PREMIERE: Yes You Are hit single “HGX” gets Todd Fink remix
Yes You Are, the Kansas City-based dark pop project of former Tilly and the Wall vocalist Kianna Alarid, has built some solid momentum over the past year. That stems from spits of regional touring and packed hometown shows, but also owes in large part to commercial success. After the 2016 release of its debut EP A Dream, lead track “HGX” found its way onto Pepsi’s Super Bowl LI commercial and other major television events like the Billboard Awards and the Oscars.
The dark pop five-piece keeps it going with a new remix of the hit song by Omaha producer Todd Fink. The Faint’s frontman takes the head-bobbing beat, twinkling synth and highly-danceable hook and slows it all down. A louder trap kit, duet-style vocals and a prominent, groovy bassline give the track a laid-back, summertime feel. Listen below:
Yes You Are’s deliberate push toward the spotlight continues early next year, when the band will release the debut full-length album it is currently wrapping up with producers Greg Collins (U2, No Doubt) and David Spreng (Bob Dylan, Alice Cooper, Lucinda Williams). If you’re in the KC-area over Thanksgiving weekend, catch them downtown at recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd, with Rachel Mallin & the Wild Type and Y god Y (RSVP here).
* * *
Photo Coverage: Universe Contest releases new LP at Zoo Bar
HN visuals editor Lauren Farris went to Zoo Bar Tuesday night as Lincoln prog rock band Universe Contest celebrated the release of its new full-length album Get Cot Livin’. The new LP, the band’s first since 2014’s We Are The Rattlesnake, represents the culmination of three years of lineup changes, fine tuning and road-testing (our full On The Record podcast review posts later today). New York band Candy Ambulance joined UC, along with Lincoln metal band Manslaughterer and Lincoln post-rock band The Ambulanters. See photos below:
The Ambulanters
Manslaughterer
Candy Ambulance
Universe Contest
Photos by Lauren Farris
* * *
John Freidel releases cinematic third 2017 album ‘PREY’
Nebraska electronic music connoisseurs probably know John Freidel for his vast catalogue of compelling, theatrically-influenced compositions. The Lincoln musician seems to draw heavy influence from classic horror and sci-fi as well as the past few years spent working on soundtracks for various U.S. filmmakers.
Freidel continues his prolific 2017 output with PREY, his third LP of the year. As with its predecessors — Jan. 4 LP A Rose In Glass and Sept. 7 release Entrancer — PREY is nothing short of a cinematic experience, though this time the songwriter had that specifically in mind. For this project, Freidel pursued his initial idea to create the moods and atmospheres one might experience through film, yet unbetrothed to actual visuals themselves.
Where Freidel’s first two 2017 LPs hinted at story arcs, PREY gives life to a tension-filled jungle mystery — one on the full strength of its composers resources. Freidel throws the kitchen sink at this effort, using everything from guitars and synthesizers to samples of dial-up tones and old computer programs. The result is a whopping 41-song, 100-plus-minute journey of suspense, terror and action.
Immerse yourself in PREY below and purchase here.
* * *
Concert Round-Up
Find our mid-week show picks below and check out our statewide event calendar here for more happenings. Contribute shows here.
The Yawpers, Filter Kings, Clarence Tilton at O’Leaver’s – Denver folk/punk band The Yawpers hits Omaha on Thursday, touring in support of its fourth full-length album Boy In A Well (Bloodshot Records). Set in World War I-era France and built on a mix of the delta blues and heavy punk rock, the record charts the story of a mother abandoning her unwanted newborn child. Boulder Americana outfit The Velveteers and Omaha alt-country band Clarence Tilton open the show. 9 p.m., $10, RSVP here.
The Devil Wears Prada, Veil of Maya, Silent Planet, Thousand Below at Slowdown – Dayton, Ohio metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada makes its way back to Omaha after supporting Anthrax and Killswitch Engage this past spring. Chicago metal band Veil of Maya, Los Angeles group Silent Planet and San Diego post-hardcore band Thousand Below fill out the bill. 7 p.m. show, $20 in-advance/$25 day-of, all-ages, RSVP here.
Salt Creek, Household, Houma, Bed Rest, Jacob James Wilton at Reverb Lounge – Catch this all-local show Thursday night in Benson. 8 p.m., all-ages, $7, RSVP here.