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.

7XVETHEGENIUS & JAE SKEESE | “Rory Joint”

While we’ve been hearing about Conway The Machine’s label, Drumwork Music Group, for years, we’re finally getting the first records with recent efforts from Jae Skeese and a collaborative album between Skeese and Conway himself. Now the entire label comes together for Drumwork The Album, a compilation featuring the label’s entire roster. It’s a hit-or-miss affair but it’s undeniable that 7xvethegenius shines throughout, her raps stealing the show at every turn. “Rory Joint” is the indisputable stand-out moment, a track that pairs 7xve and Skeese together over a cinematic beat built on long resonating keys and a stuttering drum beat. 7xve goes absolutely berserk with her verse, spitting bars for over three minutes (!!) with a shifting flow that continuously goes in (Cappadonna’s verse on “Winter Warz” comes to mind in terms of extended bars). She wastes no time making her presence known, keeping it hard, mapping her struggle and come up, but adding in punchlines for color, dropping references to Family Matters and dice game robberies. As it stretches on and on, it becomes clear that 7xve delivered one of the most confounding verses of the year. Hands down.

C.O.F.F.I.N | “Give Me A Bite”

Sydney’s favorite riotous boogie band C.O.F.F.I.N have officially announced their next barn burning record, Australia Stops, due out September 15th via Damaged Record Co (Australia), Bad Vibrations (Europe) and Goner Records (North America). The band’s brand of “pub thrash” is hardcore primed for partying, punk meant to be enjoyed loud while presumably sloshed, shouting at the top of your lungs. Having already released early single “Cut You Off,” the band return with “Give Me A Bite,” a surging dose of 70’s hard rock grooves and burly riffs. The energy is palpable, the electrified riffs charging beneath the signature howl of Ben Portnoy’s mountainous bellow. As the ground shakes beneath the weight of the song’s primal stomp, the band manage to balance the colossal boogie with duel guitar harmonies, explosive solos, and a swagger that few bands could ever hope to imitate. “Give Me A Bite” comes pouring out with reckless exuberance, thrashing and stumbling with a sense of combustible joy. When there’s a good chance the party is going to spiral out of control, C.O.F.F.I.N are here to destroy.

G.U.N. | “G.U.N.” LP

The debut LP from Nashville’s G.U.N. is pure brutality and speed, a record of brash hardcore and grunting punk. Released this past week via Sorry State Records (Meat House, Lasso, Zorn), there’s a no-frills attack that seems stuck in pulverize mode. The band blaze with reckless abandon, their tempos veering off the rails, but it’s not speed without substance, there’s a complexity to the riffs, a brainy element beneath the visceral carnage, and an unlikely focus on (deranged) hooks. The sentiment of G.U.N. - whose members include Nico Arambatzis, Stephen Sutton, Connor Cummins (Snooper, Spodee Boy, Body Cam), and Colin Lewis (Life Trap) - can be traced to the album’s furious finale, “Sick Sad World,” a track that seems to present itself as a core theme of the record - society is in the shitter, and all that’s left is frustration, confusion, and the rot of civilization. The band aren’t simply here to watch the world burn though, they’re providing a soundtrack with blistering solos, galloping drums fills, and the force of an asteroid hurtling its way directly into the dirt.

RONG | “Coincidence”

Just in time for their on-going tour with Sea Moss, Rong return with their first new recordings, a split EP together with fellow Massachusetts weirdos The Cost Ov Living, released a few weeks back on Mutual Aid Records. The songs are brutal and sludgy at times, piercing with distortion as they break into a sprint, the whole thing always threatening to collapse, but instead shifting directions mid collision. Rong explore the carnage and the aftermath, the cause and the effect, squawking and squeeling in a state of smoldering recklessness. “Coincidence” is a great example of what makes Rong so special, led by Olivia W-B’s hyper acrobatic vocal performance and poetic lyrics, seemingly exploring the idea of place and escape from a society ravaged by greed. While their yelps bend, shake, and spark, Rong are convulsing from one movement to the next in rapid form, George Hooper’s guitar absolutely swarming between tangled rhythms. They wrap themselves in knots, forming the jaw-dropping essence of their signature “heavy weirdness”.

ZOOMDWEEBY | “War of the Ants” EP

War of Ants, the second EP from Brooklyn’s Zoomdweeby (aka Victor Artesona), is overloaded with personality, layered psych-pop bliss, and an immaculate attention to detail. Bursts of blink-and-you-miss-it distortion texture songs that pop and slink, the intricate nuances resulting in a sound that comes somewhere between Odelay era Beck and On The Lam era Helvetia. Just when you think you have the mood or mentality figured out, Artesona and Julian Fader twist and churn in another direction, flooding your senses with layered charms. It’s a treasure trove of great ideas well executed, but there’s a maximalist sense to the fun, and repeat listens are key to digging into the warped harmonies, avant-pop hooks, and the often rapid fire lyrical content. These songs squiggle and squirm, their vibrant shimmer accented by guests Blair Howerton (Why Bonnie), Lyris Faron (T-Rextasy), Simon Hanes (Tredici Bacci), and Jake Baldwin (Har Mar Superstar). Zoomdweeby’s latest is focused on composition, with every splash of instrumentation finding its place within the greater landscape of Artesona’s sugar spun fuzz-pop.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (July 3rd - July 9th)