For Hunter Mockett, who makes hypnotic, closely held music as Aaberg, his first months in Philly offered a dichotomy: a chaotic city and a cozy domicile. On “Mouth,” the first single from Wishing Well (out August 2nd via Forged Artifacts), Mockett’s near-whisper vocals betray the sense of gratitude and perseverance.
Sunshy’s “Poison” is yet another blast of focused, hooky noise pop from the Chicago group, the final single off their upcoming album I don’t care what comes next, due out this summer via MakeOutMusic Records. Sunshy has quickly made a name for themselves by combining heavy guitars with pop influenced grooves.s
On Teeth, Magana gingerly universalizes her pandemic lockdown restlessness and forced self-reckoning. Airy synths perk up her anguish, while matter-of-fact lyrics bring her back down to the mortal plane. Giliann Karon caught up with her on Mitski tour to discuss her arsenal of skills and find out just exactly what a Worm Moon is.
The Cool Cloud of Okayness was written and recorded during a period when Tara Jane O’Neil suffered the devastation of her home being destroyed by a wildfire in California and the long process of subsequently building a new one. She also describes the LP as being defined by her recording ensemble’s shared queer identity.
The Buffalo rapper layers her past lessons, each brick building a vision of a sustainable future. Like her counterparts, Noir sands rough friction from her upbringing into a smoothed-over confidence. However, instead of attempting to fortify a defensive armor, Noir’s learned past allows for a more honest, vulnerable swagger.
Divine Sweater are a terminally amiable Boston act taking the concept album to a more chilled out place. This is the end of the world on soft rock. We’re not necessarily dealing in the twisting emotional drama of Fleetwood Mac or the sleazy pop-soul cheese of Hall and Oates. More Modelo-on-the-boardwalk than spritzes-on-the-yacht.
Magic Fig’s self-titled album is an ever shifting kaleidoscope, the shapes all recognizable yet refracted in mirrored splendor. It’s a decidedly pop odyssey that wanders deep into the woods of late 60’s prog, Moog altered psych, and dream pop at its most visionary, a lysergic trip into an unknown cosmic past.
After sharing “Endrados," "Drop-In," and “Would Be,” Las Nubes return with the veritable wrecking ball of “Pesada”. Fuzzy low-end and bright melodies recall both hometown heroes Torche as well as Tweak Bird, as Ale Campos and Emile Milgrim dig deep into the stoned core with a riff equal parts doom-soaked yet melodically syrupy.
Maya Bon has shown herself to be adept at heart-wrenching emotions and expressing the hidden beauty in daily life in a manner thats wholesomely gripping. With Water's Here in You, Babehoven have managed to push beyond guitar based folk songs, incorporating a denser atmosphere that moves through pain into contemplative peace.
Minneapolis’ Murf provide an all out assault on the senses, their brand of hardcore tinged noise rock is splattered with gore and unsettling fury. Celebrating ten years together as a band, the quintet are set to release Already Dead on May 28th via Learning Curve Records, a howling and vicious record prone to dense thuds and swarming atonality.
Bite is a sweeping sci-fi concept album about a virtual reality that promises blissful perfection that it can’t deliver on. The record uses those trappings to grapple with big topics – the perils of choosing your own reality, the inherent value of messy humanity in an artificially intelligent world, gender dysphoria – using equally big sounds.
Veteran rapper-producers Oh No and The Alchemist frequently use their work to peer at highbrow city life from its lowbrow, morally-gray margins — especially when they team up as Gangrene. Heads I Win, Tails You Lose comfortably expands on their keen eye for world-building. It’s tailor-made for peering into a back alley.
As an EP, Slab brings a lot to the table stylistically, weaving ethereal vocals with thunderous bass to create a sound that truly sets them apart from others within the genre. Wombo have an inate ability to create and maintain a creepy, ghost-like ambiance and energy that makes the EP stand out compared to some of their previous work.
