The Alt Weekly Roundup (4/18)
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.
Towhead – Mildew
Mildew, the third EP from bedroom pop singer-songwriter Towhead, is a blissful listen. The majority of its tracks clock in at well under two minutes, and they breeze by in a soft, twee acoustic haze. The mixture of folksy guitar and the lo-fi electronics is extremely charming in a way reminiscent of early teen suicide or bedbug.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Bruce Lee Band – “I Hate This!”
Bruce Lee Band are back with an energetic diatribe against the madness of modern society, wrapped up as a ripping minute-and-half ska song. The lyrics like “I logged out flopped down / in front of the TV / but the feeling isn’t going away / I stood up screamed loud / feel like they ignore me / they refuse to make a meaningful change” paired with the chorus of “I hate this / I don’t wanna be angry anymore” match the manic energy of the instrumentals and make a singalong out of the repetition of the track’s title. “I Hate This!” is the second tune off the group’s upcoming One Step Forward. Two Steps Back, out next month via Asian Man Records.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Meare – Invisible Strings
Meare’s debut EP mixes the proggy-but-accessible spirit of Circa Survive with the spaciousness and atmosphere of post-rock for twenty minutes of expansive, enveloping indie rock.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Spanish Love Songs – Brave Faces Etc.
It’s cool to hear Spanish Love Songs, a brash Americana punk band, operating in the lanes they do on Brave Faces Etc. The crunch of “Self-Destruction (As a Sensible Career Choice)” is replaced with dream pop ambience, the dance beat that brings “Kick” home is a completely unexpected – but extremely cool – touch, and the new cinematic electronic take on “Optimism (As a Radical Life Choice)” might well be better than the original. Other places they try on autumnal folk (“Losers 2”), borderline EDM (“Dolores”), and synthy drone (“Beach Front Property”). It might be a one-off, but Brave Faces Etc. opens a lot of doors for the LA punks.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Winkler – “Mona”
“Mona” is Winkler’s first new song in a couple years, and it’s the perfect introduction to the Boston indie rockers. It’s a nice blend of alt-country twang, dream pop haze, and dancey percussion.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Trash Girl – Rock n Roll
With only eight songs and an average track length of less than two minutes, Trash Girl’s Rock n Roll isn’t much of a commitment, but the places it goes in those almost-15-minutes are myriad. Trash Girl dances through lo-fi electropop (“Common Oak,” “Please Leave a Message”), bedroom acoustics (“All Our Friends”), and intimate, fuzzed-out balladry (“Won’t Let U Fall”), and it’s all done flawlessly.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Praise – “Hotline to Memory”
“Hotline to Memory,” the latest single off Praise’s upcoming All in a Dream, feels like a more melodic and hook-centric take on an early Fugazi track. It’s a stellar taste of one of the best punk records of the year.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Long Time No Talk – “Cryloud”
Long Time No Talk play a style of emo heavily influenced by the melodic hardcore bands that ushered in the earliest eras of the genre in the ‘90s. Like last year’s “Green City Dreams,” their newest single “Cryloud” is charmingly lo-fi, but this one’s fuzzier than the last, heavier than the last, and more dynamic than the last, suggesting the Warsaw-based four piece has got a bright future.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Mascara – HLA-11TF
The grunge revival has spread well beyond American borders. French four-piece Mascara are at the forefront of the movement, and their latest single shows off why. When the murky, wailing guitars of “Half Light Aftermath” bleed into the crunchy “Eleven the Fair,” it becomes clear: these two songs are Mascara’s best work, and they’re only getting better.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
A Wilhelm Scream – Lose Your Delusion
Welcome back, A Wilhelm Scream. The band’s first record in nearly a decade is raucous and fast-paced, a classic burst of punk rock energy with some of the most powerful hooks of the year.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Pay for Pain – “Saturation Gradient”
When former Tigers Jaw members formed Pay for Pain in 2020, they released the melodic, genre-hopping Pain EP, six dirges that sounded absolutely nothing like any of Tigers Jaw’s material – or Wicca Phase Springs Eternal’s, for that matter. Their first release goes even further – “Saturation Gradient” isn’t even 90 seconds long, and it’s searing screamo a la Ampere.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Hey, Ily – “Stress Headache”
Hey, Ily is known for their quirked-up, off-the-wall electronica-emo, but “Stress Headache” is one of the band’s less gnarled tracks. It’s got the synths everyone loves, but it’s got less wackiness – it’s just a straightforward emo-pop banger because sometimes that’s all ya need.
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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