You read it right, we’re using a superstar album drop in the title of this one to shamelessly boost engagement. But admit it, you can only listen to that “Jolene” cover so many times in a row, though, so here are our humble suggestions for Ms. Yonce to consider for her next magnum opus.
St. Vincent “Flea (ft. Dave Grohl)”
Our close personal friend Annie Clark is at it again with another off-kilter fuzz-rock single, this time featuring our other close personal friend Dave Grohl. “Flea” pinballs between paranoid, mellow, and grungy effortlessly in only a way St. Vincent can pull off without falling into total chaos. We will be waiting outside her house for the full album with bated breath, and our tent is open to visitors for a small fee.
Snarls “Heavy Drinker”
Ohio’s own “Lover Girl” indie-rock sweethearts Snarls just recorded an album produced by Chris Walla, and “Heavy Drinker” is an extremely promising sneak peek of what’s to come. Dreamy, shimmering harmonies soar in this delightfully catchy ‘90s vibe-fest that would be right at home in an alternate universe where Alvvays did the soundtrack to “10 Things I Hate About You,” or a really good banned episode of “Daria.” Either way, we are tuned the fuck in.
Heading North “Toss/Turn”
Pittsburgh is known for odd shit like toilets in the basement with no walls around them and french fries on top of a wedge of iceberg lettuce masquerading as a salad. What they should be known for, however, is their impressive and varied local music scene, including pop-punk shitkickers Heading North. Their new single “Toss/Turn” contains gorgeous vocals over deeply hooky driving guitars reminiscent of Paramore’s best work. Play this one when staring out the car window while it rains, which, in Pittsburgh, is 99% of the year.
Castle Rat “Fresh Fur”
Have you ever looked at your collection of high fantasy softcore pornography and thought, “Man, I wish this Frank Frazetta painting turned into a band”? Then have we got the crew for you. Brooklyn’s self-proclaimed “medieval fantasy doom metal” group Castle Rat took the aesthetics and lore of the nerdiest ‘80s subcultures and infused them with some sort of Fu Manchu meets Ruby the Hatchet sexy magic. “Fresh Fur” is your soundtrack for the next time you need to climb a mountain made of skulls.
SeeYouSpaceCowboy…, Courtney LaPlante “To The Dance Floor For Shelter”
The internet keeps calling SeeYouSpaceCowboy… “sasscore” for some reason, and while we are way too fucking old to know what that means, we are definitely on board with whatever it is they’re doing these days. The first single off their forthcoming full-length “Coup de Grâce” featuring Courtney LaPlante is an intoxicating mix of mid-aughts emo theatricality, haunted house instrumentals, and brutally gritty screams. This should not work, and yet, we’re on listen number 15 in the last few hours.
Stand Still “Mysticism”
Long Island’s pop punk/emo outlet Stand Still has somehow managed to craft a stellar single that could frankly be a forgotten “Tell All Your Friends” B-side, complete with introspective lyrics, energetic drumming, and stellar syncopated riffs. We can almost see our old desktop computer’s Windows Media Player visualizer when we listen to “Mysticism,” and will gladly accept this type of auditory time travel in the future.
What? Six songs aren’t enough? Of course not, you greedy bastard. We figured you might be the ungrateful type, so we’ve put these and a whole bunch of other songs in a convenient and constantly updated playlist for you. Click here to listen and dazzle your friends with your newfound relevancy.