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.

DAVID NANCE | “Wet Candles” LP

Omaha legend David Nance is known to make the most of a “Bandcamp Friday,” with a string of releases that have included not one but two oddly essential backyard live recordings, WFMU sessions, and more. What could be considered disposable material for many, has a raw majestic quality where Nance and co. are concerned. In addition to live records, Nance has had a long history of doing full album covers, ranging from last year’s cover of Devo’s Duty Now The Future to 2017’s cover of Lou Reed’s Berlin. He’s at it again with Wet Candles, which may or may not be a sneaky album length cover of Melanie’s 1970 album Candles In The Rain. The titles have been changed, but the songs remain, with the added benefit of David Nance’s hard worn rustic twang, fuzzy lo-fi blues, and soulful burnt country resolve. The source material feels natural, shinning amid these rough hewn renditions, with the admiration for the record ringing through.

DUSTER | “Together” LP

There were those who thought it might be a cruel April Fool’s joke, but rest assured, Duster surprise released a new album, Together, and we’ve been floored listening to it ever since. Following the band’s self-titled comeback album from 2019, the trio’s latest builds on their legendary “slowcore” with a dark, dissonant, and ominous glow over the proceedings. From the slow-dripped atmospheric sludge of album opener “New Directions” to songs like “Teeth” and the muscular fuzz of “Making Room,” the album explores a wide array of tonality, the static crackling with an understated tenacity as the band ease into tempos ranging from a crawl to damn near lively. While the band drift further away from the cosmic aura of their early material, they continue to reward those with a patient ear and a love for rich texture. Together (which was mastered by Stuck’s Greg Obis) is an aural treat of bent melodicism and fragile sentiment.

ERIK NERVOUS | “Halfass EP”

Erik Nervous has made some of the absolute best punk records of the past few years (specifically, Bugs!! and Erik Nervous and the Beta Blockers), a sunspot amid depravity. The past decade or so has built Northeast Indiana’s basement punk scene to that of legendary status (albeit not necessarily welcomed by those involved), and Nervous is among the “egg punk” genre’s finest, releasing constantly jerky records with light-speed tempos and blistering riffs. At times they start and stop with focused precision and intensity and at others they go for a more mutant jangle. Nervous’ latest, Halfass EP, was surprise released this week, a record initially planned for last year… but things happen. It’s worth the wait as Nervous blasts out one impeccably tight ripper after another, the entire thing pushed into the red but with plenty of clarity. The riffs endlessly wind around the stampeding drums, as Nervous writes delightfully strange and irreverent punk hits, both joyous and cathartic.

THE LENTILS | “Hollow Earth Theory”

Luke Csehak is one of those once in a lifetime kind of songwriters. His idiosyncratic approach to music has always been rooted in a sort of avant-garde folk and psychedelic pop sensibility, but void of pastiche. From the ramshackle charm of Happy Jawbone Family Band to the nervous tranquility and warm hues of The Lentils, Csehak writes with purpose and immediacy, despite an oft-languid delivery. The Lentils feel like an exercise of artistic expression that needs to pour out of Csehak, if not for himself then for the world at large. Budget Alchemy, due out April 8th via Flower Sounds, has one foot in the abstract and the other in shaky vulnerability. Album opener “Hollow Earth Theory” feels entirely surreal, like a waking dream where you’re desperately trying to piece things together, knowing only that whatever it is you’re experiencing, it’s beautiful. The song makes great use of auxiliary textures, providing color to the recording, and the song’s unanswerable questions.

MISTER GOBLIN | “Military Discount”

Sam Goblin has a unique way of looking at things, and as a result, Mister Goblin’s songs often explore the layers of humanity and social interactions that reside beneath the surface. Take last year’s “Hook In The Eye,” a song that took the perspective of a telemarketing scam-artist who rips off the elderly, but rather than viewing the despicable person in an evil light (despite the obvious fact that they are very much indeed evil), the song poses the idea that the subject is a failed actor, and this is the roll they’ve been given, a continued honing of their “craft”. With “Military Discount,” the opening track to the upcoming Bunny LP, we get a song from the viewpoint of a fireworks dealer, offering sleazy veteran discounts for a profit. It’s not exactly your average pop song and “Military Discount” isn’t your average Mister Goblin song. “Exploding” right out the gate, this is the band at their heaviest, a post-hardcore ripper where the intensity is only matched by the melodic strength. The song dips back and forth between syrupy hooks and an animated fury.

VERITY SUSMAN & MATTHEW SIMMS | “It’s In Our Hands”

It’s been fifteen years since Electrelane released their last album (and personal favorite), No Shouts, No Calls, but last year the quartet announced they were working on new music. In the meantime, the band’s own Verity Susman and Matthew Simms (Wire) have teamed up to record a soundtrack for Women Against The Bomb, a documentary about the women of Greenham Common Peace Camp in the 1980s. While the release date for the record has yet to be announced, the duo are sharing the first two singles via Bandcamp, with all proceeds going to Amna (formerly Refugee Trauma Initiative), a charity providing mental health support to asylum seekers and refugees coping with the trauma of conflict and displacement. “It’s In Our Hands” is an original song the duo penned for the film, an anti-war song with lush psychedelic pop melodies and a deeply dreamy refrain. Pulling influence from the paisley pop days of the 60’s, there’s a trippy groove, with layered organs and synth, and a communal nature to it that feels like timeless protest folk.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (March 28th - April 3rd)