The Alt Weekly Roundup (12/12)
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.
Leiah – “I Do”
Leiah officially returned from hiatus four years ago, but it’s only now with the announcement of Endless that it really feels like they’re back. The string of standalone singles the indie rockers dropped in 2018 and 2019 were serviceable, but it’s the lead single from their new record, the bright and melodic “I Do,” that really captures the magic of their early 2000s releases. Their fourth LP has big shoes to fill, but if the strength of the single is any indication, Endless will be a worthy entry into their catalog.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
lowercase roses – Ordinary Terror
Slow burning and ruminative, lowercase roses’ Ordinary Terror brings out both the beauty and the harshness of its electronic landscapes. The album feels apocalyptic and lonely, while also comforting and calming as the songs take their time immersing you in the rich layers of synths, drums, and vocals. Lines like “it took ten of your songs to walk me back home” that opens “Custodian” stick out, as do the moments when acoustic guitars sneak in, like at the end of the gorgeous “California Everywhere,” in the chorus of the contemplative “Someone Else’s Voice,” and throughout the light, endearing narrative of “Marigold & Moon.” There’s a touch of heaviness added to the second half with “Green Light in the Echo Chamber” and “Salt the Sea” before the psychedelic “Apples” closes out the record, with the electronics and acoustic guitar melding together beautifully.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
The Traveling Theory – “Walking on the Air”
If you were asked, based on the first minute of “Walking on the Air,” where and when The Traveling Theory came from, you’d probably say Champaign-Urbana in 1997. Indeed, the newest single from the Kashiwa emo band does contain the hallmarks of the emo of that time and place: the start-and-stop jaunt of Castor, the tuneful wails of Braid, a hint of Cap’n Jazz’s math flavor. But The Traveling Theory, wizened since their 2019 debut, take things a bit slower, a bit lighter on “Walking on the Air” than their more punk-influenced earlier material, and it sounds more timeless than dated.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Run into the Sun – Cry / Blood
Run into the Sun is hardcore at its bounciest, leaning into the grooves of ‘90s post-hardcore, a time when the genre collided with alt-rock in exciting ways. But their new two-song single feels as if it could only come out today. There are points in “Cry” that feel directly lifted from Turnstile’s Nonstop Feeling. “Blood,” on the other hand, hews closer to the ‘90s, calling comparisons to Handsome and Higher Power.
Hugo Reyes @hvreyes5
Ella Ross – “Blocked”
Bedroom-pop artist Ella Ross is back with her newest single “Blocked” which journeys through the infuriatingly batty stage of a breakup where exes seem to block and unblock you on social media. The track has a quiet power to it which seeps between the cracks of its dazzling pop landscape. Even through Ross’ sticky-sweet vocals one can feel the bite the track has. Flip it on repeat and let it get lodged in your head. It’s good.
Hope Ankney | @hope_ankleknee
Photocopy – “Stay a While”
Oklahoma City’s Photocopy deals in buzzing feedback-laden alt rock, the kind that rumbles along until kicking into a hook that could’ve competed with any 2000s indie rock darlings. The band’s newest single, “Stay a While,” mixes some unclean vocals into that formula, to great effect.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Stress Fractures – “Stress Fractures”
A whirlwind of anxiety mirrored in the active drums and guitars, “Stress Fractures” by Stress Fractures (off the forthcoming album Stress Fractures) is an undeniable burst of punk. The track is busy in the best way, with everyone playing off their heads while avoiding getting in each other’s way. Although instantly gripping, the tune reveals more on repeat listens as you try to keep up with the countless guitar riffs and drum fills that propel the band in between vocal lines that range from screams to bright pop melodies.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
The Sound of Animals Fighting – Apeshit
The best thing a reunion album can do is pick up where a band left off originally, and that’s what Apeshit does. There’s elements of all The Sound of Animals Fighting’s prior work without retreading any of it—it feels like where the band would have organically ended up in 2022 if they’d kept going. It’s every bit as weird, as heavy, as melodic, and as inimitable as it was on Lover or Duke. From the post-hardcore bombast of the title track to the ethereal “Wolf,” the downtempo rise and fall of standout “Sharon Tate, Despite Everything” to the dreamy denouement of the beat-driven “Duche Das,” it almost feels like a retrospective of the band’s career—and a glimpse into the future.
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.
The Alternative is ad-free and 100% supported by our readers. If you’d like to help us produce more content and promote more great new music, please consider donating to our Patreon page, which also allows you to receive sweet perks like free albums and The Alternative merch.
