Hi everyone! I wanted to let everyone know that Generation Clash has a new website! We recently celebrated our second anniversary and I thought it would be cool to upgrade our site!

You can check out it here: Generation Clash

I first found out about Dragon during a trip to Double Decker Records!

It was in the New Arrivals section and the cover art caught my attention.

It was so colorful! It was also a gold stamp promo, had the timing strip and was a white label promo on Portrait.

It was too cool not to buy it for a couple bucks.

The album is fantastic!! This, like many of my favorite albums is meant to be experienced in full, so if you listen to it, listen to it from start to finish.

Essential Tracks: Blacktown Boogie, The Letter, This Time

Listen Here: Dragon

I first found about Sad Cafe from Spotify. When I would research artists, I would look at the “Fans Also Like” section, and I remember Sad Cafe being one of the artists that was there!

I remember thinking that their name was cool, and I starred the Misplaced Ideals album to my Spotify library.

When I started shopping at Double Decker, I found “Misplaced Ideals” on vinyl and “Young Men Gone West” by City Boy too!

Even though I knew about Sad Cafe for a long time, I didn’t actually start listening to their music until I owned it on vinyl.

I ended up getting “Politics Of Existing” from Double Decker. I got “Facades” and “Sad Cafe” from a warehouse sale!

This album is fantastic!! Sad Cafe is such an interesting band because they sound very casual but they rock too. I remember listening to this album for the first time and really enjoying it because it’s so different.

Give this album a listen because it is fantastic!!

Essential Tracks: No Favours - No Way, Digital Daydream Blues, What Am I Gonna Do

Listen Here: Sad Cafe (1980)

1: How did you decide on the name, “New Twentys"?

We were just having one of our random conversations where we try to set the world right and somewhere in that conversation Jimmy said ‘one day this decade will just be referred to as the 20’s and it will be the new 20’s whereas at the moment everyone would assume you mean the 1920’s’. Everyone just looked at each other and said ‘that is the band name’ (which had happened about three times before with previous band name ideas, but this one actually stuck).

2: What inspires you to create?

We are looking for inspiration pretty much everywhere to be honest! Our favourite bands, The Cure, Talking Heads, The Clash, The Police, etc, inspire us a lot obviously. But also we are often inspired by films, funny quotes, past dramas and anything else we end up speaking about.    

3: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a creative profession?

Well firstly definitely look for better people to give you advice! But if there is no one else than we would say get your head down, don’t worry about anything other than getting 10-20 finished tracks all recorded and sounding as good as you can get them, and that way you don’t have to panic about not having the next song ready and you can focus a bit more on your release plan.  

4: Do you feel open minded about what you listen to? Do you like going out of your comfort zone?

Yeah what we all love about this band is how open we are in terms of the music we listen to and where we draw influence from. If we hear a song we like that is always the most important thing, currently we are loving the Miley Cyrus song ‘Angels Like You’.

5: What outlets do you find out about music from? (Record stores, magazines, samplers, etc.)

Harry is always looking through new music Friday to keep his ear to the ground and then telling us what he finds. Jimmy is a victim of instagram ads and will actually click through and follow bands or artists that he sees pop up if he likes it. And Chris is an avid follower of the instagram page ‘catatonicyouth’ ahaha

6: What was the inspiration for your song “You Got Me Good”?

I (Harry) was recording a track when our friend Sam called.  He’s a great guy and photographer who Chris met on a trip in Minneapolis.  We ended up chatting for about two hours, he was really hung up on a girl he had got involved with during his trip to London.  He then had to go and see some family in Amsterdam and it was during Kings Day, which is where the city basically turns into even more of a party!  This is where the lyric ‘surrounded by thousands of people, all I can think about is you,’ came from, because although he was having a good time, he couldn’t stop thinking about this girl.  They had also only been talking for a short amount of time, but you could tell he was already in super deep which is what inspired the lyric ‘five years of five minutes, what’s the difference if your whole heart’s in it’.  Sometimes I think we all get carried away and create these hypothetical situations of what and how it could be, before allowing it to pan out, and then we get disappointed when the plan that only existed inside our heads doesn’t happen.  The song is about the penny-drop moment of ‘oh wow you got me’, because until then, you didn’t even necessarily know how hard you had fallen.  

Jimmy came downstairs and heard me working on ‘You Got Me Good’, and he loved it and added the “Who’d of thought that I, would say you always had me all along?” section, and also the opening guitar riff. I had created a rough demo of the track with my vocal on (even though Jimmy is usually the singer) but we decided it should be a duet which is cool because it is the only song of ours so far that is a duet throughout.  So at this point, it was a rough demo with the guitar picking riff, midi drums, some piano and just a simple recorded bass loop. Chris and Kamil then jumped on the track and really made it come to life by adding lots of flare and vibe, and they spent a while working out their rhythm parts perfectly around each other.  It is also the first track where we recorded live drums instead of programming them, and we definitely feel that was the right choice because on a faster track like this, that extra energy is magic.

Listen to The New Twentys on Spotify: The New Twentys

Follow The New Twentys on Social Media: Instagram + Twitter

Listen to The New Twenty’s guest playlist: Guest Playlist: The New Twentys

1: How did you decide on the name, “Profit Drama"?

I don’t come from much of a musical background, nor am I much of a business-mind. Anyone’s feelings or expression can come off “dramatic” to another. It’s all perspective and I want to push those dramatic boundaries. Art is sacred. I profit off of love and knowing the power of art is helping another. I’m just here to tether God and her art to help people.

2: What inspires you to create?

Realism within fantasy. I am both personal and imaginative. Within fairytales can lie truth, whatever that truth means to you.

3: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a creative profession?

Don’t let Social Media or the idea of fame control what success means to you. Do it for yourself first, others second. You can’t tell art what to do, let it tell you what to do. Don’t listen to me, listen to yourself.

4: Do you feel open minded about what you listen to? Do you like going out of your comfort zone?

Absolutely, Kanye West is a much a storyteller now as Bob Dylan was decades ago. Genre is temporary, art is forever.

5: What outlets do you find out about music from? (Record stores, magazines, samplers, etc.)

I like to follow indie driven outlets on social media to hopefully fill my feed with new artists, big or small. If you’re reading this, send me music!!!

6: What was the inspiration for your song “Friend”?

An alligator came into my dreams trying to cut off its own tail, I quickly woke up and wrote it within a few hours as a response to said gator. No alligator here is alone.

Listen to Profit Drama’s guest playlist: Guest Playlist: Profit Drama

Follow Profit Drama on Social Media: Instagram

Follow Profit Drama on Spotify: Profit Drama

I found out about The Kings from my friend Chris! He played their song “Switchin’ To Glide” on his radio show, A.M. Transistor!

After I got it on vinyl, I’ll admit that I didn’t love it right away. It took time for me to really appreciate it as a whole album because I thought every song was going to sound like Switchin’ To Glide did.

This is why I believe in relistening to music. You won’t always love an album on the first listen. Sometimes you have to be in a different mood, and you’ll react differently to the album.

This was the case with this album. I was going through my records one day and I put this album on, when I was in a different mood and I loved it!

As I’ve listened to this more, I love it because of how different each song is and it’s a fantastic album because all the songs don’t sound alike.

The Kings are a band who aren’t afraid to be different and that’s why you should listen to them.

Essential Tracks: It’s Okay, Partyitis, Switchin’ To Glide

Listen Here: Are Here

1: How did you decide on the name, “Natalia Soul”?
When I first moved to Nashville, everyone seemed to have the same comment “Your voice is so soulful”. Also, I decided a while ago, to start living from spirit first, So It just made sense to add it to my name.

2: What inspires you to create?
Everything! I get giddy to think about it because it’s one of my favorite things. If you exercise the “creative body” regularly, inspiration can come from everywhere. For example, I’m half way writing a concept album about the zodiac signs. And I also just co-wrote a song about pomegranates. Inspiration is something you can tap into If only you’re open enough and disciplined enough.

3: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a creative profession?
#1, Figure out what success looks like and feels like to you. And stick to that.
#2, We all “hear very opinionated voices"in our heads, It’s normal. Just remember not all those voices are yours, and not all of them have authority over your life. Don’t believe everything you think.
#3, Do what you can do until you can do what you do.This goes back to #1. Some creative types, can endure the pressure of not knowing where the next check will come from. Some others can’t create at all! If they don’t know they have an emergency fund and a steady stream of income.And then a whole spectrum in between, figure out which one you are, and respect it!

4: Do you feel open minded about what you listen to? Do you like going out of your comfort zone?
I always feel like I’m not, so I’m constantly listening to new artist, New Releases from Different countries, From different genres.

5: What outlets do you find out about music from? (Record stores, magazines, samplers, etc.)
Blogs and on-line magazines specifically their writers.I also have 2 friends, one in radio and one is a DJ. One is constantly sharing with me what’s hot or what’s going to be. The other one is always introducing me to artists I never heard of, which I love! They’re like google for music.

6: What was the inspiration for your song “Hurt You”?
The more you get hurt, the harder It gets to be vulnerable in a new relationship. And with it comes the knowing that you will hurt the next person. All you think about is “How weird I am” and “How broken/damaged I’ve become”.This is something We all go through but don’t want to talk about it…So, my co-writer and I decided to sing about it instead, haha.

Listen to Hurt You: “Hurt You”

Follow Natalia on Social Media: Instagram

Listen to Natalia’s Guest Playlist: Guest Playlist: Natalia Soul

Retronaut Jukebox is back with our nineteenth installment!!

As you know, we feature cool songs from the past and the present.

This month we feature Harlequin, ZIG MENTALITY, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Nordi Blu, Eric Carr and more!!

For our latest feature, we feature the marvelous band, The Great Leslie, so read along to learn more about them and hear their tune, “Out of my Hands”.

Out Of My Hands is a very relatable song that talks about negative aspects of the protagonist, and how we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves. We have to realize that there things are out of our control, and that these things are bad because they can’t be controlled.

It makes me think about how we find ourselves and the things we linger on, but we must realize that we shouldn’t hate ourselves for feeling our feelings. If we are aware of our feelings, we can think about why we feel the way we do and why we do certain things to feel better.

Part of this is that we are who we are, and society makes us feel wrong for feeling the way we feel. It’s not someone else’s job to tell you how you’re supposed to feel.

This song shows us that there are a lot of things that are out of our control, but if we take the time to acknowledge our negative traits and figure out why we are the way we are, this is part of how we become our best selves. By taking the time to address the things that aren’t easy to accept.

Listen to “Out of my Hands” and learn from it too.

Listen Here: Retronaut Jukebox

1: How did you decide on the name, “Nordi Blu"?

Nordi Blu is a composite of many things, much like me. I wanted a name that used all of the places I am from. North became a recurring theme: North side of Chicago, northern France, northern Germany. The word for North in French and German is “Nord” so I made that mine and added an “I”—Nordi. Blu because my mother calls me “mon bleu”, “her blue” in French. And blue is all that is beautiful to me. Nordi Blu.

2: What inspires you to create?

My music is my experiences, the stories I tell. I tell these stories because we all have them, and music is the magic that lets us tell them. Everyone has had a difficult or complicated time at a certain point–it’s just difficult to know we are not alone in those moments sometimes. I tell my stories fully and candidly in my music because I want others to know they are not alone and that we have all been there. My music approaches delicate themes such as growing up, addiction and the concept of “home”.

3: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a creative profession?

I have to say the obvious, again: this profession is not for the faint of heart! Be prepared to work harder than you’ve ever worked and sleep very little. To stand up for yourself, to speak up for yourself and to fight for your art. Nothing comes easy to an artist which is why I truly believe that being an artist is not a choice for so many. It’s simply something you have to do. I don’t have a choice when it comes to my music—I have to make it. Surround yourself with love and support. Before I had fans, I leaned heavily on my family and my friends. I still do. Their unconditional love and support is what keeps me going often times. I couldn’t do what I do without them.

4: Do you feel open minded about what you listen to? Do you like going out of your comfort zone?

I like to think that I feel very open minded about what I listen to. I can’t tell you how often I’ve been introduced to something and had no idea who or what I was listening to and loved that moment of discovery and excitement. That’s what’s so magical about music. And then there’s the thrill of finding out. Loving what you hear, what it makes you feel and then being able to read that artist’s story. You can fill out so many blurred lines, the things you had imagined. It’s almost like reading a book and then watching the movie. You get introduced to your favorite characters all over again.

5: What outlets do you find out about music from? (Record stores, magazines, samplers, etc.)

Currently, I am mostly finding new music through online streaming platforms. The easiest way for me has been using the “radio” function on Spotify. If I love a song, I go to the radio for it, and discover so much new music! Pre-covid, I loved going to record stores. I can’t wait to go again soon.

6: What was the inspiration for your song “Eye Of The Hurricane”?

Eye of the Hurricane is the anthem of all breakup anthems. It’s being in a really nasty relationship but not knowing who you are without that person. It’s also the moment that you do finally decide to let them go. Not being able to be without them but not being able to be with them either. Just because I wrote this song about a romantic relationship, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be about any unhealthy relationship. So I think Eye of the Hurricane can really translate to friendship, family or any type of relationship that has been abusive emotionally where you feel very attached to that person but also know they are terrible for you. Feeling like you can’t exist without them. And eventually the process of going through the realization that you are in fact able, and that you should, let go of that for your own well-being. I’m really hoping that it translates over multiple different roles: that it’s not just a breakup anthem but it’s also encouragement to others to know you can get out of those situations, you can be yourself and find your sense of self again. You can love yourself. You are the hurricane. 

Listen to Nordi’s Guest Playlist: Guest Playlist: Nordi Blu

Follow Nordi on Spotify: Nordi Blu

Follow Nordi on Social Media: Instagram + Twitter

I found out about Harlequin from going record shopping.

Like many albums in my record collection, it was an album I chose to buy because it wasn’t like everything else in the section. It was the band that I hadn’t heard of.

I had this album for a long time, and I don’t remember listening to it since I had so many other records, and I didn’t have the time to listen to everything, but there was one day when I decided to start going through my record collection and I rediscovered this album and listened to it.

This album is fantastic. It’s just so good. You have to give it a listen!!

Essential Tracks: Heart Gone Cold, Heavy Talk, Shame If You Leave Me

Listen Here: One False Move