Divorce Cop has mastered itself: the band has managed to repackage noise, over and over again, to deliver an authentic expression of a style they can call theirs. Yup, their 2022 record, at last puts various experimental tracks in some order; it cements a complex emotion coined for the group some years ago as "frightful-delightful fun."
The new Amber Arcades album, Barefoot on Diamond Road, retires prior folky elements and runs with a denser, darker, and more cinematic color palette—akin to the expansive, orchestrated pop of Frankie Rose and Melody’s Echo Chamber. The sonics and lyrics vacillate between giddy excitement and apprehension.
Pile have never quite released the same album twice, yet remain almost impossibly consistent. The ability to constantly change and progress their sound while still remaining unequivocally true to themselves is a testament to the strength of their songwriting and their collective performances. All Fiction is their biggest leap into new territory thus far, and yet it feels like the Pile we’ve always loved.
What makes Yo La Tengo tick so well, with their latest album, This Stupid World, being no exception in that respect? It could be the personal synergy between the members. It could be the fact that they all possess an almost encyclopedic knowledge of every form of modern music there is, being able to reproduce it in any shape or form.
Seattle’s Telehealth is very much born of this world, a duo that embrace the ridiculous nature of modern life, and run with it at all speed, offering transmissions from the corporate future. The duo of Alexander Attitude and Kendra Cox (both also of SPASI), are making mutant pop music, heavy on synths and tongue in cheek charm.
Guitar-based Americana music has its newest addition in the form of Philadelphia band Labrador’s latest release, Hold the Door for Strangers. The record, the band’s second, provides a unique take on alt-country, as it sees Labrador playing with more grit and dust than contemporaries like the War on Drugs and Kurt Vile.
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.
