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Quicksand Heart by Jenny on Holiday

For fans of… Hemlocke Springs, Sarah Kinsley, Kate Bush   

Genre… #pop #80s-revival #synth-pop

Jenny on Holiday’s debut solo album, Quicksand Heart, captures the anxiety-inducing experience of walking the border between letting someone in and shutting them out. Known previously for membership in of pop band Lets Eat Grandma, Jenny’s solo project explores the dichotomies of love and loss, frustration and longing, as well as wistfulness and joy, all with a common thread of self exploration. The first song opens with floaty, arpeggiated 80s-nostalgic synths as Jenny harmonizes with herself, all over a soft rock bass and drum mix. As listeners move through the album, the bright instrumentation remains, but the vibes of each song evolve with a distinct dynamism. Jenny’s expressive vocals are simultaneously light and emotionally-charged, and her rage, longing, and anxious rumination all become illuminated as she sings about her “quicksand heart”. Throughout the album, listeners hear about everything from her reluctance to fall in love (“Every Ounce of Me”) to the comforting familiarity of the right person (“Groundskeeping”). If you’ve ever loved or been in love, you will relate to at least one song on this album. 

Review by Maddie Naidu

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Beneath the Mountains by Giant

For fans of… Electric Wizard, Saint Vitus, SLEEP, Conan 

Genre… #doom #metal #chugchugchug

Beneath the Mountains strikes a careful balance between classic doom riffs and the bottom-heavy grit of modern drone. Tracks like “Beneath the Mountains” and “Lord Misery” tie together tasteful metal chugging with a melodic side that is clearly influenced by Masters of Reality-era Sabbath. Yet, instead of becoming just another Sabbath clone, GIANT applies their inspiration carefully, cutting through the album’s dark, droning aggression with their unique flair. The result is a stark and refreshing entry into a genre that has grown oversaturated with near-indistinguishable garage projects and half-baked riff collections.

Review by Matthew Carpenter

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Oh My by Debbie Sings

For fans of… underscores, Ninajirachi, Fcukers, Shygirl 

Genre… #EDM #pop #hyperpop

Debbie Sings’ latest EP Oh My is 23 minutes of unadulterated fun. The Danish songwriter-producer packed an impressive amount of variety into this compact collection. “Make Your Body Move” is stalwart dance floor fare, faithfully fulfilling its mission to shake booties and surely destined to rock nightclubs in Copenhagen and beyond this year. Meanwhile, “Leave This City” captures the essence of making leaps of faith and surrendering to chaotic impulse, with hypnotic distorted vocals––though, do not doubt Debbie, because it is no less danceable. If you need a 20-minute glittering hyperpop escape, Oh My is your girl. Trust me, it’s a romp.

Review by Jeneta Nwosu

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Selling A Vibe by The Cribs

For fans of… Pulp, The Strokes, The Libertines

Genre… #indie-rock #garage-rock-revival #alternative-rock

 The Cribs have been making music since 2001, and despite Johnny Marr’s addition to the trio for a brief stint, they have failed to gain mainstream popularity. However, this has not discouraged them. Their most recent album, Selling A Vibe, encapsulates a retrospective look back on life, a reflective pause to appreciate the peaks and wrestle with the valleys. The Cribs stay true to the indie genre with bright, punchy guitars and scrappy vocals, but it is evident through their lyricism that they are not trying to re-create a gone era. In one of their standout tracks, “A Point Too Hard To Make,” Ryan Jarman, lead singer, explains “parts you played before, don’t suit you no more,” demonstrating his understanding that time requires change. Tracks like “Never the Same” and “Rose Mist” further explore how one must eventually evolve. The Cribs have spent years developing their sound, and it pays off here. They have the ability to perfectly wrap up themes of aging and longing in jangly guitar riffs and upbeat rhythms that ultimately make you want to both rethink life and dance alone in your room. 

Review by Lila Noack

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Across the Raccoon Strait by Meels

For fans of… Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams

Genre… #alternative-country #folk #alternative-folk

Have you ever heard a song that makes you want to sit on a log wearing a prairie dress in the company of a harmonica-playing Raccoon? Well, Amelia “Meels” Einhorn wrote one—this much is evident in her music video for “Willow Song,” wherein she sits on a log wearing a prairie dress in the company of a harmonica-playing raccoon. The record this dreamy country piece is nestled within, Across the Raccoon Strait, is bread-and-butter alternative country tune-smithing combined with infinitely listenable country ‘sangin. Highlights include the aforementioned “Willow Song,” as well as the wonderfully straightforward, imperative “Praise the Sheep.” If you grew up listening to Prairie Home Companion, this one is for you. 

Review by Holt Templeton

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Powder by The Jewelry

For fans of… Hole, Jack Off Jill, Veruca Salt  

Genre… #grunge #alternative-rock

Powder proves itself to be an exemplary debut EP from The Jewelry, with its raw sound reminiscent of the 90s grunge scene. The EP starts out with a relatively melodic identity, songs like “Cake” alluding to the shoegaze genre. Then, the record transitions to a more fuzzed-out sound familiar with some new-wave punk, as seen on songs “Spoonfeed” and “Please Kill Me”. The track “Kim” stands out amidst the EP, with its emulation of a sound familiar to fans of the band Hole. Spanning under 20 minutes, Powder is the perfect EP for one to play while dying their hair or getting ready before embarking on a basement show. 

Review by Lora McPhail

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Bullseye by Swede and Skogen

For fans of… Pinegrove, Briston Maroney, Alex G 

Genre… #alternative-rock #indie-rock

In the sophomore album Bullseye from San Diego outfit Swede and Skogen, the lilting delivery of the lead vocalist is the star of the show. It has some competition, however, with the ever-present warm twanging guitar rhythms and hooky writing. The songs lead you through hometown spaces and familiar characters, immersing you in an immediately comforting everyday existence, whilst undercutting it all with a bite of bittersweet nostalgia and an ache for greater aspirations and personal growth. “Mazzy Star” is a favorite of mine for its gentle reflection on existential anxiety and its catchy “What if …?” refrain. “45” also stands out, combining a grittier, edgier guitar tone with mellifluous vocals, and its lyrics are representative of the album’s approach to world-building; the speaker rifles through precious remembered vignettes with a lost/avoidant lover, recalling “You sit across that photograph / That time I ate shit in the grass / you laugh.” This album is the soundtrack for sitting out on your deck overlooking a wooded thicket with a beer, reminiscing about past misadventures, cooking up new exploits before the last stretch of youth passes you by. 

Review by Jeneta Nwosu

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MAN BITES DOG by femtanyl

For fans of… Machine Girl, Atari Teenage Riot, Sewerslvt

Genre… #digital-hardcore #electronic-dance-music

Never underestimate the power of a trans girl singing over bit-crushed synthesizers, elastic-like pulsing bass, and beats that punch your guts out from between your teeth. Because if you doubted her, you would be missing out on the digital hardcore powerhouse that is MAN BITES DOG, by revolutionary, femtanyl. It has been riveting and gratifying to see the return of public appreciation for digital hardcore; the people yearn to thrash. As fascism remains on the rise, alternative musicians continue to gain renewed cult-followings, and I remain ever-grateful for the reinforcing of spaces to dance & revolt––and thank god for femtanyl’s newfound fame in this wave. (You already know we can thank this new record for honoring the classic WOO! sample, too). A highlight of MAN BITES DOG is track two, “VIDEO NASTY,” the sonic embodiment of a blazing strobe light in a heavily fog-machined club. The incessant electronic kick and industrial rhythmic samples form a gritty framework for a stellar digital-hardcore anthem. Upon lyrical inspection, the track offers a nuanced exploration of––now does this ring any bells?––the misattribution of anger for fear: “Cut the fucking shit / Are you scared or are you mad? / Fake guns on me / Like some re-up, nothing bad / I could care less about me…”

Review by Scotty Mihm