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 [CW], Kate B [KB] Kate H [KH] weighed in on some killer songs and have the scoop on plenty of new tunes, give ’em a listen!
Anklebiter– Pearl. This song roars right out of the gate, all cylinders firing .05 seconds in, LET’S FUCKIN GO! The North East straight edge band declares on their Bandcamp “Fast, loud hardcore will never get old” and I’m inclined to 1000% agree. A minute and a half of warp speed beats, accentuated with solid as a rock breakdowns, this is the first song from their upcoming seven song EP To Live and Withstand which the band says “is full of rageful recollections of life, detailed with harsh imagery and expressed with bursts of spite. Anklebiter continues to resist, calloused, growing and withstanding.” Look for the release in full on 5/26. [KH]
Beach Fossils– Run To The Moon. On this dreamy, laid back track, Dustin Payseur sings about becoming a parent and moving from being terrified to joyful at the prospect, “having absolute freedom, the fear of losing it, but then tapping into myself in a way that felt more real.” That happiness is reflected in their dreamy, pastoral music video for the single. The band says their upcoming album Bunny is their most vulnerable and personal to date; it releases 6/2 on Bayonet. [CW]
Buggin– Not Yours. The Chicago hardcore band has a new album coming, Concrete Cowboys, which will be released on June 2nd via Flatspot. This song takes a direct punch at the tokenization in the hardcore scene of all those who are not cis men, with the lyrics “Call us female fronted, you can eat my fist” really nailing the point home. Front person Bryanna Bennett shares that this song is:
“a more personal one about dealing with the tokenization of being seen as a girl in hardcore. I’m non-binary, and I hate being thrown in “female fronted” categories. We just want to rock without people making it weird or only liking us for that reason.”
The Clientele– Blue Over Blue. For their newest album, The Clientele wanted to incorporate musical elements that have inspired them, but not really found their way into previous records, such as contemporary classical or post-pop jazz. “Blue Over Blue” finds them using percussive samples and varying time signatures, but still retains the easy-going, lush sound they have perfected. Pop sensibilities blend with unexpected drumbeats throughout the “playing hide and seek” bridge, while Alasdair MacLean sings a lovely melody about what’s actually a rather frightening experience: getting lost in the woods with his young son. I Am Not There Anymore will be out 7/28 on Merge. [CW]
Flasyd– Shit Goes. You better get ready to hold on for dear life because Flasyd, the noisy garage punk band that describes themselves as “always fast, hardly accurate,” (a documentary of the same name was released about the band in 2021) is back after breaking up a year and a half ago declaring “these bitches are back!” And back they are with a fucking vengeance, a yell of “FUCK YOU RANDY!” to start things off lets you know right away this song ain’t holding a thing back. A scuzzy bassline kicks in, accented by acrid guitars on the upbeat, then it’s off to the races; a chaotic frenzied dash to the finish line two and a half minutes later will find you gasping for breath as you skid to a halt and quickly reach a shaky hand up to hit play, starting the song all over again. The band says this song is “just the first in a whole lot of shit that is to come,” and I’m more ready to be dragged along on whatever wild ride Flasyd has in store for us. [KH]
Girl and Girl– All I See. The Australian garage band just signed with the iconic Sub Pop and most pleasing to me, also features the fun combo of vocalist Kai James and his Aunty Liss on drums, with the quartet rounded out by longtime friends Jayden Williams on guitar and Fraser Bell on bass. That being said, after hearing this fun romp of a song, I may or may not have immediately texted my 18 year old nephew to share it and say “we should jam sometime” (he plays bass and sings, I play drums…the possibility is there!) Jangly with a lithe post punk rhythmic sensibility, James shares:
“Lyrics came last for ‘All I See,’ about 3 years after the track, and when I finally sat down and wrote them, I was pretty anxious about whether I had them right or not. A new Mylie Cyrus track played on the radio that afternoon, she too, was singing about houses burning down, and I took that as confirmation. So I thanked Mylie Cyrus and her great new track ‘Flowers’ and never looked back.”
The band is currently working on their full length debut album and will soon tour in the UK and Europe. Here’s hoping they hit the US soon too so one potential aunt and nephew musical duo can head out to support their kindred spirits from Down Under. [KH]
Greg Mendez– Best Behavior/Hoping You’re Doing Okay. Contemplative acoustic guitar with dreamy quiet vocals soften the sharp pain in Greg Mendez’s lyrics. In “Best Behavior,” he struggles with feeling hurt as he and a friend grow apart: “And it’s true, sometimes I’m wrong but I’m on my best behavior, do you like it?” The easy swing of “Hoping You’re Doing Okay” shuffles along cheerfully while the lyrics tell a story of addiction and living on the streets: “Couldn’t feel, couldn’t convince myself I was real cause it’s not the way that you are it’s what they wanna see, Oh Lord.” These are the last two singles released in advance of Mendez’s most recent eponymous album, coming out on May 5. [KB]
JOHN– Trauma Mosaic. I’ve loved this London based band for a few years now after being introduced to them by our webmistress, Jenifun, who lives in the UK and gets to see all the good bands there regularly. I have also unfortunately managed to miss JOHN on every trip I’ve made to the UK since first hearing them (and trust me, I’ve tried to make it line up when planning trips), but lucky for me and connoisseurs of fine punk rock songs in 14 select cities in the US (and one in Canada), the band will be making their maiden voyage to the hellfire shores of ‘Murica this October. Read more about it and their new single “Trauma Mosaic” here and check them out on FTA’s favorite two piece band list here. Tickets for all dates are currently on sale via their website; they will wrap up the final date of the tour on 10/26 at Saint Vitus. [KH]
Laura Wolf– Paper and Plastic. Ethereal synth and fluttering cello riffs undulate under Laura Wolf’s lilting vocals, the lyrics full of longing: “Sadie, come back to me.” Soft intoxicating alt-pop with an early Bjork vibe from the Brooklyn-based producer, cellist, and singer. The inspiration for the track came from Wolf’s family:
“This song was inspired by my conversations with my late maternal grandmother, where her creative understanding of time, place and identity was nevertheless penetrated by the underlying sentiment of her memory…I repitched and manipulated an 808 bass drum sample to become my core synth for the song and decorated the fabric of the arrangement with manipulated, resampled, and chopped fragments of lead vocal and cello from throughout the album.”
Libby Quinn– Bob. The first single since 2021 from the eclectic five-piece from Long Island, “Bob” immerses you in the band’s skillful chaos which transcends genres. In just under four minutes, the song has alarming discordant guitars, heavily grooving bass lines, charismatic spoken lyrics and then a descent into a free-form chaotic beauty that’s a mix of free jazz and prog, with a Coltrane-esque saxophone coasting over it all before the song falls back into a spiral of driving guitars and screams at its conclusion. [KB]
Palehound– The Clutch. Queer artist El Kempner aka Palehound has announced a brand new album, Eye On The Bat (July 14, Polyvinyl) and shared the first single “The Clutch,” an infectious mid-tempo rocker which also shows off their sweet guitar chops quite nicely with copious shreds in the middle of the song. Slinky bass from Larz Brogan is the glue that holds the rocking jam together, keeping things steady and driving alongside the drums.
About the song Kempner shares:
“‘The Clutch’ is the very first song I wrote for this album, back in 2020 right when lockdown started. I had been on a tour that was sliced in half by the onset of the pandemic and we had to apocalypse road trip back to New York across the country from Oregon, where our next show had been scheduled for. While that was happening, I was also having a triggering romantic experience with somebody I didn’t know too well, and by the time I got home my whole body seemed to be spinning in turmoil. Writing and producing this song grounded me and helped me process a new future and self that I hadn’t anticipated.”
This is the first new Palehound album since 2019’s Black Friday, and also follows Kempner’s 2021 collaboration with Jay Som’s Melina Duterte, Bachelor, which released the album Doomin’ Sun. [KH]
PJ Harvey– A Child’s Question, August. The incomparable Polly Jean Harvey has released the first single off her upcoming tenth album, I, Inside the Old Year Dying (July 7 Partisan). “A Child’s Question, August,” is haunting, almost dirge-like, like a traditional English folk song with a goth/post-punk filter, but ever-so-gentle. Harvey’s voice (which can do anything) drifts high and ghost-like in the verses, and then drops to a fuller more throaty tone during the choruses (doubled by deeper vocals from Ben Whishaw). Together they intone: “What says dunnick, drush, or dove? ‘Love Me Tender’? Tender love.” The song has an equally hypnotizing video by photographer Steve Gullick and PJ Harvey has me completely spellbound. [KB]
RVG– Midnight Sun. The latest single from this Melbourne band is fast without being frantic, has classic riffage without being classic rock, and generally feels like being on the edge of something, as Romy Vager sings “yeah I know / that talking to you doesn’t work anymore / but if you change your mind / I will be waiting for you to come home.” Their third album Brain Worms will be released on 6/2 on Fire Records. [CW]
Sorry Mom– Shaving My Legs. The latest from the snotty New York based femme queer punk band who “like[s] to hang out and play music and Mario kart,” it feels like a rough hewn throwback to rapid fire 90s skate punk, minus the sweaty boys and dick jokes. This song, along with their absolute instant classic banger, “I Fucked Your Mom,” are the kind of in your face shit made by other queers/non men that I wish I’d had when I was subjected to those same sweaty 90s boys in real time and the punk rock songs of that era that catered pretty much only to that demographic but the rest of us had to accept too if we wanted aggressive rock music.
Aside from a few notable exceptions (Bikini Kill, L7, Lunachicks, Babes In Toyland…ya know the rest), bands that really spoke to me on this level were still two decades off into my future. But thankfully the songs and the bands are here now; Sorry Mom is exactly the kind of band I didn’t get to have back then and really savor now so hey, better late than never! Their debut album babyface is due out on 5/12 and yeah, you can say I’m pretty stoked for it. The band will embark on a short tour after its release which will hit Saint Vitus on 5/20. [KH]
Sorority Grrrls– American Sicko. The Newcastle, England based feminist punk band recently released their debut single, “Dead Babies On The Floor” (read our thoughts) and now have followed it up with the b-side “American Sicko” which continues in the same 90s inspired vein that the first single did. (I swear I didn’t plan for this to appear back to back with the Sorry Mom song, but they are indeed very fitting companions on a list of songs.) I’m very much hoping I can catch this band play live on my next trip to the UK later this year. [KH]
Winter Wolf– Blue Lights. This song is part of the stand out EP Unwell (which was one of my favorites of 2022) and Winter Wolf are some of the most exciting performers in the NYC punk underground today, hands down one of the best bands you’ll see live. Huge bass and drums drive the song, accompanied with perfectly matched dual vocals from Tony $ixx, providing the high falsetto, and bassist/vocalist Jey Winters serving up the full low end with intense growls to match his killer riffs. A sharp condemnation to cops and police violence, they mince no words when they yell FUCK YOUR BLUE LIGHTS! They’ve now released a music video to accompany the song and share:
Our music video “Blue Lights” is about the everyday reality of Black people which includes our struggles in dealing with the police. All throughout the video, we show hope and strength thereby encouraging people to stay unified in their power while continuing to see another tomorrow. You can see from the clips of our performances the smiles of the crowd still persevering and finding joy during these troubling times. This video is a call for solidarity for what we’ve all gone through and a love letter to the New York underground scene.
Keep up with what the band is doing via Instagram and make sure you are heading to a show to catch their impeccable live performance. Unwell is available on all major streaming platforms. [KH]
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 two weeks (ish), quick fire responses to some great new music we think you should check out. Chantal [CW], Kate B [KB], Kate H [KH], Kevin [KM] and Mike [MB] weighed in on some killer songs and have the scoop on plenty of new tunes, give ’em a listen!
Angel Olsen– Forever Means. The title track from Angel Olsen’s brand new EP is a delicate song, featuring her classic lovely voice over a strummed, echoing, electric guitar. Olsen calls the song a “nod to George Harrison” and says the EP comes from questions like “What does forever really mean? What are the things Iʼm seeking in friendship or love, and how can forever be attainable if weʼre always changing?” Forever Means is out now via Jagjaguwar; Olsen will be appearing with The Strokes at Forest Hills Stadium on August 19th. [CW]
Bar Italia– Punkt. This is a seductive and slightly creepy track from the London-based indie rock trio of Nina Cristante, Jezmi Tarik Fehmi, and Sam Fenton. The song features vocals from all three of them, and it’s almost as if we’re hearing three perspectives on a love triangle (or that’s my interpretation at least). The music itself here is infectiously simple and slinky: repeated chiming guitar hook, an undulating bass line, steady mid-tempo drums. “Punkt” is the second single off Bar Italia’s forthcoming LP, Tracey Denim, out on Matador on May 19. The trio will be playing their first US shows in May as well. You can catch them in NYC at TV Eye on May 13, or at Mercury Lounge on May 15. [KB]
Bully– Hard to Love. The third single from Alicia Bognanno’s Bully is out now and sees the artist getting vulnerable. Built around a big dirty bassline, it pushes the song as the rest of the instruments settle in on top, rocketing things to a soaring alt rock banger. Lyrically, it explores some deeply personal subject matter and Bognanno, who also directed the video, shares:
Growing up never fitting into society’s constructed gender stereotypes and expectations, I often felt as though different equals bad or wrong. I was confused about my place in the world, not fully identifying with any one particular gender or sexuality. I was ashamed, and I blamed myself. Though I’m still in the process of understanding and accepting my identity, I’m glad to be surrounded by people who love and accept me for who I am regardless of the clothes I wear and the labels others use to define me.
Lucky For Youreleases in full on 6/2 via SubPop. Bully will be in NYC at Racket on 6/6. [KH]
C.O.F.F.I.N– Cut You Off. The long running, hard rocking punk n rollers from Down Under have a brand new single—their first release for Goner Records—as well as a new album on the way (release date tba). The song finds them in the brash and brawny sonic territory they are known for with singer/drummer Ben Portnoy’s signature growl trading off the spotlight with red hot lead guitar licks. Portnoy also directed the video. The band will appear at Goner Fest 20 in Memphis this September; I may or may not be currently saving up for a plane ticket. [KH]
Cosmic Kitten– Songbird. The latest single from Laugh of A Lifetime (their fourth LP, not counting cover albums) is a mid-tempo, thoughtful track, which according to the band is about the struggle of expressing emotions and using art as a medium to communicate. Cosmic Kitten are well known for their harder grunge tunes, but this song shows they are adept at taking it a bit easy as well and ends in a gorgeous melodic guitar solo. Laugh of A Lifetime will be self-released on May 5th. [CW]
cumgirl8– cicciolina. The NYC based post punk quartet has been making waves both on the music scene and in the fashion world over the last few years, along with hosting their own talk show, and have now signed to 4AD, releasing their first single for the venerable indie label this week. Paying tribute to Italian porn star turned politician, Ilona Staller aka Cicciolina, the band shares:
Cicciolina is an Italian icon, porn star and former politician that was elected to parliament in the 90s. She advocated for human rights and the eradication of nuclear weapons. Cicciolina said “make sex not war” and used her divine power of femininity to troll the status quo while disrupting it from the inside. We feel her ideals are foundational to the cumgirl8 philosophy of subversive change, peace, and strength in vulnerability. We hope she loves our song, we love her very much. Cicciolina is cumgirl1.
The song itself is a hazy post punk romp, a style the band has perfected well over the last few years in dingy DIY spots and dive bars around Brooklyn. The video sees the various band members dancing in some scenes, portraying Cicciolina herself as a “video game version” of the iconic figure in others, wreaking havoc on parliamentary proceedings. The band will soon embark on a tour of the UK and Europe before joining Le Tigre for a few dates on their summer tour in the US. [KH]
Elisapie– Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time cover). The Inuk artist, Elisapie, recently released a stunning version of the Blondie classic “Heart of Glass,” taking it from its original disco roots to a contemplative folk song, singing the lyrics entirely in the Indigenous language, Inuktitut. A full covers album, Inuktitut, has now been revealed with the artist sharing on Bandcamp:
Inuktitut is Elisapie’s fourth solo effort. It’s a covers album that sprouted in the artist’s mind in the winter of 2021, when songs by artists such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, Queen, and Cyndi Lauper, whose music once took over the community radio airwaves throughout Nunavik, Northern Quebec, triggered a flood of tears. Many of these songs were an escape as the community and cultural references were being challenged by colonization. Elisapie began a mental archaeological process: finding songs associated with emotional memories and people from her past. She followed that with a second, more prosaic quest. She sought the permission of the original artists to translate and adapt the songs that are now on this album.
Elisapie reinvigorates the poetry of these 10 songs thanks to the raw sounds of the thousand-year-old Inuit language and gives each track a unique and deeply personal quality. The tracks range from rock & roll and pop classics from the 1960’s to the 90’s. Every song is linked to a loved one or an intimate story that has shaped the person Elisapie is today. Through this act of cultural reappropriation, she tells her story, offers these songs as a gift to her community, and makes her language and culture resonate beyond the Inuit territory.
Like the previous single, this version of the Cyndi Lauper classic transforms the era defining new wave song into Elisapie’s own, both musically and lyrically, and has again revealed an entirely new way of listening to a song I thought I knew so well. The album releases in full on 9/15 and she will tour extensively in Canada throughout 2023 into 2024. Pre-orders are available now via Bonsound. [KH]
Josie Cotton– Painting In Blood. Inspired by iconic film composer Ennio Morricone – particularly his work in Giallo movies – “Painting In Blood” evokes those films with a go-go club beat, organs, and surfy guitar, not to mention lyrics like “the naked truth is she’s in stranger danger / he’s a murderer / she’s overacting / the room is spinning / the knife is glinting.” Cotton’s new album Day Of The Gun will be out May 2nd on Kitten Robot Records. [CW]
Joudy– Tail End.NYC heavy psych-grunge outfit, Joudy (pronounced “Howdy”) just dropped the lead single off their forthcoming release and US debut Destroy all Monsters (out via Trash Casual June 2023). Hailing originally from the mountains of Los Andes, Venezuela, cousins Diego Ramirez (Vocals/Guitar), Gabriel Gavidia (Bass) and Hulrich Navas (Drums) are known for their wildly volatile live-stage performances. Though much of that storm often exists tamped down to simmer just below the surface. Reminiscent at times of early Highly Suspect, “Tail End” shows that expertly controlled restraint as its beat ambles and lumbers at a slow chop beneath wonderfully ugly guitar lines that build around a densely focused and soaring lyrical delivery.
The band, displaced by political unrest in their home country, tells Wonderland Magazine that the new record “marries their history with the impossible challenges they’ve overcome both personally and professionally.” If the new single is any indicator, we will be clenching our fists and grinding our teeth in seething anticipation of this summer release. [MB]
Junior Bill– Teeth. Earlier this year, the UK based project of Welsh songwriter Robert Nichols released the insanely catchy “Boys From Jungle” (read our thoughts) and now are back with a more laid back offering, a groovy dub soaked track that tells the tale of a “lonely, isolated society where sugar passes for joy and life stays stagnant around a tiny cul-de-sac in post-Brexit Britain.” The song comes paired with a video that compliments the song nicely, hitting the mood and feel of the track, giant lips and teeth framing various scenes of vintage every day life footage, stop motion animation and more to weave the narrative of the song into a visual reality. This is the third single from the upcoming debut album, Youth Club! due out later this year. [KH]
The Linda Lindas– Too Many Things. The teenage powerhouses strike again with yet another incredibly catchy power pop song with a punk aesthetic. You’ll want to jump around to the chugging guitar riffs as the girls lament about the many overwhelming emotions that are a part of coming of age (perhaps especially when you’re going through adolescence as a rock star). The lyrics reflect the longing to stay a kid while all the shifts of growing up are happening so fast: “What would happen if we all stayed the same / now I’ve changed but everything’s still out of place.” This is the first single released by The Linda Lindas since their much-lauded full-length debut record in 2022, Growing Up (Epitaph Records) and they celebrated by rocking Coachella. They plan to tour extensively through the summer, you know, after school’s out. [KB]
Mandy, Indiana– Peach Fuzz. The singles from Mandy, Indiana’s i’ve seen a way continue to surprise and befuddle me in the best way. You can dance to this music, but you could also contemplate it alone in the dark in your bedroom. Even the visualizer video for “Peach Fuzz” is hypnotic—what is that strange little tentacle thing that keeps appearing at the bottom of the screen? “We are told yes, we are told no / They take us for idiots / We go around in circles.” Valentine Caulfield sings (albeit in French.) Layers, man. The new album will be out on Fire Talk Records May 19th. [CW]
Miranda and The Beat– Concrete. The video (featuring an intro from the 1959 version of House On Haunted Hill) may be more suited to Halloween, but this upbeat dance-punk offering from Cali-turned-Brooklyn rockers is primed and ready for summer, and serves as counterpoint to the more soulful first single “Sweat.” Their s/t debut (produced by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s) is out on King Khan’s Khannibalism and Ernest Jenning Record Co. on May 26th. [CW]
Monarch– No Vacancy.Leave it to a band of punks from the Hudson Valley to bring sultry lounge cool back to NYC. They just dropped new live track single “No Vacancy,” and it’s got all the chops of a jazz ensemble sidled by an indie-pop smoothness that you’re probably not quite ready to handle. Donning dapper colors and immersed in a velvet elegance, the quartet led by Sarah Hartstein’s powerful pipes, plays straight to Nick Pappalardo’s masterful guitar work settled against the rhythmic foundation laid by Alex Alfaro (drums) and Oswalt Jenters (bass). Think Fiona Apple meets Amy Winehouse, and you’d be getting warm. They’ve been packing dark clubs more and more all over the city so make sure you’re keeping up and don’t sleep on getting to a show. [MB]
The Murlocs– Undone and Unashamed. The tireless Aussie group return this week with the latest single from their upcoming album Calm Ya Farm (out 5/19 ATO Records). Hot on the heels of the first album single “Initiative,” “Undone” finds Ambrose Kenny-Smith and the gang rockin’ out to an upbeat honky-tonk jammer. The track, written by keyboardist Tim Karmouche, not only sports some great guitar work but also a sax solo from Kenny-Smith. And check out the gravity defying video with a down on his luck couch potato who’s clearly undone and unashamed. [KM]
Panchiko–Portraits. “Portraits” is a math rock song turned on its head, becoming a soft, glitchy, fuzzy tune that glides along while also throwing angles into the mix. The band says the track is “based around the thought that each of us is the culmination of the generations that precedes us. Every experience and encounter shapes us and adds to our story,” and the accompanying video from animator Shunsaku Hayashi completes the picture. Panchiko will be in NYC at Le Poisson Rouge on May 30th (sold out) and May 31st; Failed At Maths will be out May 5th. [CW]
Snõõper–Pod. Snõõper blend garage rock and art punk into a fast paced mix on this lead single from their upcoming debut LP, Super Snõõper. Singer Blair Tramel notes the track stems from the anxieties of forming “‘pods” during the pandemic, and it certainly is a nervous feeling song, with high energy guitar and frenetic vocals, proving in a bit less than two minutes their claim they are a band who “in a 33 ⅓ RPM world, make 45 RPM music they play at 78 RPM.” Super Snõõper will be out via Third Man Records on July 14th and has already earned advance praise from none other than Henry Rollins who said “Speaking selfishly, I want Snõõper to hurry up and make another album. Super Snõõper is a really cool record.” [CW]
Squid– Undergrowth. This week, Squid released their latest single “Undergrowth” from their upcoming sophomore album, Monolith (Warp). The follow up to “Swing (In A Dream)”, “Undergrowth” finds the guys in Squid contemplating reincarnation but as an inanimate object such as a bedside table and what a colossal disappointment that would be. The track, which was accompanied by a video game release, is a heady mix of dub bass over mid-tempo beats, Ollie Judge’s sing-speak delivery, plucky guitars, blasts of brass and synths, all of which culminate in a bell ringing, orchestral ending. [KM]
The Dog Indiana– LOAF. The Vancouver based band recently released a new album, Burnt Ends, which I loved and included on my April Bandcamp Friday picks. A video has now been released for the lead single, “LOAF,” and it’s got a really trippy, psychedelic feel (and maybe some UFOs along the way). Read our review of the album and watch the vid below. [KH]
Tinariwen– Kek Alghalm. This latest single and opening track from the upcoming Amatssou is both meditative and upbeat, buoyed by a simple yet bouncy bassline. But it’s not all smiles here: the song is a plea for unity among the Tuareg tribes: “Why so much silence, all over the world / Only spilt blood / Only brave men killed.” A live favorite, the recorded version here features Wes Corbett on banjo. Catch Tinariwen yourself at Webster Hall on June 5th. [CW]
Ugli– Crybabi.As if we needed yet another reason to love Philadelphia’s Ugli, they just released the first single from their forthcoming EP girldick. It’s the first new music from the band in what seems like forever so we couldn’t be more excited for it to drop just in time for this warm weather weekend. The Philly alt-grunge quartet, fronted by Dylyn Durante and grown out of the DIY punk ethos of the Philadelphia house scene, delivers the “type of song that made you fall in love with bands like Weezer and The Pixies. It’s hook after hook and it never lets up.” Durante’s powerful voice lands somewhere between Kim Shattuck and Justin Hawkins, and the band’s perfect execution of loud-quiet-loud harkens backs to the type of authentic quirky dissonance and controlled chaos guitar-pop that hasn’t been heard since the days of The Muffs and Presidents of the United States of America. In less than three short minutes, “Crybabi” will swaddle you up in it’s ragged edges, blow out your speakers, and leave you screaming it’s always Ugli in Philadelphia.
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 and have the scoop on plenty of new tunes, give ’em a listen!
Beach Fossils– Dare Me. The second single from the upcoming album Bunny is a song “about conflict, friendship and the intoxication of new love. Willing to let yourself be stupid, vulnerable, pissed off and forgiving” says Beach Fossils’ singer Dylan Payseur. In the familiar vain of their past work, this song is a fervent bedroom pop ear worm, the insistent guitars will swirl around in your brain long after the song has finished. Bunny releases in full on 6/2. [KH]
Big Bliss– A Seat at the Table. “We went on to be the first generation in American history to do worse than our parents,” Tim Race explains about the newest Big Bliss song. The song was written while suffering a particularly bad bout of Covid and was inspired by the media’s processed and packaged handling of tragedy throughout recent history. “Television offered us just enough distance that life appeared able to go on, only with another modicum more generalized mortal fear than the time before,” says Race.
Big Bliss is no stranger to pressing its thumb down on the necks of our society and searching for a pulse. Race (guitar, vocals), along with his brother Cory (drums) and Rose Blanshei (bass) shot a beautiful video spanning all corners of NYC that powerfully depicts both the eroding ugly decay and the sheer density and majestic wonder of our human experience despite the broken promises of elder generations. “Our greatest threat is being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Their new album, Vital Return, is expected later 2023 on Good Eye Records. [MB]
Chime School– Coming To Your Town. This upbeat janglepop tune feels very seasonal. But it’s not all t-shirt weather over here: “Coming To Your Town” is “a feverish attempt to describe the reactionary political moment that seemed to infect the Bay Area during the pandemic.” The b-side is a cover of the Buzzcock’s “Love You More,” a song well suited to Chime School’s style, and they update it well. The band is currently playing selected dates on the West coast. [CW]
Clairo– For Now. A brand new demo from the bedroom singer turned indie pop darling bringing her back to her roots. All proceeds go to benefit Everytown and For The Gworls. [KH]
Death Goals– Year of the Guillotine. Each single the UK based queer screamo noise punk band releases ahead of their upcoming album A Garden of Dead Flowers is louder and faster than the last, expressing deep rage at the injustice queer people face on a daily basis that continues to poison society and threaten our very existence. But Death Goals aren’t going to take shit laying down and aren’t afraid to let anyone in their vicinity know that. “Year of the Guillotine” announces itself with a gut wrenching scream, battering ram drums and skin tearing guitar, giving a sonic voice to the painful frustration daily survival in an often hateful world can be. The band wrote on their Instagram “This song is dedicated to the trans community in this time of unparalleled hostility,” and further shared:
“‘Year Of The Guillotine’ was a song written as a response to the UK Tory government’s neglect of the LGBTQIA+ community. Neglect that has continued to fester and sadly we are living in a time of incredibly vocal hatred towards our community, not just in the UK but worldwide. But, try as they may, we will not disappear. You can’t erase us.”
The breakdown of the song sees the band getting into some HEAVY chugging hardcore territory with a very clear message screamed again and again: YOU CAN’T ERASE, YOU CAN’T ERASE OUR EXISTENCE before the song falls off into blackness. A Garden of Dead Flowersreleases in full on 5/5. [KH]
The Drums–I Want It All. The Drums are a one man band these days, with only Jonny Pierce remaining, but the music remains much the same. “I Want It All” is an introspective piece about being strung along, with electronic drum beats, jangly guitars and Pierce’s voice full of longing wondering “tell me was it so hard / to give a little tenderness?” The Drums will be touring this summer, including a New York date at Webster Hall on 8/3. [CW]
Echo Moth– ‘Till You Merge. I’ve been a long time fan of experimental guitarist and composer Yana Davydova and the work she has created as both a solo artist and with Woodhead and the various musicians who move in and around that collective of artists. Perhaps my favorite though was the band she fronted, Echo Moth, which released the album Murmurs in 2016. I booked shows for and gigged with her and her various collaborators a lot in those days despite most of my bands being loud, much more rowdy punk bands; being a big group of true music lovers regardless of genre, it all worked. As life has taken other turns in the ensuing years, we haven’t played together in a long time and haven’t seen each other much of late but always stayed in some loose contact online.
And thus, I was thrilled to discover this week via the cesspool of the internet (it’s not all bad all the time!) that she is back under the Echo Moth moniker, releasing under that name for the first time since Murmurs and has a new album on the way later this year. The first single “Till You Merge” serves as a beautiful continuation of the journey of the first album, lush layers of guitars and dreamy vocals backed by her longtime collaborators, bassist Dmitry Ishenko and drummer Charles Burst. The as of yet unnamed album doesn’t have a release date yet, but it instantly has become one of my most anticipated records of 2023. Catch Echo Moth performing at Bushwick Public House on 4/20. [KH]
Holy Wave–Cowprint. A languid, dreamlike song full of atmosphere and harmonies, “Cowprint” is “a story of instant connections and missed opportunities” and comes across like a fading memory. The single has a pleasing, 70’s AM radio sound that also puts me in mind of the Clientele, and gets a little synthy and weird at the end, like any good dream should. The band recently signed with Suicide Squeeze and are planning an album in the later half of the year. [CW]
Louise Post–Guilty. This is a really fun track, and a little poppier than much of her work under the Veruca Salt moniker in the 2000’s after the departure of Nina Gordon (Post kept the band name). It’s probably a good thing Post is putting out fresh music under her own name, as “Guilty” does have a nostalgic 90s fuzz but also feels very modern, proving she can still keep up with the times. Bass driven and catchy, “Guilty” is a certified bop and a great addition to spring playlists. After a three decade career, she will be releasing her first ever solo album, Sleepwalker, out June 2nd on El Camino. Post shares:
“I have always identified as a sleepwalker. I slept-walked around my house routinely when I was a child, and even down the street. I believe in hindsight it was me trying to process what was going on in my home with my parent’s troubled marriage. As far as I know, I stopped sleepwalking after the divorce when I was eight, but it has always been a part of me that I feel protective of a little girl who I feel sad for.”
Post will launch a tour in support of the album which will hit NYC at Bowery Ballroom on 7/15. [CW]
Phantom Signals– basement. Proving sometimes all that’s necessary is an acoustic guitar and nice set of pipes, Melody Henry, delivers a sweet simple vocal over a soft strum that in itself invites you to pull in closer. But very quickly, the voices start to layer like choir of uncertain angels, joining and stacking their waves of sound until the intensity reaches a crescendo of euphonic resonance. With “basement,” Phantom Signals continues to over-deliver by simply releasing uniquely unassuming and authentic music that taps right into the human experience. [MB]
Pink Mexico– Dungeonhead. We wrote this up in Single Serve 036 and this week, the band released a brand new video to go along with it which we were very excited to premiere. Check the video out and pre-order the album on Bandcamp now. [MB]
Proper.– Milk & Honey (Luna Tunes remix). The latest track by eclectic collective trio, Proper., came out last week. A remix of the popular “Milk & Honey” from last year’s The Great American Novel, it’s a peppy reimagining of their original anthem and a banger reinterpretation. Often dancing across the lines of emo, prog, and even hardcore, the trio made up of Erik Garlington (guitar, vocals), Natasha Johnson (bass, vocals) and Elijah Watson (drums) borders on chill-wave here but they always keep the Black American identity at the core of everything they do.
Garlington recently talked to Rolling Stone who was covering the release of their video for “Jean” which celebrates the life of Jean Jimenez-Joseph, who died in ICE custody. He shared:
“From the jump, I wanted to be really punk and make white people uncomfortable. But as I got older and exited my early twenties, I would rather express the Black experience and show how beautiful it can be as a southerner, as a Black person, as a queer person, as an autistic person—and through the roots of rock music, that would be the best way to do it. I grew up listening to rap also, but I really wanted to see what I could do with a guitar and a band behind me.”
I had the pleasure of catching Proper. perform live last month at Purgatory on the Brooklyn stop of their tour with our mutual friends, Toronto band, Pseudo for their final tour and there was so much love and respect in the room. Jonathan Lyte (Pseudo frontman) who was also filling in on second guitar with Proper, took a moment to speak about what the band meant to him growing up. He said that as a kid, seeing someone who looked like him up on a stage performing this kind of music was the game changer that made it seem possible that he could start a punk rock band. [MB]
Pynch– Tin Foil. The latest from the London based indiepop group who are just about to release their debut album, this song deals with “how complex and overwhelming the modern world can be” and shit if I don’t feel that hard. The band’s Spencer Enoch shares:
“When we play live I always jokingly introduce ‘Tin Foil’ as being about conspiracy theories but really, I think it’s about how complex and overwhelming the modern world can be. It feels like we’ve been in one form of crisis or another for my entire adult life and this song is about our over-exposure to that level of stimulation and the need to escape it all and ‘get lost forever. It’s definitely one of our most upbeat and irreverent song so it feels right to be releasing it at the beginning of spring and just before the album comes out.”
Howling At A Concrete Moon is out 4/14. [KH]
White Beast– Fencewalker. This Richmond duo ticks a lot of boxes for me, those boxes being a two piece bass and drums band that makes sludgy, noisy loud rock music. (If you missed my recent list of my favorite two piece bands, this was a major recurring theme of my favorite bands. You can read that list here.) This song sees bassist/vocalist Jeffrey Rettberg teaming up with a new drummer, Sam Roberts (Private Hell, Fried Egg), releasing the follow up to the 2021 White Beast EP.
It’s a mid tempo rager that pulls back the curtain on things being “just fine” on the hellscape rock we live on, orbiting through time and space pretending we don’t see the world burning around us, the emperor’s clothes long gone Rettberg screaming Goddamn / Everything is fine / Goddamn /When is it your next time? in the chorus. This is the first taste of their upcoming full length, Suffering Time, though no release date has been announced yet. I also love the video which perfectly pairs with the song, melted dolls and all. I can’t wait to hear what the rest of the album has in store. [KH]
Hello and welcome to FTA’s list of what we are excited for this Bandcamp Friday, aka every music nerds favorite day! A bunch of us weighed in on what we’ve been into lately and we’ve got plenty of goodies old and new for you to dig into over a wide range of genres. But don’t take our word for it, dive into these tracks/albums and judge for yourself. Feel free to let us know what you think and tell us your suggestions.
Bad Waitress– No Taste. I went to see my friends Gustaf in the UK around a year ago and they were on tour with the Toronto based band Bad Waitress, who I had not previously been familiar with but who turned out to be the 90s throwback alt rock band of my dreams. Very much looking forward to seeing them in NYC.
The Dog Indiana– Burnt Ends. I’ve really been into heavy, noisy shit lately and this Vancouver, BC trio scratched that itch big time for me. Their new album Burnt Ends was released right in the middle of a really thorny and difficult time of loss and confusion for me; the sludgy riffs, mondo screams and bulldozing drums gave immediate sonic identity to how I was feeling, a rageful salve to help process some difficult and confronting emotions. Another Canadian band I need to head directly to NYC ASAP.
Happy Death Men– Famous Plane Crashes. I discovered this band very recently and once I heard the frayed riffs of “Kyle,” with its high distorted bass clamoring out on top while the vocals scream What do you mean? What do you mean? What do you mean? What do you mean? What do you mean? What do you mean? What do you mean? What the fuck do you mean? before the song skidded roughly to a stop, I was instantly hooked. This is their debut EP and while it just came out, my greedy ass is already ready for a full length. Let’s make it three for three and get this crew to NYC too.
Chantal- Contributing Writer
Chime School– Chime School. Hooky, jangly pop out of San Francisco.
Ossifer– Suppressed Mirth. Alt rock from “a trio of old school Tallahassee weirdos.”
Jenifun -Webmistress
In honour of Adwaith and Panic Shack recently playing SXSW/US dates (see our coverage from New Colossus Fest and SXSW), I have decided to prepare a Welsh list. | Er anrhydedd i Adwaith a Panic Shack oedd yn chwarae yn yr Unol Dalethiau dw i wedi dewis i baratoi rhestr o fandiau Cymreig.
Bongripper– Hate Ashbury. An instrumental album that’s been on HEAVY rotation for me lately. This one is in the doom metal genre.
If These Trees Could Talk– Red Forest. I love instrumental post-rock, and over the past few weeks I’ve listened to this album on an almost daily basis.
True Widow– AVVOLGERE. I’d classify them as “heavy slowcore,” and I always find myself coming back to their music.
Ellie Turner– When the Trouble’s All Done. I knew next to nothing when I stumbled upon Nashville artist, Ellie Turner’s most recent effort, When The Trouble’s All Done. Honestly, I still don’t know much about her besides the fact that she has put out an album that reminds me of sitting on the front porch with a couple of old friends, strumming guitars and singing songs on a warm summer’s night. Those times when you play through the mistakes, ignore the gaffs and just play for the sake of playing. That’s the kind of folk album that Trouble’s is. Recorded live in the studio, Turner says that her and producer Jack Schneider recorded the album direct to tape, playing each song until they felt they got the right take. In this case the right take might not have been the perfect case but in true unadulterated folk music, perfection is rarely a prerequisite but sometimes it just happens. Turner has succeeded with this collection in offering up a perfectly imperfect set of heartfelt, inspiring and moving folk songs.
Purling Hiss– Drag On Girard. I remember seeing Purling Hiss at the original Brooklyn Bazaar back in the day and being bowled over by Mike Polizzi’s ferocious attack on rock and roll. I’d go as far to say that back in 2013/2014 I freaking LOVED this band. And then pooof! They kind of fell off my radar to the point that I’d kind of forgotten them. Then low and behold out pops Drag On Girard and all those former feelings towards the band are back like they’d never been gone in the first place. There’s no new ground broken with this one but that’s just fine. Girard is the kind of album that sounds and feels like it was recorded literally in somebody’s garage. And that’s by no means a slight on what I hear. Quite the contrary, it’s a compliment to Polizzi and crew that they can still make in your face, tried and true garage punk rock with no pretentious posturing. Rock and roll the way it was originally meant to be, loud, rambunctious and rebellious. I can almost hear somebody’s father somewhere yelling from his recliner in the living room to “turn that noise down!” Fuck that, TURN IT UP!
The Reds, Pinks and Purples– The Town That Cursed Your Name. The Reds, Pinks and Purples is the latest incarnation of San Francisco musician/artist, Glenn Donaldson who has been putting music out in various guises for some 30 years now. He started releasing music under the RP&P moniker in 2019 and has released six full length LPs since then. This latest effort picks up right where last year’s Mountain Lake Park left off. Donaldson’s output with RP&P is always very cinematic in nature and this one is no exception. It’s melancholy and sweet and flows like a rose petal down a babbling brook in the springtime. It’s lush and ephemeral and at points just plain beautiful. As I’ve already mentioned with Donaldson’s prolific output and the cinematic atmospheric feel of each recording, I’m at the point where I like to think of the Reds, Pinks & Purples as the aural equivalent of a long running binge worthy streaming television series. With each LP building off of the last, taking you to places you’d not thought of before. This latest one proves that Donaldson has plenty more to say and do with this project and we are lucky that this is the case.
The Whiffs– Scratch ‘N’ Sniff. The Whiffs’ second LP proves that a band doesn’t have to be from one of the coasts to be making really good punk/indie music. Hailing from that hot bed of rock and roll, Kansas City, MO, The Whiffs’ new one is a straight up, in your face, hard edged punk power pop collection. They self describe themselves as “RIYL to The Rubs and The Replacements,” which I can’t argue with but to my ears, the sound the first sound I hear is that of former Brooklyn band Nude Beach, and that quite honestly is one heap of praise.
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 lots of the crew—Chantal, Kate B, Kate H, Mike and Ray—weighed in on some killer songs and have the scoop on plenty of new tunes, give ’em a listen!
Bad Optix– Raid. Legions of punk fans have been holding their breath since 1989 for an Operation Ivy reunion. And while Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman have continued to play together for decades in Rancid and found great success, the rest of the members had not collaborated again in over 30 years. That is now a thing of the past as original OPIV vocalist Jesse Michaels (who more recently has also played in Classics of Love) and guitarist Tim Armstrong have joined together for a new band, Bad Optix.
Their first song is straight up jangly Jamaican ska, no punk yelling or distorted guitars in sight. Michaels and Armstrong trade off on lead vocals from verse to verse, backing each other up when not on lead, each lending their trademark gritty growls to the song albeit in a more subtle form. This is sure to have many fans buzzing about what is coming next and has almost definitely has renewed hope that OPIV may one day ride a beat up skateboard into their hearts—and onto the stage—again. This is the first release of the Hellcat Singles Club on Armstrong’s label Hellcat. [KH]
The Beths– Watching The Credits. Full disclosure, as anyone who knows me or has been following me on FTA or my socials already is aware, I am a full on unabashed Beths fan boy. Last year’s Expert In A Dying Field was my favorite album of 2022 (read our review). Evidently, “Watching The Credits” was recorded during those sessions and was left off the album because it “didn’t fit.” Whether that means it didn’t fit physically or thematically remains to be seen, but upon listening to this tune on repeat for the last 24 hrs, I have to imagine that there are innumerable bands out there that would KILL to have a song like this and to think it couldn’t make The Beths cut is simply mind boggling.
A fast paced sugary sweet power pop nugget, “Credits” doesn’t visit any new territory for The Beths, but it doesn’t need to. It follows their tried and true formula of smile inducing, sunshine provoking, crunchy/jangly guitar, harmony driven power pop which this band has down to a science. Check out pics from their recent sold out show at Brooklyn Steel. [RR]
Death Valley Girls– Feel the Colors. Anyone familiar with Death Valley Girls knows that lead vocalist and songwriter Bonnie Bloomgarden is searching our world (and all possible worlds) for meaning and inspiration, and she’s exploring new possibilities for existence again in their just released single, “Feel the Colors,” which is a stand alone follow up to their recently released full length, Islands In The Sky (read our review). This extremely danceable song delivers the band’s fantastic psychedelic-a-go-go fun while ruminating on the special perspectives of cyborgs.
Bloomgarden interviewed “cyborg activist” Neil Harbisson for the podcast Podsongs(along with creator and musician, Jack Stafford), and “Feel the Colors” shimmies and shakes with all the details she got from Harbisson about how the antenna planted in his brain enables him to perceive color in sound waves.(And yes, he really got that implant so that the British government would recognize him as a cyborg.) So if you’re seeing rainbows in the rocking fluctuations of “Feel the Colors,” don’t be alarmed, just ride the synesthesia wave, and consider yourself ahead of your time. [KB]
Hotline TNT– If We Keep Hangin Out. The now NYC-based indie band led by singer-songwriter Will Anderson has shared a new single from their just released tape, Spring Disco. “If We Keep Hanging Out” plunges into melancholy longing, with distorted vocals coming through a haze of exhausted emotion. “If we keep hangin out / I think your love will come around,” Anderson sings repeatedly throughout this lo-fi ballad, and you feel for the guy. Hopefully the unrequited nature of this love will turn around for him if he just keeps on. [KB]
LOCKSTEP– Weave. This Nashville trio debuted with a single in 2021, and are back with a new track that melds spacey post-rock with a doomy, heavy center. The drums really solidified this one for me, pulling the song from a dragging, meditative tempo to a pulse. Their debut EP Arrival will be out May 19th. [CW]
Panchiko– Until I Know. If Panchiko hadn’t lived up to the hype (little known CD from 2000 discovered in a used bin in 2016, goes viral, band reunites after 20 years) it wouldn’t be surprising: after all, how many musicians who never “made it” still have the chops after stepping away for so long? But a demo from all those years ago has finally been realized in its fullest studio form, and it does in fact justify the reappearance of the band. Buoyed by a really catchy main guitar riff and an almost breathy vocal delivery, “Until I Know” is what the band calls “top down cruising misery pop” and it helps keep the anticipation high for Failed At Math(s), which will be out May 5th. [CW]
Paul B. Cutler– For the Children. Producer and guitarist Paul B. Cutler (best known for his work with The Dream Syndicate and 45 Grave) delivers a blistering new song, “For the Children,” the first single off his upcoming LP, Les Fleurs. Cutler’s guitar work shreds through the track at breakneck speed, while underneath the vocals are whispering an intense social critique: “All around the world/ Little boys and girls / Sick of all the liars in this world.” In the claymation-esque video for the song, all of the adults appear two-faced, with glowing eyes and demon claws, as the distorted voices of a distant children’s choir back up Cutler’s mutterings and shrieking guitar. A perfect song to have in your ears on the days when the state of the world makes you want to give up, but somehow, you don’t.
Despite his long resume and years making music, this is Cutler’s first solo album and has been in the works since 2014. He shares:
“the philosophy I had while producing it, it’s punk. I come from the original punk, before it was a genre. Before it was a ‘sound.’ When I got to LA in 1977 there were about 20, maybe 30 bands and they all sounded very different. The Screamers, the Deadbeats, so many different takes on what music could be. There was no chance for commercial success so we all just did what we wanted. I never stopped. So philosophically I consider this punk rock, made in its original spirit although nobody would recognize it as such. I am a punk to this day.”
Salamander– Ride. The latest from Brooklyn’s very own amphibian band, this one sees them less in the glitchy territory of their EP tooth/waste, which was released earlier this year, and really leaning firmly into the dream pop side of their sound and more of a full rock band feel. You can catch the band gigging around BK and NYC and keep up with all of their happenings on their Instagram. [KH]
Shannon Minor Group– In Your Eyes. Last year I had the honor and the pleasure of being involved in a songwriting workshop involving a small group of fellow Brooklyn songwriters each writing, recording, and submitting a new original song each week to the group. This was my first introduction to the talents of Shannon Minor outside of her projects of which I was already familiar and in which she usually plays the less fronting role as drummer (Batsbatsbatsghostghostghost, The Senior Year, etc). “In Your Eyes” is the debut release from Minor’s new solo project, and it exudes a wonderfully stripped down beauty.
And one thing is clear, the hard hitting drummer and Booked By Grandma co-founder has traded in her sticks for an acoustic guitar and smooth sweet harmonies. There’s an honest and nurturing spirit to its tone that has almost a Joan Baez quality. You can hear each slip and squeak and slide of the guitars’ strings and resonant interplay reminiscent of the late Jim Croce, and its angelic melancholy washes over your whole body like a dream and a hug. I hope there’s more on the horizon from the Shannon Minor Group because if “In Your Eyes” is any indicator, we are in store for some truly special music to come. [MB]
Scowl– Psychic Dance Routine. The title track from Scowl’s soon to be released new EP, it shows the band continuing to expand their sonic palette away from the straight up hardcore they first gained attention for, fusing indie and alt grunge for an exciting new direction that channels bands the sound and rage of bands like Hole and Babes In Toyland. The accompanying video was directed by the band’s guitarist Malachi Greene and sees vocalist Kat Moss in a ballet studio dancing in a sequined outfit, performing her own dance routine, but things might be more than they first appear. Moss shares:
My perspective of being consumed as the version of myself that is “performing” has shifted dramatically, while simultaneously grappling the experience of being a feminine artist in a world that doesn’t always take you seriously.
I made an effort to change perspectives back and forth lyrically because I felt that would have the most impact with the message I was trying convey. ‘She’ll never be your animal, she’s got her own personal hell.’ In its simplest form I’m explaining that nobody can corner me into their perception of who I am and that I’ve got my own shit to deal with. By using ‘She’ I’m making it clear that I’m also speaking about a feminine experience. ‘Can’t handle your control, think of the love I’d give.’ is me begging the listener to relinquish the grip they have on me and questioning if they’ll allow me to be the earnest and vulnerable person I truly am.
Psychic Dance Routine will release in full on 4/7 via Flatspot Records. [KH]
Sorority Grrrls– Dead Babies On The Floor. This is the debut single from the new Newcastle, England based feminist punk band and it packs a grungy punch, wearing its influences on its sleeve. (I’m a big fan of the Pretty On The Inside font used on the cover art.) And while SG do make their influences known—bands like L7, early Hole, Bikini Kill and The Distillers—those earlier artists serve more as a guiding light to lead the way; this is a song that strikes a good balance to stand on its own without getting overly bogged down in what came before them either.
They also definitely benefit from the much better recording techniques available to DIY bands of today vs. the lower quality recordings of similar style bands in the late 80s and early 90s. It’s really nice to see the full circle coming around in the new wave of riot grrrl and feminist bands making music today, who are also much more inclusive in their approach than was often the case 30 years ago, an unfortunate part of the legacy of the original wave of riot grrrl. There will be a b-side to this single released later in April and it’s an exciting first taste of what this band has to offer. Looks like I’ll need to be planning a trip North next time I hit the UK. [KH]
Squid Pisser– My Tadpole Legion (feat. Yako of Melt Banana). You better hold on for dear fucking life the minute you hit play on this chaotic no wave-hardcore-noisy thrasher because it is going to give you whiplash. The band who self describes as “eviscerat[ing] the ego and and all things serene with their own vibrant form of vicious and mucky hardcore” who “[slam] down dolphin corpses at breakneck speeds” has certainly nailed it right on the head as to what their sound is like. And to make it even more of a wild ride, Yako of fellow masters of rapid fire experimental noise, Melt Banana, contributes vocals.
This is the title track from their upcoming LP and the video features alien like fish asking for money, weird baby dolls and masks that reminded me of the infamous nuclear mutant toilet dwelling nightmare creatures from the 1994 episode of The X Files, “The Host,” which, going on 30 years later, still kind of low-key scares me! My Tadpole Legion features a host of guest artists and was mixed by Kurt Ballou at Godcity Studios and releases in full on 4/14. [KH]
TEKE::TEKE– Gotoku Lemon. Pairing a groovy beat with their trademark interweaving guitar and flute melodies, the newest single from TEKE::TEKE’s upcoming Hagata LP is fun and funky. Singer Maya Kuroki extols listeners to try their ‘magic lemons’ (English translation: “Everyone come closer! / Divine effect, immediate remedy for all diseases! / Try these lemons, try them! / Try these magic lemons that wake you up with just one drop!”) over the backdrop of an animated collage video created by Kuroki and guitarist Serge Nakauchi Pelletier. Hagata will be out June 9th on Kill Rock Stars. [CW]
TROLLER– Out Back. A superbly creepy track, where a ticking electronic drumbeat and hypnotic guitar strumming are overlaid with the contrasting, languid croon of bassist and singer Amber Star-Goers, who draws the lyrics out as if she is casting a spell. It all adds up to a dark, textured, haunting sound. Their new album, Drain,is out May 26 on Relapse. [CW]
War Honey– I Don’t Blame the Rats.I first became aware of War Honey when they released their debut EP Shard to Shatter on vinyl via Handstand Records at the end of 2020. More than two years later, the newest single by the quartet showcases the everlong and ongoing dance between Gaby Dana’s vocal prowess and the dense atmospheres surrounding Ben Fitts’s guitar work. The former band-campers, turned roommates, turned bandmates clearly know how to complete each other’s musical phrases in a way that only a prolonged shared creative space can foster.
Dana’s simmering operatic power and Fitts’ delicate ethereal melancholy are all the more enhanced beautifully by the dynamic rhythms rounded out by David Bloom (bass) and Ian Ackerman (drums). “I Don’t Blame the Rats” oscillates between creating air and suffocating the spaces through which it breathes. War Honey is a band that creates a lot of room in which they can play, and it’ll be curious to see where they take us next. [MB]
waveform*– Firework.waveform* play around with nostalgic emo, shoegaze and bedroom-pop sounds on this song, which all get turned on their head when the crescendo hits, recedes, and then returns again with a harder, grungy guitar sound. There’s a pretty nifty solo, too. This is the second single so far released from the upcoming Antarctica, which is out May 12th on Run For Cover. Read our thoughts on the first single, “Lonely.” [CW]
