INDISPENSABLE NEW MUSIC PICKS
July 2022
Kristine England
Jul 31, 2022
Ghost Woman
Ghost Woman
After spending years on the road with the likes of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Michael Rault, and others, guitarist Evan John Uschenko created Ghost Woman as an outlet for his hazy, haunting, and hypnotic psychedelia, revealed on this eponymous debut.
FEATURED TRACK: "Along"
Neighbor Lady
For The Birds
Indie-country band Neighbor Lady has ventured into new sonic territories with its latest record, For The Birds. The Atlanta four-piece has incorporated psychedelic-tinged textures to its country twang, adding what songwriter and vocalist Emily Braden calls “reverb and magic.” How often do you hear a flute and a Rickenbacker in the same song?
FEATURED TRACK: "Felt"
Tedeschi Trucks Band
I Am The Moon: II & III
The Grammy-winning Americana ensemble (though some may consider them country or contemporary blues) has been very ambitious this year. I am the Moon is being released over the course of the summer in four installments, with the first hitting on June 3. The second and third installments were released in July (and the fourth will be available in late August).
FEATURED TRACK: "I Am The Moon: Episode III. The Fall"
Berries
How We Function
Raw and ready, London-based trio Berries certainly chose a name that belies its energetic garage punk ethos. Holly, Lauren, and Lucy has refused to give up their last names, so the focus is all on the sound on “a really well put together debut album that rocks hard and gets its message across succinctly, with a bristling beat and an intelligence that it takes some bands a few albums in to achieve.” (Louder Than War)
FEATURED TRACK: "We Are Machines"
Tami Neilson
Kingmaker
Neilson teamed up with Willie Nelson on this featured track, an ode to her late father. The duet is a beautiful tearjerker. The Canadian native who now makes her home in Auckland, NZ lends her powerful voice to heartfelt and topical tracks on an album that the Guardian raves is “the queen of Kiwi country at her imperious best.”
FEATURED TRACK: "Beyond the Stars"
Regressive Left
On The Wrong Side Of History
Add another sub-genre to your vocabulary because Regressive Left is a dance-punk trio that is all manner of biting, caustic and candid in its assessment of the current state of things.
FEATURED TRACK: "Bad Faith"
Death Bells
Between Here & Everywhere
Between Here & Everywhere is the latest from the Australian duo comprised of Will Canning and Remy Veselis. Now settled in LA, they recruited collaborators to provide keyboards, strings and backing vocals for its third album. Inspired by the place they’ve called home since 2016 and the challenges of big city life during the pandemic, the record is “raw, audacious, brooding, and captures the outfit’s immense energy.” (Circuit Sweet)
FEATURED TRACK: "Lifespring"
The Sadies
Colder Streams
Toronto alt-country group The Sadies have been around since 1994, but its future is anything but certain. The group was able to finish this album before founding member Dallas Good died suddenly from a previously-undetected heart condition at the age of 48. His untimely death makes this record even more poignant, with Good himself announcing Colder Streams as the best work they had ever produced.
FEATURED TRACK: "All the Good"