I saw my first back-to-school commercial over the weekend. No matter how long it’s been since you’ve graduated, seeing back-to-school ads immediately infects you with melancholy. Shake that off with some summery songs (that nonetheless herald albums coming out after the summer is over.)
1. Giant Rooks, Morning Blue
Single (Mercury/Republic)
Recommended If You Like: German alt-pop
Giant Rocks have been a going concern in Germany for a while now thanks to their debut album, Rocky, which featured number three on the domestic charts. Their first North American tour is set for late this fall, which includes stops in Toronto and Montreal in early December. Expect more hype from their record company in the coming weeks.
2. The 1975, Part of the Band
Being Funny in a Foreign Language (Dirty Hit)
RIYL: Songs that are slightly neurotic
And unpredictable as Forest Gump’s box of chocolates, The 1975 never fails to surprise. In this case, it’s a decidedly un-hyperactive song that won’t necessarily have fans screaming the chorus. That’s not a knock on Matt Healey and the crew, though. In fact, it’s nice to see a band that constantly challenges their audience with an ever-evolving sound. The band’s fifth album will be here on October 14.
3. Beach Weather, Sex, Drugs, Etc
Chit Chat EP (Arista)
RIYL: Floating on a low-key vibe
After announcing a hiatus in 2017, Beach Weather (a trio, all with roots at the Berklee College of Music in Boston) has returned with a song that sounds fantastic on a hot, humid summer evening. “Fuzzy pop” is how they describe what they do. I’ll buy that.
4. The Flatliners, Souvenir
New Ruin, (Dine Alone)
RIYL: Melodic punk rock from Canada
Growly, accessible, punk (think Sum 41) from a band that was established in Richmond Hill in 2002. They’re signed to Dine Alone here in Canada and are part of Fat Mike’s Fat Wreck Chords in the US. They’re touring through Europe for the rest of the summer but will be back to play a bunch of Canadian dates before Christmas.
Tegan and Sara, Yellow
Crybaby (Mom+Pop Music)
RIYL: Twin power
Is this really T&S’s tenth album? Yep. They’ve been making music for 22 years now. Crybaby arrives October 12 and is introduced by this song that Sara says “was written after we began to take steps to heal the bruises we have both carried with us since adolescence and early adulthood – wounds that never quite healed right and flare up seasonally, sending us spiraling backward in time. Are we doomed to remain forever 15, breaking up and breaking apart? I hope not.” The video was shot at home in Vancouver.
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