Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio 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 new releases by Tiny Cities,Cold Comfort, Dub Proof feat. madipao, Fear Of Falling, Laree H. Cisco, Pat Veil, The Atomic Bats, and Bamberdost. Plus a look back at "Open up the Balcony" by American Angel.
Tiny Cities - "It's Only Your Memory". The collaboration between Dennis King (sonofdov) and Melissa Anthony, Tiny Cities, returns with a new single for the summer, "It's Only Your Memory". They describe it as a, "song of nostalgia.. both the good and the bad?" It is beautiful and bittersweet. This isn't a fun, upbeat, "song of the summer", but it is a song that will stick with you long after summer is only a memory.
Cold Comfort - "CMYK". Cold Comfort return with their second album, "CMYK".
CMYK describes colors commonly used in printers, and is a combination of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. It can also easily describe their colorful, upbeat alt-pop rock. Now this is a "summer album"!
Dub Proof feat. madipao - "Almost There". Now if you're looking for a more laid back, fun summer vibe, than I highly recommend the latest from Dub Proof featuring madipao, "Almost There". The pairing of these two artists makes for some lovely reggae dub.
Fear Of Falling - "13 Days (in Bischofswerda)". Fear Of Falling's new single "13 Days (in Bischofswerda)", is a lovely mid-tempo rocker.
I could try to describe the song, but I can't do nearly as well as the band themselves did:
"“13 Days (in Bischofswerda)” is the kind of song that sneaks up on your soul. Fear of Falling wrote it while touring Germany, caught between the rush of the road and the quiet ache of missing home. With haunting melodies and raw honesty, it’s a love letter to the invisible thread that ties us to the people we miss—no matter how far we go. The track blends the grayscale of foreign streets with the warm light of inner connection, creating something deeply personal, yet universally relatable. This isn’t just another sad song—it’s a beautifully human one."
Laree H. Cisco - "I Heard It During FAWM pt.1 ". Laree H. Cisco's latest release, "I Heard It During FAWM pt.1", could probably more actually be called, "I Wrote It During FAWM pt. 1". All of the songs on this EP (and the forthcoming parts in the series) were written and recorded during February Album Writers Month (FAWM). Laree writes some of the catchiest rock songs, so I am excited these songs are getting released.
Pat Veil - "Life". "16 songs. 1 story.", says the liner notes to "Life", the latest album from Pat Veil. It also says, "Life is for those who dare…", which will make sense if you listen to the album. There's some hard rock, some power pop, and something rare for Pat Veil, some light at the end of the end of the tunnel.
The Atomic Bats - "BAT ATTACK!!!". Are you ready for The Atomic Bats' debut album, "BAT ATTACK!!"?
How will you know if you're ready?
If this bio for them gets you excited, then you're ready:
"Psychobilly, punk, rock and roll , surf band based out of New Jersey. A mix of horror filled lyrics with charged psycho music . Hear story’s of nightmarish things that go bump in the night . Two guitars, three singers , paired with a thumpy upright bass , and the aggressive smashing of drums hopefully you will want to be a Atomic Bat too."
Bamberdost - "Boyfriend Material". "Boyfriend Material", the latest single from Bamberdost is 2 minutes of pop-punk about why they are not boyfriend material. Maybe not, but they are the Earworm of the Week!
Not New, But Memorable Corner
American Angel - "Open up the Balcony". Several times this week in talking to friends, the magic of spending a lot of my childhood in movie theaters came up. Back when I was growing up there were still a number of unique smaller cinemas left in, what I would deem historic buildings with unique architecture. By the early 90's there were very few of these left, even fewer now, replaced by corporate multiplexes that all look the same.
In 1992, New Jersey band American Angel would immortalize the magic of seeing a movie in those by gone cinemas in a rare power ballad for the hard rock band. "Open up the Balcony" is a beautiful piece of nostalgia.
While I used to see American Angel a lot at Birch Hill, I never asked them, but always assumed this song is about the old Menlo Park two-plex, a theater that had a balcony. I remember having to wait with my family in a line that wrapped the building to see Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi there. Now a fast food restaurant is there...
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 be part of BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable, please send downloads or contact Lazlo at Lazlo-at-BlowUpRadio-dot-com. We're also on Mastodon and bridged on BlueSky.
