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.

BRONZE NAZARETH & RECOGNIZE ALI | “God Aura”

Next month Wu-Tang disciple Bronze Nazareth and Recognize Ali are set to release their first collaborative album, Season of the Se7en via Mello Music Group (Small Bills, Marlowe, Homeboy Sandman). Last year was a busy one for Recognize Ali, who dropped a handful of solo albums as well as a pair of records with Dueling Experts (himself, Verbal Kent, and the exceptional production from Lord Beatjitzu). While much of those beats had an old school Wu flavor to them, with Bronze Nazareth behind the boards, Ali has an actual member of the Wu-Tang family lacing the tracks. “God Aura” shows that the pair are a perfect match. Over a beat with rolling drums and slow strings, Ali attacks the beat, just running it over reminding us “plan is to dominate, consolidate, the champ is here, you hear the trumpets from a mile away.”

COOL GHOULS | “At George’s Zoo” LP

Like all of the best albums, I wasn’t so sure about Cool Ghouls’ latest LP upon first listen. After growing obsessed with 2017’s Gord’s Horse LP, expectations were high for At George’s Zoo, an album that takes repeat listens to fully grasp. Those repeat listens are worth every moment though because Cool Ghouls have created something profoundly special, a record that shines with a Pet Sounds level brilliance while sliding between enormous psych-pop (“Smoke & Fire”), fuzzy folk (“Flying”), crooning and lackadaisical prog (“Land Song”) and full blown harmonized psych that rivals the best of Brian Wilson (“Look In Your Mirror”). It’s a record that really shimmers on repeat listens with each song delivering its own earworm voyage into the sunset, pulling for a worn record collection and fusing it together. We’ll have this on repeat for months to come.

CRUMB | “Trophy”

New York’s Crumb are back with “Trophy,” their first new single since the release of Jinx back in 2019. The band created an enormous buzz with that album and a heavy touring schedule and it’s well deserved, as their music is instantly enjoyable yet complex and nuanced. Swirling together jazzy psych and dreamy pop, they are a rock band at heart, but all edges have been melted and shape is only a concept. “Trophy” takes their signature formula and adds a bit of fuzz into their hypnotic sprawl, grooving through the verses and bending into the static of the space aged echo in the hooks. It’s as smooth as butter. Crumb don’t sound like Stereolab or Broadcast, but they do occupy a similar headspace and a shared brilliance.

FLOATIE | “Shiny”

Chicago’s Floatie will release their debut album in just a few weeks. We’ve already heard the first single “Catch A Good Worm,” and now the band have shared “Shiny,” the album’s incredible opening track. The band really take us on a cosmic trip while staying firmly grounded, switching from section to section with a fluid ease that feels utterly mesmerizing. Blending together unshakable repetition with a sense of unpredictability the song simultaneously sucks you in and spits you out. From the dizzying and jagged intro to the climatic moment that singer/guitarist Sam Bern sings “and I just want to get to the other side,” everything is dazzling, inviting us into their outer-stellar drift. Voyage Out is best heard in full and “Shiny” truly leads the way.

MAL DEVISA | “Wisdom Teeth” LP

Any time we’re graced with new music from Mal Devisa is cause for celebration and the impact of her latest album can’t be ignored. Wisdom Teeth is the full new full length from the Amherst based songwriter in three years, a triumphant return built on profound songwriting, powerful performances, and that same assuredness that blesses all of Deja Carr’s music. Poignant and poetic, she moves between the heart wrenching jazz of “JD’s Tune/The Spring,” a song that feels both immaculately fragile and emotionally shattered and the neo soul of “The Room Is Spinning/Rough” with natural grace. The songs complement each other while highlighting Mal Devisa’s continued evolution, a blend of timeless music that plays to every whim.

POM POM SQUAD | “Lux”

This new Pom Pom Squad single is a ripper. “LUX” is a song that doesn’t stand for the abuse and lies that come from a manipulated relationship. Cut the bullshit, Mia Berrin has had enough and she’s ready to do something about it if you’d just meet her “tonight in the garage.” With a steady stampede of a rhythm this song has more of a garage punk sound than 2019’s Ow EP, but it hits with the same energetic spirit, ready to destroy the male gaze with shredding guitars, fuzzy distortion, and anthemic hooks that suffer no fools. Concise and raging there isn’t a moment wasted, with condensed solos and doubled vocals for momentary emphasis.

PUPPY PROBLEMS | “People Pleaser“ (Community College cover)

Community College, the band led by Horse Jumper of Love’s John Margaris released their full length debut, Comco, two years ago via Disposable America (Squitch, Soft Blue Shimmer, Beverly Tender). In celebration of the record’s anniversary, the label has compiled a new tribute compilation, Compco, with the album covered in full by artists including Alexander, Lilith, Squirrel Flower, Judy Chong, Club Night, Spencer Radcliffe, and more. All of the proceeds go to the Allston-Brighton Community Fridges in Boston, so it’s great music for a great cause. The true highlight comes from Puppy Problems’ cover of “People Pleaser.” We’re over the moon about Puppy Problems’ music (Sunday Feeling is a genuine classic) and while we await their next album, the “People Pleaser” cover is the best of both the original song and Sami Martasian’s gorgeous bare-bones style. With absolutely beautiful vocal melodies, doubled vocals and warm acoustic guitar, it’s simple and stunning, sort of heartbreaking and immediately self-aware.

SOUR WIDOWS | “Crossing Over”

Last year Sour Widows released their self-titled debut, an album that remained one of our favorites all year (it was also the first album I personally felt compelled to review). The band create stark and profound indie rock with a slow burn and snaking heft. It hits on a deeply emotional level, but it is also full of sonic nuance. The band will release their sophomore EP, Crossing Over, in April and they’ve shared the first single, the album’s title track. Picking up where they left off, this album carries all the strengths of their debut and expands upon them, with home recordings that feel intimate and comforting. “Crossing Over” is expansive, with a complete vision that is constantly evolving, from the harmonized folk undertones to the almost atmospheric use of percussion. As the song winds its path forward, we’re pulled deeper into their complex beauty, intrigue, and the space used allowing every moment to blissfully resonate.

SPREAD JOY | “Unoriginal”

Chicago quartet Spread Joy (which shares members with Negative Scanner) is getting ready to release their self-titled debut on Feel It Records (Sweeping Promises, Smirk, Silicone Prairie) in early April. The album is post-punk in its best form, recalling bands like Pylon and Wire but with the modern spirit of peers like Fake Fruit and Lithics. Lead single “Unoriginal” is grooving and spiky, full of slinking bass and a motorik rhythm that lets the guitars dart in and out. It’s the vocals of Briana Hernandez however that really steal the show as her voice dances around the hypnotic backing, her melodic lines constantly bending, rising and sinking to accentuate her lyrics with a sarcastic glow that recalls the space between Cold Meat and Cate Le Bon.

THIRDFACE | “Do It With A Smile” LP

Nashville hardcore quartet Thirdface have released their full length debut, Do It With A Smile, and it could just be the release of tension we’ve all been waiting for. The entire album explodes with a visceral rage, that ire pointed toward those that feign allyship and community while using it for self benefit. It’s every bit as much a socio-political screed as it is a blistering mutant hardcore album, void of any of genre’s constraints. The band thrash through elements of sludgy metal, noise rock, and even a bit of noise riddled no-wave throughout, incorporating menace between an ever changing avalanche of brilliant riffs, blood curdling screams, and shifting rhythms that twist and convulse so fluidly that the experimentation of it feels second nature, almost organic. It’s both deranged and intelligent, an album quick to eviscerate any horseshit and kick in teeth of both oppressors and genre boundaries.

Further Listening:

MARCH 01 - MARCH 07:

MARCH 08 - MARCH 14:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (March 1st - March 14th)