BeansBoots N CatsFuzz Club Records [2024] Album Overview: At last, Beans has returned! Boots N Cats marks their third album, the follow-up to 2020’s All Together Now. Frontman Matt Blach, who also plays drums for the Murlocs, thought their third album should have a different approach to making music. Boots N Cats is an album … Read more
Choncy20X MULTIPLIERFeel It Records [2024] Album Overview: Choncy is a four-piece punk band hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio that has just released their sophomore album, 20X MULTIPLIER. Following their 2023 debut, Community Chest, also on Feel It Records, Choncy continues to carve out their niche in the punk scene. Recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville … Read more
BoecknerBoeckner!Sub Pop Records [2024] Album Overview: Boeckner! is the debut solo album by Dan Boeckner, the Canadian indie rocker known for his work with bands like Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits and Operators. It finds Boeckner exploring a more personal and raw musical territory, blending all of his experiences with fresh elements of synth, … Read more
Charles MoothartBlack Holes Don’t ChokeIn The Red Records [2024] Album Overview: Black Holes Don’t Choke marks Charles Moothart’s fourth full length and his official transition from the CFM moniker to his proper name, reflecting a new chapter in his musical resume. The album, released via In The Red Recordings, is a collection of ten tracks … Read more
TorreyTorreySlumberland Records [2024] Album Overview: Ryann and Kelly Gonsalves formed Torrey in 2018 while living in San Francisco. Both their Sister EP (2019) and 2021 debut LP, Something Happy were recorded and self-released by the band, featuring clean, shimmery jangle pop. Torrey’s self-titled sophomore album and Slumberland Records debut moves that needle somewhat as it … Read more
Pissed JeansHalf DivorcedSub Pop Records [2024] Album Overview: Half Divorced is the 6th LP from Pissed Jeans and the follow-up to 2017’s Why Love Now. In the description for the album, lead vocalist Matt Korvette says, “Pissed Jeans is truly like an art project for us, which is what makes it so fun.” This … Read more
Mary TimonyUntame The TigerMerge Records [2024] Album Overview: Untame the Tiger is Mary Timony’s fifth solo album, marking her return to solo work after a 15-year hiatus. It explores themes of loss, self-discovery, and resilience, drawing from Timony’s personal experiences, including the dissolution of a long-term relationship and the deaths of her parents. The album … Read more
IDLESTANGKPartisan Records [2024] Album Overview: TANGK is the fifth album by the British post-punk band IDLES. It marks a significant departure from their earlier works by embracing themes of love, joy, and gratitude amidst personal and global challenges. The album radiates a sense of defiant empowerment and serves as a communal anthem for overcoming … Read more
OmniSouvenirSub Pop Records [2024] Album Overview: Omni has been a band since 2016, but it wasn’t until 2019’s Networker that they really caught my attention. Today, guitarist Frankie Broyles, singer/bassist Philip Frobos, and now full-time drummer Chris Yonker return with the follow-up, Souvenir. According to Sub Pop, this album comes after the band’s longest … Read more
Ryan AdamsHeatwaveStar Sign1985Sword & StonePAX-AM [2024] Album Overview: There are a lot of opinions floating around about singer/songwriter Ryan Adams and his attempts to rebuild his career. But even a casual observer would agree, this guy is prolific. After releasing an album each in 2020 and ’21, Adams unleashed four of his own imagining in … Read more
J MascisWhat Do We Do NowSub Pop Records [2024] Album Overview: What Do We Do Now is the fifth solo studio album by J Mascis. Recorded at his Bisquiteen Studio in Western Massachusetts, it marks a departure from his usual solo acoustic style, incorporating full drums and electric leads while retaining acoustic rhythm parts. The … Read more
J. RobbinsBasiliskDischord Records [2024] Album Overview: Basilisk is J. Robbins’ second solo album, following Un-Becoming, released in 2019. Recorded between 2021 and 2022 at his Baltimore-based studio, The Magpie Cage, Basilisk features eleven songs reflecting Robbins’ shift towards a more personal and portable songwriting style. The album incorporates elements of rock, punk, and electronic music, … Read more
Green DaySaviorsWarner Music [2024] Album Overview: Thirty years after their breakout album Dookie its hard to remember that this SF Bay area trio that were inducted into the R&RHoF in 2015, were considered “punk revivalists,” taking their cues from bands of the 80’s. Here on their 14th album, Green Day continues to expand their sound, … Read more
O-D-EXBreakerDirtnap Records [2024] Album Overview: Breaker is the debut LP from O-D-EX, the latest project of musician Mark Ryan (Marked Men, Mind Spiders), along with Micah Why (Kitbashes, Mission Giant, Faux Fox). The album also features fantastic cover art that is simple yet fitting for the record. Musical Style: O-D-EX takes a new direction from … Read more
Hot GarbagePrecious DreamMothland/EXAG’ Records [2024] Album Overview: Precious Dream is the sophomore album from Toronto’s Hot Garbage, a band I first encountered when they opened for TFN favorites Frankie and the Witch Fingers in 2022. Their set was impressive, and I grabbed their debut, 2021’s Ride, on the strength of their performance. Precious Dream … Read more
Sleater-KinneyLittle RopeLoma Vista Recordings [2024] Album Overview: Sleater-Kinney’s album Little Rope is one of the most delicately layered records in the band’s nearly 30-year career. It explores themes of grief, loss, and navigating a world in perpetual crisis. The album’s emotional depth is evident in its complex arrangements and a lyrical focus. It is the … 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
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
Spiritual CrampSpiritual CrampBlue Grape Music [2023] I’ve been keeping an ear out for this debut ever since the San Francisco punk outfit, Spiritual Cramp, self-released their excellent Here Comes More Bad News EP back in 2021. Spiritual Cramp’s self-titled debut album expands on its predecessor, going bigger and bolder in its sound. It has ignited … Read more
Mike Adams At His Honest WeightGuess For ThrillsJoyful Noise Recordings [2023] Mike Adams at His Honest Weight found the titular Adams recording with help from some of his touring band on the 2019 release, There Is No Better Feeling, but for last year’s Graphic Blandishments, the multi-instrumentalist took advantage of his home studio’s multi-track utility … Read more
Slow PulpYardANTI- [2023] Slow Pulp—indie rock band formed in Madison, WI, but currently via Chicago—recorded their debut album in relative isolation during the pandemic and liked the results enough to repeat the process. Produced in house by guitarist Henry Stoehr, the band cut their instrumental parts together, while vocalist Emily Massey recorded her vocals with … Read more
Glen HansardAll That Was East Is West Of Me NowANTI- [2023] Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard may have gotten started in music busking on the streets of Dublin, but his career has had some very unusual twists and turns. Early on he was tapped to play the role of the guitarist in the movie about a … Read more
The Mountain GoatsJenny From ThebesMerge Records [2023] The Mountain Goats’ singer/songwriter John Darnielle must wake up from his dreams every day with a story line and a song lyric or two. A published novelist who released his latest, Devil House last year, the artist and his band have released a new full-length album every year … Read more
Black PumasChronicles Of A DiamondATO Records [2023] The eponymous debut album from the Black Pumas, released in 2019, feels like it was released much longer ago as we now sit in 2023 and reflect on the world events over the last four years since its release. Of course, in the music world, four years might … Read more
Lydia LovelessNothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way AgainBloodshot Records [2023] In the summer of 2022, when we were all trying to figure out how to feel comfortable being together in close proximity at indoor concerts, Lydia Loveless played an opening set for the Drive-By Truckers at the Masonic Hall in downtown Dayton. I don’t know … Read more