Welcome back to another episode of the Strawberry Skies radio show, the *sweetest* hour of your week! Today I have a ton of new releases to share, and I also want to highlight some bands that I'm excited to see live this weekend.
If you're reading this between 3:00 and 4:00 PM EST on Thursday, October 21st, you can listen live right now here. If you're not reading this during that timeframe, you can listen to what I played using this week's Spotify playlist here!
"Neutral Gray" - Noise Plant
One year ago this week, my good friends in Noise Plant put out their debut EP titled "Neutral Gray." The band isn't really active anymore and the members are all doing their own cool things (check out Mind Goblin!!) but this song will always be very special to me.
"Just My Type" - Taylor Bickett
I found this song on my For You Page on TikTok sometime last year and just realized this week that it was officially released this past summer. I haven't stopped listening to it since, so now you all have to join me. Enjoy.
"Somo" - Suntitle
Know Hope Records' Suntitle is a staple for anyone living on the east coast and has been for a while now. If you haven't gotten a chance to check them out yet, their newest single "Somo" is a great place to start. Their new LP "In A Dream" is due out November 12th and can be pre-ordered on Know Hope's website.
"I Don't Care Anymore" - Cathedral Bells
Cathedral Bells is about to head on a full tour of the United States with Valley Palace for about a month in a few weeks, and you definitely don't want to miss it. This new track is a really perfect fall song, and you guys already know how I feel about songs that remind me of fall, so that's a huge compliment.
"I'm Doing Push Ups" - Bears In Trees
Bears In Trees was a band I found on TikTok a long time ago and never really revisited, which I've found has been the case for a lot of people who are familiar with them. Their new single "I'm Doing Push Ups" is genuinely heartwrenching and beautiful, and I encourage you to dive into it regardless of if you've heard of them before or not.
"Van's Manager Type Beat" - The Real You
Hailing from Gainesville, Florida, The Real You is a super fun pop-punk band that you need to get yourself acquainted with if you don't already know them. Their latest release "The Real You" is endlessly catchy and they'll be playing some shows in the FL area at the end of this month.
"Overture II" - Tiny Kingdoms
I'm pretty sure I call every band I work with my favorite band to work with, but that's more accurate than you'd think. I got to help out on the campaign for Tiny Kingdoms' new EP "For A Moment We Were All Alone" and this song has been my favorite since the first time I heard it a few months ago. Very very proud of these guys as humans and musicians and can't wait to see where this next chapter takes them.
"Sharpen Your Teeth" - Save Face
Save Face is one of those bands that I will never shut up about. Their new album "Another Kill For The Highlight Reel" is out on October 29th and their latest single, "Sharpen Your Teeth", has somehow gotten me even more excited to listen to the new LP. Atmospheric, world-building music with a story and characters is my absolute favorite kind of music and Save Face outdoes themselves in that realm every single time.
"God Knows" - Knocked Loose
Knocked Loose released an unexpected new EP titled "A Tear in the Fabric of Life" last week and it blew me away. This is some of the band's best work yet, and the accompanying animated short film fits the music perfectly. KL was the first hardcore band I ever listened to and they have never let me down - I don't think they ever will.
"Monster" - Pollyanna
As I've mentioned before, I worked with Pollyanna when I interned at DIMM Entertainment last summer and I actually got to watch them sign their contract with I Surrender Records, a signing that they finally got to announce this past week. This is another group of talented musicians who are amazing people and they deserve all the success in the world. This new track "Monster" can be found on "Sugar Coat Deluxe", an extended version of their 2020 EP, which you can pre-order on vinyl here.
"You Booze You Lose" - Last Straw
By the time you're reading this, the show will have probably already happened, but as I'm typing this, I can't believe that I'm going to see Last Straw play their first show this week. Going to be a very good day for Connecticut hardcore.
"Burden of Self" - Almighty Watching
Almighty Watching will also be on the bill with Last Straw that I mentioned before, along with Wreckage, Stand Alone, and The Thrill in Wallingford, Connecticut. I'm really liking living in CT as far as hardcore shows go.
"Outta My Head" - State Champs
This Friday, I'll be seeing State Champs for the first time in a long time. This is a band I've been listening to since I was in middle school, and I have countless amazing memories related to them (the first time I ever crowd-surfed was to their songs "Slow Burn" and "Shades of Gray"). There's something comforting about getting to see one of those bands again. I'm very excited.
"Spinning" - Real Friends
Real Friends is also on the lineup this Friday at Irving Plaza, and I'm somehow even more excited to see them. It's really refreshing when a band can undergo a major change, like bringing in a new vocalist, and still maintain their same sound and magic. Real Friends executed that perfectly. This is another band that I've been a fan of for over five years now, and seeing them live is always cathartic.
"Transient Colours" - Bearings
Bearings rounds out the Pure Noise Tour lineup, along with Just Friends and Four Year Strong. Their record "Hello, It's You" was one of my 2020 highlights (full review here) and they were the first band I ever followed around for multiple dates of a tour, so seeing Bearings is a really special, emotional thing for me. If there's one thing you take from this week's playlist/show, let it be this; I am so glad that live music is back.
What songs do you want to hear me play next week? Let me know by tweeting me at @JENSESSlON or the blog at @StrawbSkiesBlog! The blog can also be found on social media @StrawberrySkiesBlog on Instagram and Strawberry Skies Blog on Facebook.