PetroDragonic Apocalypse sees the Aussie lads return to “thrash metal.” In a sense, nothing but the seeming violence of thrash will do the trick in stressing the importance of environmental awareness. In their new record, King Gizzard achieve this, with an even more brutal approach than their first full foray in Infest the Rats’ Nest.
On Nothing You Do Matters, Ganser split the difference between the immediate and an emotional distance to create some of their best tracks yet, ending up with a dancey, atmospheric take on post-punk. Composed primarily by Ganser’s rhythm section, the EP diverges stylistically from the more caustic material on their last LP.
Genuineness is the prime moral characteristic that defines Feeble Little Horse. The Pittsburgh quartet have stuck to an ethos of controlling every part of the creative process themselves. This DIY mantra plays through on Girl With Fish with its crushing shoegaze backbone interlaced with elements of sentimentality, gleaming with personality.
Ain’t shit pretty about Currency // Castration and that’s the beauty of it. The band’s third album is ensnared in filth and dissonance, at home amid the depravity, for better or worse, this is where we’re at and Geld aren’t delusional. Rather than collapse under the weight of it all, they chose to decimate, creating something that feels relevant and timeless.
On last year’s excellent Danger Mouse collaboration Cheat Codes, the Philadelphia native cemented his place among the great MCs. Now with Glorious Game, a collaboration with Brooklyn soul artist and producer Leon Michel (aka El Michels Affair), he’s able to step back and take a look back at what got him there in the first place.
For a debut record, You Can Do It All demonstrates tremendous balance. For every dense and gritty riff, there is a bouncy pop vocal melody, with a focus on blending basement-jam sounds, catchy verses, and choruses. In lyrical content, the band spirals through all of the hallmarks of young adult life.
Like many of their contemporaries, Squid have drifted into a sound that’s less direct and angry with more prog rock influence. While Black Midi and Black Country, New Road have veered hard into theatricality, whether it be through absurd virtuosity or intense emotionality, Squid make the move in a way that retains more indie-rock dejection.
Protomartyr have returned with their strongest and most optimistic album yet. At least, optimistic for Protomartyr. Formal Growth in the Desert is their way of expressing art finding its way in a world increasingly infertile for creativity. It’s a testament to art’s ability to spring forth in spite of the ever-tightening economic restraints.
The LA indie rocker’s debut Don’t Take My Dream Away is an album full of contradictions - everything is bittersweet, she’s both a Good Girl and a Bad Boy. Over thirteen guitar driven tracks, Early dissects crumbling relationships, all-consuming crushes, and dreams deferred with the wisdom only experience can bring.
I Only See the Moon returns to the tried-and-true form of their first three albums but learns from the mistakes of their next two, even as it shifts the experience. It feels like a first-person account of what it’s like to be The Milk Carton Kids’ microphone – right in your ears, Kenneth Pattengale stage left, Joey Ryan stage right.
The minds that brought you Profligate, Pleasure Leftists, Cloud Nothings, and Nothing Phase fit each other brilliantly on Time Moves for Me, the debut EP from the supergroup of the Cleveland underground. Somewhere between synth rock and post-punk, Disintegration charts an alternative path forward that is, simply, cooler.
The lo-fi album oozes the same unrefined, saturated melodies of indie’s past while toying with idiosyncrasies that create a unique sound. Blistering guitar solos, mellow vocals, and harmonic distortion perfectly chart Radiator Hospital’s dedication to their home-made aesthetic while proving the range they’ve developed over the past decade.
Mike Quiqley's songwriting tends toward introspection and pathos that are alternately shouted and sullenly expressed with a strange combination of unease and passion that works astonishingly well. The songs are filled with acerbic observations about the mundanity of life, a healthy dose of self-deprecation, and awareness.
Stuck’s expertise lies in making deeply entertaining post-punk and art rock by means of leading the listener into unknown and unpredictable directions. Each song metaphorically tears into the listener with the canines and incisors and slowly but surely moves them into the morals in the back of the mouth, ruminating on its themes.
Angel Diaz’s more traditional shoegaze sound maps perfectly onto Madeline Johnston’s self-described “heaven metal.” The arrangements are more lush and layered than any previous Midwife project; the drum loops generally sound more organic, the guitars are richer, and more synth countermelodies pop in to keep interest.
