by Benji Heywood, Dan Goldin, Matt Watton, and Patrick Pilch
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.
BUGMAKER
"Cold Kneecaps"
Phoenix trio bugmaker splice electronic hardware into part-heavy pop. Like bugmaker’s first single “pink icicle,” “cold kneecaps” takes advantage of any and all available sonic space. Whether it be an interlocking bass groove or an atmospheric synth trill, each “part” makes its presence known while fitting snugly into the track’s context. Bugmaker keep it loose on “cold kneecaps,” and there’s an alluring offhandedness about the delivery of this song. Vocal melodies match cranking synth lines, both of which slink between the song’s steady, low-end underbelly. “Cold kneecaps” is icy and subtle in its presentation with enough hooks to keep you coming back. - Patrick Pilch
HOLY WAVE
“Time Crisis Too”
Chastity Belt and Holy Wave announced a split 7” way back in October (out via Suicide Squeeze Records), sharing Chastity Belt’s contribution “That Guy”. Four months later and Holy Wave’s side has emerged. “Time Crisis Too” is a celestial swirl of fine tuned psych, deeply layered art pop, and soft warbling acidic bliss. The Austin based band have become masters of their craft, reshaping cosmic surrealism into fractured and dissonant clouds of fantastic resolve. It’s gorgeous sunspots from the natural world filtered through kaleidoscopic grace, big on groove and atmosphere while still embedded with grit and swelling dexterity, only to become delightfully detached in the end. - DG
LINA TULLGREN
“Decide Which Way The Eyes Are Looking” LP
It’s been five long years since Lina Tullgren’s last album, but her name album, Decide Which Way The Eyes Are Lookingi, was well worth the wait. There’s an incredible degree of care and attention to detail throughout the record (released via Post Present Medium), from the push and pull of orchestrated bliss to off-kilter structures that subvert the boundaries of gentle folk without alienating its core sentiments. Pieces come apart at the seems while forming a dreamlike atmosphere, the warmth balanced with the unglued potential of infinite possibility. “Window Dream” is an instant highlight, a song that seems to stumble in slow motion, a bed of sax and a warbling violin setting a surrealist vision in motion. - DG
SACRED PAWS
"Turn Me Down"
Sacred Paws, the Scottish duo of R. Aggs and Eilidh Rodgers, has announced their third LP, Jump Into Life (their first new record since 2019), out March 28th. New single “Turn Me Down” is an upbeat jam that captures the band’s always infectious, buoyant spirit. The tune encapsulates the Paws’ unique take on dance punk, led by Aggs' soukous-inspired guitar lines – clean and busy, bouncy and enchanting. The rhythms are fast paced and hectic while remaining extremely fun and danceable. Tasteful horns and earnest vocal harmonies add a thoughtful, elevating lift to the song. It’s exciting to get more music from a band who knows so confidently what they’re all about. - Matt Watton
YHWH NAILGUN
“Sickle Walk”
Want to make sense of the divine? Try unpuzzling the 72 names of the Hebrew deity. Or better yet—skip the exegesis and just listen to YHWH Nailgun. On “Sickle Walk,” the latest advance single from the band’s debut album 45 Pounds, these New York experimentalists channel Talking Heads on ayahuasca, cut with a dash of Hella and US Maple for good measure. “Sickle Walk” is a short blast of percussive intent, with snide, desperate vocals and music like a creaking gate in a horror film. If this reads unintelligible, then great. Best thing to do is also the easiest: hear YHWH Nailgun for yourself. - Benji Heywood
Further Listening:
ANIKA "Hearsay" | BAMBARA "Letters From Sing Sing" | BEDRIDDEN "Etch" | COURTNEY BARNETT "Lotta Love" (Neil Young cover) | CREEPOID "Gutter Jeweler" | DWELLEY "Stone Heads" | ESTHER ROSE "New Bad" | EXPLODING FLOWERS "What Are We Going To Do?" | FIEVEL IS GLAUQUE "Rong Weicknes" | GUIDED BY VOICES "I Will Be A Monk" | HOUR "Hallmark (Live at Philamoca, 4/12/24)" | MACIE STEWART “Spring Becomes You, Spring Becomes New” | THE OPHELIAS “Cumulonimbus” | PEEL DREAM MAGAZINE "Live on KEXP" | REDMAN "Lalala" (feat. Method Man) | ROC MARCIANO & DJ PREMIER "Armani Section" | SHARP PINS "Storma Lee" | SIYAHKAL "Evin Fire" | SLEEPER'S BELL "Bad Word" | SQUID "Cro-Magnon Man” | VUNDABAR "I Need You" | YOUR OLD DROOG "Vanilla Fudge"