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.
BECK ZEGANS
“Love In The End Times”
Consider this the official “you might consider this biased, but I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t include it warning.” If that bugs you, don’t read it, just listen for yourself.
There’s a gorgeous sense of momentum built into “Love In The End Times,” the second single from Beck Zegans’ upcoming album, Engraving of Armor. With a steady beat that borders on motorik territory and warm swirls of kaleidoscopic synths just beneath the surface, the song really revolves around the brash guitar progression and the commanding presence of Zegans’ voice. The song bounces along with a gently psychedelic chord progression and lulling melodies, a sense of comfort to be had in these less than comfortable times we find ourselves living through. As the chorus swells, Zegans sings “just take me when you go roaming,” feeding into a sense of togetherness in spite of whatever may come. For all the city dwelling night owls out there (you’re not alone), the video documents an annual 3:30am walk from the northern end of Manhattan down to the Brooklyn Bridge, picking up on the song’s themes via hand-held camera footage.
PHARMACIST
“Propelling Inwards”
Four years after the release of their second album, Pharmacist, Japan’s ever gurgling goregrind duo (…duo?) have returned, depravity fully in-tact. What began as clear homage to Pathologist (and early Carcass before them) has evolved over time, incorporating the more progressive experimentation on 2022’s Flourishing Extremities…, and yet the bubbling putridity of bile within their medical themed carnage has always remained triumphantly disgusting. Set to release Vertebrae After Vertebrae on May 29th via Hells Headbangers, Pharmacist return toward their roots, eschewing the structural complexity of their last album in favor of a brute force surgical ransacking (entrails and all). “Propelling Inwards” arrives like a sledgehammer to the back of the head, taking a sufficiently gross yet more straightforward “meat and potatoes” approach to the band’s grinding death metal. The song chugs along with a rotten stench, but there’s a directness to the pummeling guitar riff, pillaging without severing arteries .
ROSCO P COLDCHAIN & NICHOLAS CRAVEN
“Play With Something Safe” LP
We wrote a bit about Rosco P Coldchain’s triumphant return when lead single “Benz Sprinter” was released back in early March, but everything about Play With Something Safe, his collaborative album with producer Nicholas Craven (Boldy James, Ransom, Tha God Fahim) exceeds expectations. Following a long stint of hard time, Coldchain emerges from the system as eloquently lyrical as ever, his words as poetic as they are savage. The Philadelphia MC’s - who originally cut his teeth on Def Poetry Jam before linking up with Clipse and Star Trak - pen game has never felt sharper as he unravels tough realities, speaks hard fought destiny, and expounds on the dirt of guns, drugs, and the hustle with unshakable conviction on tracks like “Hold My Hand,” “The Future,” and “Boogie Nights”. Play With Something Safe finds Coldchain doing lyrical gymnastics over a dynamic set of Craven’s beats (primarily with a boom-bap inspiration), rampaging penitentiary bars like “proper preparation prevents poor performance” on “Die Slow” and “dreaming of demons and devils, pick axes, ditches and shovels, electric chairs with the warden” on “Magnesium Chloride”. This is raw grown up rap at its finest, pure uncut hard nosed poetry.
TALL FRIEND
“If Only”
After a very long nine years away, Tall Friend are set to release their second full length, Fossil, on May 15th via Window Sill Records (Aisle Knot, Saapato), an undeniably special album that bridges together the past and present for songwriter River Pfaff. While the recording sessions began shortly after the release of safely nobody’s, Tall Friend was put on hold while Pfaff underwent top surgery and medically transitioned. Instead of capturing the before or after of his vocals following hormone therapy, Fossil includes both, recorded prior to his transition and following the change in his voice, and the result is nothing short of spectacular. While you can hear two distinct voices singing together in stunning harmonies, both voices belong to Pfaff, a picture of renewal and a gift of self-understanding. “if only” is a song that revolves around the push and pull of waiting to express your emotions but not wanting to be a burden on anyone. With the kind of engaging minimalist structure that Tall Friend built their initial sound on, the single bounces to life on a steady groove with soft reflective vocals.
YLEISET SYYT
“Geenipoolin Pohjimmainen”
Have you ever read one of those articles that place the Scandinavian and Nordic countries among the happiest in the world, and have you ever noticed how many great hardcore and death metal bands come from those same countries? Coincidence? Whose to say, but joy and really heavy music go hand in hand. Case in point, Helsinki’s Yleiset Syyt, an exceptionally furious hardcore band who balance aggression and big catchy riffs with a manic brilliance. Set to release new album Saitte Mitä Halusitte (translation: You Got What You Wanted) on May 1st via Sorry State Records (Shaved Ape, Illiterates, Fugitive Bubble) and La Vida Es Un Mus Discos (Stingray, Suicidas, Death Side), the band come unhinged on their latest single and album opener, “Geenipoolin Pohjimmainen” (translation: “The Gene Pool’s Bottom Line”). Erupting with a warning blast like an oncoming avalanche, the earthquaking velocity is matched with a sonic clarity that recalls late 70’s and early 80’s hardcore like The Germs and Minor Threat. Yleiset Syyt kick down the door with paint peeling guitars, frantic galloping rhythms, and primal hooks.
Further Listening:
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS “The Nature of Your Heart” | ACTION BRONSON “Triceratops” (feat. Paul Wall & Lil Yachty) | BAD STUFF “Invisible Man” | BECK “Ride Lonesome” | BIG|BRAVE "in grief or in hope" | BLU & EXILE “Time Heals Everything” LP | BUTTHOLE SURFERS “Imbuya” | CEREMONY “Other Hells” | DEBT RAG “Fish of the Week” | FACS “Parallel Lives” | FAILURE “The Rising Skyline” (feat. Hayley Williams) | FRIKO “Something Worth Waiting For” | GEMMA “See Me” | GUIDED BY VOICES “When You’re My Clown (Nothing Happens)” | HANNAH FRANCES “Nested In Tangles (Deluxe)” LP | IAN SWEET “Criminal Kissing” | JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD & DOLOUR “The Good Life” (Weezer cover) | KLONNS “G.A.M.E.S” | MUI ZYU “パラレリズム (Parallelisme)” | PORTRAYAL OF GUILT “Total Black” | QUICKSAND “Get To It” | RUTH GARBUS “I Think I’m Ready Now” | SMERZ “Spring Summer” | STYROFOAM WINOS “Next Thing” | TELEHEALTH “Donor Country (A gOoD cAuSe)" | URQ “This Dismal Village”