Imarhan‘s new album, Essam, might be their best yet.
Essam continues Imarhan’s solid list of Tuareg desert rock and spiritual music, but now adds synthesizers and samples to the mix without them overpowering their hypnotic guitar and percussion. The end result is mesmerizing.
“Ahitmanin” adds female backing vocals to instantly transport you to a faraway land with endless stars above you. “Derhan N’Oulhine” fades out with a cool guitar solo, and “Tellat” fades in with classic Taureg rock guitar riffs, thumping bass, and invigorating handclaps and vocals. “Tamiditin” is simple acoustic guitar strumming mixed with sampled instruments put through a synthesizer, creating a dreamy atmosphere.
The vocals of “Okcheur” weave in and out of reverb-laden guitar chords and synths that glide like a hawk over sand dunes. “Azaman Amoutay” loops in synth-beats to get your feet tapping and your perception shifting. “Tin Arayth” hops back and forth between big, bumping beats and quieter (but no less impressive) guitar work before building back into a rousing chant.
“Tinfoussen” and “Adounia Tochai” once again mix male and female vocals to beautiful effect (especially on the latter). The album ends with “Assagasswar” – a nearly eight-minute trip across an Algerian landscape that you can almost feel and see. Your vision might not reflect reality, or does it? Perception is reality after all. Reality always is here and now, and the visions Essam brings forth are that reality for each of us.
Kevin Morby announces his eighth studio album, Little Wide Open, out May 15th via Dead Oceans, and shares its lead single & video, “Javelin.” Little Wide Open was produced by Aaron Dessner. Additionally, Morby announces his 2026 world tour.
“Little Wide Open is set to a backdrop of tangled highways, towns with populations less than 100,000, roadside crosses, a rock and roll romance, coupling butterflies, being an American entertainer, Econoline vans and more,” explains Morby. “This is, without a doubt, the most personal and vulnerable album I’ve ever made. Aaron did a heroic job of holding me back from throwing too many tricks at the songs, and letting my stories stand a bit naked. Despite its title this album is in fact, very wide open.”
Of today’s single, “Javelin,” Morby says: “This is a song I wrote about being in love with someone you keep circling around the globe, relentlessly traveling through the air and down highways, and then returning home alone to middle America. Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) shines here, with her incredible vocals. I had invited her into the studio and asked that she create a backing choir out of just her voice – but her presence is so special that her ‘backing vocals’ can’t help but take the lead.”
The accompanying video for “Javelin” stars Morby and friend Caleb Hearon on an ATV driving around the fields and backroads of Missouri, with cameos from Katie Crutchfield and Tara Raghuveer. “I think it captures all the fun we had making it,” says Morby.
In the summer of 2024, Dessner had asked Morby to support The National at their London show in Crystal Palace Park. Shortly after, Dessner—who was on a hot streak, having produced albums for Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Gracie Abrams—reached out to Morby to say he’d love to produce his next album. They began recording at Aaron’s Long Pond Studio in Stuyvesant, NY, early in 2025 and finished in September of that year.
The album, which includes a host of contributors such as Dessner—who plays multiple instruments across it— Meath, Justin Vernon, Katie Gavin, Lucinda Williams, Mat Davidson, Meg Duffy, Oliver Hill, Rachel Baiman, Stuart Bogie, Tim Carr, Andrew Barr, Benjamin Lanz, Colin Croom and Tom Moth, and mixed by Bella Blasko & Jonathan Low, has been described by Morby as the third in an unintentional trilogy of releases, following 2020’s Sundowner and 2022’s This Is a Photograph, which catalogued his time in middle America after moving back to Kansas City. This time out, Dessner’s production elevates Morby’s recordings while never losing focus of the songs themselves. There’s a newfound confidence and clarity in both Morby’s writing and Dessner’s production that recalls Tom Petty’s 1994 classic Wildflowers. Now primarily living in LA, the atmosphere that runs through Little Wide Open has changed somewhat from its predecessors. The feeling of restlessly hurtling towards something new. A future unseen and untested, but inevitable.
Kevin’s friend, criticallyacclaimed novelist Rachel Kushner, has written an astonishing essay about Little Wide Open, entitled “Field Guide to the North American Troubadour.” Rather than mangle or chop up the work for the purposes of fitting something so artistically written into the format of a press release, please read her full essay below.
Kevin Morby Tour Dates Sat. March 14 – Austin, TX @ The Long Time Fri. May 8 – Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios * Wed. May 13 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Aspen * Thu. May 14 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre * Fri. May 15 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party Sun. May 17 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom * Mon. May 18 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre * Tue. May 19 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall * Thu. May 21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore * Fri. May 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern * Sat. May 23 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s * Sun. May 24 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box * Tue. May 26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom * Wed. May 27 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing * Fri. May 29 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater * Sat. May 30 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall * Tue. June 2 – Chicago, IL @ Metro * Thu. June 4 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall * Fri. June 5 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY * Sat. June 6 – Montréal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield * Sun. June 7 – Boston, MA @ Royale * Tue. June 9 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer * Wed. June 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * Fri. June 12 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre * Sat. June 13 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground * Sun. June 14 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse * Tue. June 16 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s Thu. June 18 – Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater Fri. June 19 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tannahill’s Tavern and Music Hall Sat. June 20 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater Thu. July 2 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso * Fri. July 3 – Beuningen, NL @ Down the Rabbit Hole Sat. July 4 – Lille, FR @ L’Aéronef * Sun. July 5 – Hérouville-Saint-Clair, FR @ Festival Beauregard Mon. July 6 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel * Wed. July 8 – London, UK @ Troxy * Thu. July 9 – Manchester, UK @ The Ritz * Fri. July 10 – Brighton, UK @ CHALK * Sat. July 11 – Brugge, BE @ Cactusfestival Sun. July 12 – Köln, DE @ Even Flow Festival Tue. July 14 – Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik * Wed. July 15 – Galzignano Terme, IT @ Anfiteatro del Venda * Thu. July 16 – Feldkirch, AU @ Poolbar Festival * Fri. July 17 – Vienna, AU @ Simm City * Sat. July 18 – Munich, DE @ Technikum *
The cover of VIAL‘s new, raw, angry, fierce album Hellhound features an image that could be three different snarling, savage dogs ready to tear out your throats…or it could be an image of Cerberus – the three-headed dog who guards the underworld. Both are accurate reflections of the power trio, three beings who can each rip you to shreds and a three-in-one force that can stomp you into oblivion.
“Infected,” the album’s opener, even mentions dogs biting and tearing into you. “Scorpio Moon” buzzes more than rare Fuzzbox tracks and kicks trolls squarely in the teeth (“You just talk to hear yourself speak.”). “Creep Smoothie” mixes punk rage vocals with 1990s grunge-metal riffs while eviscerating dickweed dudes. “Idle Hands” is a cry for acceptance (“Why won’t you take me as I am? How can I make you understand?”) amid L7-like chugging bass.
“Sob” has the ladies of VIAL turning the “Fuck your feelings” table on their detractors (“Two thousand dollars for you if you can quit your whining…Send me your tears in a bottle. It’s really not that awful to see you cry for once. I think I’ll drink them with my lunch.”) who are now feeling the effects of stuff they voted for a couple years ago or experiencing sadness over being kicked to the curb. “Never Been Better” reminds me of some of Lunachicks‘ more radio friendly tracks. It’s a solid rock tune that seems primed for college rock radio shows this spring. The title track is under a minute, but it packs in enough power for a song three times as long.
The Be Your Own Pet-like “Undermine Me” is about discovering a relationship has gone south and it’s time to cut it loose. “Blah” has VIAL making fun of boys trying to become big things in the music scene mainly to impress girls and not to do anything meaningful. “Puke” has, oddly enough, a good groove to it. You’d think, with that title, that it would be another punk rager, but it’s more of a snarling groover that’s close to Queens of the Stone Age-like desert rock.
“Don’t watch the TV, and I don’t watch the news,” they sing on “Talktalktalk” – a song about information overload, endless opinions, and people who are “all bark, no bite” with their convictions (“You talk, talk, talk with nothing to say.”). “Boredom / Combustion” has the band tearing down Philadelphia and the entire state of Pennsylvania and comparing it to hell (“Death by boredom or combustion, I’m not sure which is worse.”).
Wrapping up with “Blood Red,” the band leave us exhausted and partially deaf, but ready to take on the world. You’re ready to go after your detractors like a three-headed beast after hearing an album like this. It’s the kind of album we need right now when friends, family, and neighbors are feeling targeted and vulnerable. We need compassionate ferocity, and VIAL inspires it.
Gentilesky, the powerhouse Italian-Turkish punk collective, officially announces the April 3 release of their second full-length album, Dream, via Slovenly Recordings. Accompanying the announcement is the premiere of their latest single, “Chasing The Light,” an aggressive, staccato-driven track that pays homage to the jagged post-punk influence of the late Andy Gill.
Taking their name from the Baroque master Artemisia Gentileschi, the band bridges the gap between 17th-century subversive art and modern radical expression. Just as Gentileschi’s work reclaimed the female narrative through visceral, unflattering physical realities, Gentilesky utilizes a hard-edged sound to navigate the complexities of the current sociopolitical landscape. Three years after their debut on Hozac Records, Gentilesky returns with a sharper sonic profile. The band features veterans of the European underground, boasting members from Rippers, Undisco Kidd, and Sushicorner. While their debut explored broader artistic theories, Dream leans into a more muscular, rhythmic intensity, drawing a direct line from Gentileschi’s impact to contemporary figures with a visceral collection of work such as Nan Goldin, Jennifer Precious Finch & the late Kathy Acker.
Yaprak Kırdök (vocals) says this about the new album.
Dream is a continuation of Ways of Seeing, but taking a year to plan and write the record really highlights its maturity. Recording it with Piff played a big part as well, and listening to both albums shows our growth. I love how similar yet different each one is.
Recorded and mixed by Piff/Frizzer Studio at Smoking Fridge Studio, Cagliari, and mastered by the esteemed Nene Baratto (Movie Star Junkies), Dream will be available on vinyl and all digital platforms on April 3rd. Artwork by Yaprak Kırdök and Gabriele Serrau.
Pre-orders are currently live via the Slovenly Recordings Bandcamp page. In support of the release, Gentilesky will embark on a European tour, with dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
Yayo Trujillo’s Las Cruxes is muscular. The fluid Omaha project doubles as a solo outlet and collective, united by an electric undercurrent. This quality beams bright on Trujillo’s third full-length, Las Cruxes, out April 24 via Conor Oberst’s Million Starslabel. Today, he shares the second single, “El último.” It is anchored by fuzzy propulsion, culminating in a distorted solo. This is timeless rock and roll, tailored to top-down desert drives. Check out the premiere on New Noise Magazine.
On the track, Las Cruxes’ Yayo Trujillo shares:“El Ultimo-(pasajero). ‘Tu luz Enciende, despierta mi alma’ are the opening lines to this song. It’s when love is way too fast and heavy (for my own good). It’s that feeling of meeting someone and realizing you were wrong about everything, then you wake up and remember it shouldn’t be that easy.”
As a native of Los Angeles, music guides Yayo Trujillo. “It all started hanging out with my older brother, who used to play traditional boleros to serenade his girlfriend,” he recalls. “I was lucky enough to tag along.” With a notable following in Mexico and Latin America, his Las Cruxes project has evolved in moves between Mexico City, San Francisco, and Omaha. He also spent years in Pastilla, a Latin rock institution on Aztlan Records and BMG.
As a Nebraska-based artist, it seems inevitable that Trujillo would encounter hometown hero Conor Oberst. After gigging at his bar, Pageturners Lounge, he signed a deal with Million Stars — the label now issuing Las Cruxes’ self-titled third full-length. The album embraces straightforwardness, favoring live performances captured on classic consoles with vintage microphones. The sessions were led by Bright Eyes affiliates Taylor Hollingsworth (Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band) and Adam Roberts at ARC Studios. It bears traces of new wave, shoegaze, and lofi experimentation.
Across 12 cuts, Spanish vocals crest over fuzzy melodies and pounding grooves. “The writing process was the same as everything else — very ‘let’s do this,’” Trujillo reflects. “No thought to it — just very natural, free flowing.” Opener “El último” unfolds with a driving bassline that escalates in a raucous chorus. “No creo que pueda olvidarte / No creo / No creo,” Trujillo repeats atop rickety fretwork. On “Déjà vu,” searing riffs interrupt brooding verses. Closer “By Frank” is the only English language piece, propelled by shakers and woozy organs. “I know it’s a lie they’ll never really tell you / I know it’s lust / I’ll never really tell you,” he proclaims in the refrain. Las Cruxes weaves macabre insistence with themes of mental collapse and romance.
Las Cruxes doubles as a solo practice and fluid collective, both on record and live. “I write everything, but I do it thinking about who is in the band at that moment — who’s wearing the Las Cruxes suit that week,” Trujillo muses. This time around, he tracked the majority of the instruments himself, though a handful of peers were invited to contribute. In addition to a cast of Omaha locals, Californian Ellie English (L.A. Witch) appears on drums. Jeffrey Davies (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) and Jorge Vilchis (La Gusana Ciega) were tapped for guitar. The record channels simplicity at its finest.
Eve Maret (sounds like “muh-ray”) is a Nashville-based experimental artist and composer who employs a wide array of electronic media and techniques in her various disciplines, exploring the possibilities of personal and communal healing through creative action. She has been praised by the likes of WIRE Magazine, Chicago Tribune, DJ Mag, Bandcamp, and more.
Drawing inspiration from nineteenth-century orchestral and choral works, the Fluxus movement, Kosmische Musik and funk, Eve makes use of digital and modular synthesizers, a vocoder, clarinet, electric bass, guitar, and field recordings to create works that range from lush cinematic compositions to space disco. Eve’s music practice is a conversation with her numerous curiosities, manifested in the form of video art, drawing, dance, ritual, and cymatics.
Her upcoming release Diamond Cutter is out April 17th, 2026. Over twelves tracks, Diamond Cutter is an exploration of the space where strength meets vulnerability. The title comes from an ancient Buddhist text of the same name.
“A diamond represents the invisible potential within everything. Diamonds are perfectly clear, while also being the hardest substance in the universe,” Eve describes. “With this body of work, I endeavored to create music that was both strong and honest. I set aside any genre-specific limitations to allow the pure expression to come through directly. Each song is a commitment to using my authentic voice, to embodying my highest potential by singing the truth.”
Today, Eve shares the second single, “Hit U With a Banger.” It zeroes in on the dance floor, thanks to acid bass squelches and a hypnotically syncopated vocals. The new video, like the song itself, pops with energy and color with themes of empowered transformation at the forefront. Check out the new video and single via YouTube and pre-order the album here.
On the new single, Eve shares:“‘Hit U With a Banger’ is an expression of the idea that the ultimate form of love is acceptance. When I feel frustration about the opinions and actions of others, I channel my angst into music. Expressing my feelings helps me to accept myself as I am – I embrace strong emotions, and they become fuel for my transformation.”
Eve’s music has been featured on Echoes Radio and Iggy Pop’s BBC radio show Iggy Confidential. “Synthesizer Hearts,” off of Eve’s 2020 release, Stars Aligned, appeared on BBC Radio 6 Music’s B-List in December 2020 and premiered on Mary Anne Hobbs’ BBC Radio show “Music From The Near Future.” In 2021, Eve contributed to Moebius Strips, an audio installation and companion album honoring the work of electronic music pioneer Dieter Moebius. Other contributors include Geoff Barrow (Portishead, Beak), Sarah Davachi, Jean-Benoît Dunckel (Air), Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Phew, Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster, Harmonia), Michael Rother (Harmonia, NEU!) and Yuri Suzuki.
In 2022 and 2023, Eve and her collaborators Dream Chambers and Belly Full Of Stars composed a live-score for FW Murnau’s 1922 film, Nosferatu, which they performed in theatres across the United States. Collaborating is an important aspect of Eve’s creative path, and she has an on-going dance music project called GLAZIER with her partner Scott Glazier, as well as a synth-rock duo, Eardrummer, with longtime friend Adrienne Franke.
Eve has performed across the United States and internationally, alongside artists such as William Tyler, Guerilla Toss, MATMOS, JEFF the Brotherhood, and Lydia Lunch.
In addition to her personal creative practices, Eve is committed to providing avenues for others to create and uplift one another. In 2018, She, Jess Chambers, Deli Paloma-Sisk, and Arlene Sparacia founded Hyasynth House, an electronic music collective and education center for female and LGBTQIA+ artists. Together they facilitated workshops, performances, and community-wide conversations in an effort to support and empower marginalized groups. The founders went their separate ways in 2019, but Eve continues to lead electronic music workshops and to organize live music events in Nashville and beyond, including her work co-producing Nashville Drone, a 6-hour music experience featuring 13 regional artists across genres, in an effort to create an immersive space for the community to connect and recharge.
Miss Grit—the project of New York-based, Korean-American musician Margaret Sohn (they/she)—releases “Mind Disaster,” the third single from their forthcoming album,Under My Umbrella, out April 24th via Mute. Following the “trippy, futuristic electronica” (The Forty-Five) of “Tourist Mind” and the “dreamy electro-pop track” (Stereogum), “Stranger,” “Mind Disaster” is a warped lullaby that swells and swoops with fizzing drums, dramatic choir pads, a heady electronic pulse, and euphoric synths, evoking a raw electronic sound. It’s about trying to wrestle free of the social anxiety that comes with being overwhelmed by others.
Margaret describes “Mind Disaster” as “the one that really helped create the palette for the rest of the album for me. It’s my favorite instrumental on the record and so many good friends helped make it happen.” Some of those friends include electronic visionary and film scorer Sae Heum Han (mmph), producer Luciano Rossi (Mui Zyu), drummer Preston Fulks (Momma), and Aron Kobayashi Ritch (Momma), who mixed the whole record.
Sohn is a bold experimentalist and architect of sculptural texture, known for deftly moving between analogue and digital, guitar and synths, and creating an immersive cosmos of sound with futuristic frameworks for their searching introspection. For their second full-length album, Under My Umbrella, they’ve lifted the lid on their internal world, lasering in on the anxieties and heartbreak of the past two years. It’s an album that is as immersive and expansive as it is intimate, channeling the noirish atmosphere of classic trip-hop bands, while adding a hefty dose of maximalism and a dream-pop sensibility.
Under My Umbrella began to take shape when Sohn returned from an intense touring schedule where they’d driven themself around North America totally alone. When they returned home, Sohn found themselves yearning to capture that specific, less restrained energy of playing live. Like Follow The Cyborg, its creation mostly took place in Sohn’s Queens apartment. The music came to them quickly, streams of consciousness with one new guiding principle: don’t overthink it. “I tried not to edit too much or force a moment to happen,” they explain, leaning into big choruses where it felt right. Some guitar sounds were first takes, ditto vocals, thus preserving the immediacy and authenticity of the emotion. As such, it’s a densely layered album, charged with electric crescendos that build to moments of unbridled catharsis. “It feels truer to myself, and more of a representation of what is actually coming out of me,” says Sohn.
Miss Grit will play record release shows in NYC on Friday, April 24th at Nightclub 101 and Los Angeles on Saturday, May 2nd at Scribble. Prior, Sohn will appear at Rough Trade in NYC for an acoustic set and signing with free entry along with a pre-order of the album. Fans can RSVP here. Additionally, there will be a listening party for the album at Yu and Me Books in NYC on Saturday, April 18th.
In May, Miss Grit will support Just Mustard on their North American tour. A full list of dates is below.Under My Umbrella will be available digitally and on limited-edition crystal clear vinyl and CD.
Miss Grit Tour Dates: (New Dates in Bold) Fri. April 24 – New York, NY @ Nightclub 101 Sat. May 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Scribble Fri. May 8 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern * Sat. May 9 – Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret * Sun. May 10 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall * Tue. May 12 – San Francisco, CA @ Café Du Nord * Thu. May 14 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room * Sat. May 16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour * Sun. May 17 –Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar * Tue. May 19 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge * Thu. May 21 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle * Sat. May 23 – Toronto, ON @ Garrison * Sun. May 24 – Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz * Fri. May 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s * Sat. May 30 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd *
* = supporting Just Mustard
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After moving to Stockholm, Sweden, drum and bass / techno / breakbeat producer and D Enduser had to adjust to the extreme changes in seasons there: Long periods of darkness, long periods of sunlight, extreme cold, perfect sunny days. The experience was, I’m guessing, unsettling at first. This might’ve led to the title of his new album, Unquiet, which is anything but quiet.
Starting with “Trial By Fire,” Enduser immediately begins layering beats and rhythms with trip-hop sounds to ignite something under your feet and in your chest. The “Lost” mix of “Turning Point” could be the theme music to your new favorite streaming TV show about a mysterious organization or town or a group of hackers. The beats of “Northern Tribe” slither and sizzle with drone synths behind them. “Broken Branch” is pure industrial fury and menace. The “Decay” mix of “Waiting,” believe it or not, brightens things up a bit with lighter synths and bouncier beats.
“Street Lamp” has an Orbital-like quality to it with its big drums and soft synths. The “Homemade Weapons” remix of “Where I Found You” is another standout with big, thumping bass and lurking synths. Nowan‘s remix of “Northern Tribe” makes the song, somehow, bolder and brasher. SCRWZ‘s remix of “Cabin Fever” will get the whole place jumping.
Another thing I like about Unquiet is, much like Enduser’s Swedish landscape, it gives the songs room to breathe. The shortest song on the record, the album mix of “Where I Found You,” is just under five minutes in lengths. Most songs are at least six minutes long. They change shape, stretch, retract, and pull you in different directions – to the dance floor, a shadowy corner, a warm bedroom, a cold forest. It’s meant to upset the quiet around you but also help you appreciate it.
It doesn’t feel like Dry Cleaning‘s Stumpwork album came out nearly four years ago because it still sounds as fresh now as it does then.
The first words out of lead singer Florence Shaw on the album are “Should I propose friendship?” on “Anna Calls from the Arctic.” Shaw’s inviting us to go on this journey with her and her bandmates, but she wants to know if we’re willing and our company will be worth her time. “I like it when you can see inside houses from the car,” she says / sings, ever mysterious and intriguing. Most of the lyrics for this album were improvised by Shaw in the studio, taking inspiration from things she saw during walks around London.
Her bandmates, Nick Buxton (drums), Tom Dowse (guitar), and Lewis Maynard (bass), always craft neat post-punk, krautrock, and just…odd soundscapes around her. It’s almost like two different performances happening at the same time, and it always works. “Things are shit, but they’re gonna be okay,” Shaw says on “Kwenchy Kups.” She was right then. She’s right now.
“Gary Ashby” is a rousing, rocking song about a lost turtle the band adopted during the pandemic. Dowse’s guitar sounds a bit drunk on “Driver’s Story.” “If I could live across a Boot Fair, wouldn’t that be something?” Shaw asks on “Hot Penny Day” while Maynard’s bass funks and fuzzes like it walked in from a 1970s disco.
Buxton’s drums on the title track have a bit of a jazz feel while Shaw playfully talks and sings and Dowse’s guitar chords could fit into a Lush song without trouble. “No Decent Shoes for Rain” has an underlying growl to it that I like. The breakdown in the middle is great, with Shaw pausing to say, “It’s so great to meet you, but not here.” The whole tune changes into a new sound. It’s impressive.
The bounce of “Don’t Press Me” is a fun counter-balance to its snarky title and Shaw’s slightly snarled lip delivery. “Conservative Hell” has Shaw dreaming about escaping from reality, at least for a bit…and the end sounds of it seem to reflect a hallucinogenic trip. Maynard’s bass strolls on “Liberty Log” with a simple groove while Buxton shuffles behind him, Dowse’s guitar sounds like a distant leaf blower or a whale or a whale with a leaf blower, and Shaw sing-speaks about how reality shows about isolation became reality during the pandemic (“This seems like a weird premise for a show, but I like it.”). The album ends with “Icebergs,” which might be a metaphor for global warming because Dowse’s guitar strings sound like they’re melting as he plays.
Dry Cleaning is one of those bands that isn’t for everyone, but they’re so damn intriguing that, once you “get it” (if there is indeed anything to “get”), you become fascinated by them. Stumpwork was a weird response to the post-pandemic world, and a lot of it still feels relevant.
The cover of trauma ray‘s new EP, Carnival, pretty much lets you know what you’re heading into when you start playing it.
Starting with the instrumental and slightly creepy “Carousel,” the EP instantly creates a spooky atmosphere. It made me imagine seeing a carnival emerge from fog as you’re out for an early walk or drive and think, “Wait…That wasn’t here yesterday.” It then jumps into “Hannibal,” which hits with hard Helmet-like riffs that roar with fury and also melt your mind with echoing shoegaze vocals.
“Méliès” is named after French filmmaker Georges Méliès and is about making up illusions and alternate realities in your mind to deal with trauma and strife around you. The massive guitars and heavy drum hits also help purge your stress.
“Funhouse” gets heavier, believe it or not, dropping doom riffs on you from behind warped mirrors and twisting passages but then sliding into Slowdive-like sounds that will leave you thinking, “Wait…Is this the same band?” The closer, “Clown,” is about tragedy lurking behind comedy. The powerful guitar chords and snare hits convey suppressed rage and the urge to let it loose upon the world.
You’ll want to let this EP loose upon the world by cranking it so loud the entire neighborhood will hear it. They’ll thank you for it.
