"Fuzzy Meadows: The Week in Review" is a weekly round-up of the best new music premiered this week across the internet. It's a weekly embarrassment of riches, let Post-Trash be your guide. It's the weekend, here's what happened...
TWO INCH ASTRONAUT | "Personal Life"
[Consequence of Sound]
"Two Inch Astronaut has just shared the title track of Personal Life, and it encapsulates all of the band’s most contradictory — and thus, most interesting — qualities. The song is by turns poppy and abrasive, with twitching guitar riffs giving way to frontman Sam Goblin’s supercharged vocal melodies." - Collin Brennan, Consequence of Sound
AUTOLUX | "Change My Head"
[Juxtapoz]
"Their music always seems to convey undertones of sensuality, a characteristic enhanced by mysterious animated visuals. Their allure lies in their ability to create a hauntingly beautiful world that is experimental, yet still familiar, and this new video is no exception." - Juxtapoz
BIG UPS | "National Parks"
[Noisey]
"Raised in 90s suburban Baltimore, Big Ups vocalist Joe Galarraga watched his single mother work tirelessly and sacrifice her freedom to provide for him and his sister. The economic realities of Galarraga’s upbringing come to a head in his lyrics, particularly on the single “National Parks.” He explains that the song is “a lot about digging into myself, personally, to figure out sort of how I fit into this world. How I either contribute to or detriment it. I thought that it only made sense to kind of look at from the beginning.” - Bryn Lovitt, Noisey
GUN OUTFIT | "Expansion Pact"
[The FADER]
"You can hear echoes of past Americana solitude in "Expansion Pact"—Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid and "Love In Vain" and also Harvest all come to mind. While listening to this song I imagine myself standing on the side of a desert road waiting for a bus to take me somewhere unknown." - Leah Mandel, The FADER
KAL MARKS | "Mankind"
[The FADER]
"Life Is Alright, Everybody Dies is aggressive, but it's also optimistic (not aggressively optimistic, though); it conveys a cynical hopefulness that mankind could totally get its shit together if it actually tried. Which is why "Mankind," the band's new single off the upcoming record, is a shredder of a song that's essentially about peace and love." - Leah Mandel, The FADER
SOFT FANGS | "Birthday"
[The FADER]
""Birthday," the new single off the record, is a cozy track about growing old and feeling young at the same time." - Leah Mandel, The FADER
WALL | "Last Date"
[NME]
"One of New York’s most hyped new bands return with a Devo sting in their tail today. Vince McClelland’s guitar is orchestral and piercing throughout, while Sam York, perhaps the Five Boroughs most vicious singer..." - Matt Wilkinson, NME
CFM | "Lunar Heroine"
[Consequence of Sound]
"The cut is a psychedelic slice of glamorous noise, squealing guitar licks tweeting off into the oblivion spiral of low-end sounds. Moothart’s voice is ominous, devilish even as it’s torn apart and reassembled in a crunchy mess of distortion. Yet somehow there remains a surf-y hooky-ness to the whole thing, as if riding this wave into the dark abyss of space wouldn’t be such a bad trip after all." - Ben Kaye, Consequence of Sound
GUERILLA TOSS | "Diamond Girls"
[Stereogum]
"Vocalist Kassie Carlson opens it with a laugh: “Who do you know? Ha, ha, ha,” which she morphs into a grotesque squeal before it breaks into a slick groove that spirals throughout the rest of the track. Carlson’s rabid proselytizing is placed front-and-center; every instrument is given space to breathe, whirring and clamoring in the background like a late-stage game of Bop-It." - James Rettig
RUNNING | "Wake Up Applauding"LP
[Pure Volume]
"This isn't the type of album you'll be applauding to, but instead, with intensity of machine gun smattering against a wall, losing it by rocking out without shame." - PureVolume
FLORIST | "A Hospital + Crucifix Made Of Plastic"
[The FADER]
"The project began while Florist's leading lady Emily Sprague was recovering from a severe bike accident that left her with a broken arm and neck. With only her voice and some one-handed keyboard playing, Sprague recorded the first half of the album alone; the second half of the album was recorded with the whole band. Premiering today is the delicate "A Hospital + Crucifix Made Of Plastic," a track about the difficult first half of the album's recording." - Leah Mandel, The FADER
FREIND | "Chemtrails"
[The Le Sigh]
"The synth-focused track is minimal but has a subtle tone of chaos as Alex practically chants "Fattened compensation blatant operation radiant vacation / Take it away, please". Her fears of bringing new life into this world are mirrored in the frantic nature of the song." - Emily Thompson, The Le Sigh
ROBERT POLLARD | "My Daughter Yes She Knows"
[Stereogum]
"The song he’s sharing today, “My Daughter Yes She Knows,” builds a gnarly minor-key groove around a snaky guitar riff and tops it off with one of those Pollard vocal lines you’ll be humming for days regardless if you know what he’s singing about. This is the former GBV leader at his best." - Chris DeVille, Stereogum
JEFF BUCKLEY | "Just Like A Woman"
[NPR]
"The album opens with Buckley's take on Bob Dylan's "Just Like A Woman." Recorded in early 1993, shortly after Buckley signed to Columbia, it rambles swoonily for six and a half minutes, capturing both a rare gift for interpretation and a willingness to let songs unfurl slowly and delicately. More than 20 years later, his voice still has the capacity to stun and surprise." - Stephen Thompson, NPR
SODA | "Without A Head" EP
[Stereogum]
"Grainy, defiant vocals are stacked like a pyramid overtop heavy, driving bass lines and crystalline guitar sounds. Arlington Garrett’s harsh nasal rants exist alongside the guitars in the midrange of the EP’s supersaturated sound palette, while Lara Lookabaugh’s lofty, dispassionate voice floats above it all, tying together Without A Head’s wall of angry fuzz." - Michelle Laggan, Stereogum
HOT NERDS | "Belated Brains"
[Noisey]
"In the spirit of Arab on Radar or The Locust, the EP delivers short bursts of dance music that you can spazz out to or spazz music that you can dance to, depending on which way you look at it. You can dig into the EP below's opening track "Belated Brains" below and let the synths, fucked up timing, and wonky tempo shifts scatter your brains around." - Dan Ozzi, Noisey
HOOKWORMS | "Teen Dreams"
[Far Out Magazine]
"A reissue of a seven-track expanded version of Hookworms’ 2011 self-titled debut will be released via on Gringo/Faux Discx ... The EP contains the first tracks the group ever recorded in vocalist and producer MJ’s original Suburban Home Studio, with the group just a handful of local shows into their existence – one such show, supporting Sun Araw lead to its original release." - Far Out Magazine
BELIEFS | "Leave With You"
[Clash]
"New album 'Leaper' emerged at the tail end of last year, matching sumptuous sonics against some of the band's most developing songwriting yet. Clash is able to deliver the video for 'Leave With You' and it's an apt introductory point for those new to the charms of Beliefs." - Robin Murray, Clash
USELESS EATERS | "Temporary Mutilation"
[press release]
"...recorded by Kelley Stoltz (Third Man Records fame) and mastered by Mikey Young of Australia’s Total Control, this release especially exemplifies singer / guitarist / leader Seth Sutton’s growth as a sonic craftsman - less concerned with “punk” as a sound while inevitably remaining PUNK, devoting himself to the development of unique noise. The title track’s skeletal arrangement and oddball meter has been embellished with haunting vibrations via phones of the saxo & xylo variety ... the entirety of the EP bleeds with Sutton’s trademark horrific sci-fi imagery and aggressive riffs and delivery."
MAGNET SCHOOL | "Irresistible Lie"
[PASTE]
"A tongue-in-cheek, pessimistic look at love, ‘Irresistible Lie’ is about the miscommunication between people in relationships and the often doe-eyed view people can have for their new love interest,” - Michael J. Wane, Magnet School
COURTNEY BARNETT | "Three Packs A Day"
[Billboard]
"The acoustic jam is an ode to Barnett's love and/or tolerance for instant ramen: "Boil it up, water in a saucepan / In a cup, drink it from a silver spoon." "Three Packs a Day" comes from a forthcoming six-track compilation from Barnett's label, Milk! Records, which she runs herself with friends in Melbourne." - Chris Payne, Billboard
HOLY WAVE | "California Took My Bobby Away"
[NYLON]
"The song is inspired by Bobby Fuller, and you can definitely hear it underneath the droning vocals and gloomy, almost haunting melodies—encompassing classic surf rock in a way that is shoegazey and modern." - Jenna Igneri, NYLON
LANTERN | "We Are Here"
[Brooklyn Vegan]
"There's an early-'60s streak that runs wide in their sound with close harmonies and twangy/garagey tones, but there is great finesse what they do. That is quite apparent in the swirling, melodic "We Are Here"" - Bill Pearis, Brooklyn Vegan
DOUG TUTTLE | "It Calls On Me"
[Noisey]
"a tightly wound rocker that brings to mind a folk rock private press from 1974. Something you’d find in the second-hand bin of a small town Northern Californian record store. Like fellow US songwriters, Steve Gunn and Tim Presley, the music of Tuttle nods to the past of Gene Clark, the Byrds and Fairport Convention but adds it’s own jittery love-lorn anxiety and fractured psych pop." - Tim Scott, Noisey
POUTY | "Sad"
[Pitchfork]
"the brainchild of Slutever's Rachel Gagliardi. Where that band is fueled by jagged punk-pop, Pouty is delicate. Gagliardi recently moved to Philadelphia from L.A.—Amanda X's Cat Park also plays in the band—which makes for a conceptual negotiation: "Sad" has a slow California chill filtered through the harsh reality of an East Coast existence." - Maria Sherman, Pitchfork
WALL OF DEATH | "For A Lover"
[Noisey]
"...incorporates a variety of textures and grooves into the track, pulling from everything in their book of tricks to deliver a catchy, meaningful song. It hits different tones and pitches of psychedelia and strangeness, giving a small hint of what's to come on the band's full record production." - John Hill, Noisey
OCTAGRAPE | "Bandaid Licker"
[Sounds Familyre]
"The second single from Octagrape’s Aura Obelisk. This hits stores on Friday 22 January and up for pre-order now, shipping this week!"
BLEACHED | "Keep On Keepin' On"
[Consequence of Sound]
"If lead single “Keep On Keepin’ On” is any indication, the L.A. rockers have found a way to further indulge their punk desires with breezy pop vibes. Not as surf-y as past efforts but still with a distinctly West Coast feel, the track chugs forward with driving, incessant guitar and a dangerous bass line that creeps in the background." - Ben Kaye, Consequence of Sound
MASS GOTHIC | "Every Night You've Got To Save Me"
[Stereogum]
"a jaunty pop track with shades of Dexy’s Midnight Runners, the New Pornographers, and the Shins. The song is incredibly winsome on its own, and the effect is only amplified by director Addison Post’s video, which features Heroux and Zambri chilling in NYC locales ranging from bar to sidewalk to bathtub." - Chris DeVille, Stereogum
YUCK | "Hearts In Motion"
[Noisey]
"Their signature incorporation of fuzz and loudness is on full display, taken to Seattle-Arena levels of hugeness. It's like cutting hearts out of grimy flannel shirts and putting them into sound and song better than ever before." - John Hill, Noisey
SCRAPER | "Blue Velvet"
[press release]
"Produced by Chris Woodhouse (Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Blind Shake) at The Dock in Sacramento, “Misery” is an exercise in simplistic, tightly controlled negativity that crushes the fine line between panic and frenzy into oblivion. A rapid attack of artillery-mimicking snare and bass heavy hunch is the canon, wrought in a Bay Area sewer and reveling in a verminous infestation of post-punk pulse: think Wire versus The Spits in a Shaolin death trap"
MOGWAI | "U-235"
[Pitchfork]
"Mogwai have announced Atomic, a new album. The record comprises reworked versions of their soundtrack for Storyville - Atomic: Living in Dread and Promise, a documentary on the dawning of the atomic age that aired last year on the BBC." - Jeremy Gordon, Pitchfork
THE SHRINE | "Never More Than Now (feat. Keith Morris)"
[Buzzbands LA]
"The band made the record with producer Dave Jerden (Alice in Chains, Jane’s Addiction), and, to quote their pretty-apt description, it’s “pure California Jam ’74 meets Suicidal skate rock being force-fed the brown acid by Charles Manson.”" - Kevin Bronson, Buzzbands LA
UXO | "Trauma"
[Rolling Stone]
"Members of some of the most celebrated bands in the noise-metal underground have united for a new group called UXO. Unsane frontman Chris Spencer and Today Is the Day's Steve Austin share vocal and guitar duties in the group, which creates a staticky wallop on "Trauma," a strident track off their upcoming self-titled debut." - Kory Grow, Rolling Stone
DARK BLUE | "Vicious Romance"
[Noisey]
"John Sharkey III's vocals soar through the song's post-punk skronk with defying clarity as he laments a "vicious romance." His delivery is one for the books, a style that somehow recalls both Ian Curtis and Paul Westerberg at the same time." - Bryn Lovitt, Noisey
and of course, on Post-Trash...
SUPERTEEN | "Oh Baby"
[Post-Trash]
"a sprawling blast of warped psych and uneasy pop. After a brief flutter of chirping birds, SUPERTEEN lock in with a crawling alarm of a riff that immediately sets the ominous tone before Schultz sings with a dreamy confidence, "my close friend is terrified of death, and I am terrified of living a life long enough". Steeped in soul and punk magnetism, Schultz's voice is as detached as it is impassioned, creating an undeniably hypnotic infectiousness." - Dan Goldin, Post-Trash
DAVID VASSALOTTI | "Ines De Castro"
[Post-Trash]
"one of the more straightforward pop songs in the collection, Vassalotti traffics in fairy tale language of kings and queens, creating a ballad steeped in Arthurian legend and elegy. The song is as novel as it is sweet and affecting, managing to be youthful without being juvenile. Over a simple drum machine rhythm, David lays synth parts, guitar, and a deeply evocative vocal melody. It’s a wistful song made stronger by Vassalotti’s singular hand in its creation – he wrote, recorded, produced Broken Rope himself" - Jordan Reyes, Post-Trash
TELEPATHIC | "Time Release" LP
[Post-Trash]
"It’s a capitalization on the thesis from Powers of Ten to keep the songs fixed and trimmed. No notes are wasted on these Hüsker Dü inspired rave-ups. On tracks like “Suit to Fit,” “Just a Phase,” and “Pointless,” trebly guitars meld with a fuzzed-out bass to create a bracing tension over drummer Paul Brinkley’s constant pounding. In fact, Telepathic manages to pull off a great Mould/Hart trick that could have easily fallen flat in a lesser band’s hands." - Kelly Johnson, Post-Trash