by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_) and David Anthony (@DBAnthony)

Welcome to FUZZY MEADOWS, our weekly recap of this week's new music. We're sharing our favorite releases of the week in the form of albums, singles, and music videos along with the "further listening" section of new and notable releases from around the web. It's generally written in the early hours of the morning and semi-unedited... but full of love and heart. The number rankings are arbitrary and we sincerely recommend checking out all the music included. There's a lot of great new music being released. Support the bands you love. Spread the word and buy some new music.

*Disclaimer: We are making a conscious effort not to include any artist in our countdown on back-to-back weeks in order to diversify the feature, so be sure to check the "further listening" as well because it's often of "countdown" quality too.

OCTOBER 2ND TO OCTOBER 8TH

1. BETHLEHEM STEEL | "Fig"

Like so many great modern rock bands, it’s often hard to nail Bethlehem Steel down. While their influences trace back to ‘90s, specifically the moment when indie-rock became an identifiable genre, they never fully adhere to it. In the case of “Fig,” the song is built on a distinct groove, one they never fully stray from, but do abandon briefly just to keep you on your toes. It’s effective tool, one that shows Bethlehem Steel’s command of their sound, and their willingness to deviate from it to make it more impactful when it inevitably returns. - David Anthony

2. WEED HOUNDS | "Double Life" EP

The reclusive Weed Hounds remain one of this decade's best shoegaze bands (their full-length is a certified genre masterpiece), a Brooklyn based collective that roars back to life on Double Life, an all-too-brief EP, that captures the essence of pop under a blanket of distortion and layered guitar bliss. The always bright and stunning vocals melodies are able to glide just above the band's caterwauling swarm, bludgeoning listeners with perfectly executed guitar pedal destruction and sweetened pop hooks... the way only shoegaze at its finest can provide. - Dan Goldin

3. PLUSH | "50/50 20/20"

Taken from their upcoming split with Sports, “50/50 20/20” shows two decidedly different sides of Plush, yet they fit together like complimentary pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Though it opens in an airy manner, with the guitars sounding as if they are floating above the rest of the band, without warning they transform into harsh, heavy walls of feedback, piercing through the song and guiding it down a more destructive avenue. It’s the kind of track that shows Plush’s ability to expand a song outward, incorporating new elements every few measures without having the song feel directionless. - DA

4. LITTLEFOOT | "Honeymoon"

Boston's Littlefoot are set to release their sophomore album, Lavender, next month and the first single is full of atmospheric bliss and twangy reverb that would make David Lynch blush. It's lush and perfect for those hours when late night and early morning begin to blur. Led by Erica Sutherland (vocals, guitar, keys), her control of dreamy soundscapes is capable of shifting both mood and mentality with radiant melodies and just the right layering of shoegaze undertones. Blending together seductive chord progressions with a sense of innocence and longing, "Honeymoon" takes a delicate approach but leaves a big impression. - DG

5. THE BREEDERS | "Wait In The Car"

While The Breeders' pair of classic albums (Pod and Last Splash) are over both over 25 years old, the band, despite some lengthy gaps, never stopped making great records. Both of their efforts from the early-to-mid 2000s were solid explorations of what made them alternative rock royalty without simply retreading hallowed ground. Nine years later, The Breeders still sound as fresh as ever, blending together vibrant pop immediacy, impeccably hooky guitar riffs, and an emphatic "good morning" for us all. "Wait In The Car" is bubbling with the type of fuzzy yet driving melodies and sharp snarky bite that marked so many of the band's classics, built on oddball humor and unshakable soaring hooks. The Breeders are a rare breed, a band that may never lose their touch. - DG

6. OCS | "The Fool"

It’s not out of character for OCS—or whatever moniker they’re using at the time—to shift hard from one genre to the next, but “The Fool” is as big of a departure as they’ve ever undergone. Much like Memory Of A Cut Off Head’s title track, the song is anchored by Brigid Dawson’s vocals, only instead of jangly psych-pop, this is the kind of soft ballad that OCS has never touched. But “The Fool” works for the sheer commitment to the premise, never trying to throw any wrenches in the mix and, instead, letting the song flutter along until it reaches its end. - DA

OCTOBER 9TH TO OCTOBER 15TH

1. BIG HEET | "Failure At Work"

Some bands can make agitated post-punk that darts around in a deranged brilliance. Some bands can make tangled post-hardcore that uses dynamics to build tension. Get you a band that can do both... Tallahassee's Big Heet. While the band's first single, "Flint" showed the band at embracing their more chaotic art-punk side, "Failure at Work" is equally effective as a slow burner, a raged dead-end job anthem that opens with a soft trickle of jazzy shuffles and dissonance before eventually shifting its way into a tightly wound groove of thick low-end and shimmering guitars. The band play it cool and casual as David Settle laments workplace woes, "could have been nothing, should have been nothing" and "the thought of dying here is ever present." The pent up anxiety comes to a head and the band's hardcore roots come exploding into glorious focus, eventually sliding right back into the tangled hypnosis. "Sometimes you're better off not even trying" and sometimes you are. - DG

2. MELKBELLY | "Nothing Valley" LP

People have been waiting a long time for Melkbelly’s debut album. After a series of well-received EPs, each one signaling a new bit of growth for the Chicago band, Nothing Valley is here, and it’s the best thing Melkbelly has done. Every song has a deliberate pulse, allowing the guitars to roar in different directions as Miranda Winters dashes off one hook after the next. For a band that’s already received their fair share of accolades, Nothing Valley invites even more. It’s an astounding debut, and more than worth the wait. - DA

3. NIGHT IDEA | "Riverless" LP

From start to finish, Riverless, is a gorgeous record, captivating in its songwriting and delivery; a modern progressive rock classic. While some may cringe at the thought of "prog" in 2017, you'd be wrong, and Night Idea's latest album is all the proof needed, a record that is radiant with technical skill and complex structures, but is built on accessibility and pop nuance. Blending together psych, post-punk, art-pop, jazz, and elements of krautrock, it's the essence of progressive, a record that eschews common thought for something expansive and daring, contorting all we know into something unique. From the glowing polyrhythms of "Canopy" to the dizzying assault of "Arc" and the grand detachment of "Villainous," every element of Night Idea's brilliant record is perfectly crafted. One of the year's best kept secrets, Riverless is essential listening for all. - DG

4. NO AGE | "Soft Collar Fad"

No Age are back and their unique brand of deconstructed radio rippers is still well in tact. The fuzzy LA duo have been making their own blown out chaotic pop for a decade now and after a four year absence, the timing of "Soft Collar Fad" feels not only welcome, but necessary. While many have tried to replicate what they do in the past few years, the subtle touches of their all encompassing distortion, dense melodies (that simultaneously hook and scrape at your senses), and the general friction of their pop carnage forever remains something special and unique to No Age. It's the understated weirdness that never fails them, and never dissapoints. - DG

5. EXPLODED VIEW | "Summer Came Early"

Back in the summer of 2016, Exploded View released their self-titled debut, a darkened contusion of krautrock, no-wave, post-punk, and industrial, that sounded evolutionary, a skronky mix of impassioned howls and clamoring electronics. The band, led by Annika Henderson, are back with Summer Came Early, a new EP that picks up from the band's experimental debut while shifting into a brighter, more digestible, direction. The first single and title track is warm and captivating, a song written about the environment and global warming's destruction. Despite the devastation of the subject matter ("the summer sun came early that year, but we sat on our porches and didn't question a thing"), there's a beautiful heartbreak to it, Henderson's mournful vocals setting the tone. - DG

6. ALL PIGS MUST DIE | "Hostage Animal"

Boston’s All Pigs Must Die don’t have an off switch. From the start of “Hostage Animal,” the band rushes through a mix of blast and D beats, turning in an all-consuming, breakneck slab of hardcore. The music is outright apocalyptic, and Kevin Baker’s vocals match it, never downshifting as the band turns in a song that scorches everything in its path. - DA

FURTHER LISTENING:

OCTOBER 2ND TO OCTOBER 8TH

OCTOBER 9TH TO OCTOBER 15TH

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (October 2nd - October 15th)

OCTOBER 2ND TO OCTOBER 8TH

1. BETHLEHEM STEEL | "Fig"

2. WEED HOUNDS | "Double Life" EP

3. PLUSH | "50/50 20/20"

4. LITTLEFOOT | "Honeymoon"

5. THE BREEDERS | "Wait In The Car"

6. OCS | "The Fool"

OCTOBER 9TH TO OCTOBER 15TH

1. BIG HEET | "Failure At Work"

2. MELKBELLY | "Nothing Valley" LP

3. NIGHT IDEA | "Riverless" LP

4. NO AGE | "Soft Collar Fad"

5. EXPLODED VIEW | "Summer Came Early"

6. ALL PIGS MUST DIE | "Hostage Animal"

FURTHER LISTENING:

OCTOBER 2ND TO OCTOBER 8TH

OCTOBER 9TH TO OCTOBER 15TH

by: post-trash staff