The Alt Weekly Roundup (2/28)
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.
Sister Ray – “Visions”
Sister Ray’s latest single is more country-influenced than their previous; “Visions,” like “Crucified,” is part of Sister Ray’s upcoming debut Communion, and, like “Crucified,” another great showcase of Ella Coyes’ serpentine voice and evocative lyricism. It’s a highlight on Communion, and if that doesn’t stoke hype for the LP, nothing will.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Jacky Boy – “Good Enough”
“Good Enough,” the new single from Bloomington’s Jacky Boy, exists comfortably with one foot in ‘90s nostalgia and another firmly rooted in modern sounds. The riff that starts the track sold me immediately and the slacker lyrics match the musical feeling well, as the song is capped by a ripping but melodic guitar solo. It’s the first tune from the group’s new album, Mush, coming out on Darling Records this Spring.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Victor Mucho – “So Terribly Hurt”
The second single for Victor Mucho’s (aka Judah and the Lion’s Brian Macdonald) debut album shimmers like snow in its sadness. Winter is the first to teach us that something can be both bleak and beautiful, and “So Terribly Hurt” drives home that lesson. The instrumentation and the vocals (featuring singer/songwriter Molly Parden) are as delicately stunning as snowflakes caught in a gloved hand, sparkling cold and bright until the song melts away. The accompanying video was filmed while Brian and his wife Maggie lived in Visby, Sweden with their dog Halyard, and the little glimpses of their lives in that snowy environment perfectly capture the wintery mood of the song.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Spice – “Any Day Now”
If we take pop-punk for what it means — punk music with a helping of catchy hooks and riffs — and not for what it implies — misogyny, pizza, and tired formulas — then Spice’s rousing “Any Day Now” is pop-punk par excellence.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
XL LIFE – “Just Do It”
If we’re talking about the next Turnstile, XL LIFE should be at the top of the list. They are one of the few bands I’ve heard that captures that same energy that attracted everyone to Nonstop Feeling immediately. This may sound like hyperbole, but I feel it when I listen to “Just Do It,” the newest single from XL LIFE. There’s a sense of fun and experimentation that most hardcore is just not reaching for, starting off as a straightforward song before ending on what feels like a rap interlude.
Hugo Reyes |@hvreyes5
Heavside – “Youth”
Malaysian pop-punk five-piece Heavside’s 2019 record For What It’s Worth was exactly the sort of alt-rock-tinged, emo-laced pop-punk that should’ve ascended to the highs of bands like Retirement Party or Prince Daddy. Their newest single, “Youth,” might be a chance to correct the record – it’s a grungier, more mature take the style, and it’s one of the band’s most impressive and most immediately gratifying songs yet.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Ezra Cohen – “I Saw the Country”
Ezra Cohen’s new track “I Saw the Country” perfectly captures the rootsy vibes of his upcoming record The Sweet Million. A lovely lap steel accompanies Cohen’s classic-sounding vocals while the nostalgic location-based lyrics fit comfortably in the sonic setting. The Sweet Million is out this Spring via Relief Map Records and Dead Broke Records.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Tim Kasher – “I Don’t Think About You”
On Middling Age, Tim Kasher reigns in some of the bombast of his previous solo records for a more intimate sound; as such, “I Don’t Think About You” is a perfect first taste, a somber acoustic number with all the wit we’ve come to expect from the indie rocker.
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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