 7 years of being in the public eye, the only times I felt I could be myself were at NYC dance bars like Pyramid Club or Saint Vitus. I started traveling to Austin, TX more often to visit a group of friends, free from the political infamy I’d become ensnared in.”

“I recorded it quickly in one night, with the urgency of having to get out of town and shake loose of those tangles. ‘Lovecrimes’ was inspired by late nights in NYC and dancing at Barbarella in Austin, where they always play INXS on 80’s Night. The cover of ‘Need You Tonight’ was also inspired by those late nights and features guitar from David Simutis who I met at an office job and who I learned was a seasoned indie rock vet, having engineered and played on some of the coolest records of the last 20 years.”

The combinations of sex, politics, and gothic imagery explain the lyrical content and the inclusion of three covers: Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” INXS’ “Need You Tonight,” and “Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode.

Since then, Bobilin ran for public office, led community action organizations during the 2020 social justice uprisings, and has been an active community organizer. He was even arrested twice during the 2020 movement for black lives while organizing protests. That social justice work, which had Bobilin arguing with former-mayor de Blasio about policing on live radio, has found its way into the lyrics of the punk-infused new darkwave album he recorded in the first few weeks of 2023.

The new album was made with much of Bobilin’s urgency and energy of his political campaigns in 2017, 2020, and 2022. Having firmly decided to leave politics behind, Bobilin was compelled to write about many of the frustrations that inspired his far-left politics.

While Bobilin may lean on 80’s new wave and goth influences, the autobiographical elements of the album reflect his experiences in politics and protest. The politics of the album are far left, with emotional, social, religious, and political concerns peppered throughout.

Listen to “Lovecrimes” by clicking the link here.
Loverboy Molotov will be available on all streaming services this July.

June 30, 2023
New York Based Singer KAZIMI Shares Heartfelt Single “Fever Dream”

NYC’s indie-pop and folk-rock artist KAZIMI shares the single “Fever Dream,” the second track from her debut album River Run out later this year. The layered percussion is the heartbeat of this single, with drums that are both slinky and sexy, a groove comes across your hips effortlessly.

The singer-songwriter wrote, “’This is a song about pleasure and craving. About wanting something (someone) so bad that the desire seeps into your every moment, coloring everything you see. That obsession, that need, that want. Bodies seeking bodies.”

“I never sat down to make a record. I don’t think I would’ve started if I had.”
-KAZIMI

For most of her life, KAZIMI played music alone and in secret. She crafted songs as a way to work through life’s peaks and valleys but they were never meant to be shared. When the world stopped, something in her changed and that change led to the writing and recording of her debut album, River Run.

The New York-based singer-songwriter offers up her personal brand of indie-folk with tracks that explore the trials of being a living, breathing human: betrayal and heartbreak, pleasure and resilience, the death of loved ones, and the rebirth of self. With a soundscape that drifts effortlessly between dreamy, seductive, cinematic, and folky, River Run is as evocative in its style as it is in its storytelling.

The indie-folk (although very different it’s also somewhat reminiscent of John Grant, don’t you think?) artist deals with the myriad layers of the human condition as a way of wrestling with difficulties.
– Americana UK

For KAZIMI, the project was an opportunity to dethrone the internal demons that lurked in the shadows of her mind. “Part of making music is letting go so there can be space for magic to enter the room, but giving up control is not something that comes easily to me. I had to constantly recenter the importance of making something true over the temptation to chase perfection.”

The title track was written in an empty hotel lobby in Nashville at the height of quarantine in 2020, “I was driving from Texas to New York. Passing through Memphis, I crossed the Wolf River and something about the name stuck in my mind. That evening I went downstairs and sat at the keys. I hadn’t had a piano to play in 4 months. Over the course of the time I wrote the song, I never saw another person. No other guests, no staff. Just me alone in a hotel, singing to the walls,” she says.

Swimming in the depths and then soaring through the clouds, the record traces the journey of a path unknown. The very act of making it, says KAZIMI, is a victory. “I am following what makes me feel most alive, even though I don’t know where it will lead. I found an ember and I held it close. I blew on it until a fire burst forth.”

For more music by KAZIMI, click here.

June 29, 2023
Scorpion Tea Releases Death-Rock Debut Single “Scarlet Misquote”
NYC-based death-rock band Scorpion Tea has just released “Scarlet Misquote,” the first single from the band’s upcoming self-titled album. Accompanying the new single is a music video, overall just giving an introductory glimpse into the band’s full-length debut anticipated to drop October 27^th.

In the first half of the song, ODowd’s tight snare roll rushes the listener into Fern Puma’s poshly-distorted bass. Seconds later, Christian Cruz’s barbed guitar cuts in like a hot knife. Soon after, vocalist Anthony Diaz chimes in with his declamatory lyrics and it’s apparent that Scorpion Tea is a special blend of death rock intoxication. The song’s construction proves to be the perfect introduction to the new hot and upcoming band.

The band stated, “During our time in LA, recording the album, Edley introduced us to the whimsical, yet dead serious routines of the legendary choreographer Bob Fosse.” explains the video’s director, Scorpion Tea vocalist Anthony Diaz. The music video explores what happens when a single baleful missive causes one’s entire understanding to unravel.

Diaz continues, talking about the dark aesthetic of Fosse’s work that resonated with the band, “The dancers in the piece seemed mesmerized, their strings pulled by an unseen force. I wanted to incorporate this idea with the hypnotic quality and longing breathlessness of ‘Scarlet Misquote,’ while still drawing on Scorpion Tea’s style of brightside-facing hilarity.”

Loaded with new content regularly (most unavailable anywhere else), the band’s ‘Dig Your Own Grave’ pass is the ultimate limited edition collector’s item for the fortunate few.

Pre-order the limited ‘Dig Your Own Grave’ pass and get “Scarlet Misquote” now plus:
- early access to the next two Scorpion Tea singles
- unreleased studio cuts
- remixes
- behind the scenes video
- exclusive artwork
- VIP access to select events
- and more
https://soundcloud.com/givetakelife/sets/scorpion-tea-scarlet-misquote/s-bi4BPd6dNml?si=650ccea083174d06b56a12ca1cae6d74&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Listen to “Scarlet Misquote” by clicking the link here.
June 28, 2023
Stalking Gia Releases New Alt-Pop Single “Euphoria”

NYC-based alt pop singer/songwriter Stalking Gia has just released her newest hit single titled “Euphoria.” The song materializes aspects of art between online fantasy and Manhattan’s real-life nocturnal glow.

Gia writes, the song is “about the desire to find a deeper connection with someone and the fear of losing them. The lyrics describe the struggle to break free from the monotony of everyday life and the search for something more…. A longing to escape the mundanity of their current situation and reach a new level of intimacy.”

At age 5, Gia had her first dose of the limelight when she starred as the child lead in one of Cheerios most globally successful commercials. She was a professional Broadway actor (alongside her friend, Nick Jonas) and Top 5 Disney Radio artist with songs featured in the movie “Another Cinderella Story” starring Selena Gomez. She then lent her voice to Popstar Barbie in the 2012 animated movie Barbie: The Princess and the Popstar, which was produced by Universal Studios and premiered on Nickelodeon.

As an independent artist in 2016, she released her debut single “Second Nature,” kickstarting her viral fame and gaining her over 13.2 million streams on Spotify. It was later sampled on the single “Wish U The Best” by Blackbear, an A-List Top 40 recording artist with 20 million Spotify monthly listeners. The two artists would later tour together and collaborate for their track “Miracles” which has earned over 4.9 million streams.

Last summer, she teased a demo on TikTok using the famous nursery rhyme “Oh My Darling Clementine.” It gained traction and after getting a positive response she went on to release a full version titled “saddest happy girl.”

From co-writing with other artists for their projects to creating her own “no rules” music, Stalking Gia is a sought-after name in the game; bicoastal between New York City and the music scene of Los Angeles. Since then, she has returned to releasing music independently and continues to gain a loyal fan base.

Listen to “Euphoria” by clicking the link here.

For more music by Stalking Gia, click the link here.

June 27, 2023
Rebounder Shares Lead Single “Disco Ball Soul” off Upcoming EP

NYC‘s indie band Rebounder just released their newest lush single “Disco Ball Soul,” the first song off of their upcoming EP Sundress Songs, out August 25^th. They have also announced a run of East Coast tour dates including stops in New York, DC, Philadelphia and Toronto.

The single is a widescreen, lush track that frontman Dylan Chenfeld explains was “initially about the frustrations of being a Knicks fan. Funny enough, the evening we shot the video, we were watching the Knicks lose in the playoffs. The song wound up being about the anxieties of living in a city at night, though the anxiety of being a Knicks fan casts a long shadow.”

Over the last few years, Rebounder has quietly become one of New York’s most successful young indie exports, supporting everyone from MUNA to Twin Shadow to the How Long Gone podcast. Their 2020 debut “Japanese Posters” has racked up over 14 million streams alone, a testament to the band’s work ethic and crisply-realized, overwhelmingly hooky indie-rock.

A winsome, wistful portrait of modern millennial life, their forthcoming EP Sundress Songs resembles a lot of classic 2000s indie-pop. Yet, the album feels like it exists miles away from the current of revivalism that’s in the air right now.

Led by stalwart songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dylan Chenfeld, Rebounder makes crisply-realized, overwhelmingly hooky indie-rock, sharpened to a fine point by years of touring. Sundress Songs is a set of preened, poised pop songs that speak volumes of Dylan and his bandmates’ stadium-level ambitions and enviable taste.

“This project is the culmination of a lot of the hard work we’ve done in the past year, in the studio and on the road,” says Dylan. “It feels overdue – but we wanted to make something that sounds really exciting and unique, because we’ve been writing songs and making demos our whole lives.”

Rebounder started as a high school band. Dylan, his brother Noah, and a handful of their friends were often recruited as hired gun musicians for small projects looking to tour locally. Being genuinely skilled musicians has been key to Rebounder’s success; they play with the tautness and tension of a rubber band pulled to its limits, despite the (on its surface) breeziness of their songwriting.

Dylan has omnivorous tastes and pays sharp attention-to-detail: Sundress dips into rakish funk (“Disco Ball Soul”), bedroom pop (“Second Serve Ace”) and skittish dance-rock (“Dreamland”). Produced entirely by Dylan, Sundress Songs is rich with production quirks and asides that speak to his years spent going on YouTube rabbit holes and tinkering in ProTools.

“There’s a lot of people who are doing, like, Greta Van Fleet for the 2000s,” says Dylan. “What’s the point of that? I’m not gonna do it better than those guys. But maybe we can do something new.”

Listen to “Disco Ball Soul” by clicking the link here.

Tickets for the upcoming tour are available for purchase here.

June 14, 2023
Sons of Venus Release Psychedelic Rock LP “Crisis to Crisis”

NYC’s Sons of Venus have just released their latest LP Crisis to Crisis on June 8^th, a fuse of classic psychedelic and jam band. Musically, the release is hypnotic and immersive, almost like meditation, but has roaring guitars and electronic-type sound design.

While previous albums have mostly been fully improvised in one way or another, this new release was written and recorded remotely with drums and bass recorded last, an approach which is different from what bands usually do. The album is a spiritual reflection on us as humans and forces us to ask the question why we constantly end up in one world crisis after another.

Sons of Venus is made up of guitarist John Sully, drummer Ruslan Baimurzin and bassist Igor Reznik. The three musicians share a chemistry that allow them to improvise instantaneously on almost all complete compositions. Drawing on many influences such as cinema, theater, psychology, and sociology, they found themselves spontaneously experimenting with musical styles like prog, punk, elektro, blues and funk.

“It’s the good sound, the mix of psych and funk”
-Audio Antihero Records

Crisis to Crisis is the third Sons of Venus album. As with their first and second albums, the recording followed specific parameters. For example, their first self-titled record was composed by editing improvised recordings, then learning the parts to be performed and recorded live in a state-of-the-art studio.

Their second record, Adventures in Caution, was fully improvised and recorded on a single portable stereo recorder. The album was recorded first by Sully, who tracked all the vocals, guitars and keyboards in his home, after which he sent the tracks to Baimurzin and Reznik for overdubbing.

Songs like “Living in Blood,” “World on Fire,” and “Dead Languages” are a precarious ride through a doom and gloom landscape. This album is not just simply music for the casual listener. It’s an all or nothing hero’s journey that draws you in like a hypnotist while leading you to the slaughter. Like Hunter S. Thompson said, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”

To listen to Crisis to Crisis, click the link here.

For more music by Sons of Venus, click the link here.

June 8, 2023
Rock City Junction Release Americana/Folk Single “Morning Sun”

Hudson Valley natives Rock City Junction have just released their newest single titled “Morning Sun,” the third single they have ever released. To support the upcoming release, the band will be touring throughout the Hudson Valley in early June.

Rock City Junction meets in the middle with soulful original songs and luscious instrumentation. Their latest releases such as “Corn Song” and “Souls Byond the Road” are uniquely beautiful, having aspects of a light summer day within the Hudson Valley itself.

This eclectic, harmony driven, Roots/Americana band is quickly becoming one of the premiere folk bands within the Hudson Valley. The band features three singer/songwriter/ instrumentalists such as David Chapman, Denise Parent, and Laura Leigh. Each artist plays a special part in combining to create the unique sound that Rock City Junction has to offer.

Denise Parent has been a supreme artist, drummer, and singer in the north east jam band scene since 1993, and is currently touring the U.S in the only all-female Grateful Dead cover band, Brown Eyed Women. Denise released her debut album of her original songs in 2021 titled The Songs in my Heart.

David Chapman is an engineer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, renaissance-man who has held a commanding presence in the Hudson Valley Rock scene since the early 90’s, leading many bands such as Cold Flavor Repair, Rivergrass, The Working Dogs, and more.

Laura Leigh is the new darling of the Albany music scene. Laura released her first album of original music in 2021 which features evocative stories of small-town USA and echoes Appalachian, old-timey traditions and sounds.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

June 8th @ The Parish. New Paltz NY. 7pm

June 9th @ Unihog Hoosick Falls NY. 8pm

June 10th @ Argyle Brewing Company (The Depot). Cambridge NY. 6pm

Listen to Rock City Junction by clicking the link here.

June 6, 2023
Superbloom Release New Rock Single “Head First”

Brooklyn’s alternative rock band Superbloom returns to the stage with their newest rock single “Head First.” Along with this release, the band is getting ready for their upcoming release Life’s A Blur, out on June 8^th with an EP release show at Brooklyn Made on June 10^th.

Feverish and raw, and with an instantly memorable punch, Brooklyn’s latest rock phenomenon is a group of four guys making the songs that they want to hear. That means searing, overdriven guitars and thrashing drums; heavy, hearty riffs full of fire and flavor; and impassioned, driving vocal melodies that get stuck in your head for weeks on end.

Behind the out-of-world sound is Dave Hoon (vocals/guitars), Tim Choate (guitars), Brian DiMeglio (bass) and Matteo Dix (drums). Having played in bands for their whole lives while pursuing full-time careers, they decided to form the infectious Superbloom in 2018.

With no room for bluffs or half-hearted attempts, Superbloom introduced themselves with 2020’s “Level Head,” followed the next year by their 12-track debut album Pollen. This release represents Superbloom’s early era of self-discovery.

Superbloom’s newest upcoming EP Life’s a Blur is music you can feel in your gut. A conscious progression from Pollen, its songs have a harder edge and an undeniable, ever-present weight.

They reach greater depths of sound through dynamic, varied songs and interludes that range from ethereal to manic, all while retaining those signature hooks, dreamy tones, and infectious bouncy rhythms that made their debut so irresistible. These new songs showcase an expansion into new sonic dimensions and dynamics as is evident on the new single “Head First.”

As a hard-hitting band with an unapologetic sound, Superbloom is a success story to never give up on your dreams, and they have a lot more in store as they step into a bold new era. “I’d be lying if I said we planned to throw away the playbook for the EP, but I’m glad we did, because everything cool and unfamiliar mushroomed from there — on and off stage,” Dave Hoon says. “Pollen is in the rearview and I’m hungry for what’s next.”

Tickets for the album release show are available here.

Listen to “Head First” by clicking the link here.

For more music by Superbloom, click the link here.

June 5, 2023
Bobby Blue & George Sáenz Release “Por Un Amor/For A Love”

NYC’s Costa Rican American singer songwriter Bobby Blue have released a duet with George Sáenz titled “Por Un Amor/For A Love,” on June 2^nd. The combination is an ethereal trip of a very simple love song.

Por Un Amor, which means “For A Love,” is a classic Ranchera written by Gilbert Parra Paz in 1940 about the worst break up a heart could handle. Using his elegant vocals, Bobby Blue collaborates with George’s baritone voice playing the Guitarron.

Bobbys mother came from a ranch in the central valley of Costa Rica, heavily influenced by spirit, music, and imagination. Growing older, Bobby Blues’ imagination and independence could make for a hard time. A teacher once threatened to beat out his sissiness with his fists, but music kept him going. From age four he always had the lead solo parts in choirs, and from ten years old he started composing songs for recitals. He eventually made enough money and moved to NYC.

Once Bobby Blue moved to NYC he immediately started performing at open mics, independent art galleries and late-night underground circuses. His charming stage presence and big voice made him known as a powerful performer.

Bobby was deemed “not All American / too gay” and that his voice was freakish. Fortunately, the stage kept calling and he kept writing. Bobbys first album, a folky-electro album provided his first releases.

International DJs discovered his originals and turned several of them into dance remixes. In A Song was discovered by Junior Vasquez and it climbed the Billboard Dance Chart for 15 weeks.

Although, while settling into NYC he dived into his mother’s Latin music and his father’s old Country music, as well as his original songs. Bobby had so much fun singing these lovely folk melodies that he felt this music was more fitting for his voice and his soul. On any given evening you can see Bobby slaying audiences at NYC clubs like Joes Pub, The Knitting Factory, on the porches of Brooklyn Victorian homes, the streets of the East Village, and at several festivals around the country.

Listen to ‘Por Un Amor” by clicking the link here.

For more music by Bobby Blue, click the link here.

June 2, 2023