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.
Palette Knife—”Hungover Brunch At Tiffany’s”
Palette Knife’s brand of pop-punk by way of math-emo should immediately ring your Origami Angel bells, which is to say that you can expect to feel a little serotonin going when these songs are on. The caffeinated “Hungover Brunch at Tiffanys” is a glossy, noodly, start-and-stop powerhouse, a dose of bright energetic rock with some lively, heart-on-sleeve humor to send it home (“can I cry in the Uber when you tell me to go home?”). Like the rest of the band’s very good debut LP Ponderosa Snake House and the Chamber of Bullshit, “Hungover Brunch at Tiffanys” basks in a little bit of classic ‘10s emo corniness (“gonna sing myself Death Cab in the bathroom mirror in a party hat”) but that doesn’t stop Pallete Knife from being a ton of fun.
Jordan Walsh | @jordalsh
Cayley Spivey—”Cross The Line”
Each of Cayley Spivey’s solo singles has been a pop banger, but with “Cross the Line” she’s perfected the formula. It’s not hard to imagine the song playing over the opening of the next coming of age blockbuster.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Pretty/Normal—Pretty/Normal
No Sleep Records doesn’t miss, and the new self-titled EP from Pretty/Normal is just the latest banger it’s delivered. No Sleep is the label that brought us post-hardcore outfit Aviator in the mid-2010s, and now, guitarist Mat Morin and drummer Aviv Marotz, along with Kayla Morin and vocalist Quinn Murphy of Verse, are back with a new project in Pretty/Normal. If you dug Balance and Composure’s The Things We Think We’re Missing (another No Sleep joint) or Basement’s I Wish I Could Stay Here (Run for Cover), Pretty/Normal is for you. Its moody melodies and tinge of fuzz recall the best of beloved past post-hardcore releases, while grounding the sound in a new era.
Michelle Bruton | @MichelleBruton
Closer—Within One Stem
All This Will Be was one of 2018’s best post-hardcore releases. Maybe it didn’t get the attention it deserved because it dropped in January, I don’t know, but either way Closer is back to correct the record. Within One Stem, for all of its 23 minutes, absolutely demands your attention, from its heaviest moments (ripping opener “ruins in reverse”) to its softest (the still punishing post-punk “divide”).
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Maine—”Sticky”
The Maine never strikes out, and the same could be said about their newest single “Sticky” that penned a new era for the group. A song that rides on light winds and gentle breezes, it seems to have taken inspiration from a few of the tracks on John’s ‘John the Ghost’ project and the musical direction they were founded on. After the hell year of 2020, The Maine coming back with a feel-good era full of the sun’s rays and golden mirth is exactly what we all need, and I, for one, cannot wait to soak it all in.
Hope Ankney | @hope_ankleknee
Trophy Scars—”Father: Part I”
Trophy Scars’ latest is a whiskey-soaked, bluesy alt-country hymn. “Father: Part I” sounds like a totally different band than the jazzy, spazzy post-hardcore group that released 2006’s classic Alphabet. Alphabets., but that’s part of their charm.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Middle Kids—Today We’re The Greatest
The sky’s the limit for Middle Kids, who are set to perform on The Late Late Show With James Corden Tuesday to celebrate the release of their sophomore album, Today We’re The Greatest. The Australian trio toe the line between atmospheric indie rock and arena pop; there’s something for everyone. Check out the title track video, released last week; it’s set against a lush palette of verdant greens and ocean blues, providing the perfect backdrop for lead singer and songwriter Hannah Joy’s beautiful, haunting vocals.
Michelle Bruton | @MichelleBruton
Dad Bod—”4/9″
Dad Bod is No Sleep’s latest signing, but don’t assume that means you know what they sound like. “4/9,” the band’s first full band offering, is a gorgeous layered indie rock track that sound feel more at home on a playlist with Lucy Dacus and Sinai Vessel than Jail Socks and Charmer.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Wyldest—Monthly Friend
The epitome of DIY has to be an artist writing, mixing, and producing an album to be entirely self-sufficient, and that is exactly what Zoe Mead (Wyldest) did on her upcoming album, Monthly Friend. She hadn’t planned on mixing it herself, but Covid-19 forced her hand; to listen to lead single “Hollow,” you’d never know Mead isn’t an old hand. It’s a masterful blend of dream-pop sensibility and guitarwork reminiscent of Soccer Mommy; it’s also her self-termed “empowerment song.” It deserves the distinction.
Michelle Bruton | @MichelleBruton
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.
