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.

ALIEN NOSEJOB | “Beatles vs. Stones”

It’s been almost an entire year since Alien Nosejob released the great Paint It Clear LP, which is to say we’re due another record from Jake Robertson’s (Ausmuteants, Modal Melodies, Swab) ever shifting solo project. We’ve come to revere Robertson as one of punk music’s true savants, able to do just about anything to perfection, from hardcore to indie jangle, disco punk to meditative synth pop, and with his upcoming record, Stained Glass, he’s set his sights on balls to the wall classic rock in the vein of AC/DC. Due out November 25th via Anti Fade (Delivery, RMFC, Vintage Crop) and Total Punk Records (Curleys, Sick Thoughts, Cherry Cheeks), lead single “Beatles vs. Stones” proves that Alien Nosejob knows a thing or two about big shredding and even bigger hooks. Galloping out the gate with a stampede of a rhythm and scorched Earth boogie, Robertson balances an ultra stoned Sabbath vocal melody with steely guitar distortion and of course, a blistering solo, brimming with old school sleaze.

BILLY WOODS & MESSIAH MUSIK | “Church” LP

billy woods is in a league all his own (aside from maybe his partner in rhyme, ELUCID). woods is an MC with immense wisdom, complex rhyme schemes, and a deep introspective stream-of-conscious lyricism that feels downright scholarly at times. He’s already released one of the year’s absolute best albums (Aethiopes) and now he’s released yet another sure fire classic, the hazy and brilliant Church, a collaboration with producer Messiah Musik. Released without advance notice, there’s nothing quite like finding yourself immersed in another set of woods’ poetic wordplay, unwinding your way from the center outward, as woods brings an elegance to weed raps and proves impeccable dexterity over the simmer and dusty radiance of Messiah Musik’s beats. Church is immediately enjoyable, but also feels like a record you need to sit with, a new set to decode as he offers raw imagery over church organs (“Pollo Rico”), dazzling bar structures (“Fever Grass”), and instant, yet subdued, anthems (“Artichoke”). With two of the year’s best releases (hip-hop or otherwise), the legendary MC may just now be in his prime, a crazy thought given his deep discography.

BLESSED | “Redefine”

Vancouver’s Blessed are one of the hardest working bands you’ll ever come across. Since forming back in 2016, the quartet have either been on the road, earning them a reputation as a must-see live band, or tirelessly progressing their sound, EP after EP, album after album. With the band’s sophomore album, Circuitous, out October 28th via Flemish Eye (Preoccupations), they’ve once again made another stride forward, embracing hooks that snap into place, fitting unlikely pieces together in a way that’s easily digestible. The album’s second single “Redefine” is a perfect example, an expansive track that absolutely dazzles with peaks and valleys taking shape over natural progressions, tangling themselves ever so slightly, while tempos expand and collapse. Yet, for all the technicality, and there is a brilliant display of their collective abilities, it’s the psychedelic texture of melodies and the strength of the vocal hooks that often steal the show. We hang on the words in the same way we do the snaking guitars, synths, and drums, wondering where it will go next, but enjoying the ride all the same.

THE CASUAL DOTS | “Sanguine Truth” LP

The Casual Dots’ return after eighteen years is one of 2022’s great surprises, and Sanguine Truth, the trio’s sophomore album is as welcome a comeback as any we’ve heard. It’s a pleasure to hear Christina Billotte (Slant 6, Qui*xo*tic, Autoclave), Kathi Wilcox (Bikini Kill), and Steve Dore (Snoozers) come together again after all these years, their skeletal brand of garage, doo-wop, indie, and post-punk still shining as brightly as ever. With interlocked guitars and weaving melodies, Billotte offers both concern for the world at large and a power of self, reminding us that you can only be as strong for others as you are for yourself. There’s a grounded stability to the songwriting as the band dip in and out of genre experiments, digging into the sonics that have defined much of their careers yet subverting any expectations. This isn’t a retread of the past and it’s not a cash grab, its The Casual Dots returning to set things right, and seemingly having a great deal of fun with the songs in the process.

DAEVA | “Polluting The Sanctuary (Revolutions Against Faith)”

There is little that can prepare you for Daeva’s upcoming album Through Sheer Will And Black Magic..., a crusty blend of black metal and thrash played at top speed with the utmost depravity. The Philadelphia band play their own brand of evil metal, digging into one colossal riff after another at a breakneck pace, with a rhythm section that’s shifting and disorienting the picture. It’s all pretty damn gnarly and much like the great Oranssi Pazuzu, there’s a subtle touch of spaced out psych rock in there, but Daeva primarily exist on this terrestrial plane of existence. With their album due October 14th via 20 Buck Spin (Acephalix, Dream Unending, Worm), the band are sharing “Polluting The Sanctuary (Revolutions Against Faith),” the record’s most unholy third single. The buzzsaw guitar shredding wastes no time making its presence felt, decimating from the initial onslaught as the band dive into the acid rotten depths and claw their way through the muck and primordial ooze in hyper speed.

JOBBER | “Hell In A Cell”

There’s a rare immediacy to Jobber’s music that feels both familiar and exciting. Kate Meizner has played in and toured with enough bands to be a DIY veteran at this point, which is apparent on Jobber’s debut, the world’s introduction to her songwriting. Having already shared the propulsive energy and layered lyrics that made for the band’s “Entrance Theme,” Jobber have upped the stakes as they move onto their EP’s title track, “Hell In A Cell,” a devious pop song that swarms with thick guitars, pounding drums, and paired vocals that offer a brightness to the band’s heavily distorted sludge. The song doubles as a narrative about a wrestler questioning risk vs reward and as Meizner’s personal reflection of being stuck in a job during economic collapse and feeling forced into the motions. All concerns are obliterated by the fuzz of the guitar’s hooks and the saccharine melody that juxtaposes it.

MEAT WAVE | “10K”

Everything is coming up Meat Wave. The Chicago trio have shown a lot of promise for the better part of the past decade, and it’s with great joy that we can say the band’s upcoming album, Malign Hex, is their best record yet. Due out October 14th via Swami Records (Mrs. Magician, PLOSIVS, Night Marchers), it feels as though Meat Wave have sharpened the corners and upped the tension. There’s a patience to be found, building atmosphere before blasting through the foundation, leaving rubble and smoke from well earned angst. “10K,” the record’s fourth single pushes and pulls with tightly coiled progressions, sparking against hollow feelings and subsequent avoidance.The drums really ratchet the aggression with rolling fills and mountainous fury, pounding away at dull senses to remind us of the fire that lives inside, leading us toward another day.

MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER | “Unfold” LP

Melody’s Echo Chamber, the expansive psych / dream pop project of Paris’ Melody Prochet, broke a four year absence in April with the release of their third album, Emotional Eternal. The album leaned into electro acoustic flourishes and experimental pop, creating a world onto itself, one that felt welcome for escaping our own realities. Five months later, Prochet and her collaborators are back with another record, Unfold, a “lost” album that was originally planned as the follow up to her self-titled debut. While the scrapped session sat dormant for a decade, it’s a blissful voyage back into the holographic brand of psych that characterized her earliest releases, free of form and restrictions, embracing the unknown. Songs like “Norfolk Hotel” immerse you into cloudy fog of reverb and dazzling majesty while the title track offers a stutter step groove that’s equal parts motorik and avant garde pop. It’s a missing piece in the Echo Chamber puzzle that now feels increasingly at one.

SHELL OF A SHELL | “Funny (Fuck It Mix) b/w Diddly”

Back in February 2020, Shell of a Shell had released Away Team, the Nashville band’s full length debut and with it, a massive US tour booked. As fate would have it, they played a show a two before the pandemic laid waste to those plans, effectively cutting the life of a great debut album short (even more so than the modern press cycle already does). Undeterred, the band are back out on the road now, moving their way along the East Coast, and they’ve released a new single to celebrate the occasion. The singles’ A-Side flips the Away Team opener, “Funny” from it’s woozy drag into full on discordant ripper. With the “Fuck It Mix” of the song, the fidelity is stripped, the guitars are blistering into the red, and there’s a general reckless where cohesion was previously. It’s a great way to bring new life to a song, sort of the aural equivalent of turning it upside down and shaking out its loose change. The B-Side, “Diddly,” takes a softer approach, a song which rich atmosphere and Chappy Hull’s vocals at their most gentle.

SOL MESSIAH | “Grand” (feat. Da BackWudz)

Among the cavalcade of new hip-hop this past week came the official debut LP from Atlanta’s Sol Messiah, a great DJ and producer who cut his teeth making records for David Banner, Dead Prez, and Nappy Roots before hooking up with his creative partner Sa-Roc. On GOD CMPLX, Sol Messiah shines like a Southern fried DJ Premier, lacing booming beats with gritty scratches, slowed samples, and a lyricist lounge of MCs. While early singles featured Sa-Roc, Cambatta, and Evidence, we’ve been patiently waiting to hear “Grand,” a song featuring one of our favorite gone-too-soon rap groups, Da BackWudz. Our introduction to Sol Messiah came via The Labratz (a group that paired Da BackWudz with Heavy Slim and G Wiz), and their brilliant album he produced in it’s entirety. As far as Post-Trash is concerned, Da BackWudz were poised to bring the Dungeon Family sound to the next generation, but the music industry got in the way and the group and their amazing debut have more or less been scrubbed from the internet. So with that, it’s a momentous occasion to hear Big Marc and Sho Nuff reunited on a Sol Messiah beat. They make the most of the opportunity, offering the same kind of swaggering mental clarity that made their promise so grand. GOD CMPLX is a must listen for any hip-hop fans that love fully developed beats and deep lyricism.

Further Listening:

September 19 - September 25:

September 26 - October 02:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (September 19th - October 2nd)