Neutrals - "New Town Dream" | Album Review
In 1946, the New Towns Act was passed in the UK, and in 2024, the Bay Area jangle-rockers Neutrals released New Town Dream, via Slumberland / Static Shock Records. It might seem strange to think that something that happened 77 years ago and over 5,000 miles away could lead to a new album, but stranger things have happened.
Lightheaded - "Combustible Gems" | Album Review
ALBUM OF THE WEEK: SUMAC - "The Healer"
The scope and grandeur of The Healer begs comparison to an epic novel or a film auteur’s masterpiece making it impossible to distill its essence into one catchy tagline. Which is the point. At 76 minutes, it’s oceanic, a leviathan of tones, tempos, and motifs which run the gamut of improvisational noise, sludge, meditative pastorals, and some straight-up heart-palpitating riffs.
Amiture - "Mother Engine" | Album Review
“I know my shit is pure” are the first words echoed across Amiture’s second LP, Mother Engine. They pierce through the mix like a spectral echo past the driving beats and sleazy blues licks. It’s a statement of intent, the band's “shit is pure,” it’s a unique vision of trip-hop a world away from the dancey post-punk of their debut The Beach.
Luxury Apartments - "Luxury Apartments" | Album Review
After some years working the London venue circuit, their self-titled debut album is finally here. It has certainly prompted anticipation, as the band is now tasked with differentiating themselves from scores of other bedhead-riddled punk bands. The methodology behind it all is simply a case of taking things back to basics.
Mui Zyu - "Nothing Or Something To Die For" | Album Review
From the early start, Mui Zyu aka Eva Liu showed that she has an excellent knack for combining electronic instrumentation with soft velvety vocals, bringing along lyrics that actually have something intriguing to say. She further strengthens the ties that bind these elements here, without overburdening her music.
Blonde Redhead - "Sit Down For Dinner" | Album Review
Sometimes art is manifested in the toughest of times, when you find yourself at a crossroads. For Kazu Makino and twins Amedeo Pace and Simone Pace, Sit Down For Dinner was a child to darkness and hardship. In this momentary instance of suffering, they found refuge in creating music through the pain that tied and bonded them.
MX Lonely - "Spit" | Album Review
As NYCs alternative scene flourishes, MX Lonely rises with their early 2024 release Spit. The EP stimulates the brain as you can effortlessly hear the energy and attitude the band possesses. Their writing concepts, 90's grunge riffs, intriguingly spooky vocal harmonies, and dedication have curated an emotionally charged EP.
ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Finom - "Not God"
Finom come off more composed and thoughtful than ever before. Their sonic moves may seem random to us, but there is a greater confidence and determination behind them. That is the real upside of change despite the confusion: you may not see the path but moving along has never felt more comfortable. Finom have discovered this through their dedication to one another.
Off Beat Degradations - "Fluoxeteen" | Album Review
Off Beat Degradations - a four-piece punk project mixing elements of post-hardcore, early 00’s pop-punk, queercore, and speed punk - has been captivating crowds in basements since their inception in the summer of 2023. Their debut EP, Fluoxeteen, captures the young band in their rawest, most sensual, and energetic form.
Shellac - "To All Trains" | Album Review
Still House Plants - "If I don’t make it, I love u" | Album Review
As eclectic and esoteric as their work might seem from an initial glance the best way to describe the mesh of shard-like guitars, rumbling drums, and gripping vocals that make up Still House Plants is direct. Their minimalist setup hides nothing from the listener. If I Don’t Make It, I Love U is an album as blunt and heartfelt as its title.
Sleater-Kinney - "Little Rope" | Album Review
Little Rope, Sleater-Kinney's eleventh studio album, is bursting with energy, Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker using the record to deal with loss and grief and manage tragedy within their lives. The album is dynamic, aggressive, and most of all violently cathartic, ready to fight through whatever challenges may arise.
Pardoner - "Paranoid In Hell" | Album Review
Pardoner are a rock band, they play rock music. On Paranoid in Hell, out now on Convulse Records, it takes just four short songs to prove this point. Transversing the plains of the rock landscape, these tunes ebb and flow, or more like jerk and jive, through tempos, volumes, and vibes to show they can do what other bands do, only better.
Drahla - "Angeltape" | Album Review
ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Shop Regulars - "Shop Regulars"
On Shop Regulars’ self-titled record, the musical project’s ethos is laid bare on the album cover for all to see. It’s a bold move. This move could backfire easily for many artists, but the music presented absolutely lives up to the ethos they announce. They project it with beautifully crunchy results.
Glaring Orchid - "I Hope You're Okay" | Album Review
The debut album from Glaring Orchid holds nothing back on i hope you’re okay. Distorted and unsettling while simultaneously glinting on what sounds like a much needed release of emotion and energy, Glaring Orchid makes a sonically cohesive and face melting splash in the East Coast scene to no surprise.
The Dracu-las - "Fall Asleep When I'm Dead" | Album Review
The mirthfully macabre album art on The Dracu-Las recent 7-inch that evokes both arterial and ocean sprays provides a warm invitation for a certain kind of listener to sit back and enjoy the show, and the tunes on Fall Asleep When I'm Dead ensure that once those listeners tune in, they won’t be turning the station.
Mister Goblin - "Frog Poems" | Album Review
Frog Poems tracks the incomplete negotiations between childhood and adulthood that linger over time. Sam Goblin seems to be asking are there ways of revisiting the former without becoming entrapped by nostalgia? Neither life stage entirely subsumes the other with recollections of acquaintances, ambition, and crushes complicating any straightforward progression of life or time.