Author: Boswell

WORSEBEHAVIOUR (dir. Peter Campbell)

It’s always pleasing to see a plethora of artist development in Chicago, but sometimes what is forgotten are the people who provide musical artists with a visual platform for their art. A good videographer is essentially priceless, as we’ve seen from the success of Chicago directors like Austin Vesely and Elijah Alvarado lately, but many of these directors have aspirations higher than the music videos they do so well.

Today, another of Chicago’s underground heavyweights, Peter Campbell, presents to us his first ever short film entitled WORSEBEHAVIOUR. The short, which lasts about 9 minutes, is a wild ride of a kidnapping with a bit of humor peppered in there. If you’re a fan of Chicago music, you’ll notice some notable cameos Peter has thrown in there, including a Towkio interview and a soundtrack scored by Frank Leone. Stream above. Cheers.

Tame Impala – Let It Happen

As if we needed to worry more about plane crashes, Tame Impala comes along and presents us with a chilling scene to accompany “Let It Happen,” one of the best tracks off of their sophomore album Currents.  This truly bizarre scenario involves a talking sandwich and a defibrillator to say the least, so it’s certainly worth a watch. Cheers.

Kurt Vile – Pretty Pimpin

When one thinks of the adjective “pimpin,” probably the last musician that comes to mind is Kurt Vile, the soft-spoken indie prince. Today, however, Kurt brings us “Pretty Pimpin,” a cut off of his new album b’lieve i’m goin down… and I must say, I’m surprised and impressed with Vile’s upbeat direction.  Maybe you will be, too. Stream above. Cheers.

Chvrches – Leave A Trace

Alright, alright. Everyone knows Chvrches are the epitome of indie-mainstream stardom these days, but that doesn’t have to have such a negative connotation. Their newest single, “Leave A Trace” shows that the Glaswegian trio have not lost their signature sound, nor have they stagnated. It’s a hard thing to do, but shouts out to Lauren Mayberry & squad for keeping something great. Stream above. cheers.

Holly – Lonely Horse

There’s no doubt that electro-pop singers are buzzing right now all over the world – one needs to look no further than the litany of bands who occupy this genre who are playing massive festivals this summer to see that.  With this, of course, comes waves of smaller acts who do the same thing – some good, and many bad.  Holly, however, integrates herself into the realm of electro-pop vocalists with great care and tact.  The Baltimore, MD songwriter seems to have a bright future if she keeps this up. Watch the video above, and follow her twitter, @H_O_L_L_Y_music, for more info. Cheers.

London O’Connor – Guts

Never one to mince words, London O’Connor’s newest single “Guts” came accompanied with a description from the young multi-instrumentalist that simply read: “DON’T BECOME STEVE. DON’T LET THEM BREAK YOU.”  I’m not sure what this means – and I’m not sure that anyone does – but London’s got some extremely raw, perhaps Thom Yorke-esque talent, and it will be a pleasure to see what he does next.  His debut album O∆ is out on June 23rd.  Cheers.

Devlin – 50 Grand (ft. Skepta)

For the past three years, I’ve been praying that grime would make it into the general American music lexicon.  With cosigns from Kanye West and Drake, London-based Grime emcee Skepta probably stands the best chance of breaking down the Atlantic Ocean barrier than anyone else in recent memory.  Today, fellow UK grime rapper Devlin brings us a visual for his newest track, “50 Grand” featuring none other than Skepta himself.  Sure, these rappers focus less on material wealth on this track, but upon listening, it’s one of the most refreshing things in hip-hop today.  Stream the visuals above. Cheers.

Black Other – Keep Movin’ (feat. And Is Phi)

I was in London for a Heems show this week (the rapper formerly from Das Racist), which was without question one of the most bizarre concert experiences of my life, but a bright spot came from one of the show’s openers, Black Other.

Weaving heavily lyrical verses into old school boom-bap beats, the English group creates a truly pleasant sound unmatched by many in hip-hop today, especially for someone with only 41 Twitter followers.  I knew after hearing their set that I had to investigate further, and I was even more impressed after I found their video for “Keep Movin’,” the band’s only released song so far.  Keep your eyes on these guys, because their talent proves they have a lot of potential – even from only listening to one song. Stream above. Cheers.

Jamie xx – I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) (ft. Young Thug & Popcaan)

Last week, we were blessed with a leak of Jamie xx’s latest single off of his upcoming album In Colour, “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” featuring none other than Young Thug and Popcaan.  Today, we get the official version of the track, so we don’t have to keep scouring Soundcloud for unofficial leaks with obscure DJ tags.  In Colour is due out on June 1st. Cheers.

Made In Heights – Slow Burn

Made In Heights is about to blow up – for real.  Sure, they’ve already released a self-titled album to some critical acclaim, but just last week, they dropped “Slow Burn,” a track that has been in constant SoundCloud rotation since I first heard it.  The track, which is featured on their sophomore album Without My Enemy What Would I Do, which is due out on May 26th.  Hit play. Groove away. Cheers.

Wyldest – Danish Longball

If you took Of Monsters and Men, Chvrches and maybe Washed Out and combined them into one, you’d probably get something like Wyldest.  The trio, which hails from North London, dropped “Danish Longball” earlier this week via Pigeons and Planes, and I can’t seem to shake it from my Soundcloud.  No word on any future projects or releases yet, but if 2014 was any indication, the time is right for indie synth-pop.  Cheers.

Jamie xx – Gosh

Maybe I’m an idiot, but I didn’t know that Jamie xx was the producer behind The xx, one of the best indie bands of the past 5 years.  Instead, I just knew him from a project he did with Gil Scott-Heron, which was released in 2011 on XL Recordings.  Today, however, Jamie brings us “Gosh,” a single off of his new album In Colour, which is due out on June 2nd. Stream and enjoy. Cheers.