Bedroom is the work of singer-songwriter & producer Noah Kittinger. Beginning as a recording project when Kittinger was just 16, his releases under the moniker are characterized by honest songwriting coupled with catchy hooks, beautiful melodic sensibility, and a memorable homemade sound.
Kittinger began a steady stream of releases in 2012 with the Toys EP. Vivid, a mixtape featuring rough ideas and works in progress, followed later that year. These early works garnered praise from several media outlets and began the growth of a dedicated fanbase.+
Bedroom’s first full-length LP, Grow, was made during a time of transition in Kittinger’s life. Written and recorded at the age of 17, and released in 2014 when Kittinger turned 18. The album cataloged Kittinger’s experiences with his own growth into adulthood. After the release of Grow, Kittinger took the project on the road, embarking on his first DIY tour.
After returning from the tour, and a year after the release of Grow, Bedroom went on hiatus as Kittinger took a step back from the project. He remained busy, working on new songs under his own name and released an EP, Bloom. Bloom showed growth from Kittinger’s earlier work with Bedroom, exploring electronic influences with samples and new production techniques.
In 2018 Kittinger continued to tour, playing songs from Bedroom and Bloom, packing out venues with new and old fans on his first West Coast tour. In early 2019, Kittinger officially announced the return of Bedroom and promised new music from the project in 2019.
In May of 2019, Kittinger released “Count to Five” – the first we’ve heard of the project since the summer of 2015. A step into a different direction with newfound collaborator Paul Kintzing.
LINKS:
https://facebook.com/noah.kittinger
https://twitter.com/noah_kittinger
https://instagram.com/noah_kittinger
https://hiimnoahkittinger.tumblr.com
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Half the Animal – Bad Bad Love
Formed in 2016, Los Angeles-based alternative rock quartet Half the Animal produces an infectious sound, which blends catchy, hook-laden rock attitude and pop-driven styles. Originally founded by vocalist Chase Johnson and drummer Nick Gross—who were featured cast members in the hit MTV reality TV series ‘Laguna Beach’ during their formative days as the band Open Air Stereo—Half the Animal also includes bassist Evan Smith (Silversun Pickups/Chromeo/Big Data) and classically trained guitarist Dan Graham.
Half the Animal made an impact with their memorable debut single “Babylon,” a grandiose, stadium-sized rock anthem that became the band’s first-ever viral hit, garnering over 1 million streams online, collectively, since its release in July 2016. The song quickly earned the band nationwide industry attention and strong radio support on multiple SiriusXM channels, including Top 40 radio station Hits 1 and The Pulse, as well as regular airplay on tastemaker Los Angeles stations ALT 98.7 and KROQ, which featured Half the Animal on their celebrated Locals Only program. Collectively, Half the Animal also count over 1 million YouTube views to date and have been featured on ‘Billboard’ and Ones to Watch (Live Nation).
In fall 2017, Half the Animal released the successful follow-up single “Bad Bad Love” via the group’s independent imprint Noise Nest Records. Featuring a lush soundscape built atop hypnotic vocal melodies, piercing piano chords and dreamy synths, the track was highlighted on Spotify’s influential New Music Friday playlist. The band also launched a 33-date US Fall tour in September 2017 alongside Atlas Genius in support of the track.
LINKS:
http://www.halftheanimal.com
https://www.facebook.com/halftheanimal
https://twitter.com/halftheanimal
https://www.instagram.com/halftheanimal -
Tulipomania – Off the Map
Philadelphia-based Tulipomania is releasing their new maxi-single ‘Off the Map’, together with the remix of ‘On the Outside’ by London-based electronic producer Spinello. This three-track offering is being released via Sursumcorda Recordings just 10 months after their latest EP, which saw the band offer the original version of ‘On The Outside’, along with the Seahawks remix of ‘Don’t Be So Sure’.
On ‘Off the Map’, band members Tom Murray (lead vocals, bass, drums) and Cheryl Gelover (synthesizer, background vocals) were joined on guitar and glockenspiel) by Mitch Smith, who also contributed to the band’s eponymous first album. Recorded and mastered by Richard Hartline, the final mix was produced by Mark Plati, famed for his work with such artists as The Cure, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Philip Glass crafted the final mix, in addition to producing, recording, mixing or performing on most of Bowie’s musical output from 1996 to 2003.
To date, Tulipomania has released four albums, as well as numerous singles. Their music is built on conflict and contrast, internal battles between hazy dream-pop and angular indie, between fractious and shattered vocals and muscular beats, swirling psychedelia and sonorous, drifting keyboard washes, between sinister atmospherics and raw guitars.
Tulipomania’s music has variously been referred to as ‘cult synth punks’, ‘glam-leaning’, ‘art-rock’ and ‘muscular chamber pop’, while many reviewers are quick to reference the affinity with early 4AD Records’ output, an association that is underlined by the fact that the duo have utilized legendary 4AD graphic designer Vaughan Oliver for album packaging.
‘Off The Map’ is a trance-like dark moody affair with bluesy elements, with Murray’s smoky deep tenor sparingly backed by Gelover’s vocals. ‘On the Outside (Spinello Remix)’ is a more upbeat offering and is dramatic, dark and dubby. It was created by Spinello (a.k.a. Shane Woolman), a London-based producer and remixer, who also hosts shows on NTS Radio, Resonance FM and New New World, in addition to working at The Wire magazine and DJing as part of The Wire Soundsystem.
A rather art-conscious duo, Tulipomania round out their already notable collection of notable videos by presenting not one, but two, new animated music videos to accompany this release. The animation was created by band members Cheryl Gelover and Tom Murray. This resolute juncture between music and visual art has always made Tulipomania videos stand out among their peers.
The collage-animation process for the ‘Off The Map’ video was quite intensive, with Murray and Gelover alternating fragmented self-portraits with imagery they pieced together, frame by frame, from thousands of individual sheets of paper. These fragmented self-portraits alternate with imagery torn and pieced together, matching the contradictory mood of the lyrics. The result is a stunning visual that reinforces the contradictory nature of the song’s lyrics.
Similarly, the video for ‘On the Outside (Spinello Remix)’ features vintage objects animated frame by frame as torn paper and tape collages on sheets of black paper. Loaded with a quaint naiveté, this animation was inspired by the inclusion of a space-age era broadcast layered into the Spinello Remix.
This video for ‘Off the Map’ has been chosen as an Official Selection at the BAFTA qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival in York, UK. Described as “artistic and inventive” and “gorgeous”, the music videos created by Tulipomania have been featured in many other film festivals worldwide, including the London Short Film Festival (England), Leeds International Film Festival (England), Aesthetica Short Film Festival (York, England), Encounters (Bristol, England), Zubroffka (Poland), StopTrik (Croatia, Poland), Brooklyn Film Festival (USA), and Animation Block Party (USA).
The ‘Off the Map’ maxi-single is being made available across the main online stores and streaming platforms, and can also be ordered from Tulipomania’s Bandcamp.
LINKS:
http://tulipomania.com
https://twitter.com/tulipomania.com
https://tulipomania.bandcamp.com -
Joy Cleaner – Pink Lite
Joy Cleaner officially drop their new single and video titled ‘Pink Lite’. In the tradition started by bands such as Hüsker Dü and The Lemonheads, Joy Cleaner delivers that smooth guitar-driven sound and groove-centric rhythm that gives the listener that casual smirk letting them know that good independent music is alive and well in bands like Joy Cleaner.
ABOUT JOY CLEANER
After playing in numerous indie rock and punk bands together across North Jersey since 2009, guitarist Joey DeGroot and bassist Kyle Wilkerson formed Joy Cleaner in late 2015, almost as a challenge to themselves to take a more mature, accessible, and deliberate approach to songwriting. Following the release of their debut album on Jigsaw Records, 2017’s Total Hell, Joy Cleaner was praised for their strong hooks and full embrace of power pop songwriting, with many comparing their sound to Teenage Fanclub, Guided By Voices, and The Lemonheads.
2018 saw the addition of drummer Justin Grabosky, after which the band hit the road for several tours of the Northeast, Midwest, and South, including a stop at the 2018 Athens Popfest. The band spent spring 2019 in the studio with producer Josh Evensen of Where Is My Spaceship, recording their sophomore LP, which is slated for release in late 2019.
ABOUT ‘PINK LITE’
The Pink Lite intro riff happened during the first practice we had with Justin. I was playing Joey’s guitar and we jammed on that riff for a few minutes and quickly moved on to something else. I don’t think anyone thought much of that riff but one night I wrote down some notes during an acid trip, which became the lyrics, and figured out the rest of the song real quick.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/joycleaner666
https://jigsawrecords.bandcamp.com/album/pzl165-joy-cleaner-youre-so-jaded