For Hennen (aka Shady Bug’s Hannah Rainey) and Algae Dust (aka Frankie valet’s Alison Setili), their music works wonders alone, but it may be even better together, the home recorded pairing highlighting each other’s differences but making a point of what ties them together, good songwriting and a wistful nature.
Chicago post-hardcore stalwarts Great Deceivers return once more with a new self-titled album, due out April 30th via Landland Colportage. While the members stay busy between bands like C.H.E.W., Options, and various solo projects, they’ve remained committed to their work in Great Deceivers for over a decade.
Their new video for “Xuxa,” directed by Jamie Jones and Connor Surdi, is the latest installment in their already charming visual saga. Cinematically encapsulating all the characteristics of the band’s music, the video features Flying Fish Cove amongst all the elements and ephemera you’d imagine the creators of this music to be into.
Zach Phillips is back with another release on his new La Loi Records, the debut of a new project, Perfect Angels. Joined by Olia Eichenbaum on vocals and a slew of frequent collaborators, the band’s own brand of dreamy avant-garde lounge pop is equally enchanting and spaced-out throughout Exit From The Ultra-World.
The quartet are set to return with the fourth full length, True Deceiver, due out April 23rd, their heaviest and noisiest effort to date. The band, led by Travis Trevisan (guitar/vocals) have always played around with and subverted the shoegaze formula, shifting the sound in all directions, here that direction becomes increasingly dense.
The syrupy sludge of Sweet Williams is instantly identifiable and yet nearly undefinable. It’s slow, tense, heavy, and often abrasive, creating something with the dexterity of post-hardcore, the patient beauty of slowcore, and the raw tonality of noise rock, and yet all those genre tags feel somewhat off.
In case their band name didn’t tip you off, one could describe Birthday Ass as a “colorful band” at every step of the way. From their lyrics to their compositions and every abrasion that comes as a result, the Brooklyn based band create a fun and freaky mix of jazz, prog, punk, and pop, skewering everything into it’s own chaotic charm.
Jen Bender is the vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for Rochester, NY’s Cusp, a new band that features members of Full Body 2 and Rut. Set to release their debut EP, Spill, via Dadstache Records on 5/7, it’s a great collection of worn in and fuzzed out DIY rippers, built with emotion, wandering structures, and plenty of good old guitar harmonies.
Ainsley Wagoner's upbringing by her church musician parents becomes readily apparent on Silverware's new single "Take Me With You” thanks to the unmistakable sound of the Hammond organ that permeates the track. The post-breakup anthem showcases the multi-instrumentalist's singular voice and penchant for raw lyricism.
Much like their first two albums, Paper Mice’s latest once again pulls their stories from newspaper headlines, and thankfully they picked some of the lighter and more hilarious articles. Lead single “The Cynic Route” happens to be about a group of Russian men who decided to illegally cross over a bridge disguised as a yellow school bus.
Set for release on April 2nd via Feel It Records, there’s little time to waste however and Spread Joy are sharing a new video for two of the album’s many highlights, “St. Tropez” and “Semantics.” That idea of no time to waste is one they take to heart with the ten song debut clocking in at fourteen minutes. It’s all pulp, no juice… or all juice, no pulp, whichever.
Godino is set to release his next odyssey, Alien Nation, his first record under his own name. Due out April 2nd via Feeding Tube Records (Wren Kitz, Big Blood, Blanche Blanche Blanche), the album is not one you will soon forget, steeping in a cartoonish insanity that feels like a head full of acid at the most sugar-spun of carnival sideshows
Boston quartet Moron is led by Brendan Delohery (vocals) with the band is rounded out by Ovlov’s Theo Hartlett (guitar), Ronald Baron Smooth Jazz (bass), and PHONY’s Neil Berthier (drums). With the release of the Allston Live Demmies, the band play a pointed brand of punk and post-punk, with plenty of tongue-in-cheek lyrical jabs.
Nick Vicario has released great punk records, both noisy hardcore (Crisis Man) and post-punk (Public Eye). He’s also released a string of EPs from his solo project, Smirk. Having released a pair of cassettes in 2020, those efforts have been remastered are being released together on vinyl as LP on 3/5 via Feel It and Drunken Sailor Records.
Spiritual Mafia features members of EXEK, Spray Paint, Ausmuteants, etc which should give you a hint at Al Fresco, their debut album (out March 12th via Ever/Never and Anti Fade). While their pedigree precedes them, this is something a bit different, trading in the brainy agitation for something blunt and bludgeoning, a haze of proto punk sleaze and drugged out garage psych.
Aggressive and full of whiskey soaked punk disdain, the four songs that comprise Rides Again… are among Spodee Boy’s best, not just in concept but in execution. Make no mistake, these songs rip with an outlaw intensity. The feeling of cowboy culture, in the most unhinged of ways, is captured on “Dress The Part.”
Having spent over a decade playing together as a duo, the Bay Area’s Street Eaters have gone and done the unthinkable, they’ve added a guitarist to the mix. While sometimes less is more, in the case of Street Eaters’ upcoming EP, Simple Distractions, the guitars are a welcome addition, bringing new sonic heights to their sound.
Lifeguard’s debut album, Dive, caught the attention of noisy music fans with an ear to the ground including the fine folks at Chunklet Industries (Shark Toys, Honey Radar, The Apples In Stereo). The Atlanta based label is set to release a limited hand-cut 7” single with two new Lifeguard tracks, Receiver b/w Sun Ra Jane.
The Nashville trio Styrofoam Winos have no lead songwriter, no “front” person. The band’s voice, styles, and inspirations are collective, with each member pulling equal weight, from songwriting and vocals to their own personal styles of reflection. It all comes together wonderfully on their well conceived self-titled debut album.
