Latest Posts

Extra Space – “Never Wanted”

September 22, 2025

It has been a minute since we checked in with Extra Space back in July, with a review of their album Green Season here. Lead by Joey Puleio and Chris Kyle, “Never Wanted” is the latest single from their next album New Colors. Not a single note is out of place, which is important with most songs, I suppose but even moreso when it’s on the softer side like this one.   Don’t mistake “loud” for “good” and “quiet” for “bad;” you can hide mistakes with turning things up to 11 but when you bare it all and do it quietly with that Midwest emo sentimentality? Different story. Light drums and guitar guide us through the track with Puleio’s dulcet tones pushing things forward to a very satisfying fade out to black with a diddy of a guitar solo at the end.   You can hear “Never Wanted” below from the[...]

Fulton Lights – “Hold That Thought”

September 22, 2025

Pull up a comfy chair and throw on the latest from DC-based Fulton Lights, the brainchild of Andrew Spencer Goldman. “Hold That Thought” is a nice jaunt somewhere between rock and folk that manages to be contemplative without being droll. The guitar work is deliberate and gives way to what I thought was a harmonica but was actually its cousin, the melodica! Speaking to the track, Goldman had this to say:   “[The song is in some ways] … trying to remain open to those moments where creativity is born – and capturing and releasing them – before they dissipate. It can be an act of resistance against all of the things conspiring to distract.”   You can hear “Hold That Thought” below from Bandcamp, as well as Spotify. This is the perfect track you’ve been missing for your long thoughtful drive at night or winding down at home with[...]

CATBEAR – “Darkness”

September 17, 2025

“Darkness” is the latest single from Catbear; a duo based out of London who are very much here to show you how to embrace the gloom. They previously asked us “Who Cares?” back in May (here) and we had nothing but good feels there (we DO care, duh). The synth is the star here, occasionally playing second fiddle to the hauntingly beautiful vocals from Zoe Konez. Appropriately, the band describes the track as “The Cure scoring the film Drive” and I agree with that 110%.   The Soundcloud embed for “Darkness” can be found below, as well as over on Spotify. This is a surefire addition to your fall playlist and one you should honestly keep the rest of the year too. For whatever reason, spoopy time equals post-punk music and you know what? That’s just fine.   CATBEAR · Darkness

Dead Movie Animals – “Dead Movie Animals”

September 17, 2025

I’m not sure when I first started thinking about how “oh, that animal from *whatever movie* (Homeward Bound, rip Shadow) is definitely dead now” but I blame the internet and 30+ years of undiagnosed ADHD. Dead Movie Animals, in a rare play, have released a self titled track. A duo based out of Mysen, Norway, DMA leans heavily into the post punk vibe and, even with a small sample size, assuredly seems to be sticking around. I was instantly wowed by the extensive guitar play and incredible sound output, reminding me a lot of bands like Billy Talent or Death From Above 1979. If your ears aren’t melted by the end of this track, you were listening to the wrong audio.   You can hear “Dead Movie Animals” below from Spotify. They seem to have an active social media and linktree, but Spotify has the most up to date tracks.[...]

SIKADE – “body of water”

September 16, 2025

SIKADE is a solo project from Norway native Linnea Vestre, and “body of water” is their latest. This is a poppy, shoegaze-forward track that does a fantastic job being apart of a bigger whole while standing on its own. You’ll easily be drawn into the nifty guitar riff that goes right into a nautical mouthfeel with Vestre’s vocals leading the way. Somewhere betwixt folk and shoegaze, this is sure to pique you and your friend Ron’s interests (Ron loves indie folk almost as much as his firstborn).   You can hear “body of water” below from SIKADE’s bandcamp, as well as Spotify and Apple Music. The rest of the three track single is also worth your time. “seaglass” and “bloody moon” really completed the entirety the body of water experience for me. It felt like slowly slipping deeper and deeper and really hit on all cylinders (from top to bottom,[...]

Dalmatic – “Empty Lights”

September 12, 2025

“Empty Lights” is the latest single from Glasgow based Dalmatic. Toeing the line somewhere between punk and indie with shoegaze sensibilities, there is a lot to unpack from this track. This is through and through a guitarist’s guitar track with several layers of that delightful phuzz that would pique the interest in anyone who enjoys non-stop sound. Don’t take that to mean you can’t hear anything through all of that though; not a single note or strum is wasted and I’m willing to bet bottom dollar at least one of them is classically trained.   You can hear “Empty Lights” on Deezer, as well as Spotify and Apple Music. The rest of the single is worth a listen to, with “Coming Down (Demo)” and “Not All The Time” rounding things out.  

Animal, Surrender! – “Misswanderer”

September 10, 2025

Truly embracing the mystique of the season, duo Animal, Surrender! shares their latest single “Misswanderer.” Discordant chords clash beautifully on a (real) organ along with bassist Peter Kerlin’s 8-string (electric) bass (I didn’t even know they came with 8 strings). The lyrics are those that you feel in your soul as you listen (or not, if you have no internal monologue), and, frankly I think a testament to the band. Here’s an even more cryptic snippet from Kerlin:   “This song is an ode to folks who against their better judgment follow an idea, impulse, obsession, or compulsion off the trail and deep into the bush, finding themselves lost, in a state they were their whole life warned against; a personal hell or a place of wonder and openness.”   A refutation on “waaaahhhh you need lyrics in a song;” you’ll be drawn in deep to Animal, Surrender! and I’m[...]

Django Duyns – “TBV”

September 10, 2025

We haven’t checked in with Amsterdam’s Django Duyns since “Leather Skin” from mid March, but his latest, “TBV,” seems like the perfect time to do so. He manages to bring the darker feels with the deep bass tones and almost mockingly-tuned guitars, but brings a bit of light with some vibraphone… vibes (I’m pretty sure that’s what you call notes from a vibraphone)? The track itself is a masterclass in the buildup to a nice payoff musically, while grappling with the oh-so-fun subject of imposter syndrome and overcoming self doubt. See? Post punk isn’t all gloom and doom!   You can hear “TBV” below on YouTube and add to your autumnal post punk playlist on Spotify. You can also find it over on Deezer, a French streaming service that offers FLAC (still waiting on that lossless audio OTHER STREAMING SERVICE).  

Moon Panda – “Superstore”

September 4, 2025

“Superstore” is the latest from duo Moon Panda, and if you’re having a *day* it’ll definitely help bring you down. Somewhere between dreampop and chillwave (they refer to themselves as ‘cosmic sway’), it’s just a sublimely layered track full of fuzzy lo-fi goodness. My friend likened it to “lil high + walking home at 1am.” Speaking to the track, the band had this to say:   “‘Superstore’ is about the micro moments of wanting to convince your partner of what you can be for them. I told our producer I wanted the chorus to feel like that scene in the movie ‘Challengers’ where they are outside and the trash is blowing everywhere. Total chaos and longing.”   I have literally never seen Challengers so I’ll just have to take their word for it.   You can catch the music video (with lyrics) below from YouTube. The track is also available[...]

Beast Beast – “Glue & Glitter”

September 4, 2025

“Glue & Glitter” is the latest track from duo Beast Beast – consisting of Gustav Cederberg and Mikael Landén. This is a fabulous mix of groovy guitars and even groovier bass…. grooves. The bass reverberated through my soul and felt, cleansing? I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s a nice amalgamation of jazz and low key rock, with the band charting their own course around pigeonholing to make something truly unique and good. Their attention to detail, specifically going with an analogue approach to recording, (which makes things even more difficult vs. the digital approach) certainly helped in this endeavor.   You can hear “Glue & Glitter” below on YouTube or add it to your playlist on Spotify. Keep your eyes peeled for the band’s upcoming album, B&B, due out sometime in the future.    

Repiet – “On and On”

September 4, 2025

If you’re like me and a novice when it comes to the different subgenres of EDM (sorry Chucks), you are probably at the very least cognizant that some songs sound different. Repiet’s “On and On” falls into the house flavor of EDM, and it’s catchy as fuck. Sometimes I find it hard to get into instrumental only music, which this is not as he collabs with Julia Kleijn on vocals. I could go on about how smoothly Repiet does his transitions or how he takes the less is more approach that leads to a gnarly crescendo… But you just gotta hear it to appreciate it. If you like house, you’ll definitely enjoy and if you’re not an EDM person you can admire the artistry.   You can watch the visualizer music vid below on YouTube or throw it on your house mix via Spotify.   Be sure to check out[...]

Goodnight House – “You Know I Know You Know”

August 29, 2025

“You Know I Know You Know” is the latest single from Goodnight House, formed by Joel Lane back in 2008 (remember ’08? rad year). We last covered Goodnight House earlier in the year here with their track “Existence.” Lane is a master of the fuzzy guitar and utilizes it very gently here and doesn’t beat you over the head with it. Sung with his wife Megan duet-style, they keep things at a light simmer that nonetheless ends up fully cooked at the end. The lyrics feel very personal and a little morose which makes the duet vocals an interesting choice that felt incredibly genuine.   You can hear “You Know I Know You Know” below from Bandcamp as well as Spotify.   If you’re diggin’ this, ho boy have I got news for you! October 3rd will see the release of the band’s latest album Good Consumers. Plenty more to[...]

da nang – “Kids”

August 29, 2025

Lead by queer Viet singer John Thai, da nang  is a group based out of Ontario and “Kids” is their title single off of their most recent EP. It’s an unabashedly delightful love letter to the 90’s garage rock of yesteryear intersecting with current day emo (something I think we can all agree is a very good thing).   No one instrument takes the spotlight immediately and gives Thai’s vocals plenty of room to stretch their wings. Power chords and the little diddy used in the bridge both definitely feel emo-informed and even have a pop punk vibe to them that I found enjoyable (think Blink-182 but everyone seems to get along and aren’t singing about fucking your mom).   You can hear “Kids” from Apple Music, as well as over on Spotify. Also, if you’re looking for more on the band be sure to use their linktree because, fun[...]

Foot Ox – “Bed Of Violets”

August 18, 2025

Ever wanted to know what a “Bed of Violets” was? I can’t say that I did, but after hearing the latest from Foot Ox, I’m equal parts intrigued and mortified. Pretty chill sounding, indie folk, little bit of synth (that reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite), and just generally good vibes. Behind the good vibes though? *Darkness* You can’t appreciate the light without the dark though, and if everything was gooey good feelings life would be boring. Speaking to the track, front person Teague Cullen had this to say:   “It’s about the struggle of facing a dark force in life and overcoming it. Even though the lyrics themselves might not be overtly hopeful, I feel like the orchestration and the strings bring a sense of something vast and beautiful.”   So apparently August 29th is the new August 11th. My editor either gave me the wrong release date for Foot Ox’s[...]

Lindsey Rose Black – “CUNT HONEY”

August 18, 2025

“CUNT HONEY” is the latest single from Lindsey Rose Black, and I’m honestly here for it. She uses clever word play to work through the trauma of growing up in small town Bible Belt USA with a uterus (spoiler alert: it doesn’t sound very fun, but makes for great music). This is pop music with a country mouthfeel of the highest order and a very fun romp that I didn’t know I was looking for but found it anyways.   I’m pretty smart, but I couldn’t quite figure out what she meant with the line “donut mango cherry peach.” I asked my girlfriend and she told me to ask the internet.   You can hear CUNT HONEY below from Soundcloud or over on Spotify. If you’re offended by the word “cunt” or women discussing menstrual cycles with a catchy pop hook, then fam I’m sorry, but this may not be[...]