The Best Tracks of April 2018 & Monthly Spotify Playlist

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Graphic by: Julia Carbone

April was jam packed with good music. I felt like every single day I was hearing a new album or single, or finding a new video that I was in love with. With that many good tunes being launched onto the internet, you might have missed a bunch of the gems! Don’t worry, that’s what we’re here for. Below are a bunch of our favorites and then a Spotify Playlist with all those and more! Hope you enjoy.


THE BEST TRACKS OF APRIL 2018

Hard to even know where to start with the torrential downpour of new music, but I think a good launching off point is the ambitious new Hop Along record, Bark Your Head Off, Dog. Hop Along’s last LP won our AOTY in 2016, and it seems like we have another contender on our hands. The indie rock band features entrancing vocals and beautiful storytelling/songwriting from Frances Quinlan, but with instrumentals that continually keep you guessing, and then reward you with a sick solo. Joe Reinhart (ex Algernon Caldwalder) has been in Hop Along for a while, and I have to say that his guitar parts are the bar other bands try to reach. The whole band came together and smoothed their songwriting out on this record and it paid off. If you were a fan of their past 2, or even if not, you need to make sure to give this new LP a listen.

Definitely the most surprising find of the month has been this new Barely March album. This is something completely new and DIY and…. EXCELLENT. This winter Chris Keough armed only with his mother’s laptop, recorded an album in his house and played all the instruments himself. Released as Barely March’s debut record Marely Barch, the record combines a heavy Jeff Rosenstock influence with indiepop and early 2000’s emo (skramz) elements. Sometimes you get sent some new self-released music and it totally blows your mind. Sidney Gish’s album earlier this year was one example, this is another one of those.

There were a ton of cool singles this month and it seems like this great year for new music is only going to continue. 4 indie/emo records that I can’t wait for dropped their opening singles and all 4 seem like they have a shot to be among my favorites of the year: Retirement Party, World’s Greatest Dad, GobbinJr, and Illuminati Hotties.

Retirement Party is a straight up rock band, guitar solos and all. Songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Avery Springer’s relateable and thoughtful lyrics are what sets the band apart. Of the 2 singles released so far ‘Passion Fruit Tea’ is my favorite. It’s a fucking anthem, and that’s just scratching the surface of this band’s talent. Their debut LP is out 5/25 on Counter Intuitive.

World’s Greatest Dad are more of the traditional emo rock band, but they have come out of the gate hot, and I have really liked both of their new singles. They have that legit punk grittiness to them that is hard to explain but you know it when you here it. My favorite of the 3 singles out so far is “laughing (while you’re smiling)“, it swells like a good Microwave or Taking Back Sunday track. Their debut album is out 5/11 on Deep Rest Records.

I’ve been waiting for this Illuminati Hotties album for the longest and the newest single “Patience” sealed the deal. The delicate vocals drape over plucky guitar tones in a way that reminds me of some early Now, Now / Tancred tracks, and that is a big compliment. The album is out 5/11 on Tiny Engines. May eleventh is gonna be a good one folks.

Gobbinjr an indie band with some cool instrumentals but its Emma Witmer’s in your face songwriting and sweet vocals that make it work. The sound comes out somewhere between Sidney Gish and the newer Speedy Ortiz/Sad13 material. The newest single “Fake Bitch” starts off with “I felt you press your dick against my thigh when we hugged / I didn’t ask for it. You’re not the one I want / because you’re a fake bitch and you know it.” while twinking synths glisten. Yeah. It’s wild and I love it. The record is out 6/8 on Topshelf Records and I would say it’s already preorder worthy.

I have also been listening to the new 4/20 EP from North Jersey basement punk legends LKFFCT a bunch, along with the sweet new singles from Tancred (and their entrancing music video), the cool new Snail Mail hockey video for a single from her HIGHLY anticipated debut record (not quite sure how all the big press decided to get in on this new artist but I’m down with it), and the long and beautiful indie rock gem of a single from the upcoming Wild Pink record.

Did I mention that this month was jam packed with good music. I haven’t even touched on a ton of the new albums that we’ve been loving over here. Forth Wanderers (indie rock), Animal Flag, No Thank You, Coping Skills (emo rock), Good Looking Friends (experimental emo), Speedy Ortiz, Half Waif, Kississippi (indiepop), and Fiddlehead (Shed era TF rock).  I sincerely wish that I could write about all of them but then this post would never come out. So just go listen to them.

This month we also released live sessions with Mandancing, Caracara, and A Boy Named John! 3 every month. That’s the plan! You can catch a video from each session on the site (linked at each band’s name), but also their entire 30ish minute sessions are available to download on our new Bandcamp page! The profits are evenly split between the band and AGL Sounds, the Jersey studio that records the sessions for us, so if you like what you hear, support the cause.

It was also a good month for cool bands recording new music, word on the street is PUP, Great Grandpa, Prince Daddy, Hodera, Just Friends, Mom Jeans, Peaer, Snowroller and Graduating Life were in the studio working on some new tracks. Wow, I can’t wait for all these albums.

Well that’s enough for now, check out the playlist below for all these songs and even more of our favorites from the month!


SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

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Writing by Henderson // @HendoSlice

Playlist curated by Steven Lalonde // @StevenLalonde


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