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.
Exercise – “My Room”
North Carolina-based band Exercise has been integral to the small but rowdy music scene in the pirate town of Wilmington. They’ve kept the house show scene alive and pulsing in the port city, and their latest track “My Room” absolutely rips. It has that sloppy guitar sound and meandering lyrics that feel like an early Modest Mouse song (the highest compliment from me). Max Gowan helped the band with their forthcoming album, Shrug, out in August.
Ryleigh Wann | @wannderfullll
Faith Healer – “Another Fool”
Edmonton, Alberta’s Faith Healer’s new single is full of glowy, groovy electro-pop. The video for “Another Fool” features a well-shot view of the daily life of a city dweller who seeks a bit of excitement in the night.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Computerwife – “I Get Better Everyday”
“I Get Better Everyday,” the new single off Computerwife’s upcoming Computerwife, is the latest entry into the canon of noisy, fuzzy ‘90s pop rock throwbacks. It’s a bit grittier, a bit grimier than the stuff acts like Slow Pulp or Tanukichan are doing, which lends it a unique sound. Based off this song and the previously released “Lexapro,” Computerwife is sure to be a knockout.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
PYNKIE – “Plz”
New Jersey pop artist PYNKIE is taking nostalgia to the limits on her new single “Plz.” It’s a breezy and soft bedroom pop track topped with sharp lyrics about relationship highs and lows, but still dreamy and innocent all the while. It’s like a breakup song for the imaginary relationship with your high school crush you conjured up in your head. Heartbreaking, but maybe it’s better to grow the hell up.
Nate Cross @bignafey
Snõõper – Super Snõõper
Snõõper’s new album Super Snõõper off Third Man Records might be my favorite album of the summer. This band is sooo sick. It feels like a hybrid of Amyl and the Sniffers and Blondie which happens to be a fantasy of mine manifesting itself?? The songs off their previous EPs didn’t lose any character after getting polished up on this album—they still have that “I don’t stop ‘til I see blood” attitude, and I’m so here for it. It’s the kind of album that makes me want to sweat and simmer in the sun but not not be bothered by it at all. “Powerball” and “Running” are easily my favorite tracks.
Ryleigh Wann | @wannderfullll
Valewood – Beautiful & Useless
Over the past couple of years, Foxing and Caracara have put out excellent records fusing 2010s festival rock and lush emo, and Valewood is drawing from the same well on their debut Beautiful & Useless. The album swells with electronics and cascading guitars, and runs the gamut of moods, from the anthemic “Housefire” to the moving ballad “Bolt of Silk (Pontchartrain).”
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Bully – Lucky For You
Lucky For You comes as a wonderfully gripping self-protest album, full of the shouting and fuzz Bully has been known for this past decade while keeping things fresh. Opening with the personal declaration “I’ll never get fucked up again” keys us into the next half an hour of well earned confidence, and relatable self regret. It’s good loud sober fun. This is Bully’s fourth album to be yelled along with, but Alicia Bognanno’s second solo Bully album. “Hard to Love” will drag you through the mud and have you smiling about it, “Change Your Mind” will be screamed along for many summers to come, and “All This Noise” is a damned fine call to action and angry closer. This is the best Bully LP yet.
Anne Hurban | @fyrbyrdtransanne
Nervous Surface – “Lemon-lime”
If you are looking for a band who could easily fit on a touring bill with Origami Angel, check out Nervous Surface. Their new single “Lemon-lime” is the perfect summery emo ripper to brighten up the pit.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Palmyra – “Speak My Mind”
Palmyra’s latest single “Speak My Mind” is haunting splendor. The voices in this band are shattering, and some of my favorites as of late—they feel genuine and yearning. Drums and mandolin matched with the impending electric guitar towards the end give this song such a full and complete sound compared to how it starts, with the soft pondering of concern in a relationship.
Ryleigh Wann | @wannderfullll
Cherry Glazerr – “Soft Like a Flower”
“Soft Like a Flower” comes with the announcement of Cherry Glazerr’s first album in four years, I Don’t Want You Anymore (due out in September). It’s a hazy, grainy grunge track, with a hazy, grainy video to match. Cherry Glazerr’s always been a fascinating band, and “Soft Like a Flower” is a self-assured reintroduction.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Killer – Demo 2023
You cannot talk about Chicago hardcore without mentioning The Killer. They carried forward the type of heavy hardcore that Hatebreed and All Out War popularized for a local audience in the 2000s. People talk about them with such reverence in Chicago that I cannot help but feel the same. It helps that The Killer fits alongside much of what is en vogue right now in hardcore, creating the most ignorant breakdowns known to man. For new listeners, Demo 2023, the first material from the band in a decade, is a good place to start. It showcases both sides of the band, featuring one more compact song and a five-minute lumbering epic.
Hugo Reyes @hvreyes5
13th Law – “It’s Alright (Feel Right)”
13th Law is the solo project of Evan Lawrence (Babyfang, Jelani Sei), and he just dropped his new single “It’s Alright (Feel Right)” from his upcoming album Crisis Core. The track’s humidity and choppy production juxtaposed with the smooth instrumentation makes it perfect for driving around on a summer night.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Lizdelise – “Tornado”
Lizdelise’s single “Tornado” off their forthcoming sophomore album I Swore I Heard You Laughing transports me to my Midwest roots, reminiscent of sirens in the distance. The eerie, playful instrumentation in this song pairs well with the stunning vocals. It feels like running from something, with an interpretation that boils down to the listener. I’m loving the camera rotations in the music video, and the chorus has been stuck in my head over the past few days.
Ryleigh Wann | @wannderfullll
The Stoves – The Stoves
The Stoves is a new project from members of Single Mothers, and fans of that band will find a lot to love on The Stoves. These songs are every bit as caustic as that band’s most biting material, but they’re a little more melodic, pulling from garage rock more than post-hardcore.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Sloppy Heads – “Love Is a Disease”
Sloppy Heads’ new single “Love is a disease” is ‘70s New York punk rock mixed with psychedelia that you can groove to. The video was created by legendary animator Al Jarnow (Sesame Street, CTW) and is a colorful trip that fits the song perfectly.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
The Alternative’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist
Each week our editor Lindsy Carrasquillo compiles a playlist of songs our staff has been jamming. We post it on Fridays on Twitter and then include it in each edition of the Weekly Roundup to make sure you don’t miss any of the great music we’re recommending.
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