The Octagonal Stairway brilliantly captures the decadent stream of contemporary consciousness. Whether it is by shredding eardrums with jigsaw riffs or making you feel awkwardly self-aware through cinematic noise, these tracks are essential if you’re looking to dwell in a vast maze of primal and visceral sonic freedom.
The album’s centerpiece, “Kissing Under Some Bats,” is the prime example of Mekbelly’s melodic destruction gone haywire, harnessed at times and unhinged at others. For two and half minutes we’re given a punishing dose of the band’s signature post-hardcore dexterity and noise pop charm, and then, it all comes unglued.
In the words of Wire, 10:20 is a “collection of strays“ featuring brand new songs alongside re-envisioned previously-released material which spans from 1978 to present day. However, these eight tracks come together to create one solid piece of work that feels too cohesive and purposeful to be dismissed as a mixed bag of B-sides.
I’m Doing This to Myself – Alright’s first full length after a series of EPs – is a strong, spunky statement of fuzzy indie punk that’s chock-full of hooks. For this record, the band connected with producer Kyle Pulley (Thin Lips, Kississippi) and cut the album up north in Philadelphia at Headroom Studios.
Today Born Yesterday welcomes Red Tunic to the family, the solo project of Chicago via Cincinnati’s Ezra Saulnier. No stranger to the artistic punk world, Saulnier was previously a core member of Cross Country, a band that faded out as he moved. With a new location and a new project, Red Tunic have released their debut two song single.
Last month New York’s Common Sage released Might as Well Eat the Chicken, We Won't Be Here in the Morning, their first new release since their debut album in 2018. Comprised of three songs and three segues that tie them together, it’s a collection of emotional songs that are built on personal reflection and shifting moods.
Whole New Mess is Angel Olsen’s fifth full length release, and the majority is made up of re-interpretations of songs from All Mirrors. On this record Olsen is accompanied solely by herself which hearkens back to her earlier days and is a departure from her recent albums which contain lusher production values.
“Held Open Door” is Tired and True’s first single, a song that reintroduces Maya Stoner’s project with a vibrant and radiant force. Opening with an immediately detached guitar progression reminiscent of both Television and Palm, the guitar is dreamy and dissonant, the perfect art-pop mirage for the impossibly catchy vocals.
Freak Heat Waves are back with their latest album Zap The Planet. The new release finds the two-piece dipping into darker musical territory, and it’s their most realized work to date. Zap The Planet is an experiment in cold, warped synthesizer and 80’s drum machines, and the songs are alluringly ominous.
New York’s Brandy come from a strong line of blown out and noisy punks, with core members having previously played in Pampers and Running. Following on from their debut LP, the trio are set to release their next album, The Gift of Repetition, on September 18th via their new home at Total Punk Records (ISS, Foster Care, CIVIC).
From their sense of tonality to the dynamic approach to their songwriting (something that can otherwise plague noise rock), Exhalants are forever changing shape, but keep things consistent with volume, force, and intense tension. They are a national treasure and it’s about time they get recognized as such.
While on its face this project may seem to be one in a slew of many solid but sedentary 90s revival albums, Reinhart cannot help but be himself. His unique guitar style spills over the surface at every moment possible, transforming the album from one of unexamined nostalgia to one which recontextualizes nostalgia.
Tough Age call their music “culmination rock” and what a description this is. The work of Jarrett Samson, Jesse Locke, and Penny Clark is really the combining of years of sonic ideas, lost bands, and defining experiences. Since 2012, each album has refined their tight and energetic sound further; so Which Way Am I? is their strongest release.
Lily Konigsberg is as adept at creating outsider pop as would be radio smash hits. Now Konigsberg has teamed up with LUCY, the long running project of Western MA’s Cooper Handy. Together as Lily / Lucy, the duo will release their self titled collaborative debut via Good Flavor (Masters of Fright, Sweet Baby Jesus).
What really makes these songs stand out is the writing. Okusami juxtaposes deeply personal, confessional songwriting against apocalyptic imagery. There’s a crack in the world that everyone falls through, fires that burn everything to the ground, and suns that will never come up again. Amidst all the chaos real life plays out.
