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.
Otis Shanty – Up on the Hill
It feels appropriate that Otis Shanty’s new album Up on the Hill came out the weekend of the autumnal equinox; this sort of jangly, buzzy indie rock is perfect for the transition from summer to fall, balancing slacker rock sensibilities with some noisier, weightier passages. Throw on your favorite autumn sweater and let Up on the Hill wash over you.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Mystique – Face Your Fate
On their debut LP, Singapore’s Mystique rip through eight fast and nasty songs in less than fifteen minutes, vocalist Syaf caught somewhere between a shout and a disaffected grumble (given a nice counterpoint with the Speed feature on “The Choice”). Hardcore punk doesn’t get much better than Face Your Fate.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
HotSeat – “Want”
HotSeat’s new single “Want” explores the tension between who we are and the versions of ourselves we try to become—inspired by a moment of self-reflection, vocalist Molly Bearden channels this inner conflict through powerful transitions between her soft, haunting vocals and primal screams. “It’s about needing essentials but wanting things like beauty and recognition,” Beardon remarks. “I’ll never be the version I see in the mirror because that’s not what I truly want.” Accompanying Beardon is Jesse Morency on guitar, Stephen Kilpatrick on bass, Scott Schroeder on drums, and newly added member Eddie Devlin on keytar. Mixed and mastered by Alexi Peters, HotSeat’s hottest release captures raw energy, emotional depth, and a sense of heartache that makes it gut-wrenchingly relatable to all who have ever lamented, “I’ll never be her.”
Mol White
Mo Dotti – opaque
It’s hard to imagine a more aptly-named song will be released this year than Mo Dotti’s “whirling sad,” and that doesn’t just describe the song itself. It’s a good, pithy way to think of their debut LP opaque as a whole. Unlike most of the shoegaze coming out these days, there’s absolutely nothing heavy about Mo Dotti; their music is soft, lush, and inviting, all midtempo and murmury. And as much as opaque might sound blurry, it never blurs together; there’s enough energy in the Loveless squall of tracks like “lucky boy” and “never comes around” to keep things interesting.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Low Field – “Gather”
The Low Field, the new project of Casavettes frontman Diarmuid O’Shea, will release their debut album The Low Field in a little less than a month, and they’ve just shared a new single. It’s called “Gather” and it comes at the exact midpoint of the album, a sparkling nugget of slow, expansive emo. The song is all upward momentum, and its second half is just instrumental, gradually increasing in intensity without losing its delicate beauty.
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 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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