Our inbox is over flowing again so we are letting you good people know exactly what is new and available out there in the music world. Today we have everything from a Foo Fighters clone to Iris Dement sounding country folk. It's a pretty good one! If you want to see your band on one of these lists, send us streaming music and as short bio.
Band Name: Robotic Hawks
BMN Score: 8.9/10
What the band says they sound like: "I felt the story [of Fats] served as a great parallel to the struggles of musicians and artists. To non-artists, lack of financial success or global domination represents failure, losing. However, to me, I'm still here, I'm still playing and writing music that I'm proud of, which overrides that negative expectation/perception. Music is my purpose and my unwillingness to stop doing it makes me a winner. So, I guess 'Fats' is really about self-awareness, self-validation, ownership, and perspective. All artists are winners and losers, depending on who you ask."
What we say they sound like: This might be the most Foo Fighters track that I have ever heard that is not by the Foo Fighters. It has a little of a Rage Against The Machine feel in the guitar lines but the overall classic rock takes back over to being more Foo Fighters-ish. It's pretty amazing that if I didn't know any better I'd say that's Dave Grohl singing and this is the newest Foo Fighters radio single. That is definitely not a bad thing to write a song just like one of the biggest bands in the world and have it be just as good and just as polished as a major label release. I'm in!
Song to add to your playlist: Minnesota Fats
Band Name: Lipstereo
BMN Score: 9.8/10
What the band says they sound like: Lipstereo is a young, four-piece Australian indie rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Formed in 2019, this collection of music tragics bonded together over a mutual obsession of The Strokes, Weezer and Arctic Monkeys' back catalogues. By channeling too much time spent watching worn out Ramones and Blondie VHS tapes as children, Lipstereo creates performances reminiscent of late nights at CBGB, and spilling drinks just a little too cheap on the floor.
What we say they sound like: This band says Arctic Monkeys a lot in their press release, I actually hate Arctic Monkeys but luckily I checked this out and I like it a lot better. I like the CBGB's reference in their press release because I was there hanging out at CBGB's and yeah, this would go over well there anytime in the last 30 years before they closed. It's kind of doing that NY sound the Strokes got big on but since it's Australian and 20 years later, it's like a copy of a copy of a copy and has tranformed into his whole own thing. Whether they realize it or not they just have a great vibe and wrote a great song. I'd say go in not looking at the press release because it's in the end just really great indie rock that feels modern and fresh.
Song to add to your playlist: Push The Tide
Band Name: Mannequin Heist
BMN Score: 7.9/10
What the band says they sound like: Mannequin Heist, we are an alternative rock band from Queens, NYC formed in the Fall of 2019.The members, Gerard, Chris and JP, bring a variety of different musical influences such as Punk, Alternative Rock and Indie.Some of the band members’ favorite artists include The Strokes, RHCP, Avenged Sevenfold, Rage Against the Machine and Arctic Monkeys.Formed months right before the pandemic took full control of everyone’s life, Mannequin Heist was able to come around all hardships, worked on music and waited for the right moment to finally let the audience hear their sound.
What we say they sound like: Think early Interpol, no bells and whistles, just driving bass, pretty simplistic guitar with some shredding during the solos and punky indie rock drums. The vocal is somewhere between The Strokes and Interpol, that low warm tone that feels like a nice fit to compliment the music. It takes on a dark atmosphere but with indie rock aesthetics which is something unique about it. This band to me seems young like right now they are just feeling each other out, finding a groove and keeping it energetic, but I'd bet as they work together longer the songs and overall sound will expand. Feels like a very promising start for a band working towards their sophomore release.
Song to add to your playlist: Way Out
Band Name: Raia Was
BMN Score: 9.7/10
What the band says they sound like: “I wrote 'What It Feels Like' about the experience of saying exactly what I mean, the moment of free-fall where I’m positive the world will end, I’m positive abandonment lurks just around the corner, and then... nothing. The world is just as I left it. I’m constantly seeking to give sound to what I think of as the ‘gray matter’ of life, the feelings and sensations that fill our days beyond the milestones and heartbreaks that define so much of our lived experience in the world.”
What we say they sound like: Raia Was is part of a label collective that is run by Raia Was and Arthur Moon, two artists we really like. Well, this is our first review of Raia Was and we really like it! It's no wonder their music was used in HBO's Euphoria because it feels hopeful and fits the right moments of that show. It has modern indie pop sensibilities but it has bits of things like maybe Peter Gabriel or Paul Simon's more tribal rhythmic thing going on but with an R&B vocal feel similar to Erykah Badu or Sade. It's a lot of things, I'm sure in every review it gets compared to completely different things but overall what you need to know is that it's just good and if you're looking for something that feels hopeful this is it.
Song to add to your playlist: What It Feels Like
Band Name: Erika Sherger
BMN Score: 9.8/10
What the band says they sound like: “Writing songs is like therapy for me. It’s a big part of how I process the things that happen and the tangle of emotions that accompany each experience. I like how a song and especially an entire record can encapsulate a period in my life. I have a lot to learn about recording, but I feel like I began to hit my stride with this album," said Sherger. "I’m still getting a feel for what 'my sound' is and I’m excited to hone in on it even more with future recordings!”
What we say they sound like: To me this is very along the lines of something like Iris Dement. It's classic country Americana with really nice accompaniments that are varied from track to track. The harmonies are stunning and every song sounds like it could be a radio hit. It's hard to believe this is a local artist from Boonton NJ that you'd be able to just catch at some local pubs like Krogh's in Sparta! The thing that stands out to me when doing a very specific genre is how do you make a 10 song album sound varied enough to keep it all interesting and Erika does it amazingly well. For fans of Alt Country, Indie Folk, and mellow country twanged singer songwriter stuff, I think you are going to love this.
Song to add to your playlist: Indecision, Diamonds, I Might, Bad Wolf