The Alt Weekly Roundup (8/8)
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.
Booze Radly – “Admission of Infirmity”
There’s a pervading sense of doom and anxiety hanging over Booze Radly’s new tune “Admission of Infirmity.” The off-kilter guitar riff over the shaker at the start sets the mood right away, and things only get heavier as more layers are added and the music matches the all-encompassing discomfort that runs though the lyrics, with Dylan Molloy spitting out lines like “sometimes I just / shut down like this / mind and body / are separate / I don’t know why / this shit happens / I can’t afford / a therapist.” The tune is wildly different from the band’s last single “White Guy Emo,” so the group’s upcoming EP Lose, Badly should definitely be an interesting one to check out.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Emily Yacina – All the Things
Emily Yacina’s new collection All the Things compiles songs from her entire catalog, tracing her origins from lo-fi singer-songwriter fare into the lush, bold indie rock of 2019’s masterful Remember the Silver. Its three closing tracks are new as well, hinting towards an even fuller and more robust sound from Yacina.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Like Father – Talk About Forever
Like Father’s new EP Talk About Forever is a killer collection of midtempo emotive rock with a fair amount of crunchiness from the guitars. Opener “In My Head” has a bit of a Joyce Manor feel with more lead guitar thrown on top, while “Paradiso” is a little more musically reserved, allowing the lyrics the room to sink in (although not without a killer guitar solo). Like Father really hit their stride on “Midnight,” a self-destructive rocker with lyrics about getting as high as the pile of clothes on your floor and a chorus of “I’ll call you up at midnight / even though you won’t pick up the phone / I’ll call you up at midnight / even though I know you’re not alone.” The tune takes a sharp musical turn after the lines “so I’ll light one up and pour another drink into my cup,” leading to a fantastic instrumental run. Closer “Talk About Forever” takes a deliberate pace, adding some tasteful riffs from the lead guitar and beautiful accompaniment from horns. Coming at the end of the record, and at a slower pace, the chorus of “let’s talk about our demons / and how they’re bringing us down / let’s talk about forever / and how it’s giving us doubt” lands as a well-earned emotional high point on Talk About Forever, as does the repetition of “I wish I said sorry sooner” that closes out the track and album.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Mat Kerekes – Nova
It’s never been clearer than with the release of Nova that fans who only know of May Kerekes from his work with Citizen are missing out. His latest record showcases a far more versatile songwriter than anyone could’ve expected: the bright, rollicking indie rock of “Introducing” recalls the Killers at their most anthemic, the smooth “Art of Living” is a lively, jaunty cousin to Turnover’s recent output, and “Six Twenty” is smeared with Americana swing.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Xingfoo & Roy – Green Around the Gills
Earlier this year, Xingfoo & Roy released So, What Now, a three-song EP that found the emo band operating at peak form. Each song was a tightly structured web of pop charm, balancing emo-pop and twinkly emo into a potent blend. We now have a follow-up in Green Around the Gills, which takes the previous EP and adds a couple more songs to build a proper record. Thankfully the new songs do not disappoint and make the case that Xingfoo & Roy is one of the best emo bands going right now.
Hugo Reyes | @hvreyes5
Take This to Heart Records – A Monument to Commemorate Our Time: A Tribute to Lifted by Bright Eyes
Take This to Heart Records consistently puts out great albums by great bands and last week they got a handful of those bands (and some non-label guests) for A Monument To Commemorate Our Time: A Tribute to Lifted by Bright Eyes, with proceeds from the comp going to the National MS Society. Every group and artist puts their own spin on the songs, often in unexpected ways that all land without losing the spark that made the original tunes so immediate and gripping. Girl K’s “False Advertising” and Riverby’s “You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will” are both stunning, slow-burning electronic tracks, while Lake Saint Daniel’s warm and cozy take on “Bowl of Oranges” forms a beautiful centerpiece for the comp. On the second half, PONY adds some trippiness to “From a Balance Beam” and Sarah and the Safe Word’s dancey take on “Nothing Gets Crossed Out” is a pretty amazing example of how to completely transform a song that you really gotta hear. As Bright Eyes fans might predict, “Let’s Not Shit Ourselves (to Love and to Be Loved),” performed here by Future Teens and “lots of friends” is a raucous and celebratory closer to the album, with the group slowly building the track up musically, getting more intense with each lyrically dense verse (“ABC, NBC, CBS, bullshit” was always my favorite), pulling back at “I awoke in relief,” and then exploding at the end with a horn line to cap everything off.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Spielbergs – “The New Year’s Resolution”
Spielbergs’ “The New Year’s Resolution” finds the band’s style of refined punk at its dirtiest yet. It’s the opener off their upcoming Vestli, the band’s strongest body of work yet.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Dazy – Rollercoaster Ride b/w Peel
Dazy—who already put out one of the most infectious songs of the year with “Pressure Cooker”—released two killer candy-coated tunes last week with “Rollercoaster Ride,” a bouncy song accented by a killer riff from the lead guitar ripping overtop everything, and “Peel,” which leans more into a trippy psychedelic sound. Like the best of Dazy’s songs, these new tracks are immediately enticing–drawing you in with the hooks and fuzz–and hard not to listen to on repeat.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
House and Home – Everything Is Sacred
House and Home’s latest feels like a poppier update on the sounds bands like Citizen were exploring a decade ago. The Everything Is Sacred EP is brief and fiery, layering throaty shouts over cleanly hung hooks.
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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