7 Days of Quarantunes

Since concerts are on hold indefinitely at the moment, CP compiled seven exciting new releases from Pittsburgh musicians and bands — one for every day of the week.

Thursday April 2
Merdsommar: Singles Under 45 Vol​.​1
Bengt Alexsander
actionbengt.bandcamp.com
During the quarantine, Bengt Alexsander of doom-rock band Action Camp has decided to release a series of covers to keep his mixing and performing skills sharp. Each song is themed around quarantines, viruses, and paranoia. For Vol. 1, Alexsander covered ABBA’s 1975 track “S.O.S.” and “Abra Cadaver” from The Hives’ 2004 album Tyrannosaurus Hives.

Friday April 3
Service
Chalk Dinosaur
chalkdinosaur.bandcamp.com
Friday is usually a day for happy hours and getting dinner with friends. Mimic the experience at home by ordering takeout and listening to Chalk Dinosaur’s new psychedelic, electronic-tinged release Service, featuring quarantine-centric song titles “Electric Friends,” “Time Off,” and “Spring Indoors.” Chalk Dinosaur is donating all sales from the release to service industry workers who have lost income due to COVID-19 closures.

Saturday April 4
“Blue Dreams”
Konscious Kel
soundcloud.com/konscious-kel
It’s Saturday: Take a deep breath and relax, enjoy the weekend, and limit your exposure to social media. Turn on “Blue Dreams” from Konscious Kel and find some time for yourself. Read a book, do yoga, create art, or simply just let yourself be. Kel samples a woman singing a cover of “I Wish You Love,” sung by a multitude of artists over the years including Sam Cooke and Nancy Wilson.

Sunday April 5
“American Cars” music video
Lauren DeMichiei
“Lauren DeMichiei” on YouTube
From Lauren “Shay” DeMichiei’s 2019 album Cite Your Sources comes a music video for pop-rock tune “American Cars.” Utilizing a green scene, DeMichiei’s video, which she directed, is full of bright colors and flashing images of things Americans consume, juxtaposed with scenes from nature. Her plan was to share the video around Earth Day but is pushing releases forward due to the quarantine.

Monday April 6
Don't Let the Scene Go Down on Me! Vol. 1
Multiple Artists
dltsgdom.bandcamp.com
Since local booking collective Don't Let the Scene Go Down on Me! can’t host shows at the moment, it’s releasing a series of digital four-band splits to help artists make revenue during the pandemic. Proceeds from the splits are evenly distributed between each contributing musician. Songs from Hit Like a Girl, short fictions, The Weak Days, and Baseball Dad make up the first volume.

Tuesday April 7
“Principles”
Leila Rhodes
soundcloud.com/leilarhodes
Singer and producer Lelia Rhodes plans on dropping her debut album, Attunement, in the near future. She gave us a sneak peek of what’s to come with the single “Principles.” Rife with smoldering guitar licks, gentle synths, and easy R&B elements, there’s a good chance Attunement will be an electrifying album of blended styles.

Wednesday April 8
“Don't They Know (it's the end of the world)”
Mystic Seers
mysticseers.bandcamp.com
Featuring a sample of Skeeter Davis’ 1962 track “The End of The World,” this Mystic Seers tune has a melodic beat that at first sounds full of sorrow. But don’t let it fool you, the lyrics are full of optimism. “I feel at peace,” it begins. “Soften the noise and let light comfort me / I don't want any of that bad energy / Let me be here with the breeze.”