Hi Fi Way Mix Tape Volume 11
We love a good mix tape at Hi Fi Way, have a look to see who made Volume Eleven:
Another year and the world is still dominated by pandemic restrictions… But there’s musical hope at the end of the tunnel as 2022 straightly sees the release of Scandinavian all-star band AT THE MOVIES’ first two albums, available today via Atomic Fire Records. Ready to brighten all hard ‘n’ heavy fans globally with their uplifting movie hit adaptations, the group’s arsenal features The Soundtrack Of Your Life – Vol. 2 (covers from the 90’s) as well as a re-issue of their debut album The Soundtrack Of Your Life – Vol. 1 (covers from the 80’s).
Says band leader Chris Laney, “Wow, it’s release day. We NEVER thought we would release two albums out of having fun…crazy! But here we are, 22 songs and videos later – woop! I really hope it will be your soundtrack for at least 2022…coz more will come out of this, that is for sure. Cheers!”
In addition, the band celebrate the release of both albums with a music video for Heaven Is A Place On Earth. Known from the 1997 film Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion and originally performed by Belinda Carlisle.
Laney adds, “This is one of those songs that a band like KISS or BON JOVI should have had back in the day, an instant rock-feel-good-song. I loved it from the get go. I never really liked Belinda’s vibrato, so I’m happy to have new voices on that one. I think most people wanna pop open a brewski and raise their glasses hearing this!”
As Weatherstate approach the release of their second album Never Better, which will be out Friday, 11 February via Rude Records, the Weymouth punk band have revealed another new track called Headstone.
Showcasing a slower, more contemplative side to Weatherstate, building to that anthemic, singalong chorus complete with their signature riffage, the song theme centralises around fulfilling your potential.
“’Headstone’ is about trying to make something out of ourselves in the time we have here,” says guitarist Callan Milward. “It’s okay to go through periods of life unhappy and that’s what makes the good bits all the better. The lyric ‘Catch me, I don’t want to come down,’ specifically relates to friends being around when you need a safety net and how important it is to have a support network that can get you through those monotonous times. We’re only around for so long, and that’s the way it is, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up too much, and it’s completely okay to sometimes just roll with the punches.”
Never Better is the follow-up record to 2019’s Born A Cynic; a timely commentary, stemming from a place of monotony, helplessness, and apathy to the state of the world around us. Vocalist and guitarist Harry Hoskins comments: “The record reaches out to different feelings that many of us have experienced over the last few years, from a state of mind that is pessimistic when faced with the question ‘will things ever improve?’ Sometimes you have to buckle up and move forward to keep yourself sane.”
Northern Rivers-based, Northern Beaches-bred singer songwriter Mylee Grace has premiered the video for her new single Any Road, taken from her Love Police Records & Tapes debut solo album Whiplash in the Moshpit. The premiere follows the recent announcement that she will be playing Splendour in the Grass – in North Byron, not far from home for Mylee – for the first time in 2022.
The music video for Any Road mirrors the playful and nostalgic mood of the song which was to the first track laid down in the studio when creating Whiplash in the Moshpit with friend and collaborator – and King Gizzard live sound engineer and Family Jordan guitarist – Sam Joseph.
Starring Mylee and her 7 year old daughter Goldie Wright, the clip encompasses a heartfelt longing to break free from the mundane and experience the world through the playful eyes of a child. Grace and Goldie together style the clip, wearing a combination of vintage and Australian Labels such as AJE, Matin, Wrangler and Marie Louise De Monterey.
The White dress featured is a hand embroidered art piece literally taken off the wall at Liv Enqvist’s art show the same week the music video was shot. An artist friend of Grace’s, Enqvist also stayed up all night hand embroidering the Any Road title which features as the opening scene. Filmed in a small sugar cane town on the Northern Rivers of NSW, on Bundjalung Country, Any Road was shot entirely on 16mm and 8mm, using a Bolex film camera by Myles Doughman and Dom Sullivan, and directed by Sullivan.
Adventurers, heed the call of Icelandic newcomers POWER PALADIN as they have finally unleashed their debut album With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel via Atomic Fire Records! The six-piece kick-start their journey of conquering the hearts of power metal fanatics globally today with a record that delivers nine highly infectious anthems. As if this wasn’t enough, the band have prepared a brand new animated music video for another new track in cooperation with students of well-known Melbourne, Australia based RMIT University who previously collaborated with acts such as HELLOWEEN, CHILDREN OF BODOM, TANKARD, KORPIKLAANI, ALESTORM and more.
State POWER PALADIN on these festive happenings: “We still remember that moment after we just finished recording our first album with our no-name band on an island with a total number of inhabitants of less than 375,000, not that far from the North pole and suddenly got hit with a record deal and started to hear that people were actually anticipating the record. It was a kind of a weird situation to be in. We were also joking about how fun it would be to create an animated video for one of our songs and laughed at the idea cause we only know a tiny fraction of the work that is involved in creating such a video, and it is a lot. That’s why we were even more surprised when RMIT University signalised their interest in making an animated video for our song ‘Creatures Of The Night’ as they usually choose from a “highly classified” list of bands that they work with. The whole process was very enjoyable and it was very fun to watch how the sketches slowly turned into form. We would like to thank RMIT University, Simon Norton, his students and all those who helped make this video become reality. It blew all our expectations out of the water and we think it could not have turned out better. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.”
After re-signing to Nuclear Blast in early 2021, the Finnish heavy metal sextet BATTLE BEAST are once again getting ready to unleash their force upon the world in the shape of their brand new masterpiece Circus of Doom. The album is set to be released on January 21st 2022 via Nuclear Blast and in true BATTLE BEAST fashion, the 10 tracks blend true heavy metal with pop and rock-vibes, paired with Noora Louhimo’s unique voice.
The band release their inspiring and powerful third single Where Angels Fear to Fly, that also comes with a music video.
Janne Björkroth comments: “‘Where Angels Fear to Fly’ was born of gratitude to those who have had the courage to change the world. With the song we want to show our respect for those who have been cracking unequal structures for generations. It was inspired by our grandparents and other brave pioneers who have worked hard for a more equal society. ‘Where Angels Fear to Fly’ is dedicated to everyone who has encountered discrimination, unfair obstacles, or prejudices in their lives. It is written as an empowerment song for those who have to struggle to be heard and to gain the appreciation that every single one of us deserves.”
Between the several battlegrounds of WWI, there was no scene as hostile as the feared alpine front that involved a series of battles at the border between Austria-Hungary and Italy. High above in the alps, men would fight in the most extreme conditions to protect the borders. Today, these fights are infamously known as the so-called “White War”, where many soldiers froze to death or were buried by dangerous avalanches. Their dead bodies remain under the snow until today.
Swedish metal war chroniclers SABATON open the history books again to present their new single Soldier Of Heaven, giving that overlooked chapter of WWI a voice, a tune and an impressive music video featuring both breathtaking special effects and the fatal beauty of this battlefield.
Bassist Pär Sundström states about the song:
“We already released the Christmas Truce and here comes another song which shows the diversity of the new album. In the early listening sessions of the new album this one was noted among most people as a top song and we know that this will be a powerful sing-a-long anthem on future concerts. So study the lyrics, get your ass to a show and make sure you kill corona in the process!”
Ireland’s NewDad have unveiled their new single Say It, the exciting next taste of their second EP, Banshee, out 9th February via Fair Youth Records / AWAL.
Say It is perfect pop, a brilliantly urgent single that highlights the extra experience and time the band have had in the studio. Julie’s vocals are amongst her best yet, and capture the emotion of the track, the rushing sensation you feel when in the midst of an affair.
On Say It the band say:
“‘Say It’ is about unrequited love, about when someone is with you but not really, it’s supposed to capture that frustration you feel when you’re giving someone your all and they’re giving you nothing in return. The fast pace of the song makes it feel like I’m venting which works considering the feelings of irritation and bitterness I’m talking about when you don’t want to like someone but you can’t help it’.”
New Zealand born singer songwriter Jamie McDell releases Poor Boy, the third single from her forthcoming self-titled album, set to drop on February 25.
Poor Boy features Tom Busby of Busby Marou fame and was written by Jamie to acknowledge the powerful influence of her father – she says, “I hope that he knows what a wonderful father he has been, how much he’s taught us about what’s truly important.”
Explaining how the partnership with Tom Busby came about, Jamie explains, “I had opened a show in Auckland, NZ for Busby Marou and that sparked the idea of me joining the boys on an Australian tour. Tom has been super supportive of my music ever since and I absolutely love the tone of his voice and how it elevates this track!”
Platinum-selling rock band FALLING IN REVERSE have shared the video for the new song Zombified.
The song is a sweeping and cinematic rock anthem, full of epic riffs, kinetic, industrial nuances, and is built an incredibly catchy chorus that will take up permanent residence in your brain.
Since its premiere at iHeartRadio last week, Zombified has exploded across platforms. It has tallied over 3.4 million streams and landed over 67 editorial playlist adds on DSPs — including seven covers. It became the No. 1 Rock Song on iTunes and #10 on YouTube’s trending page. And it’s only getting started.
“I wrote ‘Zombified’ about how sensitive society has gotten, in my opinion,” says singer Ronnie Radke. “I think we all need to learn to laugh a little more. I pulled out all the stops for the ‘Zombified’ video, for the fans, YouTube reactors, and all people alike.”
In the lead up to their forthcoming new album Lucifer On the Sofa, out February 11 (Matador Records / Remote Control), Spoon share Wild, a celebratory and anthemic song about finding one’s way from cashed out depths back into a vivid world full of colour and life. Wild is the second track that Spoon have revealed off of Lucifer On the Sofa. Like The Hardest Cut before it, the song captures the sound of a band cracking things open and letting it all spill out onstage.
The video for Wild was directed by Ben Chappell and Brook Linder, who notes “we were mid putting this video together and my friend Ben asked ‘Is Spoon the best band?’ Yes. Yep. Probably. There’s always something unexpected in the familiar with Spoon. They are mythic to me somehow, and ‘WILD’ needed to feel like a myth, or at least illustrate the myth-making process in some odd way. We used the old ways -crude in-camera techniques -to hit this uncanny western film note. Britt is the quintessential western hero. Had a blast 10/10 would do again.”
Relishing in the success of their 2021 sophomore EP Party Friends, WA’s surf rock trio Pretty Uglys return with their new single Situation City. The band are also excited to announce a bunch of WA tour dates in January and February.
Sonically Situation City moves beyond their classic surf rock conventions in favour of something a little more melodic and slower in tempo to their previous singles: Your Shade, Party Friends and Emergency Room. “Situation City is a song we’ve had for a while now so it was super fun to get it in the studio. Written around the time we moved up to Perth ‘Situation City’ and the situations that occurred around that. It’s a much slower tempo than the majority of our previous stuff but still retains the energy everyone is familiar with with a fuzzed out chorus.” Pretty Uglys
Writing and recording the track with long term collaborators Tristan Sturmer at Perth’s Sumo Studios and mastering done by George Georgiadis at Little Wing Sound, the band says “It all started when mucking around on an acoustic guitar at a mates house and the intro/chorus chords came out. From there we cooked it up in our jam space at home!” Pretty Uglys
Parquet Courts debuted a brand new single, Watching Strangers Smile, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. This follows the release of Sympathy For Life, their new album available now on Rough Trade Records / Remote Control Records. Watching Strangers Smile came out of the same sessions the band did with Rodaidh McDonald for Sympathy for Life. The Ellen performance puts A. Savage’s fiery vocal performance at the forefront, once again cementing them as one of the most lauded indie bands of the last decade and giving a taste of what to expect on their spring 2022 North American tour. ‘Watching Strangers Smile’ is now available on all streaming services.
“Interestingly enough, this song is the b-side to the Black Widow Spider single, which was released only in Japan via Big Love Records,” says A. Savage. “The music was recorded during the sessions for Sympathy for Life, but it was left unfinished. I recorded the vocals on my own to sort of keep from going stir crazy that first lockdown summer. Apologies to my neighbours for the long afternoon spent screaming these vocals in my bedroom.”
Melbourne punk-rock band Captives announce their new album Return To Mars out on March 31 ahead of their East Coast and Adelaide tour. The record features 2021’s fierce rock anthems Buried and Bones, Villain, and new single Gold.
“Gold has been a bit of a journey. It was one of the first tracks we put down for the new album but was a bit of a dark horse. Now it’s one of our favourites. It’s huge. No fuss. I’m looking forward to smashing this one live!” Matthew Damon (Drummer)
From the first propulsive drum beat in Gold, the song perfectly captures their anthemic energy that’s core to their sound, featuring driving heavy guitar riffs and thundering vocals from lead singer Aaron Damon. The track was recorded at The Alamo studio in Melbourne and produced and mixed by Tyson Fish (Vance Joy, Mammal, Children Collide) and mastered by Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Cog, Shihad).
“It was the first time we’ve ever attempted writing digitally and remotely. Parts of the process were great, other parts were super challenging. For us, you can’t beat having all 5 of us in a room and creating tunes with the energy from us all. Thankfully, we were able to get into a studio in between Melbourne lockdowns and track the record. I think if anything, we’ve learnt to adapt our writing process and it’s only going to benefit us in the long run. In saying that, I can’t wait to be in a room with the band and just be able to play some songs again.” Matthew Damon (Drummer)
UK-based noise-pop band Superlove have just revealed their ethereal new single Maybe I Could Tell You and its picturesque accompanying music video.
The electro-pop-tinged track is influenced by mid-2000’s coming-of-age films featuring those early moments of falling in love. The band explain, “to take a step aside from our usual writing process was really fun and this song has definitely opened up another new window for what our band can sound like. Lyrically the song is all about those moments building up to telling someone how you feel about them, when you want to tell someone you love them or fancy them. It can be a pretty nerve-wracking thing. The conversational element to the song was something that was done to showcase the innocence and vulnerability of the songs topic.”
Sydney hard-rock outfit Bad Moon Born unveil their timeless new single Light Leaves The Day, a track that sees the band lean more into an acoustic and melodic rock direction for their first offering in 2022. The song’s theme and honest lyrics shine a light on Jordan Von Grae’s (Vocalist/Lyricist) personal struggles with addiction whilst highlighting his journey to sobriety.
“Light Leaves the Day addresses a time when I’d been newly sober following several years of chronic alcoholism and drug abuse. The initial clarity that came with sobriety brought several unaddressed mental health issues to the forefront, leaving me to confront them unaided through means of self-medication. It forced me into a terrifying loop of introspection which, through therapy and the support of my loved ones, ultimately resulted in a newfound desire to commit to my personal development, and change my behaviour. The song was written at a time when I was new to this change and whilst I was hopeful for the future, I was terrified that my efforts wouldn’t be enough to save the relationships I’d damaged throughout this time. 18 months on, I can safely say that committing to sobriety has been the best decision I’ve ever made.” Jordan Von Grae (Vocalist/Lyricist)
Almost 2 weeks into the new year, the party isn’t over yet: The Swedish metal heroes AMARANTHE release a remix of their new single PvP – a catchy, energetic piece built to break the dancefloors all over the world!
“Let’s start this year with bang! If you’re still horizontal from the holiday’s indulgences, here’s what we ordinate to get you picked up in style: a danceable yet crushing remix of ‘PvP’, that works as well with your gaming session as it does in the club! Remixed by Elias Holmlid, who has previously lent his talents to ‘Amaranthine’ and ‘Crystalline’, this interpretation will hit harder than any new year fireworks!”
PvP was the official anthem for the Swedish team at the international e-sports world championship. The video was directed by Poland’s Grupa13, who previously worked with the band on ‘Archangel’ & ‘Boom!1’.
Alright Already Now! We are proud to announce a new studio album by legendary Swedish high energy rock and roll band THE HELLACOPTERS called Eyes Of Oblivion, which is set to be released on April 1st, 2022. It will be the first album since the release of their temporary farewell record Head Off in 2008! And boy, y’all are in for a treat!
NICKE ANDERSSON (vocals & guitars) reveals:
“The album has 10 songs and although it’s obviously not easy to be objective at all, I think musically it sums up everything we’ve touched upon from the start in 1994 up until now. Some of the songs date back as far as 10 years or more, and some were written more recently. It’s rock and roll played with high energy, so for lack of a better term I say High Energy Rock And Roll. You could say it sounds like The Beatles meets Judas Priest or Lynyrd Skynyrd meets the Ramones but the best way to describe this album is that it sounds like The Hellacopters today.”
To celebrate the kickoff of this new chapter of THE HELLACOPTERS, the Swedes are sharing with you a BRAND NEW SINGLE, the anthemic album opener, Reap A Hurricane! The song presents itself as a potential future fan-favourite with all of the juicy riffs and in-your-face swagger you could’ve possibly hoped for, topped off with a captivating chorus that won’t leave your head any time soon. In short – it sounds as if the band had never been away!
NYC-based English troubadour Coyle Girelli is back with a breathtaking new single Here Comes My Baby, a song filled with sweet longing amidst a strange and confusing world. Here Comes My Baby is accompanied by a stunning visualiser, perfectly tailored to suit the yearning at the heart of the song. The new single precedes Coyle Girelli’s new album Funland, written in isolation and set for release on February 25 – the album is available for pre-order now. Australian fans will be familiar with Coyle’s one-of-a-kind vocals as his collaboration with Peking Duk member Keli Holiday, Song Goes On, has been on high rotation on triple j throughout the year.
Here Comes My Baby is one for the shoegaze fans – evocative of masters of the genre Mazzy Star, ingénue Hatchie and rockers The War On Drugs, this song would feel at home nestled amongst the tracks on the Big Little Lies original soundtrack; gentle guitars sway, Coyle’s unique, dreamy vocals lead confidently, like magic, amongst whirling reverb. There’s even a little Lana Del Rey influence amongst the bed of sound – in other words, every fan of alternative pop, guitar-led slow dancing, and genuine, classic songwriting will find something to love here. Reflecting on the meaning behind the song, and the influences behind its conception, Coyle says, “Here Comes My Baby has a dreamy indie vibe that I loved living in as I created it. Lyrically, it’s pretty simple… it’s about craving the body of a lover in an uncertain moment of strangeness. I had a running playlist that I listened to pretty much every day while I was writing and I think a lot of them influenced this track, and the album. Some of the main ones on there were Leonard Cohen, Nina Simone, Hamilton Leithauser, Cigarettes After Sex, The War on Drugs, Big Thief and Bruce Springsteen.”
Massachusetts genre colliders Vein.fm have announced details of their hugely anticipated second album This World Is Going To Ruin You, to be released on 4th March through Nuclear Blast Records in all territories except North America, where it will be released via Closed Casket Activities.
To mark the news, the band have released a horrifying new video for the record’s first single The Killing Womb.
The new album, which was recorded with Grammy awarding winning producer Will Putney at Graphic Nature Audio in April 2020, features guest spots from Thursday’s Geoff Rickly, Jeff Smith of screamo legends Jeromes Dream and Michigan-bred rapper Bones.
This World Is Going To Ruin You is a fully realised version of Vein.fm’s heaviest elements, both sonically and emotionally. In the band’s own words, “With this album, the vibe was to go back to the origin point of Vein and put it on blast,” DiDio explains. “But it’s not a nostalgia trip. We’re just taking that part of the band to its fullest potential.”
British experimental metal four piece Loathe are proud to release a new single, Dimorphous Display. The single comes as a declaration for the new year, as the band are currently working on the follow up to 2020 studio album I Let It In and It Took Everything and 2021 ambient instrumental record The Things They Believe. In Dimorphous Display Loathe find themselves reaching an artistic synthesis, setting themselves up for the most exciting leg of their career so far. Loathe also recently announced that they will be undertaking a huge 23-date US tour in April/May 2022 as support to Code Orange.
Loathe stated,
“Dimorphous Display, in its first iteration, had been in the vault for a good few years before we decided to start work on the song together as a band – so finally being able to release it into the world feels like a great accomplishment. The initial demo was filed soon after we had finished up with ‘I Let It In And It Took Everything’ but with lockdowns occurring across the world, this gave us the opportunity to experiment with different collaborators and thus final tracking was completed some time in the middle of 2021 at Giant Wafer Studios. We worked alongside our new friend Eddie Al-Shakarchi on capturing the rawest incarnation of the Loathe sound to date and we are very happy with the result.”
Sydney artist and self-proclaimed sad boy Thomas Porter has once again delivered an instantly relatable bedroom pop anthem, Wishbone is out now via Dew Process.
In a world of highlight reels, hustle culture, and collective burnout, the latest single emerges as a helpless ode to lending support to a friend when they don’t want to listen.
Thomas describes the track, “This is a song about wanting to help someone who won’t help themselves, and how hopeless you can feel in the face of seeing someone self-destruct. I think my favourite thing about this song is simply how conversational it is. I wanted parts of it to feel like voicemails you would get from your partner after having a bad day, with the rest of the song contextualising just how bad that day has been. I honestly just hope people love the song. I made it in my bedroom during the first lockdown and it’s crazy to think it is finally coming out.”
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