Hans Christian Andersen once said that “where words end, music speaks.” Well, we just got done talking with your audio library, and let’s just say it didn’t ‘speak’ too highly of your taste. You might be upset to hear that your favorite music is openly talking shit about you to strangers, but we recommend taking the feedback as an opportunity to improve. Here are some of our favorite tracks this week that will help you put your music collection in its fucking place. (Listen along to the ever-expanding playlist)
Marnie Stern “Plain Speak”
While you may have seen a steady decline in your motor skills and dexterity over the past ten years, Marnie Stern has only been sharpening hers. Her legendary art-punk guitar theatrics have returned and are set to destroy everything in their path on the new single ‘Plain Speak.’ Along with the excellently disorienting track, Stern has also announced a new LP, ‘The Comeback Kid,’ which is her first since 2013’s ‘The Chronicles of Marnia.’ Although the track’s dizzying production won’t suddenly inject you with the youth you held a decade ago, its overarching theme of moving forward will remind you that it’s never too late to try. Failing that, at least you will have listened to something more recent than your early aughts playlist.
Taking Back Sunday “S’old”
We wouldn’t fault you for thinking Taking Back Sunday is ‘so last summer,’ but considering your recent play history it’s likely you think their debut album literally came out this summer. It’s time to live in the now. TBS has just announced their first album in seven years, ‘152.’ While the lyrical content of their newest single ‘S’old’ warns listeners about their inevitable aging process, the band, with their newly synth-driven and dynamic arrangements, has never sounded fresher. If you want to hold a similar designation when an ill-advised friend hands you the aux cord, you should consider keeping this one in the rotation.
Katy Kirby “Cubic Zirconia”
Nashville’s Katy Kirby just released her first single since her widely acclaimed 2021 debut album ‘Cool Dry Place.’ ‘Cubic Zirconia’ is a gorgeous and endearing slice of indie-rock heaven, and it espouses the accouterments and aesthetic choices of a fresh love interest. Though Kirby’s conversational singing style will make you feel like the direct subject of the song, a quick glance in the mirror will provide the reality check needed to appreciate the song from a proper outside perspective.
Jeff Rosenstock “FUTURE IS DUMB”
‘HELLMODE’ is finally here, and holy hell is it a mode. Jeff Rosenstock’s sixth solo outing finds the songwriter in a much more pensive and introspective headspace than we’re used to hearing, probably because of the end of the world or something. Album highlight ‘FUTURE IS DUMB’ brings the overarching apocalyptic anxiety of the record to a head, ending in a glorious anthemic shout-along refrain that is indicative of Rosenstock’s signature style, which has been more than perfected here. The song asks if we ‘still dream of tomorrow.’ If this record still exists then, we suppose our answer is ‘yes.’
Guided By Voices “Let’s Ride”
In honor of their 40th year as a band, Dayton, Ohio’s DIY legends Guided By Voices finally made their debut EP ‘Forever Since Breakfast’ available on streaming platforms. Superfans – read, ‘nerds’ – have circulated the record since its release, but this is the first time it has been made widely available to the public. Those new to the release will be pleasantly surprised to hear how polished and pristine the tracks still sound nearly half a century after their inception. ‘Let’s Ride’ in particular showcases the songwriting bedrock upon which Robert Pollard would later build his indie empire.
New releases are important to maintaining an edgy taste, but having a stacked and varied arsenal of classics is also essential to lording your preferences over casual listeners. We don’t want you looking like a dweeb, so here are a few of our staff’s tried and true classic jams to help balance the scales.
Iron Maiden “Fear of the Dark”
It’s already happening. The sun is setting earlier each day, thrusting our fragile psyches into the unforgiving darkness of night. Soon, we will be lucky to see the sun at all. Our managing editor has been prepping the office with therapy lamps and blasting Iron Maiden’s ‘Fear of the Dark’ on a near-constant loop. When we remind her that we still have a few weeks of sunshine left, she hisses at us and says our ‘time was up before we were even born.’
Sidney Gish “Impostor Syndrome”
You might think of our writing staff as impenetrable fortresses of confidence and vigor. Just like regular humans, though, we all have our bad days. Constantly churning out the top-quality content you have come to know from us can put a lot of pressure on a person. It’s only natural to feel a bit less than from time to time. Fortunately, Sydney Gish released the perfect anthem for these few and far-between moments. If it helps us through, we’d venture to guess you are in desperate need of it, so have at it.
At the Drive-In “Extracurricular”
While many are excited that the Mars Volta reunited last year and have shown no signs of breaking up since, one of our writers is less than pumped. According to him the Mars Volta are just a ‘pretentious version of At The Drive-In that people pretend to like to feel smarter than other people.’ In our opinion, it’s not really the band’s fault that our writer can’t handle mixed time signatures, be we digress. We’re not going to pretend we don’t secretly enjoy it when he blasts this song every time the Mars Volta is mentioned in the writer’s room.