Best of The Month: June/July 2017
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I took June off from writing a Hendo’s Headspace to focus on our Best So Far list (which included 50+ of our favorite releases so far this year), so I thought I’d double up this month and tell you about my favorites from June and July!
Best Tracks of June and July:
I want to start off with this Greet Death record. I was surfing Bandcamp USA when I came across Greet Death on New Noise Mag’s site. What a band name. I took a listen and was stunned. This album is a cross between the darkness of Looming with the stylings of Cloakroom, Clique, and Peaer. I’m a sucker for slowcore so I was hooked. I’ve been coming back to this album all month. Give it a listen.
Speaking of Looming, they have a new track out. Excited to hear their new album. Such unique vocals, I love it and you know they always bring the musical chops to match. Haunted math rock.
Cloakroom have a new album coming out on Relapse on 8/18 and they’ve released 2 tracks so far, ‘The Sun Won’t Let Us Go’ especially, I’ve been into. Take a listen. I could live in these tones.
If Greet Death and Cloakroom aren’t enough slow jams for ya, En Route’s debut EP just came out. It’s somewhat of a Philly super group with Clique guitarist and vocalist P. J. Carroll, drummer Charlie Singer from Sorority Noise and Old Gray, and bassist Ruben Polo of Soul Glo. The 2 singles so far have sounded cool, and excited to hear more.
There has been so much music coming out recently, its hard to sort through. 2 albums that are sort of similar came out recently that everyone kept recommending. Sheer Mag and White Reaper, both are new bands playing old school rock n roll. It’s a throwback sound, but both manage to keep it fresh. Sheer Mag especially have some great southern rock guitar solos. Oh baby those sweet sweet tones.
📷: Dusty Henry
Another album I absolutely cannot stop listening to is the new Great Grandpa release, Plastic Cough. This album is full of surprises (there’s a song about being too high to escape zombies mixed in between heartbreak ballads and punk rock shredders), enchanting lyrics (“Hangin the space above what you said. / I can’t deal with this now / so I’m running away. / I’m running, I’m dead.“), and instrumental explosions of energy. It has surpassed even my high expectations and is in the running for one of my favorite releases of the year.
If you’ve been following The Alternative for any period of time you know I love Run The Jewels. They have a new video out for “Don’t Get Captured” and it’s claymation. Love it. Take a peek.
This first Lomelda single stunned me. I figured they had to be cool because they were playing shows with Pinegrove (usually a good rule), but this is even better than I expected. Floaty airy indie rock. Sure, there’s a lot of that out there, but the hooks in this track work a lot better than most. “Still I sit with you in parking lots / Acting like I’m not falling for it.“ The album is out 9/8 on Dbl Dbl Whammy, pretty excited for that one.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the newest Free Throw album was a big step up for them. They’ve broken out of the breakup album mold and are writing full on indie rock tracks that even the biggest emo hater will give props. “Randy, I Am The Liquor” bites especially hard. “Drunk in my room, alone again / For the fourth night this week / Call my friends, they don’t care / Fuck it, I’m letting go.“
📷: Jinni J
New Hikes release is just 4 songs but its packed full of insanely dynamic math rock. The glowing instrumentals build into crescendos that’ll leave your jaw on the floor, and the vocals bounce between in the valleys constructing beautiful soundscapes.
Another album I’m going to tell you about for the 45th time is the new Rozwell Kid joint, Precious Art. If Weezer had a good sense of humor, this is the album they would write. If Weird Al could shred, this is the album he would write. If I could make music that didn’t suck, this is the album I would write. Give it a shot. Get silly and rock out.
Summer means its festival season. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get out to many cool fests yet (although the Thursday, Rosenstock, PUP, Hotelier free show in Brooklyn was pretty awesome), but I have been able to watch a few online (woah it’s the future). So far my favorite performance was Pinegrove at Primavera. So watch that.
These past 2 months have also produced some solid new hip hop albums. Jay Z’s 4:44 was a pleasant surprise, with a few tracks that I think will might even make his Greatest Hits. 21 Savage also released his new record, Issa Album. Yikes that title is bad, and critics have been down on this album a bit, but I like it. When 21 sticks to his niche, villain rap, there’s no one out right now that brings the same dark energy. Lastly, I have been really been digging the most recent Tyler The Creator album. He’s not my favorite ex OFWGKTA member, but I love that he keeps growing and pushing his own boundaries. The track with ASAP Rocky, ‘Who Dat Boy’ is my favorite of the new tracks so far.
I need to get this post out before all of this music isn’t even “new” anymore, but here are a bunch more albums you should check out Snow Roller, Cool American, Katie Ellen, Graduating Life, The Weak Days, Japanese Breakfast, and Ratboys. 7 albums that deserve way more than this quick mention, so get listening to them and make up your own mind.
I think that’s enough for now. There really has been so much great new music lately, and I am very thankful because otherwise, this planet is looking bleak. Hang in there homies. Enjoy the tunes.
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Fuck Trump.
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– Henderson
