Hi! Hello! Here we are with some bite sized goodies and a taste of a 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— give ’em a listen!
boygenius– Not Strong Enough. The latest single from The Record, the highly anticipated debut album from the indie rock dream super group, this one features each member taking lead vocals on a verse and some Sheryl Crow references in the lyrics. It also has a lot of rich nuance in the lush layers and production throughout. It comes paired with an adorable music video that was shot by the band members themselves and sees them horsing around and having fun at an amusement park, a museum, batting cages and more. Julien Baker also sports a Lockwood 51 shirt through much of the video and being a big fan of their radical queer work, I was stoked to see that. The Record will arrive in full on 3/31 and the band will tour behind it as part of the Re:SET concert series throughout June. [KH]
Crocodiles– Love Beyond the Grave. A fun reverb drenched garage pop ode to finding love among the undead. The latest single from the upcoming album, Upside Down In Heaven, due out 4/7 on Lolipop Records. [KH]
Extra Special– Sober Karaoke. Gotta love a good bop about self-reflection, and this is a damn good one. Soaked in hook fueled synthesizer and poured over some cool electronic beat pads, Amelia Bushell has written a catchy tune perfect as we crawl our way out of these dark colder months. Also equally soaked in the booze of years past, NYC nightlife pitfalls and late night misadventures, Bushell finds maybe there’s a different life to be lived outside the substances…at least for the moment. Sometimes desperately running away from expectations leaves you chasing something far more nefarious within yourself. And sometimes you just remember how much simpler it was to be a kid.
Bushell has definitely more than proven she knows how to craft a pop song and twist a slant rhyme like no one else. But this is just her beginning to understand that there is another way to exist when you become open to the limitlessness of self-love. Gotta say, it’s a little hard to argue against clear-headed thinking and balanced living. One thing is for sure, as a recovering alcoholic myself, I fucking hate sober karaoke!! [MB]
LaPeche– Mermaid Blues V1. The Brooklyn indie rockers have released an expanded version of their single “Mermaid Blues,” and the song still explores the same themes and “expands and contracts around the experience of heavy seasonal depression,” with more lushness in the backing vocals and bridge and with a different chorus. The band says they “enjoy sharing different iterations of songs when they feel it is warranted,” and I for one like to see the different ways a song can live and breathe. The band’s founding drummer, Jeff Gensterblum, has since departed the band but performs on both versions. Read my thoughts on the original here. [KH]
Los Bitchos– Tequila (The Champs cover)/Trapdoor (King Gizzard cover). The tequila loving London based foursome has finally made it super official and laid down their punky, amped up version of the 1950s party classic “Tequila” by fellow instrumental band, The Champs, which has become a staple of their live set. The band shares “‘Tequila’ has been the joyfully unhinged ending to our set for the past year. It always feels like it could fall apart at any moment and we wanted to capture that energy on the recording.” There is also a fun video of the band indulging in their favorite beverage around London (which also comes with a warning to have fun but be safe) and features footage they shot themselves which was edited by their touring rhythm guitarist Charles Prest.
Interestingly, their version includes vocals with lyrics, provided by keyboardist Agustina Ruiz, a change from the traditional song and a first for them as a group too (other than the cheers/laughs/chants that are sometimes heard on their tracks, they have been purely instrumental). Released as a 7inch double single called Pah! (which sold out on Bandcamp on the day of release), the flipside is their cover of King Gizzard’s “Trapdoor,” another usual suspect in their live set and perfectly timed as they are kicking off a tour support King Gizz in Europe before they head to the US for a string of dates including a stop at Brooklyn Made on 5/2. Check out pics from their NYC show last June here, and pics from Ritual Union in Bristol, England, here. [KH]
Mandy, Indiana– Pinking Shears. The second single from the upcoming debut album, i’ve seen a way, is led by the beat, both electronic and acoustic drums, while Valentine Caulfield chants in French above the occasional punctuations of fuzz and shrieking guitar. The record is out 5/19 on Fire Talk Records. The band will soon make their US debut at SXSW. [CW]
Noble Rot– Casting No Light. Alex Edkins of METZ has been busy lately with a lot of things outside of his main project, his other band Weird Nightmare put out their debut album last year and now he is making music with Graham Walsh of Holy Fuck in their project Noble Rot. This will sound a lot closer to Holy Fuck and METZ, a cool electro groover that will keep your head bobbing. The duo announced their debut album, Heavenly Bodies, Repetition, Control which will be out on March 24 via Joyful Noise Recordings. [KH]
Omat– Rail Reload/The Fool. After recently releasing their debut single, “Daisy” (read our thoughts), the brand new band is back with a pair of singles—”Rail Reload” released last week and “The Fool” released this week. Much like I said about the previous song, “Rail Reload” too meets right at the intersection of post-punk, indie and gritty shoegaze, perfectly melding the styles. “The Fool” isn’t far off either, though this one brings out a sugar coated grunge feel. This band started out with a bang, quickly opening for alt grunge luminaries L7 last fall (see coverage) and I can see more big things in their future. Make it out to a show to catch them live as soon as you can. [KH]
Scowl– Shot Down. The second single from Scowl’s upcoming EP, Psychic Dance Routine, their firmly back in hardcore waters after exploring a more alt rock direction on the previous single “Opening Night,” but actually…not so fast. While the verses are solidly hardcore, the choruses dip back into the seas of alternative and I love the push and pull and how seamlessly they blend them together. The EP will release in full on 4/7 via Flatspot Records and the band is currently on tour with Show Me The Body, Jesus Piece, Zulu, and TRiPP Jones; the tour hits Brooklyn Steel on 3/24. [KH]
Shybaby– For Rent. Settling down? In this economy? This fast-paced punk tune is scuzzy and catchy and accompanied by a Craigslist-themed video, seemingly drawing a comparison between fleeting hookups and short term rentals. Too bad they took out the personals, right? [CW]
Slow Pulp– Cramps. After releasing their debut album in 2020, Slow Pulp have signed to Anti, and their latest single is definitely a bop, a noisy buzzy pop tune with clattering percussion and vocals mixed into the fuzz, quiet at times and clippingly loud at others. They’ll be touring with The Pixies and Death Cab For Cutie over the next few months. [CW]
Tami Hart– Sorry For Your Heart. I’m a long time fan of Hart’s work and am delighted she’s back to releasing solo music for the first time in many years. Read my full review here. [KH]
TEKE::TEKE– Garakuta. The lead single from the upcoming Hagata is a thrashing sort of psychedelic march, led by Maya Kuroki’s intense vocals and a driving flute lead. It’s a fantastical, striking song, only made better by the trippy music video. The album is out June 9th on Kill Rock Stars, and you can catch them soon at Irving Plaza on March 12th opening for Unwound. [CW]
Tetchy– Smaller/Better. The newest single by Tetchy dropped earlier this week and once again proves the band makes no bones about taking risks and leaving themselves completely exposed. Packed with emotional betrayal and a raw vulnerability, the tracks creeps and crawls thru ethereal vocal layers and dissonance like the broken rusty springs of a haunted music box. There’s a quiet anger and overwhelming sadness that permeates the crevasses and fills the cracks like old glue that hardens and holds like an old dried heart stuck pinned to your rib cage. [MB]