#matt singer

[browsethestacks]

Marvel’s Spider-Man: From Amazing To Spectacular

Written by Matt Singer Cover Art by Andrew Robinson

[930club]

GET FAMILIAR: Week of April 29, 2019

COMING SOON: The Dream Syndicate

Release Title: These Times (LP)

Release Date: Friday, May 3, 2019

What To Expect: Pioneers of the Paisley Underground and practitioners of neo-psychedelia, LA rockers The Dream Syndicate are back in a big way after taking a decades-long hiatus from 1989-2012. The one constant throughout the many reincarnations of the band has been the captivating voice of frontman Steve Wynn, who has been backed by an ever-changing cast of characters since the departure of founding member Kendra Smith in 1984. The group’s current lineup features lead guitarist Jason Victor, bassist Mark Walton, and Dennis Duck on drums, and they’re gearing up to release their second project since a triumphant comeback in 2012, a full-length album titled These Days.

The record’s latest single, “The Way In,” starts with a bang. A slickly-strummed guitar riff kicks things off before Wynn’s instantly recognizable twang cuts through his bandmates’ driving instruments and angelic harmonies, singing:

“Working hard, against the underwriter Got a dog in the fight, But I’m a lover not a fighter And we can’t begin, until we find a way in”

It’s a biting track with distorted rhythms and a vintage Steve Wynn break down that will give any original Dream Syndicate fan the chills. The group seems to have been influenced by a variety of genres and sounds on the track, and the other two lead singles, “Black Light” and “Put Some Miles On,” display a similarly more modern touch as well. The Dream Syndicate looks to deliver another classic album with These Times. Snag a copy this Friday and catch The Dream Syndicate a week from then on Friday, May 10 when they take the stage at U Street Music Hall — get tickets here.

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LOCAL LEGENDS: The Experience

Release Title: “The Get Down” feat. Soduh (Music Video)

Release Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019

What To Expect: Hailing from our nation’s capital and paying homage to his roots in go-go and gospel, rapper-singer-songwriter The Experience is putting his own soulful spin on the sounds that built the DMV’s music scene. Born into a household full of musicians, a young EXP often found himself singing in his grandmother’s church choir on Sundays or tagging along to his father’s late-night gigs with legendary go-go bands Heaven Sent and Arye Rayde. His early introduction to music eventually inspired him to pick up the drums at the age of two and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Experience’s irresistibly bouncy sound seamlessly blends together elements of hip-hop, funk, and R&B. Last Thursday, he released “The Get Down,” the hip-shaking lead single from his forthcoming debut EP. The track is sure to make you want to let loose and features a smooth verse from Baltimore’s own Soduh, who dropped a project himself last Saturday titled Top Croc. The Experience unexpectedly shared a trailer for the music video today, and the clip shows a lively scene of partygoers getting down to the smooth flows of the two DMV spitters. The lostartistry-directed video seems like it’ll be the perfect complement to the undeniably funky single. Keep your eyes peeled for the visuals this Thursday.

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WILD CARD: Still Woozy 

Release Title: Lately EP (EP)

Release Date: Friday, May 3, 2019

What To Expect: Sven Gamsky, better known by his stage name Still Woozy, is one quirky dude. From his outrageous, and sometimes disturbing, album artwork to his wacky onstage dance moves, he oozes originality. The Oakland, CA native is constantly pushing the limits of his art, and he does so through careful consideration and terrific execution.

His biggest hit to date, the ridiculously groovy “Goodie Bag,” blew up almost overnight (thanks in part to its wildly popular music video), and currently holds over 31 million streams on Spotify alone. At the beginning of April, he released “Lava”, his first artistic output in nearly eight months, while simultaneously unveiling a striking new blue hairdo to match. He’s back to his old tricks on the track with his drawn-out, sing-songy vocals and his trademark boogielicious basslines. Here’s to hoping the rest of the Lately EP follows suit when it drops on Friday. If it does, we may be remembering 2019 as the summer of Still Woozy.

WEBSITE ● TWITTER ● FACEBOOK ● MUSIC

- Matt Singer

[930club]

GET FAMILIAR: Week of March 18, 2019

COMING SOON: Wallows

Release Title: Nothing Happens (LP)

Release Date: Friday, March 22, 2019

What To Expect: With two lead singers, a member with a hit Netflix show under his belt, and collaborations with some of today’s most exciting stars, indie rock three-piece Wallows are forging their own path in a genre that has at times been accused of being stagnant and repetitive. The trio have been playing together for over 10 years, which is quite the feat considering that none of the three are older than 24. This familiarity with each other’s abilities has led to a cohesive, refined sound that makes for some incredible music, particularly 2017’s smash-hit “Pleaser,” which landed at #2 on Spotify’s Viral 50 Global chart.

When they announced that their much-anticipated debut album, Nothing Happens, would be dropping sometime this year, fans everywhere rejoiced. They’ve put out three singles from the album so far and all three serve as impressive previews of what’s to come.  “Scrawny” is a self-aware track reminiscent of The Strokes in their heyday, while “Sidelines” is a sing-songy tune with sonic undertones thanks to the band’s expert incorporation of various electronic elements, and “Are You Bored Yet?,” which features Clairo, beautifully encapsulates what it’s like to navigate the feelings of insecurity that can sometimes rear their ugly head in a relationship. The band is looking to make a statement with Nothing Happens, and their West Coast-influenced brand of alternative music makes them a group to watch for years to come.

Catch Wallows at 9:30 Club on Tuesday, May 7 - tickets are going fast, so get them while you can!

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LOCAL LEGENDS: Scorpio

Release Title: afterthought (EP)

Release Date: Saturday, March 23, 2019

What To Expect: 

Boston-born multi-instrumentalist Alli Vega is no novice when it comes to the DC music scene. After years of playing with DIY mainstays Lavender and Mystery Friends, Vega is gearing up to unveil her solo project, Scorpio, with the release of her debut EP, afterthought, this Friday.

“This EP was really cathartic to make, it ebbs and flows between chill self reflection and nervous energy,” says Vega. It was made for “riding into the sunset in your ‘80s Camaro after dropping out of school and leaving your ex on your way to start a new life on the West Coast.” It came together across countless late-night studio sessions with friends and frequent collaborators, and the result is a fantastically introspective work of art. afterthought features masterfully-layered harmonies that ooze with emotion, and her ability to convey these feelings through her ethereal guitar solos  and soul-baring lyrics makes for quite the listening experience. It’s about breakups, “falling out with friends, falling out of place at a party,” and wanting to get it all out, you know, things we can all relate to. Keep your eyes peeled for the EP’s drop this Friday and make sure that Scorpio is on your list of DMV artists to watch in 2019.

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WILD CARD: Pell

Release Title: Bitch Ass

Release Date: Friday, March 22, 2019

What To Expect: From being forced to relocate from New Orleans to Jackson, Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a child, to bursting onto the scene due to a somewhat unexpected cosign and remix of his song “Eleven:11” by G-Eazy in 2015, Jared Pellerin has been on quite the wild ride. Especially when you consider the fact that the slick-spitting rapper, professionally known as Pell, is still three months shy of his twenty-seventh birthday.

Pell’s last project, 2017’s girasoul, was met with critical acclaim and its standout track, “throwback” featuring Chicago’s Saba, puts his uncanny double-time ability on full display. His uniquely recognizable voice and delivery style allow him to effortlessly traverse multiple genres, and in 2018, we saw him collaborating on Brasstracks’ single “Vibrant” as well as with DJ NIGHTMRE on a two-song EP titled Magic Hour. Fans have been patiently waiting for the follow-up to girasoul since its release, and last Wednesday, their prayers were answered with a single tweet from Pell’s account: “New Music. Bitch Ass. 3.22. presave.io/t/bitchass.” It’s still unclear whether it will be a single or an entirely new project, but based off his recent experimentation with sounds and genres, one can only imagine that we’ll be seeing an exciting new side to Pell’s music that is the cumulation of two years of new experiences for one of NOLA’s brightest young stars. Check out Bitch Ass this Friday and see for yourself what Pell has up his sleeve!

WEBSITE ● TWITTER ● FACEBOOK ● MUSIC

- Matt Singer

[930club]

GGET FAMILIAR: Week of April 22, 2019

COMING SOON: AJR

Release Title: NEOTHEATER (LP)

Release Date: Friday, April 26, 2019

What To Expect: According to their Spotify profile, “AJR feature the talents of the Met brothers, Adam (vocals/bass), Jack (vocals/guitar), and Ryan (guitar/piano/vocals), who grew up in New York and got their start busking around the city.” The electronic-influenced indie-pop power trio lean on their tight familial bonds and abundance of talent to pump out smash hits that help them gain popularity by the second. 

The band has come a long way from their humble beginnings of first recording in their at-home studio built in their parents’ living room to racking up over 390,000,000 streams alone on their song “Weak” and having a Rivers Cuomo- assisted tune in 2017’s “Sober Up.” It’s been an incredible rise to the top that couldn’t have happened to three nicer guys, with the group even lending their song “Burn The House Down” to the March For Our Lives campaign last year to help effect change on their own terms. As Ilana Kaplan wrote in Rolling Stone, “The energetic track, meant to reflect the current American political climate, has been adopted by [the campaign], appearing in the announcement video for the organization’s ongoing Road to Change tour.”

These three brothers will continue to dominate the airwaves when their next album NEOTHEATER hits shelves this Friday. 

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LOCAL LEGENDS: Soduh

Release Title: TOP CROC (LP)

Release Date: Saturday, April 27, 2019

What To Expect: You have to earn your keep in Baltimore, and the city’s residents can sniff out a phony in no time. For the last few years, Baltimore’s buzzing hip-hop scene has been consistently pumping out gritty, grimy hits that reflect the blue-collar mentality of Charm City. At the forefront of this new wave of young, hungry MCs is Soduh, AKA The Alligator.

His snarled lyrics and smoothly-delivered flows paint a hyper-realistic picture of a city that’s still struggling to cope with its demons. Despite all the issues facing his hometown, Soduh still sees a light at the end of the tunnel for East Baltimore. He uses his platform to speak truth to the things he sees on a daily basis and to showcase the city’s vibrant culture, “from the way we walk, talk, the chicken boxes we eat, to the beautiful neighborhoods where the most ugliest things happen in” (Noisey). His next project, TOP CROC, is dropping this Saturday. Expect an album of trapped-out songs that touch on the trials and tribulations of daily life in Baltimore, and expect the city’s Top Croc to make his presence felt all summer 2019.

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WILD CARD: Yeek

Release Title: “Too Fast” (Single)

Release Date: Friday, April 26, 2019

What To Expect: South Florida’s own Yeek lets it be known that he isn’t here for standing in place on the opening of his insanely catchy single “Shake,” proclaiming:

“Let’s shake (hey!) Let’s take a ride (yo!) I’m not (hey!) Made out of time (yo!)”

Writing for Pigeons & Planes, Graham Corrigan said, “[Yeek] is an artist born from [the] DIY SoundCloud culture who's been writing, producing, and mixing a unique collection of heartfelt indie-rock songs for years,” and the musician’s sincere songwriting and willingness to be vulnerable allows his music to connect deeply with his fans.

He makes music that resonates with any millennial still trying to figure out this whole thing called life. Like on the mellowed-out “I’m Not Ready,” where he effortlessly details the hilarity that ensues at his local stop of the phenomena that is Emo Nite, while simultaneously talking through his thoughts of not feeling ready for the commitments that come with a serious relationship. The duality of his songs shows a maturity rarely seen by someone his age, and his many talents should take him far.

He took to Instagram last week to announce his next work, a song titled “Too Fast,” will be dropping this Friday with a video to match. 

WEBSITE ● TWITTER ● FACEBOOK ● MUSIC

- Matt Singer

[930club]

GET FAMILIAR: Weeks of May 13 and May 20, 2019

COMING SOON: Amyl and The Sniffers

Release Title: Amyl and The Sniffers (LP)

Release Date: Friday, May 24, 2019

What To Expect: The legend of Australian pub punk outfit Amyl and The Sniffers grows exponentially by the day, and the group enjoys a rapidly growing fanbase thanks to an enticingly raw sound and their notoriously high-octane live sets. Fronted by Amy Taylor and featuring Bryce Wilson on drums, Dec Martens on guitar, and Gus Romer on bass, these four Aussies are sure to be setting the standard for what it truly means to be punk for a new generation of rockers. The founding members of Taylor, Wilson, and Mertens “formed the band, wrote a handful of tunes and released their debut EP, Giddy Up, all in a span of twelve hours,” (Damaged Goods, 2018) and the group has been on a nonstop climb to superstardom ever since.

Fresh off a support slot on King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s tour last summer, the intense foursome is back with a yet another rowdy single titled “Got You” that serves as the first glimpse of what to expect from their debut, self-titled studio album, which is set to drop on Friday, May 24. The song starts with a bang as Taylor’s distinctly accented twang pours over her bandmates’ hard-driving instruments, declaring:

“You look nice as all dressed-up, A classy bloke with a half-full cup, but I came out, just for you, I’ve got you

Beer in the cupboard, your eyes to mine You skip my cues, and my lines Buy me a drink and my eyes glaze over (I got you)”

After one listen, it’s easy to see why Amyl and The Sniffers have been pegged as the world’s next great punk group, and judging by the way their upcoming headlining tour has been so well-received to this point, it appears as if people from every corner of the globe have also begun to take notice.

They’re rough, they’re tough, and they know how to get a party started. Catch Amyl and The Sniffers at U Street Music Hall on Tuesday, July 16 - snatch up your tickets now before it’s too late.

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LOCAL LEGENDS: Static Res

Release Title: “Rotary” (Single)

Release Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2019

What To Expect: Ohio-via-Maryland rapper/producer Static Res has been steadily building a name for himself thanks to his willingness to attack any beat that comes his way and his refreshingly vulnerable take on songwriting. His delivery style is calculated and even-keeled, but make no mistake - his bars pack a punch thanks to his uncanny ability to put words to some of life’s most complex situations.

He finished off 2018 with the release of Be Good, a project that saw Res spitting over dreamy beats and reflecting on how much he’s grown from the experiences he’s had, both positive and negative, throughout the years. After remaining relatively quiet since the drop of the LP, he came back in a big way in 2019 with two slowed-down bangers in “Nostalgic” and “Zero.” The latter sees him “[strip] down to the fundamentals of his being over the soothing backdrop provided by [producer] EricDawns,” (Earmilk, 2019) and is another shining example of his personal, self-aware lyricism. Static Res is planning on dropping a new single titled “Purple” on Tuesday, May 21, and we’re planning on having it on repeat all next week. Get hip to one of the DMV’s most exciting up-and-coming MCs.

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WILD CARD: Injury Reserve

Release Title: Injury Reserve (LP)

Release Date: Friday, May 17, 2019

What To Expect: Standing at the forefront of Arizona’s still emerging hip-hop scene is Injury Reserve, a ragtag trio of friends who are laying the foundation for what it means to make rap music using their instincts. There have been virtually no established acts from their part of the country thus far, so the group has had to put their DIY mentality into  overdrive time and time again while fine-tuning their brash, in-your-face style over the years. The IR team has always been one to take matters into their own hands when it comes to maintaining control over the artistic expression of their music; from recording their debut work, Live From The Dentist Office, in an actual dentist’s office to creating a slew of high-energy, low-budget videos to accompany all three of the singles they’ve put out in advance of the drop of their next effort, a self-titled album slated to come out this Friday on Loma Vista Recordings.

Each of the three members of Injury Reserve brings something different to the table. There’s Steppa T. Groggs, the elder statesmen who serves as a mentor to his groupmates and uses his mastery of wordplay to expertly tell a new story with each verse. Then there’s the always charismatic Ritchie With A T, the group’s undeniable spiritual leader, whose tight bars flow effortlessly over the trippy, sometimes anxiety-inducing beats of producer Parker Corey. Stereogum may have said it best in a March interview with the group, describing them as “three misfits who looked and sounded nothing like each other, carving out a hodgepodge discography with its own distinct contours.” Injury Reserve serves as a case study of what good can come to artists who stay true to themselves, and the release of the Injury Reserve album should serve as another captivating chapter in the story of the American Southwest’s first great experimental hip-hop collective.

WEBSITE ● TWITTER ● FACEBOOK ● MUSIC

- Matt Singer

[930club]

GET FAMILIAR: Week of February 11, 2019

Welcome to Get Familiar, a breakdown of the standout music releases you should be on the lookout for in the week ahead! Posts will feature three releases that will be placed into the following categories: Coming Soon, Local Legends, and Wild Cards. The “Coming Soon” category will highlight an artist whose tour will be touching down in DC sometime in the near future, while “Local Legends” will feature artists hailing from the DMV, and “Wild Cards” will showcase a release that the Half-Past team is beyond stoked about!

Check back each week on Monday to find your next favorite artist and to be the first to know about the latest drops from those who are already in heavy rotation in your headphones. Get familiar, and get to listening!

COMING SOON: SWMRS

Release Title: Berkley’s On Fire (LP)

Release Date: Friday, February 15, 2019

What To Expect: Oakland natives SWMRS have always been different. They’re a little too pop to be punk, and are far too radical to be labeled anything close to mainstream. The group started in 2015 when drummer Joey Armstrong and singer Cole Becker  recruited Becker’s brother, Max, to play bass. Armstrong is the son of Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, but with Becker on vocals, the band sounds more reminiscent of The Ramones than dad’s punk outfit. They eventually brought their friend Sebastian Mueller into the fold to take over on bass and Max switched to lead guitar, forming the foundation for a rock band the likes of which hadn’t been seen before.

They announced the coming of their second studio-album, Berkeley’s On Fire, in late 2018. It was announced with a lead single of the same name that shows a rawer, almost anarchistic side of the group. The third and final single before the album’s release, “Trashbag Baby,” was met with critical acclaim and starts with a bang, as Cole slyly delivers the song’s opening line, “First off, I hate you / The words cut through her lips like a Japanese knife.” The variation displayed between the two tracks and with second single “April In Houston” should excite both longtime and new fans alike. With a world tour to match, it seems this album will help solidify the band as a force to be reckoned with for years to come. 

Catch SWMRS at 9:30 Club on Sunday, April 7th — tickets available here.

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LOCAL LEGENDS: The Colonies

Release Title: Bound to be Something Good (LP)

Release Date: Friday, February 15, 2019

What To Expect: Labeling DC-based band The Colonies as “college rock” would technically be a fair characterization due to its members’ current status as college seniors at George Washington University. But at the same time, you may just be grossly underestimating the true potential of this jamming quartet. Sure, the four met in their dorm freshman year. They even played their first gig in the basement of that very same dorm! Since, they’ve put out two full length albums in the past three years and are primed to make their presence felt in the DC scene and beyond with the release of their next album, Bound To Be Something Good.

So far, they’ve put out three singles from the project in advance of its release. The standout of the three is the title track, which showcases a more refined sound to the group’s own brand of bouncy indie rock. The LP comes out this Friday, and it’s one every DMV native should give a listen!

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WILD CARD: Wicca Phase Springs Eternal

Release Title: Suffer On (LP)

Release Date: Friday, February 15, 2019

What To Expect: Most people know Scranton, Pennsylvania as the set of beloved TV-series The Office, but it may soon be known for being the hometown of emo-rap prodigy Wicca Phase Springs Eternal if the young upstart has anything to say about it. After first bursting onto the scene in 2017 on the late Lil Peep’s single “Absolute in Doubt,” Wicca Phase kept up the momentum of his newfound recognition by releasing a slew of singles and EPs with his fellow GOTHBOICLIQUE members. He was recently named in “The NME 100: Essential Artists To Watch in 2019,” and aims to continue his rise to the top with the release of his next project, Suffer On, through Boston-based label Run For Cover Records.

The LP is scheduled to drop this Friday, and is sure to serve as a stepping stone to stardom for Wicca Phase if the 10-song album follows suit with its lead singles “Rest” and “Just One Thing.” Both songs boast brooding beats that feature strummed guitar riffs and hard-slapping kicks, sitting somewhere in between Yung Lean and emo-lords of yesteryear My Chemical Romance. On the ominous “Just One Thing,” the rapper shows signs of hope and a yearning for something more with lines like, “How do we make our love grow? I forget / Tell me what you need from me to reconnect.” There’s an honesty and sincerity to his lyrics that make the listener relate in ways they probably weren’t expecting when the first 808 hits. If Wicca Phase has proven anything to this point, though, it’s that there’s more to him than meets the eye.

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- Matt Singer

[thesandpiper]

Opposable Thumbs

Matt Singer

2023

[pablolf]

Eternal Sunshine would make a great double feature with Inside Out, another funny, entertaining crowdpleaser that is also a deeply melancholy consideration of how our brains evolve and change over time (RIP Bing Bong). Both films also make an insistent plea for the importance of unhappiness in our lives. They suggest ignoring sadness does not make you happy; it actually dampens all your other emotions and keeps you from feeling anything. Only by opening yourself up to the possibility of hurt, as Joel and Clementine do in Eternal Sunshine’s opening and closing scenes, can you also feel true love and joy.

The Unforgettable ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Is 20 Years Old