Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (October 31st - November 6th)

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 | “Shuffle Boogie”

Stained Glass, Alien Nosejob’s upcoming fifth full length continues his chameleonic approach, this time embracing the sleazy rock ‘n’ roll scuzz of AC/DC for a set of balls out arena rippers. Due out November 25th via Anti Fade Records and Total Punk Records, the sound of swaggering rock flair really works for Jake Robertson, with a force full of piss and vinegar, he’s got the yelp and the knack to shred. “Shuffle Boogie” is the album’s second single, a track that he says is his first attempt at a shuffle backbeat, and well it would seam that in this case, the first times the charm. It’s a laid back rocker, picking the best elements of laid back rockers, and giving them his own raw power. Residing somewhere between a stuttering David Bowie strut and the flush of AC/DC pomp, Alien Nosejob rides the boogie well into the sunsight, shuffling around without a care before ripping into a good time blues solo.

BLACKLISTERS | “Why Deny It?”

Just when we thought Blacklisters couldn’t get any better, they’ve gone ahead and skewed everything we thought we knew about their sound with “Why Deny It?,” the second single from the upcoming Leisure Centre EP. Equal parts post-punk, no wave, and noise rock, Blacklisters ooze across genres to create something both artistic and delightfully dismal, atonal but full of genuine grooves. There’s a hypnotic pressure in Alistair Stobbart and Steven Hodson’s motorik rhythm, a steady pound of ominous forewarning, setting the shape for the otherwise shapeless sprawl of saxophone noise. Flipping between form and function, the band take a wild path, with stops and starts, sputtering and thrashing in equal measure. Hell… you can kinda dance to this one. Enveloped by Dan Beesley’s punishing riffs and the unmistakable howl of Billy Mason-Wood, “Why Deny It?” takes aim at the self-important amongst the suit-and-tie crowd, peppered with inspired one-liners - “I think we’re talking business, now we’re really talking business.”

EN ATTENDANT ANA | “Principia”

Set to release their third full length on February 24th via Trouble In Mind (The Tubs, Nightshift, CB Radio Gorgeous), Paris’ En Attendant Ana return with “Principia,” the title track from their upcoming album. The band have always taken a unique approach to fuzzy indie pop, writing songs that don’t always feel immediate but really glue themselves into your memory with repeat listens. It’s subtle and stunning songwriting in a genre where subtly is scarce. “Principia” is a welcome introduction to the album, a steady progress of En Attendant Ana pop charms. Led by Margaux Bouchaudon’s dreamy vocal melody and an innocent jangle, the song is at times reminiscent of both The Cardigans and Alvvays, coloring in the accents with echoing guitar scrapes and soaring hooks. The video is a great accompaniment, with what starts as a race and ends with the band taking their own, more enjoyable path,

GEN POP | “Senseless Action” (Beat Session)

Olympia’s Gen Pop are a great band. If you haven’t heard them, it’s worth digging into their entire catalog, but 2020’s PPM66, is a real gem (and a great place to start). While we eagerly await new music from the band (whose members also play or have played in Star Party, Vexx, Table Sugar, Rik & the Pigs), they’ve joined the ranks of band’s to release a Beat Session cassette via Shout Recordings (Uranium Club, Warthog, Marbled Eye). For those unfamiliar, Beat Sessions capture in-studio live recordings, capturing many of the best punk bands of the past decade. Due out next week, it would appear the session includes several new songs, including “Senseless Action,” the release’s first single. Just over a minute in length, it’s a brilliant bit of Pacific Northwest fury, rattling and raw, with sweet duel vocals and punchy rhythms. The song roars into existence and the immediacy never wanes, shaking between visceral progressions and syrupy harmonies.

MUI ZYU | “Ghost With A Peach Skin”

As the vocalist/guitarist of London’s Dama Scout, Eva Liu has already released one of our favorite albums of the year, but creativity never rests. Mui Zyu, first introduced in the Spring of 2021, is Liu’s solo project, a chance for her to explore and experiment, juxtaposing haunting minimalism with dreamy vocals. The airiness of it is matched with emotional weight, pairing Liu’s sentiment with otherwise wide open landscapes. Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century is her full length debut, out February 24th via Father/Daughter Records (Anna McClellan, Tasha, Annie Blackman), an album that both meditative and intricately composed. “Ghost With A Peach Skin” is the album’s lead single, a song that pulses with an underwater texture, the bass washed and condensed with the snare, keeping time for an Liu to wander through pools of personal reflection.

Further Listening: