by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Welcome to FUZZY MEADOWS, our weekly recap of this week's new music. We're sharing our favorite releases of the week in the form of albums, singles, and music videos along with the "further listening" section of new and notable releases from around the web. It's generally written in the early hours of the morning and semi-unedited... but full of love and heart. The list is in alphabetical order and we sincerely recommend checking out all the music we've included. There's a lot of great new music being released. Support the bands you love. Spread the word and buy some new music.
*Disclaimer: We are making a conscious effort not to include any artist in our countdown on back-to-back weeks in order to diversify the feature, so be sure to check the "further listening" as well because it's often of top-notch quality too.
EN ATTENDANT ANA | “Words”
Paris, France’s En Attendant Ana released their full length debut, Lost and Found, last year on the esteemed Trouble In Mind Records, a welcome introduction to the band’s dreamy-pop and swirling indie rock sound. Set to release their sophomore album, Juillet, in January, the band are sharing the first single “Words,” a stunning pop song that is fueled by the same sort of fuzzy brilliance as Alvvays, that AM-gold sound that feels ever so surreal but utterly infectious. The quintet, led by Margaux Bouchaudon, create a blanket of keys that fill the space before the sprightly rhythm and bouncing melodies sink in. The band take a sweet and ultra-catchy song and slowly unravel it with perfection.
FURBIE | “Butterfinger”
Back in February we had the pleasure of premiering the debut single from Chicago’s Furbie, a song (“Skiball”) that remains one of our favorite of the year. Nine months later, the band are sharing their second single, “Butterfinger,”another impressive song that leaves us anxiously awaiting a full length. Opening with a slow picked guitar line and a steady pulse, Furbie establish a backdrop, one cloaked in a layer of fuzz but otherwise clear and beaming. The lyrics open with “I knew it was the worst time to eat a Butterfinger, but I did it,” and there’s a sweetness that permeates through their wispy harmonies and sarcastic lyrics. The tempo shifts toward the hook, the band winding a circular path into the refrain that offers the syrupiest of melodies and a crunch of distortion. Furbie burn through dynamics with a casual grace, their duel vocals leaving a massive impact, recorded blips and room sound included for charm.
LITURGY | “H.A.Q.Q.” LP
One week after announcing plans to release Liturgy’s third album, H.A.Q.Q., surprise - that record has arrived! While the physical record won’t be out until early next year, the album itself is here and the Brooklyn experimental metal band sound as vital as ever. Their self described “Transcendental Black Metal” is pushing and clawing in all directions, though it feels more focused than 2015’s The Ark Work, as H.A.Q.Q. retains a common thread throughout (in part to the classical nodding “Exaco” segues), but the brutality of the record feels beautiful, like a blissful catharsis that blossoms in violent eruptions. From glitched out electronics to skull crushing repetition and heavenly melodies, Liturgy have once again thrown in a cavalcade of artistic ideas and overtly intelligent structures to create something cohesive and fantastically punishing.
NNAMDÏ | “Price Went Up”
It’s only been two long years since Nnamdi Ogbonnaya released their futuristic classic, DROOL, introducing the hyper prolific musician to a national audience, but it’s felt like a lifetime. In the time since, his project has been re-branded as NNAMDÏ and we all gladly await his inevitable take over of mainstream and overground music. Until then, he’s back with a new single, “Price Went Up,” a song about getting paid, sounding both of this planet and beyond it. With trickling guitars and 808 bass thumps contributing to an ambient-esque soundscape, Nnamdi’s voice warps and contorts into high register blips and a quick verse of melodic MCing that floats in an ethereal space, far from your traditional boom-bap hip-hop. The song eventually bursts as the price continues going up, but only for a quick solar flare, then it’s back into tranquility, a sparse two minutes to whet your appetite for whatever is in store for next year.
RATBOYS | “Alien With A Sleep Mask On”
Chicago’s favorite “post-country” duo Ratboys are back with their highly anticipated third album, Printer’s Devil, due out in February via Topshelf Records. I was first hooked by 2017’s GN, specifically “Elvis Is In The Freezer,” a bright and upbeat song that is somehow entirely about the passing of the family cat. It’s a sad song that instead feels celebratory. They have a knack for that kind of duality and new single “Alien With A Sleep Mask On” is a perfect example (with a great video directed by Coool aka John TerEick and Jake Nokovic). Vibrant and shimmering as usual, Ratboys tackle feelings of insecurity and directionless with a song that lands somewhere between power-pop and 90’s alt rock, with massive hooks and sweeping cavernous melodies that will stick in your head for days and days. There’s something special about their pop sound, one that’s appealing where most are not, grounded in Julia Steiner’s slight vocal twang and the band’s sweltering attention to detail.
Further Listening:
AMERICAN GRANDMA “Brennan“ | …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD “Don’t Look Down“ | BABEHOVEN “Asshole” | BIG K.R.I.T. “Ballad of the Bass (My Sub V)” | BUILDINGS “Sit With It” | DANGER MOUSE & SPARKLEHORSE “Ninjarous” (feat. MF DOOM) | EERIE WANDA “Cars and Parties“ (Edith Frost cover) | EMPATH “Roses That Cry” | FRAN “A Private Picture“ LP | HABIBI “Come My Habibi” | HOVVDY “Mr. Lee” | L’ORANGE & JEREMIAH JAE “Behavior Report” | MAIL THE HORSE “Gimme Gimme” | NET “Tex” | PEEL DREAM MAGAZINE “Novelty” | (SANDY) ALEX G “In My Arms“ | SCOTT & CHARLENE’S WEDDING “Back In The Corner” | SILVERBACKS “Sirens“ | SLEATER-KINNEY “Love” | SMOKE DZA & CURREN$Y “3 Minute Manual” | STYLES P “Brand New”