Alt Rock
Mobley's New Single "Nobody's Favourite" Gets Rework by Foster The People
Fresh off announcing his multimedia collaboration, A Home Unfamiliar, which also doubles as a COVID-19 relief project, Austin artist Mobley is back with a Foster The People-led rework of his single, “Nobody’s Favourite.”
Originally released as a single in February 2020, the “Nobody’s Favourite” rework is the anchoring single to Mobley’s new EP, Young & Dying in the Occident Supreme. Thought initially as a self-described “dancepunk number,” the Foster The People rework pulls away from the “punk” portion and pushes full-steam ahead towards the “dance” side of the original concept.
Unintentionally or not, the original version of “Nobody’s Favourite” leans awfully heavily on a couple of teeter-totter guitar riffs quite similar to that of Tame Impala’s “The Less I Know The Better” and “Do I Wanna Know?” from The Arctic Monkeys. With the Foster rework, thought the riffs are still present, the track is reimagined in the shape of a punchy, hypnotic synth-pop dance track not out of place among the catalogs of the DFA label releases and Theophilus London.
As quickly as anything becomes relevant in 2020, it is buried beneath an unending pile of other; a song from February may as well be from another lifetime. For Mobley, the rework feels like a reminder, perhaps even a pang, of all the late, summery dance nights currently shelved (or relegated to Zoom) until further notice.
-Benjamin Weise
Photo credit: Andrew Bennett
The Band of Heathens Release Rousing New Single "Black Cat"
Quarantine failed to shoot a dose of productivity into our collective societal vein, but there are some among us who are managing to come out on the other side of the shutdown with something to show for the time spent. This month, The Band of Heathens uncage “Black Cat”, the stirring lead single previewing their seventh studio album, titled Stranger, due to be released this September.
The Heathens know a thing or two about serendipity; the three founding members shared billing at Momo’s as individual singer/songwriters and, according to bandmember Ed Jurdi, “organically” began playing together as The Good Time Supper Club. The band formed in earnest after a misprint in a local paper (and some clever guerilla marketing on behalf of ardent local fans) dubbed the group The Heathens, and the name stuck.
On “Black Cat”, The Heathens tackle serendipity of a more genealogical kind. As bandmember Gordy Quist tells it, “‘Black Cat’ is based on the true-ish legend of Augustinal Fonseca, the great-grandfather of an anonymous concertgoer.” The legend goes that Fonseca came through Ellis Island and discovered an “underground fighting ring in New York City around the turn of the last century” - and that he killed a panther in the ring after rising in the ranks. The Heathens are particularly adept at telling stories, true or otherwise, about strangers; considering the title of their forthcoming record, a special attribute of “Black Cat” is its nature as historical fiction in the very words of a stranger.
“Our friends at Song Confessional sent us the story from a ‘confession’ at the Newport Folk Festival,” Quist tells American Songwriter. The confessor claims to be Fonseca’s grandchild and that Fonseca lived to be 99 years old - and all the details unspool in the song, lovingly embellished by Quist’s pen. To helm production for the epic tale, The Heathens enlisted Portland native Tucker Martine, a former collaborator of The Decemberists and Modest Mouse.
“Black Cat” is fittingly slinky, with Quist’s mangled tenor navigating the sweeping drums in commanding sequences, framed by Jurdi’s falsetto issuing a stark reminder to the listener: “Know where you come from.” When focusing on where someone else came from, there is room to step back and breathe. Quist explains that the band is a “microcosm” next to their fans and that Stranger is a vehicle to demonstrate strangerhood within the music industry. If “Black Cat” is a harbinger for more lucid narrative-building from The Heathens, then we all might as well make ourselves comfortable.
-Mike Floeck
Listen to Atta Boy's "Shade" from upcoming long-awaited sophomore LP
After eight years since their last release, alt-Americana group Atta Boy will release their sophomore LP Big Heart Matters on September 11th. Following the surprise success of their debut Out of Sorts in 2012, Atta Boy's members pursued solo projects on both the West and East coasts, all the while coming up with ideas for a possible second record. They reconvened earlier this year to put together Big Heart Matters, and while times have made creating and releasing music difficult, Atta Boy have already put out two singles from the upcoming album. The first, "Devoted", hit streaming services in May, and the second, "Shade", came out in June. Both singles retain the folk feel of Out of Sorts, having the mood of the dog days of summer and the uncertainty of not just these past several months, but of life in general. With a big fan base behind them now, Atta Boy look forward to sharing the record with many more years of experience under their belts. Take a listen to "Shade" below, and look out for Big Heart Matters on September 11th. - Will Sisskind
Young Detectives "One More Time"
Young Detectives have released their debut single "One More Time", and are currently working on their first studio EP. We know little else about the band at this point, but are enjoy the Mid-2000's throwback Rock sound on this first single.
A Deli Premiere: "Racket" by New Threads
Wasting no time and keeping the machine running hot, New Threads debuts the music video for its single “Racket” whose rhythm trots tough. The new alt-rock track lets the guitars rip to visuals of tennis greats like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic and, like a good tennis match that it is, you can’t take your eyes off it. The group recently released its single “Schlitz,” letting no pandemic stop the work, and now with the furious jam that is “Racket,” New Threads solidifies its drive and emphasizes its sound. Both singles are part of the group’s upcoming seventh studio album, which will be released via the band’s label Pink Hat Records. Recording together, running a label, and rocking out—New Threads is as involved as any New England act. We are delighted to premiere “Racket” for you below; ride towards the weekend at full volume. - Rene Cobar