Hoops, who have a new song, "Gemini" streaming somewhere down there in this here post. Credit: Daniel Topete

You know who works hard? Music PR people. Every minute of every day (even on the weekends, sometimes), the inboxes of countless music journalists and bloggers are being pinged with new music and pitches from folks in charge of helping spread the word about clients.

It is impossible to fully vet every single email that comes in. Music doesn't always hit you the way it should on first listen, and I cringe thinking about all the favorite artists I will never know because I've had to move through the inbox.

In an attempt to salvage some shed of respect for hard working publicists and the artists they represent, CL Music wants to start giving you the accidental gold we find in the box everyday.

**Note: these picks do not reflect the amazing work that artists who call Tampa Bay home are doing. For more of that, click here.


We've got a feeling a lot of readers will enjoy this feel good, carefree guitar pop from Passenger. From the press release:

"Today, Mike Rosenberg, aka Passenger, shares his new single “Anywhere” along with the accompanying music video, which follows the troubadour around the world (literally) as he delights fans in the streets and crowds in arenas. The playful, upbeat track is off of his upcoming album, Young As The Morning Old As The Sea, out September 23rd."

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ceo has put out some pretty rad shit in the past, so he's getting a pass on this new track, "Kill Count," which dropped into the inbox today. Thinking it'll from on us. From the release:

"It's been more than two long years since we heard from Sweden's own Eric Berglund, mastermind of The Tough Alliance and label Sincerely Yours. After the release of his epic trip of a sophomore album Wonderland back in 2013, Berglund disappeared until now. With his new single "Kill Count", he proves more agile, fearless and stylish than ever. Ever since the days of The Tough Alliance, contrasts have been a crucial part of Berglund's work, but never before have they been sharper or more profound than in CEO 3.0. Soundscapes and tones from the most progressive and formless corners of contemporary club music are combined with the directness and melodies of your latest Rihanna or Lykke Li-hit."

It's new shit from Gainesville's own Against Me!, so you know damn well it's getting posted. From the release: 

"Celebrated American rock band Against Me! are excited to present the brand new music video for “Crash” taken from its highly anticipated forthcoming studio album titled Shape Shift With Me. “This was one of the most difficult videos we've ever made because it was filmed in outer space,” said drummer Atom Willard. “The time it took to get there alone was enough to make some bands back down from the challenge, but we really believed it was the only way to fully realize our vision.” Directed by Jason Thrasher and actually made possible through the kind generosity of the 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA who let the band film on location, the video for “Crash” is now streaming below."

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When a press release says "mesmerizing" it better be at least good. This one from Brooklyn pop outfit Zula delivers. Not life-changing, but definitely going in the rotation. From the release: "Brooklyn's Zula plays hypnotic, groovy pop music with a dose of noise and psychedelia. Their debut, This Hopeful, caught listeners’ attention with its personal voice and propulsive, expansive production. On Zula’s forthcoming album, Grasshopper, due out 8/26 via Inflated Records, cousins Henry and Nate Terepka craft songs with reflective, suspended moods, over a heavily rhythmic sound driven by Pablo Eluchans’ drumming. Grasshopper navigates many different territories – the band foregrounds texture, but has a singer-songwriter orientation; the album pulls from dance music, post-punk and art rock, but resists stereotypes. Both funky and introspective, Zula's music hovers invitingly for the curious listener."

Not sure how to feel about Catch Pritchard's "Eskota," but the guy's voice won't get out of the cranium. Plus there's off mic banjo plunking and lap steel. Make your own decision below. From the release: "Steeped in Americana, and with a voice that simultaneously conjures ANOHNI and Leonard Cohen, Catch Prichard is the work of Sawyer Gebauer. He spent several nomadic years living all over Europe and touring in support of his previous project Brittsommar, including stints in Sweden and a dilapidated warehouse in Berlin, before returning back to the US to work on the Eskota EP."

Co-signing on this one from Lowly. Danes with a knack for making music I want to hear when I am three double vodkas deep on a Monday night. Who wants to kick it?? From the release: "The track—four compact minutes of uniquely sensual, rhythmic dream pop—shines a bright light on the inventive orchestrations and resonant soprano vocals that render Lowly so captivating and standalone in their musicianship. As remarkable as their music is, Lowly only came together as a band in 2014, having met at the musical academy in Aarhus, Denmark. Despite all five members being involved in different studies, and having their own pre-existing endeavors, Nanna Schannong (lead vocals, guitar), Soffie Viemose (lead vocals, laptop), Kasper Staub (synthesisers), Thomas Lund (bass, Moog) and Steffen Lundtoft (drums, percussion) soon found common musical ground; a restlessly inventive and exquisitely melodic sound that refutes easy categorization."

Blue-yed soul alert! Blue-eyed soul alert! New clip from one Miike Snow is great for dancing across your wood laminate with new socks on.

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Korn is coming to the old Gary amp on October 11, so this one is obligatory. The release has this to say about the new video: "Directed by Ryan Valdez, it's a ghastly take on post-mortem photography or 'momento mori,' the practice of preserving loved ones after death with images."

More information on the show is available on CL's events calendar.

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We fell for it. Noisey said the singer from Middle Kids sounded like Stevie Nicks. We know a lot fo you are going to like this. Plus, it gets that creepy image from the Korn video out of your head. From the release: "The single, which was recorded, produced and mixed by the band was premiered via Noisey on Friday and had it's first radio spins on Zane Lowe's global tastemaker show on Apple Music Beats 1and Veronica & Lewis on Triple J. 'Your Love' is only their second single and will be on the band's forthcoming debut EP due for release in October."

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Here you go R&Beat heads. WILLS' single "Solid Gold" is a little aggressive on the drops, but he was on the Flume record and got a co-sign from Zane Lowe, so decide for yourself. From the release: "Bronx's own WILLS is the brainchild of Will Johnson, who used to play under the name Gordon Voidwell.  Now – reborn as WILLS – his tracks strobe and convulse, creating the sort of dark, leftfield pop songs that sit nicely alongside albums like Yeezus and artists like The Weeknd, Skepta, and Tricky. "Solid Gold" is a smash-you-in-the-face sort of track, full of careening synthesizers, a heavy, thumping beat and a wild, full-throttle chorus.  It's a song that sounds exactly like walking into a pitch black room and throwing on a flood light; it both startles and shines."

Butch Walker is Americana as fuck, y'all. His new album is streaming on Pandora, but who listens there anymore? Here's a clip for his song "Wilder in the Heart." Album comes out on Friday, but here's what the release said: "Grammy nominated guitar-slinger, troublemaker, raconteur, producer, and Georgia boy Butch Walker will release his eighth studio album Stay Gold on August 26 via Dangerbird Records. As a writer of dozens of songs with hooks that stick in your head, Walker has penned choruses you want to sing (or shout) along to from acts including Frank Turner, Brian Fallon, Taylor Swift, and many more. He is a teller of authentic stories of exploits and predicaments and romance that are filled with optimism; builder of albums with no boundaries – rock, pop, Americana, singer-songwriter…or, as he says, 'I think it’s all just rock & roll.'"

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"Gemini" is the closing track on the new EP from Hoops, who debuted the whole kit/kaboodle on FADER today. Listen to the track below. From the release: "What began as frontman Drew Auscherman's solo ambient project, Hoops ultimately became a quartet in 2014. Named for hoop houses in the greenhouses which Auscherman used to work in high school, Hoops draw on influences from Prefab Sprout and The Clientele, and recall the idea of breezy afternoons and sticky summer nights in both name and sound."

Not quite drone-y, but hypnotizing as all get out. New stuff from The Album Leaf. From the release: "Jimmy LaValle and thorough, unified approach is evident on nearly every aspect of Between Waves: the album displays multifaceted, meticulous sound design, a keen ear for balancing disparate influences, and the strongest senses of dynamics, rhythm, and composition The Album Leaf has displayed to date. The ambient/electronic/rock pioneers' first album for Relapse Records is set for release this Friday, August 26th. The album's eight tracks were winnowed down from thirty, and it shows: each song is memorable and unique, all speaking in The Album Leaf's singular voice while expressing themselves through a wide variety of different sounds and emotions. It's streaming in advance of the release in full via NPR First Listen."