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.

CB RADIO GORGEOUS | “EP”

Chicago’s CB Radio Gorgeous have returned and the punk band are still playing fast as hell. On their sophomore EP, lovingly titled EP, the band offer four songs that bridge the gap between post-punk and hardcore with a pop edge. It’s kinetic and jagged, but big dance floor rhythms and riffs straight out the garage punk gutters. With a notable resemblance to Delta 5 and more modern Australian punk, the short yet sweet record, released via Thrilling Living and Not Normal Tapes, is brash but bright, their colorful pummel felt on the rapid fire standout “Mid Fit,” a song that slows only slight to say “maybe I’m wasting time”. It’s immediately clear that CB Radio Gorgeous don’t have a moment to waste on EP.

NEW FRIES | “Ploce”

It’s been four long years since the sonic assault of New Fries’ More was released on our unsuspecting minds. The Toronto band’s no-wave sound was chaotic and abrasive but also pretty damn funky when they allowed for it. Now in 2020 the band return with a new album, Is The Idea Of Us, due out digitally and via pre-order on July 20th from Telephone Explosion (Deliluh, Freak Heat Waves, Odonis Odonis). Their sound has shifted a bit closer to new wave than no wave, the edges smoother on lead single “Ploce,” but their interesting sensibility for writing punk songs with deep grooves remain. Elastic bass and stuttered drums fire like machine guns, the whole thing eerily hypnotic and entrancing. The band haven’t abandoned the no-wave in their hearts, as ominous guitars and synth textures add some terror to the otherwise trance-inducing beat.

POWERPLANT | “Good Time”

This past week London’s “egg punk” extraordinaries Powerplant followed up their great debut, People in the Sun, with the equally great EP, A Spine / Evidence on Static Shock Records (Cold Meat, Chubby and the Gang, Physique). While Powerplant began as Theo Zhykharyev’s one-man band, they project has since grown into a full line-up and that added power is felt throughout the weird and wonderful new set. “Good Time” is our choice for a stand-out, though the entire record rips in a series of unusual ways. With it’s slurred attack that feels equivalent to an avalanche hurtling downhill, “Good Time” mixes hard barked punk with psych croons and a haunting bridge that feels almost sarcastic if it didn’t bounce back with its own sleazy garage punk bliss.

R.M.F.C. | “Reader”

Prolific Australian punk band R.M.F.C. (which hilariously stands for Rock Music Fan Club) hails from Ulladulla, a city on southern coast of New South Wales, which is to say it’s pretty far from the major cities of their country. This distance hasn’t stopped eighteen year old Buz Clatworthy from quickly emerging as one the brightest new punk imports, with releases on Erste Theke Tontraeger and Goodbye Boozy. He’s now joined the ranks of the esteemed Anti Fade Records (Parsnip, Primo!, Alien Nosejob), set to release the Reader 7” next month. The single’s a-side and title track is raw and primal, built on a fuzzed out bass line and sharp motorik dance beats, the backbone to R.M.F.C.’s brainy “Devo-core” punk. While Clatworthy’s vocals keep a straight line of motion, the walls are rattling around his words, the deviance melting in with the hot sun.

TERRITORY SLUGS | “Alone Time (Vox 2)”

We don’t tend to cover a lot of demos on “Fuzzy Meadows” but it’s not everyday we get to hear a new song from Andy Chervenak (Grass Is Green, Two Inch Astronaut), one of our favorite post-hardcore songwriters of the past decade. “Alone Time (Vox 2)” was originally created for a future Grass Is Green release that never was, the demo created several years ago with Matt Gatwood (Two Inch Astronaut) and Brendan Bessel (Mattress Financial, Bad Lieutenant). In the years since, Chervenak has formed Territory Slugs, a new project with a revolving line-up, and with that “Alone Time” has been rescued from the void. The demo features everything we love about his songwriting, tangled melodies, discordant brilliance, and that special twang that peeks out from time to time in Chervenak’s vocals. It’s wildly knotted yet unshakably melodic and we can’t wait for the upcoming Territory Slugs album.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (April 27th - May 3rd)