Album: Best Bear – When
Revisiting the Philly post-emo band’s 2022 debut LP confirms their sound and range of talent is as refreshing as ever.
Album
Album: Snailgun – Glass Walls
Noisy, frantic, and messy, the Melbourne/Naarm three-piece’s debut LP roars with a sound much bigger than the sum of its parts.
Album: Zach Angeloni – Lottery Crowd
An offering of catchy, well-crafted indie folk that pairs the thoughtful lyricism of Gregory Alan Isakov with the jammy, viscous fun of Mt. Joy.
Album: Westcoast Backbeat Orchestra – 2
New eight-piece ska band out of Sweden has the full richness of a small orchestra.
Album: Cape Crush – Place Memory
The Boston power-emo band’s debut LP emphasizes the power of connection, showcasing and experimenting with their well-honed sound.
Album: Bliss Abyss – S/T
The self-titled debut blends various indie styles to form a scorching testament to seeking pleasure and getting stuck in the poisonous emotional expanse.
Album: The Moss – Big Blue Moon
A rootsy, genre-hopping blend of influences that bridges the decades and is full of swagger and soul.
Album: Bad Operation – Everything Must Go
New Orleans ska/reggae rockers release their sophomore record after six years, picking up where they left off with a masterpiece.
Album: City of the Sun – Under the Moon
On their third full-length record, City of the Sun celebrate their growth as musicians of the world, using global influences to tell stories through their songs.
Album: Thin Lear – Many Disappeared
Thin Lear’s Matt Longo taps into the otherworldly to process loss and loneliness on a superb yet bittersweet sophomore album.
Album: St.Arnaud – S/T
Setting words of heartbreak to smooth jazz turns cynicism into celebration on St.Arnaud’s third LP, their first as a full band.
Album: Shapes Like People – Under The Rainbow
Shapes Like People return with their second album, an evolution of the first, with jangle pop mastery hitting every hue, brightness, and shadow on the spectrum.
Album: Final Days Society – You Can
A post-rock, indie, shoegaze fusion, the ambitious new album from the Swedish rockers is a sprawling, audible adventure. This is music at its most powerful.
Album: Superintendo – Beauty Routine
Shifting between genres but full of energy regardless, Superintendo make their beautiful debut on Punkerton Records.
Album: Winston Hightower – 100 Acre Wood
As someone who was there when lo-fi rock and pop started becoming a common thing
Album: Frog – Frog for Sale
Therein lies the brilliance of Frog: a coy, sleight-of-hand songwriting that launders longing through desire, dread through humor, and profundity through crassness—all neatly packaged into infectious, instant-classic tunes.
Album: Carsie Blanton & the Burning Hell – Everything is Great
Carsie Blanton’s new album features outrage and the outrageous. It is absurdity as a response to a diabolical but absurd world.
Album: Air Mail – a.m. Continental
Air Mail’s new album is pleasant and enjoyable little jaunt through precious songs that capture the feeling of an impressionable journey.
Album: Empired – Strikes Back
A couple years after their debut and with the world at least twenty times worse, Empired return with an album speaking more truth to power than ever before.
Album: Adiós Ghost – Happy House
Entirely live-tracked, the second album from the Brooklyn “power disco” quartet is full of immaculate vibes and impressive musicianship.