These are uncertain times, and when one has little else to do but stare at their four walls and hope for a better tomorrow, there needs to be some ethereal jams to cut through the thick silence. Fortunately, Moon Darling have come to Los Angeles by way of Seattle with their new record In The Wildwood, which drops on April 3rd.. Dreamy and angular, the songs feature the soaring vocals and guitar mastery of Michael Julian Escobar, who channels Led Zeppelin and Ozzy. The track "Which Way To Go" — a reworked song from years past — presents what In The Wildwood has to offer; driving psych rock with hints of disco and rock ‘n roll. You’ll sway, you’ll dance, but overall, while listening to In The Wildwood, you sure won’t be bored. Take a listen to "Which Way To Go" now. – Will Sisskind
Charles Rumback “June Holiday”
The latest album, June Holiday, from Drummer Charles Rumback is set to be released via Astral Spirits on April 10th. For this project Rumback is joined by Jim Baker on Piano and John Tate on Bass.
The album, Rumback’s follow-up to 2019’s Cadillac Turn’s, kicks off with a composition by Baker called "Foglights".
No Object “Makeshift”
Post-Rock group No Object (formerly Out the Car Window) has been releasing singles from their forthcoming debut album, Makeshift, for over a year now. This slow, but impressive, build has been perfect for this group that blends elements of shoegaze with emo and straightforward rock. The last single was released this month and is the album’s opening and title track. Makeshift is due out April 10th.
This is the work of Jake Wahlen (Guitar, Vocals), Matt Carlton (Bass), Griffin Taylor (Drums, Vocals), and Jeff Linville (Guitar, Vocals).
Abbey Bowed
Abbey Bowed is the passion project of Sam Sharp and a reimagining of The Beetle’s classic album Abbey Road through the skills of a string quartet. The project is three year’s in the making, but is currently set to be released on April 1st.
On this is album Abbey Bowed is Sam Sharp (violin), Becca Wilcox (viola), Charith Premawardhana (violin), and Nora Barton (cello). Barton and Premawardhana are both involved with Classical Revolution Chicago. For the video below, of the quartet performing "Something", the second violin is performed by Andra Kulans.
Photo by Jacob Hand Photography
Cap’n Marble whisks you away in new record “Come 2 California”
For the bad news, some good music is in order. Cap’n Marble’s new record Come 2 California is an easy-listening psych-pop experience lightly sprayed with surf rock for an exquisite mixture of sounds. The opening title track whisks you away to your place of comfort; the music is a little hot and humid with its lingering harmonies and semi-spooky synths that contrast sparkly acoustic guitar embellishments. “In Too Deep” boasts an irresistible bassline, for your most exciting fantasies while “When the Sun” has a rhythm that is sultry and vocals like a cool breeze you can feel brush over your senses. We dare say that “Evermore” has an alluring, start-of-evening feel to it that fits as a finale to an album tailored for your worst and best days. Stream the title track from this Boston duo below for a hint of clarity from the confusion that saturates the air. – Rene Cobar
Errant “A Vacillant Breath”
Errant is the solo project Rae Amitay of Immortal Bird and Thrawsunblat and she is preparing to release her self-titled debut EP on April 3rd. The EP’s lead single is called "A Vacillant Breath" and perfectly demonstrates how Amitay can effortlessly shift from soft gentle vocals to a roaring growl in seconds.
8990 “head transfer function”
8990 released their debut cassette, head transfer function, via Reserve Mantinee last week. This is the duo of John Daniel (aka Forest Management) and Faithful, and the album was recorded at Greenview Manor and Windsor Studios. Check out the album’s lead single, "Adsense", below.
Stuck “Change Is Bad”
Post Punk group Stuck has released the first two singles, "Invisible Wall" and "Bells", from their forthcoming album, Change Is Bad. The album is due out on April 3rd via the local label Born Yesterday despite the band’s record release tour being postponed.
This is the work of David Algrim, Tim Green, Greg Obis, and Donny Walsh.
Stuck was scheduled to celebrate the release of Change is Bad on April 3rd at The Hideout, but that show has been postponed.
Parijs Plague “The Dogs Barked at Them”
Parjis Plague is returning with their seventh album, their first in eleven years, Poison Under Honey. This is dark, industrial, electronic sounds that will take the listen back to the mid-’90’s. The album’s first single is called "The Dogs Barked at Them" and the full project will be released via Monstaar Media LLC on April 20th.
Sludge abounds on Spacer’s noise-friendly “Red Wolf”
The saturated image of a fleeing canine adorns the cover of Red Wolf, a recent release by New York experimental rock trio Spacer, a fitting image given the effort’s skittish, sometimes wandering internal monologue and its fight-or-flight inducing guitar work. Through sludgey drop tunings with a slight psych influence, Spacer impress on listeners a sense of indefinable external danger, or at the very least a mild malaise, over the course of six tracks, replete with an impressionistic approach to lyricism and distorted, heavy shredding. Visceral and anxiety-inducing, it’s evocative of Boris’ Akuma No Uta, the type of record for those seeking an experimental, noisy release from the city’s current quietude. Stream it below.
Scree’s experimental instrumentation shines through on “Live from The Owl”
Brooklyn-based post-rock / jazz trio Scree best hone their sound in a live setting — their set opening for Ben Seretan this past February was, in my opinion, one of the more transcendent performances i’ve seen in recent years. Live at The Owl captures much of the unbridled, experimental aspects that make the group such a joy to listen to, brimming with noodling interplay between upbeat bass and live guitar, shuffling freeform percussion, and well-timed discordant segues that introduce a cerebral, melancholic break from melody. Unfortunately not present on the LP are guitarist Ryan Beckley’s inter-track spoken word interludes (which offered a nice reprieve from the band’s swirling, blue-toned sound in concert); until the dust settles on New York’s indefinite concert postponement and you can enjoy Scree IRL, stream this masterful instrumental effort below. —Connor Beckett McInerney, Photo by Jason Burger
Clown, Baby’s vintage synthpop delights on new EP “In My Car”
NJ electropop outfit Clown, Baby make easily danceable tunes with an 80s slant, albeit with an ear for the charmingly irreverent. Over the course of new EP In my car, the band details the merits of choosing a proletarian ride over showboating muscle cars (“toyota corolla”), the virtues of love bites (“eightdog”), and the undeniable attraction of apathetic heart-throbs (“baditude”), all presented with plush, playful synth leads and relaxed, almost lounge-like vocal performances. While the release plays into a number of songwriting tropes from an era of big hair and teenage hedonism, the extended play resonates instead as a joyful, groove focused effort, evocative of both the B-52’s campy jams and the off-kilter stylings of early Metronomy — stream it below if you’re looking for a good time. Photo by Bobby Greco.