The school session is concluding and the weather is quickly heating up. That means one thing, Summer is almost here! This month there are plenty of new tunes to get you ready for the season. The month of May brings some highly anticipated releases from some of genre’s best underground acts.
Load up that iPod with these 10 new releases to ensure a great soundtrack on that trip to the beach or one of the many upcoming music festivals. If there are any albums we missed, drop them in the comments below or on our Facebook or Twitter.
Check out the Album Releases from prior months:
May 2013 Album Releases
Lance Sitton – A Part Of This EP
Release Date: May 5th
Churning out music since 2007 with his first EP, Life. Love. Travel. Missouri’s roots reggae artist Lance Sitton has a new EP ready for the Summer. Following the success of 2012’s, Spread the Word, Sitton has just released A Part of This. The EP includes six tracks featuring Josh Heinrichs and SkillinJah. Explaining his thoughts regarding the making of the album, Lance shared “We wanted to record an album like the cats recorded in the older days. Full band, analog, all in one room…all of this to truly catch the vibes. I love the studio 1 feel it has to it.”
Read more about A Part Of This, HERE!
You can purchase the new EP on iTunes by clicking HERE!
Fayuca – Barrio Sideshow
Release Date: May 7th
Known as the Cross-Cultural Ska Punk outfit from the Arizona Barrio, Fayuca, has released their new 10-track album, featuring both English and Spanish lyrics. Titled, Barrio Sideshow and recorded at the Fervor Records’ Bomb Shelter, the new album draws heavy influences from their Latin roots and culture. On the other side of the coin, Fayuca utilized producer Ralph Patlan (Megadeth) for their Fervor Records’ debut album. Included within Barrio Sideshow is the remake of Fayuca’s fan favorite, “Shoot It Up” featuring Jason DeVore of Authority Zero. After 10 years as a group, the anticipation couldn’t be higher for the Latin influenced Reggae Rock trio.
Check out The Pier’s Official Album Review & Star Rating of Barrio Sideshow, HERE!
You can purchase the new album on Amazon by clicking HERE!
Thrive – Relentless
Release Date: May 7th
The Northern California band known as Thrive has released their latest album, “Relentless.” Composed of 12 tracks, the albums includes a single titled, “Just Fine,” featuring Eric Rachmany, lead vocalist of Rebelution. Recorded at Gadgetbox Studios in Santa Cruz and then mixed by Lewis Richards at Costa Mesa’s 17th Street Recording Studios, Thrive spent over a year putting together the right pieces. Thrive’s lead vocalist and guitar player, Aaron Borowitz elaborates, “This album is much more thought out. I don’t think there was ever a moment where we rushed through anything. Every note and lyric had an intention and I feel like that produced a more mature and diverse sound than previous albums.”
Read more about Relentless HERE!
Check out The Pier’s Official Album Review & Star Rating of Relentless HERE!
You can purchase the new album on iTunes by clicking HERE!
77 Jefferson – Rarities Vol. 2
Release Date: May 12th
On May 12th Kansas City, MO’s very own, 77 Jefferson, dropped their new album Rarities Vol. 2 via the group’s new label, Stay Wise Media. Containing 12 tracks, the album is filled with an assortment of acoustic tracks, remixes, dubs & killer collaborations. With Rarities Vol 2 the group is looking to bring back the heavy beats and riddims that stormed out of 2009’s “Rarities Vol.1″. Some of the featuring artists on Rarities Vol 2 will include Spawnbreezie, SkillinJah, Josh Heinrichs & Hawaii’s WashHouse recording artists, Jah Maoli.
Read more about Rarities Vol. 2 HERE!
You can purchase the new album by clicking HERE!
Mike Pinto – Truthful Lies
Release Date: May 14th
Singer-songwriter Mike Pinto will be releasing a new full-length record on May 14th. Pinto’s 5th studio release, titled Truthful Lies, features sit-ins by Junior Marvin (Bob Marley), Jesse Wagner and Roger Rivas (of The Aggrolites), Micah Brown, George Laks (Lenny Kravitz), Chuck Treece (Bad Brains, G Love, McRad) scattered among its 13 tracks.
Included in the various sounds created by Pinto and all his guests, is the production of various tracks enriched on two opposite sides of the country. Many of the 13 tracks were recorded by Dan Malsch, at Soundmine Studios in East Stroudsburg, PA., while other tracks were recorded by Lew Richards at 17th Street Studios in Costa Mesa, CA. Said to be a mix of elements from Pinto’s old style, to a transition of other genres, the album is going to include reggae, folk, rock n’ roll, early funk, and more!
Read more about Truthful Lies HERE!
Midnite – Be Strong
Release Date: May 15th
Through a collaboration with Fifth Son Records out of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, comes modern roots music with Midnite’s new album Be Strong dropping May 14th. Since the release of 2012’s In Awe which was chosen by iTunes as one of the best reggae albums for 2012, Ron and Vaughn Benjamin have been working hard in the Afrikan Roots Lab. Full of extensive remixes, overdubbing and other elements, the group combined the feel of old-school roots music with modern day sounds to create a unique record. Be Strong has a heavy African influence, featuring members from Playing For Change as well as various African musicians that were brought into the studio.
TUGG – Mazes
Release Date: May 17th
Wisconsin’s own, TUGG, is set to release their 5th album in four years, titled Mazes. Dropping May 17th, the album was produced by singer/guitarist, Ted Bowne of Passafire. TUGG brought Bowne to their Natural Recording Co. studio in La Crosse, WI over a period of two-weeks this past November and December. The album has been nearly a year in the making & Bowne served as the main Engineer, Producer, and mixed the record as well.
Fans not familiar with TUGG can expect an album with the groups signature mix of reggae, rock, and ska. The release is expected to be much more electric than previous releases. TUGG’s singer, Andy Hughes told The Pier, “We contacted Ted last summer and then made the plan to record in November. Since then we’ve been writing and pre-producing songs. We sent over a few batches of demos and Ted gave us a list of his favorites, which we then started to fine tune…Ted was an amazing spark to work with in the studio, he made sure he got every sound he wanted out of us…”
Read more about Mazes HERE!
Check out The Pier’s Official Album Review & Star Rating of Mazes HERE!
Cas Haley – La Si Dah
Release Date: May 28th
Paris, Texas singer-songwriter Cas Haley has announced the release of his new studio album titled La Si Dah,. The highly anticipated record is Cas Haley’s third studio release, containing 13 tracks & will be available May 28th through Easy Star Records.
La Si Dah, was produced by Haley himself, with consultation on the recording by his good friend, the Grammy-Award Winning Producer/Engineer Rob Fraboni, best known for his work with Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Keith Richards and The Rolling Stones.
Easy Star CEO Eric Smith comments on the exciting addition to their catalog, “All of us at Easy Star were captivated by the songs Cas created for ‘Connection’ and were so thankful to be a part of that album. But it has been especially gratifying to be able to continue that partnership with ‘La Si Dah’ and witness first hand the beautiful evolution of Cas’ tremendous talent.”
Read more about La Si Dah HERE!
Sizzla – The Messiah
Release Date: May 28th
On May 28th through his own Kalonji Music and VP Records, Sizzla, one of Reggae’s most prolific artists, returns with his 70th album The Messiah. His latest effort showcases his musical depth, passion and precision in partnership with Bread Back Productions. Mostly written and executive produced by Sizzla himself, Kalonji’s full scope of talents are displayed on The Messiah. With a fresh perspective in 2013, the man on a musical mission inspires positive change worldwide on this 15-track collection.
Article By: Aaron Solomon