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.
Natural Velvet – Cruel Optimism
Blurring the lines between dream pop, post-punk, and jangle pop, Baltimore’s Natural Velvet feels like both a throwback and a vision of the future, and on their new EP Cruel Optimism, they push each sound to the brink. It reaches an apex with the ten-plus-minute pairing of “Data Trail” and “Swan” to close things out—when the band lets their songs breathe and bloom on their terms, they create something magical.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Handsome Ghost – “Birch Trees”
Massachusetts indie duo Handsome Ghost just released a five-song EP and if you’re not familiar with the band, let “Birch Trees” be your introduction. Composed of Tim Noyes (singer, songwriter) and Eddie Byun (multi-instrumentalist, producer), Handsome Ghost communes in a creative call and response, answering each other’s personal and musical confessions, thoughts, and questions sonically.
Jazmin Lemus | @_Jazmin
Indigo De Souza – “Smog”
On “Smog,” the latest single off Indigo De Souza’s upcoming All of This Will End, she makes good on the synth pop promise of Any Shape You Take’s opening “17.” Like that song, “Smog” is a divine pop cut, built on galloping beats and De Souza’s vocal acrobatics, gracefully modulated.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
wakelee – “Tug of War”
Brooklyn indie/emo trio wakelee just dropped “Tug of War,” a new jam off their upcoming self-titled album. DIY, iPhones, and cinema are the things that come to mind when watching the track’s music video. Produced by Superbloom’s Brian DiMeglio, wakelee will be out on April 14th.
Jazmin Lemus | @_Jazmin
Johnathan Bree – “Miss You”
Johnathan Bree’s new single “Miss You” is a soaring retro dance track that will make you wanna show your moves on a flashing dance floor after a painful breakup featuring excellent funk era guitar work from none other than Nile Rodger and an opposing vocal from Princess Chelsea against Bree’s deep and soothing baritone. His new album Pre-Code Hollywood is out April 14 via Lil’ Chief Records.
Nate Cross | @bignafey
Bosses – “Sick”
“Sick,” the only song on Bosses’ Jokes EP that wasn’t previously released, might also be the best, showing off their total control of dynamics and tension. Even with only three songs to their name, the Chicago band is poised to be one of the year’s rising stars.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Phoneboy – “Your Apartment”
Indie rock band Phoneboy has delivered a banger that will get your head bopping. “Your Apartment” is off the band’s upcoming album Moving Out to be released on March 24th.
Jazmin Lemus | @_Jazmin
Emperor X – Suggested Improvements to Transportation Infrastructure in the Northeast Corridor
Emperor X wasn’t content to burst back onto the folktronica scene with last year’s Zone of Lakes B and C, but he had to go and drop an even better EP. The six songs on this tape are a little more pared down than his usual fare, but they’re a great demonstration of what makes him such a versatile and exciting artist.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Can’t Swim – Thanks But No Thanks
Thanks But No Thanks, the latest album from Can’t Swim, may be the album that will end up on people’s radar who didn’t listen to them before. Can’t Swim have stretched their wings dabbling in everything from frantic hardcore to ethereal indie, but found their way back to their musical home.
Jazmin Lemus | @_Jazmin
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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