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.
Bite the Hand – “Stay Mad”
This past summer, Arizona hardcore band Bite the Hand released their debut EP Conned Out of Life through Wiretap Records, and they’ve just released a video for its single “Stay Mad.” The track is a reminder that anger can be motivating, a powerful tool to create positive changes. Vocalist Echo Breen toes the line between incandescent rage and understanding vociferously as the band weaves together unique melodies equal parts hardcore fury and emotional alternative pop.
Loan Pham | x_loanp
Hour – Saturday After Payday / Absence is a Heady Spice
Less than a year after their monumental Ease the Work, Philly post-rock collective Hour is back with a double single of outtakes from their third LP, both emphasizing different aspects of their sound. “Saturday After Payday” is a chamber pop masterpiece, eight members contributing to the track (including 2nd Grade’s Peter Gill on bass), unfurling from a loungey crawl into a bouncy, full-bodied romp. On the other hand, “Absence is a Heady Spice” features bandleader Michael Cormier-O’Leary alone, plinking out a plaintive piano melody.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
peaer – “Just Because”
Five years after A Healthy Earth, peaer makes a triumphant return with “Just Because,” a song that blends their signature mathy punk sound with an atmospheric, gothy vibe. Vocalist Peter Katz’s introspective lyrics, like “Take a look at yourself, do you see someone else? Someone split in the middle, trapped inside of a riddle?” explore themes of identity and internal conflict. The haunting pre-chorus, reminiscent of Echo and the Bunnymen, complements the reflective nature of the song, while the dance-style drums bring an unexpected energy to the mix. The lyrics, “Did you change just because?” resonate with anyone questioning personal growth and change, making this return both familiar and fresh.
Mol White | @molemanmedia
Ciao Malz – “Two Feet Tall”
“Two Feet Tall,” the opening track from Ciao Malz’s upcoming Safe Then Sorry, is a woozy, buzzy paean to the feeling of getting left behind in your own life. “I wanted to evoke the feeling of stagnation while everything else is in motion,” Malia DelaCruz says of the song, and the way the guitars wash over her voice as if to overtake it certainly drives the point home. Over propulsive drumming from Told Slant’s Felix Walworth, DelaCruz laments her ability to “find new ways to disappoint her,” but I’m not sure overcompensation has ever sounded so good.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Palomino Blond – You Feel It Too
Palomino Blond’s sophomore album You Feel It Too filters their ‘90s alternative rock and 2000s post-grunge stylings through an array of influences that range from noise rock to emo pop. It takes a step back from the lush dream pop that dominated their 2021 debut ontheinside and leans into their strengths as a rock band. The result is a far more concentrated album that offers thoughtful songwriting and unique vocal inflections that showcase just how powerful Palomino Blond are, but particularly when they’re emphatically standing in their emotional vulnerability. Standout tracks include “Automatic (If This Is Too Much),” “Understand,” “It Kills Me,” and “Midheaven,” and are a testament to the band’s evolution as nobody is doing alternative rock quite like they are.
Loan Pham | x_loanp
Bummer Camp – “Pull the Thread”
Of their new single “Pull the Thread,” Bummer Camp’s Eli Frank has only one thing to say: “slowcore vibes.” And yeah, they’re not wrong. The latest song from the NYC band’s upcoming Stuck in a Dream is slower and thicker than the more traditionally shoegazey lead single “Pass Out,” but it might be even better.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Alternative’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist
Each week we compile a playlist of songs our staff has been jamming. We post it on Fridays 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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