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.

BETH GIBBONS | “Floating On A Moment”

You may have heard the news, but in case not, Beth Gibbons, the magnetic voice of Portishead, is getting ready to release Lives Outgrown, her second solo album, and first in twenty two years. Due out in May via Domino Recording Co. (Fat White Family, Animal Collective, The Folk Implosion), the announcement comes together with the record’s lead single, “Floating On A Moment,” a song that quickly establishes two things: it was worth the wait and all the hype is well deserved. Over a skeletal bass line and dusty sprinkles of percussion, Gibbons’ signature voice, full of heart and weary resolve, is the shinning star, her words ringing heavy as she laments the unpredictable nature of aging. While the atmosphere whistles and plinks around, her mesmerizing vocal melody remains the constant focus.

DANCER | “Change”

Dancer’s music is willing to subvert expectations, peeling apart otherwise shimmering pop and distorting the perception. There are moments that recall Life Without Buildings and others that veer closer to The Cardigans or The Raincoats, a combination of twee meets art-punk. Set to release 10 Songs I Hate About You in March via Meritorio Records, the trio are digging into the splendor of their sound, a sun soaked disposition that’s been dismantled and pieced back together. “Change,” a song that gracefully stumbles, pulls the rug out beneath the listener just to get a smile on our faces. Loaded with syrupy harmonies and punchy vocals that feel slighty out of tune in the best of ways. It’s that subversion we mentioned that really gives it the spark, and Dancer are happy to throw this single off its axis at every twist and turn.

NECROT | “Cut The Cord”

After nearly a decade together, it’s easy to say that Oakland’s Necrot are one of modern death metal’s most consistently great bands. With their third album, Lifeless Birth, due out in April via Tankcrimes (Ghoul, Dead Heat, Dystopia), and their US tour underway, the trio unleashes the primordial assault of “Cut The Cord,” a ripper that veers into new territory at times, but remains every bit as filthy as you might expect from Necrot’s evil sound. While much death metal is built around cryptic disgust of humanity, decaying flesh, and demonic presences, “Cut The Cord” is a vital song about disconnecting from our phones and social media, exploring the negative detriment of doom scrolling and how we’ve become detached from one another as a society. It’s one of the most relatable death metal songs out there, and it fucking shreds.

OL’ BURGER BEATS | “Black Sabbath” (feat. billy woods & Tha God Fahim)

Upon first glance at the tracklist to Ol’ Burger Beats’ upcoming album, 74: Out Of Time, there was one collaboration that immediately caught our eye, the unlikely pairing of Post-Trash favorites billy woods and Tha God Fahim. Two of underground hip-hop’s finest, the MCs take decidedly different approaches to their lyricism and delivery, but there lies the magic of producer led albums, where songs are built one verse at a time, created in favor of the beat. The Norwegian producer has crafted something of a concept record, a collection of songs all set at 74 BPM and loosely inspired by the music of 1974. “Black Sabbath” takes a smooth jazz landscape, twinkling pianos, soft brushed rhythms, and let’s woods and Fahim do their signature best, opposite ends of the spectrum, but both vividly impressionistic.

URANIUM CLUB | “Tokyo Paris L.A. Milan”

Minneapolis’ Uranium Club are everyone’s favorite punk band for great reason, they never miss and they’re not afraid to explore their sound, at times manic and rattled while others take a minimalist approach. They tend to let tension lead the way, whether it’s spiraling out or tightly coiled, their songs feel knotted both in shifty rhythms and forever surging with a jittery anxiety. Their latest single, “Tokyo Paris L.A. Milan” is the second from upcoming album Infants Under The Bulb, a long and sprawling song that rides with a sense of unease in the face of an accessible melody and a relative calm. There’s something lurking beneath the jangle, beneath the hypnotic atmosphere, but in Uranium Club’s signature glory, they let it boil, ratcheting the tension into a taut and hypnotic song that relies as much on manic twang as biting dissonance.

Further Listening:

Fuzzy Meadows: The Week's Best New Music (February 5th - February 11th)