CocoVera gets scary, Julia Weldon gets comatose, and music makers bring the sounds of Samhain.
Something wicked this way comes in the form of hot new tracks for the scariest witches among us. With the end of October comes the Day of the Dead, All Hallows Eve, and the Celtic festival of Samhain to name a few. Get your party started with the perfect soundtrack for conjuring spirits, bobbing for apples, or donning cosplay garb. Arrange your crystals and have a listen!
CocoVera
Source: @CocoVera on Instagram
Los Angeles duo CocoVera is made up of real-life lesbian couple Alejandra Robles (Le Butcherettes, Madame Ghandi) and Janelle Obert (Stars at Night, No Girlfriends). CocoVera recently released the track “Preachers.” The accompanying video examines themes of religion, homophobia, suicide, and depression.
The confrontational “Preachers” cuts black and white imagery against the repetition of the line “Making myself sick again,” while a young woman consumes a large helping of some inky-looking ramen noodles. The vibe is Edgar Allan Poe meets Labyrinth with additional foreboding courtesy of some threatening knife-work on various phallic foodstuffs. Eek!
no reception
SOURCE: @amaia.cr ON INSTAGRAM
If you’ve got some “Time to Kill,” spend it listening to no reception’s latest track. Award-winning author Claire Julian is the writer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist behind the one-woman band. “Time to Kill” features angsty and honest lyrics mashed up with a punk sensibility that could put a spring into the step of even the most apathetic pop zombies.
“You don’t notice, you never will, you’re just someone with some time to kill…” Who hasn’t been that girl? Right? If you’ve ever made a collage or walked dogs, you will certainly relate to this upbeat video with a poignant message.
Julia Weldon
SOURCE: @juliaweldon ON INSTAGRAM
Keeping with the theme of darkness this month, our next selection is the new music video for “When You Die,” off the critically acclaimed album Comatose Hope. Though most folks’ hope has probably been pretty comatose as of late, gender non-binary artist Julia Weldon shares their own fairly positive feelings behind the track.
“As a gender non-binary artist who just recently had top surgery a couple years ago, it was especially rad to use my new flat chest as a way to tell this story of anger and letting go, vulnerability and empowerment,” says Weldon. “I truly hope that other genderqueer individuals and especially queer youth are able to see the video and feel empowered in themselves and their own unique bodies.”
There’s also a vicarious catharsis in watching someone else smash stuff with a baseball bat, a fact not lost on filmmakers Jessie Katz and Lindsey Goodman. Their Piano Factory Pictures produced the video, shot partially at Dead Horse Bay outside NYC.
Roan Yellowthorn
SOURCE: @roan_yellowthorn ON INSTAGRAM
Roan Yellowthorn is Jackie McLean and Shawn Strack of Upstate New York. Described as “ethereal indie rock” with “a singer/songwriter heart,” the duo’s latest video plays like a Dove commercial set to music. In addition to women dancing in their smallclothes, McLean grabs a keyboard while Strack keeps the beat.
Though their sound may be otherworldly, their album Indigo is available now, right here on earth via Blue Elan Records.
Betta Lemme
SOURCE: @bettawerk ON INSTAGRAM
Dolls, like clowns, have been used to frightening effect in scary movies for decades. With “Bambola,” (the Italian word for doll) from international artist, Betta Lemme you too may find yourself reanimated into a dance diva.
The infectious beat and fun-to-say word transcends language barriers as millions of YouTube viewers can attest. Want to get your costumed partygoers on the floor and shaking their groove things? Blast this song and they will be trying to sing along in no time.
As the leaves continue to drop and the ghouls come out to play, try to fall back on the simpler things in life like good friends, good music, and a bucket full of Fun-Sized candy bars.
Also, please remember to vote or everything will get scarier. See you next time!
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