Global pop star, Amber Liu, has released her final EP of her trilogy ‘Z!’  on all digital streaming platforms via EMPIRE. Over the past few months, Liu has already released three hit singles from this new body of work as a little tease for what’s to come from one of her most playful but serious albums to date. The music video for her title song of the album, “Easier,” features the international phenomenon Jackson Wang, and will be released on February 28.

The EP “Z!” is the last in the recent series that began with “X” in 2019 and “y?” in early 2021. While “X” was about crossing over to something new, “y?” dove into Amber’s internal struggles. Finally, “Z!” marks a perfect ending to the trilogy; a declaration and commitment to herself that she’ll always be “Amber” even though she is just finally getting to know herself.

As a well-rounded icon, the singer-songwriter brilliantly showcases each single with different music styles and topics in “Z!”. In her ability to easily maneuver through various musical expressions, it ultimately made Amber the versatile and world-renowned artist she is today. Demonstrating her hypnotic vocal abilities through “Paradise,” she gives listeners an other-worldy beat and musical experience to tune into. Along with the first track, the musical star expresses her progression in life as being independent in the up-beat pop song “Don’t Dance”. In addition to Amber’s playful songs, the songstress also dives into more emotional tunes using heart-felt lyrics in the song “Love Somebody.” This emotional theme continues with “Easier” where she demonstrates her willingness to open up and be vulnerable on a global scale, reflecting her authenticity and devotion towards mental health advocacy. Multifaceted international talent, Jackson Wang, incorporates his own unique style to, which highlights the incredible dynamic between the two artists.“Lately” is a track that takes a more personal tone, as Amber wrote to one of her best friends, further reflecting on who she truly is and her desire to advocate for love and compassion. “Done Thinking” is a standout with soul-stringing lyrics, deep beats, and a voice that anyone who listens will never be done thinking about. With “Bad Decisions”, we are taken on a ride from the perspective of a hopeless romantic with fun repercussions.

“Z!” Tracklist

1. Paradise
2. Bad Decisions
3. Easier
4. Don’t Dance
5. Love Somebody
6. Done Thinking
7. Lately
8. Paradise (Mandarin Ver.)
9. 别假装
10. Done Thinking Feat. Gen Neo, 梁根荣, Psy.P (Mandarin Ver.)

After cementing her star power in South Korea as a member of the record-breaking electro-pop-based K-pop girl group f(x), Amber returned to her native California for much of 2018. The move signaled a crossover into new audiences and solo success with fans and critics alike raving about her solo body of work. She soon signed with US management company Steel Wool Entertainment and United Talent Agency for US bookings before leaving Korea-based SM Entertainment. Just two years ago, her EP “X” was released and she went on to perform on two back-to-back North American national tours; with the most recent being a 24-city tour in early 2020 with rising artists Justin Park, Meg & Dia and Justice Carradine. The megastar kept busy last year outside of music with visual language learning app, Drops, tapping her to teach Korean to K-pop fans and hosted her own show, “I’ll Ask The Stupid Questions” as an original program with international mobile streaming service, Ficto. Earlier this year, Liu was not slowing down on her global projects, joining the fourth season of popular national Chinese TV survival reality series, “CHUANG 2021.” As a mentor, she offered her knowledge of what it takes to be an internationally-acclaimed pop idol as the show forms their new Chinese 11-member boy group from 90 contestants competing to debut music in the global market. As a singer-songwriter, she has multiple credits on f(x) hits such as “Goodbye Summer” and her own solo hit “Shake That Brass,” which she performed on the “CHUANG 2021” to rave reviews.

Last year, she came out with her “y?” EP, which featured her hit song “neon” along with the artists Peniel of K-Pop boy group BtoB in the English version and Chinese-born rapper Blow Fever in the Mandarin version. Other featured artists from the album included Junoflo and MaSiWei of hip-hop group Higher Brothers.

Shelterheart’s upcoming self-titled release Shelterheart is a labor of love from two longtime friends, Wren and Luke, who have been collaborating for over a decade. The third release from the group, a bit of time has passed since their acclaimed 2016 EP  Welcome Wolves. Shelterheart is their first long player release which will see the light of day this year via Perpetual Doom.

Though Luke and Wren live on opposite sides of the country, their musical collaboration has become so constant, that Shelterheart has been creating increasingly impressive music for the last several years. 

Shelterheart is a combination of musical forces. Wren writes the songs for the group, as he records the acoustic guitars and vocals, while Luke orchestrates and produces all of the backing tracks, transforming them from their acoustic beginnings. This brings the Shelterheart sound to life.  Shelterheart’s live shows are similar, with Wren on guitar and vocal duties, and Luke taking on the role of the multi instrumentalist, bringing the sound from the record to the stage.

The first single release from the album is the dreamy track “In Photographs,” which immediately portrays how the group has evolved in the past few years. Wren’s vocals are hypnotic and smooth, which fits perfectly with Luke’s intricate production. 

Wren’s drawings and paintings also serve as an important visual component for Shelterheart and you will see them sprinkled throughout the band’s physical and virtual presence. Shelterheart’s first two EPs were released independently online. In 2022, Perpetual Doom and Along The Way Records will release Shelterheart’s debut full length album.

Find the group via:
www.shelterheart.cominstagram.com/shelterheartmusic twitter.com/shelterhearts

https://perpetualdoom.bandcamp.com/

TeenIdle is the indie rock music project of 24-year-old NJ-based songwriter Sara Abdelbarry. Growing up miles away from the vibrant music scene of Asbury Park, she was inspired to start writing her own music in high school while taking classes at local music school Lakehouse Music Academy. 

TeenIdle shares of the track:

“Burning” was written in Sara’s last year of college about an unrequited crush. It’s entirely self-crafted: Sara recorded the song in her basement studio, played all the instruments (except the drums, which a friend recorded elsewhere), wrote the song, and produced it alone. The song is mixed by Andy Schichter and mastered by Kramer (Low, Galaxie 500, Daniel Johnston, producer of Pulp Fiction soundtrack).”

TeenIdle began as Sara’s creative outlet during her senior year of college in New York City, as she was finishing up a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. She started taking songwriting very seriously and uploading self-recorded songs to Bandcamp that spanned a variety of genres, from lo-fi bedroom rock to classical piano. Influenced by so many things, including the idiosyncratic production of Lindsey Buckingham and the nostalgia and romantic nature of the Arab artistic tradition she grew up around in an Egyptian family, Sara’s music combines pop sensibility with a grittiness and cinematic tendency. The music of TeenIdle also contains undertones of both NY and NJ: the upbeat, gritty nature of New York City life mixed with the breeziness and spaciousness of life on the Jersey Shore.

Excuses Excuses have blistering youthful energy with an attention to the finest details of songwriting, they come armed with a lawless desire to make a true believer out of everyone in the room with their deep, introspective lyrics, jaw-dropping emotion, and melody-heavy songs. As thought-provoking as it is intense, the power of their live show unites and captivates audiences worldwide, and the title of their up and coming long-player Listen Up! is as much a call-to-arms as it is a visceral decree. 

We sat down with Excuses Excuses for an exclusive Video Voyageur, below!

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

Far From Perfect is an honest and energetic anthem, meant to remind people that we all have our unique flaws and that is totally okay. Naturally, as our first single in over two years, we wanted to make sure that our fans were able to both see and hear what we have been working on for the last few years to help them connect with it in whatever ways they prefer.

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

Our goal with this video was to hold true to the honesty and simplicity of the track to help people focus on the raw emotion of and meaning behind the music. Because we have the skills in-house, we thought what better way to show our true selves than make a totally DIY music video of us performing the song in our private jam space? It isn’t flashy and over-produced; it is real, simple, honest, and raw, just like rock and roll should be. 

What was the process of making this video?

Since the idea was so simple, we felt that it was best to just lock ourselves in the basement (jam space) with a camera, our equipment, and our record label VP until we were satisfied with how much sweat we poured into the carpet. We knew that by then we would have enough footage to make something that we could be proud of. When trying to be real and honest, sometimes it is more important to dive right in and let the moment create itself instead of forcing it to fit into a box. 

Dante Matas is a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Toronto with a unique brand of new wave bedroom pop, psychedelic folk, and lo-fi electronic music. His latest EP, Avoid Discipline (out Jan 21), brings hyper-melodic synth pop with a new wave twist. The title suggests letting go of perfectionism to allow things to take shape naturally. 

Dante’s songs tend to have contemplative and introspective character to them, but never at the expense of a catchy melody. “Catching Up With You” is about the kind of person that gets away with mistreating and harming others just because of wealth or undeserved status. Optimistically, they will eventually have to deal with the consequences of their actions. 

We sat down with Dante Matas for an exclusive Video Voyageur, below!

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

I chose to visualize “Catching Up With You” specifically because I really wanted to emphasize the lyrics, as they were the catalyst for the whole song. It’s not about any one person in particular, but more about a type of person that seems to get away with treating others as means to an end without ever facing any consequences. I’m not pointing any fingers but I’m sure everyone knows someone like that. I wanted to write a song that singled that person out and told them that everyone knows what they’re doing and sooner or later it’s going to catch up with them.

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

I recently bought a chalkboard and wanted to try writing out the lyrics to the song and animating them throughout. I made a video for each single off of my Avoid Discipline EP and the other ones all featured me playing the different parts of the song so I figured I’d throw in some of that too. I really wanted the text to get crazier and more eccentric as the song progressed so I got more adventurous with the writing as I went. I also have synaesthesia so this was a great excuse to colour code all the letters the way I see them anyway!

What was the process of making this video?

I came home from work each day and wrote a line from the song on my chalkboard starting with the first chorus and making my way through the song. After each line, I’d take a picture and then erase one word and take another picture until all the words were gone with the idea that I’d play it all back in reverse order. Then I’d move to the next line. It took weeks. I also wrote the entire thing vertically because I don’t have a wall wide enough to hang the chalkboard horizontally as it appears in the video! It was a bit painstaking but also kind of fun. I had no idea what it would look like the entire time I was making it but I’m happy with how it turned out!

Please check out the video on YouTube and the rest of Avoid Discipline EP on Bandcamp or any streaming service! I’ll have more new music coming out this year!

If bands like Foo Fighters, Weezer, and Pearl Jam are considered the last generation of guitar-based rock, then Noiseheads are the next generation’s exception. The trio has built a devoted and passionate underground following among fans of old-school garage rock. In the process, they attracted a lot of attention from many prominent figures in the music industry, sharing line-ups with the likes of Collective Soul, Fuel, K.Flay and The Psychedelic Furs.

Primed to spearhead the “new normal” of post-pandemic rock music, the band recorded “Big Money” with Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies), an energetic new single with a blazing sax solo by Chris Spies (Marcus King Band).

We sat down with Noiseheads for an exclusive Video Voyageur, below!

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

These days, songs typically get lost amongst the clutter if it doesn’t have a video. But with this being our first single back in a few years, we really wanted to make a bit of an entrance.

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

The song itself rides the line between hyperbole and metaphor but is a bit whacky at face value… so we thought why not just throw the kitchen sink in visually and maximize the ridiculousness of it?

What was the process of making this video?

With regard to the song’s ethos, there was no one better for the job than the cult music video director behind Mark Gromley’s Without You, Phil Thomas Katt. He and his daughter helped film us on his green screen, and we finished in about an hour. It was an absolute blast.