New Music | Friday Roll Out: Empath, Professa Gabel & Brycon, Prayer Group, Mob Dylan, Tomato Flower, Riot For Romance

In reality, Tomato Flower, the new project between like-minded individuals of Austyn Wohlers, Mike Alfieri, Jamison Murphy, and Ruby Mars, deserves much more attention from everyone than allowed at this moment. The band’s debut offering, Gold Arc EP (Ramp Local) is a stunning release that showcases the band’s nonconforming experimental pop. There’s something pretty special about the Baltimore outfit that has the ability to take from standard pop music and bend it to its will. Throughout the 6 songs on Gold Arc, the soaring guitar lines and vocals take precedence allowing the songs to morph and take on a life all their own. Songs constantly bend to the band’s will and while they’re all signed with the group’s distinctive signature, no two songs are alike. It’s a stunning debut.

Scene: Late night at my computer writing, listening to music in the still of the night. Item on board: Riot For Romance’s S/T (Steadfast/Friends Club Records) EP release. The band, hailing from different states (Georgia, Colorado, and Florida) pieced together an adept straight-forward release, and four songs in, I’m begrudgingly unmoved. There’s nothing wrong with music but it’s much too safe. Placing the release in a spectrum of the worst to the very best, Riot For Romance lands directly in the middle, a place no artist wants to find itself. in all honesty, though, it doesn’t always stay that way, as semblances of the good the band’s ability to pull off comes later. “Would Be Remiss” opens with controlled feedback that bursts into a catchy melody while the ethereal pop sensibilities of “Destination Somewhere” have the strength to catapult the band into the stratosphere. It allows listeners to hear what the band is capable of, and listeners want that in more than just one song.

While never visiting Sweden myself, I’ve heard nice things from friends that have. The country’s latest export is Dylan Mob, the duo of Jon Von Letscher (emcee) and Franz Novotny (production). The Mob has released its debut with Bare Witness EP (Below System Records) and from the get-go, it’s not difficult to distinguish American-born Von Letscher vocal similarities recalling 1995 era Fred Durst on the opening “Lions In The Downtown,” over a direct and mechanical backdrop. But all is not lost though unless you’re placing judgment based on the “Shabbadap” title alone. Unlike the previous track, things are more loosely fitting, and it seems everything moves organically with hard-hitting fervor but one thing that some may just not be able to get past is the mispronunciation of certain words. The songs seem to get better the further we dive in. The title track has a hypnotic rhythm & melody while “Pocket Full Of What Not” bumps, and bumps hard! Nothing is forced and ebb-n-flow allows for constant spins. Misstep included, Bare Witness far exceeds what was expected.

Music is inevitably just music. Breaking it up into multiple genres is ridiculous but great for business. The industry is flooded with a multiverse of genres that enables listeners to distinguish one group from the other. Usually, there’s disdain from fans of one for another but again, it’s all music. No other “genre” has been venomously hated more than the noisy output of bands of punk & heavy noise (unless you refer back to Hip Hop of the 90s). While Richmond, Virginia’s Prayer Group has been kicking around releasing music since 2015, it’s just gotten around to releasing its debut long-player in Michael Dose (Reptilian Records). The four-man crew, Matt on vocals, Nate on guitar, Anthony on drums, and Ethan playing bass with supporting vocals, doesn’t contain their energy and keeps listeners…unsettled.

From the start, things are riveting, beginning with the stormy “Numbers,” heavy on bass which leads the way. Drums are obnoxiously loud which suits the track perfectly. Guitar howls alongside, occasionally spewing dissonance notes creating the perfect storm. Matt’s vocals, unpretentious spoken/sung repetitive phrasing, is fitted seamlessly here. He paces his gruff roars, allowing the melody of the song to take precedence. Is there a melody? It’s a distinctive track. What follows throughout is explosive, harking back to 90s-era noise fests of touring musicians blowing out the ears of anyone paying heed. The title track allows for a bit of diversity as well though.

Prayer Group doesn’t rely on its thunderous rhythm section alone, the band is a unit that allows the music to take them on a journey. Guitar & drums, drone out with a couple of notes before vocals and bass quickly join in. To say there are dynamic shifts throughout would be an utter lie. The song itself is a dynamic shift alone. The band moves at one pace & level, and it suits the band fine. “World Of Mirror – World Of Mind” has the group maneuvering through experimentation before bludgeoning listeners just over a minute in with a frantic pace of clashing instruments. With “Speculative Fiction,” the band possibly offers up more melody than it’s probably used to. It’s catchy, noisy AF, and compelling with dissonant notes and feedback tossed in the mix with concise effort. The band knows what it’s doing here with its music. At a minute and a half, “Continuity 1” places some clever melodies within what sounds like it could be a chorus, but it’s short-lived. With the closing “Continuity 2” the Prayer Group tricks us into believing there’s more to come but at 8 seconds, the joke is fully realized.

Make no mistake, Prayer Group is well aware of the similarities it shares with those that came before it, but Michael Dose is refreshing and stands apart from its contemporaries. What does this mean? Well, while it’s still early, I make no secret that this is my new favorite album of the year so far.

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Last summer saw the release of Diamond Lung’ Jeweler’s Loop, the collaboration between producer Brycon and emcee Lightbulb. The release was both catchy and inventive with semblances of Golden Age Hip-Hop, never conforming to mainstream culture. This past January, San Francisco emcee Equipto released Can’t Stay Perched All The Time (Solidarity Records) with Brycon behind the boards creating the kaleidoscope of sound for E’s laidback delivery. Now, we have another release this month Brycon returns as part of, and it seems there’s a pattern forming in 2022.

Corner Booth (Star Bakery/10 Flights Music) is the new release listed as a double EP but we’ll refer to it as an album by Professa Gabel & Brycon. This go around, the release moves differently. Brycon is able to deliver beats that fit the emcee’s needs & flows and while Gabel doesn’t require much but something that’s more than fitting. But don’t get it twisted here, his words and cadence flourish throughout the album, completely unrestrained. “This Or No?” is the one track I continue referring back to again and again. Gabel’s flow matches the heady-steady Boom-Bap flavoring of the beat with a melody that revolves around 8 descending notes. It’s repetitive but far from being repetitious. “Midnight Diner” is filled with an air of subtle darkness. The music sets the mood set for a late-night snack, as it slinks gracefully, that is up until the track’s eventual comedic ending. But it’s Off The Ledge/No Good Interlude (co-produced by Baghead) that hits hard and pretty direct from the get-go as Gabel drips his words through it like a pimp. This one here grooves infectiously and if you’re not in by this point, something may be wrong with your perception.

Now throughout the album, there are just a few guest appearances by Mc Pauze, Cyph4, and Ozer but it seems none shine brighter than Monk HTS as he and Gabel volley their words around a delicacy of “Duck Confit.” I’ve never had but I’ve heard of it, but here the emcees spit poetically, and the irony isn’t missed with the inclusion of street politics and putting food on tables as Monk closes it out with clever quips bordering on hilarity.

With Corner Booth, Professa Gabel proves himself a well-equipped emcee with a plethora of heady rhymes at every turn while Brycon, well, he shows he’s far from being a one-trick pony, with the ability to piece together albums to suit the rhyme master.

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When listening, while the alcohol flows, isn’t quite what anyone should attempt when giving clear & concise opinions. Or, maybe it is(?) They say bourbon is a truth serum (or do they say that about alcohol in general?) and we all discuss what’s really on our minds, at times to our own detriment. But not this time though, oh no, we’ve got this. Right? I listened to the new Empath album earlier this week and thought maybe I liked them more than I should but after a few more spins, I was doubling down on that idea. But now, things do seem much different. For some reason another group comes to mind, and that’s the old NY band God is My Co-Pilot, and I hated that band. Not just because their guitarist was an asshole to me once but because the band seemed to lack the live energy I felt when watching other groups. But I digress.

Visitor (Fat Possum) reminds me of that old group for some reason, and yes I know comparisons are cheap but I’m broke, but Empath has that energy I need and crave at times. Alone, “Genius Of Evil” gives it to me tenfold, as the Philly band bounces through the track with guitars dueling with one another, as muffled drums create an ambiance of lo-fi swag, which may mean less than nothing these days. But it’s the melody of those few bass notes, shifting rhythms, along with the vocals on top that that make this one inviting. I’m all in. The standard quick-paced rhythm of “Born 100 Times” shouts with a punk ethos while ”Diamond Eyelids” melody and vocal delivery seem to pull from a different era that’s hard to place but uniquely delivered.

Empath has a pop sensibility that’s undeniable and we get tasty morsels of it through songs like “Bell,” littering it with odd notes at times while “House + Universe” is filtered with cooing vocals over its bouncy rhythm. And of course, “Elvis Comeback Special” is structured uniquely, accentuated at times, with its drums taking precedence here. It wouldn’t be the same without it.

I’m enamored with Empath’s Visitor, almost with childlike abandon, and I’m completely ok with it. The album is the party favor you want to pull out at special occasions and if no one sees what you see, fuck them. They don’t know Empath the way you know Empath.

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Lately, there’s an abundance of releases coming out of Philadelphia right now and every so often this just happens. For no rhyme or reason, talent just seems to randomly surface every few years from just about any major city at any given time. Such is the case with Philly, and everyone needs to know that right now. Pearly, the duo of Josie Yeager and Austyn Benyak, is not from Philly but from Cincinnati, roughly 570 miles away and Ohio always seems to have something brewing in the water.

The band offers up its debut full-length release in Silver Of The Mirror (Eto Ano), a collection of songs that are well, pretty diverse in both delivery and sheer attack. The group itself calls the release “a menagerie of musical ideas” which seems pretty accurate. The band begins with the subtleness of “Deep Love” wrapping tender love within edgy electronics, electric guitars, and cooing vocals. At almost 6 and a half minutes in length, the track flies right on by as the band utilizes every moment within, pulling no punches, to get its point across. Yeager’s voice is inviting as the music captures the group’s intensity. “2B” follows, with less forcefulness, eschewing the power for a bit more jangle and acoustic guitar. That’s not to say the group loses anything here and while it’s an odd juxtaposition, Pearly doesn’t lose its identity. It’s intriguing as the band soars as the melody takes ahold.

But while Pearly may be confusing, the band’s unconventional direction, offering a schizophrenic view of its music is never muddled. The loud and revved up “Rub Eye/Red Eye” rocks hard through its power riffing and distorted vocals. Feedback looms in the distance at times and you just can’t deny the song’s infectiousness. The band hints at sputtering shoegazing psychedelia – or ‘neo-psychedelia’ as some may pen it – with “Let’s Play” which may be difficult for some to wrap their minds around. Its rhythm is repetitive but hypnotic, and Yeager’s voice may be lost within the mix, but it doesn’t matter because you won’t be able to let it go until it’s eventual end. The band closes with “Dreams Of” an electro-pop concoction that’s right at home within the hodgepodge of an album the group has pieced together. It’s fun, it’s a head nod, it allows Pearly to remain unclassifiable.

There’s still so much more the band offers up on Silver Of The Mirror, and before anyone makes any disparaging remarks about the group’s sound, just know that Pearly isn’t comfortable being just one thing and with the album it proves that you don’t have to be.

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