Today, DEBBY FRIDAY shares the propulsive, bass-heavy electro single “HOT LOVE,” a new offering from GOOD LUCK, her full-length debut, out Friday, March 24th, worldwide from Sub Pop.
FRIDAY offers this of the single, “The song itself is about the karma of relationships. You meet someone, and you idealize them, you project onto them, and they do the same to you, and it’s all fun and games until it isn’t. This way of loving is so intoxicating and combustible and so hot it burns you right up.”
DEBBY FRIDAY’s previously announced international headlining tour dates and festival appearances supporting GOOD LUCK will begin later this month, with multiple performances at SXSW in Austin, TX March 16th-17th. Her tour schedule now runs through Friday, May 12th in Manchester, UK at The White Hotel. Additional live dates will be announced soon.
Thu. Mar. 16 - Austin, TX - SXSW Fri. Mar. 17 - Austin, TX - SXSW Fri, Mar. 24 - Montreal, QC - Phi Centre Sat. Mar 25 - Toronto, ON - Garrison Wed. Apr. 12 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios Thu. Apr. 13 - Seattle, WA - Barboza Fri. Apr. 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon Sat. Apr. 15 - Vancouver, BC - Cobalt Wed. Apr. 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Babys Alright Thu. Apr. 20 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle Tue. May 02 - Bristol, UK - Crofters Rights Wed. May 03 - London, UK - Corsica Studios w/ Grove Fri. May 05 - Krems, AT - Donau Festival Fri. May 12th- Manchester, UK - The White Hotel
Her upcoming short film GOOD LUCKis a pseudo-autobiographical tale, largely drawn from FRIDAY’s own life and experiences growing up as a zillenial anti-heroine. A surrealist reflection on the tumultuous whirlwind that is the end of adolescence and the emotionality of youth, GOOD LUCK is co-directed by FRIDAY and Nathan De Paz Habib (Chino Amobi’s Eroica, and The Bicycle).
GOOD LUCK is available now to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, select independent stores in North America, the U.K., and E.U., will receive the limited Loser edition on metallic silver vinyl (while supplies last).
GOOD LUCK features “SO HARD TO TELL,” “I GOT IT,” “WHAT A MAN,” and “HOT LOVE,” was co-produced by DEBBY FRIDAY and Graham Walsh (METZ, Holy Fuck) at Candle Recording Studio in Toronto, and mastered by Heba Kadry in New York.
SO HARD TO TELL” and “I GOT IT” have earned DEBBY FRIDAY early praise from the likes of New York Times, Pitchfork, NPR Music, The FADER, Billboard, Nylon, FLOOD, Cool Hunting, Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, Treble, Dork, DIY, CLASH, Our Culture and more.
What people are saying about DEBBY FRIDAY: “An explosive, pounding, relentlessly calisthenic dance-floor banger with attitude to spare. A pulsating beat flickers like a strobe light as Friday and Chris Vargas of the duo Pelada, appearing here as Uñas, trade braggadocious bilingual verses. ‘Let mama give you what you need,’ Friday shrieks before calmly assuring, ‘I got it.’” [“I GOT IT”] -New York Times
“In contrast to the pulse-quickening tempos and noisy synths of her past music, her production is deft and graceful, with a skipping beat and cascading backing vocals. ‘Lady Friday/All you do is rеbel,’ Friday chastises herself—tough talk against a fragile, gorgeous sound.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”/ “Best New Track”] - Pitchfork
“One of the young year’s most audacious bangers” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - Billboard
“Intoxicating…” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - Stereogum
“Hyperpop can sometimes come off as abrasive but in the hands of Canadian singer DEBBY FRIDAY it’s soulful, even elegant.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - NYLON
“A graceful entrance into yet another territory: lush R&B”[“SO HARD TO TELL”] - NPR Music
“If you’ve ever deep-dived into Debby Friday’s discography, you’ll know she slammed this single into left field, but man is it a hit! This edgy extraordinaire has taken a dip into the darkside via falsetto pop.” ” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - MTV
“Friday strikes a remarkable balance on her forthcoming debut LP, GOOD LUCK: between the boisterous and the tranquil, the erudite and the crass, a packed dancefloor and quiet isolation. Featuring unequivocal bangers like “I Got It,” “Pluto Baby,” and “Heartbreakerrr,” Debby Friday is destined for bigger stages in 2023 (“15 Artists to Watch in 2023”).” - SPIN
About DEBBY FRIDAY’S GOOD LUCK: The usual boom-and-bust cycles of growing up – breaking down, gathering the strength to get up, fumbling hard, doing it all over again - can feel unmooring, to say the least, but, and according to DEBBY FRIDAY, its tragedies and glories need savoring. Losing illusions, gaining expectations; getting deep into the private, soupy kaleidoscope of what’s possible and what’s futile – GOOD LUCK, her debut, and supernovic, full-length album, is built on welcoming the journey’s complicated drops and mountain highs with something more like grace.
Nigerian-born, then an emigré to bits of Canada - from Montreal to Vancouver to Toronto - DEBBY FRIDAY’s roamings through space and time really began when the sun fell. Nightlife was her emancipation from the toughness of home life, and she fell into it, body and soul, totally seduced. Raves til sunrise; house music in unknown basements and warehouses – the lure of the party was the perfect escape. “I was like a little club rat,” she laughs. Her adoration of the world that it opened for her came in “almost in a sensual way (read more at Sub Pop).
DEBBY FRIDAY GOOD LUCK
Tracklisting: 1. GOOD LUCK 2. SO HARD TO TELL 3. I GOT IT (feat. Uñas) 4. HOT LOVE 5. HEARTBREAKERRR 6. WHAT A MAN 7. SAFE 8. LET U DOWN 9. PLUTO BABY 10. WAKE UP
On April 7th, Mudhoney will release their mind-melting new album Plastic Eternity, on CD/LP/CS/DSP via Sub Pop. Today you can hear the latest blinding flipper “Move Under,” from this tropically hot musical combo, by clicking HERE. This new single follows the swinging Escalator vibes of “Almost Everything,” another Plastic Eternity highlight released last month.
Mudhoney has confirmed a 29-date North American run in October and November. These newly announced shows begin on Friday, October 13th in Spokane, WA, with additional plays in Saint Paul, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, closing the run with 2 hometown shows on November 18th and 19th in Seattle, WA at The Crocodile. These dates follow the band’s previously announced Australian tour, in April and May. See below for a full list of shows.
Australia Sun. Apr. 16 - Brisbane, AU - The Zoo Thu. Apr. 20 - Marrickville, AU - Factory Theatre Fri. Apr. 21 - Belford, AU - Gumball Festival Sat. Apr. 22 - Wollongong, AU - AOW Uni Bar Sun. Apr. 23 - Canberra, AU - ANU Kambri Thu. Apr. 27 - Melbourne, AU - Corner Hotel Fri. Apr. 28 - Castlemaine, AU - Theatre Royal Sat. Apr. 29 - Torquay, AU - Torquay Hotel Sun. Apr. 30 - Melbourne, AU - Cherry Bar Wed. May 03 - Adelaide, AU - Lion Arts Factory Thu. May 04 - Perth, AU - The Rosemount Fri. May 05 - Margaret River, AU - The River
North America Fri. Oct.13 - Spokane, WA - Lucky You Lounge Sat. Oct. 14 - Missoula, MT - Zootown Arts Community Center Sun. Oct. 15 - Billings, MT - The Pub Station TapRoom Wed. Oct. 18 - Saint Paul, MN - Turf Club Thu. Oct. 19 - Milwaukee, WI - X-Ray Arcade Fri. Oct. 20 - Chicago, IL - Avondale Music Hall Sat. Oct. 21- Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme Sun. Oct. 22 - Detroit, MI - Magic Bag Mon. Oct. 24 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop Tue. Oct. 25 - Rochester, NY - Photo City Music Hall Wed. Oct. 26 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Thu. Oct. 27 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom Fri. Oct. 28 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge Sat. Oct. 29 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts Tue. Oct. 31 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall Wed. Nov. 01 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl Thu. Nov. 02 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East Fri. Nov. 03. Memphis, TN- Hi Tone Sat. Nov. 04 - Dallas, TX - Sundown at Granada Sun. Nov. 05 - Austin, TX - Antone’s Nightclub Thu. Nov. 09 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad Fri. Nov. 10 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom Sat. Nov.11 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress Sun. Nov. 12 - San Diego, CA - Casbah Tues. Nov. 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom Wed. Nov. 15 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall Fri. Nov. 17 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater Sat. Nov. 18 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Showroom (21+) Sun. Nov. 19 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Showroom (AA)
Plastic Eternity is now available for preorder on CD/LP/CS/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser Edition on “shiny gray matter” vinyl. In the UK, and in Europe the Loser Edition will be available on silver vinyl (both editions available while supplies last). There will also be a new T-shirt design available.
Mudhoney Plastic Eternity
Tracklisting: 1. Souvenir of My Trip 2. Almost Everything 3. Cascades of Crap 4. Flush the Fascists 5. Move Under 6. Severed Dreams in the Sleeper Cell 7. Here Comes the Flood 8. Human Stock Capital 9. Tom Herman’s Hermits 10. One or Two 11. Cry Me an Atmospheric River 12. Plasticity 13. Little Dogs
Today, Lael Neale shares the new song “In Verona,” from her forthcoming album Star Eaters Delight, available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs on April 21st, 2023, worldwide from Sub Pop.
“In Verona” is the centerpiece of the beguiling Star Eaters Delight, a sprawling gospel dirge in which the narrator-as-newscaster chants hypnotic incantations to lament a society plagued by divisions and hypocrisies, reimagining the Montagues and Capulets without mentioning them by name and cautioning the listener to “cast no stone.” Watch the observational and multitudinous official video for “In Verona,” directed by Lael, here.
Lael Neale has extended her international tour schedule for 2023 in support of Star Eaters Delight which now begins Tuesday, April 11th in San Francisco, CA at The Chapel and currently runs through Thursday, June 1st in Lisbon, PT at ZDB. New dates include Thursday, April 13th in Pioneertown, CA at Pappy & Harriet’s and Sunday, May 14 in Leeds, UK at the In Colour Festival. A current list of dates is below, and tickets for these shows are on sale now.
US 2023 Tue. Apr. 11 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel Thu. Apr. 13 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet’s Sat. Apr. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Permanent Records Roadhouse Mon. Apr. 24 - Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space Wed. Apr. 26 - Austin, TX - Chess Club Sat. Apr. 29 - Nashville, TN - drkmttr Wed. May 03 - Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong Fri. May 05 - New York, NY - Public Records Sat. May 06 - Northampton, MA - Parlor Room Sun. May 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Dolphin
UK/EU 2023 Sun. May 14 - Leeds, UK - In Colour Festival Mon. May 15 - Manchester, UK - The Castle Hotel Tue. May 16 - London, UK - The Lexington Wed. May 17- Paris, FR - La Boule Noire Thu. May 18 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix Fri. May 19 - Brussels, BE - Botanique (Witloof Bar) Sat. May 20 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso (London Calling Fest) Mon. May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain Tue. May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus Wed. May 24 - Copenhagen, DK - Huset Thu. May 25 - Oslo, NO - Krosset Fri. May 26 - Stockholm, SE - Nomad Sat. May 27 - Gothenburg, SE - Oceanen Thu. Jun. 01 - Lisbon, PT - ZDB
Star Eaters Delight, which features the highlights “I Am The River,” “Must Be Tears,” “Faster Than The Medicine,” and the aforementioned “In Verona,” was written by Neale, with arrangements and production by Guy Blakeslee. The recordings were made on cassette in Virginia and mastered by Chris Coady in Los Angeles.
Star Eaters Delight reveals an expansion of Neale’s sonic collaboration with producer and accompanist Blakeslee and arrives on the heels of her Sub Pop debut Acquainted With Night, which won international acclaim for its crystalline vocals, clever songwriting, and excellent use of Omnichord to build a world of beautiful reveries.
In April of 2020, Lael moved from Los Angeles back to her family’s farm in rural Virginia. Looking at the world from a distance and getting in tune with her own rhythms, she wrote and recorded steadily for two dreamlike years, driven by a need to make order out of chaos. Forged in isolation, Star Eaters Delight is a vehicle for returning, not just to civilization, but to celebration. She explains: “The unbroken silences on the farm compelled me to break them with sound. This album is louder and more external, calling out to the world.”
Star Eaters Delight is now available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, select independent retailers in North America, the UK and Europe, will receive the Loser edition on gold vinyl.
Lael Neale
Star Eaters Delight
Tracklisting: 1. I Am The River 2. If I Had No Wings 3. Faster Than The Medicine 4. In Verona 5. Must Be Tears 6. No Holds Barred 7. Return To Me Now 8. Lead Me Blind
Today, Friday, February 24th marks the release of Bria’s follow up EP Cuntry Covers Vol. 2 on LP/CD/DSPs. Building on the tried-and-true/bold-and-new duality of Cuntry Covers’ first offering, Vol. 2 delivers a deeper dive into the duo’s brilliant alchemy of traditional and contemporary reinterpretations. Bria has shared an official lyric video for her sultry reinterpretation of Mary Margaret O’Hara’s song “When You Know Why You’re Happy” which you can watch HERE.
“Mary Margaret O’Hara is a creative force and one of my favorite Canadian artists” shares Bria. She adds “I have been a huge fan of hers for quite some time and really wanted to try my hand at one of her songs for Vol. 2. She is a real queen of vocal improvisation. It’s a trait of hers that I’ve always admired, so I really wanted to explore that when recording this cover. The video for this track is special to us, a sort of collage of memory; fragmented footage of summer taken over the last two years is dispersed throughout shots of a vast winter scene, filmed while we finished the record up North with our live band.”
Bria has confirmed a new show on February 28th at No Somos Nada in Mexico City, Mexico with additional shows on March 9th at Zebulon in Los Angeles, CA and March 18th at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, ON. These live shows will showcase songs from Cuntry Covers Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Additional dates to be announced soon.
Tour Dates: Tue. Feb 28 - Mexico City, MX - No Somos Nada Thu. Mar. 09 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon Sat. Mar. 18 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
What people are saying about Bria:
“Cuntry Covers Vol. 2 “skirts the edges of the genre [country music] and ultimately leaves the listener with a very satisfying subversion of the classics the duo have chosen to interpret.”- Northern Transmissions
“Here’s a haunting, dystopian version version of Where Have All The Cowboys Gone? by Bria - it’s always an honor to hear the songs live on” - Paula Cole
“it’s an other-worldly take on the Karen Dalton standard…” [“Green Rocky Road”] - Clash
“Where Dalton’s original is quite lo-fi and scratchy, Bria have added some fidelity and warmth to it through golden-strummed guitars and a lackadaisical but precise beat.” [“Green Rocky Road”] - Beats Per Minute
“It’s the third track that’s truly mind-blowing, however. An ode to the late, great trailblazer, Loretta Lynn, Bria turns the classic ‘Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin (With Lovin’ On Your Mind) into a vibrant pop song that ABBA or The Primitives would be proud of.” - The Rodeo
“Salmena’s raspy tinged voice provides a depth of longing and fractured tenderness on her cover of Karen Dalton’s track, “Green Rocky Road.’” [“Green Rocky Road”] - Ears to Feed
“The band’s version will win over any Jennings fans, or fans of old country.” [“Dreaming My Dreams Of You”] - Northern Transmissions
“Cuntry Covers Vol. 1 seamlessly drifts between classic country references and a new perspective of reimagining what country could sound like” - Tonitruale
About Bria: As its name suggested, the intimate and sultry Cuntry Covers Vol. 1 was always going to have a follow-up. Led by the brooding vocals of Bria Salmena, Cuntry Covers Vol. 2 is every bit as potent as its predecessor whose noir-inflected alternative country-rock stood in sharp contrast to the singer’s commanding delivery as leader of post-punk revivalists FRIGS. Debuting the project in 2021, the languid, reverb-drenched Cuntry Covers Vol. 1 saw her artfully collaborating with multi-instrumentalist Duncan Hay Jennings and reimagining a carefully picked collection of Americana anthems.
Vol. 2 pushes the envelope further and harder. Encompassing feverish takes on tracks by Gillian Welch, Paula Cole, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Robert Lester Folsom, Glenn Campbell – by way of Nick Cave – and the late, great Loretta Lynn, Bria’s deliciously dark approach shimmers through these six startling songs.
Created during a break from Salmena and Jennings’ work in Orville Peck’s world-conquering backing band, Vol. 2 was recorded directly after Peck’s second album and Bria’s US tour supporting Wolf Alice. Embracing contrast, the sunny circumstances in which Vol. 1 was made were flipped on their head. Instead of a bucolic barn in the Canadian countryside, they recorded the new tracks in chilly Toronto, huddled together in their tiny makeshift home studio, with Jennings at the controls. “There’s a lot of chaotic energy to it, because it’s us cramped in a space where we’re all also working and living during the dead of winter,” explains Salmena, who also enlisted the help of local Toronto musicians Lucas Savatti (FRIGS), Simone Baril (US Girls, The Highest Order, Darlene Shrugg, Partner), Andrew Manktelow, and frequent collaborator Jaime Rae McCuaig.
While Vol. 1 was Bria’s attempt at subverting country music’s conservative roots and primarily white and heterosexual agenda, here the emphasis was on experimentation. The duo purposely split the two sides of the EP, with the A-side acting as more of an homage to the tracks covered, and the B-sides interpretations taking on a more traditional route with the source material. “We wanted to mess with things,” she says. And while Vol. 2 might be less personal, it’s just as idiosyncratic, with half of the reversions staying truthful to the originals and others taken to a different universe entirely. Building on the tried-and-true/bold-and-new duality of Cuntry Covers’ first oering, Vol. 2 delivers a deeper dive into the duo’s brilliant alchemy of traditional and contemporary reinterpretations. The added experimental flourishes, from dizzying electronica and pulsing bass to sax-driven soul, take Bria’s new EP into previously uncharted territory, signaling a thrilling new step in Bria’s adventurous evolution.
Bria Cuntry Covers Vol. 2
Tracklisting: 1. Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? 2. When You Know Why You’re Happy 3. Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind) 4. By The Time I Get to Phoenix 5. I Dream A Highway 6. See You Later, I’m Gone
On April 14th, Shannon Lay will release a 9-song digital album of covers entitled Covers Vol. 1. She shares “I absolutely love doing covers. It’s such a joy to offer my perspective on songs I admire and spread the word about amazing artists. Covers Vol. 1 is the first in a series of cover records celebrating my obsession with shannonizing songs.”
For her debut cover, “Angeles” by Elliott Smith, Lay shares “If I had a nickel for every minute I’ve spent listening to Elliott Smith I’d be a very rich woman. His intricate thoughtfulness always fills me up. “Angeles” was one of those songs I was always quite intimidated to learn but upon finally trying it came together so naturally. Then Debbie Neigher topped things off with an amazing piano outro. I love feeling Elliott’s spirit embedded in the musical scene at large. Anywhere notes are played he lives on.” Directed by Kai MacKnight you can watch this charming homage to Smith and her home, Los “Angeles” HERE.
Lay will embark on a 8-date run opening for Whitney starting on March 20th in Denver, CO, with additional shows in Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, ending on March 30th in her home city of Los Angeles. She will then head overseas in April playing headline shows in France, Manchester, Bristol and London with performances at Sound & Vision Festival in Cambridge, UK and Roots of Heaven Festival in Haarlem, NL. See below for a full list of dates.
Mon. Mar. 20 - Denver, CO - - Bluebird Theatre ^ Tue. Mar. 21 - Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theatre ^ Wed. Mar. 22 - Salt Lake City, UT - Soundwell ^ Sat. Mar. 25 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile ^ Sun. Mar. 26 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater ^ Mon. Mar. 28 -San Francisco, CA - The Chapel ^ Tue. Mar. 29 - Menlo Park, CA - Guild Theater ^ Wed. Mar. 30 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent ^ Sat. Apr. 15 - Toulon, FR - Faveurs de Printemps Tue. Apr. 18 - Manchester, UK - Gullivers Wed. Apr. 19 - Bristol, UK - The Cube Thu. Apr. 20 - London, UK - Kings Place Fri. Apr. 21 - Cambridge, UK - Sound & Vision Festival Sun. Apr. 23 - Haarlem, NL - Roots of Heaven Festival Wed. Apr. 26 - Dublin, IE - Cobblestone
^ w/ Whitney
Shannon Lay Covers Vol. 1
Tracklisting: Angeles (Elliott Smith) From the Morning (Nick Drake) Blues Run the Game (Jackson C. Frank) Close My Eyes (Arthur Russell) The Keepers (Ty Segall) I Lost Something in the Hills (Sibylle Baier) Glow Worms (Vashti Bunyan) I’m Set Free (The Velvet Underground) I Am Slow (OCS)