Northwest Alt-Rock band challenges social norms with new album just in time for Valentine’s Day 

SEATTLE, WA – It would be easy to see a band called Always Naked launching a new album called “Sex Sells” on Valentine’s Day and think that the songs would be sensual and sultry, but nothing could be farther from the truth. This Seattle-based Alt-Rock group is presenting a project that is challenging the over-sexualization of today’s American culture. With catchy Rock riffs and engaging guitar licks, they’re offering a different perspective on the idea that passion and physical attraction are the be-all, end-all of good relationships.  

“It’s a project that was born from the upspring of ‘Only Fans’ and the idea that you have to be sexualized to get anywhere in life,” said front-woman Skylar Steffy. “There’s this idea in our culture that you have to utilize your body and have the nice hair and the makeup to get ahead in life. With this album, and especially with the title track, I’m expressing the frustration I feel about being a girl who’s a rocker and who wants to dress like the boys. But so often, people are trying to do things to make me more feminine than I want to be. Women all over the world feel that sense of being sexualized.” 

Though Steffy is the lone woman in the band, she’s the main songwriter and as such most of the songs explore what it’s like to live in today’s world as a woman. The band formed in Seattle as Steffy began looking for musicians who could partner with her to realize a new sound she’s been exploring. She connected with Rahul, the band’s drummer. Then the two of them used their mutual knowledge of the music scene along the West Coast to connect with Pword on bass guitar and Knuckles on rhythm guitar. Steffy said once they started playing, it came together almost effortlessly, and in no time they were writing raw, rhythmic, epic-style, girl-power Alt Rock. And with their unique style and sound, it almost seemed like a no-brainer to call themselves Always Naked. 

“It’s a name that, for me, reflects how raw and open I am,” Steffy said. “I’m a private person in my day-to-day but when I’m on stage, I expose my entire life and soul. And at the end of the day, I hope people listen to our music and are inspired. I want people to know that our music is meaningful and deep, but it’s also still playful. We have fun jamming. If you come to one of our shows, I’m gonna be running around and jumping with the crowd and talking to people and interacting. That’s my favorite part of doing shows. People can dance and get involved with the music, and we have so much fun doing it. And then when they leave and go home, I hope they reflect on the music and realize that we were talking about some real shit.” 

“Sex Sells” is slated to drop across all streaming platforms on Feb. 14.  

To listen to Always Naked’s music or to follow them on social media, please visit: 

https://www.facebook.com/alwaysnaked 

https://www.instagram.com/alwaysnakedband/ 

https://twitter.com/Always__Naked 

https://www.youtube.com/alwaysnaked 

Open in Sex Sells (soundcloud.com)

 Australian artist $uicidal $hadow explores dark side of life with new ‘underground’ sound 

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – Fans of artists such as $uicideboy$, Pop Smoke City Morgue, and Ghostemane will be ecstatic to learn of a new artist out of Australia who is bringing a new wave of excellence to the Dark Rap genre. $uicidal $hadow is a young 21-year-old artist from Adelaide who has been producing EDM music for the past two years, and over the course of the past few months has evolved into a more dark, underground Rap sound. It’s a style that is showcased on his new single, “This Song is Over Fast,” which is currently available across all streaming platforms.  

As the title indicates, the song is short in length – only slightly more than one minute – but it packs a punch in that little amount of time. $uicidal $hadow hits listeners with some dark lyrics that touch on murder, death and drugs, all within 60 seconds. Though it’s a quick hit of his new style, it serves as an introduction to the new kind of music he’s making and paves the way for the singles he wants to release this year.  

“I’m constantly making music and will be releasing a single every week this year,” he said. “My inspiration is that underground, alternative type of stuff but with a bit of humor. I like the style and the beats. It’s real catchy for me, and I know it is for a lot of others, too. What I bring that others don’t is that my beats can change up quite easily. Also, I have dark lyric but I can make my voice more light-sounding. I can move from that lighter to darker side quite easily.” 

Though his music is dark, his personality is anything but. In fact, most people who know him would say he’s not really a serious kind of person and prefers to be more laid back and have fun with life. He likes to make jokes and often helps others see the humorous side of life. But when he gets in the studio, he’s a dark rapper.  

“I just like to explore the darker side of the world through my music,” he said. “I know it’s not the happiest stuff, but bad things happen in this world and this is the personality I’ve developed over the years due to various circumstances – like losing jobs and depression and stuff like that. I know that as life moves on, I’ll probably switch up my style a little and mix it around to see what does best for me. But this is the sound I’m going for right now and I think people who like that kind of music will really love it.” 

To listen to $uicidal $hadow’s music or to follow him on social media, please visit: 

https://www.instagram.com/666suicidalshadow/ 

https://twitter.com/UicidalHadow 

“This Song Is Over Fast” 

https://soundcloud.com/triple54787/this-song-is-over-fast-1