LongRoad – Faith in Greater Things?
It's been a, *ahem,* long road for New Jersey-based act LongRoad, but they seem to have all come out on the other side. Formed from a trio of Rutherfordians (NJ) and Vermont's Ted Ames, the quartet originally met at the Knitting Factory in NYC and immediately...
Hot Spoon, Cold Mango – Paws on Ears
"What is it that you see when told stories that have no pictures?" An interesting question posed by Stephen Meeker, the individual behind Hot Spoon, Cold Mango. The curiously-named project (which also includes Stephen's lover) was conceived after the duo used a warm...
James Bannon – Heat Ghosts
James Bannon is a New Jersey-based act who just released the six-song EP Heat Ghosts (HG). Full of folksy strumming and plenty of 90s-era adult contemporary flavors, HG tells several poignant stories of love, loss, and human connections. Album opener "Kitchens...
Playing With Fireworks – Runaway
Playing With Fireworks (PWF) is the moniker of Luke Underhill. The Chicago, IL native is here with a new sound, shedding his singer songwriter roots for something a bit more lush and expressive. The result of this new identity is a fresh, new EP, Runaway, a four-song...
Vast Robot Armies – The What Gallery
Vast Robot Armies (VRA) has existed for the better part of a decade, an impressive feat for any band. VRA rose from the ashes of many respected projects, think The Life and Times; Sometimes Why; Shiner; Failure; and Sundiver - bandleader Jason Thomson used his veteran...
Chris Portka – Trash Music (Vinyl)
A few months ago, we reviewed Chris Portka's Trash Music (you can read our original review here) - as a creative, challenging, and utterly unique work of art, Trash Music goes down, at least in our annals, as one of the most left-field recordings we've ever had the...
Chief Broom – Hidden in Plain Sight
The story of Chief Broom (CB) is sadly a tragic one. Centered around the songwriting of Shadrach Tuck, this revolving cast of Boise, Idaho natives create songs that focus on "the fragility, monotony, beauty and horrors of everyday life." Crafted in the wake of the...
Casual Confrontation – Marriage Culture
Casual Confrontation is the stage name of Frankie Diez, a Romanian born artist who grew up in Puerto Rico and Miami before landing in Nashville. He's here with his latest album, Marriage Culture, a sprawling and expansive 17-song offering that promises a look at the...
Idledaze – Sandbox
Sandbox is a seven song EP from Whitewater, Wisconsin-based one man band Idledaze, released in anticipation of a full length album due out spring of 2024. Idledaze performs as a solo act but also does cover projects as a the Idledaze Trio with a setlist that spans...
Ravetank – Echoes From Feedback Mountain
When you get a heads up that an album you're about to enjoy is classified as "absurdist noise folk," you kind of already know what you're getting yourself into... Or maybe, its more likely that you don't actually have any possible clue. Either way, the latest LP from...
James Beastly – Junk Values
James Beastly. The man, the myth, the legend. One listen through the blistering punk/alternative/slacker/??? vibes of his latest album, Junk Values, and you'll be thinking the same thing. He's self-described as "too indie to be punk and too punk to be indie" and we...
Couch Cult – The Couch Cult EP
Couch Cult started the same as many new acts - a passion project that rose, like a phoenix, out of the ashes of the pandemic. This particular trio watched, ostensibly, from a basement window as the world woke up again. This re-awakening of the world inspired their...
Made of Mana – Made of Mana
Made of Mana (MoM) is a jazz-infused quartet from San Francisco, and their self-titled EP was recently released July 28 - in anticipation an LP coming later this year. MoM is made up of four lifelong friends (Phil, Sean, Dane, Alec) who have worked together previously...
Unca John – Midlife Crisis Vanity Project
Midlife Crisis Vanity Project (MCVP)... Without even writing any words of my own, the title kind of says it all. Unca John is a Baltimore-based singer-songwriter hiding behind his secret identity as an economics professor. He's emerging out of the shadows to debut his...
The Freeloaders – Cheap & Used
Pittsburgh-based act The Freeloaders are a band that knows their roots. There's never a wrong time to acknowledge where you come from, and this quartet certainly does that (and does it well) on their latest LP, Cheap & Used. This ten song collection is full of...
Liquid Pennies – A Wake-Ending
St. Petersburg based act Liquid Pennies specialize in an indie-psych sound that toes the oh-so fine line between concise and abstract. After hammering out a new batch of tunes on stage, in between shows, and even on a live radio performance, they're back with a...
Bathe Alone – Fall With The Lights Down
Atlanta musician Bailey Crone, better known as Bathe Alone, recently released the latter half of her double EP Fall With The Lights Down (Velma). That, along with, Side A: (Louise), August 4th, completes the homage to her great-grandmothers; whose pictures adorn the...
Talking To Shadows – Lost
Talking to Shadows continues to amaze their listeners with their second EP, aptly titled Lost. Recently released on Bandcamp and streaming everywhere on July 21st, 2023, Lost absolutely solidifies the band's reputation as riffy shoegazers. Cat Van Glide’s ethereal...
Porcelain Tongue – Goodbye Peggy
Porcelain Tongue is here to talk about loss - the tellingly-titled Goodbye Peggy is their latest offering, a stark title for a hard look at what it means to lose somebody you love. The sophomore release from this Boise-based quartet is a shoegaze-tinged approach that...
The Cast-Iron Canaries – Propagaga
It's hard to believe that the 90s were 30+ years ago, but here we are in 2023... And that means grimy punk rock act The Cast-Iron Canaries are celebrating a milestone anniversary of their 1993 EP, Propagaga. Although the band thought their work had been lost forever,...
Shaven Primates – Birds Aren’t Real
Shaven Primates are a five-piece from Oxford, UK who hit our inboxes with the "alt thought" experiment of their latest EP, Birds Arent Real. The band exists to push the boundaries of independent rock music, typically challenging both ears and brains simultaneously...
Le Big Zero – At Arm’s Length
The perpetually rotating (but nevertheless crucial) members of Le Big Zero (LBZ) have persevered through a lot... Think cross-country moves; DIY tours; and the aforementioned revolving door of necessary-but-temporary bandmates. Since you're reading this review, it's...
Graffiti Welfare – Revolving Shores
Denver’s Graffiti Welfare (aka, mastermind George Lattimore) makes music to disassociate to. That’s not a dig in any sense of the word – in fact, the lush reverbs and cavernous vocal presence make for an otherworldly experience, perfect for simultaneously zoning out...
Duster – Stratosphere
It's hard to believe that 1998 was 25 years ago... And it's even harder to believe that 25 years after the fact, San Jose's Duster has found viral success on TikTok, of all places. Not to say the band doesn't deserve it - their mercurial blend of "home recording...
In Search Of – Alice and the Wonderland
Our latest feature comes from Los Angeles-based act In Search Of. The eclectic duo is here with a unique take on a literature staple, re-told through the lens of pop rock. It's called Alice and the Wonderland, and you can listen to it on Spotify right now. You may...
chris portka – trash music
California bay area-based artist Chris Portka has always dreamt of being a musician. With his roots dating back to the dirty, blistering grunge of the '90s, a young portka followed his heart... He fought past crippling stage fright; anxiety attacks during Elliot Smith...
Disco Sam – American Nightlife
In this infinite void of new music, few acts have the ability to transport your mind to a world of infectious rhythms, cheeky melodies, and fun bedroom-pop quirkiness quite like Disco Sam. He's about to release a brand new EP, his 7th (!), one he's calling American...
ROREY – “Apt 7d”
There's no shortage of NYC-based acts that have changed music... The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol - basically any band you'd have seen or read about in the semi-recent Meet Me In The Bathroom documentary. With The Strokes having won a Grammy for The New...
Anya Baghina – Anya Baghina
Anya Baghina, who you may know as a member of the Detroit-based act, Soviet Girls, has called many different places home – Moscow, New Jersey, nearby Ithaca, Detroit, Brooklyn, and then Russia again. Longtime collaborator Jonathan Franco has been accompanying Baghina...
Roscoe Tripp – A Cage Made of Tin
On Roscoe Tripp’s upcoming offering, the five-song A Cage Made of Tin, the band dives deep into a refreshing indie rocking sound, leaning heavily into moody expressions of guitar, synth, and other ambiance. Lead singer Greg Fine has relinquished the reins of...
Babe Rainbow – Fresh As A Head of Lettuce
Psychedelic. Permaculture-farming. Surf-cultists. These are just a few of the self-described terms that Babe Rainbow uses to self-identify, and they are a perfect encapsulation of their sun-soaked, indie-psych sound. The quartet is here with their latest EP, Fresh As...
Aleesha Dibbs – Paradise Lost
Aleesha Dibbs might be one of the hardest-working musicians in the world... At the very least in the top 5%. Having cut her teeth in a ton of different bands, (Dive Bell, Prudence, Lorelei, Double Vision, Mvlholland, Lisa Mitchell, and Angus and Julia Stone just to...
Arson Whales – Galactopus
As the pandemic raged and live music opportunities closed, the members of Arson Whales (AW) found each other at the perfect time. Since founding in 2021, the group has honed their sound, falling somewhere on the spectrum between psychedelic rock, nu-disco, and...
Sweet Freedom – Divilmint
Lots of bands grind the cover game for years and years, playing the hits to fans in bars, at private parties, or at the state fair. Hours and hours of practice, honing the rough edges of a carefully curated group of songs, all to bring some much-deserved enjoyment to...
The Last Domino – Two Thirds Of Our Lives
Multi-instrumentalist The Last Domino, also known as one-man-band John Orr, has been working on his latest album, Two Thirds Of Our Lives, for the last eleven(!) years. It's fitting that the long-awaited album has such an aptly-named title - released on its namesake...
Helen Kelter Skelter – Chroma Crawl
It's been an odd and unpredictable few years for Oklahoma-based act Helen Kelter Skelter (HKS). And yet, it's an all too familiar story. Tours get scrapped, shows get cancelled, trajectory runs askew, and futures seem bleak (I'm talking about the pandemic, in case you...
Jon-Olov Woxlin – JUNK TRUNK
When you hear the Americana-soaked music coming from Jon-Olov Woxlin, your initial impression might be that of a man living in the southern United States (think Mississippi or Louisiana or something like that). In actuality, Jon-Olov is from Gothenburg, Sweden, making...
Jovi Skyler – Nothing To Do
The latest ten-track LP released by Jovi Skyler titled Nothing To Do brings back the spirit of the '90s spirit with the added bonus of a warped psychotropic feel. The album grabs your attention with its thunderous guitar riffs, pounding drums, and fierce vocals that...
Pearl Jam – Gigaton
These days, the only time you ever hear the word 'grunge' in and around music is as part of the sentence 'grunge is dead.' That's not exactly true, but or is it a large-scale exaggeration. It's now more than twenty-five years since Nirvana's Kurt Cobain took his own...
Pop Punk’s Not Dead: Goo Goo Dolls Serves Up a Miracle Pill
If you've never heard of the Goo Goo Dolls, then let's get you up to speed. The Goo Goo Dolls were formed in 1986 by Buffalo natives Johnny Rzeznik, Robby Takac, and George Tutuska. The Goo Goo Dolls would go on to enjoy a successful music career, as they churned out...
Full Body – Always There
Waste not, want not. If one uses their provisions wisely they will never be in need. Rochester-based band Full Body apply those wise words to their musical prowess, and it resulted for them in a wide ranging new album, Always There. Following their much applauded...
Ever Onward Debuts New EP
It’s not very often you hear post rock coming out of Western New York, let alone some serious musical landscapes that can take you on a journey from start to finish. Ever Onward, the brainchild of Colin Berardini, readies for a big 2020 with the release of his three...
The Flaming Lips – King’s Mouth
Two years have passed since Oklahoma's Flaming Lips last graced us with an album, with the last arriving in the shape of ‘Oczy Moldy.' Calling anything the Flaming Lips do ‘offbeat' at this point is a complete redundancy, but some of the criticism they received for...
Hate Club – A Clear Mistake
Albany's Hate Club are keeping their torches lit. Their latest effort, A Clear Mistake, marks their fourth release in only two years. Besides highlighting their admirable work ethic, A Clear Mistake presents a conceptual recording of a difficult aspect of the human...
Bruiser & Bicycle – Woods Come Find Me
Any musician knows the trials and tribulations of being in a band, perhaps no one better than the remaining two members of Albany psych-folk act Bruiser & Bicycle. Their latest album, Woods Come Find Me, is a transition of sorts. It's a step away from their...
RYMO Releases Folksy Debut LP, Pinko Punk
Acoustic singer/songwriter RYMO (aka Ryan Morris) wears the DIY badge of honor proudly. Having grown up learning the spectrum of musical performance and production, Morris has now settled down in his native Nashville studio, ready to hit the ground running. Pinko Punk...
SLUGS – Cool World
Los Angeles-based band SLUGS have released their second EP titled Cool World, and it may just be the perfect summer album. A refreshing take on the classic rock sound our parents taught us to love, Cool World demonstrates an appreciation for the origins of the genre,...
Mammoth Grinder – Cosmic Crypt
It’s been five long, painfully quiet years, but Austin death metal trio, Mammoth Grinder, is back via Relapse Records with a new album, Cosmic Crypt, that will haunt your dreams. Since coalescing in 2006, Chris Ulsh (Power Trip, Impalers), Mark Bronzino (Iron Reagan)...
Brat’ya –Desire
2017 is almost history (thankfully) but former Buffalo-based electronica artist/producer Aleksander Ogadzhanov (aka Brat'ya) isn't done with us yet, with a sophomore album Desire that's beguilingly one of the most outstanding albums from an expat this year. A...
Tart Vandelay – Flow
Rochester indie pop rock act Tart Vandelay have released their second EP. Aptly titled Flow, it is a jazzy and tranquil four song trip. Originally a duo, the now four-piece group is building off of their 2016 debut, which featured more of a loop-based pop inflection....