“Trouble” is a light and hooky indie rock track, not quite twee, but certainly not aggressive either. The melodic bass immediately takes center stage, locking in with simple folk-rock drums and acoustic guitar strums. Pat Graham describes how he’s “in trouble all of the time,” because he’s the talking kind, hence the band name.
Super Snōōper toughens up the band’s sound. The recording lends depth and metallic sharpness for maximum wallop; Blair Tramel’s voice is brought more to the front of the mix, and gains range and power. With this more straightforward sonic palette, an array of Snōōper’s best material holds up: taut, funny, and ribboned.
"Party Punks" Sculpture Club recently signed with Born Losers Records, and they're kicking it off with a new era, transitioning from the aura of The Smiths into the fleeting emotions of The Cure. The 80's Romcom-esque single "Cursed or Hexed" is paired with a single shot music video featuring an abundance of glitter and poppy 80's synth.
Set to release Intelligent Design on August 4th via Specious Arts (The Psyched, Multiform Palace, Scott Thorough), the record has the claustrophobic feel of a windowless room on an oppressively hot day, the band’s sound contorted and mechanical, executed with sharp angles and a jagged rhythmic pulse.
In honor of its 50th anniversary, Call Me has now been reissued in all its power and glory. The record itself is as vital as ever, as is Green — 77 years old and still singing, still touring, and still every bit himself. But to listen to Call Me today is to pick up a call from a young man at the height of his powers.
With their upcoming album due out on August 17th via Substitute Scene Records, Wetsuit follow-up recent single “Local Celebrity” with “Twiggy,” a song dedicated to the loss of a dear friend. Rather than mourn however, it would seem as though Allison Becker and Anders Nils are choosing to remember the brightness of her life
It is perhaps most interesting to think about the release of archival recordings as a self-conscious act of disruption and messing with the legacies of the band at hand – a moment of unsettlement, even self-immolation, rather than artistic affirmation. Shining a light on neglected cul-de-sacs and past desire, they can project competing, even opposing, interests and expectations. These latter thoughts apply to the albums under review by Wire, Stereolab, and Iceage, though they are not alone.
Released back in February, Media is an interesting blend of noise pop, shoegaze, and post-punk, taking characteristics of each genre and reconfiguring them in a way that doesn’t quite sit comfortably in any of them. Its strength is that it sounds familiar but unique, ornate but subtle, Cor de Lux put the pieces back in new directions.
Mutual Aid Records is a Massachusetts-based DIY label that is dedicated to highlighting hidden gems in niche and alternative music, much of these artists being based in the Northeastern US as well. One of the more recent releases is a wildly experimental split between Rong and The Cost ov Living, who are currently active in the MA scene.
Where do you go when it feels like everything is ending? Mega Bog confronts that idea on End of Everything, a project that dares to take an undaunted look at all things daunting. Its a genre-bending, thunderous trip, defined by explosive choruses, blood-pumping Italo disco bass lines, and songwriting that packs a punch.
Half Stack return with Sitting Pretty, their third full length, due out October 6th via Forged Artifacts and Royal Oakie Records, capturing feelings of isolation and the need to reconnect. With clean guitars, easy progressions, harmonized vocals, and dips into power-pop bliss, the band continue to evolve in real time.
In 2021, Justin Roth decided to retire Soft Idiot. Now, in 2023, he’s returned, not only with a new album, but a new touring lineup, and seemingly, a renewed energy towards life, art making, and observation. This new release, Some Captured Light, is a record that breathes a decisive sense of relaxation and rumination from its very onset.
Izzy Hagerup (aka Prewn) spent the pandemic writing and fleshing out songs, challenging herself in the seclusion of the studio to expand her ideas. The results are staggeringly beautiful and triumphantly visceral. Those sessions arrive as Through The Window, a solo record that brings her songs to life with a uniquely personal touch.
