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!
A Very Special Episode–Heaven’s Gate. The Brooklyn based band has turned a fascination with the history of cults and their manipulative ways into this dark, throbbing banger of a track, where the music and haunting vocals build to a climax, then to a strange ominous ending. They’ll be promoting the release of the single with a show at Purgatory on February 24th with Leathered, Shadow Monster, and Debbie Dopamine. The video features appearances/cameos from several local musicians including our very own Mike Borchardt. [CW]
Aggressive Soccer Moms– Darling. Another spontaneous banger by the Swedish electro-post-punk duo that will have you confused as to whether you should pogo, or bang your head, or toss your arms in the air and just move your body. Whatever way you choose to go, it’s sure to elevate your mood and your day will be better for it. [MB]
Black Belt Eagle Scout–Space. The latest single from Swinomish musician Katherine Paul is a spacious song with interweaving guitar and strings, overlaid by Paul’s gorgeous voice. On the chorus she is backed by her parents, and notes she intended the song “for an audience as a way to sing melodies of healing and care for them.” The touching, meditative video depicts Paul and her father, a carver in the Coast Salish style, creating an eagle head from yellow cedar. The Land, The Water, The Sky will be out February 10th on Saddle Creek. She will perform in NYC on 4/15 at Baby’s All Right. Read some of our past coverage on her previous singles here and here. [CW]
Badge Grabber– The Tin Foil Hat Brigade. Aggressive digital hardcore about “DUMBASS FUKKIN CONSPIRACY THEORISTS LOL.” Singer/producer Riley Ponce certainly minces no words in the lyrics either, scathingly taking down Q-anon-eqsue fools and their ilk bent on the destruction of our planet. From an upcoming “nu album” due out next month. I’m ready for more abrasion from this project, how about you? [KH]
Beat Awfuls– Punks On The Dancefloor. The third single from the upcoming album, PAWS, features our narrator over top of a jangly mid-tempo indie pop, being self reflective (and perhaps a bit self deprecating) in a fuzz laden voice as he admits in the opening moments of the song: I will spin into a tornado / And destroy what lays in my way. And does he know why? Do we? The chorus perhaps gives us some insider knowledge but ultimately asks more questions? Do I really wanna tear it all down / What for / Because I’m bored / Or should I slam it on the ground / Bounce up and down in my Docs some more / Like punks on the dance floor. The album will release in full on 2/10. [KH]
ChumHuffer– Wasting Away. The NYC/Long Island punks have just announced their new album, Orgy of Hate, and released the first single, “Wasting Away.” Read more here. [KH]
Death Valley Girls– Magic Powers. This one is a bit moody, seeing the band leaning into the dreamy, gothy side of their sound which I’m all for. And while singer/guitarist Bonnie Bloomgarden does not take lead vocals on this track (she provides backups while bassist Sammy Westervelt does the lead), she shares the inspiration behind the lyrics which were penned together with Westervelt: “I was walking down the street, and all of the sudden it dawned on me that almost all the things that kids bullied me about, or I got in trouble for in school, or was told would make me never amount to anything, were actually my magic powers! My voice isn’t too high, or funny, it’s how I cast my spells! I’m not a bad student, I love learning, and being a seeker! And I’m not a crazy person with weird ideas, that will never fit into society, I’m a witch, and I have magic powers!” Did I say I was all for it before? Because being a cool goth garage punk witch with magic powers?! I’m really all for it.
The song comes paired with a video directed by Westervelt and recalls the pixelated video games of ye olden times of the 1980s. This is the third single from the upcoming album Islands In The Sky which will arrive in full on 2/24 via Suicide Squeeze. [KH]
Ducks Ltd– Invitation (Feelies cover). The band turn their trademark jangle and breezy vocals towards paying homage to The Feelies and say on their Bandcamp that it was “inspired by a Halloween performance in a Feelies cover band by guitarist Evan Lewis and several members of the Ducks Ltd live band.” Featuring Mo Troper and Julia Steiner of Ratboys, the harmonies and guitar work are a fitting tribute to the original from the 1991 album Time For A Witness.The single is part of a cover series called “The Sincerest Form of Flattery” and is out on Carpark Records. [CW]
[Editor’s note: I had a part time job working at Michael’s in Wayne, NJ almost 15 years ago now, and none other than Dave Weckerman of The Feelies was my co-worker. We unloaded trucks together every Thursday morning at 5am and it was a time!- KH]
Elita– She Bangs Like A Fairy On Acid. Described as a “Goth bedroom-pop band,” what really captured my attention when this came across my desk this week was this quote from guitarist/keyboardist Tim Rypien “I made this song at my parents house on Christmas Day. I was messing around with their digital piano trying to recreate the Unsolved Mysteries theme song. I missed the mark but thankfully the beat for “SBLAFOA” was born.” Being a huge fan of the 80s true crime show, I knew I had to take a listen. The music does certainly recall that iconic theme and is in the same dark vain, but definitely stands on its own, ominous yet nimble at the same time. On the lyrics, vocalist Elita shares “Timmy and I tried mushrooms for the first time before writing this song. I felt like I was living in a little fairy world and that totally inspired this song. I wrote the lyrics on Christmas too.”
Indeed, the song is dark and trippy, but the imaginary world contained within is less forbidding than it is a sexy and beguiling place, the lyrics recounting the tale of a drug fueled tryst in the woods with a fairy (which will no doubt appeal to many sapphic fans in particular). The song is part of the upcoming debut album, Dysania, due out on 3/22 via Opposition; the band will embark on a tour in early April that will see them hitting NYC on 4/8 at Elsewhere. [KH]
Gel– Attainable. The NJ hardcore band has released some killer EPs over the last few years (that made both our faves of 2021 and 2022 lists) and now have announced their debut full-length, Only Constant (3/31 Convulse), and released the first single, “Attainable.” The song sees them in the well hewn, raw and crusty hardcore territory they are so good at, but building upon their hallmark sound, adding in dance-punk choruses that have an almost electro feel to them for a really cool vibe.
In a press release, vocalist Sami Kaiser shared: “A lot of this record is about trying to live more of a happy and healthy life. I’ve been in recovery for alcoholism for the past couple years and really taking it seriously. I’ve learned a lot about myself and how to address negative feelings, and the album is about trying to let go of those self-destructive tendencies and embrace change.” [KH]
Lovecolor– Dangerous. I’ve been a big fan of songwriter/producer Vanessa Silberman since we first met shortly after she moved to NYC in early 2019 and we became fast friends. She’s been playing music alongside her musical partner, Ryan Carnes, for just as long, and while the world was sleeping and we’ve all been slowly coming back to life the past few years, the duo has been hard at work creating what would become Lovecolor.
The pair has an undeniable musical chemistry writing catchy dark pop/dance rock magic, and their debut single under the glow of its fluorescent retro-futuristic music video directed by Cosmos Kiindarius makes quite the first impression.
It’s important to Silberman that they do something special and say something meaningful. “Dangerous,” Silberman says “is about a few things—one being attraction and being so completely drawn to someone that it’s almost dangerous, in a way. On the other hand, its message is really about exposing your entire self and being completely fearless and vulnerable, by embracing every aspect of who you are.” Carnes adds: “To me, ‘Dangerous’ speaks to the idea of being fully awake, aware, alive and sharp in a world where parts of society and culture wish us to remain dull and asleep.“ [MB]
Middle-Aged Queers– Anal Beads. The sassy Bay Area queer-core band has released a brand new song just in time for Valentine’s Day and it leaves little to the imagination! Read more here. [KH]
Model/Actriz– Amaranth. The Brooklyn based experimental industrial band are releasing their debut full length, Dogsbody, soon and have shared the third single, the delightfully abrasive “Amaranth.” Be prepared to be pummeled with rapid fire beats and jittery, gasoline doused guitar for three minutes straight. In other words, this song is not for the faint of heart but certainly for the adventurous among us. Dogsbody will be released on 2/24 via True Panther. The band will play new NYC venue, Racket, on 4/20. [KH]
Tami Hart– Thanks For Saying Hi. Many moons ago when I was a baby queer in the early aughts, I became familiar with Tami Hart’s work via Mr. Lady Records, a now defunct lesbian run label that released some crucial albums in my life (and countless other queers I’m sure) between 1996 and 2004. Two of those albums were Hart’s No Light In August (2000) and What Passed Between Us (2002). I saw her play a few times from 2000 to around 2003ish and over the years I would dip back into those albums from time to time, both having remained personal favorites to this day, but no new solo music arrived from Hart after 2002. (Making Friendz was a 2011 solo project yes, but as a lo-fi electro project, it had a distinctly different vibe than the singer-songwriter, country twinged feel of the earlier releases.)
And though she wasn’t releasing solo music, she was hardly idle musically after those first two records either and has been involved with a number of other projects. Via Spotify her bio states “From the mid-2000’s-2010’s Tami could be found in bands like Winning Looks, MEN, and Sextional, as well as solo project Making Friendz. In 2017 Tami co-founded Teen Vice with Joshua Ackley of Brooklyn-based punk band The Dead Betties. 2022 saw Tami return to solo releases and performances.”
Indeed, 2022 saw her starting to release solo music under her own name again, with a collection of demos and a single, “Sorry For Your Heart,” coming over the course of the year. I was unaware of this until I recently saw her name start to pop up on show flyers and realized “oh shit, new music!” Now Hart is preparing to release a brand new EP in April on Cruisin Records and has released the first single, “Thanks For Saying Hi.”
This one is a delightful full circle moment, returning to the sound of her very early releases, full of sweet harmonies and twang. Via Bandcamp Hart says the EP is “a game of country mouse and city mouse, as both love letter to New York City with twinges of post punk as well as a deep bow to her Southern upbringing with heart on sleeve echoing of country melodies.” I for one am looking very forward to hearing more and catching a live show for the first time in over 20 years! (I personally missed her recent show with Ted Leo because I had to work, but our very own Ray Rusinak was on hand and you can check out pics here.) [KH]
Whenwolves– Minutes. We premiered the band’s latest electro groove this week from their upcoming EP, Recon For The Weirdos, and you can read more about that here. [MB]
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.
It’s the first BC Friday of 2023 and we’re stoked for another big year of killer tunes. We had a bunch of great lists over the course of 2022 which you can peruse for plenty of inspiration on variety of tunes for you to explore. Check them out here: April, May, June, September, October, November and December.
Kate Hoos- Editor In Chief
Debbie Downers– Eat My Skorts. I’m not sure if this bratty Australian punk band ever released anything else, but I love this EP which I happened upon randomly while searching for something else on the Helta Skelta Records BC page (they have a bunch of other cool releases you should check out too, most notably Gaffer‘s demo which was a BC Friday score for me in 2020). And who doesn’t love a happy accident?! Described on the page as “6 tracks of short, fast and choppy DIY punk following a similar route to bands such as Kleenex/Liliput and the Petticoats” that’s a very apt descriptor. This was released in 2018 and as of yet I haven’t found anything else by them, but here’s hoping more is soon to be revealed!
Mr. Marcaille– No Snare No Headache. The internet, oh the internet. It’s an unyieldingly horrible cesspool most of the time, but every so often, your nightly doomscroll can pay you in large dividends. Just such a thing happened to me recently when I was on Instagram and saw a video of a dude playing a cello in his underwear while simultaneously playing drums with his feet and screaming…to which I said SIGN ME UP! The video didn’t show a name but eager to learn more, I googled “cello metal dude” and was quickly met with an article titled “Watch This Nearly Naked Bloke Play Death Metal On A Cello In The Park” from the NZ website The Rock (which seems to have the similar gonzo-esque/snarky approach to things that I have been more heavily leaning into lately, so you know I loved it). The article also yielded said undie clad cello metal bloke’s name, Mr. Marcaille.
I’m just starting to dig into his catalog, but there is just something so soothing about listening to a one man death metal band scream the perfect ode to navigating NYC on an given day “Fuck Off and Die” (that’s not what the song is really about, rather my personal interpretation). He is currently in the number one spot of my list of bands I absolutely must see. There are many videos of him playing shows and festivals around Europe on YouTube and I will be watching the Internet swamp like a hawk for the news that he is heading to the hellfire shores of Murica.
Various– If The 20th Century Didn’t Exist It Would Be Necessary To Invent It. This came out in 2002 on the now defunct label 5 Rue Christine (which at the time was an offshoot/the more experimental arm of Kill Rocks Stars) and I was recently reminded of it when I was thinking about my first introduction to Lightning Bolt when I was writing up their December show in Brooklyn (see pics).
Repeating what I said in that writeup about it: That time period was sort of the end of the heyday of the cheap record label/zine comps where you could get 20-25 songs for a few bucks and discover all sorts of new shit to explore, perhaps even finding your new favorite band. It was always (and still is) supremely satisfying to strike musical gold this way, much more so than playlists are now or downloading random MP3s were during the same era. You got the “brand assurance” of knowing the label or zine releasing it so you could bank on the fact that it probably was good/well curated, but you still had to have a little skin in the game and make a bit of an investment which yeah, sometimes turned out to be a bust, but a lot of times it paid off in spades. And pay off that comp surely did, I played that CD over and over again until it eventually got lost, but I never forgot the music I learned about from it.
This comp was my first introduction to many bands I went on to love: Lightning Bolt, The Sick Lipstick, Dilute, Generic aka The Advantage, Deerhoof and more. It will get you a lot of bang for your buck and I highly recommend it. (If CDs are more your thing, you can also get a copy on Discogs for a pretty good price, something I think I probably will do soon. I’ve been recently re-buying a lot of these 90s/early aughts comps—or picking up some for the first time—since they were so formative for me discovering new stuff in that era.)
DAKTYLOI– Mineral Screen. “An ecstatic slush binder.” Ambient sounds made by manipulating everything from tape, vinyl and an Assmann Universa dictation machine.
Dylan Mars Greenberg– BADWORLD. Greenberg is a local transgender musician and video artist who I was lucky enough to catch live recently. Here you’ll find 80’s synth sounds with a glimmer of Magnetic Fields. The melodies on these songs are insanely catchy. Watch out for next time she plays a show.
Miami Nights 1984– Sentimental. Nostalgia-tinged synthy beats for driving down the neon-washed streets.
SKYBRIDGE– VICTORY IS LIFE. Skybridge is a NYC-based production duo that I came across on a Tumblr blazed post. The soundtrack to the best racing video game you’ve never played. Expect synths and wild guitar licks.
Edwina Hay- Contributing Photographer
7ebra– I Have a Lot to Say. I received a press release for this Swedish duo’s 7″ and from the first few seconds of “I Have a Lot to Say,” I needed to hear more and purchased their two songs digitally.
Billy Nomates– CACTI. I first learned of Billy Nomates (née Tor Maries; her name is slang for someone who doesn’t have friends) thanks to Sleaford Mods and CACTI, her second album was released on Friday, January 13th and I’m very much looking forward to hearing these songs live in May.
Bratmobile– Discography. I previously owned The Real Janelle and Pottymouth on CD and cassette by Bratmobile respectively. I recently received a Bandcamp notification from Kill Rock Stars offering a discount on the entire discography on Bandcamp and it was an easy decision for me to buy all four releases digitally.
Cities Aviv– Man Plays The Horn./Working Title For the Album Secret Waters.
I had no idea Cities Aviv was releasing music again, but thanks to this piece by Blake Gillespie for Bandcamp Daily, I’m planning on picking up his latest releases on Bandcamp Friday.
Fatboi Sharif & Roper Williams featuring ELUCID– Scrabbleboard Pieces. Fatboi Sharif is a rapper from NJ who has teamed up with producer Roper Williams again. The duo seems pretty unstoppable right now and have recruited Brooklyn’s ELUCID for this exciting track released in January.
Sleepies– Smhoakstock. Brooklyn band Sleepies performed during Smhoakstock XII (the last and final one) and have released an EP of their performance which closes with a cover of The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait.”
The Cult of Chunk– Cult Answering Machine. As they head out on their first extensive tour of the United States to spread the word of Chunk, learn what you can do help back here on the home front. Kool Aid? Oh yeah!
Ilithios– Panic. This EP didn’t get the vinyl treatment as its beautiful LP predecessor Florist, but it packs a mean punch so it’s most definitely worth scooping up in digital format.
Ray Rusinak- Contributing Photographer
Arbor Labor Union– Yonder. This Atlanta quartet has been putting out music which they refer to as “transcendental twang” since 2016. That’s quite an apt description of what you’ll hear on Yonder. If you’re a fan of artists such as Ryley Walker or Garcia Peoples with their cascading guitar dominant cosmic neo-psychedelia, then Yonder ought to be right up your alley.
Isaac Alexander– Future Sanctuary 1 and Future Sanctuary 2. Little Rock’s very own Isaac Alexander attempted a quirky marketing trick with FS1&2. He released #1 at 11:59 PM on December 31, 2022 and #2 at 12:00 AM on January 1, 2023. I’m not sure if this little trick garnered much more in the sales of these two albums but I will say that the songs which pack these two discs speak for themselves. Between the two you get 24 well crafted songs that are introspective and thought provoking. Presented in a relatively (for the most part) quiet and soft singer/songwriter style within the Americana genre, Alexander, who runs and operates a Little Rock advertising agency as his day job ought to appeal to fans of Water Liars or Father John Misty.
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!
Bodywash– Massif Central. The first single from the Montreal post punk duo’s just announced second album, I Held the Shape While I Could due out 4/14 via Light Organ. Chris Steward shares the inspiration behind the heavy subject matter addressed in the poignant and ethereal track:
“After eight years living in Canada, in the Spring of 2021, a government clerical error caused me to lose my legal status here,” Steward explains. “As a UK national, I lost my right to work. My savings trickled away during months where I could do little but pace the corners of my apartment. I was prepared to pack my bags and leave as the life I’d hoped to construct for myself seemed to vanish into a bureaucratic abyss.”
“‘Massif’ is the sound of wailing into a cliff and not knowing if you’ll hear an echo,” continued Steward. “The spoken word is inspired by a squirrel that was trapped in the wall behind my bed, clawing its way to salvation. With the help of friends, family, music, and a few immigration lawyers (and the rest of my savings), I’m now a permanent resident here. But this song remains as testament to my experience with an exploitative institution.” [KH]
Cameron Castan– Two Point Oh. Cammy is back with another synth driver, “Two Point Oh.” On the first release following their beautifully executed 2022 LP Show Me, Castan has indeed come back with the upgrade installed. Chunkier keys command attention over airier melodies, so the beat feels heavier this time around. Castan somehow once again manages to perfectly capture the feeling of being young in Bushwick. “Kissed me in the bathroom. Could never keep a secret… All I do is fuck off. Go and take my shirt off. See somebody I don’t like, and I’m about to mouth off. Told me that I’m too raw. Caught me with a new broad…” Whether you’re dancing all night in the club, stumbling through the bars, or awkwardly alone in the corner at the back of the show, it’s the same limitless freedom mixed with a crushing vulnerability that makes this track so damn authentic and relatable. [MB]
Cat Clyde– Papa Took My Totems. Coming in strong with the third single from her upcoming album, Down Rounder, this one is a bouncy and catchy offering with killer drums, hot guitar licks, and sexy organ accentuating the focal instruments. The previous two singles, the piano driven “I Feel It,” and the folky, country indie “Mystic Light,” each have a different feel and these three songs nicely show the range of Clyde’s songwriting skills. But don’t let the peppier nature of this song fool you to think it’s not about a serious subject as it explores the “ravaging effects of colonialism, the state of the environment, and masculine-dominated society at large.”
Clyde says she was inspired in part by her Indigenous Métis heritage and elaborates: “There’s a lot of sacredness that’s being destroyed in the world, and that’s difficult to deal with sometimes. Totems, to me, feel like places and things that are important and real, to witness the destruction of things like that is devastating.” Down Rounder will be out 2/17 via her own label, Second Prize Records. [KH]
Coffee Nap– Pet Sounds! The Song!/Future Project. A departure from previous releases that tended toward acoustic storytelling and instrumentals, the new single from Coffee Nap (Greenpoint-based musician Mike Nowotarski) is a synthy, narrative song that does indeed namecheck the Beach Boys, with a speak-singy intro that gives way to a bop about watching a friend move to California. (“You’re a New York girl at heart I know, but for now I’ll let things be.”) The second track is a slice of experimental pop, just over a minute and a half in length but lovely. Nowotarski notes he was inspired by Terror Pigeon, and that the guitar sounds were mostly created “using household objects like a spoon or matches.” [CW]
Deep Wimp– Too Much. Too much is never enough when it comes to Deep Wimp. Bringing me back to all my late 90s indie feels, it’s just dirty enough to be cool, but clean enough to play for your mom. The Brooklyn quartet has been knocking it outta the park the past couple years consistently dropping fun guitar hook driven singles at a time when we can all use some fun. Check out our thoughts on their previous single, “Plume” another catchy slice of awesome. [MB]
Deary– Fairground. The debut single from this UK band is a quirky slice of dream-pop that looks backward but also remains quite present. The production feels nostalgic, particularly the breakbeat drums, while Dottie’s Cocteau Twins-esque vocals swirl around like a carousel. “As a kid,” Dottie says, “I found fairgrounds incredibly overwhelming, an entanglement of anxiety and perplexity. This is how London feels to me now.” Stateside, they’ll be in Chicago on Jan 28th, and if you happen to be in London, catch them Feb. 2nd at The Waiting Room. [CW]
Fake Names– Expendables. This post-hardcore supergroup is back with another single, this time the title track from their upcoming second album, and they are just as fun and catchy as ever. We covered their last EP here and Fake Names have kept what works from their previous music, presenting here a punchy, drum driven track with a chantable chorus. A band whose members have Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Refused, Fugazi, Girls Against Boys, Rites of Spring, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, and more on their resumes obviously know what they are doing! Producer Adam “Atom” Greenspan has brought the pop influences forward but there is more than enough punk in this track to satisfy. Expendables is out on Epitaph March 3rd. [CW]
Fat Heaven– Quarter Life Crisis. The Brooklyn trio who’s better at being unapologetically pop-punk than almost anyone in the business is back with a new catchy as hell song and accompanying music video off their new Pete Steinkopf (Bouncing Souls) produced record,Trash Life, coming out Feb 24 via Sell the Heart Records. Stacked with so many friends who’ve come up with band over the years, the video plays out like a Fat Heaven basement show, which if you’ve ever been, you know is one helluva party! Hopefully all the partying doesn’t catch up with them too hard, as we indeed hope they all live to the ripe old age of 120 years old. [MB]
Jess Kallen– The Knife. A country twinged, laid back folk rocker that addresses Kallen’s “competing desires for freedom and stability,” and I don’t know about anyone else, but that feels reeeeally relatable. The chorus packs an emotional gut punch as they declare “the knife in my back is coming out clean.” This is the second single from their upcoming debut album which is due out this spring and we are anxiously awaiting more details on that. [KH]
Junior Bill– Boys From Jungle. The Cardiff based band are known for their slick dub grooves in the vein of UK legends The Clash, and while that is the case here too, they have cleverly combined it with a with a bit of a grittier and punkier sound for an infectious and angular post punk jam. Big beats announce the onslaught of catchy guitar and this one will having you rocking in your chair like I was typing this up or better yet, bouncing around the dance floor.
The long running group led by frontman Rob Nichols have released many singles and EPs over the years which have garnered the band praise—and opening tour slots for Supergrass in 2019—and now they are ready to release their proper debut full length, Youth Club!, later this year. I’m certainly ready to hear more and look forward to catching them at a show either here in the US, or in one of my annual UK journeys because I already know this band is going to be a load of fun live. [KH]
King Bug– Lights. The debut track of the newest live incarnation of Brooklyn shoegaze project (former solo bedroom pop) straight from the mind of multi instrumentalist/composer Eddie Kuspiel, the king bug himself, is quite the infectious earworm. The guitar hook will have you bopping and humming for days while the bassline/kick drum sucks you into the vocal and before you know it, you’ve been hooked. It’s like TVOD, Cult of Chunk, and Color Tongue got together and wrote a party anthem…and that’s actually not too far from what actually happened since members of all those groups (and more) make up the newly assembled live band. A release show will happen tomorrow Sat 1/28 at Brooklyn Made with The Silk War, Sharkswimmer and Real Burn. [MB]
Pearla– Unglow The. The final single from Pearla’s upcoming debut album is a lilting folk country romp with poetic lyrics exploring anxiety over mortality, until it gives way to a massive crescendo, all swirling guitars and riotous drumming. It occupies a space between the more traditional composition of “About Hunger, About Love” and the somewhat unstructured “The Place With No Weather” (which we covered here and here); if these and the other singles encompass what to expect from the album, it should prove to be a gorgeous debut. Oh Glistening Onion, The Nighttime Is Coming will be out Feb 10 on Spacebomb Records. [CW]
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs– Ultimate Hammer. Are you ready to headbang? I’m ready to headbang. Good thing the stoner/psych/doom noise kings have us covered here with the second single from their upcoming new album, Land of Sleeper. The riffs are heavy, the vibes are highhhhh and I for one can’t wait to feel the full force of them playing this live at their upcoming show at Saint Vitus on 3/11. [KH]
Sally Hatchet– Habitat. Katie Glasgow’s alter-ego has finally taken its form in the physical world by way of Sally Hatchet. Furthermore breaking into digital realm as well with their debut release “Habitat,” an ethereal dark indie track that rocks just as hard as it does float through the air. Falling somewhere near the intersection of Tracy Bonham and The Breeders this is a proper introduction to Glasgow’s cool new project and nods hopefully to more vulnerable and nostalgic feels to follow. [MB]
Semaphore– Smother. Semaphore may take inspiration from the classic shoegaze sound, but there’s a lot more emoting in these songs than you might expect. Singer Siddhu Anandalingam says “there’s a disaffectedness to a lot of shoegaze… We want to actually reach our audience.” This single off the upcoming I Need A Reason To Stay certainly cuts like a knife, buzzing guitars underpinned by a hard-hitting rhythm section, with Anandalingam’s voice ranging from soft to an almost scream, as he pleads “quit claiming it’s temporary.” The album is out March 24th. [CW]
Long live the early week night show! We were thrilled to catch an early evening at Elsewhere this Thursday night with a trio of bands playing powerhouse fuckin rock. FTA faves Desert Sharks kicked the night off and the really nice sound system at the venue made every aspect of their set pop, from Stephanie Gunther’s rich and bold alto on lead vocals, coupled with guitarist Cait Smith’s killer harmonies which sounded big and clear, to Sunny Veniero shredding the fuck out of her guitar on lead and all backed by rock solid beats from drummer Rebecca Fruchter.
The band does have a lot of new songs that they had been playing recently, but owing to the shorter set times (early venue curfew is real), those songs were absent and they stuck to more of the material from their excellent 2019 record, Baby’s Gold Death Stadium. Their cover of “Voices Carry” is always great and they closed with the garagey banger, “Sorceress.” The even more exciting thing though, is that they are getting ready to reveal new music and will soon begin releasing singles from their upcoming record, The Tower. They recently filmed a music video and we here at FTA are very excited to hear/see all the things!
The bluesy indie duo and old Chicago pals of FTA, North by North, hit the middle spot of the night. They treated the audience to a sweaty, high energy set propelled by hot guitar licks and the cool, deep and booming, super unique voice of guitarist Nate Girard, who was backed by his partner in crime, Kendra Blank on drums. They just started out on a lengthy tour that will take them through the spring and total 69 shows; Girard quickly reminded the crowd “that’s a sex number” which was met with chuckles, a few groans and maybe perhaps….a moan?! They played songs from their most recent record, 2020’s Get Weird, and the 2022 single, “Baby’s On Fire.”
Indie emo pop two piece, Caravela, took the stage for the final set of the night and brought a big presence to the stage despite being a two-piece band. This was our first time catching them and singer/guitarist Frank Graniero gave a dynamic performance backed by his brother, Stephan, who had just as dynamic a performance behind the drumkit. They utilized an array of backing tracks, adding more guitar lines and bass to the mix to fill in their sound. We’ll be digging into their recorded catalog, which is extensive and dates back to 2014, with the most recent being Easy Hell, released not long ago in November 2022.
All this and out by 9:45 on a school night! Can’t beat that!
Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)
FTA first reported on the infectious disco-infused synth bass driven “Less From You,” the sleaze dance party single from We Are Scientists, back in the fall (read here) and we’ve been locked in for the ride ever since. For years their catchy songs about being damaged and the excesses of youth/young adulthood have captured hearts and minds while also having had the unique opportunity to grow up alongside their fans. And their eighth album, Lobes, explores the journey the band has been on during those years.
Vocalist/guitarist Keith Murray said via a press release “there was definitely a period in my life when I thought being jaded was cool” going on to say “I was incredibly steadfast in my beliefs.” Having had his pessimism proven wrong so many times in life, Murray says it’s been impossible to “really maintain that full-throttle cynical outlook into adulthood. Sure, whittling down my pessimism has meant that I don’t get to enjoy the peculiar pleasure of having my own rotten expectations subverted quite as often, but ‘Less From You’ celebrates the greater delight of having my already-high hopes exceeded.”
The album’s lead single, “Operator Error,” a song that the band says is about how Murray “has a big mouth” which he confirmed by elaborating “I have a tendency to deliver hot takes and to get extraordinarily overheated about utterly inconsequential things,” features the tenants of their classic sound but in a more refined and mature way than the singularly guitar driven sounds of their earlier work. Indeed, the song serves as a bridge between their previous lighter release, Huffy, and the darker Lobes, letting you know right away what the album is about. Swimming in chunky synths and a dance-driven bassline, it serves as an entry point to the album which is their synthiest and most electronic record to date.
The band says the album was born out of an exuberance of enthusiasm and euphoric creativity that resulted from recording and producing that last record themselves from their Midtown Manhattan studio amidst the Covid lockdowns. They share that “the lyrics for Lobes were written over a stretch of two to three years. Though the origins of the first songs began around the same time as Huffy, they exist in entirely different musical universes.”
The ensuing singles served to offer even more texture to the band’s range of influences. A slower groove, “Lucky Just To Be Here,” goes from quiet and contemplative to epic and sweeping and back again in just under five minutes, showcasing all the things this band is great at—big emotions and deep grooves all wrapped into one. “Settled Accounts” flies high on the disco stratosphere and pairs perfectly with the disco romp of “Less Than You,” both with straight out of the 70s nightclub bass lines courtesy of bassist Chris Cain.
Other highlights include “Turn It Up” a slice of straight up sexy dance pop about seeing how far you can take it with a new lover reminiscent of their early party time anthems “I wanna see this thing bend/ Just as far as we can both withstand/ I wanna see this thing bend/ So, can we let it keep getting out hand?” Its opposite is perhaps “Miracle of ’22,” which closes the album out. This is much less a party and more a tune that offers a reflective take, exploring the chaos and confusion of the world we currently inhabit and the grinding painful feeling of never being able to escape but still having a grain of hope, maybe. While dark, it is surely something we can all relate to particularly over the last several years of everything we have collectively endured: “I guess I’m running out of time/ I’m gonna have to make my move/ If I somehow make it out alive/ It’ll be the Miracle of ’22” eerie sounding autotune on Murrary’s voice amplifying the feeling of being lost.
We Are Scientists is a band that has always been fun and dark and groovy and chaotic all at the same time; their anthems to youthful excess and drunken decadent partying are classics of the early aughts that still resonate today. They have grown a lot over the course of eight albums and keep re-inventing themselves in the process, but somehow the songs on Lobes have the familiar feel going all the way back to their first album, With Love And Squalor. The songs serving as a warm welcome and a reminder that the gritty underbelly of the city (and its nightclubs) is never far away and neither are the blood and emotion pumping through our veins.
Lobes is available now and available on all major streamers. The band is currently on tour in support of the album, see our coverage of the release show.
