Xenia Rubinos "Una Rosa"
Rubinos’s third album, “Una Rosa,” arrives as a rich statement about finding creative freedom. “It’s a thick listen,” Rubinos said. “It was thick even for me as I was making it.” The album touches on heavy topics at a heavy moment: mourning, heartbreak, the pressures of capitalist productivity, the killing of Breonna Taylor. One moment Rubinos nimbly intones melodies from a José Martí poem through a dense glaze of Auto-Tune, the next she growls through gritted teeth over a gauzy lattice of synths.
Thoughtcrimes "Tap Night – EP (PureNoise)"
In 2019, Thoughtcrimes, the Long Island-based hardcore band featuring ex-Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Billy Rymer, released their convulsive debut EP, Tap Night. Now, not only is it finally getting the high-quality vinyl pressing it deserves via new label home Pure Noise, two previously unreleased tracks have been added.
Hovvdy "True Love (Grand Jury)"
Since recording their last album, 2019’s Heavy Lifter, Austin duo Hovvdy has settled down. Charlie Martin and Will Taylor both got married; Taylor had a kid. They also put out some music — Martin released a lovely solo album just a couple months ago and they spent the pandemic covering leaks of Coldplay and Paramore. And today Hovvdy are announcing a new full-length, True Love, with its bright and ringing title track, which reflects their newfound happier circumstances. It retains the group’s nostalgic warmth but also sounds driven by hopes and dreams for the future, especially in its rousing last minute as the lyrics repeat: “Do you believe what I said? That I am the man I say I am.”
Solemn Brigham "South Sinner Street (Mello)"
Across its 14 songs, South Sinner Street argues for Solemn Brigham as one of the most exciting artists in underground hip-hop, a technical virtuoso who also happens to be one of the genre’s most surprising, most deeply personal songwriters. The album evokes the feeling of climbing onto a house’s roof to survey the nearly-burning city around you, with all the peril that entails––but also all the possibility.
