Somehow August is already here. Soon, the leaves will be falling faster than our serotonin levels. It may feel hopeless knowing that in just a couple of short months, it will be getting dark at 6 p.m. again, and all your friends will be coming up with weather-related reasons to not hang out. Before you go reaching for that therapy lamp that is supposed to reproduce the feeling of sunlight but never fucking works, try out a healthy dose of new music first. It won’t replace the feeling of human contact or love, but it might just help you forget the constant reminder of mortality the transitioning of the season often brings.
superviolet “waver”
Still riding the wave of this year’s excellent debut, ‘infinite spring,’ Columbus, Ohio’s superviolet has released a scrapped song from the album. ‘waver’ is an incredibly catchy bop whose theme revolves around the never-ending march of time. It encourages not overthinking things, because at the end of the day, the sands of the hourglass will always run out, leaving you stuck in the same place you always were. If that doesn’t make you feel less dreadful about the impending onset of your seasonal affective disorder, it’s likely that nothing will.
Wilco “Evicted”
While the warmer months may be subsiding soon, Wilco’s output shows no sign of slowing down. To the excitement of every middle-aged man and woman in America, Wilco announced their thirteenth record, ‘Cousin.’ This time, they’ve enlisted the production powers of avant-garde rock legend Cate Le Bon to bring their subdued alt-rock sounds to freaky new heights. The first single, ‘Evicted,’ brings to mind the experimental sounds that permeated their seminal record ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.’ We’re pretty sure we have Le Bon to thank for that.
Lutalo “PLPH”
Singer-songwriter Lutalo Jones is currently one of indie-rock’s best-kept secrets. A designation that will hopefully change once his excellent EP ‘Again’ drops on August 25th. Those who have been lucky enough to catch his solo sets on recent tours with Adrienne Lenker and Katy Kirby already know Jones has a penchant for surreal lyricism coupled with a baritone register that could wake the dead. When listening to his recorded output, however, you might notice he also has an innate talent for dazzling production. This is especially evident on his new single ‘PLPH.’ Trust us, you’ll want to get in on this before a TikTok dance trend inevitably sours the moment.
FIDLAR “Nookie (Limp Bizkit Cover)”
We know we’re a little late to the game on this one, but honestly, why the fuck aren’t more people talking about this? We understand that you’ve come to trust us to be the omnipotent gods of hearing and delivering the hottest indie and punk tracks to your ears, but even the experts miss things from time to time, and we can’t help but think you fuckers have been holding out on us. Shame! Anyway, ICYMI, FIDLAR released a cover of Limp Bizkit’s Masterwork, ‘Nookie,’ and it rips. In fact, it almost rips too hard. This is essentially a beat-for-beat remake of the song. We are by no means complaining, but we are hoping this signals that Fred Durst has secretly joined the band.
Chris Farren “Screensaver”
Chris Farren (Antartigo Vespucci, Fake Problems) dropped his latest and excellent LP, ‘Doom Singer,’ on Friday. In our opinion, it might be his best effort to date. Farren’s solo work tends to veer much further into the pop territory than his previous efforts, and despite the album’s title, there is little ‘doom’ to be found. Album highlight, ‘Screensaver,’ appears to be ringing out the washcloth that is Summer for all the sweet sunny juice it can muster. Drink up, folks, and don’t come whining to us if you don’t feel refreshed after.
You may have noticed that we recently relaunched our online shop, and if you haven’t, we’re super disappointed in you. All abasement aside, with our recently launched vinyl section, we asked our staff what records they were most excited about picking up. Some of their picks weren’t featured in our store, which we’ll scold them for later, but for now here are some record recommendations from your local music nerds of which you can buy physical copies (the records, not the nerds).
Against Me! “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong”
Taking it back to close where it all started, ‘Pints of Guinness Make You Strong,’ opens Against Me!’s pivotal and seminal debut full-length “Is Reinventing Axl Rose.” Many incorrectly refer to this as Against Me!’s best album. Many others are still pissed they signed to a label to release it in the first place. Needless to say, this record is a great conversation piece and will help you look cool in front of your gatekeeping friends even though you secretly prefer the band’s later work.
Rites of Spring “For Want Of”
Everyone loves Minor Threat, but not enough attention is paid to the other half of Fugazi’s former band, Rites of Spring. Though the band has never agreed in any sense of the term, they are often cited as the pioneers of emo. Your friend still thinks My Chemical Romance holds that honor, so this is a great song to play to shut them up once and for all. Their debut album and EP ‘All Through A Life’ go out of print constantly, and we are the only shop we know of that sells both. Don’t believe us? Google it. (Actually, please don’t, just buy the record from our store.)
Alkaline Trio “Queen of Pain”
Hot off one of Alkaline Trio’s best-split releases, ‘Queen of Pain’ is cram packed with some of Matt Skiba’s best signature one-liners and guitar riffs. If you want to impress your friends with a deep Alk3 cut while simultaneously pretending you listen to Hot Water Music, we strongly advise you to pick up a copy of their split EP immediately. Whatever you do, though, don’t put it on when your date shows up for drinks at your apartment.