This week’s FNS is loaded with tunes that have caught my ear over the past couple of weeks, and a few killer mailbag submissions. Sit back, hit play and enjoy. Friday’s here!
Lovelytheband – “Broken”
This is a song that dropped in mid-2017, and is starting to gain serious traction on rock radio. It’s a song that initially could be shrugged off as an ad jingle, but it will burrow its way deep into your psyche. It’s a song that is dark, poppy, and infectious, and will keep you clamouring for more. The repeat button was made for tracks such as Lovelytheband’s “Broken”.
Panic! at the Disco – “Say Amen! (It’s Saturday Night)”
Brandon Urie for our UItra-Violent Bond please. I’m surprised that Urie and the Panic! guys don’t have a tongue extruding from their cheek, as this unexpected send-up of your typical too-cool super spy flick pairs unexpectedly well with their latest slice of power-pop greatness. This is a serious jam from a band that is only now starting to fully realize their potential. Much like Fallout Boy did a couple of years ago, it’s now Panic! At the Disco’s turn.
Daniel Wesley – “Oooh Ohhh”
For whatever reason, Daniel Wesley never seems to get any airplay out here on the East Coast, but if you harness the power of the interweb and tune into The Peak FM out in Vancouver, you would find Wesley is an artist you would commonly hear on their airwaves. I can’t explain why his hazy, Sublime-esque indie pop tunes haven’t struck a chord here, as they are infectious summery gems. We seriously need to give this singer-songwriter some East Coast support, and maybe, just maybe, we can lure the sunshine out with more tunes like these.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise – “Devil Like Me”
With a meme-bait name like Rainbow Kitten Surprise, you better come correct with the special recipe of 11 herbs and spices. And wouldn’t you know it, this unusual alt-indie rock collective has all 11 herbs and more than a few spices tossed in for good measure. The band’s sound is a little Sir Sly, a little Glass Animals, with a healthy dose of Portugal. The Man. It’s unusual, but not exclusively so, there is an obtuse accessibility that will send you down into a Youtube spiral so deep that you’ll devour the band’s entire catalogue and covers before you surface again.
Hillsburn – “Young Desire”
Speaking of jams, this cut from Hillsburn’s latest LP The Wilder Beyond is nothing if not a massive jam. This speaks to our seemingly endless appetite for nostalgia, but it also encapsulates the pure positive joy that you experience at a Hillsburn show. This makes me think back to seeing the band the very first time at the Seahorse, expecting a somewhat traditional Maritime sound, and getting anything but. It was a show that slapped a grin across my face halfway through the second song, and kept it there for the entire set. If you need to know what it’s like to see Hillsburn live, this is the closest you’re going to get without actually being there.
Ellevator – “Voices”
There are plenty of songs that come and go, and once in a while, there will be one which will cause your ears to perk up. Ellevator’s “Voices” is certainly one of those songs, and while I fell in love with front-woman Nabi Sue Bersche’s sweet nuanced sound back on the band’s track “St. Cecilia” (when they were going by The Medicine Hat), this is yet another track loaded with sweet, ear-pleasing tones that should be pouring from speakers Coast to Coast.
First Ghost – “Burnt Out”
First off, I would just like to say how much I enjoy the band First Ghost’s name, the entire idea of being that First Ghost just conjures a slew of philosophical ideas of what that must have been like, and raises a question or two about how long that first ghost had to wait before there was a second, but I digress. The band’s latest track “Burnt Out” is a fantastic post-emo pop-rock gem, it is hooky and chalk full of goodness; with its velvet smooth production, it just washes over you like a warm blanket fresh from the dryer. At times it reminds me of Harvey Danger, with a healthy dose of Warped Tour during their pop-punk years. Well worth a listen .
