Survival Guide coming to Phoenix's Egyptian Motor Hotel Oct. 28

Get the latest update on Survival Guide's (a.k.a. Emily "Agent M" Whitehurst - former vocalist for punk standouts Tsunami Bomb) upcoming album release show at Phoenix's Egyptian Motor Hotel on Oct. 28.

Em's fourth full-length album deathdreams will be released on Oct. 19 and it was produced by Bob Hoag (Dear and the Headlights, The Ataris, The Format) at Flying Blanket Recording in Mesa, AZ. Watch the official music video for the bewitching single "Pie" too...Robert Kinsler

Stars As A Stepford Wife Gone Rogue in “Pie” Video From Upcoming Album deathdreams out Oct 19  via Double Helix Records SURVIVAL GUIDE's "Pie"  DSP's: https://ffm.to/sgpieeeee.OPR Video: https://youtu.be/dE6zj91C6rA?si=FzHNLRVo8YV98XE9 SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 (San Antonio, TX) — “Our hostess starts out perfect, but gradually begins to unravel as the song progresses,” says SURVIVAL GUIDE, a.k.a. Emily "Agent M" Whitehurst (former vocalist for punk standouts Tsunami Bomb) about the deranged Stepford Wives treatment for her video for “Pie,” the third single off her fourth full-length electropop Survival Guide album deathdreams, out October 19 via Double Helix Records. The vivid metaphor in the lyrics as a protector (“Let me bubblewrap you / Hide you from his eyes") begins to reveal itself as she dreads younger women having to endure some of the darker things she's been through. The song's origin as a “basic demo” with just a “weird clicky drumbeat, a few bass synths and the vocals” was fleshed out at Mesa, AZ's Flying Blanket Recording Studio with producer Bob Hoag (Dear and the Headlights, The Ataris, The Format) who added in some various layers in production to make the song shine. “Bob really filled it in with harps, violins, mellotron flutes and so much more, and turned it into this unique song,” she says. “Also, I really love desserts and baking, so I’m excited that I figured out how to make pie such a focus in one of my songs.” “Some of the instrumentation on "Pie" gave it a hint of a 1950s sound, which inspired video director Bryan Heiden and the team at The Motivated Mind Group to create the look and feel of the music video,” she adds on the video's treatment. “Even though the song isn't literally about pie" she laughs, "we all wanted to use the imagery of it, so we filmed a cooking show set in the ‘50s. I loved getting to attempt all the different emotions that went into this character. And since I enjoy baking so much, it was super fun to do an exaggerated version of a baking show for the video. It even comes with a few commercial breaks!” SURVIVAL GUIDE / Emily "M" Whitehurst The deviant “Pie” video follows in tune with the previous action-packed videos: “Lady Neptune” which follows a narrative driven ‘rise and fall’ type story that features a plot of a character who wants something more out of life, but ends up choosing organized crime,” and the macabre and blood-splattered short film-esque music video for "Blood Perfume,” which stars Em as a deranged serial killer who outsmarts her victims.  She says the main themes on her upcoming album came from several dreams she had that involved her death, which she adds compelled her to name it “deathdreams.” The opposing imagery and feelings that the title conjures - the duality/juxtaposition of dreams and death: soft and sweet, or strange, dark and ominous - only makes it more fitting. The death themes in Em's music could also partly be attributed to two other sources: that her family owned the funeral home in the town she was raised in, and that cancer claimed the life of her older brother. deathdreams Tracklisting   1. “Bad Little Seed” 2. “Sour Sorrow” 3. “Pie” 4. “Blood Perfume” 5. “Sharpshooter” 6. “Lady Neptune” 7. “wordswordswords” 8. “Fight Me” 9. “Don’t Feel Bad” 10. “Stay Dead” 11. “I’ll Picture You" A former Northern California native now residing in San Antonio, Texas, Em is an electronic indie-pop artist with a background in punk. Her music obsession began with Green Day, leading her to a dreams-come-true life of punk rock as she traversed continents fronting the band Tsunami Bomb as “Agent M.” Over the years, her music gradually shifted toward synthpop in The Action Design, then further into the electronic indiepop realm as Survival Guide. Her danceable tunes evoke a sonic birthday cake: alternating layers of Depeche Mode, Metric, Peter Gabriel, and Grimes, with vibrant melodies and vocals as the icing on top. “Music is crucial to my survival,” she says wholeheartedly, adding, “Survival Guide is one woman trying to shape her own place in this world as a musician."   Emily "Em" Whitehurst is the solo force behind Survival Guide. Her fourth-full length album deathdreams will be released on October 19, 2023 via Double Helix Records. “Pie” is now available on all platforms. "Pie" lyrics:   You are me and I was you You think I’m glaring but it’s not true Even if you just appeared, you’ve always been a piece of me Same cloth, same blood, same tree Same feet stomping rhythm with our stories   Let me bubblewrap you Hide you from his eyes I just wanna get you through these dangerous times Pull you through the fire to the other side   You look like a fresh-baked pie Their tongues are hanging out Never forget that your machine gun is your mouth Little sister, don’t you doubt, oh   I know you hate it when I tell you what to do But it’s only because I worry they’ll steal the light from you   Just let me bubblewrap you Hide you from his eyes It gets me twisted up inside To see you as a prize   You look like a fresh-baked pie Their tongues are hanging out Never forget that your machine gun is your mouth Little sister, don’t you doubt, oh   Oh, fresh-baked pie Oh, fresh-baked pie Oh, fresh-baked pie Oh, fresh-baked pie   You look like a fresh-baked pie Their tongues are hanging out Never forget that your machine gun is your mouth Little sister, don’t you doubt, oh   Fresh-baked pie Fresh-baked pie Fresh-baked, fresh-baked Fresh- baked pie