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.

DEERHOOF | “Sit Down, Let Me Tell You A Story”

The press cycle and bio surrounding Deerhoof’s upcoming album, Miracle-Level, are focused on the fact that it’s the band’s first “studio album,” it being the first to be completed from start to finish in a “proper” recording studio with an outside producer. It feels like a bit of a stretch, as past recordings done in Ed’s basement or records done piece meal in various locations have never exactly been “lo-fi,” but what is important is that Deerhoof, one of the greatest bands of our generation, continue to push themselves and that we have a new album to enjoy from them, due out March 31st via Joyful Noise Recordings (Tropical Fuck Storm, Oneida, Eerie Wanda). The album is also the first with Satomi Matsuzaki’s lyrics sung entirely in her native Japanese, a political decision to not use the language of “the world’s policeman.” The results are characteristically Deerhoof, though the album focuses on restraint, with a feeling of trust in each other and a sense of ease. “Sit Down, Let Me Tell You A Story,” the lead single is still bombastic, but there’s a freedom in the chaos, peeling away from the clamor in the verses, and picking their sporadic crescendos with a graceful glee.

FLORRY | “Cowgirl In A Ditch”

Florry’s new seven piece line-up adds some muscle to their twang, giving as much weight to the easy going compositions as the impeccable lyrics. Led by Francie Medosch, Florry are set to return with Sweet Guitar Solos, a new EP due out on January 25th via their new home at Dear Life Records (Little Mazarn, Courtney and Brad, MJ Lenderman). Lead single “Cowgirl In A Ditch” is a song that showcases the band’s new sonic clarity while retaining every last ounce of country charm. With a sound that could be a spiritual successor to Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s finest efforts, Florry set the scenery in vivid detail on their latest single, a rambling ballad of transient life, an ode to “the great American highway in us all.” With a trio of layered guitars, fiddle, and pedal steel, this one is surging with fried country bliss, and the band sound spectacularly worn in. There’s so much heart to the doubled vocals and the earnest melodies, it all oozes with timeless appeal.

JORDAN HOLTZ | “Call It!”

New Hampshire’s Jordan Holtz is best known as a core member of both Rick Rude and Footings, providing both bass and vocals to the former and as a vocalist for the latter. While it would seem as though Rick Rude have a new album on the way, we’re delighted to see that Holtz is first releasing her solo debut, Not Close For Comfort on February 3rd. Due out via Portland, ME’s Pretty Purgatory Records (Lisa/Liza, Friend Roulette, Wei Zhongle), it’s a chance for Holtz’s songs to take center stage, recorded in pieces over the last five years. Lead single “Call It!” is a stunner, sparse and immediate. Built primarily on vocals, bass, and textural synths, there’s a striking radiance to ever word sung, to every line of bass accompaniment, and to the ominous whirring of the synth as it passes like clouds over a desolate expanse. In a song without drums, Holtz’s slinky electric bass sets the tone, but her lyrics become the focus, expressing feelings that feel split somewhere between letting go as time passes and the desire to keep loved ones forever close.

PILE | “Nude With A Suitcase”

There’s nothing more you can ask of a band than to make the records they want to make and not the record’s their audience wants them to take. Sure, sometimes it can back fire, but it’s an honest approach to art and natural progression. Pile’s upcoming album All Fiction is a labor of love, it’s the sound of a band taking the time to figure out what motivates and challenges them, an album that rejuvenates both their interest and expands our perception of their music. While early singles “Loops” and “Poisons” hinted at sonic shifts in their execution, “Nude With A Suitcase” brings us deep into the synth heavy world of All Fiction, wrapping itself in contorted vocal samples and whirring soundscapes to create a surrealism that feels both claustrophobic at times and brilliantly vast at others. Pile manipulate new sounds without losing touch of Rick Maguire’s songwriting. The trio still offer a rollercoaster of dynamic shifts, gut wrenching melodies, and layered rhythms, but it feels naturally engrained in their alien atmosphere, like a warning of danger or maybe a feeling of unease upon entering a strange new world beyond.

SCREAMING FEMALES | “Brass Bell”

Its been five years since Screaming Females’ last full length album, but the legendary trio remained busy touring and releasing music that included a reissue of the limited edition Chalk Tape EP, their Singles Too collection of non-album cuts, a few remixes and covers, and if you were lucky enough to see them last year, a tour only EP of all new songs. With those releases out in the world, the band returned to the studio for Desire Pathway, their eighth album, recorded once again with Matt Bayles (Sumac, Botch, Blood Brothers). The record, which takes the theme of forging your own path, is fitting for Screaming Females, who have stayed incredibly dedicated to DIY since their inception. Their music continues to blend punk, alternative rock, power-pop, and stoner fuzz into their signature sound, one that’s become increasingly accessible without sacrificing any of their immediacy or heavy riffs. “Brass Bell” is our introduction to the album, a song that pairs a disorienting intro with the trio’s sludgy-pop hooks and massive psych-inspired shredding. There’s a real patience and nuance to the structure, peeling away at times only to come crashing back in.

THA GOD FAHIM & NICOJP | “Chess Moves” EP

Last year found Tha God Fahim releasing collaborative records with peers Your Old Droog, Mach-Hommy, and Jay NiCE, as well as a solo record, and another EP collaboration with producer Nicholas Craven, piling up six records of pure hip-hop grace. So as only the “Dump Gawd” can, Tha God Fahim returns with Chess Moves, his first record of 2023, a surprise released collaboration with producer NicoJP. While background information on the producer is fairly slim around the internet, it’s clear that his beats are a great match for Fahim’s delivery. Crafting laid back loops and dusty samples that move between strings and noir soul, with stuttering drums and creeping keys, the tracks give room for Tha God Fahim to deliver his own brand of stream of conscious raps and street informed motivation, offering lyrics that split a mix of gangsterism with hope, often within the same bars. Tracks like “Tha Fog” and “The Dark Saga” maneuver between braggadocious claims and flippant violence with a persevering wisdom, the lines blurring together and jumping between the struggle and a sense of internal survival.

Tha God Fahim · Chess Moves

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (January 16th - January 22nd)