Seems like everywhere you look these days there’s a new song waiting to be heard. No, we’re not being poetic here. We’re not using the word ‘song’ as a loose metaphor for new opportunities or leases on life or some shit. There are literally new songs everywhere. Finding the good ones can feel like a hopeless endeavor. A fleeting yet visceral reminder of all the things you’ll never experience in your short and largely banal life. We don’t want to overwhelm you, but the new music world is worth the dive. Because we know you panic and knock over several displays in your local drug store whenever some fresh track you’ve never heard comes over the speakers, we’ve braved the endless depths of the internet – or at least the slightly less endless supply of punk and indie adjacent music – to bring you some of the best things you’ve been too afraid to listen to.
OSEES “Chaos Heart”
We don’t want to alarm you, but: Aliens are real, the planet is dying, political infrastructures are crumbling, and OSEES have released their twenty-seventh (Jesus fuck) LP. ‘Intercepted Message’ may as well serve as the official soundtrack to the impending apocalypse. If Devo and the Cars were locked in a studio and force-fed LSD until they delivered the most fucked up album of their careers, chances are they might come up with something close to this record. Album highlight “Chaos Heart” carries on the band’s unique blend of garage rock and psych while infusing it with melting analog synths and sing-along hooks. It’s as catchy as it is disorienting and is sure to have us dancing our asses off as everything burns down around us.
Clowns “THANKS 4 NOTHING”
Melbourne, Australia’s Clowns are currently prepping their fifth album, entitled ‘Endless,’ for a late October release. Their latest single ‘THANKS 4 NOTHING’ showcases the band at the height of their powers. A massive wall of guitar and drums perfectly launches bassist Hanny J’s excellent vocal performance into the stratosphere. The single showcases a fresh sound for the beloved quintet Clowns, a theme promised to continue on the new record. This doesn’t suggest a major departure, so if you’re a fan of the band and hate change, rest assured that your aversion to evolutionary sound won’t be challenged too much. The band’s incredible blend of hardcore, pop-punk, and indie is as strong as ever, and the brighter punctuations added to their signature voice only serve to enhance what we already love about them.
Green Day “She” – 4 Track Demo
Green Day’s polarizing major label debut ‘Dookie’ is unfathomably celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the band is releasing a massive box set filled with B-sides, live performances, and other rarities of the era. To tide us over until the release late next month, a collection of 4-track demos from the album has hit streaming services. Those who still think of the band as sellouts should be dazzled to hear what some of these classic songs would have sounded like had they been released on Lookout! Records. Turns out it doesn’t sound much different, so maybe we can all finally shut up about them being soulless major label cogs.
Heatmiser “Lowlife (‘92 Cassette)”
As if the Green Day box set wasn’t enough to have you losing sleep for months, Third Man Records announced a sprawling double LP featuring 29 rare tracks from Elliott Smith’s lesser-known band, Heatmiser. Perhaps the most exciting feature of the upcoming compilation is the inclusion of the group’s long out-of-print debut demo cassette, which was cut in 1992 and handed out primarily at the band’s early shows. If Elliott Smith’s solo work doesn’t make you feel shitty enough as a songwriter, the newly released demo version of ‘Lowlife’ will certainly drive the nail deeper.
Shamir “Obsession”
While you’ve been working hard on your latest creative project that has taken you years to not even halfway finish, Philadelphia’s prolific DIY indie-pop stunner Shamir has just released their ninth LP, which is also their first since signing to the legendary label Kill Rock Stars. ‘Homo Anxietatem’ brings a heightened sheen to their already excellent and dense catalog. Album highlight and final lead single, ‘Obsession,’ is a haunting post-rock anthem filled to the brim with driving riffs, chaotic-yet-pristine backing vocals, and meditative lyrics revolving around the subject of fame and adoration. Themes you likely won’t have direct experience with if you don’t get off your ass and finish your EP. It’s been, like, four years, your snare sounds fine man.
As we do during most weeks, we took our staff to task by asking what classic songs they’ve been hiding from us. This time, their answers were so esoteric we felt as though we were actually listening to new music. Here are a few of the tracks that we’re pretty sure they only said they were listening to because they were afraid to admit they’ve been playing the Barbie soundtrack on an endless loop.
Tankard “Zombie Attack”
Recently, we ranked the 50 Best Thrash Metal songs of the ’80s. Unfortunately, the person we forced to write the article has been physically incapable of listening to anything other than Tankard since. He keeps asking us to add this one to the list, but it’s just too late. We can’t bear the damage that would do to our esteemed reputation, as we’ve already stated the list is definitive and inarguable. Any revision would make us look like liars. Plus, if we let him revise the list, he’d probably eventually just want to add every Tankard song to it. As great as they are, we just can’t let that happen. Still, we feel bad for relaunching his denim vest phase, so we’ll include the song here to shut him up.
Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) “It’s So Much Darker When a Light Goes Out than It Would Have Been If It Had Never Shone”
If you’ve been looking for proof that Midwestern Emo bands exist outside of American Football, then look no further. This classic has it all. Obnoxiously long band name AND song title? Check. Vocals that sound like an even more depressed John K. Sampson? Double check. Lyrics that have made the writer who suggested this one sob openly in the office on multiple occasions this week? Sadly… also check. This song spends almost five minutes detailing the phenomenon of elderly people passing shortly after their partners via a deeply personal story about the lead singer’s grandparents. If that doesn’t put a spring in your step, surely nothing will.
Electric Six “Getting Into the Jam”
We’ll be honest, we weren’t aware Electric Six had songs other than ‘Gay Bar’ or ‘Danger! High Voltage,’ but according to one of our editors, they actually have several albums. In fact, their debut record, ‘Fire,’ just celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Learn something new everyday! Turns out their other songs are just as horny and depraved as their more well-known numbers, especially ‘Getting Into the Jam.’ Needless to say, things have been pretty awkward around the office since this one got added to the playlist.
Pop on the continually growing playlist to see what we’ve been listening to: