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.
Prune Deer – The Parting
Hong Kong instrumental math rock troupe Prune Deer have been putting out some of the genre’s best records for almost a decade now. 2019’s Insufficient Postage was a stunner, and their newest LP The Parting might even be better. These songs are beautiful, blossoming from delicate arpeggios to heartrending climaxes.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Versing – Tape II
On Tape II, Seattle shoegazers Versing turn in a similarly wonky, off-kilter sound to the sorts of things Philly groups like They Are Gutting a Body of Water and Knifeplay are doing. For fifteen minutes, lose yourself in a world of warm, enveloping haze.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
SeeYouSpaceCowboy – “Chewing the Scenery”
It’s been fascinating watching SeeYouSpaceCowboy’s music evolve from their shorter, sassier early material to the catchy metalcore of their more recent LPs. “Chewing the Scenery,” the band’s new single, is their most melodic yet, featuring surprisingly graceful cleans from Connie Sgarbossa, counterbalanced with one of their most punishing breakdowns to date towards the end of the track.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Short Fictions – “Reno Nevada, January 2020”
“Am I too old to sing in Short Fictions?” goes one line in “Reno Nevada, January 2020,” the second single off Short Fictions’ (deep breath) Oblivion Will Own Me and Death Alone Will Love Me (Void Filler). It’s emblematic of the type of world Short Fictions occupies, one full of suffering and self-doubt–all wrapped in bright powerpop melodies. The record is a great companion piece to last year’s opus Every Moment of Every Day, and “Reno Nevada, January 2020” is one of the highlights.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Sugar Coat – Fall Promo 2023
Sugar Coat honestly stole the show on the split they put out with Painful Choice and The Arrival Note earlier this year, two excellent bands in their own right. The two songs on that split were the first they’d ever released, and they deftly mixed scuzzy dream pop with ’90s slacker rock to great effect. The two new songs on their Fall Promo 2023 continue where the split left off, buzzy, fuzzy, and catchy as all get out.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Mansions – “Underrated”
“Underrated,” the first cut off Mansions’ upcoming fifth record Tuff Luff, suggests the album will be a whole different affair than 2020’s Big Bad. That album was muted and pared back–and “Underrated” goes in the total opposite direction. It’s a classic Mansions track, a fuzzy, hooky sub-two minute romp through Christopher Browder’s head.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Callous Daoboys – “Waco Jesus”
There’s no one else out there who sounds like The Callous Daoboys. They’re not only unique in metal but just a genuinely innovative band, and the thrashy “Waco Jesus” is a great example. The song veers through numerous movements, soaked in violin, and manages to be both the heaviest and maybe the hookiest song I’ve heard all year. God smiles upon The Callous Daoboys indeed.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Horsewhip – “Plague Machine”
Horsewhip is made up of ex-members of screamo/grindcore legends like Combatwoundedveteran and Reversal of Man, and their years of expertise are clear on “Plague Machine.” The band’s latest single is absolutely brutal, and paired with previous single “Buried,” their next record should be a mathcore classic.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
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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