It’s been another tough week. You’re technically seven days older, though given the current stress of our political and economic climate, scientifically speaking, you have aged an entire decade. While we can’t do anything to stop the never-ending churn of time and biological degradation, some say music has natural anti-aging properties. Granted we heard this from your 78-year-old Dead Head uncle who is ‘young at heart,’ but it can’t hurt to try. Here are five new songs we listened to this week that made the bags under our eyes imperceptibly lighter.
MS Paint ‘No Separation’
Mississippi synth-punk outfit MS Paint finally released the follow-up to their 2023 debut ‘Post-American.’ The EP, ‘No Separation,’ finds the group continuing to expand upon their largely unclassifiable sound begging questions like: Is it punk? Is it hardcore? Is it party-rock? Is there really no guitar? Am I having a seizure? While we may never have the answers to several of those questions, and should probably see a doctor about at least one, the whole thing rips and is worth the several head-scratching spins you’ll likely endure.
Laura Stevenson ‘Honey’
Your favorite band’s favorite songwriter, Laura Stevenson, is preparing to release her seventh full-length ‘Late Great.’ The record will arrive this summer on longtime collaborator Jeff Rosenstock’s label Really Real Records. Rosenstock is also slated to feature on the album alongside Chris Farren, making it as close to an Antartigo Vespucci reunion as we are likely to ever get. Lead single ‘Honey’ is a devastatingly lush and folksy ode to heartbreak that requires us to advise you to delete your ex’s number before listening.
Wednesday ‘Elderberry Wine’
It’s been just over two years since Wednesday’s ‘Rat Saw God’ dropped and inspired a new generation to learn guitar before quickly giving up and scrolling TikTok again. Dashed dreams of musicianship aside, fans have been chomping at the bit for a glimmer of new music. This wish has been thoroughly granted by our reluctant indie heroes with the release of ‘Elderberry Wine.’ It’s a delightful Americana romp that evokes the feeling of lingering seasonal depression on a sunny day.
The Armed ‘Well Made Play’
The stubbornly mysterious Detroit punk collective The Armed announced their forthcoming album ‘The Future Is Here And Everything Needs To Be Destroyed,’ which might be the most on-point album title we’ve ever heard of. Lead single ‘Well Made Play’ is being heralded as a return to form, which is interesting for a band whose true form has arguably never existed. It’s kind of like when your band pivoted away from experimental material, only this time it’s actually good.
Full of Hell ‘Corpselight’
Full of Hell’s new EP ‘Broken Sword, Rotten Shield’ dropped last week. Like most FoH releases, their latest finds the band taking their patented terror-grind sound into new and unexpected territory. The track ‘Corpselight’ illustrates this tendency well, playing out like someone dropped an unreleased track onto the GoldenEye 007 Pause Menu soundtrack and clicked ‘render’ after barely touching the mix. ‘Revolutionary’ may be a strong word, but it’s interesting at the very least.
Now that you’ve found the Fountain of Youth, you’re probably hankering for more. We got you. We’ve compiled all of this sweet, borderline unlistenable nectar into a convenient playlist along with everything else we’ve listened to. Check it out below as you continue to fight back the cold hand of death.