Each week a ton of new music comes out, and between our weekly singles column that gets posted every Friday, and the full album reviews throughout the week, plus live show reviews and news announcements, we get to a lot! Here’s a quick fire list of even more great albums and EPs that came out this week(ish) that we dug and think you should get on your radar too.
Big Laugh– Consume Me. Released last week via Revelation, this is some no fuckin nonsense hardcore that rips and rages, with plenty of BIG riffs, dirty bass lines and drum fills. The Milwaukee based band ticks a lot of heavy boxes for me and packs ten songs into 19 minutes. “Shadow Figure,” “Square One” and the title track are all strong standouts. [KH]
Free Range– Practice. The project of 18-year-old Chicago-based musician Sofia Jensen, this is their debut full length after a series of demos and singles. Laid back indie with a nice dose of alt-country to create an album which makes for perfect company on a long afternoon stroll. “Keep In Time,” “All My Thoughts” and “Traveling Show” are the standouts for me and represent the best of Jensen’s subtle touch and pop sensibilities. [KH]
Grade 2– self-titled. Out today via Hellcat, this is some classic 90s pop punk meets high energy Britpop in all the right ways. I’m also a big language nerd so was very excited to learn the meaning of the word “brassic,” which apparently is Cockney rhyming slang for being “skint,” which for us Americans who don’t spend a lot of time in the UK, is yet another slang term and it means being broke. The song “Brassic” is also pretty damn catchy as is the album, which is packed with songs that will sure to be sing along favorites at their live shows. [KH]
Keefchamber– Ingurgitate Reality. The two piece doom metallars from NJ have released a brand new four song EP, Ingurgitate Reality, and this one sees them changing up their sound. They’ve moved away from the slow drone bass dooooom dirges of their earlier releases to a faster paced guitar driven sludge punk that still leans heavily on their strong metal chops. I’m totally here for it and you should be too. [KH]
Narrow Head– Moments of Clarity. I said this in an earlier review I wrote for the single “Gearhead,” and it still rings true so here we go again: “This band does the hazy grungegaze sound so well, I almost swear I’m back in the waning days of summer 1995 when I got my first taste of You’d Prefer An Astronaut. While this band does draw heavily on influences from the 90s and I hear a lot of Hum’s (and Deftones) influence in their sound, they are firmly of the now and stand shoulder to shoulder with the earlier pioneers of heavy shoegaze.”
Of course I mean this as the utmost compliment because I have loved Hum for a really long time and to see their legacy live on in newer bands is a real treat. The full album does not disappoint and aside from “Gearhead” and the title track, “Sunday” is a real winning highlight for me. I’m definitely looking forward to catching them live in 2023. [KH]
Negative Blast– Echo Planet. My first intro to this San Diego band was the single “Trauma Bond” which I loved. The band shares that the song “is a pulverizing punk ripper about the human machine that trades life for profit through control, trauma and warfare. The words explore what fuels the parasitic nature that compels those to hold power and subjugate others into a life of violence and suffering.” The rest of the album also rages equally as hard and other standouts are “Carbon Copy” and “No Trust” which features some of the catchiest guitar work on the record. This one was a great head clearer and I definitely need to hit the pit the next time they head out to the East Coast. [KH]
Nhomme– 一種の過音 This one is a bit of a roller coaster of feels and styles and plays out as mathy jazz meets frantic screams with rapid fire rhythms that at times seem to be fighting one another before suddenly spinning back around to be perfectly in sync. Reminds me of if a more intense Volta Do Mar had a baby with Hella and made it listen to a bunch of screamo. I just wish this was longer than three songs. The band has thus far only released singles and EPs but here’s hoping a full length is in the near future. [KH]
Pile– All Fiction. The latest from Rick Macguire’s Pile is out today via Exploding In Sound and features a wide variety of feels across its ten songs. From the woozy album opener “It Comes Closer” followed by the trippy “Loops” to the heavier “Poisons” and the ominous and disjointed “Nude With A Suitcase,” there’s a little something for everyone here. The band will play a pair of shows at TV Eye on 3/1 and 3/2. [KH]
Posh Swat– Posh Swat. The ever prolific Osees band leader John Dwyer always seems to be up to something creative, and during the pandemic unleashed a number of experimental releases. He is back with another new experimental group, Posh Swat, which sees him rejoining forces with drummer Ryan Sawyer and percussionist Andres Renteria both of whom he collaborated with in Gong Splat. Today their self titled debut is out and the instrumental songs blend elements of jazz and trippy improvisations, with the drums and percussion taking a lot the central role throughout. There’s definitely a lot to take in here and it’s going to take me a few listens through with headphones to absorb a lot of it but I can already tell this is going to be a strong contender for a spot on my favorites of 2023 list. [KH]
Screaming Females– Desire Pathways. The venerable NJ band released their 8th album via Don Giovanni today and we can’t wait to dig in. We’ll have more to say soon but you definitely need to get this in your ears ASAP. [KH]
Shonen Knife– Our Best Place. The Japanese punk n roll icons have been a band for more than 40 years and continue to pound out cool jams you’ll want to pogo all night to. Our Best Place is full of super fun in the sun bops and has me longing to shake off the doldrums of winter to hit some summer outdoor haunts with this as my soundtrack. [KH]
Still Depths– Best plan for your life. The name of this band is a lie because they do anything but “stay still,” rather vacillating wildly through styles—noise, post punk, glitchy electro— and this Canadian trio has made some deeply arty and experimental shit. They’ve also made some shit that’s really interesting and really good. My favorites are the pairing of “Outsmart Aging” and the title track which together close out the album. This one will leave you gasping for breath and definitely wanting more. [KH]
Stormo– Endocannibalismo. Equal parts noise, metal and with a healthy dash of screamo and punk, this Italian band pours all of these elements into a math rock blender and hits the highest setting; the result is Endocannibalismo, their first new album since 2019’s Finis terrae. Aside from a cover they did for the brilliant Fugazi tribute comp, Silence Is A Dangerous Sound (they covered “Break”), this was my first full intro to the band and I most definitely will be hitting that back catalog very soon. As for this record it is unflinchingly intense, I can only imagine the feeling of the chaos that their live show must be. Hopefully they’ll get over to the States soon so I can find out. [KH]
Unwed Sailor– Mute The Charm. The latest from the long running post rock band from Seattle came out last Friday on Spartan Records. Building on their existing body of work, Mute The Charm, gets right to the core of what this band has always done so well—hit you in your heart strings with the sweeping instrumentals. From the hopeful album opener “Windy City Dreams” to echoey “London Fog” (the longest song on the album) all the way through the title track which closes the album, there’s a lot to dig into and reflect upon while listening. [KH]
Check out these other recent reviews for even more new music:
Black Belt Eagle Scout- The Land, The Water, The Sky
Lily Mao & the Resonaters- Human Being Animal
Quasi- Breaking The Balls of History
Yo La Tengo- This Stupid World