Long Beard "Means To Me (Double Double Whammy)"
Means To Me (Double Double Whammy), the sophomore release by Long Beard, is a “dreamlike space that weaves between shoegaze-tinged guitars and upbeat, jangly pop” (and allow me to thank Double Double Whammy for not only releasing this beauty of an LP but also making my job a little easier by writing in the PR so succinctly what I was attempting to put into words right then). Leslie Bear (who IS Long Beard) moved back to her hometown while making this record (shout out Jersey pride!)–that examines what it is to call a place “home.” (For me, it’s wherever Hazel barks at the door of the balcony protecting us from any dog she can hear anywhere in Hoboken – thanks Hazel….). Co-produced by Craig Hendrix of Japanese Breakfast, this is a haunting, dreamy shimmer of an album. Check out “Getting By.”
Eye Flys "Context (Thrill Jockey)"
If you aren’t into a heavy metal band singing a song called “Fuckface” then there isn’t much I can do to convince you to love Eye Flys new record Context (Thrill Jockey). If that is your sort of thing, however, get ready! Eye Flys are as heavy as can be, with some detuned hardcore hints rounding out their punnishing sound. Something of a supergroup, they are comprised of members of Full Oh Hell, Backslider, and Triac (and those of you in the know will have already figured out that they got their name from The Melvins). So put on the blackest t-shirt you own and destroy whatever room you are in right now listening to “Stems.”
mxmtoon "the masquerade"
To call mxmtoon an “internet sensation” is like calling The Beatles “a pretty popular band.” Take, for instance, the song “prom dress” that appears on her new album the masquerade. In just about 2 months, the video for that song has been viewed nearly 3.5 MILLION times. That’s… that’s astounding. That’s like a million more people than watch The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Not bad for a young woman who started out on youtube and TikTok performing songs solo on the ukulele. Here we have all of the songs from the record both in their solo acoustic fashion, and more lushly arranged versions. Sophisticated, jangly, ukulele indie-pop with constantly impressive turns of phrase that can somehow, sometimes sound like Lana Del Rey recorded an album with ‘90s R.E.M. I swear, that makes sense in my head. See if it makes sense in yours and check out the aforementioned “prom dress.”
Chelsea Wolfe "Birth of Violence (Sargent House)"
Its (relatively) easy to release a summer album. Some good time vibes, something easy to party and rock out with-and you have yourself a summer album! But what, dear reader, of the fall album? Well that is a trickier apple to bob for. Leave it to office favorite Chelsea Wolfe to release what might be the perfect autumnal album. Stripped of much of the loud, sinister sounds she’s been known for recently, Birth Of Violence (Sargent House) is a stunningly beautiful record. Acoustic guitars; haunting, stripped back production; and Chelsea’s gorgeous vocals–along with her knack for songwriting–are the stars here. The whole thing just oozes a chilly beauty (like a candy bar left in the freezer–except good for you!). Now if all this doesn’t sound like the perfect fall release to you, then I suggest you check out the first single from the album “The Mother Road” and see (with your ears, that is) exactly what I mean.