Author: DJ MackieDre & DR. GILL

Artist Replay: Echosmith | The Colourist | MisterWives | Wild Party

DJ MackieDre & DR. GILL

This week on Artist Replay, we decided to give the little guys a chance. These four artists only have one full length album out so far, and we’re excited to see what they do next.

Coalescing in 2009, Echosmith is comprised of four siblings: Graham, Sydney, Noah, and Jamie Sierota. Most famous for their chart topping “Cool Kids,” Echosmith’s charming brand of indiepop music has been gaining attention across the nation since 2013 after debuting with Talking Dreams and we can’t wait to see what they do next. Ideal for your low key kickbacks, consider throwing “Come Together,” or “Bright” into the mix for some effortless positive vibes.

With the release of their studio debut in 2014, The Colourist, from just up north in Orange County, has started to get some real name recognition in line with bands like Echosmith. Formed in 2009 by Adam Castilla, Maya Tuttle, Justin Wagner, and Kollin Johannsen, this band subverts band norms by placing the drums center stage, letting Maya belt it out while she bangs it out to the sounds of screaming teenagers chanting her name. Consider pulling “Tonight (Young Hearts)” or “We Won’t Go Home” from their self-titled The Colourist for your next party playlist.

Next up, MisterWives. This band has seen a ton of attention thanks to the impressive litany of bands they’ve toured with, twentyone pilots and American Authors, just to name a couple. Formed in late 2012 by Mandy Lee, Etienne Bowler, William Hehir, Marc Campbell, Jesse Blum, and Mike Murphy, MisterWives was picked up immediately by Photo Finish Records and has been pumping out energetic hits since, first with their Reflections EP, then their Our Own House full length album. For some guaranteed bounce check out “Twisted Tongue,” one of their newest singles, or “Best I Can Do.”

Lastly, we’re especially excited to introduce you to Wild Party from San Antonio, TX. These guys have been around for a several years, having first formed back in 2009 with Lincoln Kreifels and Lucas Hughes, but after touring in the UK with The Wombats, the band took a break and came back in 2013 with Ethan Kaufmann, and then eventually added Cary LaScala when Phantom Pop was released physically in 2014. Their twitter reads like a performing arts piece and their songs smack of a surprising depth. Check out “Connect the Dots,” and “Lo-Fi Children” for the group’s self described “face-melting pop.”

You can catch AR on every Saturday from 6-8pm PST.

Artist Replay: Walk the Moon

DJ MackieDre & DR. GILL

Stumbling into existence in 2008, rising to notability in 2011, and becoming an indie pop powerhouse in 2015, WALK THE MOON has certainly seen their share of entropy. Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, the band was formed by lead singer/keyboardist Nicholas Petricca and some colleagues from Kenyon College in ’08, but its current, and so far permanent, lineup of Kevin Ray on bass, Sean Waugaman on drums, and Eli Maiman on guitar coalesced in 2010.

Famous for paint-covered fans and beats dripped in 80s synth, you can never go wrong playing WTM at a party. Their popular dance floor anthems “Shut Up and Dance” and “Anna Sun” are just an introduction to the complex interplay of instruments and surprisingly soulful lyrics that comprise both their self-titled début and sophomore success. Other dance floor highlights: “Tightrope,” “Fixin’,” “Jenny,” and “Work This Body.”

In addition to moving your hips, WTM are particularly skillful at creating memorable lyrics that speak to a deeper human connection; they’re masters at writing songs that give us complex and seemingly real romantic relationships. Consider “Next In Line” that pleads for a lover to “push it honey to the up and right [and] stay shotgun until the day I die,” or the surprising intimacy of “Shiver Shiver”: “You leave these marks up on my neck / And it’s still there… I know but I still check / Thump, thump, the thumping in my chest / As I lose the feeling in my fingertips.” “Lisa Baby,” “Sidekick,” “Avalanche,” “Portugal,” and “Come Under The Covers” are sure to spark listeners’ memories of past flames.

The band’s tight focus on the intimacy between people does not mean they shy away from social commentary—WTM have a lot to say about the world we live in and our role in that world. “Different Colors” reminds us that we’re just “different colors” that “carry each other” while “Up 2 U” acknowledges that “It’s hard enough just making money / It’s hard enough just trying to feel alive / Meanwhile our fever is running / And kings bow down to the dollar sign.” Check out “I Can Lift A Car,” “Spend Your $$$,” and “We Are The Kids” for more on that.

For our complete take on WTM, listen to this recording of March 5th’s Artist Replay. You can catch AR on every Saturday from 6-8pm PST.