New Music: January 2021 - Salt Lake Bard

Here’s a roundup of the new music released in January, 2021

Live at Pale Horse Studio – The Penitent Man

One of our favorite new music releases this winter was Live at Pale House Sound, by the Penitent Man. In 2020, Penitent Man did a livestream from Pale Horse Sound that blew us away…both the sound and video quality were cutting edge. When the band posted the image of Greg Downs filming lead vocalist Allan Davidson, it sure looked they were back at Pale Horse…doing something. We reached out and sure enough, learned they were wrapping up a new album. Live at Pale House Sound definitely lives up to the stoner rock/blues vibe of the band and the production is, as always with Pale Horse, excellent. Download a digital copy of the album for $5 on the band’s Bandcamp page (recommended), or stream the album at all the usual online locations. Also check out this Song Picks of the Week post from last July, where we featured one of our favorites from the band, Buffalo.

How Do You Sleep? – Late Night Savior, feat. Royal Bliss

One surprise this month was the new single from Late night Savior, which happens to feature Neil Middleton and Taylor Richards of Royal Bliss. How do You Sleep is an Alt-Metal cover of the Sam Smith tune. The band tells how they wanted to do a cover, and there were a few options they were considering. Apparently, there was a get together with “a bunch of metal musicians drinking whiskey and singing a bunch of pop songs.” Sounds like a good time. Ultimately, after much drinking and jamming, the boys decided to record How do You Sleep. Check it out on all the usual streaming and video platforms.

Acid – Acacia Ridge

Next up is a new single by the local metal band Acacia Ridge. The single Acid, actually came out in October, but since nobody wants to send us news about new releases, we decided to grab some low hanging fruit for this first edition of out monthly new music feature. Acid was produced at Aggressive Audio, which has worked with several local bands like Sunfish, the Fervors and others. Stream Acid on all the usual online streaming services.

Systems & Stories – Systems & Stories

Released this month, the self-titled debut album from System & Stories includes the single Shrouds, which we featured last year on SPW. The album has two contrasting halves, and each track has a counterpart on the opposite half that is a thematic inversion of the other—both lyrically and sonically. Stream and watch Systems & Stories on all the usual streaming and video platforms.

Hollow – Illicit Thoughts

The new single Hollow was released on January 22 of this year. The song features acoustic guitars, which offers a bit of a breather compared the heavier guitars we’re used to hearing from this young Metalcore band. From their Facebook Page: “If you are someone who is going through a hard time, just remember that we can’t change our pasts, and we have no control over the future, so make the best of what you have now…and most importantly just remember to breathe!”

Watch Us Burn – Echo Muse

Watch Us Burn, the new single by Echo Muse, was released on January 20, 2021. The song feels like a bit of a departure—or possibly an expansion—from the band’s style. Frontman JT says the band is currently in the studio working on a new album. Drummer Khaymen Bassett is producing the new album in-house, which is giving the band more freedom to be experimental. JT says “fans should expect almost every song to sound entirely different.” Watch Us Burn is available on all the usual platforms.

Truth Dies With a Severed Tongue – False Witness

Metal fans listen up. Logan, Utah-based False Witness is out with their first new music recorded work in two years. The single Truth Dies With a Severed Tongue was produced by Stetson Whitworth at High Vibe Studios and Mastered by Stephan Hawkes at Interlace Audio. Stream and watch False Witness on all the usual streaming and video platforms.

Sell Me Salvation | Damn Dirty Vultures

Drummer Christen Kross tells us the band wanted to write a song to raise awareness of corruption in religion in politics. Sell Me Salvation, the first single off the upcoming album Wake, expresses their beliefs on the subject. The upcoming album was produced by Nic Kartchner at Grotto Audio and is expected to drop February 1. We’ll be sure to include it in next month’s edition. Sell Me Salvation is now available on all the usual platforms.

Musicians: make our lives easier and let us know when your releases are coming out. We’ll try our best to include every bit of new music released in Utah and beyond.