Before uprooting from Chicago to Kyoto, Nature’s Neighbor decided to make one more record in the city where he’s developed his sound. The concept behind it is non-traditional to say the least, Mike Walker (joined by producer Seth Engel) set out to make an album where every song sounds nothing like what came before or after it.
Minneapolis-based rockers Scrunchies pull no punches on their sophomore album Feral Coast. The band, made up of Laura Larson (Kitten Forever), Danielle Cusack (Bruise Violet), and Matt Castore (Condominium), continue to build on their post-punk meets riot grrrl meets grunge sound, while also making space to explore new territory.
Having shared lead single and EP opener “Copycat,” the band return with another Daydrops preview, a video (dir. by Mads Engel) for the kraut-pop splendor of “Wow Signal”. Where “Copycat” pulled at emotional heartstrings with wavy alternative rock ambition, “Wow Signal” opts for more of a hypnotic aura and a solar flare propulsion.
You’re likely familiar with the saying that hardcore music will “rot your brain.” While many have fought tirelessly to debunk this belief, Atlanta’s Nag have released a third album that treats this warning like an enticing challenge to produce proof. Human Coward Coyote ensures that listeners recognize they never settle for less than complete ruination.
Sweet Guitar Solos is far from just a stopgap project, and “Cowgirl in a Ditch” is just the first in a handful of worthwhile tracks. The four-song EP is raw and rough alt-country bliss coupled with moments of polished clarity and, as promised, you’ll find some crunchy guitar solos throughout that are, in fact, pretty fucking sweet.
Attachment Styles is a noisy, biting evisceration of binary patriarchal culture that crackles with a deep unease disguised as sardonic wit. It’s hard not to start with an examination of the album’s lyrical content because it’s so visceral, but the music – a delicious take on post-punk that’s part Gila Band, part Spray Paint – is equally compelling.
There's No "I" In Spice World is the debut full-length from the Australian jangly indie-pop band Spice World, a record full of spirit and influences both from within its country’s borders and from their neighbors in New Zealand. There's some hazy psychedelic influences that linger and stretch out mixed with nervy pop songs that sparkle.
Since the release of Spiral XP’s debut EP, the Seattle band have moved around, swapped members, and navigated the obstacles that life will throw at you. The Max Keyes (Versing) led shoegaze quintet have come out the other side with It’s Been A While, due out February 17th via Danger Collective Records (Spirit Was, Emily Yacina, Red Ribbon).
The sextet have made an essential punk record, full of charm and attitude, with songs both serious and undeniably fun, from tales of youthful hi-jinx to furious odes of female empowerment. The band blend together synth punk and hardcore in the process, resulting in a set that’s tough as nails, wonderfully askew, and impressively catchy.
Retaliation, Vermin Womb’s follow-up to 2016’s Decline turned out to be one of the heaviest releases of 2022. Fans of the band who haven’t heard this release yet will be ecstatic to find this to be not only some of the band’s most unrelenting material, but among of the most chaotic and brutal of last year.
Nick Podgurski has developed a wide grip on experimental music over the years, producing music often challenging and thought-provoking. Feast of the Epiphany is both, but it’s also enchanting, with its hooks deep into art-pop and prog rock majesty. The scope of the project is enormous but the collective work to contain it with orchestral grace.
Now that Kyle Thomas is entering his fourth decade of existence, he has artistically hung up his younger beer soaked baseball cap, and replaced it with an older more used and vintage eccentric hobbit hat from the shire. This new middle aged Thomas has directed his lyrical focus on the nostalgia of his once simpler younger self.
