PANTAYO ANNOUNCES DEBUT SELF-TITLED ALBUM, UNVEILS FIRST SINGLE

PANTAYO OUT MAY 8 VIA TELEPHONE EXPLOSION

LISTEN AND SHARE “DIVINE” SOUNDCLOUD / SPOTIFY

Photo Credit : Sarah Bo // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Pantayo explores what’s possible for contemporary kulintang music with the atonal blend of kulintang ensemble instruments with vocals and electronic production. The album features eight diverse songs speaking to Pantayo’s musical influences as queer diasporic Filipinas. Produced by Yamantaka // Sonic Titan’s alaska B, Pantayo was written and recorded from 2016-2019 in Toronto. 

LISTEN AND SHARE “DIVINE” SOUNDCLOUD / SPOTIFY

Pantayo is an audio diary of how the ensemble has grown together as writers and performers. The songwriting process started with members workshopping and performing traditional kulintang pieces from the Southern Philippines, often instrument-switching on the kulintang, agongs, sarunays, gandingan, bandir, and dabak. Adapting kick drums and synths to the modal tuning of the gongs further expanded Pantayo’s ability to incorporate modern musical expressions such as punk and R&B. “If you listen to the recordings of our rehearsals and songwriting sessions, you can hear us deconstructing the kulintang parts section-by-section and practicing our songs in different styles” says keyboardist and vocalist Eirene Cloma. “You can also hear how close we’ve gotten and how our creative workflow strengthened over the years.” 

Grounded in the interpretation of kulintang music, Pantayo can be a vehicle for discussions around diasporic Filipino identity. All five members have different experiences of settling in Canada and with that comes their relationships with music. Kat Estacio, co-founder of Pantayo, says “One way that we can make this world feel like home for folks like us is to mix the kulintang music that we learned with different sounds and song structures that feel familiar to us." 

Pantayo's self-titled record will be released on May 8, 2020 via Telephone Explosion Records. 

PERFORMANCE DATES
March 7 // Toronto, ON - Women From Space Festival @ Burdock Music Hall
April 4 // Glasgow, Scotland - Counterflows Festival @ The Adelaide Place Baptist Church
April 6 // London, England @ Cafe OTO 

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PANTAYO TRACKLIST
1. Eclipse
2. Divine
3. Heto Na
4. Bronse
5. V V V (They Lie)
6. Taranta
7. Kaingin
8. Bahala Na

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BRAIDS ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES IN SUPPORT OF NEW ALBUM

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES BEGIN JUNE 3 WITH STOPS IN VANCOUVER, TORONTO, AND MONTREAL

SHADOW OFFERING OUT APRIL 24 VIA SECRET CITY RECORDS

WATCH AND SHARE “YOUNG BUCK” HERE

SHADOW OFFERING PRODUCED BY CHRIS WALLA (DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE)

PRE-ORDER SHADOW OFFERING HERE

Photo Credit : Ariana Molly // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Montreal-based indie art rock band Braids have announced North American dates this spring in support of their forthcoming new album. The dates kick off on June 3 and will include stops in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and more. Tickets will be on sale now at www.braidsmusic.com/tour

Braids recently announced their new album Shadow Offering will release on April 24 via Secret City Records. Produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie, the new album finds the band at their most personal, unabashedly flexing a new sense of confidence through songs that reach a higher level of artistry and collaboration. 

PRE-ORDER SHADOW OFFERING HERE

Lead single "Young Buck" is out now, an effervescent ode to impossible love that exudes an undeniable magnetism. It was praised by Pitchfork, The New York Times, The Fader, MTV, Stereogum, and Consequence of Sound who called it "a bouncy good time; in the tug-of-war between mind and matter, these pulsing synths are clearly on the side of the body."

WATCH AND SHARE “YOUNG BUCK” HERE

Last fall they released "Eclipse (Ashley)", a song dedicated to Standell-Preston's best friend that sinks deep into a feeling of reverie for nature, the love found in friendship, and the vital essence of personal reflection. The New York Times raved "Raphaelle Standell-Preston sings with openhearted earnestness" while Stereogum named it "one of the best Braids songs ever, a power ballad built from cascading pianos, off-kilter rhythms, and a rising surge of atmospheric strings."

A luscious and expansive release, Shadow Offering leads us through a sonic tapestry of narrative. With heartbreaking honesty and precision, listeners traverse a nuanced and complicated world: one full of beautiful contradiction. Although the album directs itself at the failures of people to love and be loved, it also seeks to restore justice and attain blissful union. It's arc crests through the dark towards the light and learns how to dance with the dizzying rhythms of the heart. The songs bubble, sustain, dissolve, expand, and retract.

WATCH AND SHARE “ECLIPSE (ASHLEY)” HERE

PRAISES FOR “YOUNG BUCK’”

‘The best Braids song make the most desires feel grand, feel valid, give them weight, and "Young Buck" certainly ranks among one of their best.” – Stereogum (5 Best Songs of the Week)

“Insistent, relentless six-beat patterns run nearly nonstop as Raphaelle Standell-Preston, […] sings about lust overcoming rationality. Layers of counterpoint accrue as her better judgment fades; it’s math-rock versus irresistible impulses.” – The New York Times

“Wonky synth pop jam” – The Line Of Best Fit

"Who’d have guessed Braids would namecheck Young Buck before 50 Cent in 2020?" – The Fader (20 best rock songs right now)

“Young Buck” featured in Under the Radar’s 10 Best Songs of the Week

TOUR DATES
April 22 - Leicester, UK - The Cookie
April 23 - Guildford, UK - Boileroom
April 24 - London, UK - Moth Club
April 25 - Ramsgate, UK - Music Hall
April 27 - Manchester, UK - YES Pink Room
April 28 - Liverpool, UK - Phase One
April 29 - Glasgow, UK - CAA
May 1st - Leeds, UK - Headrow House
May 2nd - Cardiff, UK - Clwb for Bach
May 3rd - Bristol, UK - The Exchange
May 4 - Cambridge, UK - Portland Arms
May 6 - Brussels, BE - Beursschouwburg
May 7 - Berlin, DE - Musik & Frieden 
May 8 - Schorndorf, DE - Manufaktur 
May 9 - Winterthur, CH - Albani Club 
May 11 - Rotterdam, NL - V11
May 12 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso (Small Hall)
May 13 - Paris, FR - Pop Up Paris 
May 14-16 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape 
June 3rd  - Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar
June 4 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
June 6 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
June 12 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
June 13 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
June 14 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
June 16 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
June 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
June 19 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
June 20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
June 23 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda
June 24 - Dallas, TX @ Ruins
June 27 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
June 28 - Washington, DC @ DC9
June 30 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
July 2nd - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
July 3rd - Boston, MA @ Great Scott
July 4 - Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa
July 9 - Toronto, ON @ Paradise Theatre

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SHADOW OFFERING TRACKLIST
01 Here 4 U
02 Young Buck
03 Eclipse (Ashley)
04 Just Let Me
05 Upheaval ii
06 Fear Of Men
07 Snow Angel
08 Ocean
09 Note To Self

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JORDAN KLASSEN SHARES NEW SINGLE, “IDENTIVACATION”

BUY / STREAM “IDENTIVACATION” HERE

Photo Credit : Rachel Pick // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, BC songwriter Jordan Klassen shares “Identivacation” as a preview for his upcoming album, due in the Spring of 2020. "I wrote ‘Identivacation' thinking a lot about the unique perspective on identity that we're given by our culture,” says Klassen. “On the one hand we believe that we all have an essence that is objective and transcendent, written in time and space. But on the other hand we're also compelled to create an identity, to decide what kind of person we want to be based on our endeavors and expression and self-representation. 

'Identivacation' is poking fun at this idea and reflecting on how confusing and exhausting it can be to try to create a self. My aim wasn't to pass judgement on 'being fake' per se, but rather to just acknowledge that as we try to decide who we are we will inevitably look to outside influences to guide us.”

BUY / STREAM “IDENTIVACATION” HERE

“Identivacation” Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Klassen is an internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter from Vancouver. He has toured extensively worldwide during his 9 year career throughout Europe, Korea, Australia, Canada and the US. Known for his well-crafted arrangements and nuanced songwriting, his sound is often compared to the likes of Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, and Nick Drake. 

From there he has steadily built his fanbase by opening for well-established artists such as Rhye, Lindi Ortega, Husky, Silversun Pickups, Whitney, Pickwick, and Ethan Johns and by garnering a significant radioplay and licensing history. His career has shifted seamlessly into the streaming world with almost 12 million streams worldwide to date. 

 WATCH AND SHARE “SURPRISED / NOT SURPRISED” HERE

“Identivacation” and previous singles, “Surprised / Not Surprised” and “Virtuous Circle” are the first new music from Jordan Klassen since 2017’s Big Intruder. The stunning video for “Virtuous Circle” was recently nominated for a UKMVA for Best Alternative Video - International. Directed by Farhad Ghaderi and produced by Shelby Manton of Boldly, explores the joys and pains of brotherhood through the volatile relationship between a young boy (Ben Andrusco-Daon) and his self-destructive older brother (Antoine Olivier Pilon) in the pursuit of winning a famous regional long-distance race.

WATCH AND SHARE “VIRTUOUS CIRCLE” HERE

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