Melenas are back with a magnificent new album titled Ahora. This quartet out of Pamplona, Spain have it all dialed in – I’m talking jangly guitars, pulsing synths, fuzz, gaze, gauze, noise, you name it, it’s probably in there.
Ahora is (as I said in a previous post) 10 tracks of kraut-meets-Stereolab, electro-pop goodness. Check out “Bang” below; it’s so rad, I find myself humming or whistling it all day.
Body of Leaves are a 4-piece band out of Salt Lake City. They self-released their debut (I believe) album, Hell Nightmare, back in May. It’s 8 tracks of really well done post-punk-dark-wave goodness delivered through driving/pounding bass and drums, piercing synths and some amazing wall of sound guitar work. It’s really damn good.
I slept on this album WAY too long, but was shown the light last night seeing them open for Sweeping Promises. Don’t repeat my mistake, check out “Follow”, “Disclosure” and “Such a Gift” below. Do it! This is the good stuff.
Hell Nightmare is out now via their Bandcamp page. Enjoy.
Memphis trio Optic Sink bring the heat on their latest release (and first) with Feel It Records, Glass Blocks. It’s a bass-driven album packed with all the synths your heart desires along with crazy-tight digital percussion. Their minimalist approach comes off warm and packs a punch. It’s a refreshing take on post-punk. Check out “Live Illusion” and “A Face In The Crowd” (below) for a taste.
Glass Blocks is out now via Feel It Records. Get it. Bop to it. Enjoy.
We are so excited for the new Melenas album that we are sharing their latest single “K2” ahead of our review of their upcoming LP Ahora.
“K2” is a synth driven, bouncy, kraut-meets-Stereolab, electro-pop tune that sticks to your brain like pine tar. This is the best kind of earworm. Check out the stream and video below.
Ahora is out on September 29 via Trouble In Mind and judging from the three available singles, it will be on lots of year end lists. Enjoy.
We are pleased to have the opportunity to announce the new album At The After Party and debut the single “Hairbrush” by DTJ, the newest project from the versatile Dylan Tidyman-Jones of Polytherian, FRONDS, Sonny & The Sunsets and The Mallard fame.
“Hairbrush” (below), DTJ’s debut single, is a grove-filled, lo-fi, bedroom pop track and a solid introduction to the album. At The After Party comes out on September 15, 2023 on vinyl and digitally via Echo Plasm Records and you can preorder it here. Enjoy.
Cincinnati’s Corker bring their fresh take (a little shimmer and fuzz) on post-punk (whatever that means anymore) on their debut long player Falser Truths and a rad next step from their 2021 debut EP A Bell That Seems To Mourn.
Falser Truths is 9 tracks of fuzz with gauzy bass and vocals behind razor-sharp guitars. It’s an ass kicker! Check out their singles below for a taste. Falser Truths is out on Friday via Feel It Records. Enjoy.
Let’s just get my biases out of the way. I am a huge fan of Feel It Records. I listen to everything they put out and buy about 95% of their releases. When I got the promo email for the new LP from The Cowboys and saw the album cover for Sultan of Squat, I knew immediately that I was going to love this album. I wasn’t wrong.
From go, on first single and album opener, “The Sultan of Squat” (below), I was hooked. It’s a bouncy garage-pop track with a kind of “doo-wop-like” chorus that’s just candy to the ears. Their second single, “She’s Not Your Baby Anymore” (also below), sounds like it was recorded during The Byrds’ sessions for Sweetheart Of The Rodeo.
Sultan of Squat is just killer from start to finish. It sounds like they were listening to lots of and being influenced by the likes of Buddy Holly, Elvis Costello, The Kinks, and The Byrds going into the recording of it. I am completely twitter-pated by it. Please listen to the tracks below; they will put a smile on your face, and we all need more reasons for smiles to be on our faces.
Massachusetts 5-piece LANDOWNER’s new album – Escape the Compound – sounds like what I imagine a Jello Biafra and Devo or Suburban Lawns collaboration would sound like. My daughter thinks that Mr. Shaw’s vocals sound like Napoleon Dynamite.
Dumb comparisons aside, Escape the Compound is a kick ass, hyperactive, post-punk album and it’s well worth your time.
You can listen to “Heat Stroke” and “Victim of a Narcissist’s Tactics” (below) for a taste. Escape the Compound is out now on born yesterday records. Enjoy.
Lawrence, Kansas duo Sweeping Promises took the indie world by storm with their solid debut release Hunger For A Way Out on Feel It Records back in 2020 and now 3 years later they are back with their sophomore release Good Living Is Coming For You vaporizing the dreaded “sophomore slump” curse into the ether.
GLICFY is 30 minutes of infectious post punk meets new wave/punk rock goodness. It’s a big step forward from their debut (think The Empire Strikes Back) and a definite contender for album of the year.
GLICFY is out now on Feel It Records. All hyperbole aside, you need this album and we have it for you right here. Don’t trust me? Check out my obsession “Connoisseur of Salt” (below) for a taste. Enjoy.
Ramona Lisa is the side project/alter ego of Caroline Polachek. Being influenced by the film soundtracks of horror director Dario Argento, Polachek assumed the darker persona of Ramona Lisa.
Polachek recorded most of the album on a laptop using MIDI instrumentation. She released her debut — Arcadia — as Ramona Lisa in 2014 on Terrible Records. It is being reissued today through Polachek’s Perpetual Novice.
Check out “ Izzit True What They Tell Me” below and while you’re listening you can pick up a copy of it here.
