Wednesday, July 14, 2021

First Listen: New Releases for 9 July

Artist: Attacca Quartet
Album: Real Life
Quick Thoughts: We don't do much, if any, modern classical here. Just not our lane. Attacca Quartet's new album, however, has me rethinking that. The string foursome do some really impressive and progressive stuff with their instruments and with the songwriting, to the point where pieces that involve acts lime TOKiMONSTA and Squarepusher sit alongside other originals, it all blends together perfectly. This is my favorite thing I've listened to this year by far, and you need to make time to give it a shot.
Songs of Note: "Real Life," "Xetaka 1," "Remind U"

Artist: Covey
Album: Class of Cardinal Sin
Quick Thoughts: I wish I knew how to properly describe Covey. This debut album has a lot of emo overtones to it, but instead of being overly earnest and over-the-top, it shows a level of restraint and stability that gives the whole effort more weight. Each song feels almost perfectly crafted, and whether it's "Sam Jam" (which has stuck in my brain for months) or "1991" (which will stay in my brain for months), we're seeing the first album from a singer-songwriter who, if there's any justice, will make significant waves.
Songs of Note: "1991," "Cut on the Crease," "Four Dollar Sandwich," "Sam Jam," "Point Mutation"

Artist: Dylan Cartlidge
Album: Hope Above Adversity
Quick Thoughts: Dylan Cartlidge has produced an album here that has some real deep thoughts and concepts throughout its runtime, but still has the feel of a summer party album. I fell in love with "Yellow Brick Road" some time ago, and listening to this album really solidified that it wasn't a one-off stroke of luck. This won't work for everyone, for sure, but I'm glad it exists and that I opened myself to it. Just a great listen.
Songs of Note: "Brown Bread," "Yellow Brick Road," "Dare to Dream"

Artist: Drug Store Romeos
Album: The world within our bedrooms
Quick Thoughts: Drug Store Romeos provide some light, dreamy, electronic-tinged indie pop, and, man, it's just great. As someone who really enjoys the more reverb-heavy shoegaze-style stuff, this ticks a lot of boxes and ends up being a surprise favorite this week. It's out there, for sure, but you'll hear some of these songs and realize after a few listens how often you've been humming them to yourself. This is definitely worth your time.
Songs of Note: "Secret Plan," "Walking Talking Marathon"

Artist: Half Waif
Album: Mythopoetics
Quick Thoughts: Half Waif is a favorite of ours, and her new album is Half Waif at her finest. We've loved her previous efforts, but this latest release is pretty great from start to finish. Solid melodies, strong songwriting, and earworms like "Horse Racing" make this one to look out for.
Songs of Note: "Horse Racing," "Swimmer," "Fortress"

Artist: Daniel Avery
Album: Together in Static
Quick Thoughts: I didn't want this to get lost in the shuffle this week, but if you're looking for some instrumental ambient-adjacent electronic music perfect for the plague times we're exiting, don't miss this one. It's absolutely a superlative release this week.
Songs of Note: "Endless Hours," "Midnight Sun"

Of note:

* Matthew Dear - Preacher's Sigh and Potion: Lost Album (A release of a previously shelved effort from 2009.)
* The Cutthroat Brothers and Mike Watt - The King is Dead (This is as good as you think it is.)
* The Goon Sax - Mirror II
* Jeremy Ferrera - Everything I Hold
* Old Moon - Altars
* Inhaler - IT Won't Always Be Like This
* Happy Axe - Maybe It'll Be Beautiful
* Rejjie Snow - Baw Baw Black Sheep
* The Prefab Messiahs - When Things Fall Apart
* Charlotte Day Wilson - ALPHA
* The Wallflowers - Exit Wounds
* The Frogs - Damaged Goods/Sinned in Reverse

EPs:

* UNIIQU3 - BITCHES IS OUTSIDE VOL. 1
* Babehoven - Nastavi, Calliope
* Taken by Vultures - The Geriatric Throne
* Doug Tuttle - Pinecone
* Lex Leosis - Terracotta
* Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors - Family EP
* Frances Forever - paranoia party
* Katie Toupin - Little Heart
* Tiffany Day - The Dependency Project
* Tkay Miadza - Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3

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