by FTA Staff | Feb 17, 2023
Each week a ton of new music comes out, and between our weekly singles column that gets posted every Friday, and the full album reviews throughout the week, plus live show reviews and news announcements, we get to a lot! Here’s a quick fire list of even more great albums and EPs that came out this week(ish) that we dug and think you should get on your radar too.
Big Laugh– Consume Me. Released last week via Revelation, this is some no fuckin nonsense hardcore that rips and rages, with plenty of BIG riffs, dirty bass lines and drum fills. The Milwaukee based band ticks a lot of heavy boxes for me and packs ten songs into 19 minutes. “Shadow Figure,” “Square One” and the title track are all strong standouts. [KH]
Free Range– Practice. The project of 18-year-old Chicago-based musician Sofia Jensen, this is their debut full length after a series of demos and singles. Laid back indie with a nice dose of alt-country to create an album which makes for perfect company on a long afternoon stroll. “Keep In Time,” “All My Thoughts” and “Traveling Show” are the standouts for me and represent the best of Jensen’s subtle touch and pop sensibilities. [KH]
Grade 2– self-titled. Out today via Hellcat, this is some classic 90s pop punk meets high energy Britpop in all the right ways. I’m also a big language nerd so was very excited to learn the meaning of the word “brassic,” which apparently is Cockney rhyming slang for being “skint,” which for us Americans who don’t spend a lot of time in the UK, is yet another slang term and it means being broke. The song “Brassic” is also pretty damn catchy as is the album, which is packed with songs that will sure to be sing along favorites at their live shows. [KH]
Keefchamber– Ingurgitate Reality. The two piece doom metallars from NJ have released a brand new four song EP, Ingurgitate Reality, and this one sees them changing up their sound. They’ve moved away from the slow drone bass dooooom dirges of their earlier releases to a faster paced guitar driven sludge punk that still leans heavily on their strong metal chops. I’m totally here for it and you should be too. [KH]
Narrow Head– Moments of Clarity. I said this in an earlier review I wrote for the single “Gearhead,” and it still rings true so here we go again: “This band does the hazy grungegaze sound so well, I almost swear I’m back in the waning days of summer 1995 when I got my first taste of You’d Prefer An Astronaut. While this band does draw heavily on influences from the 90s and I hear a lot of Hum’s (and Deftones) influence in their sound, they are firmly of the now and stand shoulder to shoulder with the earlier pioneers of heavy shoegaze.”
Of course I mean this as the utmost compliment because I have loved Hum for a really long time and to see their legacy live on in newer bands is a real treat. The full album does not disappoint and aside from “Gearhead” and the title track, “Sunday” is a real winning highlight for me. I’m definitely looking forward to catching them live in 2023. [KH]
Negative Blast– Echo Planet. My first intro to this San Diego band was the single “Trauma Bond” which I loved. The band shares that the song “is a pulverizing punk ripper about the human machine that trades life for profit through control, trauma and warfare. The words explore what fuels the parasitic nature that compels those to hold power and subjugate others into a life of violence and suffering.” The rest of the album also rages equally as hard and other standouts are “Carbon Copy” and “No Trust” which features some of the catchiest guitar work on the record. This one was a great head clearer and I definitely need to hit the pit the next time they head out to the East Coast. [KH]
Nhomme– 一種の過音 This one is a bit of a roller coaster of feels and styles and plays out as mathy jazz meets frantic screams with rapid fire rhythms that at times seem to be fighting one another before suddenly spinning back around to be perfectly in sync. Reminds me of if a more intense Volta Do Mar had a baby with Hella and made it listen to a bunch of screamo. I just wish this was longer than three songs. The band has thus far only released singles and EPs but here’s hoping a full length is in the near future. [KH]
Pile– All Fiction. The latest from Rick Macguire’s Pile is out today via Exploding In Sound and features a wide variety of feels across its ten songs. From the woozy album opener “It Comes Closer” followed by the trippy “Loops” to the heavier “Poisons” and the ominous and disjointed “Nude With A Suitcase,” there’s a little something for everyone here. The band will play a pair of shows at TV Eye on 3/1 and 3/2. [KH]
Posh Swat– Posh Swat. The ever prolific Osees band leader John Dwyer always seems to be up to something creative, and during the pandemic unleashed a number of experimental releases. He is back with another new experimental group, Posh Swat, which sees him rejoining forces with drummer Ryan Sawyer and percussionist Andres Renteria both of whom he collaborated with in Gong Splat. Today their self titled debut is out and the instrumental songs blend elements of jazz and trippy improvisations, with the drums and percussion taking a lot the central role throughout. There’s definitely a lot to take in here and it’s going to take me a few listens through with headphones to absorb a lot of it but I can already tell this is going to be a strong contender for a spot on my favorites of 2023 list. [KH]
Screaming Females– Desire Pathways. The venerable NJ band released their 8th album via Don Giovanni today and we can’t wait to dig in. We’ll have more to say soon but you definitely need to get this in your ears ASAP. [KH]
Shonen Knife– Our Best Place. The Japanese punk n roll icons have been a band for more than 40 years and continue to pound out cool jams you’ll want to pogo all night to. Our Best Place is full of super fun in the sun bops and has me longing to shake off the doldrums of winter to hit some summer outdoor haunts with this as my soundtrack. [KH]
Still Depths– Best plan for your life. The name of this band is a lie because they do anything but “stay still,” rather vacillating wildly through styles—noise, post punk, glitchy electro— and this Canadian trio has made some deeply arty and experimental shit. They’ve also made some shit that’s really interesting and really good. My favorites are the pairing of “Outsmart Aging” and the title track which together close out the album. This one will leave you gasping for breath and definitely wanting more. [KH]
Stormo– Endocannibalismo. Equal parts noise, metal and with a healthy dash of screamo and punk, this Italian band pours all of these elements into a math rock blender and hits the highest setting; the result is Endocannibalismo, their first new album since 2019’s Finis terrae. Aside from a cover they did for the brilliant Fugazi tribute comp, Silence Is A Dangerous Sound (they covered “Break”), this was my first full intro to the band and I most definitely will be hitting that back catalog very soon. As for this record it is unflinchingly intense, I can only imagine the feeling of the chaos that their live show must be. Hopefully they’ll get over to the States soon so I can find out. [KH]
Unwed Sailor– Mute The Charm. The latest from the long running post rock band from Seattle came out last Friday on Spartan Records. Building on their existing body of work, Mute The Charm, gets right to the core of what this band has always done so well—hit you in your heart strings with the sweeping instrumentals. From the hopeful album opener “Windy City Dreams” to echoey “London Fog” (the longest song on the album) all the way through the title track which closes the album, there’s a lot to dig into and reflect upon while listening. [KH]
Check out these other recent reviews for even more new music:
Single Serve 030
Single Serve 031
Beat Awfuls- PAWS
better living- crush
Black Belt Eagle Scout- The Land, The Water, The Sky
Cat Clyde- Down Rounder
El Ten Eleven- Valley of Fire
Lily Mao & the Resonaters- Human Being Animal
M(h)aol- Attachement Styles
Pigs x 7- Land of Sleeper
Quasi- Breaking The Balls of History
Yo La Tengo- This Stupid World
by FTA Staff | Feb 10, 2023
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!
Algiers– 73%. The third single from the upcoming album, SHOOK, is as lithe as it is intense. You never quite know what you’re going to get from one song to the next with Algiers—each single from the album released so far has had a different feel/vibe—and I mean this as a supreme compliment as it is a direct reflection of their strength and skill as musicians and songwriters. Rare is the band that can do so much without getting lost along the way and be so impactful in the process. SHOOK is out 2/24 via Matador. They will next play NYC at Racket on 4/6. [KH]
Bartees Strange– Tisched Off/Keekee’in. feat. Daniel Kleederman. For Sub Pop’s singles series, the indie power house has released a pair of songs that deftly show the range of his songwriting. These songs come as a mini follow up of sorts to his second lauded second album, Farm To Table. On “Tisched Off” he shares: “As an up and coming musician, there’s a very special pain that comes with realizing a huge chunk of the artists you’re competing with have way more money and resources than you. This song takes little digs at them. It’s cute. Tisch is like the fashion school at NYU. When I was living in BK I ran into a bunch of young punk bands and experimental acts that rose quickly from that school. I remember feeling like damn—how do you compete with people like that? They’ve got some very real resources. Anywho—it’s just me making fun.” (Having known Strange since his DIY days and time in BK, and having dealt with many of the very same issues in the BK music community, I couldn’t help but chuckle—and agree!)
As for “Keekee’in” he shares “This song is extremely special to me. During our tour with Car Seat Headrest the band had Covid. I was bunkered down with my guitarist Dan at his family’s house in the basement. I figured it would be cool to write something using only the tools we had. All of the instrumentation was done with stuff from that room. Matchsticks, pillows for drums, very random keyboards, etc. I wrote this song to get some feelings out I had about some business people I was considering working with—they ended up being shady and I was feeling very betrayed. I was thinking about how valuable it is to have people you can really trust. And how few those people are.” [KH]
Bruise Control– Dead on Arrival. A nice slice of gritty, dancey post punk from the Manchester group who were one of our recent Bandcamp Friday picks. Their debut album, Useless For Something, will arrive this spring via TNS Records. [KH]
Cheater Slicks– Fear. This venerable band is in their 4th decade and still ripping tunes. We love to see punks keep at it! “Fear” features their classic garagey sound, still as immediate as ever, with a percussive trudge behind buzzing guitars. Their album Ill-Fated Cusses is out now on In the Red Records. [CW]
The Dog Indiana– Hydroxydramaqueen/Loaf. This noisy, sludgy stoner-ish noise trio from Vancouver recently came to my attention and I was immediately drawn to the pair of singles that have been released from their upcoming album, Burnt Ends. With heavy grunge overtones, these are two very solid noise punk rippers in the vein of some UK faves, Dead Arms and USA Nails. I loved what I heard and absolutely can’t wait for the album to release in full in April. In the meantime, I’ll be digging into their previous releases, 2018’s full length Fractured, Murky and Liquid (which based on its description on Bandcamp may or may not be a cheeky concept album, I still have to find out!), and the handful of singles they put out in 2020. Pre-orders for Burnt Ends are up now. [KH]
Drahla– Lip Sync. The UK post punk band has released a new single, which follows last year’s “Under the Glass” and their 2019 debut full length, Useless Coordinates. No word yet if this is a stand alone or part of a larger body of work to come but the band shares the song “is a biographical social deflection. It explores the idea of syncing to social norms, conversation and expressions to converse without being fully present – taking on a converged guise to fit different interactions. Inspired by Bruce Nauman‘s ‘Lip Sync,’ 1969.” [KH]
Dream Wife– Hot (Don’t Date A Musician). The London grunge pop trio are set to release their third album in June, Social Lubrication, and have shared the second single which is a snarky and hilarious cautionary tale about dating musicians. Singer Rakel Mjöll minces no words when she says: “Dating musicians is a nightmare,” and goes on to say the song is about “Evoking imagery of late night make-outs with fuckboy/girl/ambiguously-gendered musicians on their mattress after being seduced by song-writing chat. The roles being equally reversed. Having a laugh together and being able to poke fun at ourselves is very much at the heart of this band. This song encapsulates our shared sense of humour. Sonically it is the lovechild of CSS and Motorhead. It has our hard, live, rock edge combined with cheeky and playful vocals.” [KH]
FACS– When You Say. The Chicago post-punk art rockers have announced their 5th album, Still Life In Decay, and released the driving, hypnotic first single “When You Say.” Read more here. [KH]
Godcaster– Vivian Heck. The latest single from the NYC band’s upcoming self titled album is an “ecstatic and hypnotic vision of romance, passion, and heartthrob.” As intense as it is indeed hypnotic, it hits an explosive high as the crescendo of the song kicks in just before the four minute mark. The album releases in full on 3/10. The band will soon embark on a tour to support the album and will play a release show at Union Pool on 4/1 with Venus Twins and Dirt Buyer. [KH]
Miss Grit– Nothing’s Wrong. The final single from the upcoming album Follow The Cyborg (out 2/24 on Mute) is a slow, steady tune that builds consistently to the end under Margaret Sohn’s lilting voice and twining synths as they sing “it’s been too long / I’ll normalize what’s going on / so I won’t have to make things right / I’ll sing that song I didn’t write / nothing’s wrong.” Miss Grit will be at Baby’s All Right on Feb 22. [CW]
Newski– Chemicals feat. Matthew Caws (Nada Surf). The opening scene of the accompanying music video for this song features footage of the day Ronald Reagan was shot which immediately grabbed my attention (I’ll let readers take a guess on my personal feelings about Ol Ronny Raygun) and the rest of the video continues on with vintage footage with the band playfully inserted overtop in a very comical way. The song itself is a bubbly indie pop rock song, complete with saccharine harmonies, fun sing-along “da da da da’s” throughout the first half of the song and features a guest appearance from Matthew Caws of Nada Surf. This is a catchy first taste of the new album, Friend Rock due out 4/7, and I’m ready for more. [KH]
Pile– Lowered Rainbow. The final single from the upcoming album, All Fiction, is a departure for the band, less a wall of noise and more an ethereal, delicate jazz fueled sound exploration. The album releases in full on 2/17 via Exploding In Sound and the band will play a pair of shows at TV Eye on 3/1 and 3/2. [KH]
Poison Ruïn– Härvest. The lead single from Poison Ruïn’s upcoming album is also the title track, and it’s a hard-hitting noisy tale of a peasant revolt, juxtaposing the timeless story of workers rising up against a fantasy backdrop, with member Mac Kennedy saying “I’m all for protest songs, but with this band I’ve found that sometimes your message can reach a greater audience if you imbue it with a certain interactive, almost magical realist element.” Härvest is out on Relapse Records on April 14th. [CW]
Samiam– Crystalized. Having been going strong as a band since 1988, Samiam is still swinging for the fences as the quintet continues to pump out melodic guitar driven bangers that faultlessly toe that line between emo and pop punk. Their latest single “Crystallized,” released ahead of their first album in 12 years and ninth overall, Stowaway (due out next month), is the perfect track to blast while showing your kids you can still kickflip with the best of them. [MB]
Scowl– Opening Night. The Santa Cruz hardcore band has just announced a brand new Will Yip produced EP, Psychic Dance Routine, and shared the first single which sees the band less in hardcore territory and veering more towards a cool alt-rock indie vibe. Read more and see the album art/tracklisting here. [KH]
Shalom– Soccer Mommy. The second single from Shalom’s upcoming debut full length, Sublimation, is a emo grunge twinged rocker and she shares: “This song is about a time in my life that I used to be very upset and embarrassed about, but now I’m like, wow, I feel so much better after writing this song. It’s called ‘Soccer Mommy’ because I got my driver’s license in late 2019 and spent my first year on the road listening to Color Theory and thinking about my 20-year-old self who didn’t deserve the things that happened to her. I love Soccer Mommy. I’m terrified of driving, but I always felt brave listening to ‘Circle The Drain’ on 287 south.” Sublimation is out 3/10 via Saddle-Creek. [KH]
Shonen Knife– Mujinto Rock. The Japanese punk and roll icons have been a band for more than 40 years and continue to pound out cool jams you’ll want to pogo all night to. They have a new album out on 2/15, Our Best Place, and have shared the opening track, “Mujinto Rock,” which comes paired with a really fun stop motion video. [KH]
Squid– Swing (In A Dream). UK post punkers Squid have announced a brand new album, O Monolith, and released the first single which singer/drummer Ollie Judge says was inspired by a dream he had about the painting The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, “In my dream, I was in the painting but it was flooded and everything was floating away.” Read more and see the album art/tracklisting here. [KH]
Truth Cult– Clearskin. A little psych punk, a little post hardcore, a lot late 80s early 90s Dischord. And you know that gets two hearty thumbs up from me! From the upcoming J. Robbins produced album, Walk The Wheel, due out 3/3 via Pop Wig. [KH]
Zulu– We’re More Than This. The esteeemed powerviolence band has released the latest single from their upcoming album, A New Tomorrow, and this one is not a powerviolence song or heavy at all rather a hip-hop song which features guitarist Dez Yusuf rhyming over relaxed, nimble jazz instrumentation. Yusef shares:
“When we first started writing for the record Anaiah and I had bounced the idea of maybe doing some jazz or R&B songs and putting some raps on the record,” Yusuf commented. “I know Satchel and Anaiah had jammed out some different ideas that I hadn’t really been present for. We were actually ending our tour with Sasami when I first heard the music for ‘We’re More Than This’. We were in the van at a rest stop and Anaiah played it off a video of him and Satchel jamming. It just hit me all in an instant.
“I didn’t think much beyond the lyrics of ‘must I only share my pain,’ which is a running theme throughout the album. But it’s ironic because I go forward with sharing glimpses of pain and trauma, but that’s really the setup to show the things I’ve (we’ve) become in spite of that pain. This is really a song of resilience and encouragement. Saying that we can still be more than the tropes that are Put on us. That we are more than commodified versions of our trauma.”
The album drops in full on 3/3 via Flatspot and they will head out on tour with Show Me The Body, Jesus Piece, Scowl, and TRiPP JONES. The tour hits Brooklyn Steel on 3/24. [KH]
