Kleinmeister’s second single, “Beauty,” starts with familiar warm tape hiss and soft, driving guitar. The singing on the song immediately sets it apart, more present and raw than on Garbus’ previous recordings, with swooping delivery that begins slow and deliberate and gradually works in more movement and impulse.
“Hands of the Devil” is emblematic of Pet Town as a whole: Tadic’s voice moves in the rhythm of a playground chant, her guitar picked in a lilting, whimsical manner, and the scant handclap percussion giving the recording an intimate, live feel. What I value most about “Hands of the Devil” is how tactile the song feels.
Blazar, a relatively new band, are no strangers to the punk scene. Vocalist Jack Vermillion was once a member of stalwart Tallahassee group Ex-Breathers, while the band’s Nick Derella also shreds in Night Witch. Reach Out is noisy, fast-paced, and thrilling -- a record that grips you from the first chord until finally spitting you out at the last.
Undercurrent, their second LP, is the product of an entirely separate cast of evil doctrine. Its compositions leap from the speakers to place a hand around your throat like vengeful oni manifesting from folds of a recently translated and cursed scroll. The chord progressions are more muscular. The production is cleaner.
Boston trio Sneeze are getting ready to release their third full length album (and fifth release overall), Fin, due out September 13th via Tor Johnson Records. Recorded once again with the renowned Justin Pizzoferrato, the band are honing in their blend of grunge, pop punk, and fuzz, adding a degree of clarity to their expanding dynamics.
Los Angeles’ Lunch Lady have arrived (or nearly arrived) with their full length debut, Angel, out August 23rd via the impeccable Upset The Rhythm. The band, comprised of former members of Abe Vigoda and Heller Keller, are digging deep into the 80’s jangle of both LA and British post-punk, leaning toward that western twang.
On one hand, you can throw a Dido cover into the “surprising choices” catagory, but on the other, Mister Goblin’s rendition feels like it could have shown up on Final Boy. The original “White Flag” is a perfect pop song, gloriously overproduced and saturated with polish, but Woodring has reduced it all to double-tracked guitars and vocals.
Emily Alone is a Florist record through and through, despite being a solo effort. It’s also something more: it’s like a refined, evolved iteration of Sprague’s prior work, feeling more like a memoir than a diary entry. That sense of evolution comes through in the high production quality and a lyrical grounding in the present.
Two years removed from their full length debut, Atlanta’s Floral Print are set to release their self-titled follow up EP, this Friday, July 31st via Tiny Engines. In the years since they’ve been listening and learning, structuring and reconfiguring a sound that really does set its sights on undefinable.
It’s jarring, frantic, and expansive, built on Joe Hess’ (Complainer) skittering drums and the skronk of Curt Oren’s sax and flute arrangements. That lack of accessibility lends itself to the concept of the “Judgement Free Jazz” video, a delightful clip of friends, peers, and strangers listening to the music and reacting as they might.
Written nearly two years ago, recorded with a full band, compiled of 24 tracks, No Problem is wildly ambitious, and that’s even before you take into consideration the 24 music video counterparts, directed by 24 different teams! It’s an epic composed of private thoughts, pitch-black comedy, nuanced observations, and self-aware anxieties.
