Faint Halos, the brainchild of singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Paul Hashemi, has released their latest single, “Something To Lose,” from the eagerly awaited album “I can see a million lights.”
With a captivating blend of raw emotion and undeniable charm, “Something To Lose” delves into the introspective territory of questioning life choices, especially those that pertain to love and lost love.
Originally conceived with a modern rock sound upon its initial release in 2022, Paul Hashemi has taken the song in a fresh direction opting for a more intimate acoustic setup.
Reflecting on this fresh new take, Hashemi shares:
“After the original release, I felt drawn to explore a different dimension of the song. Stripping away the layers revealed a tender, almost folky quality that I wanted to bring to the forefront.”
The track narrates a poignant tale of lost love with intricate emotional lyrics and instrumentation.
“Something To Lose” exudes a lighthearted charm, seamlessly blending old-school indie rock sounds with a contemporary edge. With unconventional instrumentation, including a sofa repurposed as a kick drum, and the melodic richness of the accordion, Hashemi has an innovative approach within the indie rock genre.
The result is a refreshing departure in a sometimes-stagnant music scene of indie rock music today.
“Something To Lose” was recorded, mixed, and mastered in Paul’s home studio in Berwyn, Pennsylvania;. Vocals were also tracked at home in North Carolina. The instrumentation is two acoustic guitars, an accordion, and some couch slaps/floor stomps. (Although truth be told, the accordion and percussion were both MIDI and not real).
Paul’s daughter Cate joins in too, with vocal harmonies, lending a really bright sound.
Based in Philadelphia, Paul Hashemi is a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is influenced by his formal training in classical piano, viola, and violin, and has taken much from the vibrant music scene of the 1990s, touring extensively with various rock bands along the East Coast.
Paul says: “I play a half-dozen instruments and could never just focus on being a “singer” or “guitarist”, which is a really intriguing quality.
Despite a hiatus from music to prioritize familial responsibilities, Hashemi rediscovered his passion during the pandemic lockdown of 2020.
Under the moniker Faint Halos, he embarked on a new chapter in his musical career, crafting deeply introspective songs that explore themes of adulthood, fatherhood, and societal progress.
El Paso-based musician Amaris has released a new single called “Lemon, Lime & Bitters”.
This debut indie pop song is a beautiful, emotive and haunting track which is a tribute to Amaris´ husband as she imaged a life in which they lived worlds apart. To combat the longing, she imagines his favorite drink; lemon, lime and bitters. It is also a song that serves as a further nod to the loss of her two babies and five family members in a short time span on 2 years.
“Lemon, Lime & Bitters!” s a great example of how a song can gain power and further its meaning with time. I wrote it in November 2020. Back then, it was about me imagining a lifewithout my husband by my side. Now, it´s about grief, loss, and the will to overcome,” sharesAmaris.
This single was created by listening to voice memos on her phone, hashing out the song in different phases, and finding the lyrics while playing around with different chords on the guitar.
The bass stands out as well as the melody and lyrics, with a style that is both introspective as well as bold. There is an expanded meaning about loss as Amaris´ lost her grandfather and step grandfather a year after experiences 2 miscarriages. There is an additional grief for her grandmother´s same yearning.
Amaris did not decide to become a singer – songwriter; it was something that happened quite by chance really. She taught herself how to play the guitar at age 12, and then moved on to develop her songwriting from there. Now at the age of 24, Amaris continues to write songs that inspire her and bring out those emotions and stories of her life that she couldn´t express otherwise.
With influences as broad ranging as The Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers and Nina Simone, Amaris´ musical sound is certainly interesting as well as showcasing her talent.
Kristen Rae Bowden’s work is a penchant for clever metaphorical turns of phrases, raw emotionality, and imaginative musical arrangements. Her musicality stretches through adventurous journeys with a dramatic flair, melding classic rock and prog-rock melodies to highly personal emotional explorations. She counts as inspiration such diverse artists as Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Primus, Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, John Prine, and legendary musical theater composer Stephen Sondheim.
Her new single “Hard to Love” was actually written with an unanswered question in mind: Can you restart a heart? Kristen didn’t have the answer at the time of writing this which is why the song never answers the question definitively.
The video visually pulses alongside the music. When the chorus arrives, there’s a depiction a woman forming in the lines of the beating heart. She breaks out, shattering the heart and finds freedom. Set in a magenta hue, Kristen is seen singing the verses, almost like she trying to find the answer to her question.
We spoke with Kristen about her video, what it means, and how she came up with the idea of the video:
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?
When I wrote “Hard to Love” I was grappling with what you might call “post-broken-heart syndrome”. Just like a physical wound scars over with harder, less flexible skin, I felt my broken heart had healed in many ways, but I felt numb, hardened, and incapable of intimacy. I thought, is this my new normal? Feeling so much less alive than I used to? And I realized I was hiding, dimming my light on purpose, so I couldn’t get hurt again.
The story of “Hard to Love” is all about that feeling: hardening your heart after a breakup like it’s a fortress, not letting anyone all the way in. And at the same time missing how it felt when your heart was open and you were vulnerable, but free. You can’t have both. You can’t shore up your defenses so you don’t get hurt and live life to it’s fullest simultaneously.
The song is centered around a metaphorical question: “Can you restart a heart?” Given its inspiration, when I wrote the song I knew I wanted it to be centered sonically around a heartbeat. And then when it came to the video, I was excited to get to see that heart beating. So I knew I wanted animation to be the vehicle.
I also wanted the world of the video to be different from the real world, to express how alien, fake, and two dimensional the world can feel when you’re anxious and hiding yourself.
What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
I wanted to metaphorically express the way “post-broken-heart syndrome” feels, and I knew the heart would be the central image. So I came up with the idea of a girl hiding inside of her heart, which she’s turned into a fortress of protection. No one is allowed in, but no one is allowed out either, so she has essentially imprisoned herself for her own safety. Veins turn to vines and wrap around her wrists and ankles like shackles.
She grows weary of her self-imposed cage and breaks the heart in order to be free, but even then she finds herself on a cliff, alone. All of this imagery, to me, really works to express the feelings of a fear of intimacy.
I also thought the video should have a human aspect. I’m there singing the song in this pink x-ray landscape where a human is out of place and shouldn’t really exist. That’s how I felt when I wrote the song, lost in uncharted territory.
The storyline shifts in the bridge of the song, and I love that you can see my human frustration in that “I can’t go on this way” moment.
The lyrics of the song never offer any hope or assurance that yes, you can “restart a heart”, but the musical section after the bridge has the feeling of hope and triumph. I wanted the video imagery to push that feeling into a certainty. So I went with the idea of growth and blooming to represent that hope, and I love watching the glowing heart grow into a garden.
What was the process of making this video?
I had been playing with the FlipaClip app (flip-book style animation) while dreaming up the conceptual images for this video, so I learned a little bit about how time consuming animation can be and what an awesome skill it is. I knew I wanted the finished video to look more artistically advanced than anything I was going to be able to do.
Through a mutual friend I was very lucky to find Pat Bradley, award-winning animator and illustrator at Spring Shoe Animation. I was thrilled when he signed on for the animated portions, and to edit the video into the imaginary pink x-ray world. I sent him the storyboard I’d made with pieces of amateur animation and drawings of the girl in the heart, and we set up the video shoot together through more mutual friends, Sanjay Suchak and Stephen Thomas.
The video shoot itself was a lot of fun. I sang along with the song in front of a green screen, and though it took me a couple hours to loosen up, eventually I was able to let go of my inhibitions and really express some of that frustration and movement you see in the final product.
Pat did an incredible job taking my crudely drawn ideas and putting them into cohesive, flowing lines that tell the story of the song. He also integrated me into the animated world in a way that I hadn’t imagined.
The Impliers latest single, “Bad Bad Man” will take you on a trip from beginning to end. This wavy new single is not one you want to miss, with psychedelic, alternative, and indie-rock elements throughout. Compared to artists such as Tame Impala, Radiohead, and The Beach Boys, it is clear they take alt-indie music to a new level. This new single is unlike anything the music industry has ever heard before.
The Impliers are making strikingly original music for the future from the bones of the present. The songwriting and production duo of multi-instrumentalists Dan and Charles is currently emerging from the Denver underground, riding a sound wave crafted from oddly-tuned guitars, textured synths, electronic beats, pumping bass and complex Beach Boys level vocal harmonies.
Dan and Charles began making music together at age 15 and had an immediate impact on the underground indie scene that also produced Future Islands, Valiant Thorr, and Municipal Waste. By age 17, their songs earned placement on compilations alongside diverse popular acts such as Of Montreal, Fugazi, Jawbreaker, Dillinger Escape Plan, and Converge. Eventually, the duo embarked on their own creative paths into mastering self-production but remained connected through shared interests in art, mental health, and the unknown. Each contributes unique skills and artistry that seamlessly interlocks with the other and allows their music to go from tight, vivid arrangements to raw, ethereal ambience and back again.
The much buzzed about EL VY creates an inspiring album, Return to the Moon, out now via 4AD. Consisting mainly of Matt Berninger of The National and Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls/Menomena, what the duo creates is something honest, heartfelt, and truly unique.
Like when all high profiled musicians break off from their main band, there seems to be a bit of a back and forth skeptical reaction that travels throughout the internet. I believe it was in Pitchfork that I had read a blurb stating that Berninger and Knopf were “incompatible” as musicians. To be honest, yes, they kind of are incompatible as musicians; but on the bright side, that is exactly what makes this combination work well.
The first two singles shined light on the blending of two parties; first with “Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo)” and the follow up “I’m the Man to Be.” The first singles were definitely a departure from Berninger’s deep and heavy sounds of The National, but it allowed us to see a more upbeat version of what he has to offer. Knopf on the other hand, brings a stunning element of instrumentation to the table that sometimes provides a lively vibe, and other times, a haunting and unusual sound. The mixture of these elements seem to work completely, as they weave throughout each track of the record.
The biggest misconception that a listener can have going into this, is that it’s going to sound like a “National” record. It’s not. Then Berninger would just be working on National songs right now (Right? Right.). What would be the point? The voice is there, but the content isn’t always as heavy. You’re going to dance, you’re still going to get depressed as hell, and you are going to love every moment of it.
Releasing a series of lyric videos directed by the multi-talented Tom Berninger, it provides multiple songs with an intimate look to capture your attention even more. Tracks such as “Happiness Missouri” bring a haunting, yet determined sound into play, while harmonies fill the album in pieces such as “Silent Ivy Hotel,” or the chilling musicianship of “Paul is Alive.” Songs such as “No Time to Crank the Sun,” offers up Matt’s signature delicate crooning, as “Need a Friend,” shares a more vibrant sound, that brings Knopf’s intricate brand of musicianship to the table. Together they create a truly special musical experience within Return to the Moon.
Each piece on the record is strong enough to stand on their own, which is perhaps why the group decided to release a track one at a time leading into the record. Return to the Moon is perhaps the finest record of 2015; mark my word.
EL VY is currently on tour, recently kicking off their Eastern U.S. dates, with two stops in New York. Friday at Bowery Ballroom, and Saturday at Music Hall of Williamsburg. See you there kids.
Immediately drawn in by the name, meet QVALIA. Newcomers to the New York scene, the group formed in 2014, and have just released their debut album, This Is The Color Of My Dreams, earlier this week. My ears were certainly pleased, that’s for sure. 7-tracks fill the record, and my only regret is that there aren’t more songs…just yet at least.
Invoking a bit of CHVRCHES flare, QVALIA sure does deliver. The catchy and brilliant piece “Sound the Alarm,” kick off the record with a powerful force of synths, pianos, and ASTONISHING vocal work from singer Michael Hazani. Tracks such as “Breach,” offer a new twist on a nostalgic 80s sound. The musicianship seems extremely smooth and appears to come naturally to the band.
“Stardust,” takes the record down with darker undertones which are wrapped in the arms of sugary harmonies and heart-wrenching vocals. “I Won’t Let Go,” brings the dance party back into full force, which is a track I have been blaring endlessly from my stereo speakers. The instrumentation is stunning on every level and it is almost hard to believe the band have only just begun. This is the work of seasoned musicians. “The Feel of Not to Feel It,” and “White Bones” evoke the sounds of the 80s without hesitation as it recalls powerhouse synths that are prominent and unforgettable. Closing out the record is “150,” a slow and heartfelt way to end the collection of songs. Check out QVALIA’s This Is The Color Of My Dreams, as it will not disappoint.
Modern Mystery 