The friends catch up about band admin work, living in the Singles building, subconscious lyricism, and I Wish I Was a Rat.
Paste Magazine: Spiral XP Releases New Single “Window Room”
The band—Max Keyes, Lena Farr-Morrissey, Daniel Byington, Kyle McCollum, Jordan Mang—pull no punches on the track, as Farr-Morrissey’s vocal swirls in the eye of Mang and McCollum’s heavy, groaning riffs. Busting out of its slowcore margins and ascending into brightened hues of gazing, augmented distortion, “Window Room” hams up the emotional collateral of previous single “Sinner” and swells into a knotty thesis on patience, capitalism and cultural pleasure. “How long until we revel in something new?” Farr-Morrissey sings. “Too late, too soon.” The instruments crush inward, and the meaning turns euphoric.
FLOOD: Red Ribbon Meditates on a Friend’s Wedding or a Breakup or Both on New Track “YSFP”
Emma Danner recently introduced her new self-titled album as Red Ribbon with the confidently moody lead single “Crying in My Car,” a late-night-drive tune taking a pensive look at romance in the rearview mirror. With Red Ribbon’s release still over a month out, she’s returning today with another new single that’s either a journey further down the road of heartbreak or one looking past it at the joyful partnerships of friends—and perhaps it’s this uncertainty as to how to approach this fork in the road that lends the track its simmering eeriness. “I wanted the raw emotions, the grief, and freshness of that time to be palpable in the recording,” Danner shares of “YSFP” (which stands for the track’s pained repetition “You’re so fucking pretty”), which was penned surrounding a breakup. “I wanted to hear it in the vocals.”
FLOOD: Spiral XP Soundtrack Their Own Demise in the Video for New Track “Luna”
It’s only natural that the Pacific Northwest would become one of the largest suppliers of shoegaze bands amidst the genre’s recent revival, given that so much of the alt-rock scene which brought these sounds to America was born in and around Seattle. The latest band to help carry that torch is Spiral XP, who’ll be following up their series of recent EPs with a debut album titled I Wish I Was a Rat this October. The first single, “Luna,” is an apt follow-up to those releases as it balances errantly wailing riffs with hushed verses and awe-struck lyrics.
Paste Magazine: salvia palth Pulls Back the Lens on Years of Transformation on last chance to see
Stereogum: salvia palth’s Daniel Johann Lines Is Charting A New Path Forward
In a world where viral success can lead young artists to exploitative contracts and dead-ends, Lines has maintained complete control of his project and his presence. It’s anomalous, but if last chance to see has proven anything, it’s that this deliberate approach can lead to an extraordinary creation. It’s a sustainable practice in an era of disposable talent.
PAPER: Taxidermists Wade Through the Shipwreck
Talkhouse: Introducing: Zero Point Energy’s “Closer to You”
I wanted to write a trans anthem, where a young person going through the same thing could hear it and be like, This is made for me. I think so often trans portrayals in the media are required to be either overly heroic or so deeply tragic with little representation for a more nuanced human experience, which is often made up of small moments of both.
FLOOD: Brutus VIII Takes Inspiration from Don DeLillo and Paul Auster on Satiric New Track “Building a Bomb”
Maintaining his familiar post-punk vocal incantations, the new track explores more maximalist sounds across industrial metal and no wave while Katz’s lyrics dip into political satire inspired by Don DeLillo’s Mao II and Paul Aster’s Leviathan. “It’s me poking fun at performative political activism while also expressing some fears about domestic terrorism,” he shares. “In the last decade it seems casual mass violence has become the new normal. This makes me profoundly uncomfortable. The lyrics and music are written to reflect that.”
FLOOD: Slow Hollows’ “Doing the Dishes” Playlist
With the themes of cohesion and solitude in mind, Feinstein is honoring the album’s release today by sharing a playlist of tunes that serve as go-to listens while doing the dishes (hopefully that act doesn’t take him 52 minutes, the runtime for this collection of songs). Weaving through evident influences such as Bruce Hornsby and Neil Young, as well as cuts from genre-defining artists such as Wire and Tricky and hard-to-pin-down innovators including Talk Talk and Mica Levi, the playlist remains an engaging listen. “I think it takes you through enough sonic turns to keep things interesting,” he shares.
Paste: Slow Hollows Reveals the Inspirations Behind Each Track on Bullhead
Today, Slow Hollows—the recording alias of LA-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Austin Feinstein—has released his fourth album, Bullhead. The LP is Feinstein’s first since 2019’s Actors, and it’s a remarkable foray into a world where rich synths, big guitar riffs and limitless hooks converge. In 2020, Slow Hollows the band broke up, and Bullhead marks the project’s resurrection as Feinstein’s solo future.
FADER: Thanks For Coming’s growing pains
Rolling Stone AU: Bank Robbery, Murder & BDSM: Five Stories Behind D.C. Maxwell’s Debut Album
Lone Rider, released last Friday, is, first and foremost, a collection of stories, the work of a writerly musician. From lonely cowboys to desperate murderers, Maxwell fully inhabits rather than uses his characters.
He offers striking sympathy towards their stories, without ever letting any of the stories wilt into sentimentality
Pitchfork: Water From Your Eyes’ Rachel Brown Announces New Thanks for Coming EP, Shares Song
Water From Your Eyes’ Rachel Brown has announced a new EP under their solo moniker Thanks for Coming. What Is My Capacity to Love? will arrive on September 29 via Danger Collective. Check out the Dylan Gee and Kima Hibbert–directed video for the single “Loop” below.
The eight-song EP was primarily written in the aftermath of a relationship. As such, What Is My Capacity to Love? finds Brown analyzing their romantic relationships. “Loop” is the sole song written before that breakup. “I was in this cycle of infatuation, disappointment, seeking out intimacy but never actually letting anyone in,” explained Brown. “I’d like to think I finally got out of the loop.”
FADER: Watch Computerwife’s dreamlike beach trip
SNIFFERS SCOOP: 7. D.C. Maxwell ‘Lone Rider’
Brooklyn Vegan: Watch Computerwife’s video for noisy pop anthem “I Get Better Every Day”
She recently put out the album's lead single "Lexapro," and we're now premiering second single "I Get Better Every Day" and its video. It's a '90s rock anthem through a lo-fi Gen Z lens, and its titular hook is very catchy. Addie says:
“When I made this song, I thought I was gaining control of my life and building self confidence. This is one of the first songs that taught me how to write lyrics. I was reading Annihilation (by Jeff VanderMeer) and wrote down interesting words and then found ways to use those words to express my own thoughts.”
Rolling Stone AU: D.C. Maxwell is a ‘Lone Rider’ on His Debut Album
Under The Radar NZ: D.C. Maxwell Unveils Debut Single / Video 'The Leading Man'
D.C. Maxwell swaggers into our hearts with 'The Leading Man', the Tāmaki Makaurau rising star's feverishly-awaited debut single, out today via LA tastemakers Danger Collective Records. Proudly repping his own brand of "weirdo country", former ROIDZ frontman Daniel Smith's first official solo release is a passionate affair with epic sweeping orchestration to match
