Posted: by The Editor
The Alternative Weekly Roundup is a column where our staff plugs a variety of new releases in a concise, streamlined format. Albums, singles, videos, and live sets. Check back each Monday to see what we were jamming the week prior.
Dogbreth – “Valley of the Moon”
Arizona’s indie-rock/jangle-pop band Dogbreth’s single “Valley of the Moon” is a laid-back tune full of sonic waves and twangy electric guitars. Feeling like one just bottled up the hazy deserts of their home state, the song waxes and wanes through its runtime under tender vocals that make you want to take a long drive to cleanse your mind. And if you need more of that, Dogbreth recently released their newest album Believe This Rain that features nothing but dusky landscapes.
Hope Ankney | @hope_ankleknee
Sparing – “I Couldn’t Agree Less”
There was a bit of Smashing Pumpkins in the guitar work on Sparing’s Old Dreams EP from last year, but that’s gone now. In press materials the band points to turn-of-the-century Drive-Thru artists like Allister and The Movielife as influences, and that strand of melodic skate punk comes through clearly on “I Couldn’t Agree Less.” For a modern reference point, fans of the more tuneful moments on Anxious’ Little Green House will swoon over the track, the first single from the North Carolina band’s upcoming No Room Left to Grow EP.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Well Wisher – “29”
I really love Well Wisher’s melodic, raw version of punk. They would easily fit on a bill with PUP or Superchunk and I can’t stop singing along to their new single “29.” Songwriter Natalie Newbold talks of the song’s origins, saying, “What started as an analysis of a five minute phone call became a reframing of what is most important to me. I was caught up with so many preconceived notions about where I “should have been” at 29 years old that I was totally disregarding the present.” I think we all need to learn that lesson at some point.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Foreign Hands – “Chlorine Tears”
Foreign Hands has followed up their excellent Bleed the Dream EP from this past February with perhaps their best song yet. “Chlorine Tears” perfects the band’s throwback metalcore, a more dynamic, more melodic, and more punishing single than anything they’ve done before.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Shutups – “Televised Hit & Run”
Shutups are one of the most exciting new bands I’ve heard in a while. Somehow managing to make power pop-prog-rock work, they’re as good at making songs catchy as they are at making them noisy and heavy. This is a band that I recommend keeping an ear on. Plus they get turned into Sims-like characters in the music video for their new single “Televised Hit & Run.”
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Kit Major – “Rot Ur Mind”
Rising dark-pop artist Kit Major just dropped her newest single “Rot Ur Mind,” and it is a grunge-pop lover’s paradise about our reliance on technology. Combining nostalgic rock and pop-punk, the track packs a punch through the heat of its guitars and drums as Kit’s moody vocals barrel to an anthemic chorus. It’s a good one to shout along to in the car–or anywhere really. If you like MUNA, you’re gonna dig Kit Major.
Hope Ankney | @hope_ankleknee
Babehoven – “I’m On Your Team”
“I’m On Your Team,” the lead single off Babehoven’s Light Moving Time, perfects the folksy indie rock sound they cultivated on their Sunk EP earlier this year. It’s a gorgeous track, the culmination of everything they’ve done til now, and there’s no doubt Light Moving Time won’t be a masterpiece.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Mallbangs – “New Face”
Mallbangs’ single “New Face” is a welcome mix of indie pop and fuzzy distortion. Written about a friend who passed away from drug addiction, it is immediately catchy and chaotic at the same time. I’m looking forward to their new EP, which drops on 10/14.
Jami Fowler | @audiocurio
Max Gowan – “Guardian”
Max Gowan’s music has a lot in common with indie darlings like Death Cab or Pedro the Lion, or the latest MJ Lenderman record. “Guardian” is the most upbeat moment on his upcoming Glossolalia, a record that’s sure to blow away fans of any of the above projects.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Alternative’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist
Each week our editor Lindsy Carrasquillo compiles a playlist of songs our staff has been jamming. We’ll post it on Fridays on Twitter and then include it in each edition of the ‘Weekly Roundup’ to make sure you don’t miss all of the great music we’re recommending.
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