Trace Mountains - "Lost In The Country" | Album Review
Larger than the sum of its parts, Trace Mountains’ Lost in the Country is honest and lasting. Each little hook, vocal flair, snare hit. The songs keep an enduring pace, excited to get moving, even if it’s just to the woods out the front door. The drum kit hikes the path so the lyrics can admire the world and the melody can whistle along the way.
Dragoons - "Horrorscope" | Album Review
Dragoons are a product of Melbourne’s music scene: a group of friends whose members occupy various bands, sharing in creative energy; united by a vision deeply rooted in community. They’ve built an identity that is as hardworking as it is prolific, something further extrapolated on their latest release Horrorscope.
Johanna Warren - "Chaotic Good" | Album Review
Pure X - "Pure X" | Album Review
With their new self titled album, Pure X make a roaring comeback. The last missive from the Austin, Texas based band was Angel. Released in 2016, the sound of that album was crisp and clear; with songs drifting by at a languid pace. With their newest album, Pure X keep the tempo the same but let a bit of chaos into their songs.
Racoma - "This Front Room" | Album Review
Sour Widows - "Sour Widows" | Album Review
The EP is immaculately constructed, as sure footed a debut as they come, the product of patient songwriting and collaborative strength. While the band wear the “bedroom rock” tag, their music rises far beyond the idea of lo-fi home tinkering, each song an example of dynamics at work, both gentle and mountainous.
Worriers - "You Or Someone You Know" | Album Review
Lewsberg - "In This House" | Album Review
Kill Em All - "Kill Em All" | Album Review
Stephen Malkmus - "Traditional Techniques" | Album Review
Stephen Malkmus, aided by the defacto guitar wizard of our times Matt Sweeney, explores a pastiche of otherworldly Eastern modes, ritualistic canticles, and tasteful-palette pastoralia. Though these melodies evoke faraway settings and time tables, Malkmus delivers his lyrics in his familiar vernacular, one that’s steeped in hyperspecific modernity.
Forever Honey - "Pre-Mortem High" | Album Review
Forever Honey understands the importance of personal reflection. On Pre-Mortem High, the band explores the relationships we have with each other and with ourselves, through catchy dream pop and jangly 80s new wave anthems. The band have turned the coming-of-age anxiety we feel in our 20s into music that’s brimming with life.
Macula Dog - "Breezy" | Album Review
Nothing about Macula Dog has ever screamed pop. Imagine mutants soundtracking their life in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and you can approximate the territory Macula Dog covers. Their live shows only add to this image, with elaborate video setups and/or lifesize puppets. Yet, with the new EP Breezy, they seem to be making pop moves.
C.H.E.W. - "In Due Time" | Album Review
NNAMDÏ - "BRAT" | Album Review
The phrase “I need you, need something new,” is interwoven through the entirety of BRAT, the latest album from Chicago multi-instrumentalist NNAMDÏ. It is a mantra that signifies the central tension explored through the album’s colorful 42 minutes—the question of what was and what will be and the difficult decision of accepting change and growth.
Blood - "Why Wait Till '55, We Might Not Even Be Alive" | Album Review
Blood is a septet from Austin, TX who have cemented themselves as a live staple in their own prospective scene as well as abroad, with two national tours under their belts. Their shows are dynamically rich and cathartic, which translates wholly into their debut EP, Why Wait Till ’55, We Might Not Even Be Alive.
Anna Burch - "If You're Dreaming" | Album Review
Thanks For Coming - "Almost Named This Album "Untouched" In Reference To..." | Album Review
Cold Feet - "Punk Entity" | Album Review
Porches - "Ricky Music" | Album Review
Aaron Maine is never anything but himself in his music. Under the Porches moniker, he’s been releasing albums infused with all of the ecstasy and ache of being in and out of love. Ricky Music is no different, an at times erratic, fragmented and chaotic listen - heartbreak is always messy, though, so it shouldn’t sound any other way.