Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The System Lights have been making waves into the New Year, Spearheaded by main singer-songwriter David Rangel, alongside R.L. Lenfestey, the two have a revolving cast of supporting musicians and friends who help to bring their unique and vibrant songs to life. Their howling guitars blend a mixture of British and American influenced music bringing a sound that is unique and their own to your ears. Their lyrics originate from observation of everyday life, travel and popular culture, which the video for “Pop Song 2020” captures immediately. Rich vocals and blistering, effects-laden – as well as bare bones – guitar, are part of this concoction that walks the line between obscure indie and commercial radio rock and roll. Using Flowers Studio (Minneapolis, MN) as their recording home base, they have additionally been working out of Cherry Pit Studios in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.  We caught up with the band for a very special segment, below.

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

“Pop Song 2020” took its inspiration from a few different sources. Back in the 60s, The Velvet Underground put out a song called “Waiting For the Man” which basically talked about the cumbersome process of buying drugs in a bad part of town in which the singer did not live. “Pop Song 2020” kind of re-creates a modern  take on that after I observed people I knew engaging in that process. Unlike  the Velvet Underground, my song has a bit of a message at the end.

The visuals for the video are meant to be grainy and amateurish.The act of scoring drugs is not pretty. It’s not nice. It’s dark and low brow. In this day and age, I think it’s important to have visuals accompany any song you put out. It just enhances the listener’s desire to look deeper into the song and want to listen to it more. I don’t think visuals have to be over the top. They don’t even have to be very involved. I just think it’s important for there to be at least something for the listener to engage to while they are listening to the audio.

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

I wanted to take dark subject matter and lyrics, and put those to an unexpected sunny, summer-ish, California beach vibe. So far, I think people have found the song catchy. But I’m hoping they can learn something from the lyrics. They might have to dig a bit because there is some esoteric slang within the song.

What was the process of making this video?

After the song was recorded, a friend of ours took a very low-fi, DIY approach  of shooting a video.  The first scenes were shot in the  safety of a nice suburban home outside of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the video moved into some of the more sketchy areas of Milwaukee, we wanted to capture the mood by way of lighting and contrast.  As the scenes moved into more rundown areas where drugs might be sold, we brought the lighting down to a depressing black/white/gray and then back again into vivid color when the subject of the video was back in a nice, safe area. The song moves along at a catchy pace and we wanted to capture that with views of scenery going by while driving inside a car.

Recorded remotely in lockdown by band members in their homes in Toronto, Kingston and Montreal and produced by Moist guitarist, Mark Makoway, “Tarantino” came out of a dream sparked by images where we have lost all sense of ourselves – where there are no limits on our consumption and all we want is more. 

Accompanying “Tarantino” is a remarkable animated video – a grotesque sci-fi satire that lifts plastic surgery and trans-species body dysmorphia to another level.

Founded in 1993, powerful alt-rockers Moist propelled to prominence with their debut album, Silver, and went on to achieve multi-platinum sales (over 1.3 million albums worldwide). In the spirit of starting fresh for 2021, the band returns with the aggressive “Tarantino,” their first new release since 2014’s Glory Under Dangerous Skies. 

Toronto-based MONOWHALES exploded onto the scene back in 2017, and have spent the last three years firmly establishing themselves as one of the most exciting new bands on the Canadian musical landscape. Their single, “RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down),” propelled MONOWHALES into the mainstream, hitting #2 on the Mediabase Canada Alternative Rock Chart and making history as the only independent, self-managed band to achieve such a feat.

Latest offering, “Out With The Old,” is a snarling and defiant middle finger to the past, an anthem for the disenfranchised. The world is being forced to reset and we’re all anxiously caught in the cycle. It’s about time to throw out the trash – out with the old and in with the new.

Ahead of an upcoming EP, Belle has released single “Small”. The lyrics dance around the story of seeking approval from someone who continuously makes you feel small and speaks to the microaggressions experienced as a woman in the music industry. Belle Tower is the lo-fi indie folk rock project of Tiohtià:ke/Montreal + Xwilkway/Halfmoon Bay based artist Isabella Harned. Belle Tower writes songs about growth whose lyrical content reflects the heavy processes of pain and healing, but the ethereal vocals, dreamy guitar lines, and layered instrumentation deliver songs that have a certain sonic lightness to them.

“At Ease,” the opening track & latest single off of Shell(e), speaks of absolute freedom and emancipation; more specifically in regards to women. Evoking a retro musical feel, it’s all about fun, confidence, dance & not biting your tongue.

Singer-songwriter and dancer, Marie-Clo’s eclectic indie pop tackles current themes & conscious lyrics, but also conjures a colourful and enchanted world. A conceptual feminist narrative to be released March 2021, her full-length album entitled Shell(e) was produced by Polaris shortlisted drummer/producer Olivier Fairfield (Fet Nat, Timber Timbre, Leif Vollebek), with the support of the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts and FACTOR.

Alora Farenweh is a young Canadian singer-songwriter who creates dreamy folk-pop with the hope of transporting her listeners to another world. As someone who struggles with depersonalization disorder/derealization disorder (where you feel you are outside of yourself/that the world around you isn’t real), this felt-experience carries over into her music. Both lyrics and soundscapes often imitate a dream, and invite the listener into a world of colour, glowing crystals, and (often) friendly animals. Usually appearing in a whimsical white paper crown, Alora weaves layers of spiritual significance into her work.

Produced by Joey Langlois, her new single, “Riding a Tiger,” is a story coming to life. You, the listener, are riding the tiger. You are in Alora’s mind. She sees a pink world. It’s an almost empty land, with low pink fluffy clouds and a tall palace, dark inside but bright on the outside. Imagine riding a fierce tiger through a pink monochrome jungle and exploring a dark palace.