New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Ambient artist Matt Jencik recently released a new single called "Mind Out of Joint". Both songs on the single were created during the same period of time as his 2019 album Dream Character, and have a similar tone and feel to that beautiful album.
These tracks have been utilized by artist and director Lori Felker as the soundtrack of a short film that can be viewed below.
Cafe Racer recently released their latest album, Shadow Talk, via Born Yesterday. With the release the band dropped a Zach Harris directed video for the album’s lead single, "Faces".
This is the work of Michael Santana, Adam Schubert, Rob McWilliams, Andrew Harper, and Elise Poirier.
Wet Tropics recently released the first single, "Cool California", from their forthcoming debut LP.
This is the work of John Rejba, Krystal Smith, and Justin Watt.
Teen Blush has released a new single called "Drive Me Wild!". This is the Dream Pop of 19 year old Ken Foss and this comes on the heels of his recently released EP "Between My Teeth".
Noise Rock trio Den recently released the first single, "Blackout", from their forthcoming EP "Beyond The Lantern Fire".
This is the work of Adamn Harris, Dylan Piskula, and Ian Piirtola.
BOOM! POW! KABAM! That is how the music of Hartford’s Aunts cracks, and more so in their latest record The Last Great Place. “Open Space” erupts in such fashion that nothing is missing: from the revved-up electric guitars to the classic pop-punk screams that move in unison with the powerful rhythms of the track, all exists vivid as can be. “Canon” brews for a while, very hot and all, as it eventually pours out a furious drum pace sizzling. “Zihuatanejo,” an ode to the band’s last EP, lets the softer side of pop-punk show with sweet hooks that beg you join in. Overall the record is a refreshing listen for all who love this brand of alt-rock worth discovering time and time again; stream “Canon” below for a punchy good time. – Rene Cobar
There’s a smattering of genre-influences on Something Softly Caught Me, the new album by north Jersey indie outfit Quality Living, that really don’t make sense on paper, yet congeal over the record’s half-hour runtime to make for an energetic, incredibly fun listen. Namely, the crux of Something lies in Quality Living’s synthesis of slack jawed 90s alternative with the blue tones of late 70s-early 80s jazz rock, making for an LP that modulates between being both fast and loose or deliberate and polished. All this said, it somehow, someway works — Quality Living deliver dissociative wordplay in tandem with grooving Wurlitzer keys (“Pretty down”), and scuzzy guitar-driven ballads suddenly give way for saxophone segues (“Kite Violit”) to create a cohesive piece of work for fans of Stephen Malkmus and Walter Becker alike. Stream it below.
Lag has released the lead single, "Porous", from his forthcoming debut album. For this song Lag traveled to LA to work with Theo Karon at Hotel Earth and Ben Babbitt.
This blend of sleepy folk and layers of electronics that leaves wanting more and eagerly awaiting the full album.
Electronic producer Brett Naucke has teamed up Ryley Walker on a new EP called "I am Aware We Do Not Save One Another Very Often". These four tracks feature Walker on acoustic guitar gracefully balanced upon Naucke’s atmospheric soundscapes.
Naucke’s most recent album was released back in October via Make Noise and is called Electronic Hypnosis Program.
Scuttlebugs have released a collection of home recordings both new and old called "Homegrown". This is the Indie Folk of Kevin Golden and Claire Kander, and this album is their first since 2018’s End Of The Itch.
Singer/Songwriter Leah Shoshanah has released a new single called "Heaven". This is the second single she has released since her 2018 EP "Stillness".
You can catch Leah virtually on May 19th performing and celebrating the release of her single.
Alternative hip-hop has always been the main artery supplying the life of mainstream rap trends. So, if you are to look into the future, you may wish to appreciate Boston/NH rap group Pomagranite whose new record Supply has something refreshing and addicting in each track. The use of smooth-sinister electric guitar riffs in tracks like “Too Much” and “Linens” draw attention to pulsing drums and festive flows that combine bravado with street class. “Look at You” leans on R&B, but its cool hip-hop retains its grit and danger, using the collective performance as an unpredictable variable hard to resist. Pomagranite has a record to be proud of and a piece of knowledge about where hip-hop is going: the collective, and the experimental. – Rene Cobar
