Bobby Oroza "Get on the Otherside"
Bobby Oroza puts his desire for the profound on wax with his sophomore album Get On The Otherside. Musically, he has updated the formula we were introduced to on the first record. But lyrically, songs are bravely rooted in the more complicated, ubiquitous inner tangles of life like self-examination and coming to terms with the vastness of the human experience.
With the Coronavirus bringing the world to a halt, Bobby—a father and husband—had to do something. No tours to play or studio time to fill, Bobby found himself back in the construction yard, doing blue-collar work to provide for his family. “I was super grateful for the work—a lot of my colleagues didn’t have an option like that,” Bobby admits. More than a few personal hardships forced him to acknowledge and work through some brutal truths. And what came of it? Well, for one, this new record Get On The Otherside which pretty well describes what Bobby’s been through: He had to demolish his ego, his old ways of thinking, and his tried approaches to anchor into a refreshed perspective with new understandings.
As Bobby tells it, “I had to do some real self-searching, come to terms with what was wrong, and how much of it I was responsible for.” So how does this translate to the new album? Moments of clarity as to where the real value in life lies on “I Got Love”, encouraging numbers like the title track “The Otherside,” and declarations of self actualization on “My Place, My Time.” Even the more straightforward love songs are outside the box lyrically like “Sweet Agony” and “Loving Body.” If you have never had the pleasure of catching one of Bobby’s live shows you may have no idea that he is a maverick on the guitar. He lets us in on a little of that on “Passing Things” with a solo that possesses the same restrained and space that his lyrics do.
As we’d expect, the songwriting still has that raw, direct edge to it. But an evolution has taken place. There are new points of view on familiar territory which in Bobby’s words “For me to love, I needed to take a bigger view of love. One with less ego and more empathy” really hold true. The result is a record with Bobby’s new found humility on full display and a message of encouragement to anyone who is struggling and can’t see a way out.
It still may be hard to nail down and define Bobby and his sound. He’s no one thing more than the other. But what he’s showing us now, on Get On The Otherside, is that we can also label him a soulful, philosophical optimist. Someone who can say a lot with a little, and who wants us all to know that it’s us that has to do the hard lifting to truly live a life in love—both with the world and with yourself.
Dion Lunadon "Beyond Everything (Rough Trade Publishing)"
Beyond your skin, beyond your screen, beyond what you think you know. What lies in this area? An area with no opinions, motives, sides or divisions. An area where governments and capitalists have no currency and the absolute truth reigns supreme.
After releasing his self titled debut album in 2017, Dion Lunadon (The D4, ex A Place To Bury Strangers) is set to release his sophomore album – Beyond Everything June 10th via In The Red Records.
Beyond Everything will be his first release on In The Red Records (an ideal match for his music) as well as his first full length since departing A Place To Bury Strangers. Written, performed and recorded by Dion, the songs tap into a raw, palpable energy that blur the line between the music and the person. Drums on the record were played by Blaze Bateh (Bambara) and Nick Ferrante (The Black Hollies).
Dion says “The record was written and recorded sporadically between 2017 and 2019. I probably wrote about 100 songs during this period. The first album was pretty relentless which I liked but I wanted to make something more dynamic for the 2nd record. Something that could be more conducive to repeated listens. I’d get in my studio, come up with a song title, and start working on any ideas that I had. For example, with Elastic Diagnostic, the idea was to create a hum that evokes the sound of life coursing though your body. Everything else kind of formed around that idea.”
Dion will also be touring with a full band in North America and in Europe/UK throughout 2022.
US dates begin on the western side of the US in June starting in Denver (some of these dates are supporting The Black Angels) and the European and UK dates are in November.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand and now residing in New York, Dion most notably played in The D4, who released two albums on legendary NZ label Flying Nun Records and in New York noiseniks A Place To Bury Strangers.
While taking a break from touring with A Place To Bury Strangers, Dion recorded the self-titled debut solo album encompassing all that he loves about rock ’n’ roll. Previewed by the single Com/Broke, Dions LP arrived in 2017.
Just as the pandemic hit, Dion decided to leave A Place To Bury Strangers and focus on his own music. In June 2020, he released the song When Will I Hold You Again and in September 2020 the Schreien EP which featured a Deutsch version of his song Howl as well as the scorching rocker, Speed.
In 2021 he put a band together to give his songs life.
Dion Lunadon "Beyond Everything (Rough Trade Publishing)"
Beyond your skin, beyond your screen, beyond what you think you know. What lies in this area? An area with no opinions, motives, sides or divisions. An area where governments and capitalists have no currency and the absolute truth reigns supreme.
After releasing his self titled debut album in 2017, Dion Lunadon (The D4, ex A Place To Bury Strangers) is set to release his sophomore album – Beyond Everything June 10th via In The Red Records.
Beyond Everything will be his first release on In The Red Records (an ideal match for his music) as well as his first full length since departing A Place To Bury Strangers. Written, performed and recorded by Dion, the songs tap into a raw, palpable energy that blur the line between the music and the person. Drums on the record were played by Blaze Bateh (Bambara) and Nick Ferrante (The Black Hollies).
Dion says “The record was written and recorded sporadically between 2017 and 2019. I probably wrote about 100 songs during this period. The first album was pretty relentless which I liked but I wanted to make something more dynamic for the 2nd record. Something that could be more conducive to repeated listens. I’d get in my studio, come up with a song title, and start working on any ideas that I had. For example, with Elastic Diagnostic, the idea was to create a hum that evokes the sound of life coursing though your body. Everything else kind of formed around that idea.”
Dion will also be touring with a full band in North America and in Europe/UK throughout 2022.
US dates begin on the western side of the US in June starting in Denver (some of these dates are supporting The Black Angels) and the European and UK dates are in November.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand and now residing in New York, Dion most notably played in The D4, who released two albums on legendary NZ label Flying Nun Records and in New York noiseniks A Place To Bury Strangers.
While taking a break from touring with A Place To Bury Strangers, Dion recorded the self-titled debut solo album encompassing all that he loves about rock ’n’ roll. Previewed by the single Com/Broke, Dions LP arrived in 2017.
Just as the pandemic hit, Dion decided to leave A Place To Bury Strangers and focus on his own music. In June 2020, he released the song When Will I Hold You Again and in September 2020 the Schreien EP which featured a Deutsch version of his song Howl as well as the scorching rocker, Speed.
In 2021 he put a band together to give his songs life.
Mint Green "All Girls Go to Heaven (Rough Trade Publishing)"
Mint Green is releasing their debut album on Pure Noise Records. “All Girls Go To Heaven” plays with the idea of paradise and perfection, but not in a traditional sense. Rather, it’s about discovering what “paradise” or “heaven” means to the individual. How freedom and peace can be found through introspection. The journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. How someone’s idea of safety and wellness can be totally different from your own. In a more literal sense, “All Girls Go To Heaven” means that anyone can achieve this so-called “sacred” destination by simply believing that they belong there. Or rather, creating their own definition of what “heaven” is. The album touches subjects like homophobia, depression, anxiety, isolation, love, heartbreak, family, and religion.
Rough Trade