Various Artists is a new quarterly column that highlights compilations, the people who make them, and the causes they champion. Each release is accompanied by a “Choice Cut” from an artist that stands out. Most of these compilation’s proceeds go to charity, so if you find something you like, please send your support!
Over the past 10 years, Amyl and The Sniffers have pushed the aesthetics, ethos, and energy of contemporary punk music. Their previous album, Comfort To Me, saw huge success on all fronts in 2021. On Cartoon Darkness, we hear the band ruminating on that success, what has come with it, and what’s coming next.
In recent years, few bands have put noise rock on the map to the extent Chat Pile has. Their excellent second LP Cool World is a glorious mix of gothy riffs, nu-metal rhythms, and raw vocals that carry the torch for Albini-influenced noise into an even gnarlier new era. Right before their European tour, Post-Trash sat down over Zoom with Chat Pile to discuss horror in the digital age, the history of the Oklahoma City scene, and their new record Cool World.
As of late, claire rousay and more eaze (Mari Maurice) have made some of the most creatively intriguing, weirdly catchy, strangely hypnotic, and wildly avant-garde electronic and ambient music. Post-Trash chatted through Zoom with more eaze about no floor, the creative process, and her friendship with claire rousay.
In the grand tradition of Liars, Pere Ubu, among many other messed-up geniuses, What Is Success is a relentless slog of a record (complimentary) that drills into the listener with an unrepentant, slippery cacophony (still complimentary) and just the right amount of melody and groove as counterbalance underneath.
The Unfit are not here to play games. The PNW quartet have a knack for punching the listener in the face with blaring guitars, pounding kick drums, and vocalist Jake Knuth’s full, spitting ferocity. Disconnected is their first full-length release, a collection of early EPs spanning from 2020 to present.
The point is that Universe Room has something for any GBV fan. It shows that the band is exactly where they want to be: not repeating themselves but never losing touch with what makes them Guided by Voices. This is a band that does its own thing on its own terms, never caring what anyone else is doing, and Universe Room is the perfect showcase of that.
On Big Ugly, released by artist-run Dear Life Records, Fust preserves the nuanced grittiness of Southern life while challenging dominant narratives. Post-Trash caught up with Fust lead Aaron Dowdy to discuss evolving Southern identity, adding nuance to existing musical themes, and jamming with your friends.
