Ezra Furman Shares New Video & Tour Dates

Ezra Furman has shared the video for ‘I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend’ as well as announcing the dates of his fall tour.

Monday, Sept. 9th – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON
Tuesday, Sept. 10th – Bar Le Ritz – Montreal, QC

The track is taken his forthcoming album Twelve Nudes, due out on August 30. He previously released the video for ‘Calm Down aka I Should Not Be Alone’ from the album.

Furman said he drew on two spiritual heroes, the late punk rock musician Jay Reatard and Canadian poet, essayist and philosopher Anne Carson.

“She’s one of my top three living writers,” he said in a press release. “Anne had these visions, or meditations, to deal with the intense pain in her life, which she calls ‘nudes’, and similarly these songs are meditations on pain and recognising what’s there if you go digging around in your anger and fear and anxiety. So, my album is called Twelve Nudes.”

“This record is political, but it offers an emotional reaction rather than being specific or partisan,” Furman said.

He gained wide exposure thanks to writing the soundtrack to the Netflix series Sex Education, who was viewed by 40 million subscribers within its first month of release. Furman has a loyal fanbase in the LGTBQ+ community and he also wrote book for the 33 1/3 series on Lou Reed’s Transformer.

iskwe Shares the Video for ‘Breaking Down’

iskwe has unveiled the video for her track ‘Breaking Down’.

In an e-mail, she said the song is, “about freeing yourself of a toxic relationship to find your sense of self and your personal strength. The question is – what relationship? On the surface, it could be personal, but listen closely and you will discover a deeper meaning. The accompanying video (directed by Jessica Lea Fleming) captures this metamorphosis.”
“This video sees me finding my way back to my clan – the butterfly clan – which represents my family in the spirit world,” she explained.  “I wanted to show the emergence of self by shedding layers of the past, while discovering strength in being true to who I am. Our vision was to be as inclusive as possible, with each dancer representing different communities – Indigenous,  POC, LGBTQ – as a way to honour the various stages of emergence and growth in taking comfort in who we truly are.”

‘Breaking Down’ is taken from her forthcoming release achakosuk due out in the late fall. Release date TBA.

Stream Porteau’s ‘Penelope’ for Free

Porteau had this to say about ‘Penelope’, the latest single from their album debut Water’s Gate in an e-mail; “’Penelope’, the album’s latest single, was a direct result of this inspiration and draws on this imagery to explore and unearth personal experience. At a time where I felt powerless in certain relationships, ‘Penelope’ was my way of saying that I could unwind myself from the pain and learn to be at peace with the fact that those I am leaving behind may not be okay. ”

The Vancouver duo of Victoria Williams Craig Stevenson drew inspiration for the album from the Gustave Dore painting ‘Andromeda’, wishing to capture its “cold, urgent yet liberating” look in sound.

“A mutual understanding and inspiration was found and became a driving and unifying force,” they said.

“Water’s Gate tells the story of one’s path to liberation. The album is bookended by mysticism; starting with the first track ‘Re:Birth’ which alludes to a character being born and rising out of the water. The final track, ‘Moon Maidens”’ sees this character liberated and ascending into the night sky. Everything in between discusses the challenges and complex relationships we face,” they said.

“The album artwork features this character ambiguously between the ocean and the sky, unclear whether they are falling or ascending,” the band added.

Stream Margot’s ‘Arles’ for Free

London, UK dream-pop quintet Margot have shared a free stream of ‘Arles’.

It’s the follow-up to ‘Coffee Stained Scars’.

The band had this to say about ‘Arles’ in an e-mail; “’Arles’ is about the juxtaposition of receiving devastating news in a beautiful place.”

Stream Octo Octa’s ‘Bodies Meld’ for Free

“‘Bodies Meld Together’ is a song about physically connecting with the people you love,” Maya Bouldry-Morrison, aka Octo Octa explained in a statement. “I believe that connection is a deeply integral part of creating bonds and trust with them. It’s about sharing an experience of becoming one with them and having that experience carry on. Love is important and showing that love to your partners in important. It lets you all become a stronger force together.”

The track is taking from her forthcoming EP For Lovers, out on March 1.

Octo Octa also announced the dates of her upcoming tour;

Fri 08 Mar – Natural Selection at Headrow House – Leeds, UK
Sat 09 Mar – Sónar İstanbul 2019 – Istanbul, TR
Fri 15 Mar – Public Records – New York, US
Fri 22 Mar – Origins at Moles – Bath, UK
Sat 23 Mar – Origins at Mick’s Garage – London, UK
Sat 04 May – Dabadaba – San Sebastian, ES
Sun 05 May – ZeeZout Liberty Day – Amsterdam, NL
Thu 30 May – Primavera Sound – Barcelona, ES
Fri 31 May – Lighthouse Festival – Tar, HR

Stream AlphaClub’s ‘Night Heart’ for Free

Toronto artist AlphaClub had this to say about his track ‘Night Heart’, the title track from his new album, in an e-mail;

“Growing up in a quiet place along the countryside, I fell in love with the darkness. I was always fascinated by that one, distant light that shone from the forest or near the ocean,” he wrote. “The only thing I love more is the wild night that I embrace trying to reach that glow.”

Videos for a Lazy Sunday: Lil Baby’s ‘Close Friends’ (Featuring Gunna)

It’s fitting that Lil Baby chose Paris to shoot the Daps-directed video for ‘Close Friends’.

It was his first time in the city and the song represents love and romance. It co-stars his real-life girlfriend, who’s expecting their their first child any time now.

The track is taken from his collaborative project with Gunna,  Drip Harder, out now on Quality Control Music / Young Stoner Life Records, a 300 Entertainment Label / Wolfpack Global Music / Capitol Records / Motown.

He also unveiled the video for ‘Global, which has received over six billion worldwide streams. The track is taken from his Street Gossip mixtape. He received a plaque from his label for this achievement. He also recently performed ‘Put a Date On It’ with Yo Gotti on The Tonight Show.

Lil Baby also announced the dates of his The New Generation Tour;