INDISPENSABLE NEW MUSIC PICKS
October 2021
Kristine England
Oct 31, 2021
Pond
9
The lads from Perth, Australia are known as a psychedelic band, but they’ve embraced some electronic beats on their latest outing, 9. NME’s take: “‘Human Touch’ thrashes with taut energy and a dose of post-pandemic lyricism.” I can't stop listening to it.
FEATURED TRACK: "Human Touch"
Sam Fender
Seventeen Going Under
The critically acclaimed Fender has released his second solo album. "Fender is the only musician since Springsteen to pull off the deceptively simple combination of magnetic positivity amidst working-class adversity with such verve and still have it sound ready for festivals and TikTok." (Pop Matters)The featured track is an upbeat tune replete with jangly guitar that belies the stories of violence, illness, and financial hardship. Naturally, it raced to the top of the UK singles chart in 10 days.
FEATURED TRACK: "Seventeen Going Under"
David Keenan
What Then?
This is the title track for his second album, which the Irish Times calls the record “a collection of 11 songs that burst at the seams with characteristic colour and detail.” The album was written by Dundalk, IR native in Paris during the depths of the pandemic. "Keenan offers a deft blend of traditional sounds and modern approaches to craft a unique and intoxicating sound." (Glide Magazine)
FEATURED TRACK: "What Then Cried Jo Soap"
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
Sticky
NME:” ‘Sticky’ is a pressure release: loose and spontaneous, tapping into that inclination we all had at the end of lockdown to go … well, a bit feral.” Well said. It will remind you of why you loved punk in the first place.
FEATURED TRACK: "Sticky"
Julia Shapiro
Zorked
Dreamy, haunting, mesmerizing. Shapiro left her life in Seattle to resettle in LA, and then came the pandemic. This album gives a clue how that went. This track is reportedly “a terrifying seduction inspired by a bad mushroom trip.” (Paste)
FEATURED TRACK: "Come with Me"
Don Broco
Amazing Things
At first, you may think the Bedford, Uk band has offered a cheesy confessional ballad, but the song rapidly changes direction. As Kerrang puts it, “ Bruce Willis...is simply an exercise in wish-fulfillment from a vocalist desperate to get a catchphrase from one of his favourite films into a song.” Worth it for the video alone.
FEATURED TRACK: "Bruce Willis"
La Luz
La Luz
La Luz’s eponymous fourth album offers dreamy psychedelic pop from the ladies from LA. "La Luz is psychedelic-surf rock at its absolute best...Despite being as psychedelically crazy as it is, the album is incredibly relaxing." (Post Thrash)
FEATURED TRACK: "I Won't Hesitate"
Parquet Courts
Sympathy for Life
“Walking at a Downtown Pace” is oddly prescient about life in NYC during the pandemic, though written before the stores, bars, and streets were empty. "I’m making plans for the day all of this is through" suggests the band knew something weird was coming. "Parquet Courts...[have] emerged head and shoulders above any arty guitar-wielding contemporaries on their turf." (NME)
FEATURED TRACK: “Walking at a Downtown Pace”