Wilder Maker - "Last Call at the Star's Ascent"

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Photo by Keegan Grandbois

Brooklyn's Wilder Maker are set to release the second album in their experimental pop trilogy on Friday, and you can preview what that sounds like with a new single. "Last Call at the Star's Ascent" is on the poppier side of indie rock, but it's still strongly in the experimental category. The song kind of plods along at its own pace, with flourishes (both pop and indie rock) pop in seemingly at will. The average person who identifies as a pop music fan is going to hear "Last Call at the Star's Ascent" and feel confused, but possibly intrigued. Fans of indie rock and experimental music are going to be delighted by this one, and are going to enjoy the pop experimentation that Wilder Maker have going on.

Gabriel Birnbaum says of his band's latest single:

"'Last Call At The Star's Ascent' is the first track I finished across the entire three LP arc (Smoking the Bunny is LP2), and I remember playing it for the band and realizing that I could actually make music that sounded like this, doing whatever the hell I wanted. I built a drum machine out of old tape machine breakbeats and played it by hand, and then ran it through the 'Interference' setting on the Chroma Console to create hitches and hiccups. I pitch-shifted the original vocals to create a choir of robotic harmonies. I wrote a lyric alternating jokes with despair and decay. Last call is a time of chaos when all the rules are upside down and as such it is a time of great beauty and freedom."

You can listen to "Last Call at the Star's Ascent" below. Smoking the Bunny is due out November 6 on Western Vinyl, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Wilder Maker, check out the band on Instagram.

On Repeat...

Failure - "The Air's on Fire"

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Photo by Lyndsey Byrnes With their upcoming seventh overall studio album, the highly influential band Failure will have released more albums since reuniting in 2014 than they did during their first run. The first single from that album, "The Air's on Fire," shows the band expanding their sound while still being rooted in what has always made them great. The song is a dark and moody one that is always threatening to explode but never quite does. This is an example of 90's alt-rock meets art rock at its very finest. It's the kind of song that could easily have come out thirty years ago, but that doesn't mean it sounds dated. After the first listen, "The Air's on Fire" will sound like a killer alt-rocker from a 90's band that hasn't lost a step at all. The more you listen, the more complex Failure get on the single, and the more the song reveals itself to you. Ken Andrews says of his band's latest single: “That song is directly about my ...
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Hiding Places - "Waiting"

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Photo by Calli Westra Brooklyn's Hiding Places are originally from North Carolina, and that sound is all over their latest single. "Waiting" has a strong alt-country meets dark indie rock sound. The song is as hypnotic as it is heartbreaking. Even if you're not paying attention to the lyrics, the vibe of the song is overwhelmingly dark and somber. There's plenty of country twang and indie rock fuzz throughout the song, with the music carrying the weight of the song as much as vocalist/guitarist Nicholas Byrne's voice does. The song is stunning, both in its beauty and mood. I feel like I've been sitting on "Waiting" for a while now until I could fully wrap my head around it. Hiding Places has something truly special here. Nicholas Byrne says of his band's latest single: "Hiding Places’ first bassist, Anthony Cozzarelli, left the band in July of 2022. I wrote the chorus the day before Anthony left the band. I recalled the slow death of my ...
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Mama's Broke - "How it Ends"

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Mama's Broke, the post-folk Canadian duo of Lisa Maria and Amy Lou Keeler, have just released a break up song that might be their most accessible yet. While the previous singles from their upcoming album have a certain darkness or a sense of foreboding, "How it Ends" sounds relatively upbeat. Considering this is a song about how you never think you'll find someone as good as your ex after a break up, that's quite a feat. This is a traditional folk song with some slightly modern folk harmonies. As much heartbreak as their is in "How it Ends," there is also the warmth of remembering a recent relationship. You can listen to "How it Ends" below. Narrow Line is due out May 13 on Free Dirt Records, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Mama's Broke, check out the artist's website .
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