New Mix: Emily Haines, Mt. Wolf, Chastity Belt, Gordi And More
Clockwise from upper left: Gordi, Emily Haines, Guerilla Toss, Chastity Belt. Courtesy of the artists hide caption
We get right down to business this week with the fantastic, frenetic pop of Guerilla Toss. The New York band has a new album on the way and recently released "Betty Dreams Of Green Men," a cut inspired by alien abduction, addiction and the obsessions that can consume a person's life.
Also on the show: The brash and playful rock group Chastity Belt has a more restrained, introspective sound on its latest album, I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone; Metric singer Emily Haines returns with her first new solo album in more than a decade; the atmospheric rock group Mt. Wolf returns with the ethereal song "Soteria"; Australian singer Gordi, known for her a cappella cover of Bon Iver's "00000 Million," has her own debut full-length on the way; and NPR Music's Lars Gotrich stops by to close out the show with a bruising new song from the Detroit hardcore band Thoughts Of Ionesco.
Songs Featured On This Episode
Guerilla Toss
- Song: Betty Dreams Of Green Men
- from GT ULTRA
This song from the New York band Guerilla Toss was inspired by the story of Betty and Barney Hill, a New Hampshire couple who claimed to have been abducted by aliens in 1961. The band's upcoming album, GT Ultra, gets its name from MK Ultra, a series of mind-control experiments the CIA conducted between the early 1950s and the 1970s. GT Ultra is out June 23.
Chastity Belt
- Song: Stuck
- from I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone
The four women who make up the Washington state band Chastity Belt made a name for themselves by making playful, brash and sometimes subversive rock. But on their latest album, they craft a set of more reflective, introspective songs, including this one about confronting change and uncertainty.
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
- Song: Fatal Gift
- from Fatal Gift
Emily Haines is best known as the lead singer for Metric, and as a member of Broken Social Scene. But back in 2006 she released a breathtaking solo album called Knives Don't Have Your Back. More than a decade later, she's back with a long-awaited solo followup called Choir Of The Mind and its first single, "Fatal Gift." Choir Of The Mind is out Sept. 15.
Mt. Wolf
- Song: Soteria
- from Aetherlight
When we last checked in with the London band Mt. Wolf, it was gathered at Bob Boilen's hotel room during South By Southwest for a live performance on his bed. Now, the group is back with a dreamy new song called "Soteria," named after the Greek goddess of safety and deliverance from harm.
Gordi
- Song: Heaven I Know
- from Reservoir
Originally from rural Australia, the singer known as Gordi first got widespread attention last fall when she released an a cappella version of the Bon Iver song "00000 Million." This summer, she'll release her debut full-length, Reservoir -- named, she says, for the solitary place in her mind where she contemplates the state of the world and her place in it. The album is due out August 25.
Thoughts Of Ionesco
- Song: Culture of the Eternal Snake
- from Skar Cymbals
The Detroit hardcore band Thoughts Of Ionesco is back after an 18-year break with more nerve-rattling rock. "Culture Of The Eternal Snake" is just one of several new singles from the trio, featuring the group's signature guitar noise, rapid-fire drumming and lots of screaming.