Richard X Heyman Copious NotesTurn-Up Records [2021] Richard X Heyman, like most power-pop artists who came of age in the 80’s, draws on earlier generations for influences, most obviously the Beatles and British Invasion bands, LA sound bands like the Byrds, and pop songwriters from folk, R&B, and Motown. Starting out as a drummer in … Read more
The MurlocsBittersweet DemonsATO/Flightless Records [2021] Melbourne-based five-piece The Murlocs always will be tagged with an asterisk that describes them as having two members of the ever growing popular King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Those two members are lead singer/guitarist/harmonica player Ambrose Kenny-Smith and bassist Cook Craig but the Murlocs have plenty of other talent … Read more
Fronted by Rick Froberg (Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes) The Obits traveled to Australia in 2012 between their second and third LP’s for Sub Pop and recorded this LP at their show in Brisbane. Die at the Zoo is a 12 track LP (that comes with a digital download card for the full 16 song … Read more
Other You is the sixth studio album by American singer Steve Gunn that will be released August 27th on Matador. Recorded during two visits to Los Angeles in late 2020 and early 2021, the album was made with veteran producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Cass McCombs, Kurt Vile) at his Mant Studios alongside musician … Read more
Danny Elfman Big MessANTI-/Epitaph Records [2021] Rarely has an artist captured the tone and energy of their recording project as accurately and succinctly as Danny Elfman does here in the album title Big Mess. Of course, Elfman is best known of late as the composer of music scores for over a 100 films going all … Read more
The Mountain Goats Dark In HereMerge Records [2021] It’s hard off the top of my head to imagine a more prolific and talented songwriter currently working today than John Darnielle, the creative talent at the heart of The Mountain Goats. (Bill Mallonee is the only other contender that comes to mind.) But of course, quantity … Read more
If you read TFN, then you already know Tim Easton is one of our favorite singer-songwriters. Our following goes way back to his Ohio days but the now Nashville-based Easton just recently announced his tenth solo album, You Don’t Really Know Me which is set for release via Black Mesa Records on August 27th. The … Read more
Tod Lippy · More In Common Tod Lippy is probably best-known as the creator of the award-winning arts journal, ESOPUS (called “a thing of lavish, eccentric beauty” by The New York Times in 2004), where he worked with the likes of Jenny Holzer, Jens Lekman, Karl Ove Knausgaard, and Kerry James Marshall. The multidisciplinary publication … Read more
Garbage No Gods No MastersStunvolume/Infectious Music [2021] Ever since Garbage came out of the box in 1995, the band – boasting Scottish front woman Shirley Manson and oft-lauded producer Butch Vig on drums – has created edgy alternative rock by wedding techno and electronic influences with dance-y, trip-hop rhythms and smart, crunchy power pop melodic … Read more
Australia’s Tropical Fuck Storm have announced their new album, Deep States, out August 20th on Joyful Noise Recordings. The lead single/video “G.A.F.F.” buzzes with urgent vocals, bursts of intricate guitar and bass, and sharp lyrics. The band elaborates: “‘Give A Fuck Fatigue” is an ode to the occasional dispassion brought about by the mandatory concern … Read more
Today TFN is giving you a preview of the debut album from Chicago’s Routine Faces. The quartet’s forthcoming album, Us Vs. Them, officially hits the digital airwaves this Friday June 25th. As you will hear below, the record brings a clean production that walks through several genre doors that includes synth, pop, Americana and indie … Read more
Edmonton’s Real Sickies have just released a brand new video for “Communication Breakdown”. This is the latest single ahead of their official album launch for Love Is For Lovers which will be out on July 9th via Montreal’s Stomp Records. The track is a catchy slice of punk rock but the video is a riot. … Read more
Today’s premiere track is from the Georgia-based singer-songwriter Ben Bostick. “Different Woman” is the first single from his forthcoming record Grown Up Love which is due for release on August 20th. What was once going to be a new record of portraits became a collection of love songs to help his wife and him endure … Read more
Black River Delta Shakin’SofaBurn Records [2021] After a couple of listens to the hardcore blues rock of Black River Delta’s third album, Shakin’, you’d likely be surprised to learn that this band doesn’t come from the southern U.S., or even Ohio like the similar sounding Black Keys, but is actually comprised of a quartet from … Read more
Last year TFN highlighted Lakes in our Artists of the Week feature. We are happy to see the Watford based six-piece ensemble prepping for the release of their new album Start Again which will out on July 30th via Know Hope Records (US), Big Scary Monsters (UK) and Friend Of Mine Records (Japan). The new … Read more
Primus’ 1989 debut, Suck on This, was a barrel of funk-metal fun that set Les Claypool and Co. on a path to dominate the weird side of metal for years to come. Recorded at a live gig in Berkeley, California, just two months after the band formed, Suck on This exists today as a document … Read more
HelvetiaPortland, Oregon Helvetia is the solo project of Jason Albertini (Duster, Built To Spill) and their new album, Essential Aliens, marks the groups 10th album. The songs on Essential Aliens were recorded over the last year in Jason’s basement which has given this batch of tracks a very lo-fi and intimate delivery. Even though Helvetia … Read more
Smile Machine – the solo project of Jordyn Blakely (Stove, Bartees Strange, Maneka) is set to release her debut, Bye For Now, on July 16th via Exploding In Sound Records (Floatie, Editrix, Thirdface). Having spent a decade playing drums within the Brooklyn DIY community, today Blakely shares her first Smile Machine single, “Shit Apple”. Speaking … Read more
PardonerCame Down DifferentBar/None Records [2021] It is not hard to look around to find indie rock but it’s always exciting to find an album that takes it to the next level. That is the one line I would use to describe San Francisco’s Pardoner and their third LP, Came Down Different. The band takes a … Read more
The Umbrellas have shared their new single/video “She Buys Herself Flowers” and announced their self-titled debut LP. The Umbrellas is due out on August 6th, 2021 via Slumberland Records. The band explains the meaning behind the single & video:“’She Buys Herself Flowers’ is about finding value and worth in oneself instead of dwelling on what … Read more
Liz Phair SoberishChrysalis Records [2021] When Liz Phair’s debut album, Exile In Guyville, was released in 1993, she was a critic’s darling and an indie rock superhero for her gutsy lyrical bravado. While the album was a modest commercial success, it was named the number one album of that year by Spin Magazine and the … Read more
TFN is excited today to premiere the latest track from Baton Rouge’s Spllit. “Amite River” is the title track from their forthcoming LP, which is out July 30th on one of our favorite labels – Feel It Records! The band consists of duo Urq and Marance and they really think outside of the box here … Read more
Grave Flowers Bongo Band Strength Of SpringCastle Face Records [2021] When Grave Flowers Bongo Band’s debut album Flower Pot came out on L.A.’s Permanent Records in 2018, it was something of an anomaly. It was different from the usual garage and psych records Permanent puts out (like Frankie and the Witch Fingers, among others), and … Read more
Lucy Dacus presents “VBS,” a new single/video from her forthcoming album, Home Video, out June 25th on Matador Records. Like the previously released “Hot & Heavy” and “Thumbs,” “VBS” starts the way a memoir might – “In the summer of ‘07 I was sure I’d go to heaven, but I was hedging my bets at … Read more
Flanafi With Ape SchoolPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania The Knees Start To Go is the new album from the combined effort of Flanafi and Ape School. Flanafi is the musical disguise of one Simon Martinez, young guitarist who has played with artists including Jazmine Sullivan, Marsha Ambrosious, Kiefer and Boiled’s own Pulgas. Ape School is the occasional recurrence … Read more