The Alt Weekly Roundup (11/1)
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.
Beach Bunny – “Oxygen”
Beach Bunny’s Blame Game EP from this January displayed a newfound confidence from front woman Lili Trifilio, and the project’s newest single continues that. “Oxygen” is breezy and self-assured, a fuller-throated version of the saccharine power pop of last year’s Honeymoon.
Zac Djamoos | @yrdeeprest
Arlen Gun Club – “Clueless”
After releasing two rocking EPs of catchy, fun indie punk last year, it looks like Arlen Gun Club might be gearing up for a full-length with the release of “Clueless,” an absolute ripper of a pop-punk tune. It’s packed with crunchy palm-muted chords, sick guitar solos, and slacker lyrics like the refrain of “I never really know what’s going on.” Anyone who loves the new Jail Socks record should hit play on “Clueless” immediately.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Chastity – “Somersault”
“You smashed a pumpkin,” goes the first line of Chastity’s newest single “Somersault.” The lyric is seasonally appropriate, but the rest of the song is a bit brighter than typically fall music. It follows nicely from last year’s standalone “Drain the Bloodbath,” a more orchestrated take on the bright indie rock of the project’s last full-length, the underrated Home Made Satan.
Zac Djamoos | @yrdeeprest
Anxious – “In April”
Where early Anxious material mirrored the full throated post-hardcore of Title Fight’s breakout collection The Last Thing You Forget, their newest single “In April” strives for the glistening emo pop that would dominate the scene for much of 2000s. Singer Grady Allen in particular shows more of a range, mostly abandoning his patented scream and instead uses his more tuneful singing voice. That change combined with tighter pop songwriting results in one of the band’s best and catchiest songs to date.
Hugo Reyes | @hvreyes5
Scratchy Blanket – “Bloom”
Scratchy Blanket’s new track “Bloom” finds the group with a fuzzier and darker vibe than last year’s Something for Everyone and it’s a sound that fits them perfectly. As expected, there’s some killer guitar work here, at times seeming deceptively simple before you realize there are three of four different intricate lines working together to create the sound. The song takes a turn at around three minutes with vocalist Shannon Keating repeating, “The memory / the feeling / of loving someone” over increasingly tense instrumentation. Check out the eerie video directed by Reese Hayes below.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Parannoul / Asian Glow / sonhos tomam conta – Downfall of the Neon Youth
Downfall of the Neon Youth is a split that just makes sense. Parannoul, Asian Glow, and sonhos tomam conta deal in very similar brands of bedroom shoegaze, with each having a particular strength, and these styles gel together extremely well. It makes Downfall of the Neon Youth feel like a real cohesive album, a full statement piece meant to be experienced as one. The flashes of indietronica serve to highlight better the crushing blackgaze that follows, which works well to set up the noise pop and so on. It’s daring, it’s ambitious, and it’s a glimpse into the future of indie rock.
Zac Djamoos | @yrdeeprest
Suntitle – “Royal Blue”
“Royal Blue,” the third single out off Suntitle’s upcoming grungy rocker In a Dream, reflects the rest of the album well as it blends and mixes genres to come out with a unique and rewarding sound. Elements of punk, hardcore, and ‘90s-inspired rock all show up here alongside a catchy, straightforward chorus that becomes more complex and layered each time around. Check it out and get lost in the wave of guitars.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Slow Crush – Hush
Slow Crush is one of the best bands in the wildly oversaturated shoegaze game, and that’s mostly because their music barely sounds like it was made by humans. Loveless really set the bar for the genre in terms of music that sounds way, way past anything humanity would be capable of creating, and while Slow Crush’s new LP Hush doesn’t sound like MBV’s masterpiece, it’s got a similar spirit. It’s got a near mechanical precision to it, a richness that feels both crushing and comforting. Above all, it’s got guitar tones so wild as to sound nearly alien – in the best way.
Zac Djamoos | @yrdeeprest
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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