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.

ALIEN NOSEJOB | “Airborne Toxic Event”

Alien Nosejob, the anything goes solo project of Jake Robertson (Ausmuteants, Hierophants, School Damage), returns with a new full length, Once Again The Present Becomes The Past, due out October 2nd via Anti Fade and Iron Lung Records. While January’s Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud stretched out the garage elements of the project with hooks galore and ramshackle catchiness, Robertson’s second full length of the year returns to the agitated hardcore of last year’s HC45. This general vibe and sound may just be our favorite of Robertson’s many sides, somewhat like the punk fury of Ausmuteants but without the charming artsiness. Which isn’t meant as negative, this is primal, it’s crusty, and yet it’s full of character that is instantly recognizable. “Airborne Toxic Event,” the record’s first single is lo-fi hardcore at breakneck speed, built on corrosive riffs and depraved howling that isn’t so much heavy as it is rattled and jittery.

BLACK THOUGHT | “Good Morning” (feat. Killer Mike, Pusha T, & Swizz Beatz)

When you have Black Thought, Pusha T, and Killer Mike on a track together, there’s really very little that needs to be said. With three of best lyricists in hip-hop for near twenty years running, this holy trinity does all the talking necessary… then they brought along Swizz Beatz for the ride. While I’m not entirely sure why, as he doesn’t produce the track (which comes courtesy of Sean C), it doesn’t matter, not even his over cluttering of every track ever can take away from the fact these three each spit concise verses full of street wisdom, drug rap, and throw backs to their impeccable careers (may we never forget Killer Mike’s “Gonna Go To Ghana”). The verses are compact and succinct, but each shines in the exact way you’d expect them to, from the most woke to the most fly. Pulled from Black Thought’s upcoming Streams of Thought Vol. 3: Cane & Able, it’s another example of why the voice of The Roots is at another level, together with a pair of MCs that while different in their general approaches, all remain among the best of our generation.

COREY FLOOD | “Down The Hill”

They say it’s always good to have something to look forward to. Thankfully at the end of this week, Philadelphia’s Corey Flood are releasing their full length debut, Hanging Garden, via Fire Talk Records. The effort moves the band away from the dark post-punk of 2018’s Wish You Hadn’t, but retains their tight songwriting, opting for a breezy yet no less effective sound. “Down The Hill,” the album’s third single features Em Boltz on lead vocals, offering a serene and discordant version of post-punk that feels split between lucid dreaming and surreal memory. There’s a density to it, wrapped tight into the guitar chords and the rhythmic progression, enveloped in the atmosphere with a minor sense of unease but an easy touch of accessibility that radiates from it’s abstract vocals.

DAVID NANCE | “When The Covers Come Off“

Omaha legend David Nance is back with the follow up to the burly brilliance of 2018’s Peaced and Slightly Pulverized, an album that sat among that year’s absolute best releases. Staunch Honey finds Nance once again solo (while his last record was credited to David Nance Group), shifting away from the cosmic Americana sludge glory and back toward a dusty front-porch aura, one of open landscapes and bruised, bittersweet folk. Due out on November 13th via Trouble In Mind Records, first single “When The Covers Come Off” is a call back to Nance’s self-recorded early days, laid to tape, with a skeletal structure that highlights the country twang in Nance’s home-cooked rumble. It’s a simplistic song and all the better because of it, a well worn melody binds together with stomped rhythms and tangled acoustics that blur Americana and outlaw country into something warm and endearing.

DIG NITTY | “Small Curd”

I’m pretty sure that “Small Curd” is the song that first made me fall in love with Dig Nitty’s music. While all their songs are great in their own unique way, “Small Curd” offers something a little different, opening with drummer/vocalist Reggie Bender’s voice and a lone bass line before primary songwriter Erin McGrath enters the frame. The two intertwine their voices with sweet lulling harmonies that sound as close to perfection as anything else we’ve come across. The song has a slight fuzzy crunch to it, a slight psychedelic ambiance, and like everything Dig Nitty do, a ton of dynamic charm that’s culled between it all. They work their gentle approach into something massive, winding together a beautiful song into a wall of sound that encapsulates but never holds on for too long. It’s a fantastic way to open their debut album, Reverse of Mastery, setting the tone for the record to unfold in turn.

FURTHER LISTENING:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (August 24th - August 30th)