The Alt Weekly Roundup (4/25)
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.
Glazed – “Cherry Ice”
“I feel like I’m 18 again,” goes the first line of Glazed’s newest single “Cherry Ice.” The summery single, the opener off their delectable upcoming Chillology EP, is a nostalgic taste of summery pop-punk. The Florida band is one of the most fun groups in the genre right now, and “Cherry Ice” is one of their best.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Zells – “Hell Car”
The Zells announced their new record Ant Farm this week with the single “Hell Car.” Full of crunchy, fuzzy guitars, the track jumps between unhinged and more reserved vibes, always packed with catchy and freewheeling melodies. Lyrics like “you should be the president since everybody wants you to die / used to spend my whole life dreaming man, now I barely close my eyes” float through the fuzz and guitar solos to catch your ears, and the steady rhythm section holds things down for an intriguing two minutes from the Pittsburgh rockers. Ant Farm is out early June via Crafted Sounds.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Blood Menace – “Vicious Beings”
Blood Menace is the project of Hazing Over’s singer Jake Yenick and works as an extension of his creative interests. It takes the whirling frenzy of mathcore and pairs it with a healthy dosage of deathcore to create a cacophony of noise. And after releasing an EP in 2020, we now have a brand new song in “Vicious Beings” and it may be the strongest entry for this project yet.
Hugo Reyes | @hvreyes5
Petrol – “Joeboy”
Philly’s Petrol pulls as much from ‘90s alt rockers like Third Eye Blind or Nirvana as they do the ‘90s indie idols. Their sound, as a result, is about as fresh as this kind of thing can get. “Joeboy” is a great track, one that feels clearly rooted in the touchstones of yesteryear without ever sounding cheap.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Church Girls – “Telepathic Mind”
Over the past few years, Church Girls have put out some fantastic music with The Haunt and Still Blooms, and they’re back this week “Telepathic Mind,” a one-off track that perfectly captures the group’s aggressive and riff-packed style. Their rocking and intricate sound backs up Mariel Beaumont’s characteristically dark and introspective lyrics like “been dead for days / with a blood fueled body in place / and I know I’m the one to blame for what we’re stuck in / when you’ve gone through every motion you should know how to ride the lows in / ripples fade away to glide off somewhere.”
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Long Live the Empire – Deathless
On Deathless, the Singapore emo band Long Live the Empire says goodbye. This knowledge imbues a sense of melancholy on this final EP that may not have been there otherwise. It makes the act of listening to it just a bit more emotional and resonant, especially when they end the EP with a thudding acoustic track.
Hugo Reyes | @hvreyes5
Private Mind – “Strangers”
That early 2000s Long Island melodic hardcore scene is coming back big time thanks to groups like Koyo, Stand Still, and now Private Mind. The band’s new single “Strangers” is a burst of catchy punk energy, improving on everything Private Mind did well on their 2020 self-titled EP – it’s got cleaner production, bigger riffs, and catchier hooks.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Summerbruise – “(Plea to a Cat Named) Spaghetti”
On “(Plea to a Cat Named) Spaghetti,” Summerbruise take the best qualities from the pop-punk, emo, indie realms they’re working in with clean arpeggiated guitars as well as heavy distortion under huge hooks. The reverse-Weakerthans tune builds up wonderfully to the final repetition “I’m always here waiting around / I’m always waiting around,” followed by the band deciding the last take might have been better. It’s the second track out off the group’s killer record, The View Never Changes, out in June via Old Press Records.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Momma – “Speeding 72”
Momma’s upcoming debut Household Name is sure to be one of the year’s best if the singles are any indication. The latest, called “Speeding 72,” is a fuzzy, rollicking indie rock track just perfect for cruising down the highway.
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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