Pop Punk group Knuckle Puck has released a new single called "Turn You Out" via Rise Records. This is the first new music from the group since their 2018’s "Shapeshifter" album.

This is the work of John Siorek (Drums), Joe Taylor (Vocals), Ryan Rumchaks (Bass), Kevin Maida (Guitar), and Nick Casasanto (Guitar).

Knuckle Puck is performing a sold out show at Beat Kitchen on March 23rd.

Doleful Lions (aka Jonathan Scott) has released the next two singles, "True Blue" and "Carpenter Panaflex", from his forthcoming album True Believers. This is the first new music from Scott since the 2017 album I Wrote Fish Heads. The album is set to be released via In The Lake Records.

Desert Rock Quartet Cloud Cruiser recently released their debut album, I: Capacity. They may be the first Chicago band to take on the Desert Rock label, since there are no Desert in Illinois, but their sound is harder and filled with more Fuzz than traditional Stoner Rock or Psych Rock.

Last month they were featured on Nap House Studio live sessions and you can see them performing "Glow" below.

You can catch Cloud Cruiser on March 21st at Metal Monkey Brewing in Romeoville with Huntsmen and Planetsexploder.

Last year Rakunk renamed themselves Sunblood and released a single called "Spin". This month they released their second single, "One of A Kind", and it is a quirky rocker and a great sign of what’s to come from Sunblood.

You can catch Sunblood on March 11th at Sleeping Village with Gentle Heat, Wombo, and Sad Baxter.

Nicky Flowers is back with a the follow-up to their 2018 album The Smynths. On The Smynths Return they tackle five more classics from The Smiths armed with only their Synth and a great contribrution from LA’s Echo Vessel on the EP’s closer "That Joke Isn’t Funney Anymore". 

The album was released on February 14th via neo-detritus and is accompanied by the depressing video below. 

Fetter (aka Jessica Tucker) recently released an emotional new single called "Shake Me". With proceeds going to The JED Foundation, a mental health nonprofit supporting teens and young adults, the single address the current emotional state of many individuals these days. Here is how Tucker puts it, "As we struggle to stay steady, "Shake Me" is a vessel for anger, aimed at mobilizing frustration so that we might better show up for each other and cultivate care every day".

You can catch Fetter on March 21st at The Hideout with Horse Lords and The Hecks. She will also be performing on March 27th at Cafe Mustache.

Photo by Annelies Verhelst

John Fatum (aka Jacksonport) has released his second single, and it is an ode to the area he grew up in called "Chicago". The video for the single was shot in his hometown of Wilmette at 5am after a fresh snowfall.

He takes his stage name from a small town in Door County Wisconsin, and clearly holds his Midwest roots in high regard. He recently left his home in Brooklyn to travel the country and release a song a month through out the year. January’s release was called "Time to Dream", and is a great start to what should be an impressive year for Fatum. 

Andrew Robert Palmer has released a new album called "Beer & A Borrowed Pen". These are stripped down drinking songs that were recorded in a way that feels raw, intimate, and a lot of fun.

Double Bass Improvisor and Composer Jason Roebke has released a new album called Magic Timing. Jason is a staple in the local jazz scene and has been a part of several album over the last several years, but this is his first solo bass release since 2013’s Yutairidatsu.

You can catch Jason Roebke performing along side Steve Dawson for Dawson’s album release on May 8th at Old Town School of Folk Music.

Pelafina has released a new EP called "Familiar Places". This is the follow-up to their 2018 EP "Sorry In Advance" and features their 2019 single, "Blue and Gold". The latest single from the EP is called "Significant Weather" and is accompanied by the Eleanor Lyon directed video below.

You can catch Pelafina at Downstairs at Subt on March 8th with Lettering, Bailey Minzenberger, and Termination Dust.

Americana Rock group Motel Breakfast recently released their self-titled debut full-length album. The album’s lead single is called "My Head" and is accompanied by the Madeline Houlihan directed video below.

This is the work Conor Brennan, Drue deVente, Jimmy Drenovsky, Mick O’Donnell, and Jesse Nasadowski.

You can catch Motel Breakfast on February 28th at Reggie’s Rock Club with Sleepy Gaucho and The Dead Bolts.

Brent Penny recently released a new single called "Equal". This is the first new music from the experimental bedroom pop artist since his 2019 debut album, Choose The Right.

You can catch Brent Penny on March 16th at Empty Bottle with 100% Cement, Forced into Femininity, and Stressica.