The Alt Weekly Roundup (9/8)
Posted: by The Editor
The Alternative Weekly Roundup is a column where our staff plugs a variety of new releases in a concise, streamlined format. Albums, singles, videos, and live sets. Check back each Monday to see what we were jamming the week prior.
Greg Puciato—”A Pair of Questions”
The new Greg Puciato single calls to mind Ulver; much how that project shifted from blackened folk metal to spacious electronic music, “A Pair of Questions” finds the mathcore vocalist moving about as far away from his old band’s sound as possible and settling into a groovy, hazy electropop sound. It’s the first time a song featuring Puciato song could ever be described as radio-ready, but the descriptor really fits.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Lullatone—”Bonjour Melancholy”
I was going down a Bandcamp rabbit hole when I noticed the tag “pajama pop”. Of course, I clicked on it (I’m not a monster) and was pleasantly surprised. The husband and wife team of Shawn and Yoshimi Seymour made their EP Houseplant Music while they were stuck at home during quarantine in Japan, stating the comfy and delicate songs are “for when you feel like a houseplant that only gets to see the world from a windowsill”. My favorite song, “Bonjour Melancholy” is an airy track where Shawn’s electronic playfulness and Yoshimi’s whispery vocals remind me of twilight as a kid; after dinner but before bedtime closes in, playing in my PJ’s right as the stars come out. Pajama pop. I get it now.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Cherish This—Cherish This
Cherish This’ self-titled debut EP is all those things you love about emo. It’s shouty, it’s a lil bit lo-fi, it’s catchy, and it’s not all that serious. It’s a great ten-minute listen to remind you of back when you were in college and enjoying all those classic Topshelf Records LPs.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
BAXTR—”Feathers”
Coming in hot, new all-female, DIY, self-proclaimed flamboyant and kitsch Geek rock/alt-pop trio BAXTR has caused a stir with their newest single “Feathers.” A rowdy-rough anthem dedicated to shamelessly loving and accepting your independent beauty in a world that is obsessed with influencer culture and presentation, it weaves in and out of 80s new wave and 90s grit. The track pulls attitude from the likes of Liz Phair and has a soundscape that feels at home on Fiona Apple’s Tidal record. Floss Mackintosh’s sticky vocals bleed seamlessly into Bash Powers and Keiko Jackson’s performance, leaving behind a scorch of empowerment that throttles against heteronormative beauty standards and the patriarchy it was born from. It’s hard to believe BAXTR has only a few months under their belt as a group, but with this momentum I feel like there’s bubbling potential for these pink and powerful badasses.
Hope Ankney | @hope_ankleknee
tiger lili—”lightning”
Lili Trifilio already put out one of the year’s best albums in February with Honeymoon, but the Beach Bunny frontwoman isn’t done yet. She’s back only six months later with her first single as tiger lili, her gritty, Americana-indebted alter ego. It’s called “lightning” and it’s as good as anything Beach Bunny ever put out.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Ness Lake—low light
Michigan act Ness Lake continue their steady stream of bedroom-composed releases with low light, a collection of mumbly songs that waft in and out of small, popping lo-fi beats and ghostly, distant synthesizers. This is the most focused and concise release from Ness Lake in this mode, and songs like “five:one” and “king” are some of the most inscrutable and memorable tracks to come out of the project.
Jordan Walsh | @jordalsh
Respire—”Tempest”
Respire is in the business of making the brutal beautiful. Their appropriately titled new single “Tempest” is a both a blistering deluge and a gorgeous, swelling heartbreaker with all the gravity of an Explosions in the Sky album closer.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Alternative’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist
Each week our editor Lindsy Carrasquillo compiles a playlist of songs our staff has been jamming. We’ll post it on Fridays on Twitter and then include it in each edition of the ‘Weekly Roundup’ to make sure you don’t miss all of the great music we’re recommending.
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