Downtown Boys – “Public Luxury” review

The Downtown Boys are a hardcore punk rock band from Providence, Rhode Island consisting of alto saxophonist Will Cioffi, guitarist Joey DeFrancesco, tenor saxophonist Emmett Fitzgerald, drummer Norlan Olivo, bassist Dan Schleifer & lead singer Victoria Ruiz. Making their eponymous full-length debut back in 2012, they went on to follow it up with the sophomore effort Full Communism as well as the Sub Pop Records debut Cost of Living. Almost a decade later, they’re returning for their 4th studio LP.

“No More Jodas” begins with an urgent lead single singing in Spanish about this person being the disaster Victoria wants prior to her stating that “The City Begins” where many assumed it would end over some punk rock riffs. The 3rd single “Sirena” uses a handful of metaphors to symbolize empowerment singing in Spanish once again dabbling with new wave just before the 4th & final “Yellow Sun” addresses Israel occupying Lebanon for the past couple years giving a shot at goth pop.

Meanwhile on “Viva La Rosa”, we have Victoria & Joey breathing new life into a song that was initially conceived during their Malportado Kids days take inspiration from skate punk leading into “Enemy Without” throwing the it back to the Downtown Boys’ earlier material stylistically. The 2nd single “You’re a Ghost” combines dance-punk & industrial rock so they can critique the rise of fascism in the United States while “Albuterol” treads the synth-punk waters singing about smoking in bed.

“Mi Concha” wraps up the final moments of Public Luxury with another Malportado Kids rendition singing about Victoria’s shell not being white enough for others amplifying the new wave elements while “Public Works” starts with some galloping punk riffs & commanding vocal performances preceding the synthesizers & even an occasional saxophone. The title track spends the album’s last couple minutes blending more synths with a piano for a delicately electronic outro.

Amplifying the primary post-punk influences of their 2017 debut for Sub Pop, the Downtown Boys make their return after 9 long years with the most expansive entry in the band’s entire catalog & definitely the strongest since getting signed. They also incorporate influences of hardcore punk, garage punk, art punk, dance-punk, industrial rock, new wave, synth-punk & skate punk to make some bilingual political commentary regarding the people having it all in the end.

Score: 4/5

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Slift – “Fantasia” review

Slift is a heavy psych trio from Toulouse, Occitanie, France consisting of guitarist/vocalist Jean Fossat, bassist/vocalist Rémi Fossat & drummer Canek Flores. Emerging in 2017 off the band’s debut extended play Space is the Key as well as their 2018 full-length debut La Planète Inexplorée & the widely praised 2020 sophomore effort Ummon, they returned 4 years later by dropping an equally celebrated Sub Pop Records debut Ilion & are looking to outdo both of those with their 4th studio LP.

The title track opens up with an epic 9 minute intro taking some inspiration from doom metal signing about rising above our pain & finding a fire for our souls whereas “Corrupted Sky” describes a fictional town plagued by a sense of xenophobic unknowing. “The Village” continues the story finding this bigoted city welcoming an outsider like poison over progressive instrumentation just before the lead single “A Storm of Wings” blends stoner metal, progressive rock & heavy psych so our protagonist can depict the town’s downfall.

“Orbius Tertius” kicks off the 2nd half taking heavy inspiration from the late Jorge Louis Borges’ short story of the same name using idealism to ask a multitude of questions while “Waiting Man” feels like a mix of Pink Floyd & Masters of Reality-era Black Sabbath, realizing the world our hero was committed to was a lie. The 2nd & final single “The Day of Execution” again bases itself in the styles of stoner metal, progressive rock & heavy psych singing about time passing all of us prior to “Secret Mirror” sending off Fantasia with an astounding space rock outro.

Ditching the sci-fi narrative of their Sub Pop debut a couple years earlier, Slift’s follow-up ironically bares it’s name after a description of the band’s previous output for their leanest statement yet improving above Ilion & dethroning Ummon for their magnum opus. The production captures their versatility eclectically varying between space rock, stoner rock, stoner metal, heavy psych, post-metal, progressive rock, progressive metal, post-rock, doom metal & post-hardcore for a tale of overcoming international upheaval.

Score: 4.5/5

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The Bug Club – “Every Single Muscle” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Caldicot, Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom duo The Bug Club. Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Sam Willmett & bassist/vocalist Tilly Harris, they emerged earlier in the decade off 3 extended plays & a couple albums preceding Sub Pop Records signing them a few years ago already. Their debut for the label On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System & the pairing previous full-length Very Human Features were both positively received, returning 12 months since the latter for Every Single Muscle.

“Miss Wales 2012” begins with this chugging garage punk intro referencing a competition both Tilly & Sam have actually won whereas “A Good Day for Dying” made for an apathetically humorous 3rd & final single. “Make It Count” finds the pair trading lines with each other over indie rock instrumentation depicting 2 lovers who have absolutely no idea what to do just before “Cut to Black” takes inspiration from both NEU! & Sparks for 90 seconds.

Meanwhile on “Full Range of Motion”, we have The Bug Club taking a page out of the Minutemen playbook for a post-punk revival tune with some occasional slacker rock undertones while “Pretty as a Magazine” bemoans the fact people don’t know what to do with their own bodies a lot similarly to what “Make It Count” did earlier. “Look Like Me” sings about each member’s own appearance while on “How Can We Be Friends” explains that both members are preoccupied with others.

The title track ends the 1st half of Every Single Muscle on some egg punk vibes singing about feeling strong in all ligaments of their bodies while “Shiny & Wet” experiments with a bit of a blues rock sound wanting to see one’s organs since apologies don’t mean shit to them. “Semi-Automatic” treads garage punk territory explaining that they only play guitars & give 0 fucks while “In My Short Life” sings about them using chart toes in times of distress.

“Watching the Omnibus” hits us with a a garage rock-tinged lead single filled with self-deprecating lyrics & after “It’s Our Manager David” shrugs off literally every single question their manager asks the band regarding what they’ve been doing with their day, the 2nd single “Yours (If You Want Me)” gives off a more introspectively tender & anxious approach singing about how neither one of them necessarily want to be adored.

The song “All My Clothes Fell Off” winds down the last moments of Every Single Muscle slowing down the pacing to build up towards a crescendo reminiscent of classic rock music while the penultimate track “3rd Best Friend” sings about an individual they loved like a close colleague. The outro “My Uncle Warren Drives a Passat” switches things up replacing the guitars with pianos singing about how if all of us were made for dying alone, then neither one of them belong here.

Looking at themselves more in a way an alien might probe a captive specimen on an intergalactic gurney instead of introspection, The Bug Club’s 3rd opus under the Sub Pop banner improves above both it’s predecessors sounding noticeably punkier than their previous output. The human form & condition are both prodded & inspected from every angle throughout the course of Every Single Muscle blending indie rock garage punk, garage rock revival, egg punk, post-punk revival & slacker rock.

Score: 4/5

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Telehealth – “Green World Image” review

Telehealth is a post-punk/synthpop duo from Seattle, Washington consisting of Alexander Attitude & Kendra Cox. Their 2023 debut Content Oscillator properly introduced themselves combining both of those previously mentioned styles with new wave as well as egg punk, garnering the interest of locally historic indie label Sub Pop Records & they were officially signed a few months earlier. So for Alex & Kendra to make their debut for the imprint through their sophomore effort seemed like it could be the pairing’s biggest breakthrough yet.

After the “(user onboarding sequence)” intro, “The Telehealth Shuffle” begins with this compositionally playful & quirky dance-punk opener whereas “Kokomo 2” goes for a new wave/egg punk vibe singing about a machine rendering a senseless future to be useless. The 3rd single “Donor Country (A gOoD cAuSe)” asks why can’t we coexist & trying to find some charitable context leading into “Age of Muralcide” embracing a synth punk sound to explain capitalism & consumerism.

The 2nd single “Things I’ve Killed” embraces the a heavy Devo influence singing about a subreddit blaming millennials for all the industries that they blame for destroying prior to them asking for the “Cost of Inaction” to kick off the 2nd half incorporating elements of new wave, synthpop & dance punk. “Silver Spoon” humorously sings about being unable to afford death & taxes anymore considering everything’s getting more expensive while the lead single “Cool Job” describes looking for an occupation that would actually be fun.

“Yassify Me” for the 4th & final single explains the result of a $0 budget, a dream & Kendra’s aunt Becky absolutely committing to the bit while “Maria, Machine” takes inspiration from Devo once more with hints of Sparks or Zolar X. The penultimate song finds the duo embracing their “Villain Era” & confidently looking to take the crown while the outro “Living, Laughing, Loving, Trying” pretty much sums up the way most of us have been doing for the past year & a half.

Continuing their mission of financializing any difference of opinion over how the in-shambles local “music scene” should proceed, Telehealth’s 2nd album & Sub Pop debut vertically integrates itself towards the average Seattleite & consumers around the globe who are also ready to financialize their own passion for music. Green World Image has a more predominant post-punk feeling than synthpop except they’re progressively evolving beyond both styles in favor of exploring art punk, synth punk, dance-punk, egg punk, new wave & art rock.

Score: 4/5

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Weird Nightmare – “Hoopla” review

This is the sophomore effort from Toronto, Ontario, Canada singer/songwriter Weird Nightmare a.k.a. Alex Edkins. Known for being the frontman of METZ & Lids, he would also become 1/2 of the experimental rock duo Noble Rot prior to making his eponymous full-length debut under Sub Pop Records in 2023 to moderate reception. I did however appreciate the noisy indie rock direction Alex went for with it including the secondary influences of power pop & garage rock, so him returning 4 years later by dropping Hoopla was gonna be an interesting growth to witness.

“Headful of Rain” opens up with this alternative rock intro singing about wanting to write a love song without him ending up scrapping it whereas the 2nd single “Might See You There” gives off some power pop vibes portraying himself to be coming home from what I have to presume to be the road touring. “Baby Don’t” fuses elements of pop rock & alt-rock singing about this woman being everything he wanted out of her while the lead single “Forever Elsewhere” describes things to be darker by the night & love overcoming all soon.

Reaching the halfway point, “Never in Style” embraces a bit of a garage rock sound rebelliously singing about him never following what’s trendy just before the 3rd single “Pay No Mind” explains being so broke to the point where he can’t even pay attention to the time to begin the 2nd leg of the LP & assuring he’ll be done in the end. “If You Should Turn Away” however keeps it going forward with this gentle, summery aura realizing how it feels to love someone & fuck up his shot.

“Little Strange” winds down Hoopla’s last few moments taking some inspiration from The Beach Boys’ surf rock output during the early stages of their career particularly when the chorus hits & after “Bright City Lights” featuring Julianna Riolino finds the pair embracing the pop rock influences even further for this warm duet, the 4th & final single “Where I Belong” introspectively sings about wanting to be with his 2 children to send off the album.

Representing a huge leap forward in Weird Nightmare’s sonic palette & emotional vulnerability, Hoopla combines the aesthetics of 60s psychedelia & the 90s DIY movement to lean heavier on his power pop, slacker rock, jangle pop, pop punk, noise pop, garage rock revival & garage punk influences for a half hour statement regarding the love Alex Edkins still has for the world looking to shine a bright light of optimism in these dark times. The type of artistic development he displays here is what I love to hear & can definitely imagine it getting play over in the west coast this summer.

Score: 4/5

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Sunn O))) – Self-Titled review

Sunn O))) is a drone metal duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of bassists/guitarists Greg Anderson & Stephen O’Malley. Their full-length debut ØØ Void & the sophomore effort Flight of the Behemoth respectively were both solid, dropping the latter under Southern Lord Records. White1 alongside its sequel White2 & more specifically Black One all increased their popularity, the latter being my favorite in the Sunn O))) catalog. Oracle was great too, following it up with their 2nd best in my opinion: Monoliths & Dimensions. 观世音 however might be the band’s worst, coming off the more positively received Life Metal & Pyroclasts to make their Sub Pop Records debut with their 11th studio LP.

“XXANN” epically kicks things off with this 18 & a half minute drone metal composition whereas the doom metal-influenced “Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?” comes through with an ode to the pioneering black metal band Venom. The hypnotically repetitive 2nd & final single “Butch’s Guns” ends the 1st leg containing some of the strongest riffs throughout the full-length prior to “Mindrolling” experimenting with nature recordings. “Everrett Moses” continues the other half blending doom metal & dark ambient while “Glory Black” ends with a fusion of drone metal, ambient, nature recordings & impressionism reminiscent of Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version.

Life Metal was easily the most I’ve personally enjoyed a Sunn O))) album since Monoliths & Dimensions, but Pyroclasts was almost as great & this new eponymous offering from the drone metal veterans demonstrates Greg Anderson & Stephen O’Malley willingness to evolve their unmistakable sound into bold new forms. Their Sub Pop debut predominantly takes it back to their roots m outside of the dark ambient, nature recordings, drone, doom metal, ambient & impressionism undertones handling all of the instrumentation by themselves rather than bringing some outside collaborators in.

Score: 4.5/5

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waterbaby – “Memory Be a Blade” review

Kendra Egerbladh a.k.a. waterbaby is a 28 year old singer/songwriter from Stockholm, Sweden whom the Seattle, Washington indie label Sub Pop Records signed in the summer of 2023. Her debut extended play Foam followed right away later & left a great deal of listeners divided, although I could see the artistic potential she had fusing alt-pop as well as bedroom pop & alternative R&B. She has since released half of her 2nd EP as singles between last May & the previous month, looking to outdo herself nearly 33 months afterwards.

We get some pianos all over the intro “Sink” singing about the steady waters asking her to either leave or believe whereas the title track blends chamber pop, bedroom pop & bossa nova expresses her desire to be seen as someone worthy. “Clay” featuring her brother ttoh combines art pop, chamber pop, chamber folk, folktronica & bedroom pop to look back at a past break-up while “Beck n Call” also featuring ttoh fuses sophisti-pop, bedroom pop, jazz pop, pop rap & neo-soul so they can talk about their hearts being on lock.

“Minnie” starts the 2nd half of Memory Be a Blade by incorporating some strings singing about not wanting to disappoint all the people she made into believers just before “Minnie Too” goes for a jazzier vibe yearning to get away. The art rock, chamber pop, indie folk, neo-psychedelia, folk rock & post-Britpop lead single “Amiss” asks all sorts of questions regarding love while “Srs Ice” finishes the EP suggesting that she should build an attic inside of her own mind over some horns.

Even I would say Foam was a pretty average alt-pop/bedroom pop EP when it dropped a few summers ago, but the teasers building up towards Memory Be a Blade had me hoping waterbaby would display some artistic growth & I hope she capitalizes that whenever her debut album comes. The production’s noticeably darker take on the styles of chamber pop, bedroom pop, bossa nova, art pop, chamber folk, folktronica, sophisti-pop, jazz pop, pop rap, neo-soul, indie folk, neo-psychedelia, folk rock & post-Britpop improving her songwriting by using a previous breakup as a base to make the lyrics hit deeper.

Score: 3.5/5

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Iron & Wine – “Hen’s Teeth” review

Sam Beam a.k.a. Iron & Wine is a 51 year old singer/songwriter from Durham, North Carolina who made his debut in 2002 with The Creek Drank the Cradle under Sub Pop Records. He would also drop Our Endless Numbered Days & The Shepherd’s Dogthough the Seattle, Washington indie label until signing to Warner Records for Kiss Each Other Clean. Ghost on Ghost was more relaxed than anything Sam had done previously & he would form his own imprint Black Cricket Recordings afterwards, returning to Sub Pop via distributing Beast Epic as well as Light Verse & now his 7th album in front of us.

“Roses” starts us off with this Americana opener likening honesty to an 8 ball in the dark & beauty lasting just as long as lightning whereas “Paper & Stone” leans towards a singer/songwriter direction sings about a relationship that’s like a game of rock, paper, scissors. “Robin’s Egg” featuring I’m with Her finds the 2 over an acoustic guitar explaining they did it for love when that’s what it was just before “Singing Saw” describes days walking by like they don’t know you or where to go.

Reaching the halfway point, “In Your Ocean” goes for an indie folk vibe singing about how Sam doesn’t want to be saved & wishing that the woman in mind feels the same way he does for him leading into “Defiance, Ohio” gets an anthem of it’s own assuring the broken pieces of oneself will come alive ‘till they roll off the road. “Wait Up” featuring I’m with Her reunites the pair 1 last time singing about neither of them passing up a good experience & giving up when the apocalypse comes.

“Grace Notes” continues the latter half of Hen’s Teeth with more indie folk production cautioning that the ghosts we deny will haunt us for the remainder of our lives while “Dates & Dead People” throws it back to the Light Verse era for 6 minutes celebrating a love that he compares to an empty cloud. “Half Measures” to me felt like a great note to end the LP on, not wanting to say goodbye & trying to keep what’s left behind even if most people would like to let it go with ease.

Maintaining the predominant chamber folk & singer/songwriter elements of Light Verse a couple years earlier, Sam Beam a.k.a. Iron & Wine noticeably puts a darker & more robust spin on those 2 styles of music to the point where Hen’s Teeth can be considered a fraternal twin of sorts to its predecessor. The secondary influences of Americana are still prevalent despite the indie folk undertones being ditched in favor of experimenting with folk rock & it’s almost as if Sam gave us a gift out of the impossible.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lala Lala – “Heaven 2” review

Lala Lala is a garage/indie/slacker rock band from Chicago, Illinois consisting of drummer Abby Black, bassist/co-frontwoman Emily Kempf & guitarist/co-frontwoman Lillie West. Their full-length debut Sleepyhead a decade ago was positively received & the sophomore effort The Lamb as well as I Want the Door to Open were welcomed to more moderate feedback in comparison. I was however intrigued to hear them making their debut for Sub Pop Records with their 4th album & hoped it would shake up the lukewarm reception of their last couple LPs.

We get some drums & pianos colliding on the intro “Car Anymore” pleading to escape the country right off rip presumably because of the political climate within the last 13 months whereas the 2nd single “Even Mountains Erode” leans towards an alt-pop vibe singing about the symbols & signs we’re missing in our lives. The 4th & final single “Arrow” samples “Pasadena” by La Femme to explain that none of this was supposed to happen from her understanding just before “Tricks” combines a guitar & strings singing about big money wasting big time.

“Scammer” reaches the halfway point experimenting with some electronic influences down the instrumental breakdown during the last minute or so pleading not to give up until the very last drop but once the title track sings about being forever broken & being fed up with staying patient after waiting years for Lillie’s lover to swing by her place, “Anywave” decides against asking questions regarding death since she’s so scared of the end to the point where she can’t feel the present.

The lead single “Does This Go Any Faster?” rounds out 3rd blending indie pop, alt-pop, noise pop & dream pop singing about nothing on this planet being free in addition to Lillie being meant to dissolve & start again anew after losing it all while “This City” asks if anyone would move with jealousy if she cut her hair & wishing she was at a party so someone can catch her eye. “Wyoming Dirt” sends off the LP on a more minimal note singing about accepting the conclusion she has come to.

Lillie West & company conceived Heaven 2 after they left the Windy City to explore the world from Taos, New Mexico to London, England, United Kingdom & Reykjavik, Iceland until finally settling down in Los Angeles, California & the end result marks a debut on the main Sub Pop roster that elevates Lala Lala’s knack for always being on the move. Of course I have to mention the indie pop, alt-pop, noise pop & indietronica influences all over contrasting the bedroom pop sound I Want the Door to Open went for & Lillie coming to the shocking realization of steadiness having the capability of sparking a creative flame within her or both her bandmates.

Score: 3.5/5

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Hannah Jadagu – “Describe” review

Hannah Jadagu is 23 year old indie/bedroom pop artist from Mesquite, Texas introducing herself in the spring of 2021 by signing to Sub Pop Records & putting out her debut EP What’s Going On? to moderate reception followed by the full-length studio debut Aperture roughly 25 months later, receiving more favorable feedback. Teasing a return during the summer, she’s coming off 4 teasers with her official sophomore effort a couple weeks succeeding Flock of Dimes’ greatest album The Life You Save.

The alt-pop title track & final single begins with Hannah singing about trying her best to be the one who never leaves your mind whereas the 3rd single “Gimme Time” blends bedroom pop & indie rock to tackle the struggles of self-discovery & personal growth in a relationship. “More” sings about the emotional toll being physically distant from a lover takes on their relationship over a a dream pop instrumental just before “D.I.A.A. (Do It All Again)” tackles self-reflection & personal growth.

“Perfect” embraces a bedroom pop vibe assuring her lover that their relationship doesn’t have to be exactly flawless prior to the lead single “My Love” combining indie rock, dream pop & shoegaze to sing about the feelings that can arise when you’re apart from someone you love. “Couldn’t Call” begins the 2nd half with what feels like a repetitively penned a cappella interlude while “Tell Me That!!!” sings that she wants to be told that he really want her to be his now.

Starting the concluding act of the LP, we have Hannah fusing bedroom & alt-pop with breakbeat during the 4th single “Normal Today” feeling distracted by a loved one while the 2nd single “Doing Now” swaps out the alt-pop & breakbeat elements in favor of indie rock sings about reluctancy. “Miracles” continues the final moments by expressing her belief in wonders & the closer “Bergamont” sings about the bittersweetness of a love that has since faded away.

Spending a lot of the time trying to figure out how to express ideas that aren’t always so concrete & searching is for the words to describe the truth on Hannah Jadagu’s terms whilst relishing in the uncertainty in that journey, Describe embraces an expansive shift toward a heavier alt-pop & bedroom pop sound compared to prominently indie/dream stylings of her debut although the dream pop influences are being used to a lesser extent & the indie rock undertones of Aperture are being maintained well enough too conceptually based on her learning the hard way that distance is relative.

Score: 3.5/5

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