The Alt Weekly Roundup (1/24)
Posted: by The Editor
The Popdosemagazine 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.
Maggie Gently – “Worried”
Maggie Gently’s gorgeous “Worried” is the opening track off her lovely upcoming LP Peppermint, and it’s a delightful introduction to her tender, dynamic indie rock.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Party’z – Party’z
Party’z comes from a lot of familiar players from Chicago’s emo scene, boasting members from Kittyhawk, Annabel, and Count Your Lucky Stars era Dowsing. But instead of playing in the sounds of emo’s fourth wave, they instead are much closer to their power-pop compatriots in What Gives. Their self-titled debut conjures images of a warmer time in Chicago when going outside doesn’t feel as life and death as it does right now in January.
Hugo Reyes | @hvreyes5
Melody’s Echo Chamber – “Looking Backward”
Melody’s Echo Chamber is putting out a new album in April, and the first single is a swirling, driving, psychedelic bliss trip. “Looking Backward” was inspired by someone using their watch to play with light reflections in an airport, and you can sense the bright playfulness in it. The video (directed by Hyoyon Paik) is set in a delightful open world video game full of color and sunlight. It has been a long wait for new music from the artist, and I am excited to see what new sounds and experiments she’s dreamed up this time.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
OK Cool – “Time and a Half”
OK Cool’s Surrealist last year was a real banger, a grab bag of emo styles with a unique vibe. “Time and a Half,” the duo’s first single since, is a brighter, bouncier track than any on the EP, and it’s one of the project’s best.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Alex Stanilla – “Eloisa”
Alex Stanilla’s songs are a lot like the collage artwork that accompany them — chaotic and made up of disparate elements that come together to create something that’s both instantly appealing and also full of interesting layers that become more apparent on multiple listens. “Eloisa” might be the most explosive tune of his recent output, starting like a dance track and blowing up into raw, visceral screams at some points. There’s a lot going on here, and it all works.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Bliss Fields – Slowly, Forever
Bliss Fields’ debut LP is a real stunner, equal parts melody and hazy grit. After a name change and a five-year wait from their debut EP, Slowly, Forever absolutely doesn’t disappoint. Shoegaze revival’s been the it scene for a while now, but Bliss Fields carve out a unique and diverse sound.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Onsloow – Onsloow
Onsloow’s self-titled debut is equal parts early Tigers Jaw and the poppiest parts of Rainer Maria. But those comparisons don’t fully encapsulate the album, which sometimes veers into more traditional ’90s indie-rock fare. At the core, these are just really fun and energetic pop songs, prioritizing sticky melodies that stay with you above all else.
Hugo Reyes | @hvreyes5
Dissedente – “A Nation of Wolves”
“A Nation of Wolves,” the latest from Dissidente, is a brutal onslaught of riffs and revolutionary lyrics. The delivery of “a nation of wolves / gnashing our teeth / a nation of wolves / 300 million deep / a nation of wolves / gathering on the White House lawn / we’ve got you surrounded!” comes during one of the more relatively restrained musical moments, and is followed by the band launching into a ferocious run that fittingly feels like the unleashing of wolves. Their new record, The War on Two Fronts, will be out next month on Bad Time Records.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Som – The Shape of Everything
Som’s heavy, foreboding dream pop is a perfect soundtrack to the winter storm currently buffeting North Carolina. The Shape of Everything is like an all-enveloping blanket of noise.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Popdosemagazine’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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