Chicago’s Cel Ray already released Cellular Raymond, one of our absolute favorite EPs of the year back in February, and as the well deserved hype around the band continues to grow, they’re getting ready to release another one. Piss Park, their new EP, is due out November 17th via Six Tonnes De Chair Records.
The construction of the trio’s interwoven brand of post-hardcore is brilliant throughout their second album, Making Sounds For Andy. Due out November 17th via Human Worth, Beige Palace’s upcoming album finds the band pushing their songs to sparse limits, every note and beat resonating to its full potential.
SWiiMS continue to evolve their sound with their upcoming album Into The Blue Night. Along with their excellent instrumentalism comes tracks drenched in thoughtful songwriting, leaving listeners to want more. Mai Diaz Langou notes it’s about: "the beginning stages of a relationship - how you try to make yourself more intriguing”.
Sunk Heaven returns with the next full length, Off-White Colosseum, due out October 24th via Hot Releases. Recorded during a residency at Pioneer Works, it’s a record that feels both mechanical and immediate, where things are rarely as they seem, and the claustrophobic nature of the recording is matched with equal parts wonder.
Miracle Sweepstakes continue to grow their sound with their upcoming album, Last Licks, due out October 27th via their own One Weird Trick. Recorded in drummer Ian Miniero’s Long Island basement, the band embrace indie rock, psych, and breezy jangle pop on a record that’s prone to shift unexpectedly from song to song.
Following the incredible Walang Hiya EP (reissued earlier this month by Iron Lung Records), Stress Positions are set to release Harsh Reality, their full length debut on December 8th via Three One G Records. Recorded once again with Seth Engel, there’s a primal sense of tension and carnage that lurks throughout the record.
Tuxis Giant lead singer and guitarist Matt O’Connor says they don’t love the idea of The Old House being their pandemic record. Even though the eleven songs were recorded in a studio in Boston, the dusty Vermont Cabin they were written in by O’Connor throughout 2020 couldn’t quite be shaken out of the record.
Following a move across the country, Hannah Liuzzo is back as Little Bit, a brand new solo project. Set to release Talk A Blue Streak, recorded together with Brad Krieger, the sound of the lead single is captivating, residing somewhere between the sugary indie of Lilith and the alt-country emo fuzz of Ratboys.
Carpenter’s songs feel like they’ve existed forever, swirling loosely in the ether until called forth the moment he picks up a guitar. End of the Kicks, his newest collection, is due out September 29 via Durham, NC label/collective PotLuck Foundation. It’s his best work yet, adding a gentle psychedelic shimmer to his classic songwriting.
Detroit’s Sugar Tradition ooze classic garage rock jangle and rock ‘n’ roll excess. Set to release More Sugar on October 13th, the band sound absolutely revved up, their Motor City fuzz fine tuned and never out of fashion. There’s an unfiltered quality to the songs, skidding between MC5 inspired grooves and caterwauling distortion.
Set to release their full length debut, Migration Magic, on November 24th via K Records (Beat Happening) and Perennial Death (Hartle Road, Ribbon Stage, Almond Joy), the ten songs make good on the promise of their debut, and then some, proving Feeling Figures to be one of the most exciting new fuzzy punk bands around.
Josiah Collins’ offerings are experiments in top-notch beat making; engaging electronica and techno pieces. On “Spiral,” more of his musical interests appear. He reflects, “After having some of my favorite shoegaze artists on constant rotation for months I fell so in love with the raw and engulfing feeling you get from the distorted guitars and soft vocals.”
Tea Eater and Waltzer are set to release a split 7” single via A Diamond Heart Production / Amethyst Trax (Symphonic Distribution) in collaboration with La Fam Recordings on September 15th, and it’s readily apparent that their sounds compliment each other well, each offering something decidedly unique, delightfully askew, yet captivating.
Stepmother is boiling over and ready to shred with reckless abandon. Their sound is big on boogie, ripping solos, and sun-fried riffs as vast as desert expanse. Led by guitarist/vocalist Graham Clise (Witch, Annihilation Time, Lecherous Gaze), the sound of Detroit and California is alive in the trio, even from their Melbourne origins.
Grass Jaw share “Enough (To Feel Bad About),” a song that feels personal but relatable. It’s bleak, reflecting on death, life lived, and how we spend our days. With backing vocals from Huan-Hua Chye and trombone from Steve Zielinski, this one really swells into a place of grandeur, the song steadily building.
Meg Duffy and Gregory Uhlmann have recorded an album under the name Duffy x Uhlmann. The project is a tranquil folksy wander, just the two of them playing simple hypnotic interlocking lines that develop a warm and welcoming atmosphere. It rarely feels busy, even if there is subtle virtuosity in their musical chemistry.
There’s a real shimmer to her songs, sweet and charming, with attention to tonality and the detail in her warped and weaving recordings. Set to release a new self-titled album on September 27th via I’m Into Life Records (Open Head, The Lentils, Jolee Gordon), the album is great from start to finish, it’s shape in fluid motion.
