Modern Cosmology knows how to have a focused jam. What Will You Grow Now? beautifully synthesizes the DNA of this collective of artists. On one side of the coin, Mombojó creates music in the tradition of Tropicália. On the flip side, Laetitia Sadier brings her unique vocal stylings, patterns, rhythms, and French pop.
It seems hard to believe woods had time to reflect upon his life on the road, but it’s clearly been on his mind, as visions of “home” fade and he’s left sleepless on planes, in hotels, and at soundchecks. The grind of it all brought him back to Kenny Segal, the pair resuming their chemistry for Maps, yet another record that feels destined for hip-hop infamy.
“The Recipe” expands upon their brand of dance-floor chaos with funky bass and psychedelic-tinged punk guitar lines, darting between a no wave attack and post-punk disco. Gut Health remain in astounding form, as they open the song with a relative simplicity and end it tangled in abrasive knots, the entire structure threatening to collapse.
While Wristwatch expanded into a quartet live, the band remains a duo in the studio, with programmed drums that sound damn near human. After sharing album opener “Rules” last month, the band offer another glimpse into the record with “Fix,” a psychedelic punk ripper, full of corrosive leads and harsh frayed melodies.
Jen Bender's songwriting touches on personal anxieties and questions of over-extending oneself, handled with lovely sentiment and a deft hand. Cusp are unafraid to bring disjointed noise and anger into play, but also show off a softer edge through moments of beautiful keyboard melodies and Bender's vocals that can creep towards higher ranges
Greg Electric are set to release their second record, It’s Been… (as in It’s Been… Greg Electric), serving as both their new album and their purported final release. Due out June 23rd via BLIGHT. Records (Sun Organ, Ruah, Tadzio), we’re sad to see them go but thrilled there’s another album before the sun sets.
Are things that we’ve decided to give importance to actually important? For some of us, it’s best not to think about, but it’s an exploration that Washer takes on headfirst with their third album, Improved Means To Deteriorated Ends, a record that matches thoughts of decomposition with a slow burning rage-infused drive.
Big Clown’s catalog is about to expand with the release of their second album, Beatdown, due out June 30th via Swimming Faith Records (Science Man, Ismatic Guru). The songs are built on fuzzy sludge and propulsive rhythms, finding the less often explored middle ground between bands like Melt-Banana, The Blood Brothers, and Torche.
As Dom Trimboli found himself sitting on a batch of songs that could only be Wireheads, the members found themselves pulled back in, coming together to create their exceptional new record, Potentially Venus. Due out June 23rd via Tenth Court, the band sound unnervingly alive, the time away resulting in a deeper bond.
On the first leg of touring behind her new full-length Manzanita, Shana Cleveland and her band played the Mercury Lounge and Sultan Room on April 21st and 22nd, with support from MAITA. In the live transmuting of its studio sound, Manzanita’s fractal sensations were ingeniously amplified—bursting into exciting new dimensions, cosmic and otherwise.
We’re Still Here, boasts a truly impressive roster of collaborators. With contributions from collaborators such as Melt-Banana, Thou, Marissa Paternoster, Shirley Manson, SOUL GLO, Sunrot, and Gouge Away - just to name “a few” - this record sets out to platform the voices of as many individuals and identities from the scene as possible.
“$5 Cover,” the record’s third single, isn’t the Fugazi tribute you might be hoping for, but rather a loving homage to band’s own musical community forged around the DIY space East Williamsburg Econolodge. The song is pulsing with dirgy bass and punchy vocal melodies, seething in the shadows one moment but vibrant and hooky the next.
Coast 2 Coast, the band’s fourth album and first for Stones Throw, documents the band’s journey from their former home in Florida to their current in LA, building a surrealistic odyssey of video games, ocean front beaches, and fantastical bliss. Pearl & The Oysters use their daydream psych to bring a sense of the majestic to the mundane.
