The Alt Weekly Roundup (5/17/21)
Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
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.
Grady Strange – “Karma’s a Gun”
Grady Strange has been creating funky, scuzzy pop-rock since his days as the frontman of band The Lonely Biscuits. Since going solo, his music continues to explore even weirder territory. “Karma’s A Gun” is loaded with his signature garage band sound (think a more polished Ty Segall) with guitars that move seamlessly from a soaring melody to a grinding halt. The accompanying Goodfellas-inspired video is as fun to watch as it probably was to make.
Madison Van Houten | @madisonvanhalen
The Glow – “Love Only” / “Heavy Glow”
The latest two singles from The Glow (featuring former members of LVL UP and Doe) continue to expand their boundaries and affirm their impact as one of the most exciting indie rock bands around. “Love Only” is a jangly kind of indie pop tune that’s infectious and endlessly replayable, but it’s the 7-minute “Heavy Glow” that opts to jam on and on in a satisfying swirl of fuzzed-out guitars. Those last few minutes of the latter, when the song’s distinct shoegaze-y elements come in and out of hazy focus, are both blissful and thrilling.
Jordan Walsh | @jordalsh
Growing Fins – “Ogilvie”
Growing Fins’ new single “Ogilvie” had me interested in their brand of mathy screamo on first listen, but their video for the song really pulled me in. Silly Costumes? Check. Slow motion food antics? Check. People who seem like they are genuinely having fun together? Check. Plus the song sounds like it will be a ripper live, so I am excited to see what comes next for this Ontario band.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Barnaby Keen – “Trust Me”
London songwriter/producer Barnaby Keen’s newest single “Trust Me” is what kaleidoscope dreams are made of. Full of rose-colored haze the track flutters by in a psych-pop trance with mellow vocals to follow suit. I’ve been listening to it on rotation while lying in my hammock. You should too.
Hope Ankney | @hope_ankleknee
Ridgeway – “Thrive”
“Thrive,” the latest single from Ridgeway is a tense, post-punk rush of adrenaline. The lead guitar drives much of the relentless attack of the song while the vocals float hazily overtop. Check out the appropriately manic video that accompanies it below.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Pillea – Swell
Though many modern bands draw from The Weakerthans, Pillea’s debut Swell feels like a true successor to their sound in the way that it, like their best records, presents a blend of plaintive, folk-tinged indie rock and propulsive pop-punk. It’s got hooks big enough to appeal to fans of the catchier stuff while retaining the intimacy of a small indie folk project.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
BXB LOVE – “Ignorance Song”
Natasha Pheko is a jack of all trades under her pseudonym BXB LOVE. Last month she released single “Matrix” full of smooth vocals and a laidback acoustic feel. Newest single, though, “Ignorance Song” smashes like a hammer through what anyone thought BXB LOVE was. A scorching hot tune with verve and grit, it’s an ear worm that will be stuck in your head for days…. and you’ll like it that way.
Hope Ankney | @hope_ankleknee
Bears in Trees – Flowers Through Concrete
On their latest double-single release, Bears In Trees expand on their synthesis of grit and twee by adding some more electronic instruments and lusher production on the vocal harmonies. The guitars on “Fresh Concrete” echo the 80s vibes of Crowded House, while “Evergreen” slows things down building a vivid soundscape around the ukulele at the heart of the track.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Izzy True – “New Fruit”
Izzy True’s guitars shimmy and shuffle in dazzling fashion all throughout “New Fruit,” the opening track on their upcoming record Our Beautiful Baby World. When they finally burst into full-throttle rocking, as frontperson Izzy Reidy breaks into soothing but cathartic oohing, it’s difficult not to become enamored with this dusty-sounding rock song. Our Beautiful Baby World is out on Don Giovanni on July 2.
Jordan Walsh | @jordalsh
Pageants – “It Might Be Crazy”
“It Might Be Crazy” is as powder-soft as one can get as we jump headfirst into hotter weather. Full of bright soundscapes akin to a picnic in the syrupy hues of June, California-rooted Pageants know how to make wistful themes lighter through their music. The track acts as “an anthem for those hit with the reality of their circumstances” yet feels refreshing in perspective as it does. “It Might Be Crazy” drops ahead of their new record Sun and Settled Days due out July 30th, and it’ll be exciting to see how this sunny stream of sound further cultivates throughout the LP.
Hope Ankney | @hope_ankleknee
Wild Pink – “Ohio”
A Billion Little Lights was so good that even its outtakes are gorgeous. “Ohio” is one such, the opening cut on Wild Pink’s upcoming 3 Songs. It’s everything we expect from the New York project by now, three minutes of warm, synth-led heartland rock with a lovely feature by rising star Samia.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Runnner – “Awash”
“Awash” is the kind of song that makes me want to go across the street and lay down in the middle of my neighborhood park, the sun wafting in and out from behind the clouds. A really quite gorgeous alt-country song with a shining, lucid production style, “Awash” revels in a shimmering, skin-prickling texture that leaves a lasting impression. Runnner will release their Run For Cover debut Always Repeating on July 16.
Jordan Walsh | @jordalsh
Number One Lovers – “Whatever You Hold Onto”
Instantly bright, Number One Lovers’ “Whatever You Hold Onto” is full of optimistic and carefree energy in its instrumentals. Though the lyrics are a bit angstier than the music would suggest, (“I don’t know you/So I don’t owe you”) their repetitive nature paired with the bright guitars make the track sound like a passing thought on a breezy day.
Madison Van Houten | @madisonvanhalen
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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