Well, hi there! I hope everyone is doing well and taking good care. I, for one, am in such a great mood. I’ve got more than a handful of New Music to swim around in. Eight titles, of many styles. The temperature is perfect, won’t you join me?
A single to start this week’s findings comes from the Post-Radiohead unit known as The Smile. They are set to release their sophomore record at the end of the month, and their third teaser from the album is Friend Of A Friend. A thoughtful midtempo track in a jaunty 5/4 led by bass and piano and ornamented with horns and strings. Thom Yorke’s falsetto vocals dissolve into disorienting double-tracking at 1:45 that send the listener into Dream World.
Another single this week comes from Toronto’s Wax Valley Records and it’s a burner🔥. DJ Joshua Carpenter brings Soca rhythms and mashes them with fiery guitar samples on Mr. Fete. Autotuned vocals and ecstatic drumming give it all a sense of urgency.
In the last couple of years I’ve been quite taken with a Subgenre of Punk that is known as Egg Punk. It’s essentially high-energy Synth Punk that uses vintage instruments in a gritty, lo-fi setting, sometimes utilizing vocal effects. Last year’s NMJ Prize Longlister Super Snööper from Nashville’s Snooper is a great example. So, too is the latest EP from Schleswig, Germany’s KLINT. Stark jumps out of the starting gate with Before New Dawn with its jittery beats and synth arpeggios. Six energetic tracks follow to get down to some serious but friendly moshing. Don’t forget to pick up your comrades when they fall.
My steady stream of Polish Egg Punk continues, thanks to the great microlabel Syf Records. BZDET is a band I’ve recommended a couple of times over the last couple of years and they’re back again with a new album. W PRACY is twelve tracks with bubbling guitar at the fore, and synthesized vocals. Funky bass riffs are making it a surprise hit with the Goth Kids who used fake ID to get into My Imaginary Nightclub.
A band from Leeds, UK (in fact, the “best band in the world, based in Leeds”) got my attention this week. A cassette Label from Leeds called Devil Town Tapes has just re-released Lots Of Hands third album, fantasy, which apparently came out last July. Nevertheless, I’ve found it now, and I’m glad. The thirteen tracks reveal a melancholy tone, with jangly guitar. Shiny production elements such as the incorporation of strings and synthesized elements make this a rewarding listening experience.
A dreamy Pop outfit that skews Experimental from Atlanta, Georgia has caught my ear. The introspective and wryly humorous human who goes by the name Burnout leads Psaltery’s EP Burnout Gets The Blues!. Through the four tracks you’re treated to gentle dissonant tones, 60’s-style Bubblegum, and Folky guitar work, all with creative melodies.
A Baltimore duo that doesn’t seem to have any interest in being easy to find online is back with an EP. @ follows up last years debut with five SynthPop songs. The title track of Are You There God? It’s Me, @ begins with the voices of Victoria Rose and Stone Filipzak lamenting, “I can’t feel you anymore, as long as you hide away I can’t see you in my dreams anymore.” Inventive harmonies make this a charming listen.
I’m pleased as punch to be woken up this morning with a new album from Detroit’s Bruiser Wolf. As part of Danny Brown’s Bruiser Brigade, the former Big Wolf is back with his second full-length. Wolf’s unique delivery is resplendent on My $tory Got $tories. With features from Brown, as well as Zelooperz (who also provides the cover art), Trinidad James and Fat Ray, Bruiser guides you through his street life with an earnest sense of humour. Feature Pick? You know it is.
Feels good, doesn’t it? Music is magic! Talk again soon!
New Music Jason’s Picks 
Though I haven’t loved every piece of music he’s ever put out, overall, Thom Yorke can do no wrong in my book. KLINT’s “Stark EP” is a frantic acid trip, and I love the moniker ‘Egg Punk’. Will listen to more as time permits.
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Psaltery’s “Burnout Gets the Blues!” is wonderful, and I agree that “Are You There God? It’s Me” by the quirky-named @ is charming.
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