Hi! Hello! Here we are with some bite sized goodies and a taste of some new things that we dug that came out in the last week(ish), quick fire responses to some great new music we think you should check out. This week Chantal, Kate and Mike weighed in on some killer songs, so give em a listen!
As always, if you’re in a band or from a label, don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know about you! If we dig ya, you’ll get a nod in the column. Read on to find out what we dug the last week or so:
Bonny Light Horseman– Someone to Weep For Me. A bit of a supergroup, Bonny Light Horseman is the trio of Eric D. Johnson (Fruit Bats) Josh Kaufman (Muzz) and Anaïs Mitchell (Hadestown), all of whom have long resumes as artists and collaborators. The three come together seamlessly on this folk Americana track, the fifth and final single from their sophomore record Rolling Golden Holy which will be out next week. I’m a big fan of the vocal melody on this one. Catch them December 14th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. [CW]
Color Tongue– Good Science/Little Gray Cloud/Berries. The Brooklyn indie psych dream poppers just released an ambitious series of three new singles which we adored. Listen below and read more in depth thoughts here. [MB]
Ghost Funk Orchestra- Why? Why? Cuz Brooklyn’s favorite big band ensemble hits us this week with the track “Why?” a follow up to their recently released “Scatter.” Full on funk bass-lines and robust but soulful vocals again carry this track through from start to finish. Dotted with walls of horns, this track has a slightly crisper feel than its predecessor “Scatter.” Masterminded by Seth Applebaum, “Why?” has given the perfect space in the song’s mix to pan and sprinkle bits of percussion and keys in all those little cracks and crevices. Crank the track through your best set of headphones for some top shelf ASMR dreams. Looking forward to the upcoming full length release, A New Kind of Love, as Applebaum and crew really know how to pump out those big scale sounds. [MB]
Gloin– Work Patrol. This band was one of my favorite discoveries of 2022 and I first encountered them when they opened for Snapped Ankles earlier this year (see our coverage). Now the Toronto based noise rock post punk outfit is gearing up to release their debut full length, We Found This, and just dropped the second single “Work Patrol”. Featuring lead vocals from bassist Vic Byers (who splits lead duties from song to song with guitarist John Watson) it’s a noisey rager which sees her taking on the role of an asshole boss giving each and every one of their employees a hard time just for the sake of it (you know the type!). The song comes with a “very bitchin video” directed by Phil Osborne and pairs nicely with the previously released single “Shoot To Kill.” They self describe as “drawing inspiration from Sonic Youth’s nonchalant verve and Lightning Bolt’s aggressive sonic constructs” and I’m not sure about anyone else, but that ticks a hell of a lot of boxes for me. We Found This releases in full on 10/21 via Mothland. [KH]
Lucy Dacus– Home Again/It’s Too Late (Carole King covers). Lucy Dacus just kicked off a US tour (that will unfortunately not make a stop in NYC) and in conjunction, her two Carole King Tapestry covers have hit streaming services. Released earlier this year as part of a limited 7inch that came with Third Man Records’ Carole King Home Again vault package, the songs are now widely available. Elaborating on her feelings about King in a Guardian feature on the legendary artist, Dacus said “When I listened to Tapestry from my mom’s CD collection, I was young enough that it didn’t register as good or bad – it just defined what music sounded like to me, and it’s still a foundation of how I understand songwriting. She’s clever in the good way – queen of internal rhyme – and I love how her melodies reinforce the tone of the lyrics. She keeps it simple, but that’s what makes it universal,” adding that when she was asked to perform the covers “it was a no brainer. Her work feels like part of my DNA and I’m grateful for it.” [KH]
Nation of Language– From The Hill. Brand new music from the New York post punk wunderkinds, this one is a dreamy addition to their already impressive new wave-esque synth pop rock catalog. Of the song singer Ian Devaney said “‘From The Hill’ is a song reflecting on times when friendships fall apart over romantic entanglement, accompanied by the sensation that you’re somehow watching it happen from above with a more zoomed-out perspective. It can feel at times like certain parts of life are a story with which you’re just following along – the characters enter, they play their role, and then they leave. Often it’ll feel sudden and catch you off guard, and other times you’re able to see that it’s the only way things could have played out despite what you may have wanted.”
This song appears to be a stand alone and has not come with the announcement of a new album to follow up 2021’s A Way Forward. Devaney added “For us, we’re in a moment right now where it feels good to get this out into the world. It’s one that didn’t really feel like it fit the vibe of A Way Forward, nor is it any real indication of where the next record is likely heading. When that situation arrives we like to use these 7″ releases to step outside the larger framework that the albums provide and just release a track that we love, so this is us doing that once again.” [KH]
Meat Wave– 10k. The final single from the upcoming album, Malign Hex (10/14 Swami), this is packed with the classic Meat Wave anxious vocal snarl, driving drums, and intense guitars I love about this band complete with a cool subdued break in the middle of the song that is over and right back to the drive before you know it. I can’t wait for the full album. [KH]
NOFX– Darby Crashing Your Party. Is NOFX breaking up? Are they not breaking up? Fat Mike recently alluded to that fact on Instagram saying 2023 would be the band’s final year, but now they have announced a new album, Double Album, the follow up to 2021’s Single Album. So at this point it’s anyone’s guess what will happen but the record is due out December 2nd (via Fat Wreck Chords) and they have some fest dates for the rest of the year. As for this song, it hardly breaks any new ground for the band either musically or lyrically, and is very firmly that classic NOFX pop punk sound, but I did enjoy the lithe, high on the neck bass line from Fat Mike, showcasing his skill on the instrument. [KH]
Pearla– About Hunger, About Love. The third single from Pearla’s upcoming debut album Oh Glistening Onion, The Nighttime Is Coming is a lushly produced slice of folk rock, with the singer’s lovely voice buoyed by the music, including layers of guitar both acoustic and electric. The song is a tale of longing, with modern loneliness juxtaposed against nature (“And nobody told the woodpecker to knock all day for bugs / So what should I know? What do I do for love?”) Pearla will be at Union Pool on October 21st. [CW]
Restraining Order– Fight Back. Channelling their classic 1980s hardcore forefathers, the Massachusetts based band have released a track that feels nostalgic and familiar but brand new all at the same time. This is primed and ready to become a super fun sing along staple at their shows. [KH]
Smut– Let Me Hate. Like the first single, this new offering is another emotional gut punch, with singer Tay Roebuck reflecting on recurring dreams she had after the death of her younger sister. In a press release she shared “For years after my sister’s death I could not dream about her. I’d hear my family members talk about her visiting them in dreams and telling them she’s okay or misses them, there was a lot of mysticism going on in the first few years. When I did start having dreams she was always out of reach, walking into another room as I entered or people would be assuring me she was present somewhere if I could find her. ‘Let Me Hate’ is about the first time I had a dream where my little sister spoke to me after she died. I knew if I let her go she’d slip away and when I woke up I was angry at myself. So it’s a very literal song.” The song came paired with a lyric video created by band member Aidan O’Connor and utilizes photos from the band’s recent summer tour with Wavves.
How the Light Felt will be released on 11/11 via Bayonet Records; the band will play Brooklyn a day later at Alphaville. [KH]
Snapped Ankles– The Fish Needs A Bike (Blurt cover). The wonderfully weird band is back in the US for a short run of dates around the Desert Daze fest (and sadly will not make it to NYC this time around) and while here have also released a brand new single, a cover of the pulsing 1979 cult classic by English post punk/no wave act Blurt. On their Bandcamp, Snapped Ankles shared “Blurt are a big deal back in the forest. We focused our logs on a band that we’ve always admired for their dedication to the simplicity of groove, and their outsider stance. They’ve been Blurting out primal rhythms and absurd poetry for over forty years. They’re an example to us all!” While they don’t change the arrangement all that much structurally, the modern recording techniques make it sound bigger and they replace the sax with synth (and go heavier on the synths throughout) for a song that could easily fit within their own catalog. Listen to both versions below. [KH]
Titus Andronicus– Baby Crazy. The esteemed rock institution released their seventh album The Will To Live today and just day ahead of it, they dropped “Baby Crazy” as the final preview single accompanied with an official lyric video featuring singer Patrick Stickles in the recording booth with the lyrics scrolling over top like movie credits. In a press release Stickles elaborated “As inscrutable as some of my artistic choices may sometimes appear, I do wish to be understood, as communication is the purpose of all art. This led me to approach this song as something of a user’s guide for the album, wherein I explicate as clearly as I can the meaning behind the recurring symbology I utilize throughout—the mother, the father, the baby, etc. It is my hope that this will lead the listener to a richer listening experience…or they can just tap their foot to it, whatever works” [KH]