If you’re looking for another fun livestream music festival for this weekend, look no farther than Abracadabra Fest, which will be streaming on Twitch from the Los Angeles Theatre.
You’re not going to want to miss it. Why? Because T-Pain is leading a live palm reading session. There’s also a Self Care section of the fest, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to non-profits.
Check out the lineup below.
German metalcore band Eskimo Callboy is back with a whole lotta new! New EP, new singer, new chapter. And even a new tour next year. They’re latest single “Hypa Hypa” is their second most-streamed song of all time on Spotify, so you know “MMXX” is going to be a fan favorite. And for those unfamiliar with Roman numerals, MMXX means 2020. We’ll take this EP as a positive piece of this insane year!
“MMXX” leads off with “Hypa Hypa,” which is an incredible mix of EDM and metal. If you haven’t seen the music video, watching it is a must. The video and song are so much fun, you’ll be headbanging to it regardless if metal is your kind of music or not!
“Hate/Love” is a personal favorite off of the EP. It keeps up the dance vibes that “Hypa Hypa” lead off with, with just enough screaming. And as we move through the rest of the EP – “MC Thunder II,” “Monsieur Moustache,” and “Dramaqueen,” – the music gets more aggressive. It’s a well-done blend of going from lighter to heavier, somehow balancing these vastly different genres of electronic and metalcore.
The EP wraps up with “Prism,” which is a surprisingly pretty song. It’s not at all how I expected “MMXX” to end, but I do hope that the year of 2020 goes similarly: soft and sweet. Was that Eskimo Callboy’s intent with this EP, to reflect the moods of this year? Whether it was or not, you’re in for a ride when you take a listen to “MMXX!”
Progressive rock band Census presented us with their second single of the year just a few weeks ago. We got to discuss “Sunbeam,” the music video, and the song’s important story.
CSM: Your new single “Sunbeam” comes out today! How does it feel to follow up “Hydrangea” with this song?
CENSUS: We are more excited about this release than any we’ve done before. “Hydrangea” was a huge milestone for us as a band. In a way, it set the tone for both the sound and video quality fans can expect to see from a Census release. We think “Sunbeam” not only fulfills those expectations, but far exceeds them.
CSM: Both the song and music video are pretty emotionally intense. Only as much as you’d like to, what can you tell us about the inspiration and story of “Sunbeam?
CENSUS: “Sunbeam” is about a girl who deals with sexual abuse and battles depression and mental manipulation from her current partner. Ben wrote this song after having a late-night conversation with a friend who was going through some of the same things. He said it broke his heart, pissed him off, and he had to write about it.
CSM: What does the voiceover in the music video mean to you?
CENSUS: The voiceover sections were the brilliant mind of our videographer Joe Lane of Anointed Media. When we came to him with this song and message, we knew it had to be handled delicately. We wanted the biggest takeaway to be how common sexual assault actually is. In the beginning of the video, you hear a girl explaining to her therapist that not even her own parents were supportive of her sharing her sexual assault story. Many people are completely unaware of how common sexual assault is worldwide because victims are afraid to tell their stories. The video ends with the same girl explaining that she has chosen to overcome her trauma in order to give hope to others who are going through the same thing. We want victims to hear those words, understand that they’re not alone, and hopefully feel inspired to persevere.
CSM: I wanted to say thank you for including a resource for help at the end of the video. Do you wish that was a choice more artists made?
CENSUS: Music made for a good cause is still music made for a good cause. We think the video did a good job portraying how common and cyclical abuse truly is, but we also wanted to go ahead and include some resources that can help victims. It’s good for victims to understand that they’re not alone, but they’re more likely to seek help if they know it’s readily available.
CSM: Was the video for “Sunbeam” shot during the pandemic? If so, was it a challenge for you to decide how you were going to create this video?
CENSUS: It was shot during the pandemic! The biggest problem was just waiting for the right opportunity to come along for Joe to come shoot the video. Joe lives in Texas where COVID cases were particularly high, and the rest of us are in Arkansas. All the actors in the video are close friends and family to us, so once Joe was clear to come shoot, we knew the rest of us were safe as well.
CSM: What have you been doing to keep positivity and creativity flowing during this tough time for the music industry?
CENSUS: We’re just writing as much as we can. We had to cancel all of our tour dates just like every other band, but that’s just the way things have to be for now. We still talk with each other every day and get together as often as possible. We figure rather than moping around and waiting for shows to come back, if we just write as much new music as possible while we have the chance, it can’t be too big of a loss.
CSM: I’m truly, truly loving your music! Do you have anything more in store for us this year?
CENSUS: Thank you so much! We can say with full certainty that there are more new music and videos still to come in 2020.
CSM: Is there anything else you want us to know?
CENSUS: Our new song and video “Sunbeam” is available now on all streaming platforms! We love you guys and hope you are all staying safe out there.
You can listen to “Sunbeam” here!
San Diego holds a variety of talented individuals, and it’s clear that Sam aka Slush Puppy is one of them. With an already impressive discography of self-produced work, he continues to prove that his music is worth listening to.
Having completed high school and gained attention from prior releases, he’s still in the process of creating music and finding his own artistic sound. “I would put stuff out on Spotify to see how it would go, and it was music that I made for fun. Now I’ve figured out that music is something that I want to do as a career and take seriously.” – Sam
The music has definitely made an impact as Slush Puppy amassed over 100k on his recent single “I Don’t Like Ur Friends,” released late in June of this year, as well as featuring in fellow up and coming artist david hugo’s single “9teen,” which made an appearance on Lyrical Lemonade.
Teaming up with the TRST. Records team (a company founded by Amisha Sarkar), Slush Puppy is taking the next step in his career, and I’m very excited to hear more from him knowing he is in good hands. His newest single “Sunroof” is exactly what I needed to hear during this sad summer in quarantine as it portrays nostalgic feelings of old, happy memories in past times. If you’re thinking about pre-covid summers, immediately throw on this song in the car and drive around.
“Chillin with our hands out the sunroof / Screamin to the sound of The 1975”
I’ve had my fair share of wanting to fast forward to 2021, but we all need those moments to reminisce on those nostalgic summer experiences and “Sunroof” is the best anthem for that.
When I learned Mokita was releasing a new single, I thought I was going to be in for another dance party. Instead, “Down” is a ballad. But don’t let that turn you away! “Down” is a much-needed hug, especially in this time where our physical, mental, and emotional health are likely to be struggling.
“You’re gonna make it out / you’re gonna fly / you’re gonna find a way just give it time,” Mokita quietly sings in the chorus. Sometimes we need a pump-up song, sometimes we need a loud and strong anthem, but here Mokita reminds us that sometimes we need a soft reminder of our strength. He finishes the chorus with “I won’t let you down,” letting us know that there is someone to support us through our trying times.
“Down” is a sad song with a comforting message. It brings a nice change to the landscape of music that’s recently become full of happy songs with sad lyrics. Both are great, but maybe you’re like me and need a song like “Down” to soothe your heart in this moment. Go take a listen here.
If Priya Francis wasn’t on your radar before now, you certainly need to check out her music. The Melbourne-based singer-songwriter has a new single out today called “Jeans,” an alternative R&B ode to growing up and growing apart. We got to chat with Priya about the new song, her upcoming EP, and finding inspiration!
CROWDSURFER: How does it feel to have your second single of the year out?
PRIYA FRANCIS: I’m super excited to have the single out! It’s really different from a lot of my other releases, and I’ve been sitting on it for quite a while now. I think I first performed it live back in October last year, so it’s been a long few months finessing it and finalising all the little details to have it ready to put out there.
CS: Tell us about the story behind “Jeans.”
PF: The story behind “Jeans” kinda stems from a situation I was finding myself in often, where I was just losing touch with friends, not seeing or talking to certain friends for a long time without even realising it or without there being some sort of argument or blow-up, and I was in that spot with one of my best friends for a little while. A lot of the people around me were getting pretty upset with the situation but from the way I saw it, it was just her growing up and finding herself a lot quicker than the rest of us, and it wasn’t something I could get mad at her about. She’s still one of my best friends now, I may not speak to her every day or even every week but she’s still one of my favourite people ever, and I think a lot of other people can relate to that.
CS: One of my favorite lines is “but funnily enough I don’t mind / it’s strange to think I reckon we’re fine.” What made you want to write a song that’s different from what we usually hear – intense heartbreak or getting over someone – and instead about outgrowing relationships?
PF: I think like a lot of people, I struggle to write about things I haven’t personally experienced, so things like heartbreak or big heated arguments aren’t really something I can get into the right headspace for, but I’m super connected to my friends and my relationships with other people. Quite a few of my songs are about my friends or their experiences, and I think “Jeans” is just me wanting to try and put into words that feeling of growing apart from someone in a really peaceful way where you still care about them and love them.
CS: How does “Jeans” differ from the music you released last year?
PF: It’s a lot more direct in my opinion. I think the music I released last year definitely took a step in that direction, but “Jeans” is a lot more authentic for me in terms of storytelling. It’s also a lot less angry and upset, I think. Although it is talking about a subject that can be sad, it’s not as negative about it, it’s more open and understanding. In terms of the sound and vibe of the song, I love the energy in the track, and Jarrod Hambleton, who produced it, really listened to my references and ideas and pushed me to get some new sounds in there that have shaped this track hugely.
CS: Are “Jeans” and your last single “Butterflies” going to be part of your upcoming EP?
PF: I 100% want “Jeans” on there. I like the idea of “Butterflies” being its own little, humble stand-alone track as a single, but “Jeans” just fits the plan I have for the EP perfectly in terms of storytelling and sound.
CS: What can you tell us about the EP? What’s the sound, what’s the mood, does it have a release date?
PF: I don’t know a whole lot myself. All I have at the moment is the name, quite a few of the tracks, some that are still being picked, some that are being written super last minute and swapped in for others, but no release date at all. To be honest I was kinda very optimistically hoping it would be ready earlier this year, but I think I did a lot of new writing and growing in the time between first recording the demos and laying everything down properly that capturing the sound I want and the level of songwriting has been an ongoing process. Thankfully Jarrod is super understanding and deals with my random bursts of inspiration and demo dumps like a champ.
CS: What other artists do you draw inspiration from? And how are you using that inspiration in your music?
PF: I draw from a few artists who contrast each other. Kehlani is a huge inspiration for me in terms of how her music mixes storytelling and production, as well as how much she embodies that alternative/RnB pocket so naturally. She’s also just got a criminally under-appreciated voice. I have an ongoing obsession with Jon Bellion just because of how different his approach to songwriting and production is, and his lyrics are out of this world, so I always try and look back at lyrics and challenge myself to make them better. H.E.R, D’Angelo, Snoh Aalegra, and Lauryn Hill are probably the other artists I’m constantly referencing whenever I’m listening to new music for inspiration, things to learn or trying to implement sounds into my own stuff.
CS: I don’t know how things are in Melbourne, but what have you been doing to stay focused on your music throughout the pandemic?
PF: It’s pretty grim in Melbourne at the moment but we’re all doing what we can! I’ve been trying to get better at playing the guitar because I’m absolutely rubbish if I don’t have a capo with me, so learning some trickier chords and stuff like that which will just make my songwriting a bit easier. I’m being super pedantic about writing down literally every development that’s made music wise, whether that’s a new song I’ve sent over, notes for vocal production, a collaboration or just something I’m excited about. I also make an obscene amount of Spotify playlists so that’s always good for getting me inspired.
CS: It was also just your birthday! Did you do anything fun?
PF: It was! I mean, I did as much as I could in lockdown haha. I had dinner with my family and my little sister makes stupidly good brownies so we demolished a tray of those. I also had some drinks over Zoom with my best friends which is always a great time.
CS: Do you have anything else you want to tell everyone?
PF: Keep an eye out!! There’s definitely music on the way, whether it’s my own stuff or collaborations with a bunch of other talented musicians, I’m super keen for all the music that’s about to be out. Also stay safe and wear your masks!!!
It’s actually only 11pm from where I’m sitting now, eagerly waiting with thousands of others to watch the music video premiere of Miley Cyrus’s new single “Midnight Sky.” Regardless, we’re saying it’s midnight, and 12am is the perfect setting to listen to this song.
I was hoping that this single would be in the same vein as Cyrus’s last EP “SHE IS COMING,” but I’d put it more similar to “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart.” Which, honestly, I’m more than okay with! So let’s get into it.
The groovy video starts off with a proclamation that it was directed by Miley herself, and she had announced that ahead of time, too. I was expecting the same sort of boring, low-quality music videos we’ve been seeing put out by artists during the pandemic (and I can’t blame them,) but “Midnight Sky” is full of fun scenes, eye-catching props, and Miley’s bright red lipstick, so it fully kept my attention.
And the song itself? You’ll be at least mentally screaming “I don’t need to be loved by you” along with MC by the end! The lyrics are reminiscent of “Can’t Be Tamed” with lines like “I was born to run / I don’t belong to anyone,” as Miley sings to us about getting out of a relationship of many years. Fortunately, she reminds us that she’s good on her own.
Zurich based pop-punk band Give Me A Reason has a brand new single called Sad and we’re loving it. We asked the band a few questions about the new song, new music in the works, and plans for the future. Check out the interview below!
Crowdsurfer Mag: We’re obsessed with “Sad” and the music video! We heard it was shot at the Supercandy Pop-Up Museum in Germany. What was the filming process like and how long did it take to film? It must have been a ton of fun!
Give Me A Reason: It was a pretty exhausting day, since we shot for 17h straight, but we got an amazing video out of it, and something you’ll find out very soon! Marc, from Stardust Visuals, did an amazing job, and made it so easy for us! It was a great experience.
CS: What has the response been to the single and music video and what has that meant to you guys?
GMAR: We got a great response to the track and the music-video, we really didn’t expect this reaction! We are overwhelmed and extremely thankful!
CS: You’ve been compared to All Time Low and incorporating pop/punk vibes in your music. Who are some of your musical influences? What are your favorite artists/songs at the moment?
GMAR: To be compared with All Time Low is unbelievable, since we’re such an upcoming band and we listen to ATL since the beginning. We’re listening to bands like Neck Deep, State Champs and Point North, plus many more, on a regular basis. We also had different influences which go beyond the type of music we make, like Chase Atlantic, Røyls and The Band Camino.
CS: Tell us about flying to LA to record your new music. What was the songwriting and recording process like? Where do you find inspiration?
GMAR: It was an extraordinarily experience to fly out to the ultimate pop-punk city LA. The city itself gave us a lot of inspiration, to be in a different environment – One of the things that helped the process a lot, was meditating, because it helped us reset our minds and made us focus on the direction we wanted to move towards.
We had the great honor to work with Blake Roses, producer at Pastel Recording and former vocalist of “Oh, Weatherly”. We wrote and recorded eight songs in nine days, and we didn’t feel any pressure at any time.
CS: What are you most excited about for the release of Vice Versa?
GMAR: We’re looking forward to showing everyone what we’ve been working on for so long. We can’t wait to share the experience that we have, when we play the songs in the bandroom, with everyone at the live shows.
CS: Are you working on any more covers/new music during quarantine?
GMAR: Maaaaaaaybe, just stay tuned!
CS: Anything else you want to share?
GMAR: While answering this interview we were all sitting in our underwear, and i don’t know why.
You can check out Give Me A Reason on Instagram here and YouTube here, and definitely go listen to their new single, Sad!
If you haven’t heard the lyrics, “I don’t need a boyfriend, that shit’s full time employment,” then you probably have been living under a rock. That’s the first line of the uber-catchy song Heartbreak Hotel written by Abigail Barlow. She posted a video of the song with the caption, “I can’t sleep so I wrote something new.” It has over a million likes on TikTok.
Crowdsurfer: So let’s start with Heartbreak Hotel. It totally blew up on Tiktok with almost 4 million views! What inspired you to write the song?
Abigail Barlow: I wrote Heartbreak Hotel after meeting and casually talking to a dude that was buying me gifts, and I got a lil scared. Heartbreak Hotel was just inspired by my trust issues and how I’m simply not ready for a potential heartbreak any time soon LOL.
CS: What was your reaction to it taking over Tiktok?
AB: Seeing comments that said “This is a hit release it now” was pretty overwhelming but SO insanely cool. It felt like the internet just sort of rallied and said “okay this is what we’re doing right? Let’s blow this song up!” And I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
CS: Who are your musical influences? Who would you love to collab with one day?
AB: I don’t really like comparing myself to other artists, but because I produce a lot of my own stuff, I love talking about my musical and sound influences. I love the Max Martin era 2010 pop that dominated the radio waves a few years ago. I miss the era of Teenage Dream and 1989 SO much that I decided to sprinkle my music production with all the good old bubblegum pop vibes I could. If I could collab with one person it would definitely be Max Martin.
CS: Tell us about your EP coming out on August 14th. What songs will we get to hear and what’s the vibe of it?
AB: The vibe is pop. Purposeful, playful pop. I don’t take my music or myself too seriously, and I think that’s what makes it so fun to listen to. The bad b*tch inside your head gets a moment to speak up on my EP! And I give you a little taste of everything with the tracks, including an absolute BANGER I had the pleasure of writing with Meghan Trainor!
CS: Anything else you want to share with us?
AB: I’m just so beyond thrilled to finally be releasing music the way I want, and I just want to encourage any aspiring indie artists to do the same. It is TOTALLY possible for all of your dreams to come true. So do not ever give up on yourself or your art.
You can follow Abigail on TikTok here and Instagram here, and keep an eye out because her EP comes out on August 14th!
Carly Shea is definitely an artist to watch. Though only in the beginnings of her career, she’s certainly not inexperienced. We had the opportunity to have a video call with Carly and talk about her latest single, the music video, and her plans for more music this year. Read on!
CROWDSURFER MAG: You just released “Waste My Time!” It’s your third single of this year, how does it feel to be putting out all the music?
CARLY SHEA: The first singles I released was more the excitement of releasing, but now I’m just like, I need to do this for myself to have something positive. But it’s been good! I want to do a release every month if I can.
CSM: Where did the inspiration for “Waste My Time” come from?
CARLY: The song itself is the first thing I made in New York City. I just wanted to make this fun, upbeat, vapid pop song. It started out with a melody idea, and I really wanted the producer to take this scale of British schoolchildren singing and manipulate it. It turned into this fun, quirky, dance-pop track.
CSM: I really enjoyed watching the music video as well. Of course, I’m partial to anything set in NYC. What was it like shooting the video?
CARLY: It was one of the most hectic and fun experiences ever. The guy running a pinball arcade yelled at me, we got rained on… It was wild!
CSM: What can you tell us about your previous singles?
CARLY: “Lemonade” is a track that I think is closer to what I’m going to be releasing in the future in terms of the sound. I have two different types of tracks I’m going to be releasing moving forward that are pretty different from “Waste My Time,” “Forever,” and even my next single “Feel.” One is more dark pop and the other is pretty soulful but weird. Hopefully it works!
CSM: Tell us about “Feel!”
CARLY: It’s also an older track, and it’s a track I wasn’t even sure I wanted to release originally. But I relistened to “Feel,” and even though it’s an extremely old song, the meaning to me reminded me of everything that I’ve been going through and that I’m sure that everyone has been going to in quarantine.
CSM: When does “Feel” come out?
CARLY: July 30th!
CSM: Other than releasing music every month, do you have more plans for this year?
CARLY: I’m going to challenge myself to improve. I have a hard time writing stuff that always makes sense, so I want to work on my songwriting and making it more cohesive. I want to keep pushing my stuff, continuing with voice lessons, and I want to just get better!
CSM: So, you’ve only recently began your career as an artist. What do you want people to know about you?
CARLY: I think that I would like people to know that I hope that however they connect with the music is my goal. It’s important to me that you can take something away from it. And that I want to create music and art that is true to myself. Sometimes it will be super fun, upbeat nights out, and sometimes it will be about traumatic experiences. I want people to know I don’t want to shy away from what makes life life.
CSM: Last question: If you could tour with anyone, who would they be?
CARLY: That’s a really good question! Part of me says it should be relevant genre-wise, so I’d say it’d be really cool to tour with Dorian Electra or someone like that. But deep down if I could tour with anyone it would be Hall & Oats or Steely Dan… that would be the dream!
“Waste My Time” is out now and you can watch the music video here!
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