Heartbreaking Bravery

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May 18, 2018

Bent Denim – Town & Country (Album Review, Stream)

When last week’s chapter of releases came to a close, a handful of exceptional records found release, including the latest from site favorites Bent Denim, Town & Country. The duo’s previous release, the Diamond Jubilee EP premiered on this site last year and went a long way in establishing the project’s tonal and overall consistency. They’ve yet to make a bad record and have kept on an ascending trajectory in terms of quality (something that every band strives for but few can ever achieve).

Town & Country is a gentle creature, showing signs of curious affection and minimal affectation, the duo settling into a comfortable confidence with their identity they’ve established. Each song finds Bent Denim leaning into heartrending ambient pop numbers that have flourishes of a multitude of other genres but never seem to exist outside of they very distinct and specific niche they’ve crafted for themselves.

On the opening stretch of Town & Country, any single one of the first handful of songs could be enough to reduce a listener to tears if it hits them at the right moment. That’s the inherent power buried inside Bent Denim’s music, it’s a subtle, magnetic pull but once it finds an object to entice, the effect is overwhelming. Each of these songs is imbued with so much tenderness and empathy that it’s next to impossible not to find yourself moved at any given moment.

Creatively, the record’s as ambitious as anything in their sterling discography, finding new nuances and new heights in exploring their own experimentation. Whether it’s something as simple as dramatically boosting the keys in the mix or as complicated as slightly tweaking the vocal layers on Town & Country, the choices don’t just work but serve a unified purpose. Through impeccable production and intuitive sequencing, Town & Country stands strong as the most complete of Bent Denim’s work.

Unfailingly gorgeous, tethered with meticulous through lines (in both narration and composition) and unified by a soft, weary delivery that still retains a sense of hope, Town & Country is another in a sting of gems from Bent Denim. One of the best ambient-leaning records of 2018, this is a record worth holding onto for isolated summer nights and quiet moments of introspection. It;s an album worthy of being kept in as many collections as possible.

Listen to Town & Country below and pick it up here.

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May 14, 2018

Basement Revolver – Baby (Stream)

Over the span of last week songs by Sarah Mary Chadwick, The Bae Beach Club, Dan Rico, God Bless Relatives, Dear Nora, Jackson Reed, Gillian Frances, Nation of Language, Dear Japan, Ness Lake, Henrik Appel, and a Weaves cover of an Arcade Fire classic all managed to make an impression. Each one of those tracks constitutes a distinct highlight for the band listed. The very same can be said for Basement Revolver‘s latest, “Baby”, which is their finest moment to date.

Despite releasing some of the more memorable songs of the past few years, Basement Revolver have never released a full-length. They’ve got two impressive EP’s and an extraordinary Audiotree session under their belt but the full album format they’ve let linger as a tantalizing promise. “Baby” is the first look at their debut album and it’s an absolutely stunning slow-burner that envelops the listener in an avalanche of tenderness and volume.

From the jump, “Baby” makes no bones about aiming for bombast but it’s the build-up to its finale and the way it swells far past being merely bombastic on its way to achieving a cathartic euphoria that makes the song stand out. The band’s honed and refined their craft for years, each one bringing them wider success and a more visible platform. If “Baby” is any indication, Basement Revolver’s not just prepared for the next big step but fully capable of decimating the expectations it may bring.

Easily one of the most gorgeous rock songs of 2018, “Baby” yearns for the kind of understanding that makes life more comforting while reaching skyward, hoping to pluck even a modicum of reassurance out of the air. The music emphasizes the words and vice versa, with both the composition and narrative displaying a mesmerizing brand of vulnerability. It’s an absolutely incredible track and heralds the arrival of Basement Revolver’s next era. With any luck, a whole army of new listeners will be along for the ride.

Listen to “Baby” below and pre-order Heavy Eyes here.

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May 13, 2018

Adrian Teacher and The Subs – Pop Medicine (Stream)

Continuing on with the recap of the past week, it feels important to touch on some excellent songs from the likes of Gladie, Von K, Spiritual Cramp, Language, LUMP, Accü, Dude York, William Carlos Whitten, Richard Nuclear, and Jon Hassell before getting to this post’s featured event: Adrian Teacher and The Subs’ inspired “Pop Medicine”, a career highlight for a band that’s thrived in the shadows.

Clocking in at under 100 seconds, “Pop Medicine” is one of Adrian Teacher and The Subs’ shorter songs but it seems destined to linger in listener’s memories for much, much longer. Opening with a riff that immediately brings to mind Joanna Gruesome‘s “Secret Surprise“, “Pop Medicine” goes on to reveal another distinct similarity with that song in that it might strike some as saccharine at first blush before revealing a much darker identity.

In this case, the narrative of the song — which is as bright and energetic as anything in the Adrian Teacher and The Subs’ discography — takes an absolutely heartbreaking dive into the narrator’s struggle with watching the progression of a friend’s descent into cancer before realizing that they may have to accept a tragic inevitability. Tracing the process from getting high, establishing a carefree outset, to a devastating confrontation with an incredibly painful reality in the song’s final verse, “Pop Medicine” packs an emotional gut-punch that’s enough to leave anyone reeling.

It’s the addictive sugar-rush nature of the music that makes “Pop Medicine” both bleaker and more understandable, acting as a counterweight that outlines the protagonist’s strides towards resiliency in the face of the unthinkable. A tragedy in multiple parts, “Pop Medicine”, asides from being an incredible (and highly addictive) composition, is a potent reminder that even when things are at their absolute bleakest, there is still life that surrounds us and wills us forward. Not a lot of songs can live up to a testament as lofty as that one but “Pop Medicine” does it with an empathetic smile.

Listen to “Pop Medicine” below and pick up Anxious Love here.

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May 13, 2018

Haley Heynderickx – No Face (Music Video)

A week’s a lot of time for exceptional clips to surface and this past one didn’t disappoint, ushering in new music videos from: Alice Boman, Hit Bargain, S.M. Wolf, Forth Wanderers, Sleepy Zuhoski, LICE, Little Junior, The Ophelias, Common Holly, Jess Williamson, Hot Tang, The Beths, Delta Sleep, Dusted, Denitia, Wye Oak, and Cornelia Murr. All of those are worth multiple views but the spotlight (and silhouette) here belongs to one of the week’s simplest clips: Haley Heynderickx’s “No Face”.

“No Face” was directed by Evan James Atwood and consists of nothing more than a gorgeously framed shot of Heynderickx running through “No Face” using stop motion techniques and the assistance Atwood’s fingers to convey something that strikes deep, tapping into something near the transcendental. As a narrative, it suggests complications and simplicity simultaneously, hinting at the distances of the relationships we form around our identity and how those relationships shape our existence.

At every turn, “No Face” is mesmerizing, pulling the viewer in until their eyes are practically pressed against the screen. It’s another beautiful example of how minimalist trappings can lead to maximized results, as the clip finds a way of climbing from the world of curiosities into the realms of the unforgettable. One of the most distinctively compelling clips of the first half of 2018, it’s hard to fathom the imprint it leaves behind fading anytime soon.

Watch “No Face” below and pick up I Need to Start A Garden here.

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May 13, 2018

Ex​-​Vöid – Ex​-​Vöid (EP Review, Stream)

Over the past 7 days, there have been full streams that found release with names like Yours Are The Only Ears, Adrian Teacher and The Suits, Boys, Liminal, Fennesz, Ivy Lab, Gutterbawl, The Body, Utah, Samara Lubelski, and Neighbor Lady attached. The recently-featured Ex​-​Vöid also got to unveil their new EP (which isn’t a single, a seemingly prevalent misconception), a self-titled three song burst of addictive post-punk shot through with confetti.

Fresh off the release of  Ex​-​Vöid‘s effortlessly charming lead-off track “Boyfriend”, the trio wasted no time in ushering out a concise EP. All of the sensibilities that Alanna McArdle and Owen Williams showcased as (now ex-) members of Joanna Gruesome are back on full display in Ex​-​Vöid. Gorgeous harmonies, a pitch-perfect balancing act of harsh noise and pristine tones, and a sense of playfulness embedded into relentless aggression, Ex​-​Vöid are more than winsome at first blush but reveal a surprising amount of layering, as does their first release.

Both “Anyone (Other Than U)” and “(Angry At You) Baby” are assured pieces of basement pop injected with enough punk bite to satisfy the genre’s die-hard loyalists. McArdle and Williams play off of each other to perfection, their voices working in tandem to strengthen each other. It’s the dichotomies, scales, and unity that defines Ex​-​Vöid, which presents the band as fully-formed, incredibly assured, and ready to conquer whatever comes their way. Easily one of the year’s strongest EP’s and unquestionably one of our best new bands.

Listen to Ex​-​Vöid below and pick it up from the band here.

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May 13, 2018

The Beths – Future Me Hates Me (Stream)

This past week was brimming with quality material, a small sampling of its worth shining through via songs from Rosie Carney, Vacation, Carriers (x2), Numb.er, Deeper, Petal, blushh, Ryley Walker, Many Voices Speak, Eyesore & the Jinx, Thyla, and Lawn. All of those tracks, as always, are worth hearing, but this post’s focus belongs squarely to The Beths irresistible and wildly clever “Future Me Hates Me”.

Melodic, bitter, bright, and tongue-in-cheek, “Future Me Hates Me” showcases The Beths at their absolute best. Raising hell and denouncing anyone that gets in their way but sparing the worst of their jabs for themselves, “Future Me Hates Me” is a masterclass in self-deprecation. Subverting a cavalcade of pop-punk tropes and leaning on acts like the Pixies for cues as much as the best powerpop records, The Beths have crafted an anthem for the painfully self-aware.

Gaining steam as it strives forward, hopeful for more but resigned to the knowledge that a lifetime of perpetual disappointment might cultivate an unbreakable pattern, “Future She Hates Me” is a memorable run of pragmatic hopelessness packaged as a gift to the people who know exactly what that means. Turn it up and drown out any persistent negativity by celebrating that there are always measures (and means) of personal control that can be easily managed.

Listen to “Future Me Hates Me” below and pre-order the record here.

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May 10, 2018

Honeyfitz – Haircut (Song Premiere)


Photograph by Julia Leiby

Nearly a year ago, this site hosted the premiere of Honeyfitz’s oddly moving clip for “October Air“, which demonstrated a lot of promise. That promise has continued to build over that near-year, culminating in a forthcoming EP entitled Cutting Your Hair. It’s highlight, the elegiac “Haircut”, premieres here tonight.

Elihu Jones, the mastermind behind Honeyfitz, has refined both technique and control over time, honing what can prove to be an elusive craft. One of the more intriguing figures operating in the bedroom pop world, Jones has never shied away from confronting difficulty, something on full display in “Haircut”. Not only is this Honeyfitz’s finest moment to date, as beautiful as it is mournful, it’s also the most challenging. There’s a sense that Jones is probing at some demons in “Haircut” and it can be uncomfortable to contemplate even as the composition radiates a tranquil beauty.

Even though the track is two and a half minutes, by the time “Haircut” ends, it only seems as if the song’s been playing for mere seconds. There’s a magnetic pull that takes the listener deep into a painfully relatable world, touching on the ennui of young adulthood to mesmerizing effect. Everything here works gorgeously, from the shouted backing vocals that act as both punctuation marks and affirmations that hope exists to the instrumentation itself, which is the most richly layered work of Honeyfitz’s young discography.

“Haircut” is another perfect song to soundtrack a volatile spring, offering up glimpses of warmth in a struggle to escape barren desolation. A major triumph, “Haircut” is a song that deserves to be heard by the people who are willing to listen. A sublime work and a potent reminder of Jones’ burgeoning talent, it’s a song that doesn’t deserve to be missed.

Listen to (and watch a clip for) “Haircut” below and keep an eye on Honeyfitz’s bandcamp for more updates about Cutting Your Hair.

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May 8, 2018

Wheelbarrel – Feast On Sand (EP Premiere)

The third piece (and second premiere) of sprawling, snarling post-punk to go up as a feature today, Wheelbarrel’s Feast On Sand may be the most unexpectedly brilliant of the lot. It’s a formidable and incredibly self-assured from a new Columbus, OH power trio and it packs enough power in its punch to leave just about anyone reeling. Opening with “Traced”, Wheelbarrel and Feast On Sand both get a memorable introduction, the song showcasing a lethal but surprisingly pensive strain of a sound that falls somewhere between Even Hand and Buildings.

From that point forward, the trio meticulously navigates a hybrid of post-punk, grunge, hardcore, basement pop, and a handful of other sub-genres while cultivating an uneasy atmosphere, bridging a melancholic sensibility with a carefully-repressed but still lurking anger. All of those elements of the band’s identity combine into something as mesmerizing as it is urgent. Each song breathing more depth into Feast On Sand‘s display of life, adding potency to an unexpected reckoning.

“Sacred Things”, the EP’s penultimate offering, contains the most haunted experiment of this quartet of tracks, marrying spoken word to a creeping minimalist that evokes the kind of hushed-breath dread typically found in arthouse horror films. When the song breaks from that pattern, it’s incredibly unnerving, the vocal delivery tilting from being mired in gloom to coy amusement to startling effect. It’s one of several great moments on Feast On Sand that suggests Wheelbarrel are going to have a strong shot at a visible future.

The EP ends on its title track, which expertly combines everything that’s come before it into a gripping victory lap that ably demonstrates not just Wheelbarrel’s arsenal but their identity. One EP in and it’s clear that Wheelbarrel already have a strong sense of themselves and a purpose to match, hitting stratospheric heights while keeping their attention fixated on the world’s dust and dirt. Modest, spellbinding, and brilliant, Feast On Sand stands as one of the strongest debuts of 2018’s first half. Dive in and explore.

Listen to Feast On Sand below and get a copy here.

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May 8, 2018

Big Ups – Imaginary Dog Walker (Stream, Live Video)

Over the course of last week, there were some great songs released by the likes of Wussy, Trü, Jordan Lovelis, Claire Morales, Laughed the Boy, R+R=Now, DIET, Escobar, Little Junior, Sonny Elliot, Two Meters, Dizzy, Raleigh, Wild Pink, Optiganally Yours, Avantist,  and Chris Farren. Big Ups joined in on the fun with their towering “Imaginary Dog Walker”, which has become a consistent highlight of their live shows and serves as the current high water mark for their formidable discography.

A band that’s continuously brimmed with an indistinguishable intensity from the outset, Big Ups’ attack has grown refined over the course of a handful of records. All of them are teeming with cathartic releases and bear evidence that their understanding of their own dynamics has deepened over the course of that run. It’s an understanding that hits a new apex with “Imaginary Dog Walker”, the band using silence and restraint like a weapon, holding the listener hostage and forcing them to really listen.

Brash, abrasive, and extremely disquieting, “Imaginary Dog Walker” is a perfect demonstration of the band’s growth and a fearless monument to their formidable talent. Opening with a small sampling of glitch-pop, “Imaginary Dog Walker” quickly segues into the kind of forward-thinking hardcore that enlivened the band’s past two records (both of which stand as tall now as they did on the day of their release). Soon enough, the band’s back to masterfully navigating a creeping tension, the music acting as a lit fuse of a bomb that always seems like its a second away from detonating.

When “Imaginary Dog Walker” does work itself up into its first genuine frenzy, it’s hard to tell if it’s the moment of release or just the song playing an effective trick. In an impressive feat, that moment manages to belong equally to both outcomes, ushering in both a cavalcade of high-wire frustrations that erupt and a false ending, quickly cutting back into the quieter tendencies of the song’s opening stretch. All the while, the narrative waxes poetic on life and destruction, playing into the unpredictably vicious swings of the music with a honed precision.

In its final minute, the song becomes a towering behemoth, “we walk the dogs” is screamed over and over becoming more of a mantra than a chorus. All the while, the guitar work — which remains some of the most inventive in the genre — and the rhythm section collide into a bludgeoning force, conjuring up a hypnotic storm. It’s dark, it’s eerie, and it’s masterful, it’s also one of the best songs to come out of 2018. Lend it as many listens as possible.

Listen to “Imaginary Dog Walker” (and watch a live video of the song) below and pre-order Two Parts Together from Exploding In Sound.

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May 8, 2018

sewingneedle – two three four (Song Premiere)


Photograph by Vanessa Valadez

Last week, sewingneedle unveiled the enigmatic music video for their excellent “feel good music” and today they’re following up that clip with the album opener of their forthcoming user error, “two three four”. The song exists in the same bleary vein as “feel good music”, finding ways to relentlessly attack from an extremely specific angle, as dark as it is energized, falling neatly in line with some of the finest acts on Exploding In Sound’s roster (Two Inch Astronaut, Kal Marks, Pile, etc).

“two three four” goes a long way in setting the tone for the band’s formidable user error, dropping the listener into a world of shadowy corners that give cover to lurking demons. The clean guitar tones add some enhancement to an already abrasive sensibility, allowing the moments of blistering distortion to gain even more magnitude. Half-open questions are cried out in nervous anticipation, directed at next to no one, the music surging underneath with the insistent counting tethering the entire affair back to the dreck of life’s monotony.

All of it congeals into a formidable piece of post-punk, elevated by its own commitment to noise. Intentionally ugly and undeniably compelling, “two three four” serves as a heavy reminder of the predetermined regulations we’re expected to navigate through our existence. It’s a song that has a lot on its mind and aptly conveys those thoughts using minimalist tactics in a clever twist, suggesting that operating outside of the lines can lead to memorably great results.

When the track races towards its finish, one thing does become abundantly clear among the songs frustrated uncertainty: sewingneedle are done existing in the background. This is a band that’s ready to make a statement by creating their own moment of reckoning. user error is that reckoning and “two three four” only hints at its astounding depths. While the record will arrive soon to address the curious in full, “two three four” is good company to keep. Leave it on repeat and let it play.

Listen to “two three four” below and pre-order user error here.

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