Oakland’s Houses of Heaven are back with their sophomore LP, Within/Without. It’s 10 solid tracks of grimy, pulsating, dark wave, mingled with early industrial elements à la Nitzer Ebb and 80s-era Ministry. Think about your scariest nightmare, this album could soundtrack that nightmare.
Check out “Within/Without” and the album standout (IMO) “Deserve” featuring Ms. Boan Mariana Saldaña on vocals (below) for a tasting.
Within/Without is out on Friday (04/26/2024) via Felte Records. Cop it. Enjoy.
Featuring members of Sinks, Neo Neos, Citric Dummies, Color Tv, green/blue, Retainers, Dummy, the Soviettes, IV, and Awesome Snakes, the new single (below) “Car Accident” from Bermuda Squares could only kick ass—and it does!
Their debut LP Outsider hits the streets in May via Feel It Records and judging by the first single it’s going to be a doozy. Enjoy.
“HOLY SHIT!” That’s what I said to myself after every song on Montreal band Dissimulator’s debut LP, Lower Form Resistance—an awe-inspiring, 43+ minute assault on the senses. See my text below to my buddy Jason…
The musicianship within the band is almost otherworldly. They are tighter than an MFer. The constant pummeling from the kick drum alone is enough to beg for mercy and for MORE at the same time. The fact that they are making music like this as a three-piece is ridiculous!
Lower Form Resistance is out now on 20 Buck Spin. It’s amazing. It’s like Voivod gone death metal. It’s the best metal album I’ve listened to in years, possibly ever—that’s right, I just went there!
Phoenix, Arizona 4-piece Gemm are back with their latest EP, Spun Out—a 90’s alt rock throwback that immediately makes me think of bands like Hum and Far. Check out “Trying To Feel” and “Split” (below) for a taste of their nostalgic goodness.
Spun Out is out now on Protagonist Music and available via Gemm’s Bandcamp page and on vinyl from Protagonist.
Snag it. Roll down the windows of your Eagle Talon and crank it. Enjoy.
When you’re scrolling through many emails trying to get caught up but also not miss anything and you come across “CIRCLE JERKS x DESCENDENTS release split cover EP today…” you stop everything you are doing and buy it and immediately, anxiously anticipate its arrival.
The split EP is in honor of their co-headlining tour that starts on March 15 in Tempe, AZ (you can find the rest of the tour dates below). It’s just as amazing as you can imagine it to be. It has Descendents doing the Circle Jerks’ “Red Tape,” “I Want Some Skank,” and “Beverly Hills.” As well as Circle Jerks doing Descendents’ “Kabuki Girl” and “Hope.”
You can get this from the bands during the tour and online via Trust Records. It is not available in any other way. GO GET THIS NOW!
Circle Jerks + Descendents Live Dates:
March 15 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre (SOLD OUT) March 16 – Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theater (SOLD OUT) March 17 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace March 19 – Houston, TX – House of Blues March 20 – San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center March 22 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s (SOLD OUT) March 23 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues (SOLD OUT) March 24 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom (SOLD OUT) March 26 – Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s Live March 27 – New Orleans, LA – Civic Theatre March 29 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live (SOLD OUT) March 30 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live (SOLD OUT) March 31 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues (SOLD OUT) April 2 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade Heaven (SOLD OUT) April 3 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl (SOLD OUT) April 5 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz (SOLD OUT) April 6 – Richmond, VA – The National (SOLD OUT) April 7 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live (SOLD OUT) April 9 – New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place (SOLD OUT) April 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall April 12 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom (SOLD OUT) April 13 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount (SOLD OUT)
Ian Matthias Bavitz, more commonly known as Aesop Rock, is a NYC native and a pillar in the underground hip-hop scene. He’s been making music and doing it in a way that’s sustainable and submented in legend for the way he has done it. His projects have dabbled in chart success over the past 20+ years which is no small accomplishment. But don’t get it wrong, Aesop Rock is 100% underground legend, with very few joining him on the mountain top.
His most recent project, Integrated Tech Solutions, has received glowing praise which I will add to in a second. My man is crazy prolific, this double LP clocks in at over an hour, starting strong with a feature from Billy Woods on the track ‘Living Curfew’ (you can spin this below). This track is a perfect example of the source material and sounds that made 2023 a great year for the genre, with two of the best acts flowing and passing the mic seamlessly.
This album is full of examples where Aesop shows his range and willingness to learn from and mesh with others like Rob Sonic and Nikki Jean which shows his humility and curiosity even this far into his career – and the results are powerful.
However there are some minor flaws in this project. There are a couple cuts that are lyrically fierce but feel similar to others on the album, suggesting maybe a couple tracks could have been reduced into one. But that’s a small nit to pick on an album that’s stacked with tracks that get stronger with time.
Overall, Aesop channels his greatest strengths and creates an album with legs and that will be looked back on as a solid project in his discography.
Integrated Tech Solutions is out now via Rhymesayers. You can get it on vinyl from the 3hive Record Lounge, and stream it wherever you like listen to music.
Blab School is a rad new band out of North Carolina. The band consists of Ryan Seagrist (Discount, The Kitchen), Elizabeth Killian (Teens In Trouble, Glowing Stars), Dave Cantwell (Analogue, Cold Sides, In the Year of the Pig), and Fikri Yucel (Veronique Diabolique). I found out about these guys when I read “FOR FANS OF: Bad Religion, Buzzcocks, Descendants, Drive Like Jehu, The Faction, The Fucking Champs, Gang of Four, Green Day, The Hives, Hot Snakes, Jawbox, The Jesus Lizard, Les Savy Fav, Lightning Bolt, Meatbodies, Melt-Banana, Metz, Osees, Pipe, Pissed Jeans, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Superchunk, The Thermals” on Fort Lowell’s Instagram page, teasing their debut album. I was able to get my ears on a sneak peek from my friends at Fort Lowell, and I have been hooked ever since.
We are beyond stoked to bring you the premiere of the first single, “Scrolls”, from their incredible debut, self-titled album. “Scrolls” exceeded all my expectations from the list of “for fans of” above. It is a burner from the get-go with punishing drums, chunky bass lines, and razor-sharp guitars, sounding like Pretty Girls Make Graves meets Superchunk!
Blab School comes out in June via Fort Lowell Records. This is a must have record! You can pre-order it here and pre-save “Scrolls” here. Enjoy.
Oakland band Torrey weaves the twelve tracks contained on their new self-titled album in, out, and through bits of shoegaze, indie pop, jangle pop, and rock. Creating an infectious 35 minutes of listening pleasure and a definite contender for album of the year.
Check out “Bounce”, “Hawaii” and “Slow Blues” below for a taste.
Torrey is out now on Slumberland Records. You NEED this records in your life. Enjoy.
If a shimmering, dreamy, jangly style of shoegaze is your thing, then the Barnsley, UK trio, Porcine, might be your new favorite band. They just released their third album via Safe Suburban Home and it is fantastic!
Check out album opener “Stop The World” and “Time Never Moves” (below) for a taste.
