by Dan Goldin (@paintingwithdan)
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 late hours of the night and semi-unedited... but full of love and heart. The list is in alphabetical order and we sincerely recommend checking it all out. There's a lot of great new music being released. Support the bands you love. Spread the word and buy some new music.
THE FRAGILES
“Sing The Heat Of The Sun” LP
Five years after the release of his last full length, David Settle (Big Heet, Psychic Flowers, Ex-Breathers) is back with Sing the Heat of the Sun, a brilliant new album from his ever evolving jangle-pop project The Fragiles. Recorded as a trio with Gavin Perez-Canto (drums) and Catherine Dwyer (bass), there’s a brash energy that runs through each of the electric songs, a tangled mix of distorted upbeat eruptions and somber reflections. Everything falls perfectly into place due to the inherent warmth of Settle’s production. The buzzing guitars and dreamy synths sit side by side with crisp booming drums, hazy vocals, and a raw sense of sincerity. Roaring with fuzz pop charm one moment (“Hell Or”) and slinking by amid slow dripped sustain (“Fall Into Gray”) the next, The Fragiles present a record that’s as patient as it is boisterous, taking the moments as they come and letting the shapes form as they may.
gobbinjr
“Just A Dream”
Released back in December, we’d be remiss to not feature “Just A Dream,” the latest single from New York City’s gobbinjr. The song feels like a welcome reintroduction, a reminder that Emma Witmer’s music has a certain idiosyncratic magic. The first single from the project’s long awaited new album, crystal rabbit moon (set for release in April via Substitute Scene), opens with an ominous beat and eerie keys that wouldn’t sound out of place on a classic Mobb Deep record. As strange as that may seem on paper, the results are mesmerizing, the deep groove and languid pacing entwining itself into the emergence of a bright synth progression and beautifully floating vocals. As Witmer’s words stretch and bend over the plinking melody, the song is able to squiggle and squirm within its dreamy structure. “Just A Dream” is dazzling in every way, gleaming with a mix of simplicity and soft nuance. The C.C. Mulligan animated video is really exceptional too.
ITCHY & THE NITS
“Smelly Boys”
When the idea of “having fun” feels like a distant memory, you can always turn to Itchy & The Nits. The Sydney based trio’s music, a mix of ramshackle garage punk and power-pop, absolutely oozes with joy. It’s simple (most songs stick firmly to two chords), catchy, memorable, and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Set to release their second album Greetings From… on February 6th via Total Punk and Anti Fade Records, they present lead single “Smelly Boys,” a hallmark of pop exuberance with irreverent lyrics about (you guessed it) smelly boys and those who can’t help but love them. It stomps with a barrage of instant hooks and palpable charm, channeling a punk innocence that would make The Ramones proud, as the trio all sing in gluey unison “everybody lets make some noise for smelly girls and smelly boys”. Treat yourself to a little fun.
MEMORIALS
“Cut Glass Hammer”
MEMORIALS, the duo of Verity Susman (Electrelane) and Matthew Simms (Wire), are set to release their second album, All Clouds Bring Not Rain, on March 27th via Fire Records (Jane Weaver, Tropical Fuck Storm, Monde UFO). Following the pre-announce single “In The Weeds,” the pair are back with “Cut Glass Hammer,” a song maintaining the idea that “nothing is exactly as it feels”. The statement is as true to life as it is to the song itself, built on two modular synth lines that run concurrent yet never quite meet. There’s a steady glow to the hypnotic boogie as “Cut Glass Hammer” really captures the beauty of MEMORIALS and their ability to experiment with cosmic textures and a myriad of influences while accenting the “pop” end of their art-pop roots. That defiant sense of accessibility swirls together with an analog sound, the duo’s use of motorik krautrock rhythms, an out of focus center, and sparks of distortion that fade as quickly as they appear, all lending itself to the core of Susman’s gorgeous vocals.
WINGED WHEEL
“Desert So Green” LP
The future for Winged Wheel never felt promised. Following a debut in 2022 that was remotely recorded as members passed files back and forth - it would seem the connection between the musicians and the music they created was far too promising to abandon. The band forged ahead, expanding their line-up which now includes Whitney Johnson (Matchess), Cory Plump (Spray Paint), Matthew J. Rolin (Powers/Rolin Duo), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Lonnie Slack, and Fred Thomas (Idle Ray) and released their second album last year. They’re back at it again with Desert So Green, an immersive record that pulls in some of the more improvised tendencies of Big Hotel to bring a razor edge focus to their experimental songwriting. It’s a mix of heady avant garde compositions, scratchy blown out psych rock, and atmospheric noise that swings like a pendulum from serene to chaotic in equal measure on an album that seems to place the "song” above everything else.
Further Listening:
CATE LE BON “Always The Same” (feat. St. Vincent) | CHE NOIR “Midas Freestyle” | DOG CHOCOLATE “Green Stuff” | DRY CLEANING “Joy” | EXEK “Visiting Dust Bunnies“ | EXHUMED “Unsafe At Any Speed” | FRANCES CHANG “I Can Feel The Waves” | IDK “Life 4 A Life” (feat. Pusha T) | INFINITE MISERY “Altar of Extracted Teeth” (feat. Undeath) | KATIE ALICE GREER “Expo ’70” | LALA LALA “Even Mountains Erode” | MOTORISTS “Frogman” | MX LONELY “Return To Sender” | SAULT “Chapter 1” LP | SPACE MOUNTAIN “Hidden Sphere” | THANKS FOR COMING “29 Down” | TRIPLES “Gonna Be Good” | VIAGRA BOYS “Viagr Aboys (Japanese Deluxe Edition)” LP