FFO: Pup, Joyce Manor, Hotline TNT, Ovlov, atmospheric indie rock with hints of punkish pop

While [PERSON] and [ARTIST]’s other founding member, bassist [PERSON], no longer contribute the majority of songwriting they once did, morsels of their original sound remain. Signature wistful vocals and oblique-yet-nimble guitars are still a fixture, as are thematic elements that touch on burnout, climate crisis, and losing touch with a difficult reality. But [TITLE]’s stylistic turns are emphasized by deeper texture and simpler songwriting, influenced by the reemergence of 90s alternative and shoegaze.

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FFO: Alex G, Red House Painters, My Bloody Valentine, shoegaze-inflected guitar rock

Written during a time of immense inspiration, [PERSON] was able to peel himself away from detached nihilism, uncovering the physicality and therapeutic powers of songwriting. Newly emboldened by this discovery and the talented community surrounding him, [PERSON] channeled this revelation into his work, taking [ARTIST] from a bedroom experiment that merely wrote songs to a more substantial project with a purpose.

FFO: Sasami, Mannequin Pussy, Model/Actriz, Priests, fiery choruses in the depths of the mascara moshpit

[ARTIST] are here to uplift, a mission exemplified by the frenetic and bewitching pre-release singles “[SONG]” and “[SONG],” cornerstones of [TITLE] in both style and theme. The former serves as a reminder to keep your larger than life personality in a world that wants to downsize you, where the latter proclaims urgent solidarity with missing and murdered people. Such crucial messages of upliftment are the foundation of [TITLE], and, by extension [ARTIST], whose thrashing debut leaves no stone of solidarity unturned.

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FFO: Sasami, Mannequin Pussy, Model/Actriz, Priests, fiery choruses in the depths of the mascara moshpit

On their standalone single "[SONG]", the rising D.C.-based [ARTIST] immediately grab your attention with a sense of verve, vitality, and uncontrollable excitement. Lead vocalist and frontwoman [PERSON] set out to make a funhouse mirror song that's all about the pain of being yourself and having a larger than life personality in a nation that wants to downsize you. With crashing drums seared with a piercing momentum, fuzzed-out guitar riffs, and [PERSON]'s biting and energetic vocal delivery, [ARTIST] locks you into the band's vigorous spirit in just under three minutes.

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This 7" vinyl features an exclusive track from both [ARTIST] and [ARTIST], released in honor of the bands' 2024 Japan tour.

FFO: Sufjan Stevens, Stereolab, Yo La Tengo, Crumb, Broadcast, Steve Reich

Across its fifteen songs, [TITLE] ultimately proposes a world of marvels and compelling complexity: “[SONG]” cheekily prods at mutually assured destruction; “[SONG]” explores the infiniteness within ourselves; while “[SONG]” unpacks an all too familiar stagnation. It’s all part of, and crucial to, [TITLE]’s transportive power, ever reaching for the wonder and magic of the world we live in.

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FFO: Iglooghost, A.G. Cook, Hakushi Hasegawa, Soushi Sakiyama. blown-out, pop-forward electronica

[TITLE] expands on the heartfelt sibilance of [ARTIST]’s prior output with [ARTIST]’s penchant for epic song structures and tumbling climaxes, layered with diaphanous vocals that oscillate between hope and despair. Lead track “[SONG]” comprises elements of twitchy drum n bass and [ARTIST]’s overdriven pop-shoegaze, with pitch-corrected vocals interfixed through uptempo percussion, piano, and distorted layers of melodic atmosphere.

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FFO: Tortoise, Battles, Don Caballero, Pele, The Mercury Program, Explosions in the Sky

[TITLE] (2024), [ARTIST]’s fourth full-length album, is a bridge between the experimental restraint of their later work and the explosive abandon of their earlier output. From the opening tracks, [ARTIST] balance serpentine passages against meditative repetition. On “[SONG],” “[SONG],” and “[SONG],” [PERSON] reprises his role as part-time vocalist, breaking the band yet further from the instrumental work that formerly defined them. As a whole, [TITLE] closes the loop between early and late [ARTIST], giving them a clean slate for their new outlook.

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FFO: Pup, Joyce Manor, Hotline TNT, Ovlov, resurgent sounds of alt rock mixed with noodly emo

The final release from Montreal's [ARTIST].

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FFO: Beach Fossils, Real Estate, Triathalon, Chastity Belt, Boy Pablo, The Drums, Vampire Weekend, Frankie Cosmos, Another Michael

In the [TITLE] sonic universe, enchanting hooks about friendship and growing up in New Jersey orbit driving verses that prize brevity, never laboring longer than necessary. On lead single “[SONG],” [ARTIST] explore the mental gymnastics required for a career in music, pulling on the threads of fear and excitement they experienced in their early tours. Such reflection is abundant on [TITLE]: “[SONG]” refers to the peculiar beauty of a boat graveyard in the Arthur Kill tidal strait; where “[SONG]” interpolates a song that stuck with [PERSON] since high school. All told, [TITLE] continues what [ARTIST] started with [TITLE], honing their pristinely arranged indie pop morsels into a fully realized sound that vindicates the near ten-year wait.

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FFO: My Bloody Valentine, Grouper, TAGABOW, Cocteau Twins, Tony Molina, and You'll Never Get To Heaven

"[SONG]" is the final unreleased song from the [ARTIST] vault. Originally intended to be on the now beloved album [TITLE], "[SONG]" was pulled from the tracklist shortly before release. The never before heard song will be released on late songwriter [PERSON]'s birthday, October 11.

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Our year in review: 18 tracks from 18 different artists spanning twitchy drum n bass, math rock, post rock, screamo, overdriven pop-shoegaze, progressive rock-skewed artpop, and everything in between. Available on CD, cassette, and digitally.

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