Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians each week with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at the latest Rock Against Hate compilation and releases by Somebody Club, Pat Veil, By Torchlight, GIN WAR, Mike Levine, Amanda Rose Riley, Operants, Debra Devi, Jason Didner, Commons 2, Kimochi Warui, and Mikey Erg.
Various Artists - "Rock Against Hate Volume 4 - Benefiting Planned Parenthood" - Full disclosure, I curated this collection of 42 previously unreleased songs by local NJ artists, as well as artists from around the world. Rock Against Hate is a myriad of people, who may not agree on all things, but we all agree that the Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization puts women’s health, and their right to choose what they do with their bodies, at risk. You can find out more about it at www.RockAgainstHate.org, or purchase the album, witch all proceeds going to Planned Parenthood, at the compilation's Bandcamp page.
Somebody Club - "Love is the New Space Race" - Somebody Club's new album is a masterpiece! It's chock full of indie folk rock and electroacoustic pop gems. There is nothing I don't love on this album, but something about "Coffee Instead" just hits me with the feels every time I hear it.
Pat Veil - "Walt Disney Presents..." - Don't let the album title fool you, these are not covers of "House Of Mouse" songs, or songs they would probably approve of. There's no light, family sing-a-long songs here. What you get is 47 minutes of punk rock brilliance that you can rock out to... or you can listen closely to the lyrics and delve into the darkness contained in them. Either way, it is magnificent! If you really want to think of this in terms of Disney, think of it as a dark, debauched Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (which for the record, was my favorite ride there as a kid).
By Torchlight - "A Night To Remember" [single] - The first single from By Torchlight's forthcoming album is also the title track of the album. This electrifying rock song has me psyched for the rest of the album, due out August 5th.
GIN WAR - "75 Cents" [single] - GIN WAR are masters of indie rock/pop punk with riffs and hooks that will stick around in your head long after the song is over. This is one of those songs to blast with the windows down while driving to the shore on a sunny summer day!
Mike Levine - "Walking" [single] & "Track 2" [single] - Mike Levine's 2 new singles are kind of polar opposites. "Walking" is a relaxing mid-tempo strum about a carefree walk, while "Track 2" is an adrenaline fueled punk rocker about anxiety and being driven crazy.
Amanda Rose Riley - "Broken Heart" - If you have been listening to Amanda Rose Riley for a long time you know she writes catchy folk-pop songs, with a hint of a punk attitude. Her latest has the familiar feel I love from her songs, while lyrically going into some new territory, with songs about unrequited love. Amanda has also added some new sounds to her repertoire, creating a very good, very fulfilling album.
Operants - "Financier's Dream / Summer of Discontent" - The latest two songs from Operants continue their proclivity for catchy, new wave punk/psychedelic pop rock. I approve!
Debra Devi - "Jamification Station Vol. 1" - Debra Devi's new live EP contains four electrifying songs, 3 originals, and a spirited rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic". The 3 originals are 2 mid-tempo jam rock tunes with catchy hooks ("Home Again" & "The River"), & a slow burning blues number ("Get Free"). It is a lively & enjoyable 17 minutes!
Jason Didner - "You Can't Get There From Here in Jersey" [single] - If this song title sounds familiar to you, it should. "You Can't Get There From Here in Jersey" is a classic Jason Didner song about the trials & tribulations of driving in New Jersey. It's a song we've been playing on BlowUpRadio.com since it was originally released in 2003. This new recording of the song is the first single from Didner's forthcoming compilation album, "It's A Jersey Thing."
Commons 2 - "Everything You Have Been Waiting For But All at Once EP" - It was 2 years ago that Commons 2 came onto the NJ music scene with an album of catchy bedroom pop songs. I am not sure if I can still call this bedroom pop, because John Gallagher has created a full band sound for his latest EP. Whether or not he ever puts a full band together to be able to play these songs live is of course a question that occurs to me, but more important is when is he going to release more music? This EP is awesome, but I'm greedy and want more!
Kimochi Warui - "Red" - I did not know Bedroom Emo was a thing, but according to their bio that is what Kimochi Warui make. Call it whatever you want, I love this new EP!
Mikey Erg - "Love At Leeds"- I have been a fan of Mikey Erg since the early days of The Ergs, 20 or so years ago. His latest solo release, produced by Steve Albini, & featuring Jeff Rosenstock, is another perfect collection of infectious pop-punk/alt-rock.
That's all for this week.
Remember BlowUpRadio.com, plays these and many other New Jersey based artists on our internet radio station, so please check us out. #SupportGoodMusic - If you like any of the above artists, please purchase their music from their site. And if you would like to part of BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable, please send downloads or contact Lazlo at Lazlo-at-BlowUpRadio-dot-com
