Best of What’s New

While plenty of new music keeps coming week after week, picking songs I like can be tricky. As much as I try to be open-minded, I simply cannot deny my strong ’60s and ’70s influences. During some weeks, this means it can take a long time to identify tunes I sufficiently enjoy. On other occasions, I find myself with more options than I want to feature. This week fell into the latter category – a nice problem to have! All picks appeared yesterday (June 24). Let’s get to it!

Goose/Hungersite

Goose are an American jam band from Norwalk, Conn. They were formed in 2014 by Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Trevor Weekz (bass), Jeff Arevalo (vocals, percussion, drums) and Ben Atkind (drums). Following the release of the debut album Moon Cabin in 2016, the group added Peter Anspach (keyboards, guitar, vocals) in late 2017. Wikipedia notes Goose have been compared to jam bands like Phish and Umphrey’s McGee, while the group itself has characterized their music as indie groove. Hungersite, penned by Mitarotonda, is a track from Goose’s third and latest full-length studio album Dripfield – nice tune!

The Warning/Amour

The Warning are a Mexican rock band from Monterrey, Nuevo León, a state in the country’s northeast region. The trio was formed in 2013 by sisters Daniela Villarreal (guitar, lead vocals), Alejandra Villarreal (bass guitar, piano, backing vocals) and Paulina Villarreal (drums, lead vocals, piano). Apple Music describes The Warning as a “familial Mexican hard rock band that blends savvy riffage, fist-pumping beats, and stadium-ready choruses.” Here’s a bit more from their Apple Music profile: The Villarreal sisters began posting videos online around 2014 and soon attracted attention due to the teen siblings’ instrumental precocity as well as a repertory made up of heavy metal covers by Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and AC/DC. Signed by Victoria Records, the Warning issued their first EP, Escape the Mind, in 2015. The band’s debut album, XXI Century Blood, appeared in 2017, and before long the trio was sharing the stage with the likes of Def Leppard and the Killers. This brings me to Amour, a track from the group’s third and new studio album Error. These ladies rock!

Young Guv/Too Far Gone

It’s just been a little over three months since I first featured Young Guv, a solo project of Toronto-based guitarist and vocalist Ben Cook. Cook co-founded Canadian hardcore punk band No Warning, initially formed in 1998 under the name As We Once Were. After the band’s break-up in late 2005, he joined another local hardcore punk group named Fucked Up. In 2015, Cook released his solo debut album Ripe 4 Luv, the first of now five that have appeared to date under the Young Guv moniker, including the latest Guv IV. Cook’s Young Guv music is power pop-oriented and as such very different from his hardcore punk roots. Too Far Gone is a song from the aforementioned Guv IV – catchy tune!

Caamp/Come With Me Now

I first learned about Caamp from fellow blogger Eclectic Music Lover, who included the American folk band from Athens, Ohio in a recent installment of his weekly top 30’s feature. From their Apple Music profile: Taylor Meier and Evan Westfall, founders of the folk band Caamp, met as kids at summer camp and began performing together in parking lots and at charity shows while in high school. After bass player Matt Vinson joined the band, Caamp independently released their 2016 self-titled debut, which features the breakthrough viral hit “Ohio.” Meier, who is Caamp’s guitarist and lead vocalist, said Ray LaMontagne and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon are two of his biggest vocal influences. Caamp’s lineup also includes Joseph Kavalec (keyboards). Apart from an EP, they have released three full-length studio albums, including the latest, Lavender Days. Here’s the pleasant opener Come With Me Now, credited to all four members.

Jack Johnson/Open Mind

Jack Johnson is an American singer-songwriter, filmmaker and former professional surfer. From his AllMusic bio: A professional surfer turned chart-topping rocker, Jack Johnson rose to fame in the 2000s with an easygoing, acoustic singer/songwriter style punctuated by an unassuming voice and a mellow, beach-bum demeanor. The combination proved to be particularly potent on the commercial front, as his first five major-label albums all climbed to platinum status, with his most lauded being 2005’s In Between Dreams. While not as prolific, he continued to find success in the 2010s with well-received efforts including From Here to Now to You (2013) and All the Light Above It Too (2017). A handful of collaborations and singles, including 2020’s “The Captain Is Drunk,” ushered Johnson into the next decade ahead of his eighth album, 2022’s Meet the Moonlight. Here’s Open Mind, the beautiful first track off Meet the Moonlight.

Mary Devlin/Lover’s Hands

For this last pick, I’d like to give a shoutout to fellow blogger Angie from The Diversity of Classic Rock. Angie first covered Lover’s Hand, a great rock-oriented tune by Mary Devlin. From her Spotify profile: New Jersey native Mary Devlin made her first debut as a performer at the age of 14 on the streets of her hometown in Ocean City, and has since been actively pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter. Mary’s music is eclectic, ranging from ’80s inspired synth beats to soft acoustic numbers. Yet all Mary Devlin songs are tied together by similar lyrical themes of youth, love, and learning to navigate the world as a 20 something. Devlin has many inspirations, including but not limited to world defining bands such as The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, legendary figures such as Robert Johnson, contemporary acts such as Lorde, Hozier, Marika Hackman and of course all of the Top Hits of the 80s that her mother has raised her on. Angie noted Lover’s Hand is Devlin’s first professionally recorded single produced and mastered by Brandon Ireland and Tyler Sarfert, respectively – very neat!

Last but not least, here’s a Spotify list of all the above and a few additional tunes:

Sources: Wikipedia; Goose website; Apple Music; AllMusic; The Diversity of Classic Rock; YouTube; Spotify