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.

ALPHA HOPPER | “In The Desert In The West”

We wrote about Alpha Hopper’s “The Goods” last month, the first song released from their upcoming Hex Records debut, Alpha Hex Index. It was our introduction to the Buffalo quartet, and we’ve become rather obsessed with their catalog in the time since. “In The Desert In The West” is their latest single and album opener, a song that spews forth everything that makes them such a great band, led always by the irritated (and brilliantly obnoxious) vocals of Irene Rekhviashvilli. It’s her delivery that really sets them apart from the other noise rock weirdos, it’s almost like riot grrl but with a head full of acid. It’s every bit as catchy as it conventionally disagreeable, and we love it. The music itself it’s muscular and destructive, punding out complexities that rip and burrow under your skin.

BEAUTY PILL | “Instant Night”

With the election coming up, Beauty Pill have released a new single, a song that comes just five months after the Please Advise EP. “Instant Night” was written by Chad Clark prior to the 2016 election about the fears of what a Trump presidency would look like. Unfortunately all those fears came true, and the song is an urge to get out and vote, so that we don’t have to suffer another four years of fear, hate, and residual sadness. The band’s Erin Nelson handles the vocals (though the melodic construction of her words is very much signature Clark), as she reminds us that “scared is alright” but no one wants to be scared forever and things need to change, and that time is now. In typical Beauty Pill fashion, the song is ornately composed and gorgeously played, swirling their experimental art sound in vibrant layers.

FLOATING ROOM | “Tired and True” EP

Tired and True, the new EP from Portland’s Floating Room is like a condensed masterclass in great songwriting. Maya Stoner and co. (which includes Mo Troper among others) are digging through personal turmoil well into the other side, coming out sounding triumphant, worn but better as a result. While we’ve already written about the amazing “Freakshow” and “Held Open Door,” (two of our favorite songs in recent moemory) the EP’s three remaining tracks are just as a strong. “Dancer” adds a bit of country twang balanced by a slowcore intensity, the combo working well with Stoner’s heartfelt lyrics. “Warm Death (Hifi)” is a great reimagining of an older Floating Room song, given a newfound clarity, and leading to closer “Gun.” Another highlight of the record, “Gun,” is buoyant, bouncing on a warbling shoegaze fog, as Stoner’s vocal melody cuts and swerves with a hyper-catchy melodic charm.

LAUNDROMAT | “Bureau de Fatigue”

Brighton, UK’s Laundromat have announced their second release of the year Green EP, which comes seven months after the infectious Blue EP (both of which are now available for pre-order on vinyl). The latest project of Tobias Hayes (Eugene Quell, Shoes & Sock Off, Meet Me In St Louis), the band take retro-futurist post-punk influences in a mesmerizing direction, colored by motorik grooves and Hayes’ knack for perfectly layered guitars. “Bureau de Fatigue” is built on a dance beat, warped and filtered through Laundromat’s stylistic churn, soaring and bubbling under Hayes’ signature vocal arrangement. The song blips and skronks to perfection and we’re immediately transfixed by Hayes’ sharpened and up-beat lyrics that seeming stem from shattered relationships.

LICE | “R.D.C.”

After a handful or great EPs, Bristol’s LICE have announced their full length debut, Wasteland: What Ails Our People Is Clear, due out January 8th via Settled Law Records. The band’s own mutant breed of noise rock is in excellent form on their latest single “R.D.C.” a song that is bent in all directions, picking up elements of prog and post-hardcore along the way. It’s heavy but delivered with a great sense of dynamics, from nimble moments of jittery punk and blunt riffs to hypnotic vocals and detached progressions to an eventual blistering discordant chaos.

Further Listening:

OCTOBER 19 - October 25:

OCtober 26 - November 01:

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