Cleveland’s Knowso have released two albums in the past year, both their full length debut, Specialtronics Green Vision and more recently, their sophomore album, Rare Auld Trip / Psychological Garden. While they’ve moved on, it seems they aren’t quite done with their debut’s lifecycle, sharing a new video for their song “Chosen One,”
Body Breaks, the duo of Toronto’s Julie Reich and Montreal’s Matt LeGroulx have made good use of their time at home, working together to create their debut album, Bad Trouble. Due out on June 18th via We Are Time Records, the band take a microtonal approach to what otherwise might be endearingly referred to as “slacker” rock.
The Leeds based quartet have released two phenomenal EPs and a single since their inception and now those kind gents have compiled all their releases thus far into one collection, Thankology. In celebration of the release, Thank are sharing a new video for “Commemorative Coin,” directed by Theo Gowans and Freddy Vinehill-Cliff.
Leopardo, hailing from Fribourg, Switzerland, are the latest addition to the stellar Feel It Records roster, adding their own seasoned blend of garage punk and lo-fi psych to the mix. Malcantone, the quintet’s third full length, bridges the gap between bands like The Stooges and early Brian Eno, with a gritty jangle and charming clarity.
The once again informatively titled EP, is seven new songs that find Smirk doing what they do best, making agitated punk that feels both jittery and anxious. Due out soon via Total Punk Records (Predator, Brandy, ISS), it’s full of rippers that take the piss out of everyday life with jagged guitars and feral distortion.
Set to release their debut album, JOY, on May 28th, the project’s name could be a bit misleading. While it’s most definitely a supreme joy to listen to Wong and co.’s songs, they don’t necessarily come from a place that oozes happiness and excitement. JOY was written by Wong during a time of civil unrest and a great deal of identity crisis.
Recorded with Seth Engel (Floatie, Options, Mister Goblin) at Pallet Sound Studio, the EP is a quick blast of warped and unfiltered indie punk songs, throwing in touches of crusty metal when you least expect it. Call it an aesthetic choice or the musical equivalent of trolling, either way… it really doesn’t matter to Cumbie.
Essential Aliens, due out June 25th via Joyful Noise Recordings, is a record that processes the monotony of the time and warps it into something layered, a lucid dream that loops and shifts. Helvetia’s brilliance lies as much in Albertini’s songwriting as it does in its tonality and production choices.
It’s been five years since Brooklyn via Japan’s Hard Nips released the Bunny EP, but the long wait is over as they’ve announced their next full length, Master Cat. Due out June 4th via Rochester’s Dadstache Records, the quartet’s last is inspired by 80’s post-punk and alternative rock (think Blondie, B-52’s), driven through a garage pop lens.
Wombo are one of the more exciting new bands we’ve come across this year. While they released their fantastic full length debut last year, we hadn’t caught wind of the record until Fire Talk announced the reissue back in March. With a renewed lease on their LP, the band announced it’s follow-up EP, Keesh Mountain.
Swollen, the project of Shady Bug’s Tom Krenning, is disarming and sinister, like a bad trip ringing inside your head in the quiet of the night. Their album, Smothered, due out June 25th via Super Wimpy Punch, is a captivating listen that encapsulates its own world, one where the aesthetic choice is disorienting and minimal.
While the band claims to have always focused on the idea of “evil” and the perversity of playing hopeless songs as gently as possible, album title Evil Joy specifically refers to the pain and pleasure in a deteriorating relationship. Lead single “Where The Good Ones Go” fits right in with most of these ideas.
With the detached noise of Carnivorous Plants and the upcoming Health Plan (mems of USA Nails) albums leading 2021 for the label, Nim_Brut are ready to introduce themselves further via Deprived of Occupation and Pleasure We Feast, a compilation of the label’s artists featuring entirely unreleased material.
Kibby are getting ready to release their second full length of the stay-at-home era. The band’s sophomore album, Blabracadabra, is due out May 14th via Forged Artifacts (Half Stack, Dweller, Alexei Shishkin), and aside from a great title, the album delivers a great deal of silky psych-pop, both cosmic and full of home-brewed soul.
Mesh are an awesome new post-punk band from Philadelphia. Having released a three song demo back in 2019, the band’s official self-titled debut EP is due out May 21st via Born Yesterday Records. The record is tightly wound, with hard and jittery rhythmic coils and guitars that peel away at the foundation.
Chicago’s experimental pop polymaths Nature’s Neighbor are set to return with another full length, the eclectic and worldly, O t h e r s i d e. Due out May 14th, the album truly has no boundaries, rippling from synthetic laptop-pop to progressive folk and warped R&B with everything else in between touched upon for good measure.
