Musician and visual artist Kim Gordon returns with her second solo album, The Collective, which will be released March 8th on Matador. Its lead track, “Bye Bye,” is out now, driven by a snaking bassline which guides us through a haunting packing list. Gordon will also play six live shows around The Collective’s arrival, beginning March 21 in Burlington, Vt. (full list … Read more
The VaccinesPick-Up Full Of Pink CarnationsThirty Tigers [2024] Album Overview: The Vaccines have released their sixth studio album, Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations, produced by Andrew Wells (known for his work with Phoebe Bridgers and Kaiser Chiefs) and marks the band’s first album without original guitarist Freddie Cowan. The album delves into the disappointments of … Read more
Khruangbin have returned with the announcement of A LA SALA or “To the Room” in Spanish — the band’s fourth studio album and first LP in four years out April 5th on Dead Oceans in partnership with Night Time Stories Ltd. Also out today is lead single “A Love International” illustrating the reflective, celebratory nature of A LA … Read more
Bay Area post-punk outfit Topographies will deliver their sophomore LP, Interior Spring, via Dark Entries on Feb. 2, 2024. Formed in 2018 in San Francisco by Justin Oronos, Jeremie Ruest, and Gray Tolhurst, Topographies link the icy riffs and gloomy atmosphere of early coldwave with the textural depth and warmth of classic shoegaze, emerging with a style … Read more
Dirtnap Records recently announced the debut LP from O-D-EX, the new project from Mark Ryan of Mind Spiders and The Marked Men, and now they are back with a new single from the LP. Mark Ryan’s O-D-EX is a new take for the musician best known for Mind Spiders and The Marked Men. Harsh digital synthesizers … Read more
SPRINTSLetter To SelfCity Slang [2024] Album Overview: Dublin’s four-piece SPRINTS just released their debut full-length, Letter To Self, on January 5th. The record is filled with brooding and building guitar rock that exhibits both intensity and unrelenting passion. Musical Style: Brutally mixing rhythms and sounds, SPRINTS captures your ear with rhythmic tracks that build and … Read more
Waxahatchee, the solo project of Alabama-born and Kansas City-based Katie Crutchfield, is returning with her most confident and resilient album to date. Her first on new label home ANTI-, Tigers Blood, is available for pre-order now, and due March 22nd. Here we see Crutchfield emerge as a powerhouse – an ethnologist of the self – forever dedicated to revisiting her wins and losses. … Read more
February 2024 sees Ghost Funk Orchestra blast off into new territory on their fifth album, A Trip To The Moon. In just over a minute, Opening, the aptly titled first track, encapsulates a sense of what’s to come for those along for the adventure. Sci-fi synth waves build into the sophisticated sounds that saturated radios and hifi sets as … Read more
Ride returns with the news of their seventh studio album, Interplay, out March 29th via Wichita Recordings / PIAS. The new record is the Oxford four-piece’s third since reforming in 2014, having now been together longer in their current second phase than their original iteration as 90’s shoegaze pioneers. The announcement is accompanied by the … Read more
2023 was a great year in music! Solid release after solid release made this year’s list one of the hardest to put together in TFN’s 17-year history. The simple fact is that TFN receives hundreds of albums every year for review so it is never an easy task. In regards to our annual best-of list … Read more
At The Fire Note, our writers are the heart and soul of what we do. We want to give a big shout-out to these amazing folks (past and present) who pour their knowledge and love for music into every piece they write. The time and effort they put in consistently doesn’t go unnoticed by us … Read more
Car Seat HeadrestFaces From The MasqueradeMatador Records [2023] I remember seeing Will Toledo and Car Seat Headrest early on back in 2016, soon after Teens Of Denial was released. I recall them being very timid on stage. Fast forward to 2023, and Faces From The Masquerade showcases Car Seat Headrest playing three consecutive sold-out nights … Read more
Ken KaseKen Kase (EP)Self-Released [2023] This fast, fun power-pop 5-song EP from Ken Kase is a quick display of the kind of musical alchemy that the singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has been bringing to the St. Louis live music scene for 30 years. Kase has shown up in a variety of live music venues throughout his … Read more
MJ LendermanAnd The Wind (Live and Loose!)ANTI- [2023] This review should serve as a wake-up call to all our readers who have not yet embraced the excellent music of Asheville’s MJ Lenderman or his primary band, Wednesday. The new live album, And the Wind (Live and Loose!), is compiled from two sold-out summer 2023 shows … Read more
CatbellsPartly CloudySQFT Records [2023] Partly Cloudy is the full-length debut from the enigmatic female dream pop/folk rock artist who is most comfortable sharing her deepest, most intimate thoughts from behind her somewhat mysterious cat face mask. Most of the 13 tracks here are rooted very closely to simple acoustic guitar folk rock, with producer Billy … Read more
Wurld SeriesThe Giant’s LawnMeritorio Records [2023] Wurld Series hails from Christchurch, New Zealand, and The Giant’s Lawn is the group’s third LP. The history of that region is indie lore, with bands such as The Clean, The Chills, and other associated groups with the Flying Nun record label creating a musical scene characterized by jangly … Read more
Golden ApplesBananasugarfireLame-O Records [2023] Philadelphia’s Golden Apples’ latest album, Bananasugarfire, is a vibrant addition to indie guitar music. The album showcases a cohesive band lineup and the most genuine bond among its members on record. The album was recorded in various studios and the band members’ homes, featuring dynamic guitar work, sugary vocal interplay, and … Read more
Peter Gabrieli/oReal World Records [2023] It’s been 21 years since English pop singer/songwriter Peter Gabriel released a new album of original material, as his 2010 release Scratch My Back was a cover album of songs by favored artists sung only with an orchestral backing, while 2011’s “New Blood” went back so his own material with … Read more
Blonde RedheadSit Down For Dinnersection1 [2023] Given Blonde Redhead’s early experiments in the no wave movement and early noisy angular indie rock recordings for Steve (Sonic Youth) Shelly’s label, Smells Like, along with engagements with the cosmopolitan art scene in New York City where the band formed 30 years ago, it might be surprising that … Read more
Dion LunadonSystems EdgeIn The Red Records [2023] Systems Edge from Dion Lunadon is a blistering third solo record that catapults listeners into a raucous world of garage rock brilliance. Hailing from New Zealand and now residing in Brooklyn, Lunadon bursts out of this new album with infectious energy and a sound that pays homage to … Read more
The Jesus and Mary Chain today set the wheels in motion for a landmark year ahead as they announce the March 8th release of their new album Glasgow Eyes via Fuzz Club and unleash its lead single “jamcod” (spell it out). The duo – brothers Jim and William Reid – will further mark their 40th … Read more
The AscendentsThe Fellowship Of The BrokenSelf-Released [2023] It’s a curious thing when musicians take a busman’s holiday and step away from their main gig to join up with players and singers from other bands to experiment with a previously untried collaboration. Golden Smog was a loose affiliation that included members of Wilco, Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, … Read more
Hotline TNTCartwheelThird Man Records [2023] Brooklyn-based Hotline TNT’s latest album, Cartwheel, unfolds as a captivating exploration of life’s complexities, love, and the ongoing journey of self-discovery. Will Anderson, the creative force behind the band, infuses the album with a blended indie rock and shoegaze sensibility that is raw and unfiltered. Cartwheel signifies a significant evolution … Read more
Indie rock mainstays Real Estate have announced the details of their next album, Daniel, which will be released on February 23, 2024 by Domino Recording Co. The sixth full-length from New Jersey natives Martin Courtney (vocals, guitar), Alex Bleeker (bass, vocals), Matt Kallman (keyboards), Julian Lynch (guitar) and Sammi Niss (drums), Daniel sports 11 new … Read more
Guided By VoicesNowhere To Go But UpGBV Inc. [2023] Sixteen. That’s how many albums the current lineup of Guided By Voices has managed to release since they formed in 2016. The band (as a concept) just celebrated its 40th anniversary a few months ago, with a pair of shows in Dayton that drew fans from … Read more