Greg Ahee (Protomartyr), Mike Wallace (Preoccupations) and AJ Lambert (daughter of Nancy Sinatra), have teamed up to form Bloodslide, a trio that just released its first self-titled EP. All four songs straddle the border between unhinged noise and shatteringly beautiful moments in an otherwise stark and occasionally dismal EP.
Austin’s Neckbolt are a new band that are making noise rock in their own way, deranged and slurred, loud and abrasive, but colorful and a bit psychedelic. It rips with amp blaring intensity but has a prismatic gleam, a sordid kind of fusion that sits somewhere between fellow Texans like Cherubs, Borzoi, and Butthole Surfers.
June Gloom is the solo project of Jesse Paller, a New York based musician and sound engineer. His records and steeped in indie rock traditionalism, but his songwriting is always impactful. Following a split release with Rock Solid back in 2018, June Gloom is here again with Destructive Children, a new full length due out on October 1st.
Nastavi, Caliope, the latest from Maya Bon’s Babehoven, is a must listen. Written in the wake of twin upheavals – the death of her dog and the reunion with her estranged father, the EP captures the sadness, anger, isolation, and monotony of these moments, transforming them into a musically and emotionally compelling seven tracks.
The Hudson Valley/Catskills based band are back with their strongest effort yet, a self-titled EP due out on October 8th. Known for a combination of ethereal folk, Americana, and lo-fi indie rock, there’s a “rural cabin in the trees” kind of feel to their music, one that should be of interest to fans of Big Thief and Trace Mountains.
HEY WHAT, Low’s stunning third album with BJ Burton, refines its predecessor’s approach, sculpting its slabs of noise into something more defined and accessible without losing any of the impact. It’s an album that grapples with the questioning of faith and the acknowledgement that the answers sought may never appear.
Best known for Seattle’s Dreamdecay, Justin R. Cruz Gallego aka J.R.C.G., is stepping out on his own with a solo debut. Due out November 8th via Castle Face Records, Gallego uses the opportunity to widen the experimental pallet previously explored by his band, starting with a hypnotic punk template and wandering from there.
Each song on Caution hits with memorable hooks and sharp melodic earworms, as evident on early singles “Buy My Life” and “Swallow”. Seven months later and the band remind you to keep listening to their record, over and over again until the song’s sound like second nature (which they will), courtesy of a new video for “Act Rich”.
Life, and Another is a fourteen-track, 44-minute affair, transmitted with the descriptor, Sci-Fi Pop, and yes, with James Krivchenia of Big Thief producing the sound palette is ripe of the sort. If there is a novum for what Mega Bog is currently accomplishing, then it is found within that synthesis of Birgy’s lyricism and sonic arrangements.
Best known for playing drums in Squitch, Boston’s Denzil Leach is also a great solo musician, with a few EPs and singles released thus far. Their latest EP, Hot Shot, is due out October 1st via Erased! Tapes, a wonderfully lo-fi and slightly blown out mix of fuzz punk and basement sludge. It’s brash and loud but filled with a radiant spirit,.
Bachelor, the musical project of Palehound’s Ellen Kempner and Jay Som’s Melina Duterte, combine fuzzy guitars, pop hooks, and introspective words on their debut, Doomin’ Sun. Holed up for two weeks in Topanga, California in January 2020, Kempner and Duterte spent their days sleeping in, drinking iced tea, and writing songs.
Black Beach have taken influence from 80s industrial, dub, film scores, and free jazz to create their upcoming EP, Giallo, due out October 25th. Their sound feels uniquely inspired, with a special kind of sonic violence. The tonality on “Traffic Jam” is 100% noise rock, heavy as a ton of bricks, and it’s clear that Black Beach aren’t messing around.
What was most surprising about White Chalk on its original release was its sound. Harvey’s guitar and classic vocal style are almost completely absent from the album. A shift to piano, an instrument that was relatively new to her, as her main compositional tool seemed to reset her compositional style.
![PJ Harvey - "White Chalk" [Reissue] | Album Review](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56066cf9e4b0ffbc0fe62db1/1630635393704-LRWDT4MLZV6S4K26JK0D/AISL_725347__163526__06302021023420-6600.jpg)