Look, we know we throw a lot of new music at you. We also know that not everyone who comes to this site has the time to be as involved with or informed about the local scene as maybe they’d like to be. So for those casual readers who either can’t or have no interest in keeping up with the parade of artists we try to cover, who may not know the difference between Bitter and Biters, we have created our TRIPLE THREAT feature. The premise is simple: Every Friday our writers will put their heads together and come up with three tracks that grabbed our attention over that week. Then we tell you why the songs are great and worth listening to. That’s it. Maybe some weeks we’ll have a guest commentator come in and share their favorites, but the format will always remain the same: three songs, some words, and we out. Enjoy.
Credit: Jamie Hopper
Nikki & the Phantom Callers – “Mamas Should Know”
From the 7″ single, “Prodigal Daughter” b/w “Mamas Should Know”
The new single from Nikki & the Phantom Callers brims with a weary cosmopolitanism which puts a modern spin on the band’s Southern gothic rock and roll. “Mamas Should Know” is the B-side to the group’s What the Daughter Does the Mother Did 7-inch, and the time-tested topic marks the band’s first release. The ensemble is the brainchild of Nikki Speake, who also performs in Shantih Shantih and Midnight Larks, and though her love of old-school country is evident, there’s a dash of Neko Case in the soaring vocals that explode and diffuse over sparse guitars before fading into a ghostly chorale featuring Anna Kramer (Rock*A*Teens, Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause). – Russell Rockwell
Nikki & the Phantom Callers will celebrate the release of their debut 7″ tonight at 529 alongside Rod Hamdallah, the Invisible Teardrops (AL), and Roadkill Debutante. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $8. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Web: nikkiandthephantomcallers.com
Bandcamp: nikkispeake.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @NikkiandthePhant0mCallers
Instagram: @nikkiandthephantomcallers
Credit: Krishna Inmula
Harlot Party – “Herman”
From the MOEKE Records compilation, Summer Singles 2018
Whenever Kyky Renee Knight sets pen to paper, she dives deep into the briars of her past. No Harlot Party song will waste your time with frivolous or cutesy concepts; instead, the gossamer interplay between Knight and her partner Garrett Knighon frames moments of wide-eyed clarity. When I say “Herman” is tender, I mean that it’s tender like a sprained ankle, one that must tread gently until it can heal. When Knight tells us “don’t tell me when it should hurting,” though, we realize that the particular trauma enclosed here smarts on more than a physical level. And that’s the point—although the domestic scene that unfolds may sound terrifying, “Herman” only conveys the relief of catharsis. Now that Knight can finally invoke these thorns out loud, she can shed them and move on. – Lee Adcock
More Info
Bandcamp: harlotparty.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @HarlotParty
Instagram: @harlotpartyathens
Twitter: @HarlotParty
Chick Wallace – “Television Girl”
From the standalone single
I could talk about how much this song reminds me of the Pretenders, or how the group’s otherwise luminous songwriting always seems to maintain the ideal level of worn-out distress. But really I just want reflect on the song’s simple premise, which looks past the all-enveloping swoon of the common love song to focus on the merits of, as Chick Wallace’s Bandcamp page puts it, “slow living with your partner.” As an unrepentant homebody, I can attest to the enduring worth of quiet serenity with a loved one, and how the refrain “I want you to notice / I don’t watch much TV / Unless you’re here with me” says more about commitment than a thousand love-sick sonnets. Steamy romance is all well and good, but a bit of comfy TV time is where it’s at. – Guillermo Castro
Chick Wallace will perform on Sat., Sept. 8 at the EARL in support of Gringo Star (Album Release) and Tedo Stone. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $12 ADV. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Bandcamp: chickwallace.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @chickwallaceatl
Instagram: @chickwallaceatl