Freak Scene #123: Singles from Perennial, Raeann Fetcho, Echo Royale
Some of our favorite local acts are back with new music
This week in Freak Scene, we catch up on a batch of excellent new singles from Perennial, Raeann Fetcho and Echo Royale. Perfect for listening to while you gear up for the Green River Festival this weekend.
They’ve been hinting at it for a minute, and now it’s official: Perennial are back with a new song, from an album due at the tail end of summer. “What’s New on the Beat Scene” finds a balance between the trio’s explosive energy and their throwback pop instincts. The track is a churning blend of sharp fuzztone guitars, a blaring organ vamp and a slamming beat that makes it impossible to sit still.
“We wanted a tight, swinging pop song, but we also wanted to see how psychedelic we could make it — fuzz bass, mellotron, Vox organ through a wah pedal: you name it,” the group — guitarist/singer Chad Jewett, keyboardist/singer Chelsey Hahn and drummer Ceej Wolf — said in a press release.
“What’s New on the Beat Scene” comes from Modernism, which echoes the art-history vibe of the band’s 2024 album, um, Art History. Two previous singles are also part of the track list: “Perennial ’65” and “Baby, Are You Abstract?”
Modernism is out Sept. 18, just in time to qualify as a late entry for album of the summer. Perennial play next Wednesday, June 24, with Downtown Boys at Holyoke Media (tickets).
Raeann Fetcho Is Catchy and Fatalistic on ‘Tired Eyes’
Raeann Fetcho released one of my favorite albums of 2025 with Saint Kitschy; now she’s back with a new single, and (according to the location listed on Bandcamp) has traded Enfield for Northampton.
“Tired Eyes” has the same charmingly off-kilter indie-pop sensibility as Saint Kitschy. The new song pairs vivid, if fatalistic, lyrics with a catchy, plaintive melody, ramshackle guitar chords and an elemental drum beat, all of which Fetcho played herself. She also shot a single-camera video where she plays guitar and looks disaffected in what looks like an attic bedroom.
It's unclear whether Fetcho ever plays live, but she’d be great on a bill with Nanny, Cloudbelly, Kalliope Jones or plenty of other bands from around here, and it would be fun to hear her songs in concert.
Echo Royale Speak for Themselves on ‘Don’t Talk, I’m Listening’
Dakkan Abbe knows he should have some compelling backstory for “Don’t Talk, I’m Listening,” the latest single from his group Echo Royale. Really, though, he prefers to let the songs speak for themselves, which is essentially how he arrives at a finished product anyway.
“Don’t Talk, I’m Listening” takes a minimalist electro-pop approach, with blorps of bassy synthesizers and electric piano wafting over a simple beat while Stephanie Drost sings in crystalline tones. It’s the duo’s first release since last year’s LP Thanks, Man, and part of a string of singles Echo Royale have queued up.
“It’s always a long creative journey with each song, from the initial spark (a sound, a progression) to where Stephanie creates her part and then I just work at it,” Abbe says by email. “It’s about as non-linear as process as you could imagine. I don’t write songs, I find them.”
Upcoming Concerts
These are new shows announced this week. The full concert calendar is available here for paid subscribers.
Flywheel presents Nanny and Trash Panda Kill Kill July 2 on the lawn at Forbes Library in Northampton, and William Hooker with Mal Devisa Sept. 10. Both 5:30 p.m. shows are free.
The Iron Horse in Northampton hosts Chicago funk-fusion group the LowDown Brass Band Aug. 18 (tickets), Jake Shimabukuro Aug. 24 (tickets), indie-rockers Whitney Sept. 21 (tickets), blues veteran Sue Foley Oct. 2 (tickets), Katie Pruitt Oct. 3 (tickets), blues-soul band Bywater Call Oct. 15 (tickets) and a winter solstice show with Americana trio Low Lily Dec. 21 (tickets).
The Parlor Room features Eliza Gilkyson and Jim Henry Aug. 21 (tickets), Alela Diane Sept. 10 (tickets), Lucy Kaplansky Sept. 18 (tickets), Aztec Two-Step Sept. 27 (tickets), Robert Ellis Oct. 3 (tickets), Garrison Starr Oct. 4 (tickets), Cory Branan Oct. 10 (tickets) and Boston honky-tonk band the Talking Hearts Oct. 16 (tickets).
Duane Betts, son of the late Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts, and his band Palmetto Motel play July 31 at Hope Center for the Arts in Springfield (tickets).
The Drake in Amherst hosts Cloud Nothings Aug. 28 with Knifeplay (tickets).
Honeysuckle and Moon Hollow perform July 11 at the Marigold Theater in Easthampton (tickets).
College Street Music Hall in New Haven hosts Greensky Bluegrass Nov. 21 (tickets).
The Melvins play July 29 at the Space Ballroom in Hamden (tickets). Also coming: Perennial Sept. 16 (tickets), Katie Pruitt Sept. 30 (tickets), genre-spanning singer ivri Oct. 24 (tickets), Heal the Hurt Nov. 9 (tickets) and We Are Scientists Dec. 3 (tickets).
That’s a wrap on this week. Thank you for reading! Previous issues are available in the online archive. Freak Scene is free, but donations help make this happen and are gratefully accepted. If you’re able, please consider a paid subscription!
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