Charlottesville indie-punk transplants Left & Right released their full-length 5 Year Plan last year through Infinity Cat’s cassette subscription series. The album is slated for a reissue on vinyl via Old Flame Records and WarHen Records. Check out the simple yet adrenaline-filled new music video for the LP’s title track below! Left & Right will also be heading out on tour next month with Diarrhea Planet.
Krust Toons: “Ziggy Starkrust” by Teddy Hazard
Krust Toons: "Ziggy Starkrust" by Teddy Hazard – please feel free to drop him a line at teddandthehazards@gmail.com if you dig or have any funny ideas. You can also check out more of his illustrations and animation shorts HERE.
Debut Thin Lips EP Available for Streaming
Here’s some more good news from former Dangerous Ponies members. Thin Lips just shared their debut EP Divorce Year, which will be officially released on May 5 via Seagreen Records. You can now stream the four-track record in its entirety at Brooklyn Vegan, and catch them on tour in the Northeast next month with Hop Along.
The Weaks Record Release Show at PhilaMOCA April 27
When Philly’s The Weaks, started by former Dangerous Ponies Evan Bernard and Chris Baglivo, first hit the local music scene, they brought along pissed off power pop-punk with charged guitar pedals and accusing lyrics from their four-song EP The World is A Terrible Place and I Hate Myself and I Want to Die. On their latest and first full-length release, Bad Year, they’ve come into a sound that has more of a garage-rock quality, with an appreciated Weezer influence and an obvious Nirvana fascination (with song titles like “Nevermind” and "Frances Quinlan Will Have Her Revenge On Philadelphia"). The record plays with the same kind of dark humor as their debut EP with lines like “so much shit we’re gonna need two fans” (from “Dysania”), but with more of a distinct sound, as the band has evolved into a four-piece. They’ll be celebrating the release of their new LP, available via Lame-O Records, tonight at PhilaMOCA. Also along for the ride will be Three Man Cannon, APE!, and Florida’s Buffalo Buffalo. PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm, All Ages (Photo by Jessica Flynn) – Emily DiCicco
New Music Video: “Hold On, Here We Go” – STS x rjd2
It’s Monday, and we could all use something to kick us into gear. Here’s a new music video from rjd2 x STS for the track "Hold On, Here We Go" that recently premiered over at Vice. It was directed by Pat Murray, and will appear on the duo’s forthcoming album STS x rjd2, due out May 5 via RJ’s ELectrical Connections.
Sheer Mag Opening for Ex Hex at Union Transfer April 26
Because they just couldn’t fit everyone who wanted to get rowdy for South Philly outfit Sheer Mag and all-female punk trio Ex Hex at Boot and Saddle, the show has been moved to Union Transfer. If you’ve ever seen Sheer Mag live and felt the infectious energy, the move isn’t a shocker. The group’s shows are loud, sweaty, and even lead singer Christina Halladay has been known to be a star in a mosh pit. Their debut 2014 EP 7” and subsequent shows at the Farm and the Golden Tea House have earned them a dedicated fanbase that rarely misses the opportunity to scream lyrics back at them, even during all the chaos. Their second four-track EP II that was released earlier this month rips with the same raw angst that the band is known for, but elevates it with more of those punchy melodies and riffs that can be heard on their debut, like on the catchy, feel-good single, “Fan the Flames,” which they recently shared their first music video for (below). Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., 8:30, $15, All Ages (Photo by Amanda Hatfield) – Emily DiCicco
Lithuania Opening for Suburban Living at Bourbon & Branch April 25
With Lithuania, what began as the pairing of Eric Slick (Dr. Dog) and Dominic Angelella (DRGN King) has filled out to a four-piece allowing Slick to stand up and step out front, no longer occupying the kit. With their debut LP Hardcore Friends due out via Lame-O Records this summer and a packed schedule of shows ahead, the band’s catchy punk/grunge sounds are sure to become road-tested. Tonight, they open the final show of Suburban Living’s residency at Bourbon and Branch. Chris Coulton ‘s dance-generating, temperature-elevating electro-pop project Dream Safari bridges the gap to the Wesley Bunch-led headliner, whom expose an emotive integrity amid continuously moving instrumental ground. There will also be a DJ set by Vacationer to top off this evening of local up-and-comers. Bourbon & Branch, 705 N. 2nd St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita
Weekend Warrior, April 24 – 26
Get Loose w/TWIIN at 3rd & Girard April 24
Recent Featured Artist(s) Poll Winners TWIIN performs this evening at 3rd & Girard on a billing that runs four deep. The garage-punk quartet is off to an excellent start with “Sleepover,” a song whose rumbling bass/drum foundation couples with vocals that have a loosely stretched/drawn out sense yet also hints at rage. The raw outer edge with an underlying intensity plays for a dynamic that will be intriguing to watch blossom. Tonight’s slate also includes Abi Reimold, who also works freely in an emotionally dynamic range. Reimold’s vocals grab hold of ones ear with their natural heartache and strength surrounded by a storm of unguarded instrumentation. The quartet of Tangiers kicks in with lo-fi, melodic indie rock that exhibits flourishes of polish, while still retaining that earnest filter-less approach. Peter Gill’s fuzzy folk outlet Friendship rounds this night into a finished form. 3rd & Girard, (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.), 8pm, 21+ – Michael Colavita
Free Download: “Minor Flaws” – Work Drugs
Work Drugs continue to roll out tunes from their upcoming album Louisa. Below is its third single entitled "Minor Flaws." It was written "about memories (good and bad), and how we tend to re-imagine them over time, often to our own detriment." The band will be headlining Johnny Brenda’s tomorrow night with support from Tutlie and The Chairman Dances.
New Curly Castro LP Available for Streaming & Download
The Wrecking Crew’s Curly Castro has just released his new LP Restroy & Debuild, produced by Boston’s Fakts One. Enlisting the help of fellow crew members as well as Dewey Decibel, Elucid and Tomorrow Kings among others, the album provides its fair share of heavy-hitting, thermostat-raising rhymes, while also reaching for that classic party jam feel at times. So feel free to crank it up, and download it below!
Creepoid Homecoming Celebration at Underground Arts April 23
After a short period in Savannah, Georgia, Creepoid returns home this evening headlining Underground Arts, and we collectively welcome them with open arms! The perpetually touring four-piece have a new LP Cemetery Highrise Slum scheduled for release on June 23 via Collect Records. One finds him/herself soothingly absorbed in the band’s alluring psych-rock cloud, swaying to the motion as the music effortlessly shifts in a heavier murky adrenaline-releasing grunge direction. Creepoid continuously finds a way to create multi-textured sounds that appear smooth yet retain a pleasant grit. Shari Vari dusk-creeping electronic/percussive endeavor, also known as Void Vision, keeps one on alert as the ever-present bounce of motion and eerie synth provide a sense of unavoidable tension, and the partially muted vocals increase the suspense. The trio of Gondola fully embraces the heavy guitar throttling – searing, sweat-dripping, psych-tinged, battle-tested, hard rock, letting the instruments open up and speak their minds. Dead Heavens the new project led by the legendary Walter Schreifels (Youth of Today, Guerilla Biscuits) rounds out the makings of a memorable evening. Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita