Empty Nesters, The Lemon Twigs and Tennis: Also Cool's Playlist Refresh
Empty Nesters by Steph Dinsdale
The January air is rife with possibility, crystallizing all around us like porcupicicles from the roof, and some of our favourite musicians have started the new year by hitting their creative stride. Catch up on our recent listenings in this week’s Playlist Refresh, marking the first new music review of the year.
While the calendar flip is still fresh, we have an itch that 2023 will be defined by endless listening opportunities, from artists local to the Also Cool music scenes and beyond!
Explore the chapters of our Playlist Refresh series on Spotify.
Empty Nesters by Steph Dinsdale
Empty Nesters, the project of Chinese-Canadian artist Eric Liao, is an Also Cool musical mainstay. Having planted seeds in the same Ottawa DIY music scene, and eventually making the move to Montreal alongside some of the magazine’s founding members, every Empty Nesters release is an emblem of peers growing alongside each other and self-actualizing in the once intangible layers of the Industry™.
This maturation is evident in Liao’s newest single “Going Bye”, self-released on January 6th. Outfitted with a dissonant shoegaze flare and bound by signature indie know-how, “Going Bye” brings forward the inner workings of Liao’s thoughtful songwriting — once buried by the fuzz of his house-show beginnings. Now with five EPs under his belt and an ever-growing curriculum vitae of live performances, Liao’s creative prowess takes centre stage with “Going Bye” winking at an exciting new chapter.
The Lemon Twigs via Bandcamp
Long Island brother band The Lemon Twigs graced us with elegant love song “Corner Of My Eye” earlier this month. As the duo’s first offering since their acclaimed 2020 LP Songs for the General Public, “Corner Of My Eye” reminisces with the feel of 1960s soft rock pining.
Written and produced entirely by The Lemon Twigs, the single’s uncluttered mingling of melodic guitar, muted percussion, dreamy vibraphone and winding upright bass cushions Brain D’Addario’s delicate vocals and the pair’s sparkling harmonies.
“Corner of My Eye” is out on Brooklyn label Captured Tracks, and while no hints of a fourth album are on the way, we’re hopeful that The Lemon Twigs are brewing up big plans for 2023.
The Lemon Twigs
Tennis by Luca Venter
Inching closer to the release of their highly-anticipated sixth studio album, Tennis has released the crisp and evocative “Let’s Make a Mistake Tonight”. This track marks the second single from Pollen, out on February 10 via the duo’s own Mutually Detrimental.
Overtop of a laidback disco sound, vocalist Alaina Moore paints pictures of impassioned escapism. Her Madonna-tinged lilt elevates the vintage decadence as her fantasies of runaway romanticism culminate in destruction.
Elaborating on the vision behind the single, Moore notes:
"'Let’s Make a Mistake Tonight' is all hubris, attitude, and wish fulfillment. I’m turning water into wine," says Tennis. "I’m reshaping my reality through projection or denial. While tracking with Patrick [Riley] I kept envisioning the same scene: I’m in the passenger’s seat. Patrick drives with one hand on the wheel and one on my thigh. This song plays us out."
Those in and around Toronto will want to catch Tennis on April 5th at HISTORY, featuring folk musician Kate Bollinger.
Tennis
Our Playlist Refresh series is available in full on Spotify, refreshed on a rolling basis.
Stream it all below!
