Fire Track: Marnie Stern – “Plain Speak”

Marnie Stern has announced plans to release The Comeback Kid, the long-awaited new album due for release November 3rd, 2023 via Joyful Noise Recordings. It’s been a decade since we last heard new music from Marnie Stern, but when her guitar bursts in like a shower of stardust on The Comeback Kid, the follow-up to 2013’s The Chronicles of Marnia, it’s like no time … Read more

Be Your Own Pet: Mommy [Album Review]

Be Your Own PetMommyThird Man Records [2023] Be Your Own Pet has a solid history of delivering a wild and unapologetic ride through the chaotic realm of garage punk and indie rock. Mommy marks the band’s first LP in 15+ years and was written and recorded by the three founding members Jemina Pearl Abegg (vox), … Read more

Ratboys: The Window [Album Review]

RatboysThe WindowTopshelf Records [2023] If you’ve yet to come to the realization that band names don’t always offer a helpful or accurate sense of the artist’s music, Ratboys is a case in point. First of all they have a female singer, and the primary musical motifs on their fourth studio full-length of original material, The … Read more

Ty Segall – “Void” [Video]

The world ripples, gurgles and expels! It’s not a mirage, it’s not unendurable heat, either. It’s just everything, viewed through a stained glass lens. Out of the void comes Ty Segall – with a new single/video and the announcement of a 2024 tour! With his new single, Ty’s bringing it all in a sustained blast, … Read more

The Connells: Ring (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) [Classic Album Revisit]

The ConnellsRing (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)Craft Recordings [2023] Released: September 1, 1993/Reissue: May 26, 2023Producer: Lou Giordano | The Connells | Tim HarperLength: 50:15/Reissue: 2:10:00 Released in 1993, The Connells’ album Ring remains a quintessential find of the indie rock scene, showcasing the band’s masterful songwriting and distinctive sound. With its melodic hooks and introspective … Read more

Kendra Morris: I Am What I’m Waiting For [Album Review]

Kendra MorrisI Am What I’m Waiting ForColemine/Karma Chief Records [2023] When Kendra Morris released Nine Lives at the beginning of 2022, it was the culmination of more than ten years of creative partnership with producer and songwriter Jeremy Page. The psych-soul opus, Morris’s first for Colemine imprint Karma Chief Records, was one of the best … Read more

The Cowboys – “The Sultan Of Squat” [Video]

The Cowboys return after a brief hiatus with their delightful sixth LP, Sultan of Squat. This grounded yet adventurous new album marks the reunion of the original lineup, featuring Keith Harman (vocals/keys), Mark McWhirter (Guitar), Zackery Worcel (Bass), and Jordan Tarantino (drums). It is nothing short of a glorious return to form, a long player … Read more

Sonic Youth: Live In Brooklyn 2011 [Album Review]

Sonic YouthLive In Brooklyn 2011Silver Current Records [2023] Sonic Youth will undoubtedly secure their place in the history books due to their profound influence on the alternative and indie music scenes, especially throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Renowned for their sound experimentation, they seamlessly integrated elements of noise, feedback, and unconventional guitar tunings. By challenging … Read more

A. Savage – “Elvis In The Army” [Video]

A. Savage, of the rock band Parquet Courts, has announced his second solo album, Several Songs About Fire, out October 6th on Rough Trade Records. He also has presented its lead single/video, “Elvis in the Army.” Produced by John Parish in Bristol, Several Songs About Fire is bolstered by the support of Jack Cooper (Modern … Read more

Buck Meek: Haunted Mountain [Album Review]

Buck MeekHaunted Mountain4AD [2023] By now, it’s obvious that the individual members of Big Thief are just as creative and productive individually as they are working together as a band. After the band released two separate full-length albums in 2019, U.F.O.F. and Two Hands, both earning attention in the Grammy nominating process, singer/songwriter Adrianne Lenker … Read more

Bad History Month – “God Is Luck” [Video]

God Is Luck, the new record from Sean Sprecher’s Bad History Month project, seemingly begins mid-note, as if the music was already being played as you stumbled upon its opening track. It’s a pertinent start-point because, in many ways, God Is Luck exists firmly within that realm, many of the songs pulled directly from improvisation … Read more

Palehound: Eye On The Bat [Album Review]

PalehoundEye On The BatPolyvinyl Records [2023] The fourth album from El Kemper’s Palehound is a break-up record to beat all break-up records, as their poetic distillation of the moments that led up to the relationship’s inevitable dissolution fuel the driving music of their rock trio. Kemper’s diary-like lyrics in “Independence Day” chronicle how a collision … Read more

Black Pumas – “More Than A Love Song” [Video]

GRAMMY-nominated duo Black Pumas push their distinctive artistry to soaring new heights on their new single, “More Than A Love Song.” “More Than A Love Song” is the first track to be unveiled from the Austin duo’s highly anticipated sophomore effort, Chronicles of a Diamond, set for release on October 27th on ATO Records. Earning … Read more

Pale Jay: Bewilderment [Album Review]

Pale JayBewildermentColemine/Karma Chief Records [2023] Who is Pale Jay? The artist, one of Karma Chief Records’ latest signings, is something of an enigma, although we do know a few things about him: he’s trained as a jazz vocalist and pianist, calls southern California home, and always wears a red ski mask and white bucket hat … Read more

Osees: Intercepted Message [Album Review]

OseesIntercepted MessageIn The Red Records [2023] Osees have adopted several different monikers over the years, showcasing their chameleon-like nature. This American psychedelic rock band originated in San Francisco in the late 1990s. Led by the multi-talented musician and songwriter John Dwyer, Osees’ music has consistently been characterized by its high-energy garage rock sound, interwoven with … Read more

Bethany Cosentino: Natural Disaster [Album Review]

Bethany CosentinoNatural DisasterConcord Records [2023] After over a decade and 4 full-length studio albums with Best Coast, her band with multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, Bethany Cosentino has stepped away to create her solo debut, Natural Disaster. Given her previous ventures in power pop/alt rock with excursions into surf rock and country, her solo work here, supported … Read more

Velvet Starlings – “Turning Point” [Video]

On August 25th LA’s Velvet Starlings will release their new album Pacific Standard Time. The band was created and is led by 20-year old multi-instrumentalist prodigy Christian Gisborne and the album marks the debut of a newer, sharper iteration of Velvet Starlings. The 10 tracks represent a musically vast gut-punch – a swell of unusual … Read more

The Exploding Hearts: Guitar Romantic (Expanded & Remastered) [Classic Album Revisit]

The Exploding HeartsGuitar Romantic (Expanded & Remastered)Third Man Records Released: April 1, 2003/Reissue: May 26, 2023Producer: The Exploding Hearts, Pat KearnsLength: 29:00/Reissue: 38:00 In a world where punk and power pop collide, The Exploding Hearts’ debut album Guitar Romantic emerged as a timeless gem that pays homage to the past while infusing a youthful and … Read more

Upchuck- “Freaky” [Video]

On the forefront of Atlanta’s thriving punk community, Upchuck are bound together by a purity of intention, an organic loyalty to a thick knot of uncalculated friendships, struggles, and desires. These are songs about the joy of continuing to live, songs that find each other in the rush of a crushing reality, propelling the listener … Read more

Ceili Rain: Crash This Gate [Album Review]

Ceili RainCrash This GateSelf-Released [2023] The Celtic pop/rock band Ceili Rain, centered around lead singer Bob Halligan Jr., got its start in 1995 in Nashville, as a more personal artistic expression for the songwriter whose credits include songs recorded by metal acts like Judas Priest (“[Take These] Chains” and “Some Heads Are Gonna Rolls”), KISS, … Read more

Ian Sweet – “Your Spit” [Video]

Ian Sweet — the project of songwriter and pop auteur Jilian Medford — has announced her new album, Sucker, out November 3rd on Polyvinyl, and presents lead single/video, “Your Spit.” Perfectly merging Medford’s pop sensibilities with the widescreen indie rock that she first made her name on, Sucker is both sumptuous and fully realized. Medford’s … Read more

Being Dead: When Horses Would Run [Album Review]

Being DeadWhen Horses Would RunBayonet Records [2023] On their debut album, Being Dead takes listeners on a captivating journey through a psychedelic landscape that skillfully combines vintage influences with present-day experimentation. Comprising of friends Falcon Bitch and Gumball, the band demonstrates an adeptness for blending elements of lo-fi, surf, folk, jazz, and indie rock into … Read more

Fire Track: Flat Worms – “Suburban Swans”

Flat Worms new LP, Witness Marks, is coming out September 22, 2023 on Ty Segall’s Drag City imprint GOD?. “Suburban Swans”, is the bands second single from the record and it is a punchy, grinding post-punk track. Meditating on our perceptions of reality, free will and the lack of agency we have in how our … Read more

BEEF: BEEF [Album Review]

BEEFBEEFFeel It Records [2023] BEEF’s lineup is led by Takoda Hortenberry, who takes on the roles of both drummer and lead vocalist. His wife, Ally, contributes her skills on keys and vocals, while John Hoffman (Vacation) handles the bass duties. Guitarist Sam Richardson, who also happens to be the founder of Feel It Records, completes … Read more

Bush Tetras: They Live In My Head [Album Review]

Bush TetrasThey Live In My HeadWharf Cat Records [2023] That this is only the third album from NYC band, Bush Tetras, belies the fact that the band’s remaining original members – guitarist Pat Place and vocalist Cynthia Sley – have been playing around the New York club scene since 1979; the label bio suggest the … Read more