Friko is the latest band from Chicago’s expansive indie scene to turn heads with the release of their debut full length. In an impressive and complex blossom of chamber-pop, post-punk, and poetic spite, the duo have loomed together a blistering quilt of melodies, moving compositions, and notable spine-shivering anthems.
Souvenir is Omni’s second LP on Sub Pop and fourth overall. It has that same disciplined, musical excellence we've come to expect from them, and the ideas on here remain as exquisite as ever. It's been over four years since their last (and strongest) album Networker, and some subtle adjustments have been made.
If there can be such a thing as a silver lining to stragedy, perhaps part of it is Nina Nastasia’s new band Jolie Laide, which started as a startlingly productive long distance project with Jeff MacLeod and has since grown into a full band. Talking to them, it became clear why the band’s growth has been so propulsive. Besides obviously being close friends, they are stoked.
The passing of the lyric writing and, often, vocal duties, to his partner Denée Segall and collaborator, emphasizes the general musical direction Ty Segall seems to be taking his project. Both this record and his prior album, “Hi, Hello,” share what feels like less of an urgency to arrive at a specific destination.
Al Harper has been a part of the San Francisco DIY scene for years now, often working with noisy lo-fi projects like Tony Jay and Eternal Drag. She’s set to follow up here solo debut with The Analemma Observation League, due out February 23 via Take a Turn Records, and she just shared the second single “Plaster of Paris.”
Last year saw the release of You Can Do It All, introducing Cusp to a wider audience, the songs equal parts muscular and gorgeous, heartfelt but heavy. Everything about it was well-crafted, Jen Bender’s memorable songwriting the spark. That spark grows ever brighter on Thanks So Much, due out March 15th, a triumphantly defining moment.
The NYC super crew are back with their first full length in six years. Zenith No Effects is out May 10 via Gentle Reminder, Home Late, and Intellectual Birds Records. “Play it Cool,” is a tense and subdued number a few simmering moments from boil. It never quite bubbles over, leaving the listener with a collage of agitation and unease.
Throughout their career, Spiritualized has transformed psychedelic rock. They’ve taken seemingly small steps in re-shaping the standard formulas and they’ve taken big leaps into the unknown. At that, their best albums usually include both. That’s exactly what was happening on their fifth album Amazing Grace, newly reissues last month.
All in My Head, the latest EP from the Maggie Denning led NYC quartet Tetchy, continues to cement them as one of the more creative and fun punk bands around. As a songwriter Denning continues to examine and attack life with equal amounts of passion and fury, unleashing strengths and a new level of depth.
Art-rockers Godcaster, based in Brooklyn, have blessed the ears of underground music fans with their self-titled sophomore album. The sextet comprised of Bruce Ebersol, Judson Kolk, Jan Fontana, Von Kolk, David McFaul, and Ryan West have captured their theatrical and chaotic energy on this record, transcending any of their other work.
Following last year’s excellent BUBBLE (billed as a “mixtape” upon release), the band return with a new proper album, their third full length, Total Reality. Due out April 19th via Marthouse Records and Erste Theke Tontraeger, it’s fair to say that each successive DSUP record is better than the last, and they’ve definitely upped the ante.
The Austin-based trio make bilingual no-wave that is unsettlingly anxious but also life-affirming and necessary. Their debut album, Smell of Money, is pervaded by pounding riffs, staticky, screeching guitars, and entrancing vocals. The music is challenging and rewarding and extremely singular in the current landscape.
Sometimes it’s the songs with the least intentionality that have the biggest impact. Let loose and see what happens. That would appear to be the case with “Nail Biter,” the latest single from Cor de Lux. Originally recorded during the band’s sessions for last year’s Media LP, they scrapped it without much intention on releasing it.
Over the span of a decade there’s been some refinement and what was once masked in acid-fried tape hiss and awash in caterwauling guitars has become distilled into something cleaner, yet every bit as strong. David Nance & Mowed Sound is the next chapter of an already essential story, an evolution of his penchant for country subversion.
Toronto’s cootie catcher are set to tour across Canada this Friday. The band has a pair of hometown shows tonight and tomorrow with a brand new track to boot. “Sound Out the Vowels” is cootie catcher’s latest single for The Cooked Raw Label and the best way for new listeners to dive into the band’s playful and colorful discography.
