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.

EDITRIX | “Hieroglyphics”

It’s been nearly two weeks since I last saw Editrix live, and I’m still constantly thinking about it. I’ve seen several shows since and yet I can’t shake it. The Western Mass based trio absolutely decimated from start to finish, showing a rare dexterity, capable of damn near anything. They pull from a wild assortment of aggressive and artistic sources, weaving them flawlessly together, with a touch of improvisation that only makes their wonderfully complex songs all the more stunning. “Hieroglyphics,” the second single from their upcoming album, Editrix II: Editrix Goes To Hell is one of those brilliant songs that only Editrix could pull off. While certain sites compare it to nu-metal and hardcore, to me this is noise rock at it’s best, full of sludge, warped atonal riffs, stuttering rhythms that shift so casually, and of course Wendy Eisenberg’s always thought provoking lyrics. They whisper the vocals’ opening verse about the nakedness of writing lyrics (and more specifically, whispering them), and then just obliterate from there. Between guitar shredded bliss that rages between one jaw-dropping riff and solo to the next, Steve Cameron and Josh Daniel, dig into the crust of it, erupting as tempos slide and clamor, collapsing beats in perfect time.

HARESS | “Ghosts” LP

The story has it that Ghosts, the title of Haress’ sophomore album, is more than just the name of the album, but a presence found while recording in an unused water mill. If ever the dead had to be conjured from the great beyond, Haress’ sound would be a pleasant one to re-acclimate to the world with. The band, led by Elizabeth Still and David Hand, make guitar based music as it’s most beautiful and serene, with droning meditations and long resonating ambience that blankets the minimal recordings. Joined by Thomas House (Sweet Williams), David Smyth (Mind Mountain), Chris Summerlin (Hey Colossus), and Nathan Bell (Lungfish), the band create such a lush and reflective landscape, as open as their British countryside surroundings, slowly evolving in a way that reminds me more of Cosmic Americana, minus the twang. Primarily instrumental, aside from House’s vocal contributions, there’s a warm folk sensibility with a swirling dose of tranquil psych. When the vocals do come into focus, House’s molasses pulled melodies are the perfect match.

LA LUZ | “Endless Afternoon”

For the past ten years La Luz have made comforting music as relaxing and vibrant as it is compelling. Their music continues to evolve and while some bands see a decline from album to album, La Luz’s self-titled record, released last year, just might be their best yet. After health issues took the ever touring band off the road earlier this year, we’re glad to see them back at it (and fully recovered), both playing shows and releasing a new single, “Endless Afternoon”. La Luz’s Shana Cleveland describes the song as a “California lullaby,” an apt description that would fit much of the band’s material, resonating from a day spent hiking close to home. The woozy guitar line could be pulled from an episode of Twin Peaks, with a mix os disorienting dream state consciousness and a doo-wop accompaniment that swoons us right into the warmth of slumber as everything around fades.

OSEES | “Funeral Solution”

The Osees may just be our generation’s best prog rock band. Sometimes in the traditional sense, but more often than not in the sense that they are constantly progressing, their sound ever evolving to meet their whims over the course of 25 years, drawing upon what has come before, but never content to simply recreate it. They’ve made garage records, punk records, folk records. They’ve played around with no wave, krautrock, proto-metal, prog, and of course psych rock, and it looks like they’re giving hardcore a go with their upcoming album, A Foul Form. Due out August 12th via Castle Face Records, the album’s first single “Funeral Solution” is buzzsaw menace and deviant psych colliding headfirst at full speed. The jerky rhythm and barked vocals are spiked with bite, consistently thrown from its axis with duel drums and guitar that stomp in agitated bursts, eventually spiraling out at its final moments as the drums diverge. While we have not heard the rest of this album, “Funeral Solution” is a fun addition to the ever shifting Osees catalog.

PARTY DOZEN | “Macca The Mutt” (feat. Nick Cave)

While Sydney’s Party Dozen introduced their upcoming album The Real Work with “The Iron Boot,” a sludgy as hell doom rattled stoner odyssey reminiscent of Black Sabbath (with Lightning Bolt influenced freakouts), that track is an outlier on the band’s dynamic record, where the saxophone and drums duo rarely stay in one place for long. After sharing their recent Sub Pop Singles Club singles, the focus returns to The Real Work (out July 8th via Temporary Residence) and the band’s new single, “Macca The Mutt.” Opening with a wonderfully distorted and disorienting vocal performance, sung through the bell of Kirsty Tickle’s saxophone, this one is primal and woozy, the duo pounding away as the music careens and settles. Even without being able to make out the lyrics, the texture of the vocals makes an enormous impression, and as the band push toward the height of insanity riddled tension, it’s the sense of melody that really carries it… that is until guest Nick Cave comes in with the mantra, “I’ve got a mutt called Macca” and all hell proceeds to break loose.

PET FOX | “Only Warning”

Boston’s Pet Fox really do have a rare gift. They write pop songs with a capital P, and yet each of those songs is marked with its own subtle complexities. No matter how tangled their compositions get though, they never lose focus of their massive hooks and instant appeal. It’s easy to love and Pet Fox have never sounded quite as infectious as they do on “Only Warning,” a real art-pop ripper. Lead by the stampeding polyrhythmic blast of Jesse Weiss’ drums, he folds time in on itself, keeping the knotted beat running like the song’s wildly irregular heartbeat. The lackadaisical melody in both Theo Hartlett’s guitar and vocals is a stunning counterpoint, offering a muscular but dreary pull to the otherwise jet engine propulsion. The trio warp into the song’s heaviest moments in the refrain, but they never loose the mesmerizing drive of Weiss’ colossal beat.

SPREAD JOY | “II” LP

Last year Chicago art punk band Spread Joy released their self-titled debut, one of the best album’s of the year. It was full of unbridled energy and tightly wound post-punk riffs, led by the charismatic twists and turns of Briana Hernandez’s vocals. Released just over a year later, the band return with II, expanding on last year’s effort with another shot of rapidly driven punk songs that feel both recklessly free and razor sharp. They play fast and wonky, retaining complete control while making it sounding like chaos, with most songs darting to completion in less than two minutes. Spread Joy don’t often waste time with hooks, the band instead create memorable nuances, usually coming from Hernandez’s vocal inflections, which often color outside the lines in the best way. There’s a strong attention to detail as she flicks accents and exaggerates enunciation with amazing results. The entire album in a non-stop blast of blissful grooves and bizarrely wonderful melodic sensibilities.

STRESS POSITIONS | “Walang Hiya” EP

For everyone that misses modern Chicago hardcore/punk legends C.H.E.W., it’s time to rejoice, Stress Positions have arrived. Jonathan Giralt, Benyamin Rudolph, and Russell Harrison are back at it with vocalist Stephanie Brooks leading the charge, and their new band has a veteran feel, swinging between blistering hardcore and the ever dynamic dip into the artier side of metal and psychedelic punk. Walang Hiya, their debut EP, is as surefooted as a debut gets, full of cathartic chaos and furious disdain. The music is brutal and relentless, with everyone swarming, circling their prey as they dive in and pick it up apart. Songs like “Lust For Pleasure” with its torrential drums and the album’s title track come out swinging, but there’s so much detail and nuance immediately found in the songwriting, creating tension and resolve, only to bludgeon it all into obscurity. This is not caveman hardcore, Stress Positions play with a sense of brilliance and a earthquaking dexterity. C.H.E.W. may be no more, but long live Stress Positions, perhaps your new favorite hardcore band.

SWAB | “Big City” LP

Listening to Swab’s full length debut sounds like hardcore played on fast-forward. The playing is fast, ridiculously fast… damn near impossibly fast. The Melbourne based band (which includes members of Vanilla Poppers as well as Alien Nosejob’s Jake Robertson among the members) tear through songs with blast beats so furious and riffs that change so erratically, you could sneeze and miss an entire section or two. The playing, however fast, avoids sloppiness or ever being muddy, raging forward with a sonic clarity as they move from one pummeling moment to the next. In true hardcore fashion there’s a song about hating hippies and Christina Pap’s (Vanilla Poppers) vocals are shouted with just the right amount of aggression. You can feel the irritation, even if you can’t always understand the lyrics over the careening feedback and breakneck speed of the sludge and dirt. It’s a damn good time, and we can only imagine how great it would be to see Swab play live.

TRAAMS | “Breathe” (feat. Softlizard)

Seven years after their last full length, Chichester’s TRAAMS are back with Personal Best, a new album that finds the trio relying less on guitar, though they certainly haven’t abandoned it altogether. In the years since Modern Dancing was released the band shared several singles (eventually collected as an “odds and ends” style EP), those songs comprising much of their best material to date, split between punchy hook filled jaunts and larger than life sprawling krautrock. “Breathe,” the latest' single from their upcoming record, is definitely the latter, a motorik song that’s gorgeously expansive and mesmerizing. Stretched out over nine minutes, the band use the time for greatest impact, luring you deeper into the bass driven hypnosis. Harmonized vocals, courtesy of TRAAMS’ Stuart Hopkins and Softlizard aka Liza Violet (Menace Beach), add a human element to the slinky repetition, as distortion colors outside the lines, building a lush and dissonant atmosphere. TRAAMS are often at their best when they let it all ride, and “Breathe” is no different.

Further Listening:

May 09 - May 15:

MAY 16 - MAY 22:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (May 9th - May 22nd)