The Alt Weekly Roundup (10/17)
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.
The Undertaking! – “A Witch’s Deathbed Confession”
With Funeral Psalms, The Undertaking! crafted an impressive debut indebted to throwback metalcore like Every Time I Die and Norma Jean. With their newest single “A Witch’s Deathbed Confession,” they turn that influence up to 11, and the result is a banger that can stand up to any legacy band’s best.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
H A U N T E R and Lo Artiz – “Softly”
H A U N T E R and Lo Artiz’ “Softly” delivers on a rainy jazz beat accompanied by a full voice. The heartbroken ephemeral lyrics of the first half give way to an ethereal moment of clarity in the second, best listened to on a rainy fall walk. With SAULT smooth vocals and Thundercat instrumental lows, let this distinctive futuristic sound wash you away.
Anne Hurban | @fyrbrdtransanne
Arm’s Length – “In Loving Memory”
With the release of “In Loving Memory,” Arm’s Length has eroded any lingering doubt that their debut LP Never Before Seen, Never Again Found would be anything other than a masterpiece. It perfects their aggressive emo-pop, a mid tempo rager that calls to mind a more emo-leaning take on Hot Mulligan’s recent output.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Tessa Elaina – “Soil and Earth”
“Soil and Earth” is the first soothing single by singer-songwriter Tessa Elaina. A love song ruminating on passion and hesitance, this bedroom pop borders on simple sympathetic lullaby. With more singles and an upcoming EP, we’re hoping Tessa Elena’s voice reaches an audience that appreciates a grounding melody.
Anne Hurban | @fyrbrdtransanne
Born Without Bones – “Fistful of Bees”
“Fistful of Bees” is classic Born Without Bones–dark but anthemic, aggressive but melodic. Where Dancer’s title track showed off some of the new tricks the band’s learned in the half-decade since their last LP, the latest single is a reminder of what made them worth following in the first place.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Young Culture – “Whiskey”
Young Culture’s gotten increasingly deeper into straight-up pop rock the longer they’ve gone. “Whiskey,” the latest single from their upcoming You Had to Be There, contains no traces of pop-punk at all. Instead it pulls liberally from pop-country, and what could’ve been a disaster is a pure ear worm in the New York trio’s capable hands.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Early November – Twenty
It would’ve been easy for a record like Twenty to feel like a cheap exercise in nostalgia, a way for The Early November to prey on fans’ good memories of the band’s older music. But it ends up so much more—it really does feel like a time capsule, and what comes through most is the band’s passion. “Make It Happen,” for example, sounds more like a love letter to the band’s past than anything else.
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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