by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)

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 list is in alphabetical order and we sincerely recommend checking out all the music we've 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 top-notch quality too.

CHRISTIAN FITNESS | "Fanbase Only Song"

The one and only, Andrew Falkous, aka Falco, is a true legend. No matter how the music industry turns, his consistent malaise and hilarious disdain for wealth and pop culture's many pitfalls knows no bounds while his creativity and persistence is downright inspirational. For the past five years, he's abandoned the "industry" that essentially abandoned him and has been ever prolific since with both Future of the Left and his "one-man-band-but-never-solo-project" Christian Fitness. Last year's Slap Bass Hunks showed Falco moving into new territory, pushing the boundaries of the sound he's been perfecting since the days of Mclusky. Looks as though the envelope has been bust wide open with our first two songs of album number five.

First taste "Kill The Bored" is jarring, a new kind of haunting, but the brilliant dismay gets better with every listen, taking aim at everyone from "beef salesmen" to "special fried rice connoisseurs". On "Fanbase Only Song," released just a few days later to show the dynamic record in action, Falco is absolutely mowing down the competition, a furious and pointed drive aimed at pampered hype bands. It's short, concise, and the bass tone alone is enough to make this one of Falco's best opening statements. There are a lot of good bands making intelligent noise rock and art-punk in the UK these days, but let's not forget to give credit where it's due.

DAMA SCOUT | "Milky Milk"

At the tail end of last year, seemingly out of nowhere (but not actually), Father/Daughter Records reissued Dama Scout's self-titled EP, an impeccable dose of intelligent indie rock in the vein of bands like Palehound and Weaves. The London based trio are following it up with new single "Milky Milk," a song that continues in the vein of their debut while expanding their twitchy format, darting between stinging distortion and saccharine sweetness. The song crawls and contorts with an unpredictable structure, embracing both sludge and dreamy noise opp.

THE EX | "27 Passports" LP

Nearly 40 years into their existence, Amsterdam's The Ex continue to find ways to push punk music ever forward with their heavy and hypnotic new record, 27 Passports. Veterans of the original punk expansion into more experimental music, it's incredible to hear them remain so sonically hungry after all this time. Resting on their past would have been easy, but that's never been The Ex, who have spent much of the past decade working with Ethiopian musicians to incorporate traditional East African music into their abrasive rhythmic attack and three guitar onslaught. It's those brilliant rhythms and caterwauling guitars that shine through the dissonance on 27 Passports, a tangled ripper of intelligent socio-political art-punk fury, burning a new cathartic impression into their already illustrious career. No one expects an album this good after 39 years, but then again, The Ex have never been one for expectations.

GOAT GIRL | "Throw Me A Bone"

After a two year flood of impeccable singles, London's Goat Girl are finally set to release their full length debut at the end of the week, a record we consider an early contender for album of the year. Built around a sharp post-punk simplicity that recalls both The Fall and The Raincoats, Goat Girl's record is packed with 19 short and concise songs, each one offering its own vignette to the greater theme, transitioning with ease from surly to sarcastic. "Throw Me A Bone" is the album's third single, a song that slinks itself forward with a deep bass line and a Western-inspired gallop; a dusty framework for the song's sinister aura and Goat Girl's well-produced malaise. Vocalist/guitarist Clottie Cream's low pitched drawl sounds lush and ominous over the slithering guitars. It's a brooding piece of the album's puzzle, a song that's good on it's own, but great in the context of the record.

LOCATE S,1 | "Owe It 2 The Girls"

Christina Schneider returns with a new album and yet another new moniker as Locate S,1, the latest iteration of her perfect avant-pop constructions. "Owe It 2 The Girls" is the first single from the upcoming Healing Contest, due out digitally later this month and on vinyl in May. The song's discordant washes of guitar and fuzzy production hint at psych and surf pop, blurring the two with Schneider's jubilant rhythmic funk, forming new shapes and patterns. Recorded with Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes, "Owe It 2 The Girls" is one of Schneider's most hi-fi records, adding a layer of glistening sheen to her infectious vocal melodies as they pop from the many layers of good vibes. Dance along with the video, you just may have a great time.

PLLUSH | "Shannon"

San Francisco based quartet Pllush's new record is a beautifully dynamic record the wavers between slowcore longing, dream pop, and muscular indie rock, touching on everything from punk and shoegaze in-between. It's a testament to the band's songwriting, a big and brash record that relies on confidence and casually crushing melodies. "Shannon," the album's lead single is a fine example, a song that puts as much wondrous emphasis on the bridge as it does in the hook-strewn verses. It's only a matter of time before that piano refrain is driven deep into your subconscious.

SKYDDDI666 | "Worm Stuff" LP

Brooklyn's SKYDDDI666 (fka Skydaddy) is the duo of Exploding In Sound's own Alec Cakebread and Zaddy Benham, and while the band may not take themselves too seriously, their full length debut is a non-stop ripper. Channeling both fuzz punk and alt-metal, the duo, joined by Alex Molini (Stove, Jackal Onasis) create bludgeoning riffs and pounding rhythms, that mix sludge and pop in equal measure, using their heaviness as a counterpoint to the song's earworm melodic hooks. They may treat it as little more than a recording project and an excuse to play music with friends, but Worm Stuff is worthy of your time and attention, and perhaps thats why.

SPLIT CRANIUM | "Evil Hands"

Aaron Turner (ISIS, Sumac, Old Man Gloom), patron saint of all thats heavy, is resurrecting Split Cranium with a record following a six year silence since their debut. The viscous crust punk meets d-beat meets apocalyptic metal band have expanded their line-up to include fellow Gloom member Nate Newton (Converge), Faith Coloccia (Mamiffer), and Tomi Leppänen (Circle), joining Turner and Jussi Lehtisalo (Circle). The results are brutally heavy and yet leaning further into punk and hardcore than ever before. Lead single "Evil Hands" opens innocently enough with a blissful choir before the carnage erupts, tearing through everything in it's path with a spastic d-beat rhythm and Turner's unmistakable world crushing bellow. Catharsism have arrived.

YAZAN | "Hahaha" + "The Star"

If one thing is apparent about Yazan's upcoming album Hahaha, it's his sense of dynamics, and a natural aversion to stay in one place. It can be said from song to song, but it can often be applied within a single composition, much like the record's title track, "Hahaha". Ever shifting from one spectacular chord progression to the next, Yazan and Pile's Kris Kuss groove through finger-picked front porch blues to tightly wound grooves and country punk inflections within blinks of the eye. It's a ragged barn burner of positivity that bounces from section to section without a tangled sprawl. In direct contrast, "The Star" is doom at its core, a slow and sludgy behemoth that thrives from repetition and swampy heaviness. At the center of both however lies Yazan's bold voice, howling out with a sure-footed swagger, carrying a message that reminds us to strive to be our best selves in a variety of ways.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (March 19th - April 1st)