Category Archives: Music

The Friday Five: 2016 Pop Punk Albums

2016 is off to a great start and with so much new music to look forward to, we’re breaking it down to our Friday Five pop punk albums (and EPs) that we’re stoked about!  We’ve got some oldies coming back for more, some newbies here to break new ground, and a genre that’s here to stay, saying “we’re more than just a phase, MOM!!!”

1. Good Charlotte: Untitled
Out: Spring 2016

Benji and Joel Madden are back with their original gang of misfits from Waldorf (worldwide) and are promising a new album filled with familiar sounds.  No word on an official release date yet but they’ve been reawakened by the pop punk forefathers are are working with John Feldman on this new record!

2. Simple Plan: Taking One For The Team
Out: Feb 19th, 2016

Pierre, Jeff, David, Chuck, and Seb never actually stopped making albums as Simple Plan, they just flew under the radar for a few years. Now that pop punk is having a revival of sorts, they’re here to show the newbies that you can branch out and have Nelly on a pop punk album with a video that looks like a 90s boyband throwback.

3. Waterparks: Cluster 
Out: Jan 15th, 2015
Waterparks recently signed with Equal Vision Records and MDDN management but these guys are set to be the most promising breakout of 2016.  Their new EP “Cluster” is sure to be filled with infectious hooks, sing along choruses, and melodies that’ll have you craving for more! (see what we did there?)  We suggest you get on this bandwagon before it’s too late – these guys are gonna be HUGE!

4. The Starting Line – “Anyways”
Out: Feb 5th, 2016
The Starting Line have been teasing new music at their annual Holiday Show for a while now but the tail end of 2015 saw the release of their first new song in SEVEN YEARS!!!!  We may or may not have clutched our computers and cried while we listened to it (spoiler: we did.) “Anyways”, the EP comes out February 5th and you should get it because The Starting Line Rock (.com)!

5. SWMRS – “Drive North”
Out: February 12th, 2016
Formerly known as “Emily’s Army” and featuring Joey Armstrong (yes, Billie Joe’s son & spitting image), SWMRS are the epitome of the Bay Area music scene.  They match bubblegum power pop with grit of punk rock to churn out a fun perpetual summer sound all their own.  Catch them on their first headlining tour this Spring!  Get the dates here.

Farro Release Video for “Home”

Farro recently debuted a brand new video for a new track called “Home” on Youtube featuring Josh and his acoustic guitar against some beautiful winter-y mountain scenery.  “Home” swells and floats along effortlessly all while hearing the chord changes on the strings and a steel pedal for good measure.

The band also released the official track listing for their debut album, “Walkways” due out February 5th, 2016.  Pre-order the album now and receive “On A Wire” instantly!  Check out the track listing below.

Farro – “Walkways”
1. Cliffs
2. On A Wire
3. Dear Love
4. Walkways
5. Islands
6. Lose You
7. Tiger’s Eyes
8. Color Rush
9. Say The Word
10. Home

Watch the video for “Home” below!

Preorder Farro’s debut album “Walkways” on iTunes now!

Be sure to follow Farro & Secret Fangirls on Twitter.

Artist To Watch: The Shadowboxers

The Shadowboxers are on the fast track to the top with endorsements from the likes of Justin Timberlake and Hunter Hayes, even getting the chance to jam with Hunter at the Spotify Spotlight showcase.   The band, consisting of Adam Hoffman, Matt Lipkins, Scott Schwartz, Carlos Enamorado, and Cole McSween, hail from Atlanta, Georgia and are a self-described “soulful pop band” with tons of potential and a bright future ahead.

Their upbeat, R&B twinged country sound and on point harmonies make their powerful debut album, “Red Room” the perfect collection of songs to keep us warm when the temperatures dip below freezing in NYC.

Watch a live session of “You’re All I Need” from Nashville, TN below.  

The Shadowboxers also just announced a short tour along the East Coast in January and February starting in Alabama, looping through the North East, and back down to North Carolina.  Check out the dates below and get your tickets now!

The Shadowboxers East Coast Tour 2016
Jan 8th – The WorkPlay Theatre – Birmingham, AL – Buy Tickets
Jan 9th – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA – Buy Tickets
Feb 24th – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA – Buy Tickets
Feb 26th – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY – Buy Tickets
Feb 27th – Rough Trade – Brooklyn, NY – Buy Tickets
Feb 28th – The Hamilton – Washington, D.C. – Buy Tickets
Feb 29th – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC – Buy Tickets

Pick up a copy of “Red Room” on iTunes or Amazon now!

Be sure to follow The Shadowboxers and Secret Fangirls on Twitter.

 

North Of Nine Release New Album “IM@GINE”

Jackson Guthy’s project North of Nine just released a new album called “IM@GINE” as a New Years present for eager fans.   As Jackson wrote on Facebook, “This album brought me back to the beginning.  Me at my piano making music I love.”  The album is very much in Jackson’s style – think piano driven pop with some jazzy horns and funky beats alongside his unique, raspy vocals.

The album will be available on iTunes and Spotify January 8th but for now, you can listen to the entire collection of songs on SoundCloud below!  Jackson  also enlisted artists to design special album artwork to go along with each track.  Learn more about each artist and the track that inspired them at NorthOfNine.com!

Be sure to follow North Of Nine and Secret Fangirls on Twitter!

Fall Out Boy + Demi Lovato + *NSYNC = “Irresistible”

The brand new music video for Fall Out Boy and Demi Lovato’s collaboration on the new single “Irresistible” is everything we ever wanted – Demi Lovato on a Fall Out Boy song in a music video that’s an homage to our favorite *NSYNC video!

Patrick, Joe, Andy, and Pete are turned into dolls that nobody wants, just like *NSYNC was overlooked in the original video.

The description for the video says it’s “about the toys that nobody wants that come to life” and form a band of misfits together.   Even better: Wayne Isham, the same director who did the original *NSYNC “It’s Gonna Be Me” video reprises the doll video, and he even brought Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone back for the FOB + Demi collab.

Watch the video below for some serious boyband nostalgia!

Fall Out Boy are hitting the road this Spring on the “WinTour Is Coming” Tour featuring AWOLNATION and PVRIS.  Check out the dates and get your tickets HERE.

Pick up a copy of “American Beauty/American Psycho” on iTunes or Amazon now.

Be sure to follow Fall Out Boy, Demi Lovato, *NSYNC, and Secret Fangirls on Twitter.

Our Favorite Concerts of 2015

At the beginning of 2015, we decided to keep an official tally of all the shows we went to this year.  That lasted until about February, when we totally lost count.  Here are some of our favorite shows from this past year!

Thomas Rhett – The Paramount – Huntington, NY – February 2015
Thomas knows how to put on a show and gets the audience dancing to every song.  This was one of those shows where everyone knew something special was happening – TR had just had his fourth #1 single from his debut with “Makes Me Wanna,”  setting the tone for the “Tangled Up” era.  We’re glad he found his way into music because we can’t imagine him NOT shaking his south side on stage!

P1150320
Hunter Hayes – Ike Hall – West Point, NY – October 2015
We will travel almost anywhere for Hunter Hayes and he ALWAYS makes it worth it.  This was probably one of the craziest shows we went to in 2015 – the cadets were crowd surfing!  Something we never thought we’d see at a Hunter Hayes show.

P1360266

Sam Hunt – Irving Plaza – New York, NY – February 2015
They say you never forget your first headlining tour and Sam Hunt’s sold out in a flash but for those lucky enough to score tickets to the “Lipstick Graffiti Tour,” you know that this tour was a non-stop singalong from start to finish.

P1140505
The Main Event Tour (NKOTB, TLC, Nelly) – Various Venues – June 2015
How can you go to a NKOTB show just once?  We have no idea because we went to this tour three nights in a row and we still wanted more!  This photo is everything you need to know about this tour.

P1230797

Shania Twain – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY – June 2015
Shania doesn’t tour often and she announced in advance that this would be her last ever tour (we hope she changes her mind!)  At least Shania went out with a bang!  The “Rock This Country Tour” was full of Shania’s hits and cool sets that brought her closer to all of her fans.

P1250950

Wheels Up Tour (Sam Hunt, Hunter Hayes, Lady Antebellum) – Various Venues – Summer 2015
A lineup so good we had to go not once, not twice, but four times, in three states.  It was totally worth it every single time!

sam hunt %22out in it%22 2
Dan + Shay – Emporium – Patchogue, NY – October 2015
We can’t say enough good things about Dan+Shay.   They are incredible live – they bring so much energy to the show, night after night.  Their set mixes their album with classic rock, pop, and even a rendition of Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love To You.”  And Shay’s voice + Dan’s harmonies = CHILLS.

P1340624

Nathan Sykes – Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY – July 2015
Nathan is extremely talented – he mentioned he was feeling under the weather at this show, but we never would have known because his voice is INSANE!

Nathan Sykes
DNCE – Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY – October 2015
If you’ve heard DNCE’s explosive debut EP, “SWAAY”, then you can imagine how much fun Joe, JinJoo, Cole, and Jack have every night on stage.  Their intimate album release show was a great intro to their new music.

P1360001
5SOS – Nikon Jones Beach Theatre – Wantagh, NY – September 2015
Calum, Ashton, Mikey, and Luke have translated their pop punk show to the big stage and this was easily one of our favorite shows this year, and it was at our favorite summer venue! They had cool graphics, a moving stage, and the catchiest riffs that got the ENTIRE crowd singing along.  10/10 – we would totally would have gone every night if we could have!!

tumblr_nv095ukfyD1trqfido5_1280

Old Dominion – Bowery Electric – New York, NY – October 2015
After a summer of stadium shows, Old Dominion played an intimate pop up show at one of the smallest venues in NYC for their biggest fans. These guys released one of our favorite albums of 2015 and their show, stadium or tiny club, is insanely fun!  Every song is a JAM!!

Rooney Gives The Gift of New Music

OMG Rooney just dropped the best surprise Christmas gift of them all!  They are releasing new music!  And you can get a free track from them, right now!   And there’s more to come in 2016!!   Head over to Rooney’s Facebook to watch the announcement from Robert Schwartzman and get a link to download “Come on Baby.”

Be sure to follow Rooney & Secret Fangirls for more updates!

 

SecretFangirls.com Interview The Vamps

We sat down with UK pop band The Vamps before their album release show at Webster Hall in New York City and talked pre-concert rituals, their new album “Wake Up”, and what fans can look forward to in 2016!  Watch our interview with Connor, James, Brad, and Tristan below.

Pick up a copy of “Wake Up” on iTunes or Amazon now.  Read our recap of the album release show here!

Be sure to follow The Vamps & Secret Fangirls on Twitter for more updates!

The Friday Five: 2015 Albums of the Year (Country)

It was way too hard to narrow down all of our favorite albums this year to just 5, so we split between pop and country.  Here are our favorite country albums that were released in 2016!  (Okay so we picked 6, deal)

1.Thomas Rhett – “Tangled Up”
Thomas rode the momentum of his hit single “Makes Me Wanna” and the funky vibes of “Crash And Burn” into an an album full of soulful, R&B tinged jams, all country at heart.  “Die A Happy Man,” which Thomas wrote for his wife Lauren, will make you cry; “Vacation” will make you dance, and “I Feel Good” will turn any day around.

2. Hunter Hayes – “The 21 Project”
2015 was the year of trying new things for Hunter Hayes, including how he released music.  After dropping digital singles throughout the Summer, Hunter released a 3-disc set featuring 7 songs as acoustic, studio and live versions.   “Saint Or A Sinner” is one of our favorite songs of the year, no matter how we listen to it. 

3. Kacey Musgraves – “Pageant Material”
Kacey’s latest album sparkles just as much as she does on stage.  She might not be “Pageant Material,” but she sure is great at crafting clever lyrics that anyone can relate to.  Each track has a story of it’s own and they all come together to create one of our favorite country albums of 2015.

4. A Thousand Horses – “Southernality”
What do you get when you mix Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers Band, and a whole lot of Southern moonshine? A Thousand Horses released the best “throwback” country rock album this year that we’ll be spinning for years to come.  Standout songs are the title track, “Trailer Trashed,” and “Travelin’ Man.”

5. Old Dominion – “Meat and Candy”
Even the band has commented on the strange name of their debut album but “Meat and Candy” is actually a fitting title for an album that has lots of sweet jams along with some more substantial tracks.  Their live show is not to be missed.

BONUS: Cam – “Untamed”
Released last week, Cam’s album barely made the cut but it’s one of the strongest debut albums we’ve heard in a long time!  We’re still kicking ourselves for not picking up one of those cute yellow flash drive bracelets when we saw Cam open for Dan+Shay!

Listen to AJR’s “Call My Dad”

AJR just dropped a new song today, “Call My Dad,” which is streaming on Spotify now.  Adam, Jack and Ryan announced the track along with a note to their fans.  We’re thrilled to hear they are working on new music, and love their latest single “Let The Games Begin.”  One of AJR’s biggest influences is The Beach Boys and you’ll definitely hear a nod to “Sloop John B” in the new song.  Listen to “Call My Dad” on Spotify now.

Be sure to follow AJR & Secret Fangirls for more updates!