Bria Salmena

Support: Greg Freeman

Previously known as the frontwoman of the post-punk band FRIGS and as a singer and musician in Orville Peck's live band, Bria Salmena presents a powerful mix of vulnerability and strength on her solo debut album. With her versatile voice - sometimes delicate, sometimes raw - and exciting sonic realization, the great songs on Big Dog move musically between hypnotic krautrock, shimmering shoegaze, opulent goth and pulsating darkwave, complemented by electronic textures.

Created in close collaboration with her longtime creative partner Duncan Hay Jennings, the album reflects Salmena's personal and artistic maturity. Producers such as Graham Walsh (Holy F**k, METZ) and Meg Remy (U.S. Girls) helped to further refine the sound and vocals. Between alternative rock references like Live Through This and contributions from Lee Ranaldo ("See'er"), a sound unfolds that combines raw punk honesty with cool elegance. At its core, Big Dog is an album about self-discovery and the realization that you can never truly be alone.

Support:
"Greg Freeman is about biblical floods, apocalyptic fever dreams, Floridian evildoers and the unease of green mountains. On his excellent debut album I Looked Out, Greg's voice takes center stage, creaking, croaking and cutting through clouds of static. The songs are bound together by a palpable urgency, whether it's the in-your-face, frantic sweep of 'Tower', the country-tinged guitar sounds of 'Souvenir Heart' or the sing-along finale of 'Palms'. Careful arrangements and production choices bring out the best in the 7-piece band, who embellish the album with pedal steel, horns, eerie strings and tape warbles. Greg's strong, narrative songwriting is just as effective when describing the sinking of a 1920s ocean liner as it is when documenting his own interpersonal insecurities. The sounds on the record conjure up the feeling of driving through Chittenden County in the middle of winter, high beams on, slush on the floor mats. I can hardly imagine a more promising debut album, and I'm excited to see where this band goes from here."
-Garrett Linck