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If you want to feel like a Gregg Araki character, throw on “Willow,” the new single from Minneapolis dream rockers she’s green. They wash pop music out until it’s something entirely different. The band’s dense arrangements are like taking a warm bath, or sunbathing in a creek, or being half awake. Watercolor guitars support a story of evolving love, and the drums hint at the ‘gaze group’s unpredictable range. Following the time-honored tradition of songs in this style, there’s a less-is-more lyrical approach, pumped with air and stretched out lengthwise. It takes around six seconds to grandiosely amble through the word "metamorphosis." With so many references to Mother Nature, it feels both weeping and grounded.
- Madeline Frino
3d ago
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“EWYT,” the new single by the North Carolina alt-folk artist Loose green, feels like stumbling upon a moment that’s still happening. The lyrics open with either “let’s go to New York City” or “it’s cold in New York City.” I can’t quite make it out, but either way, I’m transported into a scene that feels straight out of Inside Llewyn Davis. It hits like a forgotten demo from some 60s folk underdog.
Heavily inspired by older folk and rock and occasionally interjecting elements of noise, the project is the work of one artist playing every instrument and churning songs until the good ones come out. Earlier this year, Loose green released 7 Songs by Loose Green, a reflective, low-key record. You'll find similar moods running through both that and “EWYT.” There’s a certain heaviness in his voice that brings to mind Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon; the storytelling here is intimate and unfiltered. - J.vienberg
Heavily inspired by older folk and rock and occasionally interjecting elements of noise, the project is the work of one artist playing every instrument and churning songs until the good ones come out. Earlier this year, Loose green released 7 Songs by Loose Green, a reflective, low-key record. You'll find similar moods running through both that and “EWYT.” There’s a certain heaviness in his voice that brings to mind Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon; the storytelling here is intimate and unfiltered. - J.vienberg
Jul 16, 2025
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Seven years ago The Ophelias made Always, the prettiest indie album ever.
This new album, produced by Julien Baker, isn’t so pretty. The instruments are turned up and chaotic. Spencer Peppet’s vocals can be difficult to find in that loud mix when first listening, but they’re there and they’re urgent. Her lyrics are like poems with choruses. They aren’t always the most rhythmic or musical, like it’s more important to get her thoughts out than to craft a perfect verse.
They’ve tagged this album as “mermaid rock” and “nature punk” and I think you’ll see that those are fitting descriptions!
Cumulonimbus is a good song to start with. Salome is a banger!
This new album, produced by Julien Baker, isn’t so pretty. The instruments are turned up and chaotic. Spencer Peppet’s vocals can be difficult to find in that loud mix when first listening, but they’re there and they’re urgent. Her lyrics are like poems with choruses. They aren’t always the most rhythmic or musical, like it’s more important to get her thoughts out than to craft a perfect verse.
They’ve tagged this album as “mermaid rock” and “nature punk” and I think you’ll see that those are fitting descriptions!
Cumulonimbus is a good song to start with. Salome is a banger!
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⭐snagged this album after listening to Dear Nora's Katy Davidson guesting on an old episode of Time Crisis. "flowers fading" in particular has this mellow, humble, grateful vibe that is addictive. "woke up from a dream about Lady Gaga / then took a whiff of my coffee beans" is a great way to open a song.
Jan 29, 2024
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Hüsker Dü were in limbo in 1985. Their relationship with SST was starting to sour after the legendary Twin Cities band’s release of New Day Rising, and by the end of the year they were in talks with major labels (September’s Flip Your Wig stayed with Greg Ginn’s label, but Warner swept in soon after). Now, five live recordings from the top of 85, split between those aforementioned albums, were unearthed and freshened up by the archival titans at Numero Group, who also put out the group’s 2017 box set Savage Young Dü.
Don’t expect a bootleg. The hometown show at Minneapolis venue First Avenue was recorded to 24-track tape for an intended release that never came to fruition. Jan. 30, First Ave Pt. 1 highlights the band’s brash, pop-pushing punk, proving that good things come in threes. Their raw presence surely silenced a few naysayers who, at the time, thought their melodic inclinations and genre bleed pointed towards a “commercial” sound. Some people don’t know what they’ve got until it’s gone … and then recovered by the label that introduced Duster to Gen Z. - Madeline Frino
Don’t expect a bootleg. The hometown show at Minneapolis venue First Avenue was recorded to 24-track tape for an intended release that never came to fruition. Jan. 30, First Ave Pt. 1 highlights the band’s brash, pop-pushing punk, proving that good things come in threes. Their raw presence surely silenced a few naysayers who, at the time, thought their melodic inclinations and genre bleed pointed towards a “commercial” sound. Some people don’t know what they’ve got until it’s gone … and then recovered by the label that introduced Duster to Gen Z. - Madeline Frino
Jul 8, 2025
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What if the entire Splice library was launched into the ether, prompting a Pokemon-esque scavenger hunt to catch ‘em all? This is what ear pulls off. And yet, the duo’s voices are the best instruments in the mix. Chopped notes and cheeky whispers and sharp breaths abound in their latest singles, “Fetish” and “Valley Serpent.” A cut-and-sew craft project of a song, “Fetish” shows impressive restraint for as long as possible before mutating multiple times. It’s not just a glazed ambient track, or bass-boosted electronic, or .5 speed breakcore. The disjointed lyrics are hypnotically aphasic, as if having a stroke could be a beautiful experience. “Valley Serpent” has the same structureless setup, shrouding a poignant piano ballad in blown-out artificial noise. For all they add, they know when to get minimal. The gentle recitation “feels like a burden” is scripted to haunt. The most Lynchian release of the year!
- Madeline Frino
Jul 17, 2025
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The name of the British artists Worldpeace DMT and Rowan Please’s new release, The Velvet Underground and Rowan, harkens back to the iconic album that Brian Eno once claimed launched a million projects. It’s a befitting reference for two artists in their own burgeoning gallerina-punk scene. It’s experimental in a topical way, indebted to the internet, and filled with silly sounds, stuff like squeaks and boings and chiptune motifs. Worldpeace DMT plays perfectly with Please, who is one half of two-hit wonder The Femcels.
In spite of its off-kilter quirk, the record is chock full of cloying earworms and pop sensibilities. On “Love Yourself,” the Leonard Cohen-esque line “Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the sand” is quickly followed by “sorry that I fucked your dude.” There’s seemingly an emo influence, which is also present on unfettered, shouty tracks like “Numbers” and “Hey Marshmallow.” The 60s come back full force on “Marina,” complete with handclaps and melodic familiarity. “The Ledge” covers a Fleetwood Mac classic and briefly interpolates “Blitzkrieg Bop.” All the harmonica and strings and bitcrushed buzz can’t distract from the fact that the bones of this music would be impressive on their own … But a little fun never hurts. - Madeline Frino
In spite of its off-kilter quirk, the record is chock full of cloying earworms and pop sensibilities. On “Love Yourself,” the Leonard Cohen-esque line “Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the sand” is quickly followed by “sorry that I fucked your dude.” There’s seemingly an emo influence, which is also present on unfettered, shouty tracks like “Numbers” and “Hey Marshmallow.” The 60s come back full force on “Marina,” complete with handclaps and melodic familiarity. “The Ledge” covers a Fleetwood Mac classic and briefly interpolates “Blitzkrieg Bop.” All the harmonica and strings and bitcrushed buzz can’t distract from the fact that the bones of this music would be impressive on their own … But a little fun never hurts. - Madeline Frino
4d ago