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.

CEREAL KILLER | “Your Punk Scene Can Suck It“

Australian hardcore band Cereal Killer are one that seem to be shrouded in mystique, from their tongue-in-cheek bio (that includes a mention of their headlining Coachella performance) to the fact that their debut album, The Beginning & End of Cereal Killer, is also the band’s last album. The record is a filthy lo-fi affair with each element of the sordid recording’s battling it out for which sounds the most caked in dirt… you know, the good stuff. While the artwork immediately reminded me of Lumpy & The Dumpers, the sound is pretty close to that touchstone as well, which we’re not complaining about. Due out later this month on Anti Fade and Drunken Sailor Records, lead single “Your Punk Scene Can Suck It” is a great intro to the band’s rip and burn songwriting, a menacing and sonically devolved song that scrapes and thrashes with utter disdain for petty things like good taste.

HONEY RADAR | “Kite Balloons”

There’s probably no better “lo-fi fuzz” band out there over the past decade than Philadelphia’s Honey Radar, a band that actually has countless releases, thanks to a never-ending stream of singles and EPs. Despite that fact, Ruby Puff of Dust, the band’s upcoming album, due out June 28th via What’s Your Rupture?, is only their third full length, and a welcome return to the long playing format. Album opener and first single “Kite Balloons” is blown out melodic bliss, a retro fuzz anthem that sounds awash in distortion with a gentle vocal line that puts some jangle in the otherwise brawny aura. It’s loud (regardless what volume you play it at) and serene, a thick slice of delightfully skewed pop that leaves us eager to hear the rest of the album.

MELVINS / FLIPPER | “Hot Fish”

Whelp… we now live in a world where the Melvins and Flipper have joined forces for a collaborative EP, due out on the legendary AmRep in what is sure to be a far too limited quantity. Flipper’s Steve DePace (drums), Ted Falconi (guitar) and joined by Melvins’ King Buzzo (guitar, vocals), Dale Crover (drums), and Trevor Dunn (bass), creating a force of sludge royalty. Both bands are infamous for their slow and heavy atrful contortions of punk and metal, playing with slow and brutal inversions of expectations. With a long line of subversive music between the bands, “Hot Fish,” the first single and title track to the upcoming EP, is loose and well… sludgy. Like the Flipper music we know and love, the guitars seem to stream without direction like a flood of incoming noise, shifting a song which would more or less be a blues number, into something writhing and dissonant.

MOCK IDENTITY | “Where You Live”

DC’s Mock Identity are carrying the torch of their cities punk scene and making music that speaks for the downtrodden. It’s bold and brilliant, post-hardcore music that flexes more brains than it does brawn… but it most definitely rips as well. “Where You Live," the lead single and title track from their upcoming EP, is immediately jarring; brash from the start and relentless throughout. Joshua David Hoffman’s bass line is utterly incredible, ripping along an intricate path, winding itself in the razor sharp grooves of drummer Nate Scheible. While their rhythm is constantly in motion, contorting into new shapes, Jeff Barsky’s guitar is laser focused, slashing into the open spaces wherever it can, whipping around like your favorite Uranium Club riffs. It’s Adriana-Lucia Cotes’ vocals that really cement it all, her determined howl somewhere between Katie Alice Greer and Corin Tucker, each line delivered with an emotional fury.

SPIRITS HAVING FUN | “Gift Shopping”

We included Spirits Having Fun’s last single “Auto-Portrait” as a featured song on Fuzzy Meadows just a few weeks back so I thought maybe I won’t write about this one… then I listened to it. Holy hell. For a band that never ceases to amaze, “Gift Shopping” is on a planet all its own, a discordant pop song that rips and spirals itself into oblivion while remaining accessible (at least for the experimentally minded individual). The outward skronk and rhythmic freedom are taken with liberty, moving in all directions, astounding at all times. Creative and well adept at songwriting, Spirits Having Fun are able to make something you’ve never quite heard before sound familiar and inviting, tearing your brain apart piece by piece with the most pleasant warmth.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (June 3rd - June 9th)