As the summer season begins to ramp up and May comes to a close, Vampire Weekend show no sign of slowing down on their A List appearance streak. Cults, Fontaines D.C., Justice, and Dehd reappear as well. Cincinnati natives Moonbeau emerge this week!
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10. "Prep School Gangsters" - Vampire Weekend
This week marks Vampire Weekend’s ninth A List appearance of the year! They’ve been featured on The A List with four separate tracks pulled from their album Only God Was Above Us, yet this is the first appearance for “Prep School Gangsters.” This album took the band three years to record, and we can see that demonstrated in the precision and quality of the music. See Vampire Weekend perform on September 19 in Cincinnati at The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park along with fellow A-Lister Cults.
9. "Quality Pints" - The Bug Club
Do you occasionally enjoy a quality pint? How about some fast paced, head-banging cheeky punk rock? If so, this is just the song for you. The Bug Club, a trio from Wales, signed with record label Sub Pop (who have, by the way, fostered literal musical legends) in May. This is the band’s first release with the label, what a kickoff! We can easily come to the conclusion that the future is very bright for this band! Take a peek at the news release here.
8. "Anxious to Please" - Eric Slick
Eric Slick makes his A List debut at slot #8 with "Anxious to Please,” pulled from his latest album New Age Rage. Slick has been the drummer for popular band Dr. Dog since 2010, while he started his solo career in 2014. This guy seems to be able to do it all – drums, guitar, bass, and lead vocals – he has played in numerous bands over the years and taken varying roles. However, Slick has made it clear that this album release is him putting his best foot forward and stepping into the spotlight. Speaking to PAPER Magazine, Slick shared - “I'm so used to being the one to mediate and be the middle person. And when I'm in a band dynamic, I'm trying to be as democratic as possible. So being a bandleader now, [I get to be] who I am.”
7. "Take A Bite" - Beabadoobee
Popping up at the #7 spot this week is Beabadoobee with her new single “Take A Bite.” This track sounds so crisp, so clean, so refreshing. It’s a trip back to the soft rock style records of the 2000s, similar to Avril Lavigne's "Complicated” (2002) or “Drive” by Incubus (1999).
Beabadoobee’s new album This Is How Tomorrow Moves comes out August 19, and is available for preorder here. Don’t miss out on seeing her while she’s on her US tour starting in September!
6. "Ill Times" - GUM, Ambrose Kenny-Smith
Australian artist GUM collaborates with Ambrose Kenny-Smith to bring the world “Ill Times.” This is a pretty groovy, get-down track. GUM (Jay Watson) is the second solo artist on our list this week who also performs as a drummer in a very popular band – Tame Impala. The pair has announced that they are going to be creating an LP together, set to be released July 19. See what Spin Magazine has to say about it here.
5. "Mood Ring" - Dehd
Dehd returns for the second week at #5 with “Mood Ring,” the song last being seen on our March 22 A List (song first released January 31).
Dehd (Emily Kempf, Jason Balla, and Eric McGrady) has both U.S. and Europe tour dates scheduled for later this year, including two shows in their native city of Chicago on November 12 and 13 at Thalia Hall. While tickets for the November 12 show are sold out, November 13 tickets are still available. If you’re able, this is a band that'll be worth the trip!
4. "Generator" - Justice
Justice bumps up a spot from last week to #4 with "Generator", the second track off of their latest album Hyperdrama. "Generator" was first released as a single on January 24, alongside, "One Night/All Night" featuring Tame Impala. (Pitchfork's in-depth album review can be found here).
Justice makes their way to the U.S. in July, with shows scheduled in New York, Washington D.C., Philidephia and Boston.
3. "Starburster" - Fontaines D.C.
Showing up on our A List for the 4th consecutive week, Fontaines D.C. continues to impress us with their new single "Starburster", released on April 17. Rolling Stone Magazine talked about this release in an article, saying that “frontman Grian Chatten suffered a panic attack in a London tube station and decided to chronicle that feeling on a funky, disco-rock track.” We can hear the anxiety in the loud, jutting gasps, and see it in the frankly chaos-filled music video. It is a great expression of thought into music. Starburster comes after the release of their album Skinty Fia, and secondary release Skinty Fia go deo, in 2022 and 2023.
"Starburster" is a look into what's to come with Fontaines D.C.'s new album, Romance, which is scheduled to release on August 23.
2. "Turn the Page" - Moonbeau
Cincinnati band Moonbeau makes their debut this week on The A List with “Turn the Page.” This is an uplifting, bouncy track that has a high level of danceability. “Turn the Page” marks the band’s tenth single release following "All Summer - DNA Remix" in 2021. This track is quite the bop! Moonbeau utilizes a lot of synth in their music, creating bright and hopeful sounds. Make your way over to The Comet in Cincinnati on June 7 to check them out live, you’ll be dancing!
1. "Crybaby" - Cults
Taking our #1 spot, and appearing for the third week in the row, is “Crybaby” by iconic American band Cults. "Crybaby" is a dreamy, soft single release that ended the band’s two year long drought of no "brand new" music. Cults will embark on a 2024 tour, starting with Lollapalooza in August. Catch them September 20 in Cincinnati at The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park along with Vampire Weekend – tickets are available at this site.
Same time next week? Thanks for joining us for this week's A List!
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