The Best of April 2019 & Monthly Staff Playlist
Posted: by The Editor
THE BEST MUSIC OF APRIL 2019
Arriving almost three years after The Dream Is Over, PUP pick up right where they left off with Morbid Stuff, the band’s best album yet and possibly the best album of the year so far. So much of Morbid Stuff reckons with what it’s like to still be punk while you’re navigating into your 30s, culminating in some of the bands catchiest songs yet (“Scorpion Hill”) as well as some of their heaviest riffs (“Full Blown Meltdown”). If you’ve ever looked around a house show and thought “I’m definitely the oldest person in this room,” Morbid Stuff might be for you. If all your friends are getting married and buying homes and you can’t remember the last time you showered, Morbid Stuff might be for you. If you just want to listen to one of the best bands out there refining their craft and leveling up once again, look no further than Morbid Stuff.
Consisting of members from the now defunct Long Island punk outfit Haverford, Bigger Better Sun dropped their infectious debut Comfort Foods. If anybody ever plans on rebooting the O.C. I would almost guarantee that half of this album would wind up on the soundtrack. And oh yeah, if this record just so happens to give you major Oso Oso vibes, that just might be because Billy Mannino, guitarist for Bigger Better Sun, not only recorded and mixed the yunahon mixtape, but also released it on his own record label, Seal Mountain Records. Seal Mountain also released the debut LP from Diva Sweetly, so it’s safe to say Mannino knows what’s up.
What Life, the hyperactive and kaleidoscopic sugar rush of a debut from Oakland’s Club Night might possibly be the most original album you’ll listen to all year. Ricocheting back and forth between a myriad of influences without ever biting anyone’s style, What Life is the definitive “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore” type of record, harkening back to the days when a Myspace page and some overstuffed ambition was all it took to make it. If you feel like you haven’t heard a real indie rock record in a long time, check out What Life.
Philly native Christopher Taylor, who makes difficult yet engrossing music as Body Meat, released a wonderful album full of chaotic and booming R&B titled Truck Music. Taylor’s autotuned vocals are pristine, at times reminding you of Bon Iver or maybe James Blake, and these beautiful melodies glide over some of the most batshit crazy and warped instrumentals I’ve ever heard. With nods to the footowork of DJ Rashad and the art-pop time signatures of Palm, Truck Music is a hypnotic and euphoric exploration of rhythm.
When a producer and rapper click, they have the opportunity to throw all the rules away and push each other to places creatively that they might not have reached before. That’s exactly why Anger Management, the collaborative EP between Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats, succeeds on every level. Rico Nasty is one of the most talented and versatile young MC’s in the game, and with a little guidance (and some menacing 808s) courtesy of Kenny Beats, she’s able to channel all her rage and frustration into some of the most groundbreaking and inventive hip hop out there right now.
I was started to get worried that I might never type these words, but Prince Daddy & The Hyena are finally back with some new tunes and they’re worth the wait. “I Lost My Life” and “Lauren (Track 2)” are our first preview of Cosmic Thrill Seekers, a “sonic roadtrip across space and time and Albany” that drops The Monitor as an influence. If these two singles are any indication, this new album is going to rip. Mannequin Pussy also returned with the Will Yip produced “Drunk 2”, their new album Patience is on the horizon, and the lyric “I still love you/you stupid fuck” is going to go down as one of the all time greats.
Palehound announced their new record, Black Friday, and dropped the roaring single “Aaron”, a track about learning to be comfortable in our own bodies. Black Friday was produced by Gabe Wax, who produced Soccer Mommy’s Clean, so definitely be on the lookout for that album when it drops in June. Crumb also announced their debut LP Jinx, sharing the psychedelic stomper “Nina”, which fits right out home in their short but sweet discography.
One of the most prolific voices in the DIY scene, Spencer Radcliffe, shared the lead single off his alt-country project Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else titled “Here Comes The Snow”, with a new album Hot Spring out next month. In between this project and his numerous ambient releases as Blithe Field, Radcliffe is not the type to sit still. Atlanta rapper Young Nudy, who by the way is 21 Savage’s cousin, is getting ready to release a collaborative mixtape with producer Pi’erre Bourne (who produced the lion’s share of Playboi Carti’s Die Lit) this Friday, and the first single from the album “Mister” proves that the two have an undeniable chemistry.
Still looking for some more great tunes to sink your teeth into? Fortunately for you, we’ve just scratched the surface on the best music of April. Head to the site and check out our reviews of the excellent new albums from Priests, Field Medic, Insignificant Other, and so much more!
See y’all next month.
THE PLAYLIST
Written by Michael Brooks // @nomichaelbrooks
Playlist curated by Steven Lalonde // @StevenLalonde
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