5 Bands To Start Listening To #3
Posted: by Henderson
5 Bands To Start Listening To is a monthly post where we mention 5 bands we think have been doing great stuff recently. Hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think!
ROZWELL KID
I had been hearing rumblings of a band called Rozwell Kid. Donovan Wolfington shouted them out during their FEST set, and other bands began to mention them and their great new album. It seemed a little much for a band I hadn’t even heard of. Well, Too Shabby came out on Broken World Media on the 18th, and it has me completely stunned. This LP is fucking great! Rozwell Kid incorporate Weezer-esque hooks and riffs that remind me of Diamond Youth with a charming 90s reverent songwriting style (similar to the recent Joyce Manor or Diarrhea Planet). You get the feeling that they don’t take themselves too seriously, and it makes the whole thing even more fun. This is an album you need to listen to. It will likely be one of my favorite releases this year.
Listen To: New album Too Shabby, streaming on bandcamp. Pay what you want!
NATIVE AMERICA
Sometimes I need music to listen to and chill out. The new Native America album, Grown Up Wrong, has been my recent go-to. This album kind of sounds like the Shins, but mostly it sounds like it should’ve been released in the 1970s. Psychedelic floaty vocals over dreamy guitars. It’s the perfect soundtrack when you want to drift away, especially the track “Naturally Lazy”. Fans of psych-rock or chilling hard should definitely give them a shot.
Listen To: The whole album is streaming on bandcamp.
CRYING
Brooklyn’s Crying write songs that are catchy and sound like nothing else. How rare is that these days? A unique sound that is as refreshing as ice cold glass of water. Crying combine female vocals (Kittyhawk ish), indie rock instrumentals, and INSANE amounts of 8-bit sound effects. As my girlfriend said, “It sounds like it was written by Super Mario”. Somehow this all fits together better than I could ever describe. I think the rhythms are the key. These songs absolutely never sit still. Constant changes in tempo and in 8-bit effects keep the listener on their toes. Crying have combined their sweet previously released EP ,Get Olde, with some new tracks (that are even better) and released it as an album, Get Olde/Second Wind, on Run For Cover Records. I can’t stop listening.
Listen To: Their whole debut album, Get Olde/Second Wind.
TWO INCH ASTRONAUT
The new album from Two Inch Astronaut has really caught my ear. It’s a little bit fuzzy, a little bit messy, and very unpredictable. Recently released on Exploding In Sound Records, Foulbrood, is a guitar driven alt rock release that I think fans of Speedy Ortiz or Ovlov will enjoy. When the vocalist lets it rip in screams throughout tracks like “Part of Your Scene” it’s like getting blasted in the face with a shot of At The Drive In. The slower tracks are also effective and remind me of Robbers’ dark vibe.
Listen To: Foulbrood is streaming on NPR also a few tracks on bandcamp.
SUNDIALS
Sundials’ new 6 song EP, Kick, is a big step in the right direction for a band already headed that way. They’re writing better songs than ever and this record packs way more of a punch than you’d expect from an EP. The track “Stun Spore” is probably my favorite song the band has released EVER. It has a nasty bass line, and the way it builds into the group vocals at the end? Mama mia that’s a delicious pizza pie. The title track is catchy as hell and the first track “Dealin’” is another goodie. Kick (out now on Topshelf Records) definitely has me excited for more from Sundials.
Listen To: Kick is streaming on AV Club.
