Exclusive: No Stranger’s ‘Haste’ Will Remind You Just How Cold Winter Really Is
Photo by the one and only Emily Dubin Written by Joel Funk
Jonathan Cooney is No Stranger. No Stranger is the kind of band that reminds you just how cold the Winter really is. They have a new EP called ‘Haste’ that is being released through our friends at Table Three Media. While No Stranger is an acoustic act, this collection of songs feels entirely fleshed out and will warm the heart of even the most stoic human beings.
Cooney’s voice is so sweet and smooth that the morose tone of the lyrical content doesn’t jump out at you. However, once it hits you, it’s basically game over. You’re probably already overcome by the sheer beauty of these tracks and that biting sadness will be the drop that breaks the levee. I need you to believe me when I say that I’ve been there, and more recently than I would care to admit.
I’m thrilled to be sharing these two incredible songs with you guys. A full stream of ‘Haste’ can be found below.
I can’t remember how I first heard about Gin War, but hindsight is telling me that I should have paid a little more attention to ‘Half of a Good Plan’ than I did last year. When I listen to that record, it’s not hard for me to see why it fell so flat for me. It’s not because the songs are bad. In fact, a lot of what they got right on ‘Half of a Good Plan’ is what makes the songs on ‘Piece of Moon’ feel as flourished as they do. The reason that ‘Half of a Good Plan’ wasn’t a record I came back to was because the songs felt, for lack of a better word, neon. These songs feel like they could have been featured on an early The Maine record. I’m not going to even try and discredit anything The Maine have done, they’ve have written some stellar pop songs, but it wasn’t anything that I was actively looking for in music.
It’s always been clear that Gin War can write one hell of a soaring chorus. That’s the one trait I’m glad was carried over onto ‘Piece of Moon.’ These five songs feel like the natural next for them. There is a distinct Americana vibe that seems to stem from the Jersey scene that I can’t help but love. You can hear it when you listen to Run For Cover’s newest signee Pinegrove, and it’s made it’s way into this new batch of Gin War songs. This sound is at its most concentrated on the first song of the EP. “Cement” is a fuzzy pop song with a chorus simple enough to find itself stuck in your head, but not simple enough to sound like droning.
It’s the kind of pop that I grew up with. See, I was a product of Myspace and shamelessly found myself singing along to the entirety of that one A Rocket To The Moon LP for far too long. I found solace in the fact that it was pop music that required the use of guitars and drums, but that didn’t mean the songs were any less corny (See: Mr. Right). While there’s nothing quite that unforgivable on ‘Piece of Moon,’ I will say that “Still Mine” came pretty close. It’s cute, and I can see a younger audience swooning over this song, but I’m glad that it’s only just over a minute long.
“Can’t Survive” is my favorite song on ‘Piece of Moon.’ I don’t know if I just have a soft spot for closing tracks or if bands just like to save the best song for last, but this is the same spot I find a lot of my favorite songs fall into. It feels like a culmination of the four songs that preceded it. It’s got the same feeling as “Cement” with a much more toned down version of the cheese-factor of “Still Mine.” It’s a strong way to close the record, and both Gin War and Quiet Fire Media should be proud of this collection of songs. They seem to have a knack for working with bands that blow up almost immediately after (see: A Will Away), so I can only imagine what the future has in store for Gin War. Hopefully we’ll get a killer LP of these sweet Jersey pop songs.
We’ve talked about Brave Season before. When we last spoke, I talked about how this band has channeled the kind of nervous energy that has become the staple of bands like Modern Baseball and attached to the same raucous and energetic styling of a band like Tiny Moving Parts. That all still holds true, which is a huge part of why I’m so excited to work with them.
As part of what they’re calling a Singles Series, Brave Season is going to release a small collection of songs similar to how Into It. Over it. did with their 12 Weeks project, without any real theme. We’re excited to share the first series of songs, called “Toyota Corolla” and “Ongoing Dispute.” It’s a beautiful collection of songs that reeks of soft indie rock influence. You can stream the two songs below, and be sure to keep an eye out for more incredible new singles to come.
Premiere: Sistine hit the ground running with ‘Right Now, I’m Numb Inside’
Written by Joel Funk
Sistine is an emo band from New Jersey that you’re all going to want to start paying attention to. This is what I would imagine it would sound like if Armor For Sleep had followed a similar path to the one Citizen is currently on. What I mean by that is that all in the same breath the music is somber and sweeping, much like the Citizen songs of late, the lyrics and vocals feel like they could have been torn from ‘What To Do When You Are Dead.’ If that’s not enough to draw you in, I suggest you go watch their music video for “Tired” and then make your way back here.
Sistine will be releasing a new EP called ‘Right Now, I’m Numb Inside,’ and I can promise you that it will leave you feeling anything but. You can feel all of the heart that has been poured into these tracks, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see this EP garner them a fair amount of well-deserved attention. This is why I couldn’t be more excited to share this release with you guys a few days ahead of the release.
You can listen to all of ‘Right Now, I’m Numb Inside’ after the cut.
I don’t know that I will be able to accurately express how much I love Petal’s debut album. It is soft and emotional, but packs enough of an oomph to make an impact. It’s another release to be added to a slew of incredible fall albums this year.
Be sure to pre-order ‘Shame’ which is out on October 23rd here.
RE: Wishing I could just stop wishing I was punk rock
Written by Joel Funk Edited By Caitlin Kohn
I’ve seen a lot of people in the scene that are either my age or just a little older that have seemed to (quite literally) fall back at shows. The blame is assigned to bad backs, weak knees, adult responsibilities, or any other myriad of completely logical culprits. Sure, I understand it. Hell, I even gave it a shot pretty recently. On Friday, May 22nd, I saw You Me and Everyone We Know, Daisyhead, and Future Crooks in Poughkeepsie and decided to give this thing a go.
I’ll even go so far as to admit that watching from the back of a venue as small as The Loft doesn’t make a tremendous literal difference, but a difference is still made. I was able to enjoy Future Crooks from the back end of a venue, sing along to the songs in the set list that I did know, and actually talk to the people I came with. It was a different experience than I was used to for sure...and I didn’t hate it. So, I let it continue through most of Daisyhead’s set.
I watched Daisyhead perform from the merch tables. I was half paying attention while eyeing the merch I knew I would be leaving with. They were great, but lacked a lot of crowd interaction besides asking about how to pronounce Poughkeepsie (Puh-Kip-See) at the beginning of their set. This adopted mindset worked out well for me here, because I can’t imagine how I would have felt being pressed against the stage for a set that I wasn’t totally invested in.
In the back of my head, I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to watch You Me and Everyone We Know play from the back of the venue. I meandered to the front of the stage as kids shifted from the stage to merch. I’m sure that the same people I see praising this back of the venue shift have similar exceptions. I had to be at the front so that I could pour my heart out to these guys and sing/yell back every single word to every single song until I could feel my voice start to fade.
I didn’t care about having to work the next day or that my ears were still ringing when I clocked in. What I cared about was the set, the band, and making sure they were clear that they mean the world to me. I mean, that is the point of it all, right?
When I left the show, the people I went with teased (as expected) about just how into the set I was. Like I said, I can only imagine what a jackass I must have looked like during the set. If the way I felt was any indication of how I looked, I’m glad I could put on a show for them. The thing is: as Ben [Liebsch, vocalist]’s energy just seemed to increase, I subconsciously felt the need to match it. The crazier he got, the louder I sang and the more I just let go.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he performed from the crowd and made the whole experience feel incredibly intimate, but this was without a doubt the best show of my life.
So, will I be re-visiting the back of the venue in the near future? Absolutely. It allows for me to enjoy the bands I came to see without having to compete with kids or be held against the stage for bands that I don’t care for. I can pay attention when I want to and socialize when I don’t. It’s a great place to view the show as an adult, but it will never replace being right in the front of things and getting crazy with a band that you love.
The tl;dr version of this is as follows.
Enjoying the set from the back of the venue is fine and great. I completely understand why more and more of my peers have started this shift at this point in their lives, but don’t be afraid to let your love for the music take precedence every once in a while. The memories you make in that moment will outweigh the backaches. Believe me.
The boycott of Pure Noise Records: a tricky situation
Written by Joel Funk
Yes, we are aware of the horrid circumstances surrounding Pure Noise Records and two musicians that were briefly associated with the label. I published my stance on the constant, disheartening rally of support for the musicians in a piece called “Let’s Talk: He’s a goody guy, he would never -- Rape Culture in 2015.”
I’ve seen a lot of people call for a Boycott of Pure Noise Records. I admire the tenacity. However, there are bands and artists on this label that I love and support, and their only means of exit would be to break up and reform. Nobody wants that. I will continue to post about certain bands on the label, and I will be including a link to this very page before the “Keep Reading” of each and every post associated with Pure Noise Records.
I want to be clear: I am not apologizing or advocating for Pure Noise Records. These circumstances are horrid and I would love to see the bands I love move on to another label of some sort. Alas, only so much can change.
Each post that I make regarding bands signed to this label will contain the following disclaimer (or something similar).
Attention: In light of recent controversy, you can read about why we’ve chosen to not boycott Pure Noise Records here.
Because of that, I will be including a link to this post on all future articles in which we discuss Pure Noise or the bands associated with the label. Below is, once again, a link that provides an incredible resource. A page with the definition and examples of PROPER CONSENT. As in what it means and what it looks/sounds like.
What is consent?
Consent is never implied and cannot be assumed, even in the context of a relationship. Just because you are in a relationship does not mean that you have permission to have sex with your partner
I would like to once again thank the University of Georgia for this article. You can read the rest of “Consent Is Sexy” here.
Spring is the timeframe in which everything starts to feel renewed. The harsh disparity of winter has finally been shed, and life is starting to be seen again. The warmth of the sun on our skin always feels better than we remember, and shakes us out of the tumultuous mindset that months of sheer cold tend to leave us in. We begin to pine for the feeling of ease and lightheartedness, and music is always an incredible place to begin that journey. Music has always been there for me in times of transition, and I know that it always will be. In terms of the changing of the seasons, the style of music I’m consuming usually changes.
I wouldn’t say that I hop between genres, so much as stylistic differences within the genres that I’m already consuming. For instance, every season has it’s go to album in my library. Winter has The Hotelier’s ‘Home Like Noplace Is There’, Fall has Moose Blood’s ‘I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time to Time’, Summer has I Can See Mountains’ ‘Life On A Houseboat’, and until recently, Spring had been left empty. So, I won't go so far as to say that hearing Nai Harvest’s new album ‘Hairball’ when I did was fate, but it couldn’t have happened at a better time.
Last July, Nai Harvest released a split with Playlounge that featured a song called “Buttercups.” This wasn’t the first Nai Harvest song to hit my ears, but it was the one that made me want to start paying attention. The version of the song on the split sounds a little rougher than the album recording, but the effect is still very much there. This song just feels good and if the riffy backbone of the song doesn’t draw you in, hopefully the lyrics will. There’s just something about that chorus of “I just wanna know what it feels like/Take me to the place where it’s alright/Lend me a hand and watch me run/I don’t wanna feel like a lowlife/Stab me in the chest with your knife/Fill me up again with buttercups” that feels absolutely magical.
The vocals on this record are the best that I’ve heard from Nai Harvest, and that has played a huge role in why I keep coming back to this record. I keep describing their sound as “Oasis...but actually talented”, which has earned me just enough flack as it has agreeance. They both boast this nasally delivery that will either be hit or miss with a lot of listeners, but a lot of the songs on ‘Hairball’ could very easily win initial naysayers over. Album opener “Spin” is a great example. This is our first taste of the crisp production this record has, and then you’re hit with those vocals and everything just falls into place. If you’re not singing along on repeat listens, I feel for you, because you’re missing out on an incredible record.
There are songs on here that feel like bonafide radio hits. They feel like songs that you could turn all the way up, with the windows down, and drive aimlessly with friends while listening too. It’s a very specific feeling, but it exists on this album. The songs in question are “Melanie”, “Ocean of Madness”, and “Gimme Gimme.”
The first of the three is uptempo and feels chaotic at times as it begs for you to sing along. The chorus repeats the simple “You want it/You need it/You love it” that will be stuck in your head in a matter of seconds. Towards the middle of the song, we’ve got the stark and simple “Melanie, I want to be free” that practically begs for listeners to be yell/singing along too.
“Ocean of Madness” is the best song that Nai Harvest has ever written. The opening riff feels like a culmination of influences spanning the indie pop they now write, to the twinkly and well crafted stylings of modern emo. The verses feel bouncy and fun and lead you into the huge chorus of this song. It’s the easiest to sing along to, and with lines like “Don’t let me drown in an ocean of madness/I want to swim in an ocean of you” only help make the case for this band to explode. There’s no reason for this song to not hit airwaves. It’s huge, it’s catchy, and it’s written well enough that kids that love pop music would eat it up in a heartbeat.
“Gimme Gimme” is just fun. You don’t even need to pay attention to the rest of the lyrics, because once you realize that the “Gimme Gimme” is going to start almost every line of the song, you just surrender to the vibe. The song is carefree and fun. It feels just as full of life as those sunbeams that kiss your arms. ‘Hairball’ should see Nai Harvest being hailed as some of the best songwriters in their genre, because this album is just hit after hit after hit.
I’m still surprised at just how much I truly enjoy ‘Hairball.’ Nai Harvest wasn’t even a blip on the radar for me until this album cycle, and now, they’ve been welcomed into my seasonal rotation. This band is going to go places. Like I’ve already said, there’s no reason that at least one of these songs shouldn’t see the airwaves. Nai Harvest can write a mean pop song, and I hope the world is ready for them, because they show no signs of slowing down. 5/5
