The Alt Weekly Roundup (5/9)
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.
Teens in Trouble – “I’m Not Worried”
Teens in Trouble just put out their video for “I’m Not Worried”, and it has everything: a spaceship, Brill Building melodies, and a dog that, according to one of the YouTube comments, is a really great typist. It’s catchy and fuzzy in that ’90s alt way we all love. Plus, they are signed to Asian Man Records, so you know their upcoming EP is going to be good.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Golden Apples – Golden Apples
Soaked in the hazy, psychedelic sounds of the ’60s and ’70s, the new self-titled album from Golden Apples is an instantly fun record loaded with hooks that fit nicely in the within the overall fuzzy, lo-fi feel that blankets these songs. Seeming to take the best parts of last year’s Shadowland and the Cherry Strong EP, Golden Apples may be Russell Edling’s strongest effort yet with this project.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Astronoid – “Sleep Whisper”
Astronoid’s heavy, proggy space rock just feels timeless. It feels as much like listening to Sunbather for the first time as it does Inlet pressing play on the band’s new single “Sleep Whisper.” They’re a special band, and there’s little doubt Radiant Bloom will be a special record.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
3AM – Life’s Hard
On Life’s Hard, 3AM weave banjo and violin with traditional rock instruments to create an intriguing and unpredictable collection of emo tunes. There’s plenty to latch onto in the lyrics that often dwell on drinking wrestling with the trajectory of your life in your twenties, and the varied nature of the instrumentals keep things interesting throughout the record. 3AM seem to be at their best when they’re at their most chaotic, with the music matching the manic trains of thought in the lyrics—particularly on “Bummers and Sons,” a banjo-packed tune that reaches it’s high point over the repeated verse of “bottles in the backyard / lawn chairs round the campfire / the slow ride round the backside / of growing up and that’s alright” and “3AM,” which kicks off with the line “growin’ up, it fuckin’ sucks / I never see my friends / except for once every four months / when we can get a weekend / and we can stay up / until 3AM.”
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Gilt – Conceit
Gilt’s latest EP isn’t just their best work yet–it’s one of the best post-hardcore releases in years. From the melodic slowburn of the opening “Amethyst” to the frenetic “209” to catchy, dreamy closer “Trophy Hunter,” each track explores a different facet of Gilt’s sound and they all come together to produce a powerful, replayable record.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Kamikaze Nurse – “Boom Josie”
Kamikaze Nurse’s single “Boom Josie” is a swirling, driving, angular song that brings to mind late ’80s, early ’90s underground rock. What really struck me about this song is KC Wei’s haunting and unique voice. You definitely want to check this out if you, like me, are a fan of Sonic Youth.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Pet Fox – “Checked Out”
Pet Fox comprises members of Palehound and Ovlov, and if you can imagine a band that borrows from both of those projects, you’d be imagining Pet Fox. They’ve got the warmth and intimacy of Palehound with Ovlov’s bite and melodic riffage. The band’s latest single, “Checked Out,” is a good showcase of that, a sparse and catchy slice of indie rock with the attitude of a latter-day Wrens cut.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Matilde Heckler – “Emo Needs More Fucking Girls”
True to the bluntness of the sentiment in the title, Matilde Heckler’s new tune “Emo Needs More Fucking Girls” feels like a door being kicked in. The track starts with a driving bass and violin pattern over pounding drums, blowing up into a ripping chorus of “I wanna be a girl in a band / flashing my tits on the stage / my body’s not a temple / I don’t need you on your knees / but your mama didn’t raise you right / if a body’s all you see” followed by violin solos that get increasingly intense on each pass. Fitting with the lyrics, the song has the frantic and fierce energy of a live performance, feeding off the repetition of the song’s title as it builds to the final chorus.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Sonhos Tomam Conta – Maladaptive Daydreaming
With each successive release, Sonhos Tomam Conta hones her brand of ambient blackgaze. The project’s latest LP Maladaptive Daydreaming is as brutal as it is gorgeous, as noisy as it is intimate–there’s no one who makes music like Sonhos Tomam Conta, and there’s no one who could ever strike the balance so well.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Hans Gruber and the Die Hards – With a Vengeance
Like the best ska music, With a Vengeance by Hans Gruber and the Die Hards manages to place their pointed and socially conscious lyrical themes within a maniacal musical setting of breakneck ska and punk songs reminiscent of ’90s bands like the Suicide Machines while also being wildly inventive with the directions the band takes that sound. The group never really takes their foot off the gas for the whole record, while the lyrics reference the damage technology is wreaking on our collective brains, absurd internet conspiracy theories, America’s cultish obsession with cars and capitalism, and living under the thumb of constant surveillance. It’s all done in a fun way, though (just check out “Let’s Drive Everywhere” or “Praise to the Algorithm” for example) and Hans Gruber and the Die Hards are a perfect dancing-through-the-apocalypse band.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
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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