by Dan Goldin, Kris Handel, and Matt Watton

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.

ARTIFICIAL GO
“Hallelujah”

Last year’s Hopscotch Fever served as a brilliant introduction to Artificial Go, capturing the band’s splendor and personality with tightly wound art punk precision. Musical Chairs is a leap forward, expanding upon the ideas of their debut with an increasingly dynamic set of songs, each one presenting like a different piece of the circus-themed puzzle. While “Circles” brought a dreamy power-pop glow reintroduction, the record’s second single, “Hallelujah,” opts for something more coiled, Angie Willcutt’s vocals once again taking new shape (at times reminiscent of one of Aldous Harding’s many voices). It’s a garage punk song at its core, but there’s a deranged pop sensibility and radiance to the song’s melodic structure and Micah Wu’s infectious bass progression. Rattling and grooving with the sharp corners bent smooth, Artificial Go bob and weave with an exaggerated grace. - DG

CORY HANSON
“Bird on a Swing”

Cory Hanson, of the long-running psych rock band Wand, is back with his next solo record, I Love People (out July 25th on Drag City). 2023 saw the release of the heavy-hitting, guitar-forward Western Cum, but here Hanson is a different tack. Single “Bird on a Swing” channels 70’s folky classic rock (e.g. Tom Petty, Dylan) and its latter-day scions (e.g. Wilco), with lush 12-string acoustic strums, tender electric twang and piano embellishments. Hanson’s voice is on point, as he sings with cheeky honesty of past friends and personal growth. This is a different side of the multifaceted Hanson, but everything he touches is gold, so there’s no doubt he’s got the chops, the know-how, and the heart to pull of this genre with coolness and aplomb. - Matt Watton

FIONA APPLE
“Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)”

We don’t know how you spent the past few years, but we do know that Fiona Apple spent much of hers as a court-watcher, attending thousands of bail hearings, and witnessing the failures of our justice system first hand. “Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)” is a powerful song that speaks out for those who can’t, mothers and the underprivileged who are unfairly locked away because they can’t afford to post bail ahead of their court date, highlighting the inhumanity of a deeply flawed and racist institution. Over a dazzling hand drummed beat, Apple tells the story of innocent women forced into jail, their families dismantled, all due to a lack of bail money. Instead of everyone innocent until proven guilty, it has become guilty unless economically blessed.

GUERILLA TOSS
“Psychosis Is Just A Number”

For the past dozen years or so Guerilla Toss have solidified themselves as purveyors of arty noise mayhem and freakouts that are constantly unpredictable and passionate. Their new track “Psychosis is Just a Number” ups the ante. Here we find GT leaning full force into fractured no/new wave bounciness with squealing effects driven guitar squalls by Arian Shafiee and Peter Negroponte’s elastic rhythmic pounding. The development of the band’s songwriting has grown massively through their existence and this is a great example of the knowledge the band has gathered as Kassie Carlson takes the listener on a rollercoaster through rolling waves of emotional and mental turmoil. Guerilla Toss delves into the deep end of perception and neurosis while enthusiastically celebrating an odd sense of freedom and unrelenting compassion that explodes in endlessly intriguing manners and long may it continue. - Kris Handel

LAWN
“Sports Gun”

New Orleans indie rockers Lawn have been pumping out songs consistently since 2016. Their tunes are rangy – from jittery post-punk to brighter, jangly pop to introspective alt rock – so you’re never sure which side of Lawn you’re going to get. New single “Sports Gun” rides a fine line between darker post-punk and more buoyant indie. The song is driven by a bassline that’s both dancy and hypnotic. The enigmatic vocals have an infectious energy and a rah-rah spirit (reminiscent of some recent Parquet Courts), but they never dull the edge of their punk spirit. There’s both a snarl and smile. A tasty guitar noise solo adds the right amount of barely controlled chaos. Like the band’s other work, this new single is a mosaic of their broad influences without ever being derivative and, even more importantly, staying fun, catchy, and slick. - Matt Watton

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (May 5th - May 11th)

Further Listening:

by: post-trash staff