Dec 14, 2023

ZOON • Dodem • 2023


"On Zoon’s exquisite second album, Bekka Ma’iingan, Monkman frequently sidesteps conventional songcraft altogether and surrenders to the impressionistic power of sound. Bekka Ma’iingan is at once his most opaque and most open-hearted work, less interested in explicit storytelling than in making you feel the deep-seated ache and hard-won euphoria coursing through Monkman’s veins."
- Pitchfork

"The music arrives in dusty, amorphous gusts of sound — sometimes revealing a strummed acoustic guitar, sometimes swelling with tremolo strings, sometimes surrounding Monkman with high, delayed vocals — that make every perception sound fragile and precious."
- The New York Times


Zoon created Bleached Wavves with extremely limited, often broken gear. They worked through frustrating, lengthy delays and yet managed to reverse engineer a masterpiece of a debut. With sophomore album, Bekka Ma’iingan (Bay-ka Mo-Een-Gan) a broad spectrum of possibilities, lush orchestration, resources, collaborators and friends all supported the process. Bleached Wavves provoked us to face many difficult questions and reckon with a deeply uncomfortable and painful history. Bekka Ma’iingan continues to explore their Indigenous and life experience, and while still clutching to the unresolved, it moves us more softly and sweepingly towards acceptance. 

Dec 12, 2023

best of 2023 • Wednesday • Quarry



The rain rotted house on the dead end of Baytree old bitter lady 
sits caddy corner to the aftershock from the Quarry 
She says "America's a spoiled child that's ignorant of grief”  
but then she gives out full sized candy bars on Halloween

best of 2023 • Stanley Brinks • THIS IS THE DAY




Stanley Brinks is renowned for his unique anti-folk style: both playful and suggestive, insightful and entertaining. 

best of 2023 • Jefferey Lewis • What I Love Most in England (Is the Food!)

 

I love green sheet fields with all edges
Bound by old stone walls and hedges
And the sticks, the vibes, the charming mix
Of farmer, punk, and druid
That mist's more mystic than where I'm from
But on this list the shock biggest to come
Is that one other thing I really love in England is the food

Dec 11, 2023

best of 2023 • Islands • Life's A Joke




And That’s Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs is Islands’ ninth album, following the 2021 comeback album Islomania. “[Islomania] was exuberant and hopeful, and Dolphins is like the grim rejoinder,” Thorburn said in a statement. “The songs attempt to tap into some of our darker impulses. The grim, unshakeable feeling that we live in hell, that there is no future, that all hope is lost. I wanted to explore those depths and see where it lead me.” PF

Dec 10, 2023

Hallelujah The Hills • Alone, In Love • 2023



Adrianne Lenker • Ruined • 2023



Dec 9, 2023

best of 2023 • Joanna Sternberg Live at Union Pool


Joanna Sternberg’s music often sounds as though they’re performing a one-person show to an audience of plushies and bedroom clutter. They possess a humble loneliness that is utterly without charm, which of course, somehow, makes their songs helplessly charming. On I’ve Got Me, their second album and their first as a drummer and string arranger, Sternberg balances unvarnished emotion with meticulous craftsmanship. They never offer advice, just a little space for emotion and self-reflection. PF


best of 2023 • Sweet Baboo • Good Luck


The single is written by fellow, brilliant Welsh singer-songwriter H Hawkline, with Black asking him to write some lyrics but coming back with what he considers to be one of the strongest tracks on the album. As with previous Sweet Baboo albums, not least 2013’s iconic indie ‘hit’ and Moshi Moshi debut, ‘Ships’, his new music is full of world-weary whimsy and feint hope, making for an effortlessly charming listen. The Wreckage will be the first, full-length solo Sweet Baboo release on his own Amazing Tapes From Canton label.


Dec 8, 2023

best of 2023 • Lower Plenty • The Great Pretender




In the corner of my mind  there's a little town 
Like a ghost it follows me around
 I go away, I lay awake
 I go so far away I see the face.
  Stop thinkin' it was all so easy 
Stop drinkin', well that's not so easy 
Layin' in bed you talk about behavioural theory 
I go to sleep underneath you janglin' jailer's keys

The songwriting on No Poets is steeped with the space intertwining acoustic guitars allow. By relying on these thin melodies to hold together the compositions, the potential for No Poets to run off the rails is real but Lower Plenty appear at their most concrete. Central to this cohesiveness is Sarah Heyward and Daniel Twomeys’ percussive dialogue which expands here. These sturdy rhythms float amongst Heyward’s uneasy sonic hazes. Get ready to spend aimless afternoons listening to this record.

best of 2023 • boygenius • The Record




MUSIC HISTORY IS full of supergroups, but there’s never been one like boygenius, which is why the label doesn’t do them justice. They’re simply a world-beatingly great band, with three of the most brilliant singer-songwriters in the game. Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus all came into boygenius with their own totally distinct styles, not to mention their own hardcore audiences, teaming up with a communal pass-the-mic spirit. They’ve finally dropped their long-awaited full-length debut with The Record — but it’s even better than everybody had hoped. RS

Dec 6, 2023

🎙️ ifitbeyourwill Ep. 23 Finale • Advance Base





 Ending season two on a true high with Advance Base. Founded by singer-songwriter Owen Ashworth, Advance Base emerged from the ashes of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, bringing a fresh perspective to the intersection of melancholy and catchy melodies. Advance Base's music is a sonic journey, weaving nostalgic narratives through Ashworth's poignant lyrics and innovative lo-fi production. The sound is a delicate balance between vulnerability and experimentation, drawing listeners into a world where raw emotions find solace in the embrace of unconventional soundscapes. Discover the haunting beauty of Advance Base as they redefine the boundaries of indie music. Catch Advance Base on its’ Holiday tour starting December 6th, 2023, and be sure to have a listen to Owen’s latest release "How you got your picture on the wall” at the end of our conversation. 🎙️ 




BEATOWLS • All I See Is Trouble • 2023



“Nocturnal melancholy, drawing from influences in trip-hop and electro.” 
– Far Out Magazine
 
“A gorgeously bleak portrayal of modern loneliness” 
- Uncut

“It starts with one word, one line, one note, one phrase at a time. No considerations as to where it will go or who will hear it. No timeframe. Read over it, play over it, revise, tweak. Steal? Remove and redo. Record. Make it personal, make it universal. Get better. Happy accidents. Small victories. The idea is everything. Keep going. The idea reveals itself more. Revise, tweak and refine. Steal a bit more. Record again. Make connections, play with its fire. Make it the best you can. Rewrite and record again.”

best of 2023 • Slaughter Beach, Dog • Summer Windows




Summer Windows Live at Foster Bowl in Ojai, California.

Filmed by Dustin Hayes with assistance from Alexandra Dolan-Mescal & Amanda Fotes. 

Dec 5, 2023

Newmoon • Eternal Fall • 2023




Today Antwerp shoegaze heroes Newmoon share the opening track of their brand-new album ‘Temporary Light’, set for release on March 22nd, 2024 through [PIAS] Recordings (EU) and Manifesto Records (US).
 
‘Eternal Fall’ sets the tone of the new album with dreamlike vocals and a stunning patchwork of hazy layers of guitars creation this gargantuan cloud of blissful noise. A song that feels like getting lost in a smoke-filled hall of mirrors.
 
“While writing we knew we wanted to incorporate some new elements”, singer-guitarist Bert Cannaerts explains, “We all have a love for less traditional music and have always looked at ways to introduce some of the elements into our own songs. “Eternal Fall” is the result of that. Working on this song was very refreshing for us. I remember referencing stuff like Massive Attack and loads of ambient music while writing it. A song that feels very different yet familiar at the same time.

Dec 4, 2023

Hollow Coves • Milk & Honey • 2023




A flickering feel-good folk anthem that stitches together wistful vocals and fluttering guitars to create a soundscape that is as soothing as it is sentimental, “Milk and Honey” is a nod from Hollow Coves to “remember the things that matter most.”

best of 2023 • Girl and Girl - Divorce 2 (Fight Night)




Comprising of Kai James, his Aunty Liss on drums, longtime friend Jayden Williams on guitar and bassist Fraser Bell, Girl and Girl have a special kinship that shines through in their music and on stage. The band also share extensive experience in the music scene both together and separately, with Aunty Liss bringing 37 years of drumming chops to the table. Not to mention the time that Girl and Girl competed against none other than Tones and I at a local band competition, and won (no biggie!).

Dec 3, 2023

best of 2023 • Nicholas Krgovich • Cup Full


The little light left in the sky goes soft and slow,

As I fill up the house with depressing music “hi ho”.



What do I know?...



The running list of things I try to get to today,

Now leaning the kitchen wall,

The garden dark, the windows dark,

Have I had enough?



What do I know?
...



Have I been making do,

Trying to keep this cup full,

Been trying to keep this cup full but for who?


Dec 2, 2023

🎙️ ifitbeyourwill Ep. 22 • Pony Girl


Pony Girl weaves an ethereal tapestry of sound, blending indie rock and dreamy electronica into a sonic journey that transcends genres. Hailing from diverse musical backgrounds, this Ottawa-based band creates lush atmospheres and haunting melodies, inviting listeners into a captivating world where every note tells a story of introspection and wonder. Enjoy 🎙️ 






best of 2023 • Worriers • Warm Blanket



The band’s fourth full length record has the feel of an exciting debut and there’s a reason: it marks the first time that Denitzio accepted that the group they had been trying to treat as a band is actually a solo project. After a pace of touring and recording that would be breakneck for most, but de rigueur in the underground scene which forged them, Denitzio found themselves in the summer of 2022 with a chance to finally catch their breath. “I realized I could write whatever I wanted.”


What do you want fans to know about your latest album, Warm Blanket?

I started Warm Blanket with the simple intention of it being a fun project: an album for me to write music that I don’t typically write and to collaborate with my bandmates in a new way. I wanted to treat it like a blank slate for Worriers.

Illustration by Rae Dukes

If you have to explain what's about to happen
Just point at the rising seas
Throw your things in a 95 Outback
Grab your dogs and you're ready to flee - Doom Scrolling