Search "purpose+confidence" 173 Items

A download code is included. ‘Neka Neka’ (on General Purpose) is the first solo release by multi-disciplinary artist, Ex Ponto (Ivan Mašic). Coming of age during the mid-90s Melbourne rave scene, Ivan was infected with music by the legendary Kate Bathgate on 3RRR community radio. Hearing music by the likes of Oliver Lieb, Will E Tell, HMC & and other producers of the time, an infection quickly turned into a music obsession that lives on today. In the following years Ivan would go on to manage one of Melbourne’s longest running record stores (Dixons Records) and in 2005 built a recording studio, aptly named The Womb. From 2005-15, he produced and played on over 20 albums for improvisation collective, Council of Elders and experimental, no-wave band, Wunderlust. ‘Neka Neka’ is a nod to ex-Yugoslavian experimentalists of the 80s (Rex Ilusivii, Kozmetika, Miha Kralj etc) and the thriving, late-night hedonism of Belgrade’s Club 20/44.

Translucent Pink Vinyl! A little drums, a little atmosphere, and it wails like this! Hotter than anything printed by a Hearst daily, the 12-song Version Especial of Redd Kross' Teen Babes from Monsanto - all art, no filler, direct from the source, pure from the tap - reissued by Merge Records. The album features specially designed packaging that allows you to choose between two different front covers with just a flip of the wrist! Experience vintage teenaged Redd Kross as presented by Monsanto: 100% genuine, chemically inspired brilliance fueled by processed junk food.

Parquets Courts' fifth album Wide Awake! - produced by Danger Mouse - is a groundbreaking work, an album about independence and individuality but also about collectivity and communitarianism. The songs, written by Andrew Savage and Austin Brown but elevated to even greater heights by the dynamic rhythmic propulsion of Max Savage (drums) and Sean Yeaton (bass), are filled with their traditional punk rock passion, as well as a lyrical tenderness. The record reflects a burgeoning confidence in the band's exploration of new ideas in a hi-fi context.

For their fifth long player, Tite return with a sound that is familiar in its use of distortion, drive, echo and swirling melodies, but refreshed with an embracing of vocal hooks and harmonies, often absent in the world of psyche and shoegaze. It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine: ‘Asylum Harbour,’ named for a maritime safe-haven, symbolizes resurfacing from the darkness of 2022-2023 and the pandemic. (Band leader) John Treanor says the album reflects a journey out of a dark place, focusing on voices and harmonies over layers of fuzz. ‘The record marks, to my mind, a further evolution of the band with the voice(s) becoming a main feature rather than being used as another instrument.’” Jammerzine: “The term ‘shoegaze’ gets thrown around more and more, to the point that it’s beginning to become an assembly line genre, with Tite, and ‘I’m Not Like That’ we get a solid progression of original music with a true purpose. That purpose is to inspire.”

Exhausting Fire is the seventh full-length studio album by American sludge metal band Kylesa. Heavy rock luminaries Kylesa tap into the infinite with their epic new album 'Exhausting Fire'. 'Exhausting Fire' sees the acclaimed band weave a lush tapestry of their storied sound that exudes confidence, conviction and class. The colossal riffs, dreamy and hypnotic song-craft, and distinct call-and response vocals crush and caress in equal measure. 'Exhausting Fire' is as expressive and expansive as emotion itself and the definition of strength and elegance. This is Kylesa at their best.

Exhausting Fire is the seventh full-length studio album by American sludge metal band Kylesa. Heavy rock luminaries Kylesa tap into the infinite with their epic new album 'Exhausting Fire'. 'Exhausting Fire' sees the acclaimed band weave a lush tapestry of their storied sound that exudes confidence, conviction and class. The colossal riffs, dreamy and hypnotic song-craft, and distinct call-and response vocals crush and caress in equal measure. 'Exhausting Fire' is as expressive and expansive as emotion itself and the definition of strength and elegance. This is Kylesa at their best.

For the current album the SIDEWALK SURFERS leave the cracked asphalt of the hometown skatepark behind them for good and present instead a doomy soundtrack to a road movie and a class struggle. With 12 songs that capture the dark spirit of the times and still celebrate the last sip from the Calippo Cola, you can go on tour with confidence. That's how sure Kinzi, Dom, Pecko and Kiwi have never been so confident in their work. For that the five of them sleep in a 90cm bed. At least the pizza machine makes up for everything.

All the rage and fear and uncertainty of recent times has been poured into the album's 11 tracks, resulting the rarest of rock'n'roll albums: one with a sense of purpose. But where the title song and anthemic first single Storm – which questions whether people are prepared for the aftershocks of both the pandemic and the government's high-level malfeasance – are both fuelled by a righteous sense of injustice, other bolder, emotions also shine through.

All the rage and fear and uncertainty of recent times has been poured into the album's 11 tracks, resulting the rarest of rock'n'roll albums: one with a sense of purpose. But where the title song and anthemic first single Storm – which questions whether people are prepared for the aftershocks of both the pandemic and the government's high-level malfeasance – are both fuelled by a righteous sense of injustice, other bolder, emotions also shine through.

Stand Atlantic are a female fronted band from Sydney, Australia. Their fresh blend of melodic hooks and power-driven instrumentals allow them to sit atop of the genre. With their honest lyrical nature and relentless ability to move an audience live, the band are being tipped to be the next to break through the Australian scene. At the end of 2016 Stand Atlantic entered Electric Sun studio to record their new EP 'Sidewinder' with producer Stevie Wright (With Confidence). The EP shows the band mixing accessible song writing and exceptional musicianship, balancing out both the 'pop' and 'rock' aspects of their sound

A creeping unpleasantness elevated by confidence... the clanging wallop of the Birthday Party, and the tongue-in-cheek swagger of Lubricated Goat.Party's over. Madison, Wisconsin's Sinking Suns have returned with Dark Days, their second album for Reptilian and third overall. The album title is an absolute indicator of what's to be found within: a creeping unpleasantness elevated by confidence and strut. This is not the spastic, bookish end of the noise rock spectrum, nor an over-distorted wallow in 90's kitsch, but an album of broad strokes and mature songwriting that cuts across genres - post-punk, post-hardcore, gritty rock, the clanging banging wallop of the Birthday Party and the tongue in cheek swagger of Lubricated Goat. It's a nod to something more enduring. There's a controlled swing to these nine songs. There's breathing space in the maelstrom. The drums aren't driving the songs off cliffs but cattle-prodding them forward. The bass isn't saturating every song with discolored thud but pushes a groove. Dark Days is not a sprint through fire, it's a long march to bloody victory chaperoned by Dennis Ponozzo's irreverent vocal snarl over haunting chord progressions and exquisite guitar figures. Sinking Suns really nailed it with this one. Their finest yet. This is the sound of men who've received the news of social collapse and are steeling themselves to tell the rest of us about the dark days ahead.

Recorded in three purpose-built private home studios - in Norway, Greece and Los Angeles - "Medicine" rubs Pop's obsession with Prince up against his love of Bolan, throws in a little Paul McCartney, some early Stooges, a chunk of Lindsey Buckingham and even a dash of Peter Gabriel for a record which channels bubblegum pop through Satanic ritual and classic rock for one of the oddest, funniest, most compellingly unique records you're likely to hear in 2012.

Philly's Modern Baseball have been on every 2012 year-end list, and finally we have their debut full-length record SPORTS! The band's first full length is uniquely modern, capturing a sort of love and loneliness, as it conveys how it feels to be young and hopeless in modern America. Singer Brendan Lukens' words are presenting familiar narratives with clever, vivid images and put a contemporary twist on universal conflicts, love lost and love found, epic and disastrous nights, and the search for connection and purpose.

King Gizzard AND THE Lizard Wizard is a band of eclectic psych-rock juggernauts that continually deliver albums that push the envelope. As part of the band’s bootlegger series in which the group gives the public free rein to release selected works, we are happy to present a Salton-Sea Exclusive of Polygondwanaland. The group's 12th studio album is arguably one of their finest works. The record takes listeners on a cerebral 45 minute journey compromised of astonishing instrumentation, expansive production, and beautifully creative storytelling. This is album is truly meant to be listened to from start to finish and we say this with confidence, that once it starts, you won’t want it to stop."

Coming in hot for the final show of the crazy year of 2021 and with an impressive new line up, Howlin Rain hit Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown California full of adrenalized confidence, deep grooves and their signature, expansive guitarmony-laden jams. Captured on multi-track, Live From Pioneertown is Howlin Rain’s highest fidelity live album since 2014’s Live Rain. This latest entry to the Under The Wheels live series showcases songs from The Dharma Wheel as well as two fan favorites from 2008’s Magnificent Fiend. Available in a vinyl one-time “handmade” edition of 500, all jackets screen-printed by Monolith Press and signed and numbered by Howlin Rain bandleader Ethan Miller.

Written and recorded in Spring 2011 at Andy's grandmother's Chicago-area house while she was away on vacation, Gauntlet Hair is a subtle refinement of the sounds we've come to associate with the band - the trunk-rattling bass; the ecstatic, tinny post-punk guitar; the din of ecstasy. But what was once simply jarring in its audacity is now also bursting with new colors. It's music made with the sole purpose of losing yourself - both mind and body - inside of it. They take the listener into the red, evoking that unmistakable feeling of being squarely in front of the speaker as it is screaming blissfully loud melodies.

Something a little different from Athens of the North, Crisrail (Chris Rael) is an almost-LP of mad out there funky post punk from Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. Rated and played this out for some time but it has remained mostly under the radar due to scarcity. I could compare it to The Cure but it's so much more. 500 Only

"Playing instruments didn't come naturally to me, but I loved it so much I kept doing it and got better. When I started composing seriously in my early twenties, I didn't have much confidence in my voice or instrumental abilities, but my imagination was on fire and I was determined to create music that sounded like nothing else. I would find my place in the constellation of sound by carving a niche that was so unique, musical virtuosity wouldn't be a factor. I was inspired by Tom Scott of the Muffins, Maryland's legendary progressive jazz quartet, and owner of Black Pond Studios in Rockville, where Game of Music was recorded. It was my first solo release; I played everything except Tom's horn and flute parts. Lacking confidence to perform, I was very much a studio rat and became facile at overdubbing solo tracks. New music reviewers praised it at the time, but its distribution was limited and it's been out of print for decades. Listening now, it's more musically muscular than it felt to me at the time. It's incredibly gratifying that more people can hear it again, thanks to Athens of the North." - Chris Rael

The dark and dreamy halftoned realism of Green/Blue comes into near-perfect focus across 'Paper Thin'. Ever the prolific recording duo, Jim Blaha and Annie Sparrows are back with their third album in as many years, following previous releases on HoZac and Slovenly. Their Minneapolis basement studio has yet again translated to tape what many in the post-punk realm often fail to realize - a certain icy-cool confidence. Chilling vocal harmonies resonate atop melodic guitar leads and a razor-sharp rhythm section as the album stretches to just under twenty-five minutes. Green/Blue evoke a certain somber and honest set of sonics, distilling the now and pondering the future as these ten tracks spin vibrantly at 45 RPM.

Back in print on vinyl! Deerhoof debuts their new guitarist John Dieterich and achieves widespread critical acclaim for the first time. 2002's Reveille is a defiant expression of artistic rebirth, spilling over with madcap exuberance, apocalyptic imagery, newfound technical confidence belying their no-budget DIY recording methods, and jarring stylistic about-faces in which no two songs sound alike. The contrast of Satomi's ever-catchy, ever-charming melodiousness with John and Greg's noisy, cinematic bombast still has the power to thrill and tickle and upset, more than 20 years after its initial release. Includes reimagined cover art with the faint morning glow the band had always envisioned, pressed on clear sun-colored vinyl. Complete lyrics included for the first time, written by Satomi on the center labels.

The female-led discodelic soul band Say She She, named as a silent nod to NileRodgers (C'est chi-chi!: It's Chic!"), release their sophomore album `Silver' on theheels of an epic break-out year that grows brighter by the day.The three strong voices of Piya Malik (El Michels Affair staple feature, and formerbacking singer for Chicano Batman), Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya GazelleBrown front the band.This harmonizing trio was formed in a classic New York taleof friends that met by following the music: the downtown dancefloors, through theLower East Side floorboards and up to the rooftops of Harlem.`Silver' wasentirely written and recorded live to tapeat Killion Sound studio inNorth Hollywood earlier this year and produced by Sergio Rios (of Orgone).Whilethese analog recording techniques help root Say She She's sound in a bedrock oftonal warmth that only tape can achieve, it is also their process of cutting the trackin the moment and capturing the magic of communal creativity that has seen theirsound described as"a glorious overload of joyful elation and spiritualelevation" (MOJO)and"infused with the wonky post-disco spirit of early'80s NYC" (The Guardian).Silver, the element, is known as the metal of self-confidence and the mirror of thesoul. With that, the16-song double-LPprojects not only their growth in writingwith confidence, but also reflects a deeper exploration into their punk-chic, femme-forward sensibility.Ultimately,`Silver' oozes with quirk and adventure and embraces themultifaceted nature of what it means to be a modern femme.The She She'sfully embrace their role as beauticians, actively reminding people of the inherentbeauty in the world. They skillfully employ double entendres and humor toencourage open dialogue and fearlessly address important matters that demandattention.

Following a series of meditative explorations in the form of the Singularity Zone series of releases, The Oscillation have returned with a new sense of vigour and purpose. Refreshed and re-energized, the result is The Start Of The End, an album that casts more light and shade than ever before to create a mood of hope and re-birth.

At once warm and welcoming, The Start Of The End is an album quite unlike anything that The Oscillation have ever released before. Fuelled by optimism and taking stock of what’s good about life and what needs to be jettisoned, the record is a result of spiritual and physical re-charging and cleansing.

Leaving the claustrophobic environs of the big city for a more bucolic backdrop, the change in location has left a profound mark on Demian Castellanos, the creative force behind The Oscillation. Where the exorcism of dark emotions of previous album Untold Futures left Castellanos wondering if he’d ever make music again, his new surroundings stirred something within him.

“When I made my new home, I allowed myself time to do nothing for a while,” says Castellanos, “and I then started some new songs without worrying about them being on an album. I just wrote with the mindset to put out something positive.”

He continues: “I did a lot of reflecting on the past and really wanted to change something in myself, but not knowing how and thinking that a lot of people must be feeling the same way.”

Recalling the creation of The Start Of The End, Castellanos says, “Writing and recording in an environment where I had little contact with people, no hanging out or partying or even having conversations was very interesting.”

The result is an album that’s recognisably the work of The Oscillation while pointing to a variety of new directions. Be it the celestial majesty of the title track, the melodic infusions that drive opening track ‘War On The Mind’ or the pulsing grooves underpinning ‘Faraway’ and ‘Body Electric’ or even hypnotic repetition at the heart of ‘Mantra’ and ‘The Eternal’, this music brimming with zeal and confidence. And to crown it all, closer ‘Sovereign’ is akin to communing with angels.

The Start Of The End is a line in the sand and one that points to a better tomorrow.

"Howling songs" is the magnificent third and last part to the "songs trilogy". We are
back to this slavonic tune, without any definite frontier, whose only and constant
heritage finds its roots in European music. This is a very haunted and personal piece of
music which is the testimony of a unique talent where moving melodies follow other
moving melodies balancing between ballad songs and folk music, madness and reason,
revolt and despair. "Howling songs" sympathises with the surrounding world, it is a
definitive observation in which one can feel, throughout the songs, an outraged
sensitivity which is the signature of the artist. It is all the more sensitive that Matt's
voice is sometimes present without any chorus in the background, bringing to the
whole both confidence and unquestionable heat. "Howling songs" is, without a doubt,
the most introspective album by Matt Elliott and the one which carries best his
musical personality.

A thrillingly expansive synth-pop opus. Themes centre around the value of creative identity in an automated age, the increasingly disposable nature of art and where that leaves its creators. The group’s three-way vocal delivery and blurring of textures takes on new structure and purpose. Initially grouped in with the guitar psych crowd, thanks to their fledgling repeato-rock, Team Center were quick to disassociate themselves from that on 2018's mini-album Recital. With The Menace of Mechanical Music, they expand their sound further still, pirouetting from the likes of Sleeptype Auction – which glimmers like a late 80’s 4AD artefact – through various FX-laden dreamscapes, to squelchy post-punk.

In 1993 Bardo Pond was fresh and still drying off out of their crawl out of Philadelphia's psych primordial ooze. A quartet in those early days, they assembled a demo cassette to use for booking and merch purposes titled cryptically as "No Hashish, No Change Money, No Saki Saki". This release largely remained a Discogs curio in the intervening years, never seeing a wide formal release in any capacity. Now, thirty years later, "No Hashish..." makes its first truly formal release in a mastered format and ready to daze their every hungry fans. Close to an hour of hazy, smoke-filled goodness spread over two LPs, this provides the proper soundtrack for a late night zone out accompanied by your chemicals of choice.

Inspired by the sparse and confessional qualities of Liz Phair’s early portastudio recordings, Corrinne James aka Naomi Alligator decided to create her own musical journal to share and process personal anecdotes. Her modern folk production and poetic songwriting links the sounds of artists like Joan Baez and Steeleye Span to a 21st century context. James wrestles with guilt, purpose, and jealousy through vivid narratives in the songs that make up her vast self-releases. This fall, five years since her first upload and over a dozen releases later, James will share her new four-track EP, Concession Stand Girl, while making her debut on Carpark.

“When new projects are discussed, I sometimes hear a disclaimer along the lines of, ‘this band isn’t reinventing the wheel,’ to which I want to know what’s everyone’s so apologetic about. The wheel was a pretty good invention—good luck getting anywhere without one. So let’s consider a redefinition, instead. Los Angeles based quintet Richard Rose may or may not feature prominent players from bands including but not limited to Ex-Cult, Gøggs, OBN III’s, Snooty Garbagemen, Bad Sports, Hooveriii and Stress Group…but as much as said bands were amongst the best and brightest on offer in Memphis, Houston and Austin, this new amalgamation is a bolder proposition. “Without question, there’s echoes of their past work—the malevolent vocal presence of Laurence Richard and guitar virtuosity of Thomas Rose in particular—but Richard Rose’s first full-length thoroughly ups the ante on the band’s 2019 debut In The Red EP. The wheels in question have plowed thtough the respective discographies of Michigan / Australian bands you know and love, sure, but these guys have found their own voice in a shockingly brief matter of time. Simply put, they’ve fashioned an instant rock classic…there might be a handful of bands in America with this kind of confidence, but in most other instances it’s unwarranted. They don’t possess Richard Rose’s intellect, instrumental prowess, musical range or sense of purpose. “Finally, I will not insult your intelligence by claiming Richard Rose scale these lofty heights without artifice. That they insist on performing under dubious pseudonyms (Laurence and Thomas are joined by bassist Bag Mantrellis, drummer Jerry Leymar and saxophonist Gravy McKay) might give traditionalists pause, but it’s worth remembering our legal system would not function properly without a witness protection program. The modern histories of music and art would also not have unfolded so spectacularly if practioners weren’t brave enough to redefine themselves, and we’re beyond fortune to bear witness to this furious five making the music of their lives.” – Gerard Cosloy

When Man Man released its last album, "Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In Between," frontman Honus Honus (née Ryan Kattner) was in a state of unrest, oscillating between hope and cynicism. Perhaps fittingly, the album dropped during the pandemic, a time at which we could all relate. But, much like that bizarre turn of events, the ennui now seems so distant to Man Man. A revived sense of purpose washes through Man Man's new album, Carrot on Strings, radiating a mix of calm and confidence. Kattner always embodied a wild-man pied-piper vibe: his melodic, unhinged art-rock was at once intriguing and angsty. He was so alluringly creative that you went along with it, even if you were never sure where Man Man would take you. Carrot on Strings is no less inventive, but its ethos is radical in context of the band's two-decade career. "When I was younger, I would feed off of chaos. I would, you know, be upset and get drunk and smash chairs," Kattner explains. "Now those chairs are in my head: It's less of an outward projection, more of an interior monologue." The name "Carrot on Strings" came to Kattner while experimenting with the sound of someone munching on the vegetable, which you can hear in the cacophonous, similarly named song. It alludes to how success always seemed to dangle uncertainly before him, often just out of reach. But listen intently and you'll hear a more content Kattner finding an uneasy peace: "Life, as far as I've known it, has always been side hustles. Would it be great if I could go into a studio and record for a year without figuring out how to finance it? Yeah, it would be," he says. "But ultimately, I need to keep making music because art is an extension of my psyche. It's how I have learned to translate the palpitations of my heart. Simply put, I'd go insane without it." Growing up as a multiracial Hapa kid (half Filipino, half white) with a father in the U.S. Air Force, Kattner lived an itinerant childhood that included a few pivotal years in Germany, where he honed in on an appreciati...

New Zealand's Best Bets debut album On An Unhistoric Night is here! In true Best Bets style, it's a smash hit of power pop, exploring hubris, hopelessness and purpose in life, pop culture detritus and everyday ennui underpinned by humour, guitar heroics and catchy bloody hooks. Best Bets are a power pop band from Aotearoa New Zealand. Formed by Olly Crawford Ellis and James Harding (Transistors), they released their first EP Life Under the Big Top in 2018, with James' brother Luke and Matt Phimmavanh rounding out the lineup. Joe Sampson (Salad Boys, T54) joined afterwards. Their debut album 'On An Unhistoric Night' is out via Meritorio Records. Perhaps this album could be described as a series of homages; a bunch of ballads, some tearjerkers, with a few earworms thrown in. The album talks about New Jack Swing artists who were formerly Olympic athletes; 11th century monarchs; Italian sports cars (and car salesmen); Open Polytechnic ads of the late 90s; Whose Line is it Anyway?; Subbuteo champions and Elvis impersonators. It explores hubris, hopelessness and purpose in life, pop culture detritus and everyday ennui underpinned by humour, guitar heroics and catchy bloody hooks. 'On An Unhistoric Night' is a hi-fi effort by producer Brian Feary, who notably has worked with a number of excellent Christchurch bands - Wurld Series, Salad Boys and The Dance Asthmatics to name a few. You might like this album if you appreciate bands like The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, Buzzcocks, Big Star and The Go-Betweens.

In an era of music during which the urge to define and dissect new genres competes only with the desire to ruthlessly consolidate old ones, Gentle Heat is refreshing in their purpose and consistency. Too lush to be relegated to post-punk or indie rock, and more sonically visceral than contemporary shoegaze, the Chicago quintet defies easy categorization in a way that makes their evolution as exciting to watch as it is to hear. By pure force of volume, Gentle Heat creates a sound all their own driven by propulsive rhythms and dissonant melodies.



With their newest release Sheer, Gentle Heat reaffirms this commitment with surgical efficiency. Even the most formless sounds have purpose; ethereal soundscapes give way to humming, knotted feedback. The addition of vocalist/ keyboardist Sarah Clausen has enabled the project to dive deeper into the ambient aspects of their sound, blending the record into a knotted cohesive piece.



On Sheer, Gentle Heat pares down their formula to the point that every piece becomes essential and immediate even as they are weaving together layers of sound. According to guitarist/ vocalist David Algrim, “The idea for this project has always been to create sonically dense music viewed through the lens of pop structure. With Sheer, the goal was to refine that concept to its most concise form.” The result is a dynamic sound as likely to excite seasoned shoegaze listeners as it is to turn new heads in the back of the venue bar.



While the lineup has changed since the band’s inception, Gentle Heat has maintained a musical coherence through their four releases that affords the germination of new ideas and fresh sounds while remaining reverent to their past. The synthesis of experience and influences offered up on Sheer marks a big step forward for the group, and with it, a momentum that is proportional to the energy of their sound.

The descent into darkness is a trope we find time again across history, literature and film. But there’s also an abyss above. There’s a winding white staircase that goes ever upward into the great unknown — each step, each turn, requiring a greater boldness and confidence than the one before. This is the journey on which we find Angel Olsen.

Olsen's artistic beginnings as a collaborator shifted seamlessly to her magnificent, cryptic-to-cosmic solo work, and then she formed bands to play her songs, and her stages and audiences grew exponentially. But all along, Olsen was more concerned with a different kind of path, and on her vulnerable, Big Mood new album, 'All Mirrors,' we can see her taking an introspective deep dive towards internal destinations and revelations. In the process of making this album, she found a new sound and voice, a blast of fury mixed with hard won self-acceptance.

The descent into darkness is a trope we find time again across history, literature and film. But there’s also an abyss above. There’s a winding white staircase that goes ever upward into the great unknown — each step, each turn, requiring a greater boldness and confidence than the one before. This is the journey on which we find Angel Olsen.

Olsen's artistic beginnings as a collaborator shifted seamlessly to her magnificent, cryptic-to-cosmic solo work, and then she formed bands to play her songs, and her stages and audiences grew exponentially. But all along, Olsen was more concerned with a different kind of path, and on her vulnerable, Big Mood new album, 'All Mirrors,' we can see her taking an introspective deep dive towards internal destinations and revelations. In the process of making this album, she found a new sound and voice, a blast of fury mixed with hard won self-acceptance.

Spirit is the second album by Danish-French Emile, otherwise known from the acid rock band The Sonic Dawn. On this new solo effort, Emile unfolds a new and exciting side of his songwriting. Each song ebbs and flows effortlessly with a great sense of purpose, always centered around Emile’s voice and masterful, mainly acoustic guitar playing. He is backed by a small ensemble of selected musicians and blackbirds singing the sun down. The lyrics reflect an unpretentious cosmic consciousness, simply marveling at existence as it is. Spirit about connection with our surroundings, with nature and the universe. There is beauty in transformation too, Emile reminds us. Spirit is a different album from a different singer-songwriter. It is both surrealistic and easy to understand, accomplished and untamed, light and heavy — like the passing of time.

For all intents and purposes, "Her Majesty. . ." could best be described as the charming older brother to the band's previous outing. And, while being recognizably related to its sibling predecessor, it is an altogether different beast. Present and accounted for are the Victorian literary tropes, the rakish mariners, and the Dickensian downtrodden that slouched their way across the lazer imprinted surface of "Castaways and Cutouts"; in "Her Majesty the Decemberists," a new cast of characters is introduced as well, giving further depth to the richly bizarre songcraft of the band's bespectacled leading player, Colin Meloy: an aristocratic Jewess, slumming it blindfolded among the exotic avenues of a Chinese bazaar, the coifed and coked-up bon vivants of greater Los Angeles, the writer Myla Goldberg, and a pair of affectionate soldiers, celebrating their comradery among the mortar blasts and trench mud of World War I Belgium.

Spirit is the second album by Danish-French Emile, otherwise known from the acid rock band The Sonic Dawn. On this new solo effort, Emile unfolds a new and exciting side of his songwriting. Each song ebbs and flows effortlessly with a great sense of purpose, always centered around Emile’s voice and masterful, mainly acoustic guitar playing. He is backed by a small ensemble of selected musicians and blackbirds singing the sun down. The lyrics reflect an unpretentious cosmic consciousness, simply marveling at existence as it is. Spirit about connection with our surroundings, with nature and the universe. There is beauty in transformation too, Emile reminds us. Spirit is a different album from a different singer-songwriter. It is both surrealistic and easy to understand, accomplished and untamed, light and heavy — like the passing of time.

Spirit is the second album by Danish-French Emile, otherwise known from the acid rock band The Sonic Dawn. On this new solo effort, Emile unfolds a new and exciting side of his songwriting. Each song ebbs and flows effortlessly with a great sense of purpose, always centered around Emile’s voice and masterful, mainly acoustic guitar playing. He is backed by a small ensemble of selected musicians and blackbirds singing the sun down. The lyrics reflect an unpretentious cosmic consciousness, simply marveling at existence as it is. Spirit about connection with our surroundings, with nature and the universe. There is beauty in transformation too, Emile reminds us. Spirit is a different album from a different singer-songwriter. It is both surrealistic and easy to understand, accomplished and untamed, light and heavy — like the passing of time.

’Hot Thoughts’’ is the bravest, most sonically inventive work of Spoon’s career. With all due respect to earlier efforts that have made the quintet both critically acclaimed and a commercial contender, preconceptions about this band are about to be obliterated. That’s not to say ‘Hot Thoughts’ doesn’t have a requisite supply of infectious earworms but there’s a lyrical bent that’s as carnal as it’s crafty, and a newfound sense of sonic exploration that results in the genresmasher Spoon have flirted with in the past but not fully consummated.
Co-produced by Spoon and Dave Fridmann and reunited with Matador (third time’s the charm), let's acknowledge that Britt Daniel’s spot in the pantheon of rock’s genius songwriters was well established a ways back, but with the crackling, incandescent, multi-dimensional backdrop conjured on ‘Hot Thoughts’, the lines between accessible and experimental become non-factors for once and all. It’s pop as high art, delivered with total confidence and focus.

’Hot Thoughts’’ is the bravest, most sonically inventive work of Spoon’s career. With all due respect to earlier efforts that have made the quintet both critically acclaimed and a commercial contender, preconceptions about this band are about to be obliterated. That’s not to say ‘Hot Thoughts’ doesn’t have a requisite supply of infectious earworms but there’s a lyrical bent that’s as carnal as it’s crafty, and a newfound sense of sonic exploration that results in the genresmasher Spoon have flirted with in the past but not fully consummated.
Co-produced by Spoon and Dave Fridmann and reunited with Matador (third time’s the charm), let's acknowledge that Britt Daniel’s spot in the pantheon of rock’s genius songwriters was well established a ways back, but with the crackling, incandescent, multi-dimensional backdrop conjured on ‘Hot Thoughts’, the lines between accessible and experimental become non-factors for once and all. It’s pop as high art, delivered with total confidence and focus.

Pozi are the sort of band to tackle the creative cycle of deconstruction and rebuilding with relish. Second album Smiling Pools is testament to that. An LP that sees them at their most expansive yet, it follows a gradual swelling of their sound across two EPs proceeding the urgent, self-enforced minimalism of their debut album PZ1 in 2019. The trio of Toby Burroughs, Rosa Brook, and Tom Jones quickly established something of a foundational template on that first album: a hyper-skeletal sound palette of drums, bass and three distinct vocals disrupted by Rosa"s churning violins, from which emerged biting social observations and political angst - debut single and angry retort to the 2017 Grenfell tragedy Kctmo still takes pride of place in their live set. These hallmarks haven"t fully gone away over time but from that urgent energy there has emerged greater confidence and a playful desire to push further out from the loose genre tag of post-punk they were initially saddled with.

"We continue down the wormhole of hard rock, heavy psych, and proto-metal here on The Third Trip with a set of tunes so obscure they can't be seen without a third eye. Most of these tracks were recorded in shack-sized studios, privately pressed for promotional purposes, and tossed out like last night's half empties only to later be discovered to be half-full, if not overflowing with greatness. The majority of these tracks are from the good ol' US of A with two exceptions, Ash-labelmate New Zealanders, Chook, and the mighty Limeys, Factory. As they say, first is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the hairy chest. So take a shot of whiskey, shotgun a beer, and put some fuzz in between your nipples with the hairiest Trip you've taken yet. You won't be sorry you did."

"'Ravens' is the fourth release by electronic live trio N/UM, released by Positive Elevation, the newly launched sublabel of 577 Records, a record company with a nearly two-decade-long history of releasing groundbreaking free improvisation and experimental recordings. The four-track release is a marvel of playful ingenuity, balancing, with unwavering confidence, on the outer limits of the minimal house and techno spectrum while remaining loaded with dance floor appeal and teeming with energetic groove. The thematic material is in rich supply with ethereal vocal loops, uniquely hypnotic guitar work, driving melodic bass lines and percussive hooks and twists that stretch the imagination and shine through with energy and spontaneity that can only really come about in a live setting. Ravens is not a gradually conceived production, pasted together piece by piece, but rather the immediate burst of energy of a band, experienced instrumentalists turning their collective creativity and craft onto the realm of electronic music. There is an almost Perlon-Esque flair to the sound, although 'Ravens' very much carries its distinct fingerprint and steers miles clear of tired clichés and predictable formulae."

Repress of the 2019 reissued special marbled 180g vinyl version!"Odyshape" the second album by The Raincoats was originally released on Rough Trade Records in 1981. Remastered from original masters. "It was The Raincoats I related to most. They seemed like ordinary people playing extraordinary music. Music that was natural that made room for cohesion of personalities. They had enough confidence to be vulnerable and to be themselves without having to take on the mantle of male rock/punk rock aggression_or the typical female as sex symbol avec irony or sensationalism". (Kim Gordon, Sonic Youth,1993). "We just really loved what The Raincoats were doing - they were a really exciting band. I think the thing that was good about The Raincoats simply was that the tradition that they were playing in was their own and so they had an original voice. You couldn't ignore them - they were undeniably fascinating - the interplay between the two voices and the sound of the group was something original and that was what was exciting about them". (Geoff Travis, Rough Trade Records, February 2009)

If last year's "Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See" was the middle of the darkest night of the year, "Down The River Of Golden Dreams" is the earliest light of a morning that could either bring the first breeze of spring or a battalion of tornadoes. On it the band streches their wings, they shake off the fear and trepidation of the last record and try to look life in the face, emboldened by distorted blasts of Wurlitzer, guttural stabs of Hammond organ, urbane strings, and jaunty horns that cuold be the work of a shitfaced Canadian Brass. "Down The River Of Golden Dreams" combines with OKKERVIL's trademark melancholy a sense of drama and play at which the last album only hinted. It oozes the band's signature string-destroying folk-rock attack and umbilical chamber-pop swoon, but it also echoes the venomous cabaret of Jaques Brel, the off-kilter swagger of the FACES and Bob Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde" and the dusky balladry of Nick Cave. In addition, it displays a new confidence in frontman Will Sheff, whose concise, literary lyrics and emotionally direct delivery are rapidly distinguishing him as one of rock music's best new Songwriters.

2024 marks 10 years since the release of Perfume Genius" critically acclaimed album Too Bright (Matador). The third studio album by Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) marked a significant departure from his earlier work with its bold, avant-garde sound and introspective lyrics. The LP featured the standout single "Queen"- Hadreas" confrontational dissection of "gay panic" which Pitchfork said "sounds like triumph amid the pathetic relevancy of its subject matter in 2014." The song was jolt in the cultural discourse and has since become a fan-favorite. Hadreas grew up in Seattle, WA and started his music career in 2008. He put himself on the map with the release of debut album Learning in 2010 via long-time label home Matador Records, earning him widespread praise from music critics and fans around the world.The momentum only intensified with his subsequent albums, 2012"s Put Your Back N 2 It, and 2014"s Too Bright, which exhibited a massive leap forward in both production and confidence.

Two and a half decades into a career that's never delivered the stardom forecast by legions of champions, John Hiatt has settled into a niche that's about as comfortable as a maturing singer-songwriter could ask for. No longer a major-label priority, Hiatt has hooked up with the stalwart folk label Vanguard for his 15th release. Crossing Muddy Waters adroitly captures Hiatt's comfort and confidence. Not so much blues as blusey, Crossing Muddy Waters features 11 new Hiatt compositions, half of which feel instantly familiar. The rambunctious "Lift Up Every Stone" sounds a little like some of Tom Waits's more accessible recent efforts, while "Take It Down" is a love-lost lament that's as heavy as a foggy evening. Crossing Muddy Waters was cut in three days and features only two accompanists--the uncommonly sympathetic Davey Faragher and David Immerglück. Just goes to show that Hiatt moves just fine when he's not dragging a lot of added weight and heavy expectations behind him.

Nothing raises the spirit like the soaring guitars and evocative atmospheres of post-rock, and in the past 2 years we needed it more than ever: to be dragged out of the quicksand of apathy, to be reminded of what it means to feel alive_ Philadelphia-based fve-piece HIROE (pronounced `hero-way') deliver 5 stunning tracks that serve this purpose more than anything else we've heard this year.HIROE's architecture is built over the walls of sound created by the band's three guitarists Eric Kusanagi, T.J. Schilling, and Jef Dent, towering over the foundation of the huge sounding bass of Jill Paslier and the powerful drumming of Mike Norris. The larger-than-life sound of the band is forged by a carefully selected all-star line up of producers, their debut being recorded by Mario Quintero (Spotlights), mixed by Matt Bayles (Caspian, Mono, Russian Circles, Isis, Pelican) and mastered Will Yip (Caspian, Circa Survive)."We wanted to hold ourselves to a very high standard, so to sonically achieve our goals, we enlisted the help of Mario, Matt, and Will," explains Kusanagi, indicating that this is a production team HIROE will likely continue to employ in the future. "Mario was essentially another member of the band in the studio," continues Kusanagi. "They all brought their ideas to the table to help us achieve something greater than just recording a band in a room."Wrought is a work of a quality that is rare among debut albums, an album which epitomizes the original idea of the genre as described by Simon Reynolds in The Wire back in 1994. "Post-rock means using rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes, using guitars as facilitators of timbres and textures rather than rifs and power chords". Wrought is confdent, powerful and incredibly well-produced, combining the elegant, pretty side of post-rock staples like Pg.Lost, Mogwai and God Is An Astronaut with the heaviness of Deftones or Thrice.Somewhere within the soaring rifs and the crushing heaviness of Wrought lies a moment in which the listen...

Guitar and bass duo Gong Gong Gong charge out from Beijing's underground scene with a distinct vision and uncompromising sense of purpose. The duo taps into a wavelength uniting musical cultures, drawing on inspirations as wide-ranging as Bo Diddley, Cantonese opera, West African desert blues, drone, and electronic music. Despite the band's decision to eschew traditional rock percussion, on their debut LP Phantom Rythm, the locomotive chug of Tom Ng's guitar combines with Joshua Frank's thumping, harmonics-laden basslines to conjure an aura of ghostly snare hits and timpani overtones. Over Frank's enigmatic melodies, Ng sings in Cantonese, piecing together abstract tales of absurdity, doubt, desire, and lust. Synchronized to the point of near-telephathy, "the Gongs" use their minimalistic tools and idiosyncratic playing style to challenge the notions of rock n' roll and strip the form down to its bare essentials: rhythm, melody, and grit.

A longtime collaboration between Natalie Hoffmann (guitar) and Charlotte Watson (drums), Nots has evolved into its wildest incarnation yet. Now featuring Madison Farmer on bass and Alexandra Eastburn on synthesizer, the Memphis band follows up their first two singles on Goner Records with their guitar-driven, synth-laden debut LP. We Are Nots was put to tape over the summer by Doug Easley and arrives just in time to land a spot on your Top Ten of 2014. “There’s a constant post-mortem and excavation of the Memphis music underground by vultures of both the Euro and American varieties. Bands form, toil and scheme, mutate, play and record only to wither away in the seemingly unrelenting wall of indifference. Plod ahead a few years, label X or label Z discovers and excavates the musical rubble as much for autocratic as historic purposes. A gold star and a box of records to the winner.

Rocket is Philadelphia-based artist Alex G’s eighth full-length release—an assured statement that follows a slate of humble masterpieces, many of them self-recorded and self-released, stretching from 2010’s RACE to his 2015 Domino debut, Beach Music.

Amid the Rocket recording process, Alex made headlines for catching the attention of Frank Ocean, who asked him to play guitar on his two 2016 albums, Endless and Blonde. More than any stylistic cues, what Alex took from the experience was a newfound confidence in collaboration. Rocket wears this collaborative spirit proudly, and in its numerous contributors presents a restless sense of musical experimentation - effortlessly jumping from distorted sound collage to dreamy folk music to bouncing Americana.

Rocket illustrates a cohesive vision of contemporary American experience; the cast of characters that Alex G inhabits have fun, fall in love, develop obsessions, get in trouble, and—much like rockets themselves—ultimately they burn out. Alex, though, in a collection of songs that’s both his tightest and most adventurous, is poised only for the ascent.

I learned how to play music by ear, and just havent learned how to read music since, saysTallent. I would listen to the popular music of the day back then. My favorite was BuddyHolly. And I would mimic what he played on my cheap guitar.Step forward a few years later and Garry becomes a member of Bruce Springsteens The E Street BandIt wasnt until 2016 that Tallent decided to step out of his comfort zone and finally become hisown boss with the release of his first solo album, Break Time.He jokes that it took him 65 years to put the album together, and when asked about it, he seemsuneasy and looks away. When his gaze returns, so has his confidence and the realization thattheres no need to be anxious.Since Break Time, Garry has been working on his second solo release, More Like Me. More Like Me is Garrys homage to the sound of the mid-60s; the sounds he grew up and learned by ear on his cheap guitar. He hopes you like it.

There are songs that makes friends with anyone and do great at parties, doling out compliments left, right and center. And then there are those songs that just don’t seem to fit in, songs that knock over glasses and makes awkward comments to the host as they stubbornly refuse to adapt and adjust to whatever larger setting you needed them to work in; these are songs that seemingly insist on remaining outside your control no matter how many stylistic or production tricks you try to pull.

Usually, for a band such songs eventually fall by the wayside, are left behind or butchered for parts a few years later. But sometimes quite a few of them show up at the door, at the same time, unruly & ready to shake things up a bit. Sometimes there is trouble.

These are the songs that makes up Neigh!!* Not merely a companion piece to last year’s Yay!, not a collection of B-sides or simply leftovers from that same period, but a reaction, a party for those not invited to parties, consisting of troubled, sometimes weirdly clothed outcasts that refused to go away and instead languidly found their place in the post-plague world while the tunes from Yay! were being pampered and sing-along’ed by band and fans alike.

So, then, it’s not a Nay! These songs care not that the band didn’t notice their potential at first. They know who they are, what their purpose is and what they’re capable of. They proudly wear their ‘lo-fi/no-fi’ and ‘recorded in rehearsal room/home studio’ as embroidered patches on jackets you only now realize are pretty cool. Granted, they had a tough upbringing, some of them come from broken homes and they learned the hard way to ‘Turn a frown upside down’, but here they are, together + strong!

Neigh!! is an album of ‘songs that won’t fit on an album’ – the non-concept of all concepts – a home for strays and runaways perhaps, but more importantly a bunch of tunes Motorpsycho are finally happy with, that found their purpose and now have a home: songs that the band are proud to finally being able to present to the world.

- Dr. Th. Kneipp

(Abbey Road master but in the original sleeve) When the mysterious masked collective calling themselves Goat first emerged in 2012, armed with an incendiary debut album ‘World Music’ – there was, and there still isn’t, anyone else on earth quite like them. With their enticing mythology, music full of sinuous grooves and manic explosions of fuzz, Goat were outliers from the very beginning. ‘World Music’, received an avalanche of acclaim with critics, psych heads, outernational crate diggers etc, all left enraptured by its thunderous intensity, conjured from a singular mix of sounds from across the globe. ‘World Music’ is brimming with tracks now seen as ‘classic’ Goat live favourites. Tracks that have been wowing audiences all over the world; the afrobeat stomp of ‘Disco Fever’, the fuzz abuse of ‘Goathead’, the post-punk groove of ‘Let it Bleed’, the sing-along repetitive pop of ‘Run to your Mama’... From the first note to the last, ‘World Music’ oozes with a sonic confidence rarely seen on a debut album. What Goat have is unique – they’ve managed to create a sound unrestrained by genre or any other boundaries. So if you haven’t done so already, then it is now time you joined the Goat commune. (Abbey Road master but in the original sleeve) When the mysterious masked collective calling themselves Goat first emerged in 2012, armed with an incendiary debut album ‘World Music’ – there was, and there still isn’t, anyone else on earth quite like them. With their enticing mythology, music full of sinuous grooves and manic explosions of fuzz, Goat were outliers from the very beginning. ‘World Music’, received an avalanche of acclaim with critics, psych heads, outernational crate diggers etc, all left enraptured by its thunderous intensity, conjured from a singular mix of sounds from across the globe. ‘World Music’ is brimming with tracks now seen as ‘classic’ Goat live favourites. Tracks that have been wowing audiences all over the world; the afrobeat stomp of ‘Disco Fever’, the fuzz abuse of ‘Goathead’, the post-punk groove of ‘Let it Bleed’, the sing-along repetitive pop of ‘Run to your Mama’... From the first note to the last, ‘World Music’ oozes with a sonic confidence rarely seen on a debut album. What Goat have is unique – they’ve managed to create a sound unrestrained by genre or any other boundaries. So if you haven’t done so already, then it is now time you joined the Goat commune.

‘The Last of the 20th Century Girls’ is the storied second album from London-based artist Findlay - a full-fledged offering born of a personal journey that sees her at her most open, transparent, and introspective yet, drawing upon her own personal experiences since the release of full-length 2017 debut ‘Forgotten Pleasures’. With complex, fully-realised themes ranging from grief and loss to the struggle of losing and re-building one’s confidence, through to the challenges and pitfalls of the past couple of years, all serve to inspire a range of tracks across the album.

Mastered by five-time Grammy award winning engineer Antoine ‘Chab’ Chabert (Daft Punk, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sebastien Tellier) and self-described as a “late coming of age story”, drenched in nostalgia, melancholy and the kind of strange experiences only a misunderstood millennial could have; the album effortlessly blends a diverse melting pot of breezy alt-indie, psychedelic pop, dreamy lo-fi chill, indie-rock and expansive cinematic sounds. It’s Findlay at her genre-melting finest, and a sharp, tasteful insight into her unique artistic psyche; a perfect representation of her impeccable alternative sound.

‘The Last of the 20th Century Girls’ is the storied second album from London-based artist Findlay - a full-fledged offering born of a personal journey that sees her at her most open, transparent, and introspective yet, drawing upon her own personal experiences since the release of full-length 2017 debut ‘Forgotten Pleasures’. With complex, fully-realised themes ranging from grief and loss to the struggle of losing and re-building one’s confidence, through to the challenges and pitfalls of the past couple of years, all serve to inspire a range of tracks across the album.

Mastered by five-time Grammy award winning engineer Antoine ‘Chab’ Chabert (Daft Punk, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sebastien Tellier) and self-described as a “late coming of age story”, drenched in nostalgia, melancholy and the kind of strange experiences only a misunderstood millennial could have; the album effortlessly blends a diverse melting pot of breezy alt-indie, psychedelic pop, dreamy lo-fi chill, indie-rock and expansive cinematic sounds. It’s Findlay at her genre-melting finest, and a sharp, tasteful insight into her unique artistic psyche; a perfect representation of her impeccable alternative sound.

‘The Last of the 20th Century Girls’ is the storied second album from London-based artist Findlay - a full-fledged offering born of a personal journey that sees her at her most open, transparent, and introspective yet, drawing upon her own personal experiences since the release of full-length 2017 debut ‘Forgotten Pleasures’. With complex, fully-realised themes ranging from grief and loss to the struggle of losing and re-building one’s confidence, through to the challenges and pitfalls of the past couple of years, all serve to inspire a range of tracks across the album.

Mastered by five-time Grammy award winning engineer Antoine ‘Chab’ Chabert (Daft Punk, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sebastien Tellier) and self-described as a “late coming of age story”, drenched in nostalgia, melancholy and the kind of strange experiences only a misunderstood millennial could have; the album effortlessly blends a diverse melting pot of breezy alt-indie, psychedelic pop, dreamy lo-fi chill, indie-rock and expansive cinematic sounds. It’s Findlay at her genre-melting finest, and a sharp, tasteful insight into her unique artistic psyche; a perfect representation of her impeccable alternative sound.

You’ve Changed Records presents a special limited edition first-ever vinyl pressing of Julianna Riolino’s debut EP “J.R.”. Previously available only through digital channels, J.R. predates her 2022 breakthrough full-length “All Blue”, feted by the New York Times, Pitchfork, Uncut, and NPRs Mountain Stage, among many, many others, as well as Julianna’s stint in Daniel Romano’s Outfit. For the most part, J.R. omits the county, americana, and folk influences heard on All Blue though there is a shock of recognition in the always surprising power and pure tone of her voice. Rich in melody and early confidence, Julianna Riolino here draws from classic girl-group pop and contemporary indie while establishing a characteristic song-writing template of interpreting foundational texts and iconography to portray uniquely personal experiences and emotional truths. “It’s like it’s who you are before you grow more” she says of J.R. now. It’s an important step in the formation of an important and thrilling artist, and one of today’s greatest singers.

You’ve Changed Records presents a special limited edition first-ever vinyl pressing of Julianna Riolino’s debut EP “J.R.”. Previously available only through digital channels, J.R. predates her 2022 breakthrough full-length “All Blue”, feted by the New York Times, Pitchfork, Uncut, and NPRs Mountain Stage, among many, many others, as well as Julianna’s stint in Daniel Romano’s Outfit. For the most part, J.R. omits the county, americana, and folk influences heard on All Blue though there is a shock of recognition in the always surprising power and pure tone of her voice. Rich in melody and early confidence, Julianna Riolino here draws from classic girl-group pop and contemporary indie while establishing a characteristic song-writing template of interpreting foundational texts and iconography to portray uniquely personal experiences and emotional truths. “It’s like it’s who you are before you grow more” she says of J.R. now. It’s an important step in the formation of an important and thrilling artist, and one of today’s greatest singers.

Since the inception of Anxious in 2016, the band has always acted with purpose. This may seem like a simple premise, but for five kids still in high school at the time, it's quite an accomplishment. Early songs were packaged in limited run demo tapes with accompanying zines and hand-dyed t-shirts. Weekends were filled with regional runs of shows outside of their Fairfield, Connecticut homebase. With this amount of effort it's no wonder that within a few years of graduation, Anxious has built a solid foundation for their debut album to flourish upon.On Little Green House, Anxious explores what it feels like to enter adulthood in unflinching detail. The Connecticut band unpacks struggles, joys, and hard-earned realizations in a way that makes them feel wise beyond their years. Anthemic songs like lead single "In April" and guaranteed sing-along "Growing Up Song" thread the often difficult melodic-hardcore needle in a way that feels both nostalgic for the emo renaissance of yesteryear and precisely built for the current moment of genre defiant pioneering.

Crack Cloud’s new album Tough Baby is both a clarion call and a life-manual for the listener. Unsurprisingly, it is a record with purpose and resolve. Nothing is wasted. Sometimes the music feels deliberately compressed, the essences extracted and bottled into an overpowering cordial, as on ‘115 At Night’, which sounds like an ‘80s Van Halen track being squeezed into another shape. And it’s difficult to see how a track like ‘Virtuous Industry’ can hold itself together, such are the sonic hoops it jumps through. The sharp angles and hook-laden guitar lines that were once seen as a trademark sound are less in evidence. Last track ‘Crackin Up’ does nod back to earlier releases with a booming beat and guitars that snag, like wool on barbed wire. Tough Baby contains music to think to, music with which to educate, agitate and organise. Zach Choy: “The name Tough Baby is an allusion to our Planet. To our Culture. And to our Selves.” It’s made to remind us that whilst we are all in the gutter to some extent, some of us are looking at the kerb.

Since the inception of Anxious in 2016, the band has always acted with purpose. This may seem like a simple premise, but for five kids still in high school at the time, it's quite an accomplishment. Early songs were packaged in limited run demo tapes with accompanying zines and hand-dyed t-shirts. Weekends were filled with regional runs of shows outside of their Fairfield, Connecticut homebase. With this amount of effort it's no wonder that within a few years of graduation, Anxious has built a solid foundation for their debut album to flourish upon.On Little Green House, Anxious explores what it feels like to enter adulthood in unflinching detail. The Connecticut band unpacks struggles, joys, and hard-earned realizations in a way that makes them feel wise beyond their years. Anthemic songs like lead single "In April" and guaranteed sing-along "Growing Up Song" thread the often difficult melodic-hardcore needle in a way that feels both nostalgic for the emo renaissance of yesteryear and precisely built for the current moment of genre defiant pioneering.

Molly Burch Was Exposed To The Arts At An Early Age. Growing Up In La With A Writer/Producer Father And A Casting Director Mother, Burch's Childhood Was Filled With Old Hollywood Musicals And The Sounds Of Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday And Nina Simone. After Finding Her Voice In Adolescence, Burch Packed Up For The Unc In Asheville To Study Jazz Vocal Performance. "I Was Always Really Interested In Singing Before Songwriting. I Didn't Always Have The Confidence To Write," Molly Says, "Initially It Was More About Finding The Right Songs To Complement My Voice." And That Voice Is The First Thing You'll Notice On Burch's Debut Album. It's Smoky, With An Incredible Range, Evocative Of Her Influences. Searching For A Bigger Pond, Burch Moved To Austin, Texas. There, She Began To Write Her Own Music In Earnest, With The Lovelorn Everly Brothers And Sam Cooke As Her Guides. Motivated By An Hourly Studio Rate, Burch Recorded All Basic Tracks And Vocals Live In One Ro Om And In One Day, With Minimal Overdubs Happening Later. A Difficult Task For Any Talented Musician, It Becomes More Mind-Blowing When You Hear Her Belt It On Tracks Like "Downhearted" And "I Love You Still."

Emma Ruth Rundle's Engine of Hell is stark, intimate, and unflinching. For anyone that's endured trauma and grief, there's a beautiful solace in hearing Rundle articulate and humanize that particular type of pain not only with her words, but with her particular mysterious language of melody and timbre. The album captures a moment where a masterful songwriter strips away all flourishes and embellishments in order to make every note and word hit with maximum impact, leaving little to hide behind. "I really wanted to capture imperfection and the vulnerability of my humanity," Rundle says of the album's sonic approach. "Here are some very personal songs; here are my memories; here is me teetering on the very edge of sanity dipping my toe into the outer reaches of space and I'm taking you with me and it's very fucked up and imperfect.'" Emma Ruth Rundle has always been a multifaceted musician, equally capable of dreamy abstraction (as heard on her album Electric Guitar: One), maximalist textural explorations (see her work in Marriages, Red Sparowes, Nocturnes or collaborations with Chelsea Wolfe and Thou), and the classic singer-songwriter tradition (exemplified by Some Heavy Ocean). But on Engine of Hell, Rundle has opted to forego the full-band arrangements of her previous albums in favor of the austerity of a lone piano or guitar and her voice, which creates a kind of intimacy, as if we're sitting beside Rundle on a bench, or perhaps even playing the songs ourselves. It's an extremely up-close and personal confessional with a focus on the rich subtleties and timbre of Rundle's graceful performances. "For me this album is the end of an era to the end of a decade of making records. Things DO have to change and have changed for me since I finished recording it." In essence, Engine of Hell signifies a major turning point for Rundle as both an artist and as a person. The catharsis of this type of songwriting has effectively served its purpose, and to continue ruminating on the past going forward is less of a healing process and more like picking at a scab and refusing to let it heal. This may help explain why Rundle is less than enthusiastic about divulging the details about her muses, but it doesn't alter the fact that these songs served a purpose in their creation, and that they may continue to bring comfort to others. Limited numbers of copies of limited Silver Vinyl available - absolutely exclusively for Indie retail only! :)

Stella Donnelly is a proud, self-proclaimed shit-stirrer. On lead single "Old Man," the biting opener of her electrifying debut album, `Beware of the Dogs,' she targets the song's titular creep, "Oh are you scared of me old man or are you scared of what I'll do? You grabbed me with an open hand. The world is grabbing back at you." When something needs to be said, whether it's to an abusive man, a terrible boss, or a clueless significant other, the 26-year old Fremantle, Western Australia-based musician is fearless in telling it like it is. Delivered entirely with a sarcastic wink and a full heart, `Beware of the Dogs' proves across 13 life-affirming songs the power in sticking up for yourself, your friends, and what's right.The album showcases an artist totally in command of her voice, able to wield her inviting charm and razor-sharp wit into authentically raw songs. It's a resounding statement of purpose in recent memory and most importantly, it's a portrait of Donnelly taking charge. She says, "this album made me...

Returning with the second and final installment in the doom-laden The Exuviae Of Gods EP series, Part II once again contains two never-heard brand new Mournful Congregation tracks and a re-recording of an old classic from the band’s ’90s demo era.

The EP opens with “Heads Bowed,” which the most fanatical Mournful Congregation fans will recognize from their An Epic Dream Of Desire demo from 1995, now given new life through the eyes and ears of decades of extreme doom songcraft and studio-work. After that look back, “The Forbidden Abysm” and the side-long “The Paling Crest” remind one how far Mournful Congregation have come, and yet remain as true to their original purpose as ever. Like the previous EP, artwork is once again handled by Karmazid, bringing the monadic into the dyadic. Thus perfecting the natural order of primordial principles…

And so concludes the dual-pillar compendium of devouring gloom and exaltation that is The Exuviae Of Gods. A balm to quiet the restless spirit as the world awaits the inevitable birth of the years-in-the-making sixth Mournful Congregation album.

Under 1 House is the blazing new mixtape from Blue Hawaii - a six track tour-de-force showcasing the duo's trademark blend of liquid beats, dance-floor euphoria, and soaring diva-vocals.Under 1 House was written during Blue Hawaii's 2019 North American and European tours, and recorded at a wood cabin in rural Québec. Finding each other trapped on different sides of the Atlantic, the record was then finished over long-distance between Montreal and Berlin due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. This music is dedicated to the spirit of togetherness. Unity achieved through confidence, in the seductive redemption of one's own sexuality, finding power in feelin' one's self. Under 1 House honours the magnetism of impulse and first takes. This flow can be found in the brooding, early Warp Records reminiscent "Where are the Keys???", the sub-heavy, lustful organ groove of "Feelin'", the lo-fi high energy "I Felt Love" or the chanting of "I'm my own damn woman" during the screeched ending of "Not my Boss!". Blue Hawaii have been around for a decade, having released 3 full length albums and two EPs to date. Consisting of Ra and Ag, the duo met throwing parties and shows in Montreal and continue to create together despite living in separate cities - split between Montreal and Berlin.

"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig" reasoned George Bernard Shaw. "You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." True to form, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs have left the wiser of us aware that they are no band to be messed with. This is made manifest on 'Viscerals', their third proper, and an enormous leap forward in confidence, adventure and sheer intensity even from their 2018 breakthrough 'King Of Cowards'. Incisive in its riff-driven attack, infectiously catchy in its songcraft and more intrepid than ever in its experimental approach, 'Viscerals' is the sound of a leaner, more vicious Pigs, and one with their controls set way beyond the pulverising one-riff workouts of their early days. Yet Pigsx7 have effortlessly broadened their horizons and dealt with all these new avenues without sacrificing one iota of their trademark eccentricity, and the personality of this band has never been stronger, whether on the Sabbathian and philosophical warcry of 'Reducer', the debauched, Jane's Addiction-tinged swagger of 'Rubbernecker', the Melvins vs Sonic Youth demoltion derby of 'New Body' or even the demented MBV-meets-Twisted-Sister party-banger from hell that is 'Crazy In Blood'. "We're a peculiar bunch of people - a precarious balance of passion, intensity and the absurd" notes vocalist Matt Baty. Such is the unstoppable character of this unique and ever-porcine outfit; still the hungriest animals at the rock trough.

Running With The Hurricane finds Camp Cope on the other side of a storm. The third LP from Melbourne trio Georgia Maq, Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich and Sarah Thompson is about what happens after chaos hits; when you've walked through the fire and come out stronger, calmer and happier than ever before. The band's last album, 2018's How To Socialise And Make Friends, put Camp Cope under an intense spotlight. That release allowed the trio to say what they needed to but both professionally and in their personal lives, they're in a very different place this time around. On Running With The Hurricane, Maq (songwriter, vocals, piano, acoustic & electric guitar), Hellmrich (bass guitar) and Thompson (drums) are older, wiser and happier. It's an album that is gentler than what they have done before, more positive and more at peace with the universe. Because as Georgia Maq sings on the album's title track, sometimes "The only way out is up". While the Big Stuff of this album is all about growth, overcoming and pushing through the pain, the little details are still quintessentially Camp Cope. Running With The Hurricane reflects on faltered romances, secret crushes and vibrating with the confidence that makes you feel like you're on fire. It's about taking comfort in knowing who you are, feeling yourself and returning, always, to the city of Melbourne.