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.

We’re going to continue to do this a bit different this week as we’re running behind on this column. Consider this the “lightning round,” where everything is twice as fast and twice as fun. There’s been a lot of amazing music over the past week, so don’t take our abbreviated blurbs as a sign of anything other than us just getting behind on our responsibility to bring you the best new music.

BRNDA | “Perfect World”

Washington, DC post-punk trio BRNDA return three years after their last release, Thanks For Playing, with a new full length, Do You Like Salt?, due out August 20th via Pittsburgh’s Crafted Sounds. Lead single “Perfect World” is sleak and silky, a funky punk song that features BRNDA drummer Leah Gage on vocals. Fitting somewhere between Blondie and Pylon, the band work a deep melodic groove over a krauty rhythm, twisting and bobbing with brilliant pop charm.

EIEIEIO + GORGEOUS | “Split EP”

The exceptionally great Sad Cactus Records has paired together NYC’s Gorgeous and Hadley, MA’s EIEIEIO, the band comprised of Max Goldstein (Maxshh, Tundrastomper), Sara Kochanski (Wishbone Zoe) and Sam Brivic (Crimson Blue, Tundrastomper), for a great new split EP. The record is quick and experimental, pushing their art punk, post-hardcore, and freaked out indie rock toward something truly unhinged. It’s heavy but sweet, deranged but catchy, and it marks a great new offering from the the acerbic Gorgeous and EIEIEIO.

MEGA BOG | “Maybe You Died”

Mega Bog’s latest album, Life, And Another, is due out at the end of this week via Paradise of Bachelors (Mike Polizze, Itasca) and we’ve already been treated to three singles prior to “Maybe You Died.” The songs show a dynamic album that stretches from experimental synth-pop to rambunctious art rock. “Maybe You Died” captures a haunting noir vibe, with a video to match, lead by atmospheric arrangements and Erin Birgy’s ominous vocal presence.

NOUN | “In The Shade” EP

We recently mentioned in our Snakeskin premiere that the EP was part of a trio of releases together with TVO and Noun, all released together last week via State Champion Records. All thee releases are great and worth picking up, and we’ve become hooked on Marissa Patternoster’s (Screaming Females) latest as Noun. The song’s are constructed with big hooks, loads of earworm melodies, and big primal sing-along lyrics like radio rock at it’s “could-be” best (if the radio played awesome music).

ZACH PHILLIPS | “Feed A Pigeon, Breed A Rat” LP

Zach Phillips is having a very busy 2021 so far, having started a new label, La Loi Records, to release two of his latest collaborative projects, Perfect Angels and Fievel Is Glauque (one of our favorite albums so far this year). Now he’s set to return with his latest proper “solo” album, Feed A Pigeon, Breed A Rat, which is currently available for funding a vinyl release at Bandcamp. The record features Phillips’ signature experimental blend of lo-fi lounge jazz and post-punk, featuring guests Lina Tullgren, William Austin Clay, Luke Csehak, and so many others.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (July 12th - July 18th)