Poppsy Cole – “Hell To Pay” [Listen]
Brother can you feel those winds of change
Fans of local band The Human Orchestra know the unmistakable voice of singer JB Reed – the band was a big part of our Hamilton music community and a total party onstage! JB and her husband/bandmate Luke moved to Orlando where they continued another musical project, Poppsy Cole, co-writing this new album Forty Holes For Forty Souls. The band is rounded out by Heath Johnson on drums, John Greenlaw on guitar and Joshua Dworning on bass. The music is in the same alt-folk/Americana vein, and it suits JB’s soulful voice perfectly.
Calcedon – “Sparrow” [Listen]
Somehow it took a year
Laid bare, crystal clear
We became everything we feared
We would
Local songstress Brielle Melle (fun fact – she played I Heart Hamilton’s The Playlist 3.0!) introduces a new musical project as Calcedon, releasing her debut album Echo In earlier this year. It’s a departure from her previous singer-songwriter style, taking her music in an electronic direction. Her sweet vocals and heartfelt lyrics are still ever-present. Catch Calcedon with Ylang Ylang on May 19th at Mills Hardware.
The Bandicoots – “Rocky Horror” [Listen]
Tonight let’s do some things
That we’ll wish we never did in the morning
The Bandicoots are gearing up to release their third EP, with an album release show June 23rd at Mills Hardware. “Rocky Horror” is the first single and it starts as a slinky, slower jam, still with that signature charismatic Bandicoots groove, and picks up steam at the end. It’s also the band’s best video yet. Come hang with me and the guys on June 2nd for I Heart Hamilton’s Live-To-Air in Gore Park.
Billy Moon – “I Wanna Know” [Listen]
Just take some time
To rest your heart
To rest your mind
The rest of them will run in circles
Billy Moon just keeps getting better and better. I’ll Push The Pedals And You Steer is the band’s 4th EP and their best one yet. They’re songs I’ve come to love already from seeing them play live, and it’s satisfying to hear them sound so good on record, and captured so well. “I W K” in particular was a favourite of mine at shows. The EP was recorded at Mills Hardware with producer Dan Edmonds (who’s cranking out some stellar material as a producer as well as an artist, himself) and mixed by Sean Pearson at Boxcar Studios. For another solid musical contribution, Aron D’Alesio produced “I W K.” Check out the video for it.
ttwwrrss – “Very Snazzy” [Listen]
It’s been a minute since ttwwrrss dropped a track, and I’m always glad when he does. “Very Snazzy” is a very apt title. The single’s neon artwork suits it well; you can almost see those pops of colour when you listen to this one.
DAVIDS – “Crown Of Burrs” [Listen]
DAVIDS is still that elusive local act that has so far only been a recorded project. This is their first EP since 2013 and I knew I would be in for their signature dark, driving rhythms even before pressing play on this new one. This track reminds me of Gatekeeper; it’s an epic 6-minute, industrial-sounding banger that you could imagine losing all control to in a dark club, with fog machine and lazers, of course.
Benjamin Muñoz – “Melle” [Listen]
I’ve been keeping tabs on my pal Ben Muñoz – since New Hands’ disbanded, he has been steadily working away on solo electronic tracks. They’re glitchy and intricate, often including his distorted or tweaked vocals. This tune is said to be a primer for Ben’s upcoming EP to be released on UK label Push & Run. Ben says of the track, “We often project onto people the qualities we think we perceive in them and that’s what ‘Melle’ is meant to be — an embodiment of some of the projections I’ve had.”
Munroe – “Your Pages” [Listen]
I still look at your pages
I do, I do, I do
It’s a beautiful gift to hear new music from Kathleen Munroe – “Your Pages” precedes a new record, made with local producer Michael Keire at Threshold Studios. Munroe’s last release was her gorgeous and haunting debut in 2015 (I’m still so honoured that she played I Heart Hamilton’s The Playlist 4.0!). Hear another brand new song in a gorgeous video on Southern Souls.
Scruffy – “Tomorrow” [Listen]
This can’t be everything
This new rock’n’roll three-peice sounds as their name suggests, scruffy and scrappy! Just how we do it in Hamilton. Catchy melodies with a solid garage rock style, you’ll be bopping along before the song’s end. A strong 90’s influence is clear – I could these five tracks on a soundtrack of a teen movie starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Brandon Munro– “Sandy’s Eyes” [Listen]
Son born
Son un-born
We know Brandon Munroe as the drummer in Basement Revolver, but he has also been working away on solo material. His new album Arm Gods was released earlier this year. The tracks are more experimental and have a fuzzy, noisiness that comes through in the band’s material too, but here Brandon takes it a step further. I love seeing smaller DIY projects take shape.
