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.

CAVE IN | “New Reality”

If Cave In had called it a day after the release of Final Transmission, their album length eulogy to the band’s own Caleb Scofield, no one would have blamed them. Instead, nearly 30 years since their inception, the band return with a new album, Heavy Pendulum, their first for Relapse Records. With it comes a renewal for the band, the beginning of the next chapter. The quartet, now featuring frequent collaborator Nate Newtown (Converge, Old Man Gloom) on bass, haven’t forgotten their past, but they once again sound motivated to crumble and reform it all into something new again. While their last record was built around grief, it wasn’t particularly heavy. With Heavy Pendulum, Cave In return both heavier and more experimental, taking an almost progressive approach to what made White Silence so effective over a decade earlier. Lead single “New Reality” is a ripper, built on buzzsaw riffs and brutal distortion, with an ease of aggression that welcomes you to the carnage that lies ahead.

JEANINES | “Don’t Wait For A Sign”

Jeanines are set to release their sophomore album, Don’t Wait For A Sign, on April 22nd via Slumberland Records, a record that takes the formula of their already great debut and improves it in every way. The production is more radiant, the arrangements are top-notch, and the vocals are full of warmth. Alicia Jeanine and Jed Smith lean into the sunshine amid the chaos, even as the tone turns a bit darker, the pop shimmer is undeniably bright. The album’s second single and title-track, “Don’t Wait For A Sign,” is about making the most of things, forgetting your worries, and living your best life. Smith’s sharp drumming is loaded with fills while the entire song jangles with staccato rhythms. Alicia Jeanine’s vocals are an easy comfort, reminding us to “wash away those worry lines, you still have a lot of time” and suggesting we all get out into the open air.

PARTY DOZEN | “The Iron Boot”

Sometimes you hear a record that makes you instantly aware of the need to see that band live. It’s not that the recordings don’t get the job done, but quite the opposite, the intensity captured by the album proves what must be explosive to witness in person. This is evident with Sydney duo Party Dozen, comprised of saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and percussionist Jonathan Boulet. While the pairing of drums and saxophone might not sound overly engaging on paper, it’s the way the band have mutated both instruments that is truly stunning. In the same way that Lightning Bolt goes far beyond the parameters of the instrumentation, so does Party Dozen, manipulating sound to bend and convulse in unexpected ways. Set to release their third album, The Real Work, in July via Temporary Residence, the record’s new single “The Iron Boot” is a sludgy and chaotic introduction to the band, one that sprawls between dense riffs and sonic collapse. The mountainous riffs, constructed from samples and effected saxophone are met with no-wave intensity, breaking apart the hypnosis with an atonal glory and reckless abandon.

REBECCA RYSKALCZYK | “Water Pop”

Best known for Bethlehem Steel, Rebecca Ryskalczyk doesn’t have many “happy” songs in her catalog, at least not ones written from a place of happiness. In the three years since we last heard from B. Steel, Ryskalczyk has taken on the task of writing for happy occasions, the result being “Water Pop,” a song that resides hundreds of miles away from her main band, but manages to sound familiar thanks to Ryskalczyk’s powerful voice. The self-produced pop song is built on strobing synths, programmed drums, and layered vocal harmonies that swoon over the top. It’s a celebration of finding the people you love and wanting nothing more than to be together. Only time will tell if the song is a one-off or a hint of what’s to come, but it’s great to hear Ryskalczyk in any setting.

TROPICAL FUCK STORM + KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD | “Satanic Slumber Party Part 2 (Midnight In Sodom)”

Given the amount of records they release, it makes sense that King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are constantly recording, and that some of those recordings have to sit for a while. Somewhere in the timeline, King Gizzard recorded at Tropical Fuck Storm’s studio, and the two bands got together to create Satanic Slumber Party, a collaborative recording that breaks one colossal song into a digestible EP, both loose yet conceptually focused, with distinct nods to both projects. The digestible core of the EP is “Satanic Slumber Party Part 2 (Midnight in Sodom),” a song that feels like B-52s meets Rocky Horror amidst the worst acid trip imaginable. There’s more than a few shredding guitars, a wide array of Tropical Fuck Storm provided vocals - both melodic and deranged - and all hell breaks loose repeatedly. The intensity is layered deep, with King Gizzard’s spacey and repetitive riffs meeting the bent and disarming art-noise of Tropical Fuck Storm. There’s a lot to take in, but it’s an immediately fun listen.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (March 14th - March 20th)