Montero "Performer (Chapter Music)"
Bjenny Montero is a man of many talents. Known as much as a visual artist as he is a musician, it makes sense that his music is as visual and whimsical as it is. Performer (Chapter Music), the newest LP from Montero (as he goes by in the music world), is a candy-colored dose (and I MEAN dose!) of surreal, psychedelic pop. At times sounding a bit like McCartney’s Wings, other times sounding like everyone’s newly favorite band ELO (when did that happen, exactly?). Frankly, if ever there has been a quirky, literate bit of pop music you’ve heard in the past, you might find hints of it here. But you’ll find so much more, as this is definitely the work of someone with a singular voice. It just so happens that that singular voice has excellent taste. For evidence of this, check out the Stevie Wonder meets Beck sounds of “Vibrations.”
Bat Fangs "Bat Fangs (Don Giovanni)"
With the swagger of Kiss, the power chord pop of Joan Jett, and the reeled-in noisiness of Royal Trux, Bat Fangs is here with their full-length self-titled debut! Formed in 2016 by Betsy Wright of Ex-Hex and Laura King of Flesh Wounds as a place for Betsy to put the bass down for a bit and concentrate on the guitar–and concentrate she does. Full of hot licks, this is some straight-up riff-based pop/rock with killer solos and fills thrown in for good measure. Remember why you grew up loving rock and roll so much (<3 Suzi Quatro) with any one of these leather jacket wearing tunes, but make sure you start with “Wolfbite.”
Anna Burch "Quit The Curse (Polyvinyl)"
In the summer of 2017 longtime Polyvinyl mainstay Fred Thomas sent his buds at PV Anna Burch’s demos along with a note that read “This is not a drill. You need to hear this.” Thank god Fred did what he did, because here we are 6-ish months later listening to her debut. Quit The Curse finds Anna’s subversively sunny songwriting skills in full form. Sometimes the guitars are warm and inviting, a la Best Coast. Other times they are angular and strange, like Sonic Youth (especially the positively late-era SY sounding “Asking 4 a Friend”). Anna’s vocals are a little bit like Zooey’s from She & Him in their up-front and center plainspokenness with a little bit of Alvvays first album thrown in for good measure. But really, she kind of reminds you of lots of stuff all at one while also not really sounding like anything. It’s quite a trick. Let her work her magic on you and check out “Tea-Soaked Letter.”
Miles Francis "Swimmers EP"
Multi-instrumentalist Miles Francis has been one of NYC’s best kept secrets over the past few years. Able to play just about any instrument you give him, and having collaborated with everyone from Mark Ronson, Sharon Jones, Allen Toussaint, and Will Butler, and Bob Newhart (ok maybe not Bob), but now is his time to be secret no more. Swimmers, his debut EP, is a wonder. Written and recorded entirely my Miles himself, with minimal edits and redubs, this is the sound of Miles finding his sound. And what a sound it is! Left field pop rarely sounds as exiting as this. Think turn of the century alt-pop releases from Self crossed with current soul revivalist Matthew E. White and your starting to get the picture of this singular release. Check out the introspective, exceedingly modern quirk-pop of “Complex.”