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.
Spin – You’re Losing Me
Spin’s debut EP You’re Losing Me radiates with warmth and optimism as it instantly transports listeners to a different time. While it treads familiar indie pop terrain, the bright and uplifting melodies throughout the EP make for an invigorating listen that inspires persistence. Knowing when to let go and when to hold on are key themes as the New York based band offer up some of the most unforgettable songs I’ve heard in awhile. With help from producer Jon Markson (Drug Church, Koyo, Taking Meds) the self-released EP feels like a much needed balm against a particularly turbulent year.
Loan Pham | @x_loanp
Good Looks – “I Don’t Want to Die”
Texas-based heartland rockers Good Looks just reissued their exceptional sophomore LP from last year, Lived Here for a While, appending the late October singles “Damage Control” and “Chase Your Demons Out” onto the record, along with three new tracks. The most exciting of these is “I Don’t Want to Die,” which ramps up the post-punk influence that cropped up on a couple of the original LP’s cuts and sends Tyler Jordan’s melodies into the stratosphere.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Pry – “So Good”
NYC duo Pry, composed of Simeon Beardsley and Amara Bush, finds clarity in chaos on “So Good.” Inspired by an unfinished poem by Beardsley’s grandfather, the single is about “being reintroduced to yourself after living in a blur.” Spiky nu-metal drums punctuate swirling reverb, creating something both suffocating and purifying.
Giliann Karon | lethalrejection
Svarta Havet – Månen ska lysa din väg
Described to me as “blackened post-hardcore,” I was intrigued but also uncertain how Månen ska lysa din väg would work. However, as ending track “Ditt Rike” wound down, I realized the last thirty-six minutes were some of the best I’d heard from a blackened anything band in quite some time. Emotive, evil, heartbreaking, and melodic bordering symphonic, Svarta Havet have certainly woven the best parts of anti-fascist black metal into post-hardcore and made it truly rip.
Elias Amini | @listentohyakkei
Farmer’s Wife – Faint Illusions
Farmer’s Wife hit the mark with their haunting Faint Illusions EP. Dreamy, disorienting, and sickly sweet, the band’s second EP takes a massive step forward as they incorporate more sweeping riffs and hone in on the dark fantasy elements that adds an intriguing layer to their grungy sound. From the brazen rock opener “Dirty Shirley” to the prog metal flourishes on “Seethe” and the breathtaking wistful crooning on “Discount Roses,” it’s an incredibly promising look at what’s to come for the Austin band.
Loan Pham | @x_loanp
Pupil Slicer – “Heather”
London metalcore three-piece Pupil Slicer’s back with their first material since their sophomore LP Blossom in 2023. “Heather,” their new single, is three minutes of breathless chaos, an absolutely brutal display of aggression that never once lets up.
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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