Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
Soup Dreams – Hellbender
Philly’s Soup Dreams play a familiar style: a dusty, rearview-gazing kind of alt rock that seems perpetually en vogue. With Hellbender, though, they do it very, very well. Much of the appeal lies in Emma Kazan’s voice, which carries some of the same self-assured quiver as Katie Crutchfield’s; in fact, Waxahatchee is a fair comparison point for Soup Dreams, who occasionally come off like the midpoint between the scrappy indie rock of Out in the Storm and the more refined country rock of Saint Cloud (or, if it’s more convincing, Hellbender works as a more alt, less country version of Bleeds).
In any case, it’s a debut LP that certainly bears the marks of its influences but never buckles under the weight. There’s more than enough muscle behind “Stray Cat” and the scrappy “Nothing” to hold their own, and the dust-streaked balladry of “Michigan” and “Familiar” is an equally natural fit. Hellbender is a masterful album; hopefully it’ll be the first of many for Soup Dreams.
Disappointing / Average/ Good / Great / Phenomenal
Rocket – R Is for Rocket
Rocket’s debut EP had been in the works for years before it finally dropped in late October 2023. All that time paid off: Versions of You was impressive enough to catch the attention of London’s Transgressive Records, home to Alvvays and Julia Jacklin, among others. They rereleased the EP in April with a bonus track, and in May Rocket began rolling out the singles for R Is for Rocket, their first LP.
By the album’s release in early October, five of the ten songs were already out. That results in an uneven listening experience, especially given that the four of the first five songs have been out for at least a few weeks. Ultimately, though, that doesn’t mar R Is for Rocket too much; the songwriting is just as strong as on Versions of You, and it’s even sharper in a lot of cases. “Crossing Fingers” remains one of the band’s best, an urgent and arresting alt rock banger, and the forlorn “One Million” is the closest Rocket gets to shoegaze, all bleary-eyed and fuzzy-hearted without ever obscuring Alithea Tuttle’s soaring hook. “The Choice” is just as memorable as any of the singles, but Rocket smuggles in a ton of bizarre touches: the doubled vocals, the scratchy fits and starts of guitar. They lend it a unique off-kilter feeling, especially as an opener. Tucked away in the record’s back half is “Crazy,” possibly the catchiest song Rocket’s penned yet; “I know this isn’t real,” Tuttle intones on the hook. Even if it isn’t real, Rocket treats every moment of R Is for Rocket like life or death.
Disappointing / Average/ Good / Great / Phenomenal
Dramamine – Heights Lake
Heights Lake takes Dramamine’s dream pop to a new level. Where most bands in their lane go for overwhelming force, buzzing walls of sound that suck up all the empty space, Dramamine luxuriates in the emptiness. It’s demonstrated from the jump; “Dearly Beloved” rides jangly waves that crest but never break, setting the tone perfectly. These songs open up, stretching outward without increasing in force. When the energy picks up, like on “Have to Have” and “Let Go,” the songs don’t get heavy, really; they get fuller, and they take on a sort of post-punk jaunt, but they don’t reach for the same sort of crushing heaviness that most shoegaze bands do. That’s refreshing.
Heights Lake feels about as intimate as this kind of music can, and Pete Pomilio’s plainspoken voice—hovering atop everything instead of getting smothered—only adds to that feeling. In the final seconds of closer “Meet You There,” the guitars begin to fade away, and all that’s left is a lively piano coda, a delicate end to a delicate album.
Disappointing / Average/ Good / Great / Phenomenal
––
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Alternative is ad-free and 100% supported by our readers. If you’d like to help us produce more content and promote more great new music, please consider donating to our Patreon page, which also allows you to receive sweet perks like free albums and The Alternative merch. And if you want The Alternative delivered straight to your inbox every month, sign up for our free newsletter. Either way, thanks for reading!