The Alt Weekly Roundup (3/21)

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.


Holy Fawn – “Death Is a Relief”

Holy Fawn’s Twitter bio describes their music as “loud heavy pretty noises” and that certainly isn’t inaccurate, especially not on new single “Death Is a Relief.” The track is loud and it’s gorgeous, diving headlong into shimmering post-rock for its first half; it gets very, very heavy midway through, too, as black metal screams intertwine with guitars tremolos for a thrilling climax. It is one of the band’s very best, and it bodes extremely well for whatever Holy Fawn is planning next.

Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison


Combat – Text Me When You Get Back

Combat’s debut full-length Text Me When You Get Back is a fantastic 23 minutes of old school lo-fi punk rippers with some bouncy acoustic moments — and even an alt-country travelin’ tune — loaded with raw vocals, catchy melodies, frantic instrumentals, and lyrics worth getting lost in. The first half leans into the manic punk a little more than the second, almost making the unexpected Springsteen nod “Diminished” a turning point for the record, as it’s followed by a string of slightly more restrained — but no less killer — tracks to close out the album. There’s a lot to dig into on Text me When You Get Back, and it sounds better with each listen. You can snag tapes from Chillwavve Records.

Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject


Hot Water Music – Feel the Void

From Chuck Ragan’s opening wail, Gainesville, FL, legends Hot Water Music return to the illustrious sound of their early 2000s heyday. Brian McTernan reprises his role as producer, having partnered with HWM on back-to-back-to back home run albums (A Flight and a Crash, Caution, The New What Next). While Chris Wollard retired from touring, live performance replacement Chris Cressell makes his seamless recording debut and damn near steals the show on “Turn the Dial.” Their work now recording together on this album is something fated. Feel the Void is injected with twelve tracks that are sure-fire sing-along anthems from a group that’s surely at the center of Fest’s Mt. Rushmore.

Tyler Holland | @InTyler_WeTrust


Oso Oso – Sore Thumb

Oso Oso dropped the groovy “pensacola” single with little warning, and now they’ve done the same with their fourth full-length. Sore Thumb, technically a collection of demos, is the project’s most ambitious undertaking yet, incorporating post-hardcore (“computer exploder”), surf rock (“father tracy”), Beatles-esque pop rock (“because i want to”), and dream-folk balladry (“carousel”). There’s some classic Oso Oso here too, like the throwback emo-pop of “nothing says love like hydration” and the appropriately bright “sunnyside.” It’s a left-field release from the Long Island indie rockers for sure, but it’s a more than welcome addition to their stellar catalog.

Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison


Dazy & Militarie Gun – “Pressure Cooker”

Packed with riffs, hooks, and a whole lot of fuzz, the rapidfire records released by Dazy and Militarie Gun last year both hit me right in the lizard brain. Last week, the Convulse Records bands teamed up for a killer single, “Pressure Cooker,” featuring an infectious bassline and undeniable chorus that will sure to have you singing along even the first time you hear the track. This is guitar music at its finest.

Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject


Hey Ily – “Intrusive Thoughts Always”

Hey Ily’s had a good year. They’ve only been putting out music since last February, but they’ve absolutely blown up since with their two absolutely bonkers EPs (/ _ ; ) and Internet Breath. They’re back already with a new single, “Intrusive Thoughts Always,” which supersizes their chiptune-inflected emo. It’s their cleanest and biggest song yet, and the hardcore bridge the band splices in suggests that they’re still finding ways to expand their notoriously amorphous sound.

 Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison


Praise – “All in a Dream”

It’s been quite a while since we’ve heard from melodic hardcore band Praise. Drummer Daniel Fang has been quite busy with Angel Du$t and Turnstile but after six years they’ve finally returned with a new song. Even though it’s been so long it sounds like Praise is picking up right where they left off on Leave It All Behind. “All in a Dream” still retains that DC hardcore influence that underpins the entire project while treading some new ground.

Hugo Reyes @hvreyes5


Pkew Pkew Pkew – “Maybe Someday”

Pkew Pkew Pkew’s beer-soaked brand of punk is always a blast, even on the songs that lean more into the lows of the young, broke, and drunk lifestyle the band portrays through shoutalong choruses and ripping guitar solos. Their new track “Maybe Someday” reflects on sharing a bedroom to save money (“it’s half the rent and twice the suffering”) and hits everything that made the group’s last two records so great, while also pushing their barroom punk sound forward with some sick guitar work and apparently some help from patron saint of the genre, Craig Finn. It’s a great sign for the group’s new record Open Bar out May 13.

Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject


Ducks Ltd. & Illuminati Hotties – “Head On”

The Jesus and Mary Chain’s influence on shoegaze has always already been clearly felt, but their influence on straight up indie rock can’t be discounted either. Case in point: Ducks Ltd. teamed up with Illuminati Hotties for a cover of the classic “Head On,” and it’s a stunner. 

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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