The Budos BandLong In The ToothDaptone Records [2020] Celebrating 15 years from the release of their debut album, The Budos Band return with their 6th long player, Long In The Tooth. It is an album that changes gears from their harder edge they showed the last couple albums but especially as they raged out on … Read more
Holy MotorsHorseWharf Cat Records [2020] Estonia’s Holy Motors sophomore record, Horse, is an easy listen as singer/songwriter Eliann Tulve puts you into a perfect indie trance with her soft Mazzy Star like vocals. Combine this with the groups slight Americana twang and Horse quietly blows by like a lonely tumbleweed on a deserted highway. Holy … Read more
Bee Bee SeaDay RipperWild Honey Records [2020] Italian trio Bee Bee Sea have returned with their third LP, Day Ripper, and if a title could ever capture the overall mood of a record this band has nailed it. Day Ripper is a super high energy indie rocker that jams incredibly hard as it dips … Read more
Kevin MorbySundownerDead Oceans [2020] Kevin Morby knows isolation and he is probably one of the best at using it as a tool to create thought provoking and engaging music. Much like some of his earlier work, his new 10 song album, Sundowner, is a product of secluding himself in his own studio (in this case … Read more
METZAtlas VendingSub Pop Records [2020] Time flies when you are getting pounded by an arsenal of brutal post punk that over the last eight years METZ has delivered album after album after album. Atlas Vending is the Canadian groups fourth LP of all new material and I will be honest – the album hits you … Read more
IDLESUltra MonoPartisan Records [2020] One listen to the UK’s IDLES and you can’t deny the fierceness that surrounds their music. The band has a big attitude, plenty of opinions, and a snarl like no other band on the current scene. IDLES also has a front man in Joe Talbot that never takes a breath or … Read more
Tobin SproutEmpty HorsesFire Records [2020] Tobin Sprout will always be the member from Guided By Voices that consistently changed the pace of the albums and wrote many, what I would consider “softer” tracks for the band. These songs were dependable and steady while able to find a balance with Robert Pollard’s dominant songwriting. Fast-forward to … Read more
Rose City BandSummerlongThrill Jockey Records [2020] Summerlong is the sophomore record from Ripley Johnson’s Rose City Band. Already a staple in the psychedelic world as leader of Wooden Shjips and part of Moon Duo, Summerlong takes Johnson’s Rose City Band moniker to new heights and moves beyond his simpler 2019 self-titled debut which was much … Read more
KnotKnotExploding In Sound Records [2020] I will totally admit that I was saddened in 2015 when I heard the news that Boston’s Krill had called it quits. The band produced some really good records that could be counted on for some powerful and quick post-punk. My mourning place for Krill was healed this year when … Read more
BullySUGAREGGSub Pop Records [2020] There is a lot to be said about restarts. That is what Bully’s third record, SUGAREGG, feels like as founder Alicia Bognanno admits that finding the proper treatment for her bipolar II disorder radically altered her mindset, freeing her from a cycle of paranoia and insecurity about her work. With that … Read more
Guided By VoicesMirrored AztecGBV Inc. [2020] Go big or go home feels like the unwritten motto on the newest Guided By Voices album Mirrored Aztec. On their second record release of 2020, GBV looks to hit every one of these eighteen tracks out of the rock n’ roll park! For fans, that means big riffs, … Read more
Jason MolinaEight GatesSecretly Canadian [2020] Eight Gates is the last collection of solo studio recordings Jason Molina (Songs: Ohia, Magnolia Electric Co.) made before he passed away from complications related to alcoholism in 2013. Honestly, you really can’t listen to this record without getting a bit somber as this short 9 song record puts a … Read more
Honey RadarSing The Snow Away: The Chunklet YearsChunklet Industries [2020] Honey Radar is currently one of the best lo-fi bands on the indie scene. Led by Philadelphia musician Jason Henn, Honey Radar has been on a creative hot streak with their last two records and the band continually is successful by blending sounds of 60’s … Read more
Fontaines D.C.A Hero’s DeathPartisan Records [2020] Last year’s debut, Dogrel, rapidly launched Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. style of post-punk into the spotlight. Quickly, the 5 piece band has returned with 11 new tracks on their sophomore release, A Hero’s Death. This feels like a quick turnaround, even in these COVID days, but after spending multiple rotations … Read more
DehdFlower Of DevotionFire Talk Records [2020] Dehd, the Chicago-based trio of Emily Kempf (vocals/bass), Jason Balla (vocals/guitar), and Eric McGrady (drums), have made grand steps forward on their latest album, Flower Of Devotion. Their 2019 record, Water, was all about not surrounding the songs with extras. Simple instruments, simple singing, and simple overall compositions. The … Read more
ProtomartyrUltimate Success TodayDomino Records [2020] You might think Detroit’s Protomartyr had a crystal ball when they were writing and recording their fifth album Ultimate Success Today last year as it feels like a closing statement to all things doom and gloom but may just be the cleanse we all need right now. The interesting thing … Read more
Illuminati HottiesFREE IH: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting ForBig Scary Monsters [2020] Sometimes the best thing to do as an artist when you feel pissed off is to just write about it! That is exactly what songwriter and producer Sarah Tudzin did as her Illuminati Hotties ended up stuck in a contract … Read more
IntercoolerRead The RoomSilent Echo Records [2020] Brisbane, Australia’s Intercooler is not well known in the US but Read The Room is the bands fourth album and first since 2011. After making music together since 2001, the group got back in the studio with their original lineup and created one of the most hook filled powerpop … Read more
BOYOWhere Have All My Friends Gone?Park The Van [2020] BOYO’s new album Where Have All My Friends Gone? is a refreshing slice of indie rock that blends lo-fi, bedroom pop and fuzzy guitars into one genre as its breakout simple melodies pull you into each song. BOYO of course is the moniker for Los Angeles-based … Read more
KhruangbinMordechaiDead Oceans [2020] Khruangbin is the Houston-based group comprised of Laura Lee Ochoa (bass), Mark Speer (guitar), and Donald “DJ” Johnson (drums) and their third record, Mordechai, is easily one of the most chill party albums of 2020. Once again, the group brings their blended sounds of East Asian surf-rock, Persian funk, and Jamaican dub. … Read more
Thee MVPsScience FictionEeasy Records [2020] It seems like more and more these days I need to look harder through my email to find some really good riff driven rock music. I know the suppression of rock is coming from the bigger general listening audiences current tastes but if your band is not from Australia, there … Read more
Jeff RosenstockNO DREAMPolyvinyl Records [2020] If you were to see Jeff Rosenstock walking down the street of Los Angeles you would have no idea that this is the dude that keeps punk rock alive and well in 2020. At 37, Rosenstock has become an unlikely hero in the scene with a band resume that includes … Read more
Rolling Blackouts Coastal FeverSideways To New ItalySub Pop Records [2020] Avoiding the sophomore album slump is a monumental task for any group that had a successful debut like Melbourne-based band Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. Hope Downs (2018) had the college jangle at times like R.E.M., which then combined with the raw rock of The Replacements. … Read more
Thao & The Get Down Stay DownTempleRibbon Music [2020] After 2016’s A Man Alive release Thao Nguyen lost interest in her music and the group as she struggled with multiple life issues. The good news is that she has returned with the groups fifth album Temple and it probably represents one of the most personal … Read more
Catholic ActionCelebrated By StrangersPalo Santo Records [2020] There is something rejuvenating about Glasgow’s Catholic Action and their style of guitar rock. On their sophomore album, Celebrated By Strangers, the band extends their more guitar driven debut with some synthesizers and finding more of a beat that is very in line with fellow Glaswegians Franz Ferdinand. … Read more