The Best of April 2021

Porch beer indie rock, surprise-released ska, and apocalyptic anti-capitalist sentiments make up the best releases of April.

Ratboys - Happy Birthday, Ratboy

Topshelf Records

For a day typically filled with fibs, fakeouts, and general tomfoolery, Happy Birthday, Ratboy is no joke. Surprise released on April 1st, the fourth album from Ratboys is a celebratory and reflective recreation of their debut EP RATBOY. There are gorgeous pedal steel contributions, well-observed slice-of-life portraits, and tales of elderly neighborhood cats. The second side of the album finds the band collecting long-unreleased tracks and rarities, all capped off by a sunny new song, “Go Outside.” Happy Birthday, Ratboy is continuing proof that ten years in, Ratboys are some of the greatest (and hardest working) ever to do it. 

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END! 

Constellation Records

Godspeed You! Black Emperor has always been a punk band in spirit disguised as a post-rock band in practice. While they are technically instrumental rock, the message behind their music was always lying in plain sight in the form of sampled field recordings, album art, coded song titles, and the occasional interview. In the case of G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!, the group released a manifesto featuring a list of demands ranging from dismantling the prison system to taxing the rich. They’re anti-establishment, anti-capitalist, and anti-authoritarian, and those topics are a lot to break down without any concrete lyrics. 

Despite their status as the favorite band of Rate Your Music Boyfriends® the world over, Godspeed really is that good. They’ve become a benchmark for an entire genre, and that doesn’t happen by accident. The group’s latest album is centered around two twenty-minute tracks, each punctuated by shorter six-minute songs. The result is a powerful and moving 52-minute run time that ends on a delicate but (surprisingly) uplifting note. 

Wild Pink - 6 Cover Songs

Royal Mountain Records

I love Wild Pink. I also love a good cover song. Throughout 6 Cover Songs, Wild Pink bandleader John Ross culls together a half-dozen tracks that suit every style and tempo of music captured on A Billion Little Lights from earlier this year. Following up one of 2021’s best heartland indie rock albums with a collection of covers two mere months later is an unexpected move, but I suppose in retrospect, 2016’s 4 Songs and 2019’s 5 Songs had set out a clear pattern. What’s more, the song selections are nothing short of excellent. There are some artists who feel like a shoo-in for this type of thing: Springsteen and Coldplay, echoing recent covers by Waxahatchee and Hovvdy, respectively. There are also some batshit crazy wild swings like Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen that appeal to my inner poptimist and are pulled from various comps over the years. Perhaps most notably, there’s a 49-second cover of the Jeopardy theme song plopped smack-dab in the middle of the tracklist that acts as a sort of pleasant, wandering interlude. Show me any other artist who can do that.

Jeff Rosenstock - SKA DREAM

Polyvinyl Record Co.

Jeff Rosenstock announcing a ska rendition of his latest album on April Fool’s Day was funny. Actually following through and dropping it on 4/20 was even funnier. Falling back on the ska-based instincts from his Bomb The Music Industry days, SKA DREAM is a complete track-for-track re-recording of 2020’s NO DREAM, and it’s glorious. For what could have just been a fun, jokey novelty, the songs work shockingly well in this new context. There are skank-worthy “pick it up’s” on “Airwalks (Alt),” a woozy dub breather in the form of “Horn Line,” and even a Grey Matter-esque hardcore breakdown on “S K A D R E A M.” Plus, with guest contributions ranging from PUP and Deafheaven to ska mainstays like Jer Hunter and Fishbone, SKA DREAM is impressively diverse, shockingly faithful, and wonderfully inventive. 

Remember Sports - Like a Stone

Father/Daughter Records

The resting state for the fourth album from Remember Sports is unwavering boppy indie rock. As they grew from emo basement shows and rough-around-the-edges recordings, Like a Stone sees a band evolving into a finely-oiled version of what came before. Thriving in the space between the jangly country-tinged Ratboys and the confessional bedroom rock ethos of Adult Mom, this collection of tracks strikes a perfect mix between emotional and easy-going. It’s breezy springtime music that isn’t afraid to shy away from the harder feelings of life. 

Spirit of the Beehive - ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH

Saddle Creek

The world is sick, and we are the ones who have poisoned it. More specifically, capitalism has taken in, used up, and discarded Mother Earth for its short-sited pursuits. These heartless, unfeeling corporations have perverted and discarded our home, all in the name of profit and appeasing shareholders. Much like the new Godspeed record, ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH is an album mired in the failings of the modern world. It’s a disorienting, uneven, and uneasy listen designed to emulate the feeling that comes from thinking too long about the system in which we are forced to exist. As sampled commercials punctuate the band’s electro-psych indie rock, one can’t help but wonder if we’re witnessing the death throes of a dying empire. By the time the record is over, it genuinely seems like death is letting the system off easy.

PONY - TV Baby

Take This To Heart Records

When I first heard “WebMD” back at the end of 2020, all I could think was, ‘where has PONY been all my life?’ Effortlessly catchy, disarmingly personable, and scarily relatable, PONY spends a vast majority of their debut album cranking out tightly-refined grunge-pop tunes in the vein of Charly Bliss or Colleen Green. The songs glitter and glisten, accurately reflecting the album art’s sugary sweet bubblegum pink color. The combination of Sam Bielanski’s sharp vocals over the fuzzed-out guitar proves to be a beguiling mix that will keep you coming back for more like a bowl of candy that you just can’t seem to keep yourself from snacking on by the handful.

BROCKHAMPTON - ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE

RCA Records

Even BROCKHAMPTON themselves wouldn’t deny they’ve hard their fair share of ups-and-downs. After a prolific three-album-run in 2017 led to high-profile lineup changes and a couple of rocky follow-ups, America’s favorite boyband is back and better than ever with ROADRUNNER. Welcoming a host of collaborators from Danny Brown to JPEGMAFIA, this record sees the collective leaning into a more West Coast style of rapping that suits them well. Each member has enough space to croon, spit bars, and produce without stepping over each other fighting for the spotlight. The result is arguably the most cohesive and crafted collection of songs the group has ever put out. 

Hey, Ily - Internet Breath

Lonely Ghost Records

When I sat down to listen to new music on Thursday night, I started with Internet Breath. That’s the kind of blind faith jump I like to take every once in a while, and boy did it pay off in spades here. Bearing a unique style of chiptunes-flavored emo, Internet Breath Is a six-track 17-minute excursion that defaults to catchy singalong hooks but occasionally vaults all the way up to a hard-hitting wall of distorted screamo. While emo can quickly wear out its welcome (even in 17-minute chunks), the electronic elements give this record a unique angle that feels refreshing from what’s going on in the rest of the scene. As the chiptune beats and autotuned singing depict a world of digital heartbreak, the electronics deftly shift between supplementary elements within the tracks to vital driving forces. A necessity.

Quick Hits

Noods - Blush - Effortlessly charming indie-pop bangers.

Lil Yachty - Michigan Boy Boat - An ice-cold, offbeat, and feature-packed “for the streets” tape from everyone’s favorite bead-adorned rapper.

Young Stoner Life - Slime Language 2 - Another collaborative compilation from Young Thug’s record label with Young Thug and Gunna serving as the Iron Man and Captain America-like figureheads. 

Taylor Swift - Fearless (Taylor’s Version) - A complete re-recording of the seminal pop star’s sophomore album with bonus tracks acting as the cherry on top of a (slightly tiring) near-two-hour listen.

Portugal. The Man - Oregon City Sessions - A long-lost 2008 concert film from Portugal. The Man comprised of one-take-only live tracks from their first three albums that did my PTM fanboy heart good. 

Sharon Van Etten - epic Ten - Disc one, a tenth-anniversary celebration of Sharon Van Etten’s sophomore album. Disc two, a track-for-track version of the same album with covers from everyone to Fiona Apple, IDLES, Shamir, and more!

Field Medic - plunge deep golden knife - It’s more Field Medic. 

The Berries - Throne of Ivory (Singles & B​-​sides) - Jaunty, jangly indie country that pairs perfectly with porch beers and wistful summer evenings. 

4AD - Bills & Aches & Blues - In celebration of their own 40th birthday, the longstanding indie label released this comp featuring current signees covering classic hits from alums.

Tilian - Factory Reset - The Dance Gavin Dance frontman takes center stage on his fourth alt-rock solo outing.

Trousdale - Look Around - Gorgeous harmonies and delicate sentiments make up this four-track folk-pop outing.

The Armed - ULTRAPOP - The once-anonymous punk band from Detroit that isn’t afraid to show their teeth while flexing their muscles on this bristling and artsy hardcore release. 

Dinosaur Jr - Sweep it Into Space - a shreddy, distorted return to form from one of the last(?) bastions of the grunge era. 

(T-T)b - Suporma - The first time I ever heard chiptunes, the genre blew my mind. Rock music and video game sounds? Suporma recaptures that magic with a slight emo twist. 

Origami Angel - Gami Gang - The sophomore double album from the emo duo with one of the strongest discographies in the scene. 

Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks of God - Sad indie rock for emo dads.

Rosie Tucker - Sucker Supreme - Chill, folky, Sunday morning indie that (shockingly) wound up on Epitaph. 

Teenage Fanclub - Endless Arcade - Illusionary tunes oscillating from laid-back Silver Jews Americana to dirty garage rock.

girl in red - if i could make it go quiet - Norway’s answer to Billie Eilish unleashes her long-awaited debut album packed with heartfelt bedroom feelings. 

Gojira - Fortitude - Fist-balled, horns-in-the-air rock from the French metal quartet. 

DJ Khaled - Khaled Khaled - Look man, it’s DJ Khaled. There will probably be some breezy summer hits, some cool features, and some obnoxious adlibs. 

Every Origami Angel Song, Ranked

Photo by Bethunni Schreiner

Origami Angel is an emo duo from College Park, Maryland, currently signed to Counter Intuitive Records. Despite only having existed for four years, the band already has one of the best discographies in the scene. Their music is a unique blend of tap-happy emo, hook-heavy pop-punk, and sing-along indie rock, all topped off with a dollop of upbeat easycore for good measure. Gami’s lyrics range from the grounded nerdiness of Pokemon and Rocket League to more existential fears of crushing self-doubt and the complexities of modern relationships. The result is equal parts moshable, danceable, relatable, and quotable, where each song overflows with positivity and hyper-technical displays of instrumental mastery. 

Gami’s first official release, Quiet Hours, is a 2017 EP that the band members have since dubbed their “soft emo album before [they] discovered blastbeats.” The duo started to make a name for themselves in 2018 with their second EP Doing The Most. Featuring poignant sentiments, hyper-online tendencies, and a now-iconic Herman Cain sample, this EP put the band on the map of the wider emo scene and helped them find a community outside of their east coast home. 

In 2019 Gami’s hustle was undeniable. The band kicked the year off with a Split between themselves and fellow Marylanders Commander Salamander in January. They released a Pokemon-themed EP in the spring and embarked on their first nationwide tour that summer. By the time November had rolled around, the group released their debut record by way of an augmented reality tourism site. Since racking up glowing reviews and numerous album of the year placements (including our own), singer/guitarist Ryland Heagy and drummer Pat Doherty have become the face of emo’s up-and-coming fifth wave. 

I figured what better time than the release of the duo’s sophomore album to sit down and formalize my thoughts on the band’s discography before it nearly doubles in size. I want to preface this ranking with the disclaimer that I don’t think Origami Angel has ever made a bad song. This may be a “ranking” in the sense that the tracks are ordered by increasing quality, but this list is less “worst to best” and more “amazing to flawless.” These songs are all different shades of incredible, my hyper-subjective taste is the only criteria here. Truth be told, this entire article is just an excuse for me to write about all of the band’s songs in one place. That said, this order is definitive and inarguable… Just kidding, please tell me what you think of my ranking and share your thoughts at the bottom.

Also, if you’ve made it this far, here’s the ranking in playlist form, in case you want to listen along, skip to the end, or just hear all of the band’s songs in the most arbitrary way possible. 

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#30 - Osmosis

First up, we have “Osmosis,” the third track from Quiet Hours. I’ll admit I placed this song dead last out of respect for the band since they’ve once voiced it as their least favorite. I figured this list may be divisive, but we might as well start on common ground, right? Despite the band's self-criticism, I think this song is pleasant enough; the guitar line is modest, the drumming is loose, and the line “get out my head and in my heart” is cute. Not a bad place to start.

#29 - Mark My Words

“Mark My Words” opens with a sentiment that I think we all shared at one point in high school: “I don’t give a damn about conformity or who you think I am.” A little on-the-nose, but this sappy salvo makes way for a gorgeous bit of mellowed-out emo tapping that’s as reflective and meditative as the genre ever allows itself to get. Midway through the song, the band works this singular guitar twinkle into a fully-fledged riff before throwing back to the chorus one last time for maximum impact. 

#28 - Say Less

I’ll be honest, I love Somewhere City, but “Say Less” has always been a bit of a lull in the tracklist for me. Maybe it’s the slow open or the Star Trek clip that precedes it, but “Say Less” has always felt slightly different from the rest of the album. At its core, this is a song about a mean person who talks endless shit. Moreover, it’s about the person on the receiving end of this shit talking finding the power to fight back and stand up for themselves. A positive message, but possibly the most negative Origami Angel has ever allowed themselves to get, and that bums me out, maaan.

#27 - Step

Throughout this list, you’ll notice a trend of lots of Quiet Hours at the “bottom.” That's no fault of the band; they've just developed so much in terms of songwriting and production since their inception. “Step” is a lovely little romantic cut about needing someone by your side through all the ups and downs of life. Again, the band indulges in some nice guitar tapping and emo riffing throughout, even a little hand drumming at the end. The result is a slow-building love song that carries on despite the melancholy knowledge that love rarely lasts forever. 

#26 - Hey There

“Hey There” opens with a series of name drops that take me right back to high school. The lyrics “I told Jacob I was in love with you since last April” instantly evoke hushed conversations between would-be lovers exchanging feelings in a crowded lunchroom. As most crushes go, this one doesn’t pan out but still resulted in some heartfelt lyricism, impressive drumming, and long-forgotten inside jokes. 

#25 - Juultide Carol

For those of you that don’t know, I’m a big Christmas guy. I run a seasonal Christmas blog, for god’s sake. I delve into the Christmas tunes as soon as the clock strikes midnight on October 31st, but that seasonal window means that songs like “Juultide Carol” don’t get many plays from me. Instrumentally, this track is a step up from most found on Quiet Hours, but the lyrics hinge on a (somewhat played) atheistic refrain capped off by an abrupt ending that feels like a slight lack of payoff. “Juultide Carol” is still a fun little emo Christmas tune, but demoted solely because of my principles which only allow me to listen to it for two months out of the year.

#24 - w / u

Here we have possibly the most romantic Gami song. Despite the loving lyrics and adorable merch, I think that “w / u” fits better as a centerpiece within the context of Doing The Most than it does on its own. It’s a moment to catch your breath between the breakneck pace of “ROM Hack” and the emotional outpouring of “Thanks! I Hate It.” On its own, this track is an excitable romantic song that finds a couple in newfound love looking forward in time, eager to spend the rest of their lives together. It’s a beautiful sentiment, complete with a picturesque fireplace and a series of cherubic “woo ooh’s” that sound as if we’ve been struck with Cupid’s arrow itself. 

#23 - Greenbelt Station

I avoided putting any tracks off Origami Angel Broke Minecraft on this list because (good as it is), it feels wrong to include remixes on a song ranking. That said, the band introduced “Greenbelt Station” as a ‘new song’ during their digital set at Minechella in early 2020 where they first played this EP in full. The song is a stark departure from the then-just-months-old Somewhere City, finding Ryland playing an acoustic guitar alone by himself and crooning. It’s a solo acoustic song that feels very “full circle” and honestly could have fit in anywhere on Quiet Hours. Only time will tell how it fits into the band’s upcoming sophomore album.

#20 - XD Gale of Darkness

On the complete opposite tonal spectrum of “Greenbelt Station,” we have “XD Gale of Darkness.” This high-bpm closer features spitfire hip-hop vocals, crowd-churning blast beats, and a piercing screamo howl. It’s the perfect way to end Gen 3 and includes a shoutout to fellow fifth-wave emo rockers Stars Hollow; what’s not to like?

#21 - Escape Rope

False narratives, fake friends, and daylight savings time. As you grapple with these things throughout various times in your life, sometimes they can overlap in a way that feels like the world is out to kick your ass specifically. “Escape Rope” is a reminder to persevere. Its title comes from an item in the Pokemon games that can get you out of a tight spot if your squad of pocket monsters are in rough shape. This song serves a similar purpose, reminding the listener that they can always try to remove themselves from a bad situation at any given time. 

#20 - Welcome To…

The intro track to Somewhere City feels like boarding a roller coaster. It’s pure hype that gets your mind racing and your stomach full of butterflies. As you board the ride and the over-the-shoulder restraint lowers, you can only imagine what lies ahead. This feeling is reinforced as the opening notes give way to group chants around the two-minute mark, and the entire track picks up speed, shooting the listener off into the wondrous realm of Somewhere City.  There are rapid rises, sudden drops, and hairpin turns, all of which are exhilarating and everlasting. The best part? It’s only the first track paving the way for 30 minutes of equally thrilling emo.

#19 - The Air Up Here

Perhaps a coincidence, maybe a subconscious choice, it only felt right to link “Welcome To…” and “The Air Up Here” in this ranking given that they bookend Somewhere City. For a song clocking in at only 5 minutes, this track has a surprising amount of tricks up its sleeve. Not only does “The Air Up Here” loop back to the opening track a-lah Cosmic Thrill Seekers, but it also weaves together a medley that calls back to previous songs on the album in the vein of pop-punk greats like The Wonder Years. The song is one last push, one final reminder of all the sights, sounds, and experiences you’ve taken in during your stay at Somewhere City. It’s a perfect closing track, and the best part is that it opens the door for the listener to start it all over again. 

#18 - Origami Bagel

Perhaps one of the most bouncy Gami songs, “Origami Bagel” begins with a jubilant guitar that sets both the tone and tempo for the rest of the track. The song sounds like summer romance as images of random happenings flash before the listener: German television dubs, sunlit glances, and hour-long bus rides, all in the name of love. A guitar slide and mini scream signal the emotional climax as Ryland sings that he’ll “never be alone” as long as he has this feeling of the other person in his life. Just beautiful.

#17 - Ride Our Bikes to School

The opening song to Gami’s first-ever release, “Ride Our Bikes to School,” is blissful. The guitars are gentle, the drums are subtle, and the lyrics are heartfelt. The sentiments are as delicate as a bed of cherry blossoms. It’s beautiful, youthful springtime love. Maybe it will work out, maybe it won’t. Sometimes all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. 

#16 - fin (the long and untold story of how i know it’s meant to be)

“fin” begins with velvety smooth acoustic guitar and possibly the single sweetest line the band has ever penned, “I always knew you / Even before I knew who you would be / Maybe we were made from the same star.” A gentle cello enters the mix, softly guiding the listener like Homer in slumberland. As the narrator wonders if this relationship is fate or intentional, they look to the stars for answers, only to get a cosmic “no” in return. Are they going to let the celestial bodies dictate their love? Tune in next time to find out. 

#15 - Notice

One of the single most dynamic Gami songs, “Notice” begins with a barely audible acoustic guitar and softly-hummed vocals. “You may not notice, but I fucking love you,” Ryland explains earnestly. As they repeat this phrase, presumably in an attempt to get the person to notice, the instrumental suddenly swells to a fully-fledged shoegaze riff complete with distorted guitar, crashing cymbals, and a high-pitched wail. The same phrase is now delivered in a passionate scream, and it’s hard to imagine that the message went unnoticed after that. 

#14 - The Title Track

So what is Somewhere City? Well, the album’s title track contains every answer. Somewhere City is a place where you can let your hair down. It’s a place where you can be yourself, make friends, and bond over the same interests with ease. It’s also an escape from the real world where you feel like you have to shield parts of yourself. It’s a place where you don’t have to bottle everything up, and you are accepted for who you are. It’s a place with blastbeats and limitless love. The best part? Somewhere City isn’t something you can find on a map; it’s a state of being. It’s a mindset, and that makes it the ultimate escape.

#13 - Doctor Whomst

The second single off of Somewhere City is perhaps the single best manifesto of Origami Angel’s approach to both music and life. The track begins with two chuggy palm mutes before a whirlwind of emo riffage whisks the listener back in time. We soon find the band recalling how they used to feel watching Danny Phantom and eating Happy Meals as a kid. It’s a musical time machine back to a period in your life when the only worry you had was the next commercial break. It’s an anthem about reclaiming this youthful positivity and adopting it into adulthood. It’s about appreciating where you are now and still striving to achieve the best version of yourself. Thank you, Danny Phantom.

#12 - Emerald

Tonally similar to “Doctor Whomst,” “Emerald” begins with a hard-charging punky riff that paves the way for a friendly Mr. Rogers-type greeting. The sunny disposition in the “Hi!” at the beginning of the song quickly crumbles as Ryland addresses some faceless other who we find out has written him off. Even though they may still think he’s a selfish mess of a person, the peace in this song comes from knowing that you have grown. This detractor hasn’t witnessed that development, and frankly, they don’t care. It’s an important life lesson to learn that you can’t win everyone over, despite how nice you are. The important thing is that you keep getting better and know that the negative people will filter themselves out of your life on their own. 

#11 - effective. Power

Here, we start at the beginning. “effective. Power” may not be the first-ever Gami song, but it’s wild to think about how this track served as my entry point into the band. This is where it all started for me. The opening notes evoke a very specific time in my life while also perfectly setting the tone for the release. As the guitars tap and the melodies sway, this song really just feels like one big instrumental flex. It’s Gami operating at high capacity. At this point, they are already a well-oiled machine and perfectly in sync with each other. 

#10 - 666 Flags

“666 Flags” is a song indulging in the scenario that every kid who played Roller Coaster Tycoon dreamed about; what if I got a roller coaster… in my backyard!? This song sits perfectly between the fast-food pit stop of “24 Hr Drive-Thru” and the nostalgia field trip of “Doctor Whomst.” This song is the perfect connective tissue of childhood dreams come to life; the only difference is, in Somewhere City, those dreams are only a thought away. 

I still remember my first listen of this album, driving from Detroit to DC for the record release show. I must have been in the far left lane going 80 or 90 miles an hour, flying down the highway. As soon as the chaotic hardcore blast began in the final minute of the track, I remember looking in the rearview mirror and seeing tears welling up in my eyes as goosebumps popped up across my body—the perfect first listening experience. 

#9 - SpaceX T-Shirt

Here we have the final Quiet Hours song on the countdown and also Gami’s first biggest “hit.” The twinkle is strong with this one. On “SpaceX T-Shirt,” the band balances a heavenly effervescent melody with romantic lyrics like “I can only get to sleep if I know you'll be in my dreams.” The group continues this train of logic with, “And I can only dream if I know you'll be sleeping next to me” before throwing to the riffage one more time. It's still fuck Elon Musk.

#8 - Denny’s Devito

One of the reasons I put “Say Les” so low on this ranking is because I feel like “Denny’s Devito” captures the same sentiment so much better. The track begins with self-isolation stemming from a deep well of insecurity. After all, nobody can judge you when you're by yourself. We’ve all over-analyzed in the mirror. We’ve all wanted to change for entirely superficial reasons. We’ve all wanted an easy out. While the first half of the song is mired in these concerns, a realization takes place halfway through as Ryland sings, “If I’m gonna die all alone, gonna have a little fun before I go.” This line throws to a breakdown and high-tempo burst of energy that is beautifully moshpit-inspiring. “Denny’s Devito” is a feel-good song in the face of not feeling good. 

#7 - Skeleton Key

“Skeleton Key” is a love song. The big difference between other love songs and this one is that “Skeleton Key” can apply to anyone in your life. This song can apply to your partner, your friend, your parents, your pets, anything. The track opens with anxiety about being away from your favorite person and how bad it would feel if you lost them forever. It’s the kind of perspective that being on tour brings out of nearly everyone. “I hope you know everything you do is special to me; you’re my skeleton key,” the band croons midway through the track. As the narrator assures this important person that they want to be there with them, the instrumental makes way for a phenomenal build of reassurances and a torrential outpouring of love.

#6 - Find Your Throne

Aside from Chunk! No Captain Chunk!’s “In Friends We Trust,” Origami Angel’s “Find Your Throne” is arguably the definitive song about the power of friendship. The track begins with a pounding hard rock rally that gradually builds into standard Gami fanfare. The song sees Ryland talking to the listener directly, tossing off vague affirmations, praise, and encouragement. 

What sets this song apart from the others on Somewhere City comes about halfway through, where everything quiets down to a hush. The midway point on this song is probably the most subdued the record ever gets, and it exists to shine a spotlight on the lyrics, intentionally making them impossible to ignore. Ryland sings, “I know it's hard to feel like yourself / When they see you and say you're somebody else / But I know you… I know you / I know it's tough, and that you've had enough / But if you feel like nobody does / I love you… I love you” It’s a beautiful, forthright, and wholesome message aimed directly at the audience. 

Suddenly the instrumental begins to build again. Ryland states, "And I won't give up that easily / Let me show you what I know…" the song drops out for a beat. A pinch harmonic comes in as he finishes his thought with a boisterous shout, "You're the goddamn king of the universe / Even when it feels like it can't get worse / All you need to do is find your throne / And you'll never be alone, you'll never be alone" a triumphant group chant then carries the song out for maximum positive friendship-fueled energy. 

#5 - Sapphire

In the lead-up to the release of Gen 3, Origami Angel released three of the EP’s four songs as singles. As hungry as I was for new Gami at the time, I tried my best to hold off on listening to “Sapphire” (the third single) until the official release. It just felt weird to have heard a majority of the EP before it came out. As I showed up to work the day of the single’s drop, a friend of mine convinced me to give it a spin and assured me, ‘dude, trust me you're gonna love it.’ Two lines in, and I knew exactly what he meant. 

With an opening salvo that name-drops Pokemon, Twin Peaks, and Rocket League all in sequence, “Sapphire” felt like a song tailor-made for me. The decision to filter a relationship through this densely-layered pop-culture lens is nothing short of genius. It is a love song unlike any other where the feelings of adoration are just strong whether they’re actively pouring out or you’re just chilling in bed together looking at Twitter. 

#4 - Thanks! I Hate It.

Perhaps my first favorite Gami song, “Thanks! I Hate It.” is an emotional powerhouse. The track begins bitterly as Ryland lays out the bummer qualities of someone’s personality. The band riffs, falls back into a dancehall gallop, then starts over again with a subtle emo guitar line. Suddenly, the emotions are bursting at the seams as every instrument turns up to eleven in a towering riff. Ryland screams the all-too-relatable lines at the high end of his register, belting, “I’m too broken to be with you / but I’m too scared to be alone.” Man. That shit hurted. 

#3 - 24 Hr Drive-Thru

If “Welcome To” (fittingly) served as the welcome to Somewhere City, then “24 Hr Drive-Thru” is the initiation. It’s a ride-along on a midnight McDonald's run. It’s the type of spur-of-the-moment decision that says time of day, weather, and number of calories be damned; I’m coming over, and we're going to hang out because that's what you need, and I care about you. 

Unforgettably, my first live experience with this song was at Gami’s hometown release show, where the power went out mid-song, but somehow the amps stayed on. Simply put, it was a powerful moment of Rock ‘n Roll Magic. As the band kept playing in the dark, the crowd kept singing along, eventually raising their phones one-by-one, illuminating the basement with the light of, fine, I’ll just say it; friendship. It was a beautiful moment and a live music experience I’ll never forget for as long as I live. 

#2 - Ruby

“Ruby” is a perfectly crafted song. It has storytelling, it has a catchy hook, it has impressive instrumentals, and it’s barely over a minute long. This is an earworm of a track that perfectly captures the spark of meeting someone new who completely enthralls you. It’s a borderline pop song. It feels like this could be covered by anyone from Charli XCX to Toby Keith, and it would still work. Of course, a track like “Ruby” could only come from the minds of Gami, who turn it into a sparkly, uptempo shredder with a melody that you can never forget. 

#1 - ROM Hack

There could only be one way that this list ended, and it’s “ROM Hack.” This is the Origami Angel song; it simply has everything. A classic (and hilarious) opening sample, jaw-dropping instrumentation, and beautiful, heartfelt lyrics. Hearing Herman Cain, of all people, say “I believe these words came from the Pokemon Movie” now gets me hyped beyond belief. Trying to keep up with the whirlwind of emo instrumentation that follows it is just as fun. The solemn first verse over acoustic guitar is pitch-perfect. The song’s slow build under the sentimental lyrics is masterful. The second verse is a flawless bit of emo penmanship so good that I’m just going to transpose it here in full:

And not that you'd care
But I started getting the help that I so badly need
And not that you'd care
But I found some people who really like me
But I hope that you do
'Cause I started bettering me 'cause I wanted to be like you

This verse is followed by one more instrumental drop out before the band returns full-force for a repetition of “I started bettering me 'cause I wanted to be like you.” The song eventually winds down gracefully, but not before one last crowd-churning riff designed to pull out every last bit of serotonin you had left. The definitive Gami song. 

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Well folks, there you have it, my ranking of every Origami Angel song. As the band revs up to drop their sophomore album later this week, I look forward to many more years of positive affirmations, exuberant guitar tapping, and immaculate drumming. Until next time, I’ll see you all in Somewhere City.

The Best of March 2021

Here are my favorite albums and EPs released in the month of March. This is probably the most emo collection of releases I’ve ever written about in any monthly roundup, so consider yourself warned. 

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Tigers Jaw - I Won’t Care How You Remember Me 

Hopeless Records

The day before Tigers Jaw released their sixth studio album, I published a piece laying out the band’s position as both a legacy emo act and as artists who are constantly growing. That article focused primarily on my history with Tigers Jaw, specifically their breakthrough self-titled album that so many fans hold up as a landmark of the emo genre. The band’s output since then has ranged from solid to excellent, but nothing since 2008 has quite hit the same melancholic feelgood tone as their sophomore album… until now. Asking bands to make the same album over and over again is a fruitless (and unfulfilling) prospect for both parties, but on I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, the Pennsylvania four-piece managed to create a record that’s as catchy and triumphant as the album that so many fans consider their “best.” The release opens with an acoustic introduction that slowly draws you in before bottoming out into a fully-fledged pop-punk banger. The album’s front half is stacked singles all bearing sticky choruses, hard-hitting guitars, and glowing keys. Whether it’s the beguiling “Cat’s Cradle” with its siren song synth or “Hesitation” with its sunny springtime riffage, the album never lets up for a second. Even the back half of the record shakes things up with spitfire deliveries and a stellar closer, all of which seem ready to soundtrack springtime adventures and sunny hikes. A return to form in the best way possible. 

Biitchseat - I’ll Become Kind. 

Refresh Records

I’ll Become Kind is a heartfelt EP about the vastness of emotion and the constantly-shifting nature of relationships. While those topics sound complex and heavy in theory, Biitchseat has a way of making these amorphous subjects sound as light and easy as talking to a childhood friend. Lead single “Anti-Depressed” features a high-flying chorus made up of conflicting feelings. Perfectly representative of the band’s style, “Anti-Depressed” is one of those songs that’s carefree and singable until you actually sit down and listen to the words. With a style that feels inspired by fellow Ohioans Snarls and Sonder Bombs, the four tracks on I’ll Become Kind act as a reminder that in order to better ourselves, sometimes we have to take a long, hard look at the bad stuff. Then it’s off to the skatepark.

Home is Where - I Became Birds 

Knifepunch Records

Somewhere between the Bermuda Triangle of Neutral Milk Hotel, Snowing, and Bob Dylan lies Home is Where. The album(?) opens and closes with a rustic campfire guitar, but is packed with horns, harmonica, violin, and more on top of all the usual guitar, drums, and bass. As lead singer Brandon MacDonald’s nasally yelp guides the listener along each dynamic track, the topics range from lighting cops on fire to assassinating presidents. For me, the heart of the album comes in the form of “Sewn Together From the Membrane of the Great Sea Cucumber,” where a steady guitar pairs with an escalating drum build. At the same time, a group chant repeats, “look at all the dogs! / look at all the dogs! / I wanna pet every puppy I see!” before throwing to an old-school screamo breakdown. It’s both charming and unexpected, a violent roller coaster of emotions that feels like it’s one screw away from falling apart at any moment. There are also harmonica hoe-downs, snappy pop-punk cuts, and hard-charging Dogleg-like passages that sound tailormade for driving down the highway at 90 miles an hour. Each consecutive minute of I Became Birds keeps you guessing. You never know whether the song is about to devolve into a tappy emo anthem or a high-pitched screamo tantrum. Easily the best emo release of the year so far.  

glass beach - alchemist rats beg bashful (remixes) 

Run For Cover Records

Much like 100 gecs’ Tree of Clues, glass beach’s alchemist rats beg bashful is a victory lap. The hour-plus remix album sees the proggy emo wizards handing over their debut album to a host of collaborators and conspirators from every genre under the sun. The results range from faithful recreations, ecstasy-fueled EDM, and Daft Punk-indebted house… and that’s just the first three songs. For what could have easily been written off as “just” a remix album, alchemist rats feels like a genuine celebration. It feels like a band finding their community, raising them up, and rallying around each other, fans included. The diversity of sounds found on this record is a testament to both the skills of the artists remixing the songs and the brilliance of the source material. Plus there’s a Dogleg contribution, so I was sold before I even hit play.

Riley! - Already Fucked 

Chillwavve Records

Listening to Already Fucked is like catching up with a friend who has had one too many cold brews. The record opens with an instrumental rumble as lead singer Ryan Bluhm affects an announcer’s voice while introducing the band by name. The end result strikes a balance somewhere between the pre-set excitement of a DIY show and the explosive bombast of a professional wrestling match. After this enthusiastic welcome, the band quickly shuffles through everything on their mind without much time for a breather. As you listen to the band move from talking about time signatures to high school reunions and the failures of capitalism in the same punky sneer, half of the fun is just keeping up. 

Harmony Woods - Graceful Rage 

Skeletal Lightning

If Already Fucked is like listening to a friend unload all their anxious thoughts on you in-person, then Graceful Rage is like reading someone’s diary. It’s an album concerned with excavating deep wells of emotions through everything from soaring Julien Baker ballads to bratty pop-punk rippers. Lead singer Sofia Verbilla achieves this through confessional songwriting featuring a blend of obsessively-fixated realist observations and poetic inward reflection. These realizations are soundtracked with emo-flavored indie rock instrumentals featuring embellishments of horns, cello, and lap steel, all filtered through production courtesy of the wonderful Bartees Strange. The culmination of all these feelings arrives in the penultimate title track as Verbilla belts,  “Graceful rage is all that suits me these days,” striking a precise balance between beauty and anger; a perfectly acceptable resting state for 2021. 

Future Teens - Deliberately Alive 

Take This To Heart Records

Each release from Future Teens has been immaculately titled. Hard Feelings? A perfect label for the emotions that flow from the weird half-adult struggles of your early twenties. Breakup Season? Another snappy, clever, and self-explanatory name for the waves of doom that seem to cut through multiple relationships every fall. Even last year’s Sensitive Sessions is a beautifully indicative (and alliterative) name for what’s ostensibly “just” an acoustic EP. Now, the Boston-based bummer pop group is back with Deliberately Alive, an apt way to describe how we’ve all been operating for the past year or so. We all feel tired and overwhelmed. We all feel some sense of regression or not keeping pace. Our relationships with others have been strained or warped, and we’ve all found different ways to cope. Every day, we have to make the deliberate decision to live, Future Teens just found a way to call that out in the most catchy manner possible. The best part is, after four tracks of emotionally exhaustive yet cleverly written rock, the band caps the release off with a Cher cover. Just beautiful. 

Bicycle Inn - THIS TIME AND PLACE IS ALL I’LL EVER KNOW 

Suneater Records

While the young upstarts at Suneater Records have made a name for themselves off jittery zoomer emo, variety is the spice of life, and Bicycle Inn is adding some much-needed spice to the label’s lineup with their debut album. Watching the recent waves of emo roll in has been exciting because it genuinely feels like a new golden age in a genre that can quickly become stale, repetitive, and derivative. That said, sometimes you just want to return to basics. There’s something comforting in familiarity, and bands who can put their own spins on an old sound are bound to become quick favorites of mine. Groups like Short Fictions and Barely Civil who are heavily inspired by a distinct style of fourth-wave emo, yet still bring something new to the table. That’s my sweet spot, and that’s why I was immediately drawn to this record. With THIS TIME AND PLACE IS ALL I’LL EVER KNOW, Bicycle Inn are adding their names name to that list by way of a stellar debut that isn’t afraid to be unabashedly emo.

Brown Maple - I Never Really Learned How To Say Goodbye. 

Chillwavve Records

Despite opening with a Scott Pilgrim sample, I Never Really Learned How To Say Goodbye is better than your run-of-the-mill emo release. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for a good riff, but the tapped guitar line that opens “Swiss Cheese” is easily the best I’ve heard all year. In this song, the band navigates their way through sorrowful sentiments of heartbreak and loss, eventually riffing their way up to a cathartic group chant that sounds downright Marietta-esque. If you’re a fan of emo, you know that’s just about the highest praise one can ascribe to a band. Lead single “Merry Go Round” works its way up to a similar outpouring as the band jostles the listener around with a moshpit-inspiring instrumental that’s reminiscent of the breakdown at the end of “Death Cup.” Despite name-dropping two of the most influential groups in modern emo, Brown Maple still manages to feel like their own entity with a unique sound and a story worth telling. 

Quick Hits

Arab Strap - As Days Get Dark - The slow-talking Scots are back with their first album in 16 years, a noir-flavored look at the dark side of humanity. 

Adult Mom - Driver - Inside you, there are two wolves. One is gay, one is sad. 

A Day To Remember - You’re Welcome - A soulless, cash-grabby, Imagine Dragons-wannabe release from the band that used to be a paragon of the pop-punk/easycore scenes.

Drake - Scary Hours 2 - It’s more Drake. 

IAN SWEET - Show Me How You Disappear - Ethereal, witchy, waif relationship songs. 

Dollar Signs - Hearts of Gold - This album is to Jeff Rosenstock what Muppet Babies is to The Muppets. This is a compliment. 

Really From - Really From - Minimalist, improvisational, and horn-heavy emo-ish indie rock.

America Part Two - Price of a Nation - Like a spiritual successor to Valient Thorr, Price of a Nation mixes high-pitched snotty vocals and hard-charging garage rock for an energetic debut album.

Michigander - Everything Will Be Ok Eventually - Fantastic folk that’s consistently catchy.

Citizen - Life In Your Glass World - A dancy and heartfelt pivot from the kings of emo Tumblr.

The Antlers - Green to Gold - The first record in seven years from the iconic indie rock act is a little slower and a little more pensive than their previous work but still hits just as hard.

Nagasaki Swim - The Mirror - Acoustic-led bedroom rock that still manages to sound huge.

Gengis Tron - Dream Weapon - Once the go-to grindcore act of my high school music fandom, now the synthy post-hardcore reunion album of my late-20s.

KALI MASI - [laughs] - Beautiful, powerful, and well-constructed emo in the vein of Microwave of ManDancing.

The Best of February 2021

In writing this month’s batch of mini-reviews, I realized that the title of this series is slightly misleading. These albums aren’t necessarily the “best” of the month; that’s a bit of a misnomer. None of these albums are objectively better or worse than anything else that released this month. These are simply the albums that I’ve been listening to the most and therefore have the most thoughts on. I still recommend checking each of these releases out, it’s just that some of these albums are great, and some are only great to me. Speaking of which, this seems like a perfect segue into the first record on our roundup...

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Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight

Roswell Records

For better or worse, I am a Foo Fighters Fan. I spent the better part of my middle school years discovering alternative rock with the Foo Fighters discography paving the way. Even as I fell in love with new genres and more “exciting” artists throughout high school and college, Foo Fighters remained a constant companion and a reliable source of competently-made hard rock. I made a yearly tradition out of watching Back and Forth, and about once a year, I’ll have a short but torrid love affair with the band, leaning more towards their pre-Sonic Highways albums. In the lead-up to Medicine at Midnight, I devoured reviews, think pieces, interviews, and rankings, unknowingly re-igniting my love for the band just in time for the group’s newest offering. Medicine at Midnight is a step above the last two Foo Fighters albums with songs that range from drum-led choirs, hard-charging guitar licks, and even Queens of the Stone Age-esque desert rock. All of these tracks utilize the band’s standard components (an over-abundance of guitars, solid rhythm sections, and Dave Grohl’s signature snarl), but they’re also filtered through a slightly dancy lens that gives the songs a noticeable amount of bounciness and life. I can see why someone wouldn’t like Foo Fighters, especially Medicine at Midnight; this is music that would fit just as well in a Dodge commercial as it would on my high school iPod, but that’s the duality of Foo Fighters, and consequently why I love them. 

Vampire Weekend - 40:42

Spring Snow, LLC

As a longtime post-rock fan, I’ve always joked that I’m just one step away from getting into jam bands. On top of that, I’m a hardcore Ween fan (a jam-adjacent band) and have spent hours listening to a podcast about Phish. In other words, that jam-band-guy-tendency has always been there, lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike. When Vampire Weekend dropped the Grateful Dead-worshipping Father Of The Bride in 2019, my interest was peaked. I’ve always liked Vampire Weekend but never consider myself a big fan. Nevertheless, Father was one of my favorite releases of that year. As I followed the album’s release cycle and watched how the band extended the songs out into longer, more jammy live renditions, I knew it was only a matter of time until the jam band thing came full-circle. Now with 40:42, the prophecy has been fulfilled. This release sees Vampire Weekend tapping jazz musician Sam Gendel and jam band Goose to remix “2021,” both artists blowing the song out into 20-minute and 21-second pieces of their respective genres to awe-inspiring and vibe-filled effect. 

Black Country, New Road - For the first time

Ninja Tune

Somewhere between Slint, Shame, and the first album by A Lot Like Birds lies Black Country, New Road. Extremely verbose and very British, For the first time is a wonderful debut that sees a band unflinchingly committed to their post-punk aesthetic. The record kicks off with “Instrumental,” which is a borderline post-rock track centered around a needly Klezmer riff, frantic drumming, and woeful saxophone. That opening salvo paves the way for ranting tales of science fair downfalls, romantic French encounters, and escaping behind the faint veneer offered by a pair of sunglasses. The lyrics include references to six-part Danish crime dramas, matcha shots, NutriBullets, and micro-influencers, all of which are delivered in a shaky, unstable vibrato that makes it sounds as if the narrator could burst at the seams at any minute. Though the release may only contain six songs, the 40-minute running time leaves the listener emotionally winded in its wake. 

Wild Pink - A Billion Little Lights

Royal Mountain Records

When I first heard Wild Pink’s breakthrough sophomore album, Yolk In The Fur,  it felt like a revelation. Heartland rock with a jangly indie rock twist and just a drop of emo? Not only did it feel tailor-made for me, but it was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. In fact, go back and read the July 2018 equivalent of this monthly roundup, and my excitement is still palpable. Three years later, A Billion Little Lights takes that sound and offers up more of the same. At first, the worst thing I could say about the new Wild Pink album is that it sounded exactly like the last Wild Pink album. That’s not a bad thing, just a little unexciting. Then I put the record on while driving, and boom, it came alive. As I flew down the highway, the album seemed to bloom around me, rising and falling with the hills off in the distance. It felt like that’s how these songs were meant to be heard. Of course listening to these songs alone in my apartment wasn’t going to hit the same. 

At times on songs like “Oversharers Anonymous,” it still sounds like I’m listening to something that could have come straight off of Yolk, but I don’t think that’s inherently bad. There are some cool, unique moments like a weird glitchy synth-based breakdown in “The Shining but Tropical” and a cathartic finish on “Die Outside,” and sometimes that’s all you need. If this is your first experience with Wild Pink, I emphatically recommend listening to this album and absorbing it fully, especially if you're moving somewhere with a purpose.

Katy Kirby - Cool Dry Place

Keeled Scales

Out of all the artists releasing warm, sunny, brightly colored albums this month, Katy Kirby might have released the most exciting and dynamic. While Wild Pink takes a more wide-open heartland rock approach and Sun June affects a more pensive, inward style, Katy Kirby uses a lush and expansive sound to examine the fragility of human relationships. Whether it’s the tasteful use of autotune on “Traffic!” or the spellbinding build on “Secret Language,” nearly every track on Cool Dry Place offers something different. The songs are all bound together by the common denominator of Kirby’s affectionate delivery and soft production. The end result is a pleasant and inoffensive album that also offers a surprisingly deep and layered reflection. As Cool Dry Place winds from light indie rock to late-afternoon piano ballads, you can’t help but be taken in by the breadth of emotions contained within the record’s mere 28 minutes. 

Mister Goblin - Four People in an Elevator and One of Them Is the Devil

Exploding In Sound Records

Do you like Pedro the Lion? Do you remember Devil, the 2010 M. Night Shyamalan movie where five people are trapped in an elevator, and one of them also happens to be the devil? If you answered ‘yes’ to both of these questions, then you are in the very specific cross-section that Mister Goblin is speaking to. Despite the overly specific target market that I just laid out, an intimate familiarity with either of these subjects is not a pre-requisite to enjoying the sophomore album from the Two Inch Astronaut frontman. Some of the tracks like “Get Gone” call to mind a particular brand of light-hearted and good-natured indie rock evocative of Brendan Benson. Aside from the aforementioned Pedro the Lion, this release also feels tonally-reminiscent of early-2000s Vagrant rockers like The Anniversary, the Get Up Kids, or the New Amsterdams. It’s an album that’s sonically unbothered but lyrically distraught, a beguiling mixture that proved to be a fantastic first listen. 

Miss Grit - Impostor

Self-Released

Easily my biggest surprise of this month, Impostor is a fantastically diverse and economical EP that manages to sound simultaneously familiar and wholly unique. After a glitchy and off-kilter electronic opener that undercuts any preconceptions, “Buy The Banter” deploys a heavily fuzzed-out bassline and hypnotic chorus for a grungy Garbage effect. “Blonde” begins with a crystal clear instrumental and Mazzy Star-esque vocals before growing into a towering Smashing Pumpkins riff and fading into a dreamy outro. There’s the dancy “Grow Up To,” the chunky “Dark Side of the Party,” and the starry-eyed title track. Despite how unique all of these songs sound, they still feel unabashedly committed to Margaret Sohn’s vision. This is a fantastic and uncompromising EP that offers comforting familiarity wrapped around sounds that feel like a breath of fresh air.

Mogwai - As The Love Continues

Rock Action Records

Mogwai have been a musical companion of mine for about a decade now. Ever since I first discovered Come On Die Young back in high school, I’ve been a diehard fan of the Scottish post-rock stalwarts. In fact, Mogwai has a special place in this blog’s history as our first ever article, though I don’t necessarily recommend you go back and read that. As The Love Continues takes the collection of sounds that Mogwai has spent 25 years cultivating and hones them to a fine point. All the usual Mogwai trappings are here: a groovy electronic cut, the uptempo dance track, unforgettable vocoder usage, the song with vocals, and, perhaps most importantly, the distorted heavy-as-shit riff. The band is able to take all of these different approaches to the genre and cram them into a one-hour thrill ride that oscillates from triumphant to despair to destructive and back again multiple times over the course of its run time. Simply put, they don’t miss.

Quick Hits

Hayley Williams - FLOWERS for VASES / descansos - A second, more subtle solo outing from the Paramore bandleader that’s a little more acoustic than last year’s Petals for Armor, but still just as deeply felt. 

Skatune Network - Ska Goes Emo, Vol. 2 - Another collection of iconic tracks spanning multiple waves of emo, all adorned with horns and upstrokes courtesy of the DIY ska mastermind Jeremy Hunter.

Cory Wong - Cory and the Wongnotes - Another funky outing from one of the highly prolific minds behind Vulfpeck.

The Obsessives - Monastery - A pleasant three-track pop-rock outing that’s capped off with a wonderful Breeders cover.

For Your Health - In Spite Of - In the same class as Portrayal of Guilt, For Your Health offer up brutal and visceral hardcore that thrives in garages, basements, and other places you might accidentally get punched in the face.

Sun June - Somewhere - Are you more of a Jackie O or a Karen O? Well, on Somewhere Sun June argues you can be both, but only if it’s in service of love. 

Another Michael - New Music and Big Pop - A blissful, colorful, and lovely collection of tracks that oscillate between unbothered and crushingly realistic. A musical Starburst. 

Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature - yet another of this month’s pleasant, naturalistic albums, this one with gorgeous sax, therapeutic exercises, and one of the best wah-wah deployments I’ve heard since Childish Gambino’s “The Night Me and Your Mama Met.”

Jetty Bones - Push Back - Somewhere between the neon fake happiness of After Laughter and the immaculate production of Lover-era Taylor Swift is the debut album of Jetty Bones, equal parts danceable and cry-able.

Danny L Harle - Harlecore - 40 minutes of high-energy, high-BPM from the hyperpop-adjacent happy hardcore electronic musician.

God Is An Astronaut - Ghost Tapes #10 - Proficient post-rock that leans toward progressive heavy metal.

Adrian Younge - The American Negro - One of the most powerful albums I’ve heard in years yet am wholly unqualified to speak on. 

Black Sheep Wall - Songs for the Enamel Queen - Incredible hardcore that winds from towering soul-destroying breakdowns, throat-shredding screams, and winding atmospheric passages.

Of Mice & Men - Timeless - Three metalcore songs that swing hard but don’t always land.

Julien Baker - Little Oblivions - The first full-band album from Julien Baker hits all the marks you would expect: religion, queerness, and crippling self-doubt. 

Nervous Dater - Call In The Mess - Poppy emo rock that stretches all the way from earthly farms to the far reaches of outer space.

The Weather Station - Ignorance - An earthy and emotional indie rock album that feels like the nighttime counterpart to Saint Cloud’s sunshine.

American Poetry Club - Do You Believe In Your Heart - A distraught emo EP that feels like it could collapse at any moment under its own emotional weight.

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - Carnage - A surprise-released album from Nick Cave and a single Bad Seed.

Cloud Nothings - The Shadow I Remember - Hard-charging punk rock in the vein of Titus Andronicus or Japandroids, just with a more naturalistic bent. 

Glitterer - Life is Not A Lesson - A dozen under-two minute cuts from the Title Fight frontman.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - L.W. - The second microtonal half of a double album from the ever-prolific and ever-psychedelic Aussies.

Half Waif - Orange Blossoms / Party’s Over - Two fresh tracks from the witchy and dancy electronica queen.

The Best of January 2021

Well, it’s January, and that means we’ve entered another terrible, horrible, no-good-year. January is one of my least favorite times of the year for no particular reason other than the fact that it feels like a month-long Monday. Getting “back to it” has never been harder than it was this year, but, as usual, music helped me make it through. 

New music is especially exciting in January because all of it feels fresh. There’s just something cool about seeing that “2021” at the top of a newly released album, even if the novelty wears off quickly. It’s refreshing to start on a clean slate when it comes to music, even if most of what I’m listening to still comes from previous years.

Despite the fact that COVID has thrown off pretty much every album rollout in existence, we have still received a wealth of fantastic new tunes this month. As usual, I wanted to write about all of these excellent new pieces of music, but reality had other plans. I quickly came to terms with my fickle inspiration, realizing that I can’t write full reviews, premieres, or detailed breakdowns about all of my favorite music no matter how hard I tried. My mind went back three years to 2018, where I composed short new music round-ups at the end of each month, which allowed me to highlight some of my favorite releases from the preceding 30-some-odd days. 

I figured why not pick that effort back up again and see how far I can take it? Writing about that many new releases each month was taxing, but it also forced me to keep up on new music and kept me from overthinking my writing. Will I keep this up all year? Probably not. Will I try? You’re damn right. Enough preamble. Without further adieu, I’m excited to present my favorite pieces of new music from January of 2021.

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Camp Trash - Downtiming

Count Your Lucky Stars Records

First up, we have the debut EP from Florida’s hottest new emo-pop act. Emerging as an enigmatic anomaly, Camp Trash was one of those bands that managed to steadily gain buzz on Twitter, eventually leveraging that hype into a record deal with Count Your Lucky Stars despite not having a single song publicly released. Opening track “Bobby” is a bouncy and energetic emo track that’s equal parts Oso Oso and Get Up Kids. Whether it’s the ragged “Sleepyhead,” the acoustic “Potoimno,” or the anthemic “Weird Carolina,” it’s hard to think of anything that’s missing from Downtiming. It may only be 12 minutes long, but this is a tremendous little emo release with just enough pop sensibilities that you’ll be singing along to these tracks in your car in no time. If Downtiming had been released in the early 2000s, this EP would have been lauded as much anything off of your favorite Vagrant Records release.

Beach Bunny - Blame Game

Mom+Pop Music

One year ago, half of the music industry saw Beach Bunny as a “TikTok Band,” a dismissive label for a group that managed to garner millions of streams based thanks to their confessional songwriting and sharp hooks. The fact that their songs went viral on TikTok wasn’t key to their success; it was proof that they were on the right track. After a string of fantastic EPs and singles, Beach Bunny released their debut album in February of 2020, an album that unilaterally proved the group’s success was no fluke. Centered around lead singer Lili Trifilio’s defiant voice and effervescent melodies, Honeymoon announced Beach Bunny’s arrival in earnest. One year later, they’ve given us Blame Game, a four-song EP that acts as a follow-up to the feelings explored on last year’s LP. Focusing on the same topics of love life, shitty guys, and sexist double standards, Blame Game shows that Beach Bunny is here to stay, and I cannot wait to see what sugary sweet bubblegum melodies their next release possesses. 

Abe Anderson - Seasick Lullaby 

Brace Cove Records

Much like pirates would eat a lime or lemon to stave off scurvy; I need a steady diet of brass and horns in my music to feel genuinely at peace. That’s why it was so refreshing to hit play on Seasick Lullaby and be greeted with two minutes of triumphant horns that warmly welcomed me into the release and gently caressed my soul. I shouldn’t have been that surprised, as Abe Anderson is most known for his work in Minneapolis groups like Niiice. and Thank You, I’m Sorry, both of which have no shortage of gorgeous brasswork courtesy of Anderson himself. However, what did come as a surprise is how brilliantly Anderson’s voice stands on its own. Whether it’s the winding wistfulness of the album’s title track or the head-over-heels adoration of “Love You More,” every song on this release possesses the same fuzzy, hazy, dreamlike feel-good quality which makes this record an absolute treat to listen to.

Cicala - Cicala

Acrobat Unstable Records

If bands had commercials, Cicala’s would probably be pretty close to that oft-quoted Reese’s commercial. I can practically hear the dialogue, something along the lines of “Hey, you got your emo in my country!” to which the other party would reply, “You got your country in my emo!” The result wouldn’t be a chocolate-covered peanut-buttery confection, but Cicala. Opening with a jangly guitar and lyrics of a truck stop in Oklahoma, this album blends emo stylings with country licks to an immensely satisfying degree. The album ranges in scale from Red Rocks to a lowly worm, all of which are filtered through Quinn Cicala’s pleasant delivery and emotionally-intelligent perspective. An amber-coated album made for porch beers and mountain excursions.

Cheekface - Emphatically No.

New Professor Music

“Everything is normal,” the three members of Cheekface repeat monotonously at the beginning of “Best Life,” echoing a mantra that most of us have tried to convince ourselves of over the course of the last 365 days. After a brief instrumental interjection and takedown of Portrait mode, lead singer Greg Katz exclaims, “we are writers! creatives! we work remotely!” and I was hooked. Now, I know I’m a straight white guy, and most music is created by people who share those qualities, but it was still striking to hear my recent day-to-day experience reflected so clearly in song form. From there, the track goes on to discuss everything from furiously Juuling to getting a stick-and-poke of a Gucci logo because it’s cheaper than therapy… And that’s just one song. Emphatically No. is a hyper-detailed and charming depiction of a definitively un-charming world, all of which is delivered in a plainspoken style reminiscent of Parquet Courts with lyrics that evoke Stephen Malkmus. It’s a portrait of a very specific place in time from a very specific millennial perspective, but if you identify with any aspect of it, you’re guaranteed to see a piece of yourself reflected here to a remarkable and affirmative degree.

Cathedral Bells - Ether

Spirit Goth Records

When most people think of DIY music, they probably picture four skinny, weed-smoking white dudes tapping on guitars making midwest emo music. That’s certainly a visual that’s easy to call to mind, but it’s not representative of the entire DIY scene… not by a long shot. DIY includes hardcore groups like For Your Health, Gilt, and Hazing Over. It has pop acts like Get Tuff, Jhariah, and Cheem. It covers ska powerhouses like Jer and Grey Matter. It ranges from acoustic bedroom pop like Jungheim and Loser Camp to grungy rock acts like Bombastic Dream Pussy  and Oceanator. There’s shoegaze, punk, lo-fi electropop, and more. In short, it’s unfair to paint the “DIY Scene” as a collective of a few dozen midwest emo groups. Now, with Cathedral Bells, we finally have DIY goth music. Complete with buoyant bass lines, gorgeous reverberating guitar riffs, steady electronic drumming, and far-off shoegazey vocals, Ether is the perfect record for someone in the DIY scene who also happens to love bands like The Cure and New Order. 

Mikau / ps.you’redead - razor x blade

Chilwavve Records

Last year, Mikau unleashed their debut album Phantoma on the world. Upon my first listen, I was instantly transported back a decade to my senior year of high school, where I was listening to nothing but screamo every waking hour, much to the chagrin of those around me. Now, razor x blade sees the group teaming up with Buffalo “danceviolence” band p.s.you’redead for a chaotic 9-minute split that winds from auto-tuned croons to jagged and thrashy pandamonium. It’s a feast for the ears and a nostalgic throwback to anyone who spent hundreds of hours in high school listening to turn-of-the-decade post-hardcore while playing Modern Warfare and downing Mountain Dew.

Shame - Drunk Tank Pink

Dead Oceans

Fitting that this roundup should end with Drunk Tank Pink since Shame’s debut is one of the albums that kicked off my tradition of monthly round-ups all the way back in 2018. For the most part, Drunk Tank Pink finds the band continuing to build their fresh-faced take on post-punk while also pushing at the edges of what the genre can do. Lyrics walk the line between serious and self-deprecating while their deliveries can range from across-the-the-room shouts to poetic dinner-conversation-level monologues. Guitars jangle and strum forward in angular ways as opposed to straightforward riffage. The rhythm section rises and falls with a dynamic range rather than arrow-straight precision. It’s quite literally the perfect sophomore record in that the group didn’t lose anything that made their debut feel so fresh and attention-grabbing, yet they also managed to progress their sound forward in new and exciting artistic directions. 

Quick Hits

Get Tuff - in sickness and hell - Dark DIY electropop that’s as demonic and blood-drenched as it is catchy and 🥺

Tiberius - Lull - One of my biggest surprises of the month, this DIY release helmed by Brendan Wright is evocative of indie rock greats like Broken Social Scene. Read our full review here.

The Sonder Bombs - Clothbound - An album full of deep feelings armed with acerbic lyricism, boppy melodies, and charming amounts of ukelele. Read our full review here.

Portrayal Of Guilt - We Are Always Alone - A violent, ever-rageful, and always-changing sophomore album from one of the most exciting bands in the hardcore scene.

Arlo Park - Collapsed in Sunbeams - A chill, vibey, and lovestruck album that seems designed for laid-back Sunday mornings and wistful afternoons.

Joe Vann - Found in the Smoke - One dash of emo, one pinch of Americana, and a big heaping helping of synthy embellishments, Joe Vann’s surprise-released debut album is a relaxing modern Americana outing.