by Benji Heywood (@benjiheywood) and Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)

Welcome to FUZZY MEADOWS, our 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. 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.

7XVETHEGENIUS
“The Genius” (feat. Keisha Plum)

As hip pop persists in its played-out exploration of bitches and brands, the underground crackles with talent. 7xvethegenius hails from Buffalo, New York, home to a booming scene put on the map by 90s re-insta-gators Griselda. While 7xve (pronounced “Love”) may sound like a Griselda acolyte on paper—she’s signed to Conway the Machine’s Drumwork Music Group—her flow is her own. For the uninitiated, “The Genius” is a stellar introduction, featuring 7xve’s effervescent word play over 2am piano production by Daringer and a spoken word outro courtesy of poet Keisha Plum. There’s something refreshingly conversational about 7xve’s rapping. It’s like overhearing the smartest person in the room wax lyrical about shit the rest of us have a hard time articulating. Her rhymes slither in and out of lexical foxholes while her cadence consistently surprises, rising and falling like Lake Eerie tides. But don’t get lulled to sleep; 7xvethegenius is more Niagara than great lake. Look out for her album Death of Deuce coming October 11th. - Benji Heywood

ANNA MCCLELLAN
“Endlessly”

Four singles in and Anna McClellan has announced her highly anticipated new album, Electric Bouquet, due out October 25th via Father/Daughter Records (Mui Zyu, Mia June, Who Is She). An album that is said to unfold like a television show, based in narrative and story arc, it’s an expansion of McClellan’s songwriting, an immaculate retelling of time gone by as life is lived. Much like the warm glow of TV in a dark room, there’s comfort in her words, a calm reflection on universal experiences, from heartbreak to venturing into the unknown. “Endlessly” plants a radiant reminder that its okay being sad, better to be who you are instead of putting on a false self. While she wonders about being “born a mango tree” and later having “restless anger in my bones,” it’s a song that eschews fears for strength in the true self. The piano-led song is beautiful and swelling, wrapping itself in emotional knots, a plea for honest acceptance. - DG

BIG’N
“South of Loathsome”

If Capitalist Realism has one perk it’s that no artistic style ever dies. Big’n, the Chicago noise rockers wrongly assumed dead and buried thirty years ago, are back, and just as riff-tastic as ever. Fans of Jesus Lizard, early Helmet, and Shellac, rejoice. If you want that Electrical Audio sound, no one does it like Big’n. From the opening drum triplet, “South of Loathsome” is every bit as unhinged and bombastic as Big’n’s best tunes, a song that sounds like it emerged from a time capsule and immediately started cuffing people up. The band’s forthcoming album is called End Comes to Soon, a title that rings eerily prescient since Steve Albini’s passing earlier this year. With its raw riffs, booming drums, and shredded vocals, “South of Loathsome” is a worthy tribute to Albini’s dynamic, unadulterated aesthetic. We may die, but punk—in all its glorious incantations—never will. - Benji Heywood

BLUE ZERO
“Scar”

Oakland’s Chris Natividad has spent the better part of the last decade making sharp and spiky post-punk with Marbled Eye, Public Interest, and Aluminum, darting around corners with jerky precision that rattles from a cold distance. Blue Zero, his new solo project, eschews the angularity of his other bands, opting instead for fuzzy beauty and muscular density, pop songs with blistering shoegaze strength and slow dripped melodies. Colder Shade Blue, out October 11th, is a collection of sure footed songs that rely on earnest songwriting over aesthetic. “Scar” moves away from the layered fuzz at times in favor of something more brooding and tangled, veering closer to the post-hardcore art rock sound of Unwound than anything immersed in pedal worship. There’s still plenty of ringing distortion, but everything feels channeled into the juggernaut momentum, slowly gathering weight as Natividad pushes and pulls at the gorgeous framework. - DG

CLASS
“Scared To Care”

CLASS, the perennially great Tucson punk band, are back with A Healthy Alternative, their third full length album in as many years (not to mention EPs and singles), due out October 4th via Feel It Records. An exceptionally dynamic band, their albums have darted between SST styled rippers, howling punk tunes sprinkled with dusty fuzz, rattled and gritty power-pop, and sun-fried street punk anthems. CLASS are pulling from a deep well of influences, where anything goes and everything seems to work in their favor. “Scared to Care,” their new record’s lead single is a song about hypocrisy, taking aim at those that take issue only when it’s convenient. It’s a spring loaded rocker with a propulsive boogie and a roaring rhythm, shredding and swinging with a reckless abandon that never disrupts the song’s memorable hooks and rollicking good time. - DG

MERCE LEMON
“Crow”

Merce Lemon joins the ranks of “indie darlings” with her new album, Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild, due out later this week via Darling Recordings, and it’s damn well deserved. The Pittsburgh based songwriter’s music blends gorgeous folk and gentle Americana with an indie rock strength, a fiery resolve usually found in the weight of her guitar playing. “Crow,” the album’s third single, is a highlight of the record, a beautiful song that moves from a country leaning acoustic foundation to a swarming sprawl of soulful guitar distortion that would make Doug Martsch or Neil Young proud. It’s a patient composition, building with a natural grace that suits the power in Lemon’s delicate but impactful voice (and the stunning close-knit harmonies), a radiant landscape for a song that longs for togetherness and community. - DG

PORRIDGE RADIO
“A Hole In The Ground”

London’s Porridge Radio having been buzzing with acclaim for many years at this point and yet their new album feels special, a band at the height of their powers, everything perfectly in place. Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me, out October 18th via Secretly Canadian, takes careful consideration in its construction, recorded live with the band to capture the raw immediacy inherent in Dana Margolin’s poetic yet expressive songwriting. “A Hole In The Ground” skitters and pops, wrapped in a caustic tension that’s balanced against the song’s unlikely hooks, dipping between the subtle heaviness and a crescendo that feels nearly unhinged by comparison. It’s a stunning use of the band’s range, capturing the sentiment of the song with a steely focus, both atmospherically beautiful and expansive, direct yet crumbling. - DG

SMOKE BELLOW
“Pep Pep”

It’s seems as though Baltimore’s (via Australia) Smoke Bellow are unfortunately calling it a day, but not before the trio release one more album, Structurally Sound, a new locked-in psych odyssey from the visionary experimental pop band. Out October 11th via Moon Glyph, the band continue to dive deeper in a tangled web of motorik rhythms and resonant art punk, bouncing around in your headphones like celestial ping-pong. “Pep Pep” grooves and sputters, entranced in its own complex yet minimal design. Bright and engaging, the song skronks around the ever present rhythmic focus, changing shape while keeping a mesmerizing pulse. There’s an off balance pull to the space-age composition as they ricochet around repeated structures while layers appear and disappear just as fast. - DG

THIRDFACE
“Meander”

Recklessly heavy and brilliantly brutal, Nashville’s Thirdface have returned to melt our brains, reconfiguring their take on splintered hardcore throughout their second album, Ministerial Cafeteria. Set for release on November 1st, the record is relentless, a full throttle ripper that takes no prisoners, but they’ve never relied on brute force as their saving grace. Thirdface are an undeniably creative band, their riffs as unique and penetrating as they are fast and abrasive. “Meander,” the album’s first single, is violent and seething in structure, shifting from sludge to caterwauling intensity without hesitation, collapsing, contorting, and dismembering all in its path with little warning in a way that only Thirdface can. From the growl and impassioned grunts of Kathryn Edwards to the bent feedback of David Reichley’s riffs, and the off axis stampede of Maddy Madeira (bass) and Shibby Poole’s (drums) combustible rhythm, it’s destruction at the highest level. - DG

VARIETY
“Subtropical”

Austin’s Variety introduced themselves back in January with “Plover,” a song that stands among the best we’ve heard all year (and an incredible video). The recording project of Rhys Woodruff (Borzoi, Leche), his music presents itself like a kitchen sink of arty punk and fuzzy indie rock ideas, each one complimentary to the greater whole. With four singles out that show the depth of their sound, along comes Subtropical, the band’s full length debut, due out November 8th. The album’s title track was written about ”the desiccation of the Edwards Plateau in Texas,” bringing attention to environmental concern without feeling heavy handed. There’s a grave importance to their concerns, but the delivery leans toward lackadaisical, as not everything needs to be hammered into your head by sheer force. The single bops and weaves, riding an insistent drum pattern that pushes the momentum as Woodruff’s guitars tangle and surge in time with the motorik rhythm. - DG

Further Listening:

September 09 - september 15:

September 16 - September 22:

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

7XVETHEGENIUS
“The Genius” (feat. Keisha Plum)

ANNA MCCLELLAN
“Endlessly”

BIG’N
“South of Loathsome”

BLUE ZERO
“Scar”

CLASS
“Scared To Care”

MERCE LEMON
“Crow”

PORRIDGE RADIO
“A Hole In The Ground”

SMOKE BELLOW
“Pep Pep”

THIRDFACE
“Meander”

VARIETY
“Subtropical”

Further Listening:

September 09 - september 15:

September 16 - September 22:

by: post-trash staff

7XVETHEGENIUS “The Genius” (feat. Keisha Plum)

ANNA MCCLELLAN “Endlessly”

BIG’N “South of Loathsome”

BLUE ZERO “Scar”

CLASS “Scared To Care”

MERCE LEMON “Crow”

PORRIDGE RADIO “A Hole In The Ground”

SMOKE BELLOW “Pep Pep”

THIRDFACE “Meander”

VARIETY “Subtropical”

Further Listening:

September 09 - september 15:

September 16 - September 22:

by: post-trash staff

7XVETHEGENIUS
“The Genius” (feat. Keisha Plum)

ANNA MCCLELLAN
“Endlessly”

BIG’N
“South of Loathsome”

BLUE ZERO
“Scar”

CLASS
“Scared To Care”

MERCE LEMON
“Crow”

PORRIDGE RADIO
“A Hole In The Ground”

SMOKE BELLOW
“Pep Pep”

THIRDFACE
“Meander”

VARIETY
“Subtropical”