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.

BEIGE PALACE | “Leg” LP

The full length debut from Leeds trio Beige Palace could be the first truly great surprise for me this year. Entitled Leg, it’s a gift that simply keeps on giving with each repeated listen, an onslaught of minimalist abrasiveness. The band work prolonged progressions and feedback stretched beyond recognition into the mud, the slowly evolving mud that only seems to delight the more deranged it gets. In the tradition of incredible noise rock bands from the UK, both old and new (Mclusky, Kong, Blacklisters, Irk), Beige Palace achieve their charm in a menacing way, diverting expectations and bludgeoning just when you’ve been caught off guard. The album is dynamic and full of great atonal melodies and thick rhythmic thuds that work against each other in a perfect dirge.

BIG BUSINESS | “The Beast You Are” LP

The almighty Big Business never disappoint and yet they never really get the credit they deserve as one of the best gotdamn bands on the planet. It hardly needs to be said and at the same time should be shouted from the mountaintops. The colossal duo of Jared Warren and Coady Willis (a match nearly too perfect) have done it again with The Beast You Are, another stampeding testament to the band’s unique art-sludge sound, one that continues to expand into more melodic territory without abandoning any of the howling ferocity and utterly enormous rhythms that make the two-piece band sound more like an oncoming army. Big Business have always sorta sounded like the light shining on a new post-apocalyptic day, and the enormity of their six full length continues to find new ways to crush skulls and blow minds while digging further into accessibility in a way only these two can.

BLESSED | “Salt” LP

Blending together fractured shards of garage punk, krautrock, post-hardcore, and experimental no-wave, Blessed’s sound is laser-beam focused and expanded further in every direction on their first attempt at album length exploration. Consistently pounding and pulsating with rhythms that feel near mechanical but shift without notice, Blessed swerve around intricate beats, their guitars and synths swarming like an infestation that grows between each tightened groove. It’s an uncanny ability to be both hypnotic and wildly divergent, keeping an audience transfixed despite an avalanche of sharp changes and knotted progressions. Songs like “Pill” and the immersive “Zealot” pride themselves in keeping expectations off balanced, never settling into place as the band follow their own warped rabbit hole downward into a vortex of unbelievably locked in and spaced-out punk brilliance.

CAVE IN | “All Illusion”

Last year the world lost the inimitable Caleb Scofield of Cave In, Old Man Gloom, and Zozobra, one of heavy music’s greatest forces and a musician that helped form so much of my collective musical tastes. Just before his untimely passing, Scofield and the rest of Cave In had met to record demos for a new album, their first since 2011’s incredible White Silence (a genuine classic). In honor of his memory, the remaining members decided to use those demo recordings for the new album, fittingly titled, Final Transmission. The first single “All Illusion” features vocals written by Scofield (though performed by Stephen Brodsky) and recalls the Jupiter era of the band’s sound, heavy as a ton of bricks but warped with “space rock” guitars and dizzying melodies that float over the dense low end quake. They’ve never stayed in the same place for long and yet “All Illusion” feels like quintessential Cave In.

HALFSOUR | “Blurred Camera Phone”

Boston’s halfsour have announced their long-awaited sophomore album, Sticky, due out May 24th via Fire Talk and Disposable America, kicking things off with the infectious “Blurred Camera Phone.” While we had the pleasure of sharing the song’s demo on Vol. 3 of our Post-Trash compilation series, the fully realized recording is its own shimmering beast of power-pop and surging indie punk hooks. The song digs into a gritty distorted guitar line paired with a pretty damn spectacular vocal performance from Zoë Wyner, her vocals jumping up and down together in time with spitfire chorus. It’s a great introduction to the record and we’re eager to hear more.

J MASCIS | “Don’t Do Me Like That” (Tom Petty cover)

There’s not a whole lot that needs to be said about this one that title doesn’t already say. You’ve got J Mascis covering an old Tom Petty hit and the results are predictably awesome. No stranger to great covers (see “Circle” and “Fade Into You”), Mascis’ warm and warn out croon lends itself well to Petty’s always exceptional songwriting, bringing his own yearning bent and blistering guitar tone to the Damn The Torpedoes hit. Mascis has been on a great run recently with last year’s great Elastic Days and if he somehow magically found himself working on a full length Tom Petty covers album, I wouldn’t complain.

MEGA BOG | “Diary of a Rose”

Anytime is a good time for a new Mega Bog record and we’re pretty over the moon about their new album, Dolphine. Due out in late June via their new home at Paradise of Bachelors, the record continues the majestic freewheeling psych folk, experimental pop, post-whatever sound explored on Happy Together. Lead single “Diary of a Rose” finds Erin Birgy and co. in sweeping form, the song filled with wistful detuned guitars, mystical chimes, shakers, a sprightly bass groove, and Birgy’s ever enchanting vocals. The command she has on her voice is always mesmerizing as she lilts and deepens her melodies at a whim, accented words and punctuating phrases as the music kicks up into a dusty space-aged twang. Mega Bog is a national treasure.

MUSH | “Litvinenko“

I don’t know much about Mush but I sure do like their new single “Litvinenko,” the first single from their upcoming Induction Party EP due out on Memphis Industries. The Leeds based band play that good and weird post-punk that’s tangled, jagged, and acerbic and their single is hypnotic as it wraps itself into repetitive knots and colorful implosions. “Litvinenko” is lively from the jump, a serious grooving punk song that embraces eccentric vocals and discordant guitar tonality, stabbing between surf pop rhythms deranged into their own shape and form. They speed up into noisy excursions, they slow down back into a slow collapse, and they keep completely locked in to everything that feels between. This is a great song and our curiosity is piqued.

PILE | “The Soft Hands of Stephen Miller”

Good grief. We are living in some real dark times, politically speaking, and as a result there’s plenty of outrage and frustration building among us all. Pile’s latest single, “The Soft Hands of Stephen Miller” is built on that disgust and contempt for one’s of the White House’s top douchebag advisors, and the raw, guttural nature of Rick Maguire’s screams are the catharsis we all need. Seriously, there’s something kinda disgusting about the way those unhinged yelps fall and I mean that in the most complimentary way imaginable as this could just be my new favorite song. Screams aside, everything about this one is perfection - from the hilarious lyrically take down that really aims at the core of who Miller (a complete piece of shit) really is, to the serrated buzzsaw guitars, Kris Kuss’ ever pounding flurry of brilliantly melodic drumming, and Alex Molini’s earthquaking bass line.

SASAMI | “Morning Comes”

SASAMI’s self-titled debut is really great. It’s sort of a master class in songwriting, skipping from style to style between songs, each done as well as the next. “Morning Comes” is my personal favorite song on the record, one that glides on a motorik rhythm that’s transfixed in place so that Sasami Ashworth can explore the space around the groove. There’s some great falsetto a la Oh Sees, some layered post-punk vocals in the hook, and plenty of futuristic delights. The amazing video features a cooking show with Ashworth’s grandma, Halmoni, teaching us all to make kimchi. It’s fun and informative with amazing tips like “always spank your cabbage.”

SHADY BUG | “Blow”

Having released one of our favorite albums of the year, St. Louis’ Shady Bug are sharing the video for live staple and album stand-out “Blow,” a song both about youthful mundanity and the trials of all relationships. The video captures the band’s Hannah Rainey and her twin sister Delia out on the town, having fun as they wander the city streets, pick up snacks at the grocery store, and eventually find their way into the DIY space show where they are joined by the rest of the band. The song’s heavy outbursts are met with cartoon aliens and cute bugs, creating that delicate balance found in their songs, bludgeoning yet sweet as can be.

SHARKMUFFIN | “Gamma Gardening” EP

A wild voyage into outer-space, Sharkmuffin’s Gamma Gardening is best experienced in full, a concept record of sci-fi origins that happens to shred beyond Earthly imaginations. The Brooklyn trio have never sounded better, their sound laser focused as they tear through sonic oblivion with surfy charm and stampeding rhythmic force. While best known for reckless garage punk and glam-grunge, the band are dipping their toes everything throughout these eighteen minutes, from prog to psych inflected hardcore, and it all works to flesh the story of one space dominatrix and her genetically altered baby and the chaos that comes with it.

TIM PRESLEY’S WHITE FENCE | “Forever Chained”

“Forever Chained” could have easily been released in the late 60’s, a psych-pop song with rock-n-roll boogie played out on rapidly repeating key strokes, but the layers that divert the song from an otherwise simplicity are very much Tim Presley’s White Fence. He’s subverting expectations yet again by leaping into a cavernous vortex, where vivid aural colors and sonic squeals come in from every direction, making their presence known and than disappearing. The video and it’s claymation creatures and animal kingdom could just be the best use of clay since Peewee’s Playhouse.

UROCHROMES | “Hair So Big“

One of the East Coast’s best weirdo punk bands, Urochromes are set to release Trope House, their first full length on May 31st via Wharf Cat Records. Mixing together hardcore, experimental post-punk, and art rock at its most agitated, the band have created something unique and punishing, hard to grasp but easy to immerse yourself in. “Hair So Big” captures the band’s more animated side, with processed vocal mantras and a mechanical intensity, the song is a balance of harsh programming and rusty guitars that burn circles into the frenetic rhythmic energy. It’s a song about relationships in a way you’ve never really heard a song about relationships… and it’s a great time.

ZULA | “Stepping“ EP

Brooklyn psych-pop extraordinaires Zula called it a day earlier this month but not before one releasing one more exceptional addition to their equally exceptional catalog, Stepping. The EP, comprised of b-sides taken from the band’s New Years recording session, keeps the magic alive as they explore detached grooves, lush synths, and noise pop bliss with a freeform vision. Zula have always made music that demands repeat listens, combining often soulful melodies with wandering structures, always grounded by hypnotic rhythmic pulses that squiggle around in time, tightly played but elastic in scope. We’re going to miss this band, but look forward to hearing whatever Henry and Nate Terepka do next.

Further Listening:

March 25 - March 31:

APRIL 1 - APRIL 7:

APRIL 8 - APRIL 12:

A BEACON SCHOOL “Glue“ | AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS “Got You” | BAD BREEDING “Exiled“ | BANNY GROVE “Little Car“ | BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT “Loss & Relax“ | BLACK MOUNTAIN “Boogie Lover“ | BLEACHED “Shitty Ballet“ | BRETTE IRISH “Things You Keep“ | CLINIC “Laughing Cavalier“ | CONDITIONER DISCO GROUP “(Don’t Gotta) Raise A Family“ | COURTNEY BARNETT “Everybody Here Hates You“ | THE CRADLE “The Glare of Success” LP } CRUMB “Nina“ | DEAD SOFT “The Static“ | DRAHLA “Pyramid Estate“ | ELLIS “Audiotree Live” | FONTAINES D.C. “Boys In The Better Land“ | FRENCH VANILLA “All The Time“ | THE GOTOBEDS “Twin Cities“ | GRIM STREAKER “Sensitive Demon“ | HAND HABITS “Wildfire“ | ICEAGE “Pain Killer“ | J. ROBBINS “Soldier On“ | JACKIE MENDOZA “Mucho Más“ | JOANNA STERNBERG “This Is Not Who I Want To Be“ | KAZU “Salty“ | KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD “Planet B” | THE KING KHAN EXPERIENCE “Turkey Ride“ | KOOL KEITH “Complicated Trip“ | LISA/LIZA “Matador Pt. 2” | MEG BAIRD “1,000 Goodbyes x 100 Hellos” | MODEL ZERO “Gift of Lies“ | MR. HUSBAND “Stone Cold Killer” | NEW IDEA SOCIETY “Wave Goodbye“ | ODONIS ODONIS “The Rip“ | OMNI “Delicacy / I Don’t Dance” | OTOBOKE BEAVER “Datsu, Hikage No Onna“ | PINOCCHIO “Pinocchio” EP | POTTERY “The Craft” | SHE KEEPS BEES “Kinship” | SLOW MASS “Music For Ears 1” | SPENCER RADCLIFFE & EVERYONE ELSE “Here Comes The Snow“ | SQUITCH “Rut” | STEPHEN MALKMUS “Airplane Air” | TUNIC “Blessed” | VACATION “Capitol Drive” | WAND “Rio Grande“

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (March 25th - April 14th)