Nostalgia rules the roost on “Drunkard’s Dream,” which kicks off as a stripped-down ballad and builds into a Coldplay-sized blast of expansive arena pop. Throughout it all, EG Vines sings about a golden yesterday that seems to shine a bit brighter than the present, while pedal steel guitar and anthemic percussion sell the drama in the background.
When Brandon Stansell was scouting beach locations to film his new video, his manager offered a suggestion: El Matador beach in Malibu, California. They liked the spot, where performer Blair St. Clair (with whom Stansell shares management) had also filmed her latest video, for its natural beauty and because it was usually deserted.
“He was like, ‘Oh, you should definitely go there. It’s beautiful and no one’s there,’” says Stansell, calling from his home in Los Angeles. “And when we got there, there were like 200 people on the beach.”
You’d never know it to watch the clip for “Top Shelf,” the upbeat new single Stansell released in June. In every shot of the video, which was directed by Trent Atkinson, the singer-songwriter appears to be performing completely alone, framed against a gorgeous backdrop of rocks, sand, and sea.
Inspired by a trip to Nashville, Malin Pettersen’s “Pause” is gorgeously sparse, featuring nothing more than the Norwegian singer’s voice and acoustic guitar.
The rascally charm of nomadic country-blues singer Boo Ray is on full display in the rollicking “20 Questions,” the standout track off his latest album Tennessee Alabama Fireworks. A strutting blast of Muscle Shoals R&B, the song teems with bright horns and slinky organ, as Boo Ray tries in vain to fend off the incessant grilling by his rightfully suspicious — and pissed-off — lover.
Drivin N’ Cryin pay tribute to Ian McLagan — the electrifying keyboardist for the Faces and Small Faces, who died in 2014 — in this sneaky bar-band jam that bears his name.
“A friend with weed is a friend, indeed,” Kyle Daniel sings on this dance-hall-worthy throwback, which preaches the benefits of cannabis-friendly companionship. Packed with Daniel’s muscular guitar leads and booming baritone, “A Friend With Weed” swaggers with the buzzed bravado of a classic outlaw-country song.