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.
hey i’m outside – “Racecar”
RIP perpetually underrated emo band I Wish I Could Skateboard, but a couple members of that band are now in hey i’m outside. The band’s first two EPs were country-fried indie rock, and their newest track “Racecar” is a rockier update to that style.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Boston Flowers – “Man On Mars”
Indie-pop band Boston Flowers recently released a new album titled Mondegreen. One of the bangers on the record is “Man On Mars,” a track that serves as a reminder for fans to treat every second of life with utmost value and to treat each day with a sense of community. With their unique blend of indie, alternative, and pop rock sounds, this band has some groovy tunes for everyone.
Jazmin Lemus | @_Jazmin
Stigmatism – Ignorance in Power
I don’t know how much more efficient hardcore punk can be than Ignorance in Power by Stigmatism. In just ten minutes they pack 13 songs rife with the kind of aggression that asks the listener to move their body in some way. And even though each song is relatively short, there is enough charisma and character in each song to distinguish it from the millions of hardcore punk albums that come across Bandcamp every week.
Hugo Reyes | @hvreyes5
Dollar Signs – “BLESS YOUR HEART”
Dollar Signs left a bigger label to get back to their roots. Their new album was funded by their Kickstarter self released, and the last single is a rock’n’roll party banger with great riffs. “BLESS YOUR HEART,” according to lead songwriter Erik Button, is about “the ways we try to fill that big ol’ hole in ourselves and how a lot of people think they have the answer of how to cement that fucker closed but I’m not sure there is a simple solution to it. Healing is hard, nonlinear and painful but worthwhile. It’s a messy business but hopefully a harmonized guitar solo can mend at least the corners of your tear.” The video is super fun and the lead character in it is Bigfoot. What’s not to love?
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Garveen Clocks – Gaunt Rebirth Upon the Coiled Bloat Bird
Gavin Cox, who performs as Garveen Clocks, is responsible for a few of the best emo songs of the 2020s thus far. Last year’s Seeing Clearer Seeing Blurred is a phenomenal effort for a one-man band, and while the whole thing’s worth a listen the stretch from “One False Step” through “July 27th” is some truly masterful emo that sounded plucked straight out of a midwestern dorm. Gaunt Rebirth Upon the Coiled Bloat Bird is a slightly different affair; his bio on Spotify touts his love of Tool, Dillinger Escape Plan, Weezer, and Mudvayne, and those influences all show up to various degrees. It’s heavier than Seeing Clearer Seeing Blurred—particularly in its second half—but at many points also catchier, sunnier, more outwardly melodic, and all wrapped in the proggiest riffs of his career. Garveen Clocks is DIY in the truest sense, and even better he’s one of the most ambitious figures in modern emo. Every swing on Gaunt Rebirth doesn’t land, but it’s never less than a captivating listen.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
13th Law – “Light Run”
Evan Lawrence (Babyfang, L’Rain, Jelani Sei), aka 13th Law, is a very interesting musician. He came up in the New York jazz scene, draws inspiration from anime and Radiohead, and refuses to be boxed in. His single “Light Run” is a hypnotic, cosmic trip that reveals more with each listen.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Taylor Acorn – “Coma”
Singer-songwriter Taylor Acorn’s new EP Certified Depressant is out now and it features 8 songs that will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions that mirror how we can sometimes go through life. One of the jams on Certified Depressant is “Coma,” which not only has lyrics about being let down (how many of us can relate?), but also revels in the sound of early 2000s pop rock.
Jazmin Lemus | @_Jazmin
Mycelium Cloak – Constant Dreamer
On the Bandcamp page for Constant Dreamer, the tracklist is just one track, lasting for a total of seven minutes and some change. There isn’t some large narrative to tie to Mycellium Cloak’s barrage of what I’d loosely call hardcore punk. Jim Gies, who is in the band, is well versed in the more gnarled hardcore meant for basements in Rash and scrappy pop-punk in Boilerman. But you don’t need any kind of background in the two members’ previous projects to become entertained by its energetic take on punk. All you need is a few spare minutes of your time and maybe some pent-up rage to let out.
Hugo Reyes | @hvreyes5
Subsonic Eye – All Around You
Admittedly, last year’s wonderful Melt the Wax EP was my introduction to Singaporean indie pop band Subsonic Eye, but it was the perfect introduction. The dreamy, jangly songs on there perfectly set the stage for the bigger-scale songwriting on their fourth record All Around You. Many of these songs are about the subjugation of nature by technology, the drudgery of a job you hate, and the way the world seems to be spiraling downward while we point fingers on Twitter, but these songs are so bright, so breezy, that for half an hour you’ll feel alive.
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.
The Alternative is 100% supported by our readers. If you’d like to help us write about more great music and keep our site going, you can become a Patron on Patreon, which also allows you to receive extra content, sweet perks, and The Alternative merch, with levels starting at only $2 per month. Everything helps, and if you can’t afford to donate, consider sharing this article and spreading the word about our site! Either way, thanks for reading!