Drowning in southern swagger and big city hooks, I’ve been a loooooong time fan of Night Spins. The “nice guys, mean music” quartet made up of Josh Brocki (vocals, guitar), Manquillian Minniefee (guitar, vocals), Jesse Star (bass, vocals), and Ace Jernigan (drums, vocals) just put out Woohoo, a punchy new three song EP that scratches all the right spots.
The title track brings with it some Mika vibes complete with a sing along party chorus that would have Grace Kelly herself bopping her head. “Pretending it’s a holiday all thru the storm,” Brocki has a sweet vulnerability and real soul when he sings “spend my time playing make believe. All the clouds fall places I can’t reach. And all my friends are just the best. We’re hanging til we’re black and blue like we never left.” It’s a song about sticking together alongside your friends and your heart through thick and thin, and the four Night Spins are about as true blue as they come.
“Cereal,” has Minniefee swapping lead vocals with Brocki on a simmering slower jam laid over an almost Jets to Brazilian guitar riff. It’s a slight departure and a step outside their usual sandbox, but it’s got a gentle earnestness in its sincerely. That, however contrasts with the far darker closer, “Big Black Book,” which feels far more sinister and nefarious in both lyric and tone. It lives in the same universe as previous songs like 2019 single “Pass the Salt,” and much like its predecessor, there’s remarkably controlled restraint in its execution, but when it punches, it really punches.
Woohoo comes at you quick, but the melodies will certainly live in your brain for days long after. Having been playing together for quite a while shows in the level of detail and theatrics the quartet brings to their artistry, not to mention the impressive energy captured in their live performances. At the end of the day, these are three songs by four guys who know how to swing wildly between silence and mayhem.
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], and Mike [MB] weighed in on some killer songs and have the scoop on plenty of new tunes, give ’em a listen!
A Very Special Episode– 5 Dollar Cover. Roll call! Wearing your blackest clothes? It’s like they already got my number. I don’t know a single person left in Brooklyn’s music community that hasn’t already drank the very special kool aid, forcing our favorite grifters…errr purveyors of self discovery to expand their reach beyond NYC’s five boroughs and up the Hudson Valley. The noise trio made up of Kasey Heisler (vocals, bass), Patrick Porter (guitar, vocals), and Chayse Schutter (drums, vocals) teamed up with King Pizza himself, Greg Hanson, to direct a pleasant-on-the-surface but disturbing AF new video for the third single,“5 Dollar Cover,” off their forthcoming record Freak Me Out (June 23 EWEL Records/ Hidden Home Records).
Beautifully shot and wonderfully vague in placing its retro era, the video is really a visual work of art. Hanson and the band gathered much of the KP family and friends together for a classic dinner party graciously hosted by Heisler herself. Playing with themes of conservative American suburbia and mid-century modern imagery, this soirée almost immediately displays an undercurrent of something far more sinister. The seemingly innocuous gathering shifts quickly toward the dark and chaotic as Heisler and her minions entrance the group absorbing them into mind collective.
The song itself cleverly plays on many of the bandnames woven thru the Brooklyn DIY scene/Bandnada/EWEL fabric, but it’s in fact details like those that speak volumes to the trio’s constant dedication to uplifting and supporting the community of which they are a cherished part. Whether or not you want to meet them at the rock show, you can always definitely count on them to play way too loud, but never too long. [MB]
Bethany Cosentino– It’s Fine. Best Coast is now on “indefinite hiatus” and singer Bethany Cosentino is about to release her debut solo album, Natural Disaster. The first single is the twangy, pop rock “It’s Fine” and she shares:
“When I look at all the artists I find most influential, the common thread is that they take risks and continue exploring different versions of themselves. My goal is to keep growing and challenging myself and living outside any kind of box, to keep on evolving as an artist and a person. And if anyone’s feeling stagnant, I hope this record inspires them to see what else life has to offer. It’s really scary to take those risks and make big changes in your life, but what you find on the other side can be so magical.”
She also shares on the decision to take a step away from her best known project:
My identity as a human being, and as an artist, has been so wrapped up in Best Coast for over a decade. The decision to pause the project indefinitely, and explore a new side of myself, was a very difficult one to make—but it felt necessary for me. Life is too short to not give yourself what you feel you need and want. I am excited about being just Bethany Cosentino for a while and figuring out who I am outside of the “Bethany from Best Coast” box I’ve lived in for such a long time.
I look forward to learning more about who Cosentino is outside of “Bethany from Best Coast” too. Natural Disaster will be out July 28 via Concord. [KH]
Boris and Uniform– You Are the Beginning. When multi genre metal heroes Boris went on tour with industrial rockers Uniform in 2019, the two bands fell into the habit of sharing an encore, and something clicked. So what happens when these two relentless groups combine forces on a full-length recording? “You Are the Beginning” gives us a first taste. Heavy metal chug, otherworldly solo guitar lines, dueling vocals—this track is a solid mid-tempo headbanger for the first half, and then the tempo picks up around two minutes in, and a double-time/double bass-drum frenzy erupts. The rest of the song churns punishingly like the world is fucking ending.
Fittingly, Boris and Uniform recorded “You Are the Beginning” in July 2020, with the pandemic still raging outside the studio walls. Despite the impending doom, the mood of this track is triumphant and fun, controlled chaos, kind of like harnessing the power of several tornadoes and living to tell the tale. The full album, Bright New Disease, will be out on Sacred Bones on June 16. [KB]
Claud– Every Fucking Time. The lead single from Claud’s upcoming second album, Supermodels, is a slice of singer-songwriter indie rock that pairs a catchy guitar tune with their melodic voice, and also features a fun video co-starring comedian Grace Kuhlenschmidt. Supermodels will be out 7/14 on Saddest Factory Records (Phoebe Bridgers’ personal label—Claud was actually the first artist signed on); catch them live 9/12 at Bowery Ballroom. [CW]
_Corvallis– Slate Wall. The instrumental post rock/shoegaze project of songwriter Matt Irving is back with a new single, “Slate Wall” and it picks up where the previous single “Union” leaves off, giving us a hypnotic, almost funky intro before heading into the sweeping wall of noise guitar sounds that are hallmarks of the genre. Fans of Caspian or Red Sparowes will find a lot to love here. [KH]
Gorgeous– Raindrop.Last week, the newest track from Gorgeous (the only band that’s ever made me love to count) errrr rain-dropped into my Spotify rotation and has been on heavy repeat ever since. We first heard a rougher take of this track on a 2021 split the band did with EIEIO, but this slicker reimagining is now the first single off their upcoming LP Sapsucker due out on 6/2. Unique in both style and sound, the NYC duo who calls themselves “a pop band because rock is dead and experimental noise punk in half and waltz and quintuple shuffle time is a hard sell,” is back with heavier lumbering swagger.
There’s deeper riffage this time around, making for a much more ominous showcasing of Dana Lipperman’s thicker and complex octave guitar tones while drummer Judd Anderman still holds down the fractured spine and odd timing breaks for which the band is well known. Their late 2019 LP Egg was one of my favorite releases that exploded into my universe before the world from apart, and these early indicators suggest a darker monster awaits us on this next record, and I’m both thrilled and terrified for its release. [MB]
High Pulp feat. Daedelus– (If You Don’t Leave) The City Will Kill You. Jazzy, groovy, and glitchy all at the same time, this track takes a hard left turn at the end, as the LA experimental jazz collective keeps listeners guessing. From the upcoming album Days In The Desert, which features such guests as Brandee Younger, James Brandon Lewis and Jeff Parker, and will be out July 28th on ANTI-. [CW]
The Hives– Bogus Operandi. Oh man, I was so excited to click play on this, and I was not disappointed. Energetic garage rock with fun hooks and frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist’s charismatic yell? Sign me up. Almqvist had this to say on The Hives first album in over a decade: ““There’s no maturity or anything like that bullshit, because who the fuck wants mature rock’n’roll?” Fucking amen. The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons will be out on August 11, and The Hives will be live at Racket on May 16th. [CW]
Hot Face– dura dura. Riffy, psychy post punk from the London trio who was just signed by Speedy Wunderground. The song takes a big turn around the 2:30 mark with wild guitar and a frantic arrangement kicking in that I can only imagine will whip live audiences into a foamy frenzy. This is the band’s debut single for the label and its got my attention. [KH]
Leone– Kiss Em Bye Bye. It’s not going too far out on a limb here to say Richie Bee Leone has one of the most beautiful voices in all of New York City right now. Following the success of his queer glam rock band, Deitre, LEONE marries elements of dance and pop with a alt-rock delivery. Much of last year’s “(thisbodyisntmine)” served as a heartbreaking debut and stunning display of raw emotion and true vulnerability to pain and loss many artists dare not explore so publicly in their work.
“Kiss Em Bye Bye,” signals LEONE’s return with masterfully anthemic pop-rock debut single prominently showcasing the same sharp-witted silver tongued delivery. More than an open heart goodbye song, it screams fuck you and struts forward wearing its scar tissue draped across its shoulders like a magnificent armor against past lovers. Not only does it feel that Leone has arrived and hit his stride here, but now standing alongside Tarik Merzouk (bass) and Brian del Guercio (drums), LEONE also feels like they’ve hit their stride and the day is not too far off that everyone is going to come running to say hello. [MB]
Monograms– Hi Low. One of the things I love about Monograms is that they’ve continued to regularly churn out music for the better part of as long as I can remember. This not only makes for quite an expansive and robust catalog of music in which fans can immerse themselves, but also has allowed frontman and multi-instrumentalist, Ian Jacobs, to really hone and perfect their sound. “Hi Low” is a metallic post-punk tune layered with electro-dancy bursts that explode in pockets over the driving backbeat. Think Big Bliss meets New Myths but also landing somewhere between Joy Division and The Bravery, and you’ll have nearly tapped into the the synaptic fibers Jacobs has so expertly pressed and connected to build out the Monograms universe. [MB]
Rancid– Don’t Make Me Do It. I admit the nostalgia factor got me on this one. I also admit that Rancid is a band that I have honestly had more of a tepid relationship with over the years because I’ve never particularly enjoyed any of the singers in this band. I’ve often said if they just had someone else singing, if even for just the ska songs, I’d like them a lot more…alas. But this song did hit me in the right spot and I loved Matt Freeman’s slinky bass sliding out on top of the racket of the guitars right from the get go.
Tim Armstrong takes lead vocals and the rapid fire pace of the song lends itself well to his tone/style; Rancid did ska pretty okay, but the punk bangers are always where I felt they excelled the most. (Its the slow songs that really grate on me when anyone in this band is singing; they’re punk vocalists and should write songs that play to those strengths rather than try to stretch themselves to a place where their vocals don’t fit, but I digress.) This one doesn’t exactly invent the wheel for the genre or the band but that’s not what people listen to Rancid for these days, is it? It will scratch that street punk of yore itch and that’s enough for me. Taken from the upcoming album Tomorrow Never Comes out June 2nd. [KH]
Sleepy Kitty– Do It Without Me.St. Louis turned NYC duo (sometimes trio), Sleepy Kitty, is quickly moving toward their long anticipated follow up to 2016’s Flux aptly titled Blessing/Curse due out later this year. The band is currently in Europe for the Summer playing shows in the UK and Paris and recording new music. This is the second single from the upcoming album (see our thoughts on “Bigger Picture” here), and it is concertedly more subdued and full of brooding simmer than its predecessor. The steady undercurrent of quiet feedback is washed over in strikes of textured tremolo, but wastes no time building quickly unnoticed to the epitome of grungy pop goodness.
Paige Brubeck (guitar, vocals) wonderfully layers her voice as the song opens up on the chorus, but it’s Evan Sult (drums) that continues to push the track forward and eventually pulls the whole thing sideways spinning into crescendo. The final minute of song is a storm of tightly wound chaos that Sult expertly unwinds unraveling into abrupt resolution. Sleepy Kitty is exploring exciting new song structures on their latest work without sacrificing their hook-driven pop sensibilities and still retaining the post-90s alt/indie elements that make them so damn good. [MB]
Strange Ranger– She’s On Fire. This song begins with floaty, effervescent synth ripples and a Cure-esque guitar hook, and by the time Isaac Eiger’s vocals kick in, you’ll be dancing, but wistfully. All four members of the band weave electronic layers throughout the song, playing with dynamics and complexity throughout the track for dramatic effect. In a statement from the band, Eiger describes the new single as an exploration of the disillusionment of growing up, and the realization that music is a grounding force in his life:
“When you’re young, it feels like life has a kind of arc to it and up ahead in the future, there’s some point where all your experiences converge and this fog of confusion will lift and you will have arrived. This is definitely not true and increasingly, music is the steadying hand I lean on when looking for meaning.”
The song has a mysterious video directed by Ben Turok, featuring the band on a night road trip through various parts of New York City. “She’s On Fire” is the second single off of the upcoming full-length release, Pure Music, due out via Fire Talk on July 21. [KB]
Suzie True– Keep in Touch. This is an incredibly catchy pop-punk song about having a crush that lives hundreds of miles away. The vocals start out dreamy and soft, but then the chorus kicks in with stronger guitar riffs, and the lyrical longing turns into frustration with the distance: “Maybe it’s just a stupid dream / I know you’d never change your life to be with me…I just wanna be touched, this distance is too much / I think of you all day and it fucks me up.” The single has an absolutely adorable video directed by Rae Mystic, which comes off like a sugar high at a slumber party full of giggles. Long distance heartache is actually fun with Suzie True. “Keep in Touch” is the second single off of the L.A.-based trio’s forthcoming album, Sentimental Scum (June 30 via Get Better Records). [KB]
Sweeping Promises– Eraser. I’ve been waiting for this single (and the forthcoming second album) from Sweeping Promises for a couple of years now, and at last, it’s here! “Eraser” begins with Lira Mondal’s fantastic voice (harmonizing with herself), and then the beat kicks in, Caufield Schnug’s guitar thrums with rhythmic precision, and the song bounces off the walls with the near-perfect post-punk energy we’ve come to expect from the duo now based out of Lawrence, KS. New developments in their sound here are a more prominent exploration of synths in the mix, as well as keen attention to how their recording environment impacts their sound. The band now lives and records in a large, airy studio in Kansas with high ceilings, and you can hear the natural reverb of their new space in “Eraser.” The full album, Good Living Is Coming For You, will come out on June 30, a co-release from Feel It and Sub Pop. [KB]
TEKE::TEKE– Doppelganger. These Canadian psych rockers just keep building excitement for their next release, Hagata. “Doppelganger” is a laid back, cinematic tune that brings to mind 60’s spy movie soundtracks with trembling guitar chords and moody woodwinds. Maya Kuroki sings about seeing our reflection in other people (“we’re all doppelgangers that don’t look like each other / but from the beginning / perhaps we’re all the same / each our own body / each our own story“) and I keep turning the line “outside the aquarium is the ocean” over and over in my head. Hagata will be out via Kill Rock Stars on June 9th. [CW]
The story behind Panchiko and their re-discovery and comeback has reached legendary status in Internet music circles. How could it not? It’s an inspiring tale with a happy ending: an enigmatic CD from an unheard of band recorded in 2000 was discovered in a used bin in 2016, and after a search spanning 4chan, Reddit, and Discord, the band was located in 2020. (Justin Whang has a good history on YouTube here.) Instead of simply acknowledging the record and maybe selling some copies on Bandcamp, Panchiko did what probably every musician who used to have a band in high school wishes they could do: they reunited and started making new music. And beyond any skeptical expectations…they’re still very good.
Failed At Math(s) has much in common musically with their first EP D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L and the second EP the band revealed existed, Kicking Cars. Partly this can be explained by some songs being demos from years past, but it’s also just Panchiko’s natural style, still strong after all these years. Yet there is a progression here, with evolving song construction and better realized compositions.
That first album had a nostalgic sound on mine and other’s first encounter two decades later because of the passage of time, but it was also forward looking back then, and this has helped Panchiko’s new music still feel fresh. Shoegaze, math rock, and even trip hop all come together in a melange of styles on Failed At Math(s), with an atmosphere that at times reminds me of Kid A era Radiohead. Fans of ambient music, lo-fi pop, and vaporwave styles that have become popular in the intervening years will also enjoy this album—one doesn’t need to know anything about the music that reigned when Panchiko first formed to enjoy this new record, and I think that shows what true talent these guys have that’s been lying dormant all this time.
The original lineup of Panchiko consisted of Owain Davies (vocals, guitar and sampling), Andrew Wright (guitar, keyboards and sampling), Shaun Ferreday (bass and effects), and a drummer named John; the first three are all here again, while Robert Harris has joined as a second guitarist and John Schofield provides the drums. For old schoolmates to click this well after two decades says something about the band’s artistic chemistry. They had this to say about reconvening:
Highly specialised conditions were cultivated in order to emulate the writing process of 20 years ago:
Sat on the sofa.
Surrounded by snacks.
Games consoles and music machines were sampled, lyrics mumbled and 3 chord progressions were strummed over drum loops and blips and bloops.
The title track “Failed At Math(s)” kicks right in with Panchiko’s now well-known signature sampling along with gentle vocal melodies, managing to be gliding and groovy and finger-snapping all at once on this “song about how the precursor to realising a vaguely acceptable, if still somewhat disappointing, end result, is acknowledging and casting off the patterns that lead us to fail over and over (and over) again.”
The single “Portraits” is languid yet angular, and according to the band “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.” A music video by animator Shunsaku Hayashi serves as a fitting complement.
This is followed by another single, “Until I Know,” which has one of the catchiest guitar riffs I’ve heard in recent years—I’m not lying when I say I can’t stop hitting repeat on this song, which is described by the band as “top down cruising misery pop.” Miserable or not, it’s also an instant classic.
The instrumental “Breakfast Seance” follows those three lead tracks, and feels like the soundtrack to a spy movie. “Find It” (A Song)” is synthy with a vocal melody that veers off into a nearly modern pop-R&B direction. Throughout the record, Davies’ voice is still gorgeous, going from a haunting croon on tracks like “Until I Know” to soaring heights on “Gwen Everest,” which aims perhaps the highest of all the tracks on Failed At Math(s), with shoegaze dynamics, epic guitars and punching drums, while lasting only a surprising 3 minutes. That’s the story for many of these songs, and the length usually works; the exception is “Think That’s Too Wise,” a fast, fuzzy song that I wanted a bit more of. (I also wanted more of that interesting bassline in the mix.)
“Rocking With Keith,” the only song that lasts more than around three and a half minutes, is a great choice of closer, an instrumental with a glitchy-piano intro, middle lull, and triumphant crescendo up to the end. Choosing to make Failed At Math(s) only eight tracks long works out: each song seems deliberately chosen with no filler. It would have been tempting for Panchiko to shoot what may be their only comeback shot and go big with a longer album, but they seem to have decided this was enough. Whether that’s because the record felt right at this length (and it does) or if that’s all they felt like doing, I’m unsure. I hope it’s the former, because I’d love to hear more albums from them in the future.
Panchiko (photo by Tom Morley)
The original members, only 16 and 17 when they first formed the band, obviously have their own lives now—Wright became a sound engineer and played in the band Swimming, Davies became an educator, and Ferreday (who had sold his guitars and not played music in years) became a tree surgeon. But they are touring now in support of Failed At Math(s), which shows that music still calls to them. They will be in NYC for two shows at Le Poisson Rouge on 5/30 and 5/31, and I’m looking forward to catching at least one of these. It’s a sentimental feeling, but I think once music lives inside you, there’s no real way to quench that flame. Panchiko appeal to me both behind the scenes and in my headphones, and if I’m honest, they inspire me.
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.
A true NYC band in many regards, Real Burn came together from all over elsewhere USA, and met at an Ovlov show in Brooklyn. A tale as old as time, lured by kismet and the energy of the Big Apple’s music scene, soon after they played their first show at the very same venue where they met. But this quartet, made up of Noah Swanson (vocals, guitar), Charlie Markowiak (guitar), Sumner Bright (bass), and Kota Young (drums), are more than just another NYC fairytale story.
Destiny Is Too Hard, their debut release, often feels like shoegazey Strokes. While quite full of rich guitar textures and low fuzzy vocals that in many ways transport the listener back to 2001 Bowery times, these songs also aren’t all about boozy rock n’roll tropes and drug-fueled bathroom meetups. The band explains that “Destiny Is Too Hard is a lament of youth as much as it is a Zoltar machine casting a future fortune of the unknown.”
From the opening track “Burner,” a catchy as hell mid tempo hit which is somehow both peppy and sleepy at the same time, there is an elevated artistic execution. But by the time you reach the simple yet killer main guitar riff on “Drip Dry,” you’re hooked for the whole ride. My favorite moments are where the band plays a bit more with space and frenetic tension as a counterbalance point, which is more apparent on songs like “CCX2” and “Sick Brain.”
Where DITH may not always soar quite as high and hit big budget production hooks, it doubles down on authenticity, carrying forward a universal voice of a wiser generation; one that sees the modern world as a rapidly deteriorating frightening place; one who can still find the fun in living, but knows it’s not always party time. I’m quite surprised Real Burn hasn’t already linked up with bands like Slow Fiction, O. Wake, and Church Crush, and started booking shows together all over the East Coast, because I think that there’s a collective sound there would command people from all over to stop and take notice of the young musicians occupying the stages of NYC.
Destiny Is Too Hard is out now and available on all major streamers.
